Feb 20 12:15:14 110 PA - Gary Talks
From Chronicles
Feb 20 12:15:14 110 PA.
MEETING HALL
Barely afternoon and Valeriya is returning to her place, a bag of deli takeout in hand. Her walk is casual as she seems to be allowing her mind to venture where it will at the fringe of the north dregs. She's wearing her standard leathers and is accompanied by her flying lizard.
Some people can't be quite as casual in the 'Dregs, and Gabriel is waiting near the entry to the Meeting Hall in his environmental armor, complete with the quick-escape jet pack clapped on his back. Still, his helmet is free, and the presence of only a few common weapons likely indicate that he's in no mood for trouble. It's a good time to relax, nevertheless, as the comforting tones of Russian waft in from the nearby little urban village. He might not remember the words, but the remembered emotions are still good ones.
Valeriya's wandering mind almost misses Gabriel waiting outside the meeting hall. Luckily for him Charon gave her a nudge on his behalf. As such she looks over his way as she opens the door. "Oh.. Hello. What's up?" She asks, clearly off balance.
Gabriel smiles and nods. "Hi, Val. Just thought I'd stop by rather than babble on the radio. It's so much more personal. Any chance that you could track down the guy who hired us for the Creel job? I'd like to speak with him on a few matters. Nothing sneaky secret, just some questions that aren't answered yet, and possibly from a less, ah.. maybe unbiased position?"
As undoubtedly expected, Valeriya's brow raises at the particularly odd request. "Hmm." Is all she manages at first, proceeding into the hall. The door closes fairly slowly behind her, giving Gabriel time to follow. Inside she still seems to be considering as she puts the bag on the table. Then she steps behind the bar...
With a healthy respect for the door, Gabriel waits politely outside, leaning against the jam but not entering until he seems to be sure of... something... and then follows Valeriya into the local dump's mage lair. With his arms comfortably crossed and his eyes wandering, he asks, "'Hmm' as in you think it's a bad idea, or 'hmm' as in you can't track down the guy?"
Valeriya doesn’t immediately answer from behind the bar where she is momentarily rummaging. She emerges with a nearly skeletal man in one hand and a bottle of the absolutely most tongue searing swill in the other with a shake of his head. "Well looks like you've tracked him down well enough. No idea if it's a good or bad idea. Depends on what questions you have." She answers as she carries both to the table. The wiry fell she sets down in a chair, the bottle out of arms reach on the table. She then moves the bag into arm's reach. "The ordeal's left him.. Well I’m not really sure if he was like this before the ordeal or not.. This is what we've got." She notes with a gesture to the man. the man seems absolutely oblivious to the visitor, clothed in an obvious state of unwash and alcoholism he looks to be nearly forty, minus a few years of stress.
Gabriel's right brow climbs upward, and his hands go to rest on his hips while he walks forward toward the unfortunate fellow. His first question is a quick and short one to Valeriya. "The ordeal of getting here, or something else? I don't recall hearing about any ordeal yet, save for the trouble in Creel." The man himself is equally ignored for the moment.
"That’s not enough of an ordeal for you?" Valeriya asks with a shrug that indicates she probably doesn’t really know or care why the man is as he is. At least until she wrinkles her nose in disgust. There's a sign of care on some level. "Gary, Gabriel. Gabriel, Gary. You two can chat over lunch while I get soap and hot water ready." She decrees, apparently eager to be free of the smell. Gary still seems mostly oblivious to Gabriel, much more interested in the lunch bag he is tearing into. Sideways glances also go to the bottle, as if debating risking taking it and angering Val.
With a simple nod of acknowledgment to Valeriya, Gabriel moves over to the table, peeling off the arms and torso piece as he goes, making himself far more human. Even with a simple black jumpsuit beneath, it has the official OSS crest emblazoned, along with his name. But, to reiterate, and in case the man can't read, he states, "Gabriel Blaze. I operate a security firm here in Kingsdale. Good to meet you, Gary. Don't worry, the drink's on me, help yourself." Then, he slides into a nearby seat and waits for some kind of acknowledgment.
