Author Topic: Episode 2, Part 1 - Decisions [DONE] (Read 15693 times)

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #100 on:** October 22, 2007, 02:18:59 AM »

By the truck, In Neon

"Okay, let me know then" the scarred man said, then turned around to leave.

Leaving Jonathan behind they arrived at the truck just in time to see a man pull up his hood and leave. Kiph was on his way into a morphine slumber, and was lifted gently into the passenger seat. Ceres considered using their last can of gas to fuel up the truck, meanwhile Brevil and Riv greeted each other.

<OOC>
Okay, we are back in the past, in Neon. Guys, it is your turn!
</OOC>

valadaar · « **Reply #101 on:** October 22, 2007, 11:35:27 AM »

Riv heard the others come back from the bar, including a newcomer.
"Who the F%%k were you just talking to?" he was asked.

Shrugging, "Some ugly MF, really paranoid too - a bit of a pansy using a kid to open contact. Wanted someone took out in Corona. Steel merchant by the name of Henderson. Offered some armor to take the assignment. I told him I'd have to check with you folks, since it ain't my truck and would take us out of our way some. Payment up front is nice, and unusual. So that smells too. But, I figured I'd pass it by you. So waddya think? A bit of armor for a little wetworks? And maybe some fireworks Told 'em I give him his answer pretty quick. Oh, and who's that?"

dark_dragon · « **Reply #102 on:** October 22, 2007, 12:49:49 PM »

"I'm a friend of Jonathan's. He added quickly, before Riv could level his shotgun again.

"Dr Brevil Cornell, or as much as a doctor counts in these times anyway"

"So you'd be Riv, then?"

"Ceres mentioned you might be going to Bleak Wood, so I asked if I could tag along... If you don't mind, that is"

"I used to be a scientist at the academy. Maybe I still am. It all depends on the state of Bleak Wood when we get there, of course..."

"On a sidenote, did the man you were talking to have scars on his face? I think I might have seen him lurking around recently. Unfortunately I can't tell you more than that. Not Someone I'd like to get close to, you understand... If anything comes up I'll let you know, of course..."

valadaar · « **Reply #103 on:** October 22, 2007, 12:59:45 PM »

"Scarred, yeah, like he was stuck in a pretty bad sandstorm for too long. Or tried sucking on a sandblaster."

dark_dragon · « **Reply #104 on:** October 22, 2007, 05:08:24 PM »

"Actually, I think I remember now...Hard to forget really."

"This guy came in fromn the wastes a few days after I arrived, his clothes torn and tattered, looking more like a starved dog than anything else. Apparently, five thugs decided to rob him-maybe they thought he'd be easy pickings. They turned up dead a few days later. People started calling him "Cancer" soon after that. From the talk I overheard, people seem to think him a technomancer."

"I personally doubt that. The technology of the spacers is extraordinary, and it would take a man of true science to understand it. Not some pathetic fugitive... or filthy murderer."

"He does seem to have a machine gun though, and some sort of personal shield. Possibly a host of other vile contraptions too. Wouldn't be surprised if he had killed to get them, either."

"All I know really..." And all I want to know too "...didn't exactly try to buy him a drink, you known how it is...The man has...this...Aura. I just didn't want to get too close."

valadaar · « **Reply #105 on:** October 22, 2007, 05:52:04 PM »

"I got a similar feel from him. A rough one for sure. Good to know about the shield though. Machine gun eh?

So what do the rest of ya say? I've got a little bit before our 'deal' expires. "

Murometz · « **Reply #106 on:** October 22, 2007, 06:30:45 PM »

Despite the heavy dosage, Kiph had a peculiar metabolism, and upon hearing "spacers", "cancer" and "flithy murderers" opened an eye, scanned the truck to determine who was speaking, then just as quickly shut his eye again, though now he was listening intently to the conversation. As intently as his warped, morphine-addled mind would allow him at the moment.

Soon, Ceres would speak, he surmised, and then our course of action would be determined.

