Tales of Steam and Sorcery

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

"Indeed, I'm here to see those two. See what they learned of our little troublesome guest... I'll be going to the back now, though if you need anything just call for me, right Selia?" says Rebecca before she walked over to see what the boys had figured out.

Takei - Anilix - Late Afternoon

After her all too brief rest, Aileen knew she had to move once again... She had to get away from here and fast. But first... she needed a distraction.

Closing her eyes she manifested her wolf companion... using a little enchantment to make him glow a ghostly white "Sorry for this, my dear... but you'll have to draw them away. Make them run away from me and then fade away..."

The wolf nodded its head and then started to run, coming from under the bridge and howling as he ran west... while Aileen slipped east, under as much cover as she could find.

Takei - Anilix - Late Afternoon

"What's going on?!" Blurted out one of the people in the mob. "Where were you when the monster attacked?!" He shouted. "There's a witch a town - a filthy savage!" Affirmed another. "SHE summoned the monster, it had to be here! Where else would it have come from? So we're going to track her down and get REVENGE for our fallen friends and loved ones!" He shouted, as the rest of the crowd cheered. It was about then that Aileen sent her wolf westwards, successfully attracting the attention of the mob. "Look! Another monster!" Shouted someone. "Maybe it'll lead us to the witch! Get it!" And just like the that, the mob stormed off, shoving Varlam aside in the process.

Aileen's luck was holding out so far, but that was unlikely to be the only angry mob in town...

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

His head poking around inside the creature's mouth, Weston rolled his eyes at Ferrus' comment. One minute he was talking about how great it would be to attack Circites 'with their own weapon', the next he seemed to be implying that Selia could necromance. "Uh, yeah, Selia can't do that." He said, moving out of the mouth. "She's a Fire Caster, not some kind of... Well, necromancer... Besides, she's in no condition for anything like that. You think she's in the other room just because she likes my sofa? I barely like my sofa."

He stares at the creature and thinks for a moment. All that armour was making it difficult to really get a good look at the beast's interior. Aside from the teeth and mouth, they weren't able to study much of it. "Hmm..." He murmured. "Hey, maybe you can't break the armour, but what about the jaw? If you can get the mouth to open wide enough, I might be able to cut into the skull through the roof of the mouth." As he said that, he noticed that it sounded like it might be as especially messy procedure, and he was not looking forward to that.

It was about then that Rebecca walked over. "Ah, Rebecca!" Weston said, with a grin. "Good to see you! Maybe you can help with our problem..." He explained what they'd learned so far, and how they were having trouble getting through the armour. "Even with a hole in its head, it's proving to be very resilient. And if we wait until it rots to the point where we can just peel the armour off, well, who knows. There might not be anything left to study, at that point."

"Also," He muttered quietly muttered to Rebecca, who was standing next to him. "Mister 'patriotic Anilixian' over here is driving me nuts..."

"Er... Right, yes, of course. Nice to meet you, Ms. Hughes." Said the policeman, shaking her hand. He was a little bewildered by her formality and by her stated mission. They were picking up after a crisis, in the pouring rain, and she was worried about manners... She was also peculiar because she was the first Circite he had ever heard of that was interested in 'investigating what opportunities Anilixian technology could potentially bring.'

"Well, um, you've certainly come to the right place for investigating technology." He said. "We're a pretty friendly bunch around here, generally speaking. Ordinarily, I might direct you to to the mayor's daughter, Rebecca Weistrand, but I'm sure she's busy right now, so... What else can I do for you?"

"I can do that." Ferrus said simply. He reached into the creature's jaws and tried to level them open. "I figure that the insides would be universally weaker than the outsides, so—urgh!—if we can scoop it out from the bottom that would probably help."

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

"What kind of monster attacked the town?" Aisha immediately asked. "From where did it first appear? What was it attempting to do? Was it driven off or slain?"

The girl who was speaking formally before had lost all sense of it. As well as any sensitivity. When she realized this, she paused.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask such thoughtless inquiries," she apologized. "It's just that I haven't heard of such a thing before."

