Re: Horrible Options, Unexpected Help and Hidded Passages IC Thread 17

[Adley]

"Protection yes...perhaps, the numbers will flee if scared, but there are always more numbers." Nancy said and nodded in agreement.

Adley looked confused at this phrasing, unsure what the Hollower meant. He supposed he had been lucky to have understood as well as he had been so far. "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean. I'm asking if someone should protect your mind...numbers from outside influence."

"Ah...no...the Cultists still have that, let us just talk with them and arrange to get the ammunition back before we go." Crexia said as she got out of the car. "I do not have a pry bar but I think maybe Miss Willis have one in her car."

He gave Adley a look, "Well, bugger... No, I rather forgot when the ladies returned. Ah, well, I doubt they'd have left the munitions behind; I'll just have to reload a bit."

"It's alright, I came after them out of the room," he said. "I'll ask about the crowbar."

Other than the tiny spirits hurrying along everything looked normal, none of the stores where open yet and the street was rather quiet.

"They should do more...serious damage now." The Cultist muttered as she begun the hand out ammunition to the rest of the group.

"That's not good...another spiritual eviction. I'd say that the area has been compromised...perhaps another ward," he said to Crexia and Colin then got out of the car. He frowned at the trail of spirits running away, as if their house had been burnt down and went over to Cara's car. When he got his spare ammo back he discreetly put it away with a nod of thanks.

// good to hear

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley looked confused at this phrasing, unsure what the Hollower meant. He supposed he had been lucky to have understood as well as he had been so far. "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean. I'm asking if someone should protect your mind...numbers from outside influence."

Nancy looked at you for a while as if she was really struggling to try to explain or speak in a way you could understand.
"I would not want the numbers to run away."
She said then she nodded.
"Yes..."
She finally said.

"It's alright, I came after them out of the room," he said. "I'll ask about the crowbar."

"Very well then."
Crexia said and nodded.

"That's not good...another spiritual eviction. I'd say that the area has been compromised...perhaps another ward," he said to Crexia and Colin then got out of the car. He frowned at the trail of spirits running away, as if their house had been burnt down and went over to Cara's car. When he got his spare ammo back he discreetly put it away with a nod of thanks.

Crexia looked in the direction of the tiny fleeing spirits and frowned as well.
"Not good indeed I wonder if it is caused by anything the Jade Demon have been doing, it is about time for their attack, if his envoy was telling the truth, or Abigail can have erected more wards since she have been loosing bodies...in either case we need to keep our wits about us."
She said as she checked her weapons and locked her car.

Loretta handed you your ammo with an apologetic look.
"Sorry for forgetting to give this back to you before Mr Roth Hicks."
She said. The ammo now felt sharp and dynamic, it was a fresh but dangerous feeling Resonance, there where no doubt the bullets where weapons and that energetic flavor went quite well with your own actually, quite well.

Crexia looked over her team then she said.
"Very well then, we should move out, Mr Roth Hicks if you would help me keep and eye on spirit activity in the city and keep Miss Scott and Miss Willis safe, Mr Wainwright...please help me take point, the rest of you follow but keep your eyes open, we do not know what we might encounter, and keep in mind we are on a public street, though not the most used one in the city there are still traffic, let us make sure not to involve any sleepers in this."
She ordered and waited for one moment to see if anyone had anything to add or any questions before she moved out.

[Warpmind]

"Yes never eat or drink anything the fay offers if you intend to get back to the physical world again, in this case though the berries where full of vis...very, very dynamic vis...like I said it is good any of the Diedne forces did not come upon us at that time."
Crexia said with a slight smile.
"I was so much younger and more foolish then."

Colin nodded, "I do believe there is some precedent for agreements and promises extricated prior to food being served, but those are few and far between... and often riddled with Byzantine loopholes. And those berries - indeed, it sounds like it could have been a dreadful battle for everyone involved with one side hopped up on an excessive rush of power."

"No they probably have quite a variety of skills our dear enemies, so yes leaving my little friend here seams the safest plan for everyone involved."
The archmaga said and nodded.

He sighed, "Part of me rather envies the little tyke... and another part of me points out that if I don't step up to this battle, I've no right to expect anyone else to, either..."

You get over to Loretta's cox gray hybrid just as the two Cultists and their passengers got out of the car.
"Ah...Mr Wainwright the bullets...off course in the hustle to get going I forgot to give them back."
Loretta said and handed you your clips, they now felt pleasantly Dynamic, a fine, sharp Dynamism you could appreciate though Mia still preferred Static Resonances.
"They should do more...serious damage now."
The Cultist muttered as she begun the hand out ammunition to the rest of the group.

He grinned sheepishly, "It did get a bit hectic with travel arrangements being discussed at the last, but I forgot, too."
He checked his ammunition - Almost two full clips of these enchanted rounds, four Primium rounds in the bottom of the second magazine, and then the last magazine with the few less-lethal rounds Samantha had made... He nodded in grim approval and loaded the clip with only the freshly enchanted rounds in the pistol and checked the mechanics, getting ready to delve into the darkness.
"I quite believe they will..."

He frowned at the manhole, "Then let's hope they didn't trap this one; bad enough that the one in front of the old cinema leads straight into the core defenses, Heavens know what trickery they might have conjured up here..."
He sighed and slipped the Entropy-aligned monocle into place, "Fortunae spectare."

((OOC: A simple divination to see basically whether a passage will be likely safe or if it should be better to just nope the hell out - as a warning of immediate danger, rather than longer term. Might reveal a tripwire to set off a booby trap, but not one to trigger an alarm further into the Labyrinth sort of thing. Arete roll: 8,8,8. Dayum. O.o ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I do believe there is some precedent for agreements and promises extricated prior to food being served, but those are few and far between... and often riddled with Byzantine loopholes.