In the meantime he tried to follow what was happening. He survived, that was one. Riv had met a shady character who wished to hire the group to retrieve something or other in dreaded Bleakwood. That was two. Brevil, the friend of that slimy scientist, Jonathan, seemed ok, to Kiph from first impressions. Ceres seemed to be ok with him, and that was right by Kiph. Wait, he thought, what was three?

Doctor Kiph thought to himself suddenly. Brevil Cornell had called himself a doctor. He seemed to know a great deal about the Spacers too. Perhaps....

"Lets talk to him again. Lets feel him out." Kiph muttered, and glanced toward Ceres out of habit.

EchoMirage · « **Reply #107 on:** October 23, 2007, 09:36:31 AM »

"Before we discuss any further - we're no assassins for hire" Ceres interrupted with a grave tone. "Especially not in my hometown. Henderson has done some good to me, though not free of charge, and I value him: not his past, but the man he is today."

She turned to see where the hooded crook ran off, but he was nowhere around, the shadows having swalloved their own without trace.

"I fancy the thought of asking him a few questions, and perhaps ensuring that he doesn't find the thought of shooting up my people so appealing. Does anyone agree with me?"

dark_dragon · « **Reply #108 on:** October 23, 2007, 09:50:55 AM »

"I, for one, Ceres Would very much like to talk to this man, But in all honesty, I do not wish to do so in an environment that he controls."

Actually, Brevil did not want to talk to this man at all, and wanted to go straight to Bleakwood to gather the remains of his research, but something stopped him from saying so...Perhaps it was the rumors of technomancy...Perhaps his pride would not rest until he had proved to himself that a petty murderer would never unlock the secrets of the spacers over which he had slaved all his life. Then again, the scientist inside him would not accept to leave any stone unturned in his quest to understand the spacers, and if this man was really a ...Technomancer, Brevil would have to know, and this was the occasion to do so safely, with superiority of numbers.

"In any case, we have to be careful. If we talk to him, it has to be on Our terms."

valadaar · « **Reply #109 on:** October 23, 2007, 10:17:17 AM »

"Okay, that's why I asked. As I said before, I'm above table. Don't care for wetworks, I'm down with that.

Now as Brevil - right? Brevil here says, we need to be careful. He's paranoid and not above using others to help him. So he's apparently smart, has good equipment, and paranoid. So Brevil is d**n right we can't meet him on his own ground.

Based on my discussion with him, you have one way to dissuade him. He won't change his mind. Do you _really_ want to talk with him? Cause that 'complicates' things."

EchoMirage · « **Reply #110 on:** October 23, 2007, 11:43:35 AM »

"I do not wish to endanger any of you - and the talking may take place after he is no longer a threat, yes. After all, he may be far more communicative if we are in a position of strength. I trust your tactical advice, Riv - and the notion that the madman may have a machine gun is disturbing. We should see to learning a bit about him, his hideout and associates, and proceed from there."

valadaar · « **Reply #111 on:** October 23, 2007, 12:20:28 PM »

"We can start with that kid. He might know something useable about him. Someone other then me should get him though, he's a little scared of me." Riv said with a grin.

Riv then described the young kid who had originally approached him.

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #112 on:** October 24, 2007, 01:52:58 AM »

Ceres & Riv,
Half an hour later in a Neon alley,
behind "Barter Place" (a general store)

"Nooo! Leave me alone!" the brown eyed kid screamed, trying in vain to wrestle himself free from Ceres' iron grip. Then his screams died as a compact, well muscled man with sandy blond, close cropped hair, walked into view. Riv grinned at the kid and Ceres could hear him whimper, watched fear spread across his young features.

"No! No! Not you! Not you!" the boy cried, his thin voice nearly breaking, tears running down his cheeks.

"Please! Sir! Don't hurt me! Let me go! I won't do anything wrong, I promise! Just let me go!"

_{<OOC>
EchoMirage (via pm), Murometz (in chat) and valadaar (in game) all have suggested that you track down the kid and/or the hooded scoundrel. I ruled that Ceres didn't leave Riv behind with a slumbering Kiph due to safety concerns for Kiph and not knowing Riv that well. Therefore Ceres caught the kid, holding him in an arm and now Riv has entered the scene. It is slightly less than half an hour until the hooded guy returns to the truck.