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

"Hmmm I see... If you wish I can try to cut through the roof of the mouth for you, Weston. Meanwhile, it might be wise to look for the joining points between beast and plating. Over there we might find the best places to try and separate the two" says Rebecca as she puts on her goggles and fishes for a knife in her pockets.

"I was- but how would- monster?" Varlam had trouble keeping up with the flurry of voices coming from the mob, and confusedly glanced over at this new 'monster' to see a familiar four-legged, white furred creature running off along the canal. Varlam got just long enough of a look to recognize it before someone nonchalantly shoved him aside, making him fall on his rear in the process.

As the mob ran off, Varlam got himself back up and considered his options from here. If the wolf was going to where Aileen was, then Varlam had very little chance of getting there before the mob. At least, not down on the ground. Refolding the coat into a bundle he could hold with one arm, Varlam pointed his grappling hook at the nearest rooftop and launched it up to attach to the edge, then quickly pulled himself upwards, bracing against the edge of the building like before.

Varlam figured that if the wolf would be doing any zigzagging turns around buildings, it would be easier to keep up this way. At the very least, Varlam would get a better vantage point, which he put to use making a quick look around once he got to the top of the building.

Takei City - Anilix - Late Afternoon

Once on top of the building Varlam would be able to see both Aileen's wolf running through the streets trying to lose the mob... and Aileen herself,, emerging from the other side of the bridge and running as stealthily as she could in the opposite direction.

As Varlam spotted Aileen heading in the opposite direction from the wolf, he automatically let out a "hey!" before he managed to stop himself from giving her away. Though, with a quick glance around it occurred to him that nobody was likely to hear him up where he was anyway. It didn't seem like anyone else had noticed the magic user, so Varlam started running along the rooftops after her.

Varlam considered how she went one way while the wolf went the other; orphans liked to use a similar technique whenever they were trying to evade pursuers. It made sense; anyone going after one couldn't get the others. Unfortunately for Varlam, he now had to catch up with Aileen and try to get her attention. He couldn't just yell out, 'hey Circium lady' without tipping off everyone within earshot. He had to think of something to yell to get her attention without being too conspicuous.

As he got to a gap between two buildings, Varlam shot the grappling hook at the edge of the other building, then swung down and quickly rappelled to the ground. Then, he started running again, and held out the folded coat. "Hey! You forgot coat!" Varlam yelled, hoping it would at least get Aileen to look and see him.

Takei City - Anilix - Late Afternoon

Thankfully for Varlam and Aileen, the Circium woman did stop at his cry, scared out of her mind about being caught... though the moment she looked back and saw the boy from the park she calmed down a whole lot. Not completely, mind you, but she preferred to see him that an angry mob out for her blood "W-What are you doing here?"

Varlam stopped with his usual grin returning, thankful that Aileen had stopped. "You stick out too much dressed like that. Need to blend better" Varlam said, tossing the large, definitively Anilixian coat to Aileen.

Then, his face took a bit more solemn and serious expression. "Lotta angry people saying you brought mud monster earlier... It true?" Varlam asked, skeptical of the mob's accusations but nevertheless deciding to check.

edited 13th Aug '12 3:03:50 PM by FirockFinion

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

"Er, well," Said the officer, a little stunned by the flurry of questions just directed at him by this peculiar young woman. "It was, um, a big... Snakey-thing. Except it had black armour covering its body. We're not sure where it came from, seemed to come right out of nowhere following a crazy earthquake or something. So far as we can tell, all it wanted to do was kill everyone. A local girl - Selia, I think her name is - managed to kill the thing, though. Things were looking pretty grim for awhile... The body was dragged off over there." He said, vaguely motioning towards Weston's workshop. "That's all I know. Um... Anything else I can do for you, ma'am?"

Takei City - Anilix - late afternoon

"It's obvious most of them didn't see me fighting the thing and then running for my life as it tried to eat me" says Aileen as she catches the coat, not doubting for a second on putting it on, hiding her figure, tattoos and distinctive clothing in the process "Thank you..."