Gary finally looks to acknowledge Gabriel briefly after the mention of the drink is made. Another glance to the bottle, still out of reach as Valeriya moves into the washroom. Clearly the man is wary, scratching his thinning hair as he extracts half a sandwich out of the bag. "What does Gabriel Blaze want in return?" Gary asks in a meek voice with another glance to the bottle.
"I'd just like some information, Gary. I want to help you out, and right now I have a few holes that I'd like to fill in so that your problem is taken care of as easily as possible. As easily as possible for everyone involved, I might add," Gabriel replies, leaning lightly against the table. "As far as I understand it, a compensation package for those of us going down to Creel has already been negotiated, so I'm not here for that at all."
"Answered lady Valeriya's questions. Answered them all. She was the only one who believed, or cared. Answered them with a spell, made me honest, couldn’t exaggerate. Are you going to cast spell?" Gary asks before devouring the half sandwich in three quick bites. A few moments will need to pass for him to chew and swallow that before he can speak again.
Gabriel offers only a mild look of surprise. "That seems a little excessive, doesn't it? No, I'm not like Val. We might get to the same end, but we do things differently. That's why I'm here, Gary. Just questions. You can try to lie if you want, I won't have any perfect way to tell. No spells, I promise. No brain reading, either." He smiles and taps his head, trying to indicate psionics as the other bit being left out. "But I would appreciate if you would please just tell me, in your own words, what the problem is. I know you'll be repeating yourself, but I would appreciate it. Gary, if you can help me out, I'll pay to put you up at Raleigh's for a month. You can rest up, get settled in, whatever you need. If you'd tell me your story?"
Gary shrugs at the offered compassion with indifference before he stands to take up the bottle and a long pull. He sits back down with it close at hand and pauses a moment to consider the request. "Started two months ago. Creel was a boom town, mining gems, trading with wizards. No one went hungry, or without a home. I was a powerful shifter. The town's protector. I would bring people in and out of the town for trade and oversee the defenses against the vampires. Everything was perfect. Too perfect according to some. Two months ago vampire attacks stopped. Instead lookouts would see pyres and firefights on the horizon. Thought this was good news, adventurers coming, hunting. But they never came."
"Interesting. Hadn't heard that part, Gary. The vampire attacks stopped for good though, or not? Then the firefights that never amounted to anything. When did they stop, and what direction were they in? Did you ever see any of the combatants?" Gabriel listens along, either not interested or taking careful mental notes. Then, "You... don't look the part of the shifters that I know these days. What happened?" His eyes follow the bottle, but only enough to see the quantity that the man downs in a single pass.
Gary levels a heady gaze towards Gabriel before taking another quick swig from the bottle. "Does Gabriel Blaze prefer specific answers to these questions now? Or for me to continue with his original query of what happened?" He asks, wariness returning to him as he appears divided between the two approaches.
Gabriel sits back and holds up his hands in surrender. "Apologies, please continue with the whole story."
"For a month we could see the pyres and fighting each night. Spreading over all the territory around the town. Vampires did not attack in this time, eventually stopped being seen at all. Sent out many to try and contact those fighting. Without success. After a month, he came into town. At first was just a visitor, though his power was obvious. As such rumours and speculation abounded around the dark-haired stranger. Though he seemed indifferent, just looked around and saw what was there." Gary explains.
"Mmm-hmm," is all that Gabriel says, not wanting to interrupt the story once more.
"Another week without any attacks, each day the stranger lingering about town and getting familiar. We started to grow suspicious. We knew by this point that he was either responsible or connected with the situation. Debates raged on what to do, if anything. Finally we agreed to invite the stranger to a meeting and ask of his business in Creel. We were ecstatic when he agreed without hesitation." Continues Gary.
"I see. It's good to participate I guess when you hold the cards." Gabriel waves lightly. "Please, this is very interesting."
Gary shudders, taking up the bottle and an especially long pull before telling more of the tale. "The meeting was a trap. For us, not for him. He worked some kind of magic, sealed the room before he showed us his true nature. Panic abounded among our leadership unfamiliar with dragons. The rest of us bolstered ourselves but were no match. Spells of fire consumed our guard captain and I could see things would not prevail. So I fled, committing to gather my power and return on better footing. I intended to evacuate the town, had a major artifact that could open a permanent rift for the task."
