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LOCATION: FORT ARCIUS (CHANTRY LOBBY)
TIME: NIGHT
"Alright," Nicholas says as he begins walking back to his Tower Retreat. "Follow me then."
Fort Arcius Sanctuary discovered: Tower Retreat You may now fast travel to this location. Fast traveling to Sanctuary: Fort Arcius, Tower Retreat ... You encounter nothing on your journey.
LOCATION: FORT ARCIUS (SANCTUARY: TOWER RETREAT)
TIME: NIGHT
Nicholas walks ahead of you and picks up a bowl off a stack of its brethren and a ladle, and pours into the bowl some of the contents of the Cooking Pot. You sit down on one of the cushions in front of the fire as he hands you the bowl and a spoon. "Here, go ahead and start," He says before he picks up a bowl for himself. You realize as you smell it, look it over, and finally start eating that, not only were you hungry, you could make out some interesting properties of what you are eating. Nicholas sits in the chair and eats as well as you tuck in.
You examine the Stew.
Soothing Stew: +1 HEALTH per minute for 30 minutes, +1 STAMINA for 120 minutes, +5 to all SELF checks for 120 minutes
You feel much better after eating.
Nicholas is here.
1. Rest
2. Talk to Nicholas
3. Examine the Tower Retreat
4. Move to the Tower Stairwell, First Landing
5. Do something else
Inventory
Assess Condition
I am inclined to agree
"Home, huh...?" Willow walks into the living area trying to still take everything in. As she moves her expression falls a little more somber, her mind wanders about the night she's had. The words that have already been shared. She stands behind the recliner places her hands on the back, feeling the texture as she runs her hands along the side. "Saying that to someone like me...you really are an idiot, detective." Willow states with a soft, singular laugh under her breath. Meanwhile as her mind wanders, a few select words float in her head. Dominating every thought. Words spoken by the only person or thing in the entire world she really puts any trust in.
My new path has begun, huh? And this fool is the key to it...screw you Rynos.
She walks away from the recliner, letting her arm linger against it until she walks out of arms reach and it falls casually back to her side. She walks to the fridge and opens it to look inside herself, no doubt just for a drink since they just ate and she was quite full. "All this because I didn't kill a few people who had it coming."
Restricted Territories East of North Warren, Vedran 5:06pm
The sky has turned soft pink and orange by the setting of the sun, turning the silent village warm shades that contrast the cold anticipation of what the night would bring. Word travels fast in such a place. Everyone is aware of what Diego did that morning, and know that this night will be a terrible one. He is a man of incredible power, and the law of tooth and claw is the cornerstone of werewolf society. He has marked and dominated many in these badlands, it is his right as the strong, despicable as it may be. But to claim a human woman, taken in by their master, the strongest wolf in history while he was away, this was too low. Her mate could not even challenge, as he was comatose. This was low and spiteful even for Diego. But, there was nothing they could do. They knew it wrong, they wished to help, but they were not strong enough to stand up to Diego.
Which made this scene so incredible.
They could hear the clinking of metal and the grumbling before the door even opened. The denizens watch from their windows and locked doors with awe and alarm in their hearts as Gregor opens his borrowed cabin, clad head to toe in dark metal armor with only his face showing and beard overflowing over his chest, brimming with the aura used to form it and forge it. He turns back around and uses his free hand to gently shut the door behind him, only when he turns back around does he clutch his newly forged battle axe with both hands. Everyone in the village cannot take their eyes off of him as he walks to Atticus' house, grumbling all the while. The small wooden porch in front of the house groans under the weight of the armor clad dwarf, and a couple more curses about poor architecture and building planning. There he stops in front of the front door, performs a flawless 180 heel turn, and plants the head of the battle axe on the porch in front of him with a thud. The grumbling has stopped, and the Old dwarf changes in the werewolves' eyes. This was no mere dwarf. This was a warrior prepared to meet his death for another, with not an ounce of fear in his heart. Diego told him he would die the next time Gregor got in his way, and he has responded by wearing his Sunday best. There was not a single adult in this village who couldn't kill the dwarf in seconds, but every single one of them could not fathom even drawing near to him. He was the weakest among them, but it was as if he became Atticus in this moment. Every wolf feels both fear and respect for this dwarf. His actions, futile they may be, will be remembered for all time.