"There is and it is possible to navigate the world of fae, however the problem is not that they are hostile and malignant but more that they are alien, they might not mean anything ill by their offers even if they will trap you but they think differently and it is so easy to get lost it is better to politely refuse food and drink from them, unless you are very sure about what you are doing, and just hope your refusal do not insult them."
Crexia advices.

And those berries - indeed, it sounds like it could have been a dreadful battle for everyone involved with one side hopped up on an excessive rush of power."

"It would have been a very one sided battle...in the Diedne's favor, power means noting without control."
The old Tytalus said darkly.

He sighed, "Part of me rather envies the little tyke... and another part of me points out that if I don't step up to this battle, I've no right to expect anyone else to, either..."

"My little imp can not fight, he do not have that ability, we do Mr Wainwright but yes I would like to be safe, to see my friends safe, but we have to take care of this problem, not really out of some duty but just as much out of a desire to see reality continue."

He grinned sheepishly, "It did get a bit hectic with travel arrangements being discussed at the last, but I forgot, too."
He checked his ammunition - Almost two full clips of these enchanted rounds, four Primium rounds in the bottom of the second magazine, and then the last magazine with the few less-lethal rounds Samantha had made... He nodded in grim approval and loaded the clip with only the freshly enchanted rounds in the pistol and checked the mechanics, getting ready to delve into the darkness.
"I quite believe they will..."

Your weapons and ammunition seamed to be in order. Rosario fetched her crossbow and examined it as well.
"Just remember Mr Wainwright, injuries from those bullets will be harder to heal, not as hard as with Primium but harder it will make it harder to keep prisoners alive."
She said.
"Well shot prisoners at least."

He frowned at the manhole, "Then let's hope they didn't trap this one; bad enough that the one in front of the old cinema leads straight into the core defenses, Heavens know what trickery they might have conjured up here..."
He sighed and slipped the Entropy-aligned monocle into place, "Fortunae spectare."

"Yes, it would be a issue if they have set a trap at the manhole."
Crexia agreed and peered out of the ally. You saw no immediate danger around the manhole cover, further in though the reading was more fuzzy, there was something there, but fate was not likely to strike you down at the cover, or in the tunnel bellow it, beyond that was hard to say.
"Do you see anything Mr Wainwright?"
The archmaga asked.

[Warpmind]

"There is and it is possible to navigate the world of fae, however the problem is not that they are hostile and malignant but more that they are alien, they might not mean anything ill by their offers even if they will trap you but they think differently and it is so easy to get lost it is better to politely refuse food and drink from them, unless you are very sure about what you are doing, and just hope your refusal do not insult them."
Crexia advices.

Colin smiled wryly, "And they say reading fantasy books can't prepare you for anything..."

"It would have been a very one sided battle...in the Diedne's favor, power means noting without control."
The old Tytalus said darkly.

He grimaced, "Ah, THAT sort of highly Dynamic Quintessence..."

"My little imp can not fight, he do not have that ability, we do Mr Wainwright but yes I would like to be safe, to see my friends safe, but we have to take care of this problem, not really out of some duty but just as much out of a desire to see reality continue."

He nodded, "Those who can hold up a shield, must do so."

Your weapons and ammunition seamed to be in order. Rosario fetched her crossbow and examined it as well.
"Just remember Mr Wainwright, injuries from those bullets will be harder to heal, not as hard as with Primium but harder it will make it harder to keep prisoners alive."
She said.
"Well shot prisoners at least."

He nodded darkly, "Yes, orders are to not be concerned with live captures unless it is convenient - with the exception of Abigail herself. This might at least slow down the werebears a little, if we run into those."

"Yes, it would be a issue if they have set a trap at the manhole."
Crexia agreed and peered out of the ally. You saw no immediate danger around the manhole cover, further in though the reading was more fuzzy, there was something there, but fate was not likely to strike you down at the cover, or in the tunnel bellow it, beyond that was hard to say.
"Do you see anything Mr Wainwright?"
The archmaga asked.

He frowned, "The manhole itself is not going to get us killed, but the passage underneath is... well, probably not going to be pleasant. A quick and simple incantation like that has some rather strict range limits, I'm afraid - but descending the ladder should be safe enough, I think."

((OOC: Not going to be on much today - book sale at the library, then Beauty and the Beast at the cinema, then board game night at a friend's. See ya tonight, in a manner of speaking.))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin smiled wryly, "And they say reading fantasy books can't prepare you for anything..."

"Most fantasy are based on very real myths and legends Mr Wainwright and besides, when an author create a world for his story, a world is created, especially if the story gets allot of readers, there are sure to be pointers there as to real magick."
Crexia said and smiled.

He grimaced, "Ah, THAT sort of highly Dynamic Quintessence..."

The old archmaga just grinned at that though she also looked a little embarrassed over the escapades of her youth.

He nodded, "Those who can hold up a shield, must do so."

Crexia nodded and gave you a determined nod.
"Indeed Mr Wainwright, indeed."

He nodded darkly, "Yes, orders are to not be concerned with live captures unless it is convenient - with the exception of Abigail herself. This might at least slow down the werebears a little, if we run into those."

"It should be able to kill them, at least such enchantments can kill other kinds of Awakened beings...we think."
Rosario said and nodded.
"I tried once to enchant a needle and poke Isabella with it, with her consent off course, the area around the sting got red and swollen and it damaged her patterns just like fire would have, taking her several days to heal, off course it was still just a pinprick and other than some swelling did no more damage than a pinprick, but enough of that damage should kill a vampire, and then it is likely to also do the same for a werebear."
The Cultist said and her Mentor nodded.
"The question is just if we will have the time to shoot them enough time before we are lunch....I hope we can take them down, I am far to pretty to be eaten."
She declared with the grin then she turned serious.
"No there will not be many prisoners, we can not afford to drag them with us, perhaps fortunately so for the Nephandi but even so...killing someone is...hard."
She muttered and looked down.