Gabriel's eyes open wider, and he looks over to where Valeriya had disappeared. "A major artifact for a permanent rift? Interesting." He's then quiet again, awaiting more of the story.
Gary shudders again at the second mention of the artifact but manages to continue. "So I returned in secret to the town. Keeping my power low and hiding amongst the commoners. I spread word of my intentions and set to free us all with the full moon that was two days away. Everything was set, some of the Creel folk knew they had to remain to keep his attention away as I freed the others. But they could not. I had just started the ritual when he appeared at my side with a giant flaming sword. I rushed to finish as he pulled back for a giant swing at the artifact. It shattered like crystal against his might. And I, bound to it, shattered as well. The rift opened though, there was enough power for that. He cackled and threw me in, closing it immediately. And here I am."
"And here you are," Gabriel repeats quietly. "It's certainly quite the story, and I believe you. Do you have any reason to believe that there are many people in Creel still alive? Because I'm a little confused. From what I've heard, this dragon has already taken up residence in your town, and has been helping defend it from the vampires, and no mention of whatever the battles were, or if the vampires came back." He stops, then asks and repeats, "The last time you saw, it was a dragon with a sword, and few people left alive in the town?"
"In the days I was preparing the dragon's intentions for the town were made clear. He killed all like me immediately, eliminating possibility of escape like mine. None who had the ability to contact the outside world survived. Any who came either met the same fate, or left convinced the town was no longer trading. All the townspeople where then tasked to the mine, and its support. I am fairly certain they still live. He needs them to work the mine, and the crops, else he must do it himself." Gary answers.
Gabriel nods, and looks Gary over. "If you could estimate as best you can, how many people would you say survived to be working the mines and the fields right now? The way I've heard the story is a bit different, so this would be an important note."
Gary shrugs and takes another quick swig. "Most of the people were not the type to be a threat to him. Probably close to two-thousand people." He says before taking a moment to free the second half of the sandwich.
"I see. This dragon, does it have a name? And a species, perhaps? Everybody dies better one way or another, so if you can tell, that would help." As Gabriel then leans back again to listen, he interjects once, "Oh, and can the artifact of yours be reassembled?"
"It called itself Jacob while it was among us. Doubt that was its real name. And I was not able to identify the species. It didn’t seem to favor any particular species trait." Gary answers before shaking his head profusely. "Not easily, need a high level mage and techno-wizard. Maybe easier to make a new one." He adds then devours the second half of the sandwich.
Gabriel nods, and is then quiet for a while, allowing the unfortunate fellow time to satiate at least one thing that he has in hand. Literally. "Was he keeping the vampires at bay, then? If you're left to work the mines and the fields, I assume they're not accosting you. If all the mages were killed, will Creel have any defenses left, when 'Jacob' is removed?"
Gary nods between bites of the sandwich before he manages to swallow it all. "Some. Depends on if he decided to dismantle any of them. But lady Valeriya said she would be bringing more and ensuring the town would be safe from vampires before she left." And speak of the devil, here she comes now. "Bath time!" She decrees, pointing to the waiting washroom.
With a raised eyebrow, Gabriel stays on point despite the odd and sexually-charged invitation, hopefully not to himself. "What can you tell me about Creel, Gary? Is it up in the mountains, like I think? Steep terrain? Crops below? How many shafts are there, and how is the mine interconnected?" Then, "It was an adult, right? A smart one."
"A large fissure down the side of the mountain that branches into underground honeycombs. And he is very experienced. Age is hard to tell on a dragon." Gary answers before willingly taking his leave for the offered bath. Apparently he is aware of his state, and fights his current nature with the right influences. Valeriya returns to the table and takes a seat with a shrug a Gabriel. "Informative?"
The man nods to Valeriya. "On a level, yeah. I don't want to turn this into a planning session without everyone else around, but if that's really what we're up against, I'm currently of the opinion that the existing approach should be debated. There's no one even in town left to bring pitchforks and torches if we start to win." Gabriel then raises his brow again. "You have any idea what the firefights were about?"