Things change as the door opens behind him, and, after exclaiming her surprise, Alice pulls him inside, the door left ajar. Things were quiet after a while, and finally one of the werewolves opened her door and cautiously approached the house. She is a giant of a woman, a true Amazonian. Six and a half feet tall, darkly skinned, a thick brown mane of unruly hair, and heavily muscled, Oda is one of the alphas of Atticus' personal pack. Bravery greater than most pushes her to investigate, peeking into the house but not taking a single step in. Her cautious stance changes swiftly at whatever she sees inside the house, now just surprise more than anything. Hushed words are exchanged between her and the others in the house for a minute, until out of nowhere Gregor is pushed out of the house into the waiting arms of Oda. The door shuts behind him as the Amazonian scoops up the resisting dwarf in her arms and begins walking back to her home, the earlier caution in her step completely gone. Gregor struggles and voices the indignities of the situation, but when the woman begins whispering into his ear, his struggles immediately cease. Taking their place is a reddening face, wide eyes, and quiet words such as "O-oh," "My word," "Moria grant me strength" all the way to her home, the door shutting and locking softly behind them.
The village is silent once more, the stillness now filled with confusion and apprehension as to what Alice has planned to fight against Diego's return.
And, for the ladyfolk, a tinge of jealousy.
"Heh. Definitely heard that one before."
In the fridge there's waters, more of the drinks Lee is currently finishing off, and a plethora of different beers. Seems he can't decide on just one. He is about to say something but is cut off by the beeping of the comm on his left wrist. He sighs and accepts the call. "This is Lee."
There is a gentle sounding young woman's voice on the other end, though she speaks precisely. <[Detective, I have finished the interrogation. I will debrief you in your office.]>
"Good work Eva, I'm on the way." He ends the call before talking to Willow. "Well, duty calls. We can talk more later or tomorrow," He says as he walks over to the front door, noticing something is off by the time he gets there. He pats his sides and realizes it's his coat, the one Willow is still wearing. "Ah, that's right. May I have my coat back? If you get cold the thermostat is in the hall. There should also be a jacket or sweater, or a spare change of clothes in your room. I think it's the dresser. Haven't gone through it in a while."
John, why did you like a post about a girl in distress.
Willow takes hold of one of the waters in the fridge and steps back, closing the fridge as she opens in to take an drink. As she does Lee gets the call, and prepares to leave immediately. Willow lowers the bottle and watches him head to the door before stopping, and asking for his coat. "Hm?" She looks down, obviously having forgotten about it herself. She takes the jacket off in a rush, basically throwing it as Lee, and not in a way that feels like it was consideration either. More like she couldn't wait to take it off after realizing it was still on. Removing the jacket and looking down at her own clothes also makes her remember she's still wearing her once elegant dress now turned dirty, torn rags. A sight that immediately frustrates her as she looks up to yell at Lee. "There's your jacket, so leave!"
"Alright, alright," Lee manages to catch it before it hits the ground. He doesn't give any other remarks as he opens the door and steps out, letting it close behind him as he begins putting his coat back on after it reverts back to his size. She's going to be a handful, He thinks to himself as he calls the elevator, and after a short minute is leaving the building, leaving the undercover Celecia to her own devices.
Restricted Territories East of North Warren, Vedran 7:41pm
The sun had gone down a long time ago, thanks to winter's rapid approach. Diego had not told her a specific time or place. He didn't need to. He was the one that was in control. All Alice could do was wait until the sign came. Three bangs on the door. He is here.
Alice had been waiting at the dining room table, her chair turned out and away to face the living room. Her leg is still bouncing nervously under her clasped hands. Her heart is pounding. She takes a deep and slow breath to try and calm herself. She just has to trust in Heimrich, her bond with Stelrem, and what Oda had told them about wolf laws. All she has to do is be herself.
Alice stands and walks to the front door, unlocking and opening it after only a moment's pause. She looks up into the piercing eyes of Diego staring down at her. Just earlier today the thought of seeing him would have made her want to vomit. But now, there is just disdain and loathing. That lack of fear in her eyes stirs anger into his. "You were wise to answer," He speaks low, each syllable spoken harshly. "It would not have been a knock the second time."
"I'm sure you wouldn't have," Alice answers with the same venom.
Diego takes a step towards her, and she out of reflex starts to step back before she realizes it. "So... Are you going to invite me in?"
That was no request. That was a threat, on her life, on Heimrich’s, on Gregor's, on this entire house, on this wntire village. A blind man could see the danger behind refusing Diego. There is zero chance of survival in going against him. Her only option was to accept.
Alice does not take her eyes off of him as she takes a step back. Then another. And another. Diego watches her, to ascertain her motive. In the end he accepts it as a silent acceptance of her place. He begins to take a step forward into the house-
"If you want me, you're going to have to take me by force."