Again, if you have any objections, cry out loud a couple of times.

Note: Brevil is in the driver seat of the army truck, looking at the broken windshield (broken by a bullet), in the company of Kiph, who sits nodding his head, half asleep.
</OOC>}

valadaar · « **Reply #113 on:** October 24, 2007, 09:37:12 AM »

"You might want to lower your voice, kid. You don't want to let people know who you've been associating with. That could be ... dangerous.." a grin, a little more theatrical then necessary.

"The man who hired you to talk to me. Tell me everything you know about him. Everything. Do that, and things will go okay with you.
Don't, and well, we won't go there unless you do. There are a couple of rounds for you if I like what I hear.."

Riv looks at the kid expectantly.

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #114 on:** October 25, 2007, 04:06:40 AM »

His friends had scattered the second the huge woman had emerged from behind a corner and grabbed his arm. Looking around "Kid" saw no one that could help him. Swallowing hard he nodded to Riv, pointing down an alley with his free hand.

"I dunno much, sir! But 'e lives down there, in the home of the old fuel trader!" the kid screamed and grabbed Ceres' arm with his free hand, trying to distribute his weight on two arms.

"The old trader ain't coming out nowadays, nor his wife and them kids, so I think they are dead. It is Cancer, sir. He takes what he wants, when he wants! And that is all I know!" the boy let out a whimper, "just look for the building made of canvas, brick and tin roofing, you can't miss it!".

<OOC> The kid is terrified of Riv and no dice rolls are necessary to convince him to yield info. No rolls are necessary to convince you he is speaking truthfully either. He is a terrified kid. </OOC>

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #115 on:** October 25, 2007, 04:44:17 AM »

Brevil stared at Kiph, his eyes wide with disbelief. Kiph was still awake, in a sense, but the morphine flask had slipped between his fingers and now laid on the floor between his legs. A strong gust of wind blew through the broken windshield, the hot air rejuvenating the former Academy scientist. People had returned to the streets, but they gave the army truck a wide berth.

Suddenly Kiph began to sing, his voice drugged,
"Grampy loves her little Kiph,
son of Eva..."

Kiph whimpered, lifting his head from the dashboard for a second before crashing it forcefully back down.

"... and mommy left,
and grampy left,
the spacers taking,
them for a ride"

The song was off key, and Kiph repeatedly smashed his forehead into the dashboard as he sang and cried, cried and sang. A little boy walked by, pointing and giggling, but his mother took his hand and hurried off, not looking back.

valadaar · « **Reply #116 on:** October 25, 2007, 07:12:44 AM »

"How did he 'recruit' you? Did he just grab you like our dear Ceres here? Did he offer you anything other then threats to approach me?
Have you seen him with anyone else? Ever?

Oh, and do you know the layout of the Old fuel Traders place? Was there fuel there last you know? " An evil grin crossed his face....

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #117 on:** October 25, 2007, 07:27:24 AM »

"Pretty much, yeah. He grabbed me 'n said I'd get some ammo if I told you all that stuff, but I got nuthin'! And I 'aven't seen him out much, nor with anyone. Though some of the other kids sometimes said they heard sounds at night, but people stay out of his business. He ain't good for your health, if you know what I mean..."

Kid mused for a second, his feet trying to find somewhere to stand.

"Let me go, alright? There is fuel everywhere. The fuel trader was hysterical that someone would steal his wares and kept it all indoors. Half the building is filled with the stuff, or so it smells anyhow. I was never in there!"

The skinny brown eyed boy looked at Riv, then Ceres. "Let me go, please... And if you value your lives, leave and never come back!"

<OOC> while clumsily put, you are pretty sure the boy refers to Cancer being dangerous, which is why you should leave and never come back. He is probably not threatening you

</OOC>

valadaar · « **Reply #118 on:** October 25, 2007, 08:11:21 AM »

"Okay, you can go unless Ceres has some of her own questions. But when you do, go that way - " pointing directly away from the alley and Cancer's home, "Or I'll use you for target practice. Here!", tossing the frightened lad a couple of .22 rounds.

The promise of the fuel caused Riv's eyes to light up with an intensity that made his earlier cold stare downright charming..