He frowned, "The manhole itself is not going to get us killed, but the passage underneath is... well, probably not going to be pleasant. A quick and simple incantation like that has some rather strict range limits, I'm afraid - but descending the ladder should be safe enough, I think."

"Good, well at least for now and we are going to have to deal with the Nephandi's traps once we get there."
Crexia said and nodded she begun to move towards the manhole, she never looked around or to the side but you got the feeling she was still seeing everything that went on around the street.
"Let us hurry."
She declared...a car passed your group, but it's driver a middle aged man who was busy just trying to get to work on time paid you no heed.

(OOC: Book sales are the best kinds of sales I hope you find something good. Oh and have fun.)

[Adley]

Nancy looked at you for a while as if she was really struggling to try to explain or speak in a way you could understand.
"I would not want the numbers to run away." She said then she nodded. "Yes..." She finally said.

"Alright; if one of us can't cast it on you and I know I cannot, unfortunately, then I will have half a potion I can share. That should help for a while." He asked Crexia, "Do the others have some type of mental shield, or can help with hers? As I said before, I know that...she is skilled in those arts." It would be a bad thing to have their guide lose their mind in the middle of the Labyrinth, or worse, be led astray. It would be a solid investment of the rest of the potion if he had to use it, certainly to prevent that even if he might need something else later.

"Not good indeed I wonder if it is caused by anything the Jade Demon have been doing, it is about time for their attack, if his envoy was telling the truth, or Abigail can have erected more wards since she have been loosing bodies...in either case we need to keep our wits about us."

"It could be," he said and then nodded to her.

Loretta handed you your ammo with an apologetic look. "Sorry for forgetting to give this back to you before Mr Roth Hicks."

"Thank you," he said, feeling the energies packed into it. Then he tapped on Cara's car window to ask her about a pry bar and anything else useful in the trunk of her car.

Crexia looked over her team then she said. "Very well then, we should move out, Mr Roth Hicks if you would help me keep and eye on spirit activity in the city and keep Miss Scott and Miss Willis safe, Mr Wainwright...please help me take point, the rest of you follow but keep your eyes open, we do not know what we might encounter, and keep in mind we are on a public street, though not the most used one in the city there are still traffic, let us make sure not to involve any sleepers in this."

"Yes, ma'am."

He frowned at the manhole, "Then let's hope they didn't trap this one; bad enough that the one in front of the old cinema leads straight into the core defenses, Heavens know what trickery they might have conjured up here..."
He sighed and slipped the Entropy-aligned monocle into place, "Fortunae spectare."

"Yes, it would be a issue if they have set a trap at the manhole."...Crexia agreed "Do you see anything Mr Wainwright?"

He frowned, "The manhole itself is not going to get us killed, but the passage underneath is... well, probably not going to be pleasant. A quick and simple incantation like that has some rather strict range limits, I'm afraid - but descending the ladder should be safe enough, I think."

He nodded at that.

// Sorry no reply last evening, busy night. @Warp, that sounds like a really good day to me. Have fun hope you find lots of cool books

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Alright; if one of us can't cast it on you and I know I cannot, unfortunately, then I will have half a potion I can share. That should help for a while." He asked Crexia, "Do the others have some type of mental shield, or can help with hers? As I said before, I know that...she is skilled in those arts."

"The others should be fine I think...I will take care of Miss Scott, it should not take me long."
The Archmaga said and smiled proudly.
"Affairs of the mind happens to be one of my specialties."
She declared and Nancy nodded and played with her bangs and looked out the window.

"It could be," he said and then nodded to her.

"We are going to have to find out once we get there I fear Sodalis, speculating about it are not likely to get us very far."
Crexia said as she pulled a small piece of cloth from her purse and put several stitches in it in a patter before handing the piece of cloth to Nancy who looked at it and muttered.
"Red and blue numbers, all dancing."
Crexia raised an eyebrow but she said nothing.
"Keep it with you Miss Scott."
She said gently to the mad Hollower.

"Thank you," he said, feeling the energies packed into it. Then he tapped on Cara's car window to ask her about a pry bar and anything else useful in the trunk of her car.

Cara had gotten out of her car with her passengers and she glanced over at you as she locked up her car.
"What can I do for you Sodalis?"
She asked.

He nodded at that.

The group got to the manhole in question, it looked like any other though most in the team looked at it as if it was a coiled snake.
"I should go down first, I am by far the most durable."
Crexia said.
"Then we go down one at the time, first our best fighters save one who stay topside to protect the group until everyone is down."

[Adley]

"The others should be fine I think...I will take care of Miss Scott, it should not take me long." The Archmaga said and smiled proudly. "Affairs of the mind happens to be one of my specialties."

"Thank you."

"We are going to have to find out once we get there I fear Sodalis, speculating about it are not likely to get us very far."
Crexia said as she pulled a small piece of cloth from her purse and put several stitches in it in a patter before handing the piece of cloth to Nancy who looked at it and muttered. "Red and blue numbers, all dancing." Crexia raised an eyebrow but she said nothing. "Keep it with you Miss Scott."

He nodded at that; that was the way it was, after all. He kept an eye out while the Tytalus embroidered, finding the method of her spellcasting interesting. It fit her, to make something tangible like that.

Cara had gotten out of her car with her passengers and she glanced over at you as she locked up her car. "What can I do for you Sodalis?"

"May I rummage in the boot?" he asked. "Need a tool."