Diego freezes with his foot over the threshold, stunned into silence. Hid foot moves back and is placed next to the other, outside the doorframe. He stares at Alice, who stares right back. Out of arm's reach, and in complete defiance. That was not an invitation. If he wanted to enter, he would have to tresspass into the private den of the Nexus.
Alice doesn't need superhuman hearing to hear Diego's teeth begin to grind as he clenches his fists in rage. She even hears a bone in his hand break under the immense strain of his rage. "Human. You will not play ga-"
It felt like the most natural thing to do. Alice's hands move to her hips, she leans slightly forward, and sticks her tongue out at an Alpha Werewolf.
"Bleh."
Willow stands in a huff for a moment as he leaves before letting out another sigh as her entire body relaxes. I can't believe Rynos made me go along with this... With the pest detective gone she pokes around a little closer, not turning anything over by any means but certainly focusing her eyes more.
He's a cop so there has to be surveillance in here somewhere. Camera's or audio... Short of flipping things upside down she checks everywhere. Gets on the floor to peek under where she can, tips lighter objects carefully to the side. She's especially careful with her guest room, checking that last. She finds the clothes mentioned but she's not changing into anything until she knows she isn't being watched and eavesdropped on. No way. The only people who get to see her like that are those she chooses, and they don't get to live afterwards either. No way is some random person behind a screen getting a peak.
Almost certainly her search comes up empty, and though she doubts herself (she HAD to have just missed something) she doesn't want to go through the effort of searching everything again. If there IS something it's hidden well enough she'd have to tear apart the place to find it, and that's not worth it. So she rifles through the clothes available to her in the guest room, looking for anything that fits. She's quite accustomed to living a more lavish life style of expensive clothes and fancy dresses, but given her current status as long as it fits well enough she won't complain she'll only complain a little. As she finds her new clothes she completely discards her ragged clothes, or in her mind she does. In truth she simply throws everything but her underwear in the hall and stuffs her underwear in a drawer, before closing the door. She then crawls into the bed and tries to get comfortable. It's been a long day, no...long few weeks. Months? How long has it even been, she's not sure anymore. She's been on the streets since, hiding. Afraid to give any trace of her existence away. Who knows if Maria would hunt her down out of spite if she was discovered...Celecia isn't strong enough to win, not without that Imp. A fact she acknowledges, but frustrates her to no end. She was aiming to be the most powerful, unstoppable. Only for her own pawn to turn the tables on her.
This is the first hint of safety Celecia has felt since everything happened, but that doesn't mean her guard is down. That she trusts everything around her. Even still, laying in a proper bed for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Her body, mind and soul are all just so exhausted. Though her thoughts continue to wander, refusing to slow, bit by bit she slowly drifts away. Falling soundly asleep, succumbing to her thorough and absolute exhaustion.
Some peace and quiet...
Itshouldhavebeenme.png
Her search does turn up empty, though when she goes through his own barebones room thanks to the door being ajar, she does inadvertently set off a hidden alarm.
STU District Office
The slow red strobing alarm on his wrist comm catches Lee's eye as he walks up the steps on the building, only taking his eyes off the woman waiting out in front of the doors in order to disable the motion alarm and the two proximity alarms for both hidden safes. Willow was in his room, snooping around. The thought is discarded as he looks back to the slim woman waiting for him underneath her own sky shield, it doing little to stop her short blonde hair from blowing about.
"Detective."
"Eva."
"You have taken another high class threat into your home."
Lee finishes walking up the steps, now just a couple feet from his partner as he fishes his pack of suicides from his pocket and starts to light one. "Keeping a closer eye one me now?"
"No. You departed towards Red Misery," She refers to the bar with precision as he takes a drag. "And you return from the direction of your apartment. The only times you leave the bar voluntarily are if you are called back to the station, I have an update, or when you have an encounter with a high threat rank target and you offer them a place to stay instead of following protocol and calling it in."
"I wonder which one of us is the detective sometimes," Lee sighs as the smoke escapes his mouth.
"If I put in an order for a detailed scan on your apartment building, will I find a registered threat there."
"..."
"Detective..."
"Eva, it's fine. We have an understanding."
"That is the same thing you said of Timothy Grant Hayes."
"How's he doing by the way?"
"He escaped his prison and is now unknown. Do not change the subject."
"Yes mother. Eva, she was in a highly populated area. Putting my life at risk over thousands is a good trade."