"I knew you weren't bad lady" Varlam said, grinning again and giving a nod. "People just angry. Don't think clearly when angry" he said a bit more seriously.

"Still, best you stay 'low profile' for a while" Varlam added, putting that certain emphasis on 'low profile' that would imply he only thought he was using the term right, but wasn't sure. Then, he grinned again. "I've got ride to take me to border. You could come to" he offered, pointing a thumb over his shoulder back at the steam palace.

Takei City - Anilix - Late Afternoon

"I think that would be a very good idea for me... I do not wish and it is not safe for me to remain within this city any longer. It pains me to leave my efforts behind... But I simply must go away" says Aileen as she looks off in the distance "Can I really go with you?"

Varlam didn't really have to think over Aileen's question before nodding. "Warren is nice man, not angry" Varlam said, then thought about something else for a moment. "But we must move quick, and not attract attention. Lotta angry people looking for you" he added a bit more quietly, taking a look around to see how clear the coast was before starting to head back towards the Steam Palace.

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

"Earthquake..." Aisha pondered about any fault lines near the border. Unfortunately, geology wasn't her strong suit.

"Ah, no, I'm alright. Thank you for the information, and good luck on your efforts." Giving a small bow of the head, the strange mage proceeded to head to Weston's workshop.

Weist Town - Border - Late Afternoon

I wonder who that is... Thought Selia, as she looked up from her book upon hearing a knock at the door. "Come in!" She called out.

Takei City - Anilix - Late Afternoon

Aileen wondered for a moment who Warren would be... but she merely nodded her head and followed the young man who had decided to help her. Sinking as much as she could into her coat, Aileen tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible.

"Keep face hidden, yeah" Varlam said, starting to lead Aileen back to the Steam palace. He knew this is where things could get tricky; when possible, he would avoid large crowds, but only if he could do so before they would likely notice. He didn't want it to look like they were avoiding large crowds after all, that would just make them look suspicious.

Smaller groups wouldn't be avoided, to keep with the whole 'not looking suspicious' thing. Varlam made sure to make himself not look nervous or guilty; he was just an orphan boy helping some lady get home, probably for a little cash. Yep, totally.

Takei - Anilix - Late Afternoon

"Tell me, how can I be safe within the palace? Shouldn't we be heading... away from Takei?" asks Aileen of Varlam after a little time walking with him.

Varlam nodded, still concentrating on where they were going for the moment. "President Warren is one giving ride" Varlam said, finally glancing at Aileen since the coast seemed clear for the moment. "Like I say, Warren is not angry, is more worried. We'll be okay" he explained, giving his usual, almost naive smile that would imply he genuinely believed that everything would turn out alright.

Takei City - Anilix - Late Afternoon

Oh now, that was a really risky gambit. The President himself? Now... a President is naturally more aware of the ramifications of harming a foreign civilian in times of crisis... However, they might also have quite a big popularity boost if the 'burn the witch' to rally support for a war...

Oh, no, thinking that way did her no good at all. She must trust in this as her chance to escape alive "I understand"

Takei - Anilix - Late Afternoon

Getting back to the palace was easy; most people were either still trying to pick up what remained of their lives or joining an angry mob on a wild hunt. The city was in disarray, so two people sneaking around easily went unnoticed.

The palace's automaton guards were rusted and barely functional; barely managing to open the door for them, much less verify their identity. Warren had been waiting for Varlam to come back, and was surprised to see him reenter with an oddly tattooed woman. "Hm?" He said. "Who's your friend, boy?"

Takei City - Anilix - late afternoon

Varlam continued to lead the way, thankful that the mobs were clear enough along their path. When they did arrive, Varlam's impatience at the slow pace that the automatons opened the door was only countered by his amazement at how they worked.

Only once they were finally inside did Varlam relax, and smiled widely in self congratulation when Warren greeted them. "She is Circium friend; needs to leave Takei too. She can come with, yeah?" Varlam said, nodding hopefully before glancing at Aileen and remembering something. "Oh yeah, I gave her coat. You want it back?" he added, looking back at Warren.