The group got to the manhole in question, it looked like any other though most in the team looked at it as if it was a coiled snake.
"I should go down first, I am by far the most durable." Crexia said. "Then we go down one at the time, first our best fighters save one who stay topside to protect the group until everyone is down."

He nodded to her. That was a solid strategy, just in case someone decided to pick them off topside, or they needed to retreat quickly.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He nodded at that; that was the way it was, after all. He kept an eye out while the Tytalus embroidered, finding the method of her spellcasting interesting. It fit her, to make something tangible like that.

Crexia's needle work was quick, precise and beautiful, scroll like symbols in a small circle which was quickly done and handed of to Nancy before the Tytalus put her needle and thread back into her purse.

"May I rummage in the boot?" he asked. "Need a tool."

"Yes off course...sorry that it is a bit messy though."
Cara said and scratched her head.
"What is it that you are looking for Sodalis?"

He nodded to her. That was a solid strategy, just in case someone decided to pick them off topside, or they needed to retreat quickly.

"Did you get a crowbar Mr Roth Hicks? If so would you mind helping out with getting the lid off?"
Crexia said and gave signal for Leon to help you out with that.

[Warpmind]

"Most fantasy are based on very real myths and legends Mr Wainwright and besides, when an author create a world for his story, a world is created, especially if the story gets allot of readers, there are sure to be pointers there as to real magick."
Crexia said and smiled.

Colin grinned, "Oh, I know... That's where I pieced together my path, while in reconvalescence. Every now and then, a few sentences seemed to glitter on the pages of the books I read..."

"It should be able to kill them, at least such enchantments can kill other kinds of Awakened beings...we think."
Rosario said and nodded.
"I tried once to enchant a needle and poke Isabella with it, with her consent off course, the area around the sting got red and swollen and it damaged her patterns just like fire would have, taking her several days to heal, off course it was still just a pinprick and other than some swelling did no more damage than a pinprick, but enough of that damage should kill a vampire, and then it is likely to also do the same for a werebear."
The Cultist said and her Mentor nodded.
"The question is just if we will have the time to shoot them enough time before we are lunch....I hope we can take them down, I am far to pretty to be eaten."
She declared with the grin then she turned serious.
"No there will not be many prisoners, we can not afford to drag them with us, perhaps fortunately so for the Nephandi but even so...killing someone is...hard."
She muttered and looked down.

He frowned, "I don't know how much faster werebears can move than normal humans... but I'm willing to bet they're not able to move faster than a bullet. Of course, they just have to move quicker than the shooter's aim..."
He shook his head, "And killing someone is... not hard, as such. Or at least, not as hard, perhaps, as it should be. Living with it afterwards, that's the bastard..."

"Good, well at least for now and we are going to have to deal with the Nephandi's traps once we get there."
Crexia said and nodded she begun to move towards the manhole, she never looked around or to the side but you got the feeling she was still seeing everything that went on around the street.
"Let us hurry."
She declared...a car passed your group, but it's driver a middle aged man who was busy just trying to get to work on time paid you no heed.

He stepped up behind Crexia, glancing around the alley for a suitable metal rod or pipe, or other suitable item to leverage the manhole cover up with, in case Adley's search for a crowbar came up empty.

((OOC: Book sale was a bit underwhelming; from the look of it, mostly dime-a-dozen crime novels of between ten and twenty years' age, a lot of books on architecture, theatrical costuming, and other similarly specific subjects. Essentially, the library was probably mostly getting rid of books of which they had duplicates that were never called for anymore - you know, where they once needed ten copies in stock to keep up with demand, the number has dwindled down to two or three copies needed, and they needed the shelf space... Beauty and the Beast was enjoyable, and gaming was good - got to try the new Labyrinth game based on the Jim Henson movie, and a game of Junta which could have been better with more players. Ah, well. Wound up getting home at 2AM, so no post before sleep. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin grinned, "Oh, I know... That's where I pieced together my path, while in reconvalescence. Every now and then, a few sentences seemed to glitter on the pages of the books I read..."

"Yes, if you look hard enough you can find inspiration in almost anything and fantasy literature is a good source of such inspiration, you would not be the first Orphan who have found your path there."
Crexia said and nodded.

He frowned, "I don't know how much faster werebears can move than normal humans... but I'm willing to bet they're not able to move faster than a bullet. Of course, they just have to move quicker than the shooter's aim..."

"I doubt they can dodge a bullet but moving faster than you can aim, that is possible, I have never met a werebear but I have heard stories of werewolves and they are said to be quite quick bastards."
Loretta said and Rosario nodded.
"So my uncle says, not that he usually end up in trouble with them, Kristina is the one who really knows about shapeshifters though, since she used to live with them."

He shook his head, "And killing someone is... not hard, as such. Or at least, not as hard, perhaps, as it should be. Living with it afterwards, that's the bastard..."

"I have never killed anyone, I have hurt a Hit-Mark once...badly but I do not think he died."
Rosario said and looked down.
"I do not like to think about what I did, but it was him or me."
Loretta sigh.
"I have taken lives...not many but I have killed and no...it is not easy to live with."
She muttered.

He stepped up behind Crexia, glancing around the alley for a suitable metal rod or pipe, or other suitable item to leverage the manhole cover up with, in case Adley's search for a crowbar came up empty.

You see a metal rod along with several other types of trash, a old jacket, a broken table, some shelves in bits and other such things a store have discarded standing in the alleyway waiting for the garbage trucks to arrive, that might work.

[Adley]

"Yes off course...sorry that it is a bit messy though." Cara said and scratched her head. "What is it that you are looking for Sodalis?"

"Prybar," he replied.