"I do not see it that way, Detective."
"You have a program telling you that."
"I have my accumulated experiences with you and my own formulated opinion of you telling me different. Lee," Eva takes a softer tone. "... I will not report this to the Captain. Just like I didn't report your last roommate," Referring to the violent old man just mentioned. "But if things get out of hand-"
"Don't worry. I'll send an alert as soon as things turn dicey. And once this case wraps up, I'll get her out of the city, and out of our hair. She can be a different Senator's problem."
"What is her name?"
"Don't know. She gave me 'Willow, we'll have to see if that is a name that has popped up elsewhere, but I'm not expecting results. We'll do what we always have." Lee flicks the spent suicide in a trashcan before walking in the front holographic doors of the station. "Make something out of nothing. Now, let's see what our foreign guest had to say to you."
OOC: So, how should I respond to this exactly? Cause Celecia gonna be knocked TF out probably til he gets back, unless his shift is gonna go for like 24 hours. First time sleeping on something other than concrete, wood or cardboard she's gonna be out for 18 hours unless something wakes her up.
Nah, this is going to be a solo thing for Lee and Eva. Once imgur stops being a butt I'll upload her picture.
Okay cool, so just wait and read for now.
That reminds me I should find something for Aiden. Hm.
Yeah he's going to wait a while before he goes back. He'd rather open the front door and surprise her awake rather than surprise her in her sleep.
On another note, you probably picked up on Eva not being exactly human, and might remember what Lee said about deep cover Bilee models.
Myep.
Imgur's still being dumb, I'll just post her on discord for now.
I thought she was a Raven working in the police force on behalf of a Senator with a weird obsession for beat cops tbh XD
So she's a deep cover Bilee, yikes.
No then she'd have black hair lol.
These model Bilee's are for the Special Threats Unit, so that they have hidden muscle on hand for any situation. They do have some Raven tech hand-me-downs, such as a soul reactor that contains a human soul so that magic users can't sniff them out, and the same living flesh exofilm, so by all six senses they appear human. And they can use organic materials as fuel, so that coffee is actually being used for something other than a prop.
Besides Alice and Lee that I have to finish are there any posts waiting on me?
Not that I'm aware of? I know I'm waiting on stuff, but not being waited on. I think everything is in John's hands.
The guard peers back to Aiden as he seems to question her on the Rabbit’s classification. Human territory was more tame than out here, between the Crimson Band, Black Tusk’s and the Scarbeast Caravan’s there was whole kilometres of wild terrain and unexplored caves that have become breeding grounds for monsters. They usually fight amongst themselves so the prospect of Evolution for some of these monsters was high. A-class were more common the closer one got to Dragon Territory.
The rabbit in his arms softly quirks her head down and up, mimicking a nod in answer to his question. She did her best to try since she doubted that he would have liked her to answer her with a kick to his chest. He would have no doubt went pale just feeling it no matter how soft it would have been. Aside from the one at the head of the flock, she could have easily beaten them. The leader of the flock was like her, an evolved monster. Their fight would have been to the death, which is why neither engaged the other since easier prey could be found elsewhere.
The Guard once more had a tough time gauging his reaction? Was this having a hard time comprehending people being strong enough to handle a Wyrd Hare? Sure they were tough, and their warp ability was a pain to deal with but it was within the realm of possibility… Perhaps the trauma of that civil war had warped his perception on such things. That whole affair, especially the last few days, was unbelievable to witness in the news. Even she still has trouble believing some of the things that happened during the end battle. “Well those two would be Expert magicians. They worked for decades to get like that… If we’re talking about more normal folks… Then… Pffff. I’d say 20-30 hunters. Tops. Wyrd Hares are tough but they’re egotistical too. Spook them and you can make them expel their energy faster. After that? Rabbit stew~”
The Rabbit in Aiden’s arms cosy’s up to him more. This was why she was wary of the Oni’s. They’re crazy enough to throw themselves at her like animals just to butcher her in battle. Survival comes second to their sense of honour, and battle. It was beyond her understanding to fathom why they would do this, so it was scary to her.
The Guard excuses his reaction as he apologises. “Don’t worry too much about it. I’m sure you'll get used to everything again. Who knows. Maybe you were someone capable of standing up to that rabbit of yours.” The Female Oni says to try and lift his spirits. Unaware that while she pokes at a shred of truth, she misses the mark. Outside of his unique condition he can hardly be capable of standing up to his new companion. When she hears that he’s a complete loner with no presence in the world she is just more assured that he was a Civil War survivor. He must have been at the Capital or something. Lost all his family and secluded himself… How that factor’s in the fairies she doesn’t yet know. But the mystery doesn’t need to be solved right now. “Ah, then no need to organise a message back there then eh?”