"Establishing a perimeter and familiarizing itself with its surroundings." Valeriya answers in short before shrugging at the fact the town can't help. "I never expected the townspeople to be of much assistance. At best we know he will be reluctant to kill them all. But probably not reluctant to kill a percentage. I'm keeping an evacuation plan as an option if at all feasible."
Gabriel nods, and starts to pack his armor back on while he speaks, obviously intent on what he'd said - not making this a strategy session. "Luring a super-intelligent, super-powerful creature into a position where a single weapon would send it packing sounds like a difficult thing. It's funny, I thought that you'd said it had been protecting the town from vampires, but the Creel folk finally had enough. Apparently I wasn't clear on the subject. How many of us are planned to go right now, Valeriya?"
Valeriya shrugs again. "Well think of it like were a bunch of mosquitoes, and the dragon is just a man. And my mosquito is carrying a very debilitating disease. Yeah we can get swatted. But still a good chance we can survive and he will not." She explains before raising her brow. "Currently it is protecting them from the vampires. So all of them can focus on the mining. And six or seven people all together. I'm still making arrangements. Rasputin has signed on."
"Well, the way I see it, with your bomb attack, you - we - get one shot. If it doesn't work, he teleports out, then back in and shreds us after targeting Leonard first. Lucky guy," Gabriel adds. "But as I said, this should be discussed en masse. I for one am still a fan of trapping it inside the mine and thus claiming our own battleground." *SNICK* goes his left gauntlet into place.
"Assuming it's even in the mine." Valeriya notes before rising to lead Gabriel to her office. There she takes up a heavy bag and hands it to him. "Speaking of which, this should be enough munitions for said bomb. If you can compact them at all and keep the potency that would be good. If not we'll figure it out. In there is another bag that is magic. It has the uranium and is shielding it. It won't contaminate things or be detectable while it's in the bag. And I'm told its highly illegal. So maybe you can make it so that is added separately?"
Gabriel looks over to the piles of equipment and the secretive secret ingredient. "I'll see what I can do. But bombs are usually made best as an integral unit. You might add the fuse before you run, but the warhead or charge is already there. Unless you want this thing to blast back into your face, I'm going to need something to make a decent backing, otherwise even a shaped charge will come around and slap you in the face with something." Then a look toward the magic packet. "Have some thin gloves that I can wear to work the stuff that'll still protect me from irradiating my fingers?"
Valeriya raises a brow at that request. "No, but I have my magic rings." She offers, pulling one from her pocket. "And remember, protecting me from the blast is secondary, I'll be in a few layers of expendable armor."
On the topic of expendable protection, Leonard enters the meeting hall from the less than entirely pleasant weather outside. He is dressed in his usual attire and laden with several bags from various vendors in the nearby district.
Gabriel thankfully accepts the rings. "Thanks. I'd hate to win and then come home and have my fingers removed. Y'know that in the 1920s and 1930s people were taking objects with radium inside and shoving them up their ass? True story. Thought it cured illnesses, or made them more virile... don't know. Never sounded like a good idea to me." *SNICK* and his right gauntlet is finally seated. "I'll try not to worry about your well-being too much, but I have to worry about anyone around that might have been caught up in events." He stoops to gather the odd array of military hardware. Sort of like someone throwing out a residential toolbox and shouting, "Make me a toaster!" Still, "I'll let you know when it's ready." The weather is noted, but for now, Gabriel seems to be leaving.
Valeriya just smirks at the notion of a radioactive suppository, letting Gabriel continue his exit as her focus turns to Leonard. "Finally some new clothes for our tenant? He's in the bath now."
Leonard chuckles. "I did remember to pick him up a few necessities, yes. The bulk of this is for us, however." He lifts the bags in gesture before setting them upon the table. "Good afternoon, Gabriel." Leonard now acknowledges the man with greeting and nods.
As Gabriel passes toward the door, he moves to pat Leonard on the shoulder as he goes. "Hey, Leo. Keep a sharp eye out down there, sounds like you'll be a popular kind of guy. Be seeing you two, catch you around when you need me." A quick non-salute is sketched, and he's out.