// will reply to the rest as soon as I know if there is a crowbar in the trunk he found
ooc2: Still sounds like a good day though that is a disappointment re: the books. Someday I want to go visit Powell's bookstore in Portland - it's huge.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Cara nodded.
"Yeah I think I have one."
She said and opened the trunk of her car, there you saw a blanket, some tools including a bright green painted crowbar, a spare tire, a bottle of water and several other odds and ends.
"Will this do Sodalis?"
She asked and handed you the crowbar.
"Sorry about the color...it was on sale."

(OOC: A huge bookstore, I doubt you would get me out of it again. )

[Adley]

"Will this do Sodalis?" She asked and handed you the crowbar. "Sorry about the color...it was on sale."

"Thank you, that should do it." He took it and then walked back toward the others.

"Did you get a crowbar Mr Roth Hicks? If so would you mind helping out with getting the lid off?" Crexia said and gave signal for Leon to help you out with that.

He gave a nod, holding the prybar in a neutral position towards the ground. He gave a lookout, glancing around to see if anyone was around and then down at the cover itself. Just because it wasn't trapped didn't mean there as no magick applied to it, after all. If all was clear as far as he could tell, he set to work on the lid.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Thank you, that should do it." He took it and then walked back toward the others.

Cara just nodded at that. You get back towards the rest of the group and then slowly the gaggle of mages begin to move towards the manhole, and what waited beyond.

He gave a nod, holding the prybar in a neutral position towards the ground. He gave a lookout, glancing around to see if anyone was around and then down at the cover itself. Just because it wasn't trapped didn't mean there as no magick applied to it, after all. If all was clear as far as he could tell, he set to work on the lid.

You get over to the manhole, there are no one around right now, save the couple who where still arguing in their apartment and the screaming baby who was voicing his protests to his parent's antics. There where no magick on the lid to the sewers, it was fairly easy to get off through, far easier than it should be, it was clear the lid was frequently removed so members of the Labyrinth could come and go as they pleased. As you push he lid aside you stare down into a damp darkness, you can see a bit of water down there with two walkways on the sides.

[Warpmind]

"Yes, if you look hard enough you can find inspiration in almost anything and fantasy literature is a good source of such inspiration, you would not be the first Orphan who have found your path there."
Crexia said and nodded.

Colin smiled, "And hopefully, not the last, either."

"I doubt they can dodge a bullet but moving faster than you can aim, that is possible, I have never met a werebear but I have heard stories of werewolves and they are said to be quite quick bastards."
Loretta said and Rosario nodded.
"So my uncle says, not that he usually end up in trouble with them, Kristina is the one who really knows about shapeshifters though, since she used to live with them."

He nodded, "Hum, on the other hand, wolves are somewhat quicker than bears, I believe - I suppose we can afford to hope that the distinctions between werebears and werewolves run along the same lines as the distinctions between the mundane animals they resemble - that would make werebears a lot bigger, stronger and tougher, but a little less quicker than us..."

"I have never killed anyone, I have hurt a Hit-Mark once...badly but I do not think he died."
Rosario said and looked down.
"I do not like to think about what I did, but it was him or me."
Loretta sigh.
"I have taken lives...not many but I have killed and no...it is not easy to live with."
She muttered.

He gave Rosario's shoulder a light squeeze and gave Loretta an understanding nod, "In the heat of battle, when the other guy is trying their damn best to kill you or worse, that's easy to live with... I used to drop bombs and launch rocketry at unsuspecting people - not all of them turned out to be legitimate enemies. Of course, that changed when I received some surprise rocketry in return. I still have... a lot of red in my ledger, as it were."

You see a metal rod along with several other types of trash, a old jacket, a broken table, some shelves in bits and other such things a store have discarded standing in the alleyway waiting for the garbage trucks to arrive, that might work.

He gave the old furniture a wary look through the monocle, checking to see if there were anything that might ambush them for trying at the back door to the Labyrinth...

He gave a nod, holding the prybar in a neutral position towards the ground. He gave a lookout, glancing around to see if anyone was around and then down at the cover itself. Just because it wasn't trapped didn't mean there as no magick applied to it, after all. If all was clear as far as he could tell, he set to work on the lid.

He arched an eyebrow at the crowbar, "Oh, where did you get that one? I think I need to get one that colour..."

You get over to the manhole, there are no one around right now, save the couple who where still arguing in their apartment and the screaming baby who was voicing his protests to his parent's antics.

He looked around quickly, with a slight frown, and pulled up his Chaos wand, aiming it at the window the baby's screams were coming from, whispering softly, "Infans Fortunatius!"

There where no magick on the lid to the sewers, it was fairly easy to get off through, far easier than it should be, it was clear the lid was frequently removed so members of the Labyrinth could come and go as they pleased. As you push he lid aside you stare down into a damp darkness, you can see a bit of water down there with two walkways on the sides.

He stepped closer to Adley, and peered down the hole, "Ah, of course... Does anyone have a torch?"

((OOC: Small blessing of luck for the li'l screaming baby - sounds like the widdle one can need that right now. Entropy 2, Arete roll: 6,8,9. Should help the kid a little bit for the duration of the morning, at least.))

((OOC2: The disappointment wasn't particularly big - the library has these sales a couple of times per year; it's rarely a big haul for anyone, mostly surplus genre books like I listed. The BIG disappointment was last night, when I discovered some previous borrower had torn out a page (possibly more; I didn't check every subsequent page after that) of the comic book I picked up. ))

((OOC3: Also, I honestly thought I'd posted yesterday afternoon/evening. Apparently not. :/ ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin smiled, "And hopefully, not the last, either."

"I doubt it will be Mr Wainwright, Miss Scott's Mentor, Mr Jennings have been inspired by that card game he plays I know and those games where kids pretend to be someone else...My Swan to have gotten allot of her magick from those sources."
Crexia said and nodded.