When it comes to his odd and awkward bow, the Guard turns her head to look at him through her mask, her brow furrowing behind it yet she only lets out a soft sigh as she stands up straight. “You don’t need to bow to the Guardian Tree. I guess it does make you look more approachable to the schmucks around here though.” She says with a less cold tone. “And it didn’t seem to dislike it.” She says as she looks back to the tree. The warming feeling seems to grow stronger, more comfortable, Aiden may even feel refreshed just being near it. Like his anxiety was lessened, that tight and infectious knot felt like it was unravelling from his chest. It seems as if the people of this village worship the tree… That warm feeling might actually come from the tree. And it seems to be able to pry at dark emotions and lessen them. Just what is that tree?
Heimrich and the others wouldn't be left out of the loop for long. Once the stranger disguised as a knight had been brought inside the Citadel and they moved from the ground floor to one of the floors above that are more secure, the only place that offers the kind of security they need is the Reliquary. A vault where most of the relics that the Templar Chapter here on the mainland are kept after being found, the vault itself is special because it possesses special spatial separation magic meaning you would need a relic key to access it already… Or possess an understanding of advanced Space Magic. This would have been where Heimrich’s relic would be after it was relocated from the Outpost, if it had not been made a part of his personal arsenal.
That would have been the right place to have the kind of talk they were going to have, but it is likely that Sam will already explain that the four of them (Sam, Heimrich, Felix and Samantha) are already enough of a deterrent for invading forces to come and attack the Citadel. So instead they speak in one of the Tower’s many common rooms, with everyone too busy dealing with those that have collapsed and the Fable Blooded losing their powers, it was practically deserted.
The common room was a large square room fitted with seated areas, magical and modern games and even a set of pool tables near one of the back walls. The Intruder sat down on one of the many couches that was situated near the back of the room, in a seating area that was set out like a semicircle with a large rectangular table in the centre to mark the edge of the semicircle. Samantha was standing on the other side of that table, looking down on the seated trespasser while Felix took the chance to relax on one of the nearby couches after having nothing but hard floor to rest on for a decade, he practically melted into the cushions… Normal people would call them lumpy, but after the Mirror realm it was like heaven.
“Are you going to introduce yourself, or am I?” Samantha asks with a venomous tone.
The figure flinches in their armour before it all falls away and reveals the truth. He was a male, having bronze skin and foreign script tattooed into his body, the unintelligible script was constantly moving, as if alive across his whole body while his hair was a stark white and faintly glowing. He wore tattered rags that covered the lower half of his body alone, his upper body was sculpted in godly perfection. Toned yet not too buff. Complimenting his smaller stature. “I am, or was, the fallen titan from another land, or at least half of him. I am Hakaar.”
“Not Salem?” Felix muffled into the couch cushion yet pointing a finger to the fallen God.
“Hah… If we were whole then yes. But I am just a ruling fragment, my name is from my mortal life here in Chili. I was a Neko if you could believe such a thing…” He didn’t react to the name being uttered. His other self will not be able to use the name of their truth to spy on the conversation this way now that they have been shattered again. Splintered into two greater shards and a handful of lessers. “The name Salem only refers to the true Titan that once was. A dream that his Angel’s have been chasing ever since he was shattered in the first place before the Dread year.”
OOC: Kek.
BIC: "For some reason I really doubt that." Aiden states in response to the idea that he could somehow be strong enough to fight an A-Class animal. Hell, even a B-Class. He'd need a gun or something, and a good distance to aim....
Lot of good having seven souls does someone like me.
His final thought while bowing to the tree is thrown from his mind as his guard escort notices him and stands up with a sigh. His face screams confusion, pretty obvious he was just doing it because she did. "More approachable...?" Oh, right...casually walking around with a tank in my arms. He scratches under the rabbit's chin as he processes the feeling from the tree. Based on how she treats it it's like this Guardian Tree is sentient to them. Yesterday he'd have called anyone who thought something like that crazy, buuut not now. That tree most likely is sentient, at least at some level, which is....unsettling? Maybe just weird. "Right, uh, just...paying my respects? I guess. I'll work on my bow." He lets out two forced, awkward laughs yet again.
How did Cesyn think I'd get along better here than back home...I'm worse than a tourist.
Me or Putnam next would you guys say? Me, right?
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