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #119 on:** October 25, 2007, 08:38:48 AM »

Kid's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he amazingly caught both rounds mid air with his free hand. Eyeing Ceres like a puppy he whispered "Please ma'am, can I go now?"

EchoMirage · « **Reply #120 on:** October 26, 2007, 04:22:21 AM »

"Run kid, stay safe and don't get hurt... and learn a trade" Ceres muttered to the kid.
His back vanishd into the gloom of the back alley.
"Never thought I would actually manage to catch him. Well then..."
She eyed the shanty town, and continued: "Let's scout out the place, and see what we can learn. Perhaps buy a bit of fuel..." she spoke as she saw the flicker in Riv's eyes "...before it something happens to it."

Ancient Gamer · « **Reply #121 on:** October 26, 2007, 05:30:45 PM »

The kid had looked back once, a look of gratitude on his face, before he disappeared down the alley Riv indicated. Ceres could still visualize him, that hopeful look as he was put back down and let free. "Stop" Riv whispered and Ceres focused on the present. She smelled it instantly; the overpowering intense, raw smell of gas.

"How can anyone live in this smell?" Ceres whispered and spied in the direction Riv pointed. Further down the alley was a large building, its walls made up of broken sections of brick wall reinforced by tin roofing positioned upright. The roof itself seemed to be made of canvas, as was the door and shutters.

Riv pressed his back against the concrete wall of a neighbouring building, an old pre-war power house, and glimpsed inside. Two people lay in their beds in the former power house. Apparently they were sleeping, but the time of day made Riv suspect it was a more permanent kind of sleep. It was so quiet here. Too quiet. There were no sounds of kids and dogs and lovers and angry mothers like farther behind. All that existed here was that deadly smell and the sound of their breathing.

**************

They had circled around the building twice and found corpses littering the neighbouring buildings. It seemed they had all died recently, perhaps last night, and none showed any mark of struggle, though their homes had been ransacked for valuables. The Fuel Depot itself had two entrances, one back and one in front. No sounds could be heard from the inside. By the smell of it, Cancer must have let a lot of fuel run into the ground, which made no sense as fuel was a valued commodity. Either that or he had poured it into open vats or tanks, letting the fumes poison the neighbourhood.

_{<OOC> Rolls made include medicine for Ceres (how long since the people died) and listen (Ceres and Riv)</OOC>}

valadaar · « **Reply #122 on:** October 26, 2007, 06:47:01 PM »

"He must have some type of protection against it. Or its a trap - maybe he expects company, and poof!"

Riv was no saint, but the level of murder here shook him. Most times he killed in hot blood, and usually they deserved it. Not like this.

"You still sure you want to talk to him? ", Riv asked, realizing he was whispering....

Murometz · « **Reply #123 on:** October 27, 2007, 10:44:12 AM »

"This place is a death-trap" Ceres whispered quietly to Riv in reply, stating the obvious, then paused, assessing her options.

After a few moments of lip-chewing..."You think he'd send this whole thing up in flames to take out the two of us? I suppose a madman would, but...Cancer is also a business man, is he not?"

Ceres fingered Trollbandir's pommel absent-mindedly, and simply stood quietly now, listening for any sound, peering intently at the building and surroundings, and taking in the queitly morbid scene around her.

"If I bade Kiph go in there and scout things out, he would" she grinned momentarily. "But since the youngster is temporarily indisposed..." she eyed Riv again.

He takes what he wants, when he wants! the young kid's words echoed in Ceres mind again.

"Still want some fuel, Riv? Lets check out the back door" she said evenly.

<OOC> Heading to back door. Staying alert. (and worrying, since i dont want to have Ceres blow up on my watch, before Echo returns on monday)

<OOC>

Murometz · « **Reply #124 on:** October 27, 2007, 11:10:22 AM »

"what the @!#$ are you looking at?" Kiph suddenly mumbled, as he opened his eyes, and rubbed his bleeding forehead. Brevil Cornell was staring agape at the fatebringer, and Kiph did not know why. This made him agitated.

"Where is Ceres and Riv?" he asked, then without waiting for a reply, "Why are you staring at me?"