He nodded, "Hum, on the other hand, wolves are somewhat quicker than bears, I believe - I suppose we can afford to hope that the distinctions between werebears and werewolves run along the same lines as the distinctions between the mundane animals they resemble - that would make werebears a lot bigger, stronger and tougher, but a little less quicker than us..."

"I think I would share that hope Mr Wainwright, it would be easier to deal with someone who is big and strong, but slower, both with magick and with my bow I need a little time to attack."
Rosario said and her Mentor nodded.
"Agreed, I can move fairly quickly if I use one of my hung rotes, I tend to create the time I need, but even so, slower is better but if that is how werebears are, well let us hope we manage to deal with them before they get their hands on us, for something tells me one would not want to be mauled by one."

He gave Rosario's shoulder a light squeeze and gave Loretta an understanding nod, "In the heat of battle, when the other guy is trying their damn best to kill you or worse, that's easy to live with... I used to drop bombs and launch rocketry at unsuspecting people - not all of them turned out to be legitimate enemies. Of course, that changed when I received some surprise rocketry in return. I still have... a lot of red in my ledger, as it were."

Rosario gave you a bit of a smile and nodded. Loretta looked at you for a moment.
"I have been lucky and avoided that, when I have taken lives, it have been in a fight with opponents who would kill me if given the chance...but for some when they end up with the wrong target...I had a friend, another Cultist back then though she changed her Tradition, she and her Cabal was sent to deal with a train owned by the Union who was transporting Sauroids, they are Construct defenders, we where talking about speed a moment ago and that is what they have, they are frighteningly fast, a mix of human and snake, extremely deadly, the Progenitors cook the foul creatures up, and we had to stop a Construct up in Detroit from getting more of them...the problem is, the males are warriors the females though are not, they are mostly harmless unless you directly attack them, my friend stopped that train in a well...quite destructive manner, but as she and her Cabal went to clean up they found that what had been on the transport was Sauroid females and children, not male warriors...she was never the same after that."
The Cultist muttered softly.

He gave the old furniture a wary look through the monocle, checking to see if there were anything that might ambush them for trying at the back door to the Labyrinth...

There where nothing out of the ordinary in the pile of old furniture and odds and ends, it was just discarded trash, nothing else, well at least nothing magickal.

He arched an eyebrow at the crowbar, "Oh, where did you get that one? I think I need to get one that colour..."

"I got it from Staples, they have this line of funky colored tools, mostly marketed at women, for we need pretty colors on things apparently."
Cara said and raised and eyebrow.
"I just got that color because it was on sale and I thought a crowbar would be a useful thing to have in my car so I picked on up once when I was at the store on a note book run, I use a few of those."

He looked around quickly, with a slight frown, and pulled up his Chaos wand, aiming it at the window the baby's screams were coming from, whispering softly, "Infans Fortunatius!"

The baby kept crying, such magick was seldom instantaneous, but you got a good feeling that the child's day would go better than it had begun and that luck would come his way, perhaps enough luck to keep his parents from having a screaming match right in front of him in the future.

He stepped closer to Adley, and peered down the hole, "Ah, of course... Does anyone have a torch?"

Crexia nodded she took two flashlights up from her purse and handed one to you it was a small Klarus flashlight, a good quality brand, the other one she turned on and held in and lifted the hem of her dress with the same hand that held the flashlight and then she begun to descend the ladder down into the dark sewers.
"It is clear...at least right here by the ladder, but keep your eyes open."
The Tytalus called once she had gotten all the way down.

(OOC: The forum spirits are pleased to eat your posts, nom nom nom. )

(OOC: I hate missing pages in books, you can not rip things out of books. )

[Warpmind]

"I doubt it will be Mr Wainwright, Miss Scott's Mentor, Mr Jennings have been inspired by that card game he plays I know and those games where kids pretend to be someone else...My Swan to have gotten allot of her magick from those sources."
Crexia said and nodded.

Colin grinned, "I played some games like that in grammar school. When magic turned out to be real, it sort of lost its old appeal, somehow..."

"I think I would share that hope Mr Wainwright, it would be easier to deal with someone who is big and strong, but slower, both with magick and with my bow I need a little time to attack."
Rosario said and her Mentor nodded.
"Agreed, I can move fairly quickly if I use one of my hung rotes, I tend to create the time I need, but even so, slower is better but if that is how werebears are, well let us hope we manage to deal with them before they get their hands on us, for something tells me one would not want to be mauled by one."

He grimaced, "Yes, well, I'd be rather surprised if they weren't quicker than us still - just possibly to a lesser extent than werewolves might be."

Rosario gave you a bit of a smile and nodded. Loretta looked at you for a moment.
"I have been lucky and avoided that, when I have taken lives, it have been in a fight with opponents who would kill me if given the chance...but for some when they end up with the wrong target...I had a friend, another Cultist back then though she changed her Tradition, she and her Cabal was sent to deal with a train owned by the Union who was transporting Sauroids, they are Construct defenders, we where talking about speed a moment ago and that is what they have, they are frighteningly fast, a mix of human and snake, extremely deadly, the Progenitors cook the foul creatures up, and we had to stop a Construct up in Detroit from getting more of them...the problem is, the males are warriors the females though are not, they are mostly harmless unless you directly attack them, my friend stopped that train in a well...quite destructive manner, but as she and her Cabal went to clean up they found that what had been on the transport was Sauroid females and children, not male warriors...she was never the same after that."
The Cultist muttered softly.

He frowned and nodded, "I've been there... A civilian shelter adjacent to a legitimate military target. Terrible business... my CO actually punched the intel officer for that one; earned him three days' confinement, but as he said, none of us who flew the mission would get away with so little..."

"I got it from Staples, they have this line of funky colored tools, mostly marketed at women, for we need pretty colors on things apparently."
Cara said and raised and eyebrow.
"I just got that color because it was on sale and I thought a crowbar would be a useful thing to have in my car so I picked on up once when I was at the store on a note book run, I use a few of those."

He chuckled, "Well, sexist marketing aside, that is Freddy's favourite colour. I'll have to visit Staples sometime soon, then."

The baby kept crying, such magick was seldom instantaneous, but you got a good feeling that the child's day would go better than it had begun and that luck would come his way, perhaps enough luck to keep his parents from having a screaming match right in front of him in the future.

He sighed and muttered softly, "Good luck, kid... It might not last long, but at least today should improve a bit... I hope your parents can work it out, though."

Crexia nodded she took two flashlights up from her purse and handed one to you it was a small Klarus flashlight, a good quality brand, the other one she turned on and held in and lifted the hem of her dress with the same hand that held the flashlight and then she begun to descend the ladder down into the dark sewers.
"It is clear...at least right here by the ladder, but keep your eyes open."
The Tytalus called once she had gotten all the way down.

He accepted the flashlight with his left hand as he pocketed the wand, "Thank you. I'll form the rearguard, if that's all right."
He nodded to the others once Crexia gave word from down the hole, "Alright, people; let's move."

((OOC: You especially don't rip things out of LIBRARY books. :/ ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin grinned, "I played some games like that in grammar school. When magic turned out to be real, it sort of lost its old appeal, somehow..."

"Well it is a creative enough hobby, if I feel like creating a story myself I would rather write, but I can see that Swan enjoys it."
Crexia said and smiled as she spoke of her special friend.

He grimaced, "Yes, well, I'd be rather surprised if they weren't quicker than us still - just possibly to a lesser extent than werewolves might be."

"They probably are and they will be a real problem out there."
Rosario said and gave a worried sigh.
"But we are going to have to overcome them somehow Mr Wainwright."

He frowned and nodded, "I've been there... A civilian shelter adjacent to a legitimate military target. Terrible business... my CO actually punched the intel officer for that one; earned him three days' confinement, but as he said, none of us who flew the mission would get away with so little..."

"Yeah...that is the problem with war, it is not just combatants that suffer, and we all have to live with the consequences of our actions."
Loretta said softly.
"It can not have been an...easy thing, to remember that...day out and day in Mr Wainwright."

He chuckled, "Well, sexist marketing aside, that is Freddy's favourite colour. I'll have to visit Staples sometime soon, then."

"Yeah then I would go rather soon, the line never sold very well...it is a nice color though."
Cara said and nodded.
"I guess they have to do something to stand out and their line of neon colored kitchen knives got rather popular, they have a apple green one in that line as way by the way, if you are shopping for green gifts for Miss Adlebloom."

He accepted the flashlight with his left hand as he pocketed the wand, "Thank you. I'll form the rearguard, if that's all right."
He nodded to the others once Crexia gave word from down the hole, "Alright, people; let's move."

"Very well Mr Wainwright that seams sensible."
Crexia said. Once she had given word from down in the sewers the others stared climbing down. First Leon and his brother, then Cara and Nancy, Udella had a little problem with the ladder, she was an old lady after all but she got down, Jake followed her, then the Cultists, so far, so good, no one attacked your group topside and things seamed calm where Crexia and the others where waiting down below, the question was if this seaming peace would last.

(OOC: No the punishment for that will be having every song on their phone replaced by Maude's insistent wake her owners up at four in the morning to have food served NOW mauing on repeat and all songs they ever buy or try to play immediately turn to that for a year.)

[Adley]

"Agreed, I can move fairly quickly if I use one of my hung rotes, I tend to create the time I need, but even so, slower is better but if that is how werebears are, well let us hope we manage to deal with them before they get their hands on us, for something tells me one would not want to be mauled by one."

He grimaced, "Yes, well, I'd be rather surprised if they weren't quicker than us still - just possibly to a lesser extent than werewolves might be."

As the others were talking of werebears, he began to think of what would make a good bear-trap. It was a shame that they didn't know how much silver affected them, for certain. But there had to be something.

He arched an eyebrow at the crowbar, "Oh, where did you get that one? I think I need to get one that colour..."

Adley gave him a small smile and gestured subtly towards Cara as he pulled the lid off. He'd been expecting more of a fight but as he thought about it, if it was commonly used it wouldn't be too hard to move unless there were some spell upon it. And there wasn't. Which led him to believe they knew that this way could be compromised. Will you walk into my parlour, said the spider to the fly.

He stepped closer to Adley, and peered down the hole, "Ah, of course... Does anyone have a torch?"

He glanced down and saw two paths, and made a gesture like a fork with his hand to Colin and the others. He got his flashlight ready but it seemed a few people already had theirs, so for the time being he kept his hands free to arm himself.

"It is clear...at least right here by the ladder, but keep your eyes open." The Tytalus called once she had gotten all the way down.

He accepted the flashlight with his left hand as he pocketed the wand, "Thank you. I'll form the rearguard, if that's all right."
He nodded to the others once Crexia gave word from down the hole, "Alright, people; let's move."

"Very well Mr Wainwright that seams sensible."
Crexia said. Once she had given word from down in the sewers the others stared climbing down. First Leon and his brother, then Cara and Nancy, Udella had a little problem with the ladder, she was an old lady after all but she got down, Jake followed her, then the Cultists

He nodded at Colin. As they went down the ladder, he kept himself somewhere near the middle of the group for now, with Nancy and Cara, so that he could back up Crexia or help get them out.

// that's just wrong D: A book should not have pages torn out - comics are even worse. Also, lol @Cara's comment. Yesterday I was at the tool store and they had a set of bright pink tools 'for women' and proudly bearing the ribbon 'against breast cancer' - I'm sure people would want to hit cancer with a stub-sized hammer, but I had to laugh.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

You get down to one of the dry sides of the sewers, you hear the sound of dripping water and the muffled sounds of the streets above.
"The maintenance shed where the entrance to the Labyrinth hidden in it should be around ten meters that direction according to the map."
Crexia said and checked said map on her phone while she pointed with her flashlight down the dark path.
"Sodalis, what was that?"
Udella said and glanced in the dark towards the direction of the maintenance hut.
"I thought it was the baby in the apartment above but it is not, it is a spirit."
The old Quesitor said, and she was right, you heard soft weeping from further down the dark corridor, a weeping sound that did not have a physical source.
"We are going to have to check it out."
Crexia said and frowned.
"Very carefully."

(OOC: Yes women can only build tings with pink tools. )

[Tane Karyak]

"a horrid corruption from beings that should be like us, but are not, are wrong." he quoted What does that mean? he asked, seeing there something he didn't actually knew.

Well, let me explain, then. This blood, it's energy flows through you as water throug a creek. I was thinking that this water is energy and it has been tainted. Maybe if we filter it we can take out the contamination as water cleans itself while going through the earth, leaving impurities in the soil, behind it. Do you think it could work?

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"a horrid corruption from beings that should be like us, but are not, are wrong." he quoted What does that mean? he asked, seeing there something he didn't actually knew.

"Their blood burns like ice and destruction, forever being dead but frozen like a perfect crystal of time, their blood burn in me, twisting me, hurting me...hurting him, it is not as it should be, but it is."
The doe said, often it was hard to understand spirits, their minds where not like those of physical men, they saw the world in a different light and their words where often riddles.

Well, let me explain, then. This blood, it's energy flows through you as water throug a creek. I was thinking that this water is energy and it has been tainted. Maybe if we filter it we can take out the contamination as water cleans itself while going through the earth, leaving impurities in the soil, behind it. Do you think it could work?

"The poison can be washed away, but even if the poisonous taint leave me, there is still damage and desires and pain than will not heal, if you remove a dagger from your heart that is only the first step in healing, but it could help, removing the poison the terrible and wonderful poison it can help."
The Avatar said.
"When a fresh river flow into a stagnant pond, the water will stop being rancid and will become safe to drink, it will nourish life anew."

[Warpmind]

"Well it is a creative enough hobby, if I feel like creating a story myself I would rather write, but I can see that Swan enjoys it."
Crexia said and smiled as she spoke of her special friend.

Colin grinned, "Ah, but you make one of the fundamental mistakes in approaching role-playing games there - you don't realize that the storytelling is a collaborative effort rather than the creative work of one person. Though, such games can be written out, I believe - where each player posts their actions to the games master, who then organizes the events and replies to everyone to await the next set of actions. Not unlike playing a chess game by mail, really."

"They probably are and they will be a real problem out there."
Rosario said and gave a worried sigh.
"But we are going to have to overcome them somehow Mr Wainwright."

He nodded, "With just a little bit of luck, there'll be time to throw out some barriers to impede their approach before they reach us."

"Yeah...that is the problem with war, it is not just combatants that suffer, and we all have to live with the consequences of our actions."
Loretta said softly.
"It can not have been an...easy thing, to remember that...day out and day in Mr Wainwright."

He sighed, "The memory doesn't haunt me... every day. Most, but not all... Some days, there are others..."

"Yeah then I would go rather soon, the line never sold very well...it is a nice color though."
Cara said and nodded.
"I guess they have to do something to stand out and their line of neon colored kitchen knives got rather popular, they have a apple green one in that line as way by the way, if you are shopping for green gifts for Miss Adlebloom."

He grinned, "That would be an excellent idea if I had any reason to believe she'd be liable to use kitchen tools."

"Very well Mr Wainwright that seams sensible."
Crexia said. Once she had given word from down in the sewers the others stared climbing down. First Leon and his brother, then Cara and Nancy, Udella had a little problem with the ladder, she was an old lady after all but she got down, Jake followed her, then the Cultists, so far, so good, no one attacked your group topside and things seamed calm where Crexia and the others where waiting down below, the question was if this seaming peace would last.

He nodded and, seeing Udella's slight difficulties, offered a hand to steady her on the way down to the ladder.

You get down to one of the dry sides of the sewers, you hear the sound of dripping water and the muffled sounds of the streets above.
"The maintenance shed where the entrance to the Labyrinth hidden in it should be around ten meters that direction according to the map."
Crexia said and checked said map on her phone while she pointed with her flashlight down the dark path.
"Sodalis, what was that?"
Udella said and glanced in the dark towards the direction of the maintenance hut.
"I thought it was the baby in the apartment above but it is not, it is a spirit."
The old Quesitor said, and she was right, you heard soft weeping from further down the dark corridor, a weeping sound that did not have a physical source.
"We are going to have to check it out."
Crexia said and frowned.
"Very carefully."

He carefully made his way down the ladder - unstrapping the tanks' harness if necessary to fit through the hole - and hoisted the cover into place. "Best close the entrance to avoid accidents with Sleepers..."
He narrowed his eyes in the direction the others indicated, and raised his yet-unlit flashlight and pistol in that general direction, finger outside the trigger loop, "A spirit sufficiently manifested to be heard here? That's not necessarily good..."

((OOC: So, last night's Pathfinder game went well. The party ran into swarms upon swarms of spider-rat hybrids. Filthy little venomous and disease-ridden abominations; they were having some problems with them... and then the brood mother showed up as well; a gargantuan monstrosity in the hundred-ton weight range. There was some panic, alright; the thing didn't do much damage with the bite, but the poison and disease DCs were HARSH! ))

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