Jan 22 08:34:18 107 PA - Beginning of hunt

From Chronicles

The current game time is: Sun Jan 22 08:34:18 107 PA.

Kingsdale - Main Street

       The farther south one gets away from the Merchant's Plaza the thinner traffic becomes even though one is getting closer to the 'heart' of the city. Nonetheless, this area is almost completely commercial with very few residential properties meaning that this area is almost completely silent at night. It is about as safe as it gets in Kingsdale though, with ample police patrols keeping the peace.
       The road here is four lane, with only a foot thick, four foot high wall serving as a divider. The sidewalks are very wide with long strips of green between them and surrounding buildings, trees and shrubs being common. During the day, people are often seen sitting on benches beneath them to have a smoke or take a break.
       Single and double story structures are the norm here and all are completely dwarfed by the two most massive buildings in Kingsdale -- sitting on opposite sides of the street from each other. One of these is the Happy Days Inn. It is a looming, 200 room hotel that is built out of treated brick. It rises ten stories and also holds the two best resturants and nightclubs in the city. Across from it is the even more massive, twenty story bulk of the Kingsdale City Hall. It is an incredibly imposing, gothic structure that bears odd and twisted gargoyles upon almost every level. Security around it is extra high and the KDPD are /always/ present nearby in droves. Each building has its own large car park.

Vadania eyes the rifle a bit askance as she gets more than a few odd looks. A long bow strung with an arrow nockedand ready to draw back and fire at a moment's notice. "What is the specialness of that longarm? Where does the fetish fit in it or against it."

Vargus stops, turning his head sideways to look at Vadania, "I like rifles, they have a bigger hitting power overall, but I wouldn't really say I had a fettsh for them. Although... I do really like this one. Found it on a strange robot a few months ago." The other meaning of that word apparently is completly lost on him.

Vadania stands next to Vargus as she shakes her head and chuckles. She glances down the street and mulls over where the hunt might take them. Her eyes flicking up towards the sun as it's rising slowly back into the skies. "Did Sage mention at all if the sunlight will weaken the thing?" She reaches up with her free hand to lightly pluck off a small pendant-like object from the top of the bow. "This is hte type of fetish I ment, not to odd yearning to fondle large guns."

Vargus laughs and shakes his head. "Oh... THAT kind. Sheesh, just a bit of a difference there." Still chuckling a little he stops and things, "Huhhh, I don't think it came up, about the sunlight I mean. I want to try and do a little more research, too.. the whole virus-possession angle is just a little strange." He looks at the bow, and the thing dangling off the end. "So what does the thingy do? Boost the damage? Light the arrows on fire...?"

The city doesn't take a sick day - and with the arrival of a new day comes the milling of people up and down Main Street, shuffling to their busy lives. The occasional sneeze, clearing of throat, and other sick-signs are all that might indicate the ever-progressing epidemic on this brisk day. Standing on a corner, practically lurking behind a traffic sign, Celaeno might be seen, sipping at a cup of coffee and watching people walk by. Her coat drawn closely about her, one hand is hooked around the hilt of one of her swords as she lets the occasional gust of wind from the street blow back her hair.

Vadania hmms softly as she mulls over how to answer the question. The swordswoman catching her attention. One brow quirking upwards. "It takes the pebble and makes it hit like a boulder." Her fingers deftly reweaving the cord of the fetish back into place on the top of the bow. "I haven't tried one yet to make the arrows fire or frost. The dinos went down well enough with just what I have."

Vargus blinks, the action a little masked by the.. well, mask. "Dinos? You went dino hunting?" He looks

Vadania over and nods his head. "Impressive. So do your charms only work on ancient-style weapons? Or will they work on anything more modern?" He sees Vadania looking at something, and follows her gaze, spotting Celaeno. He gives the other woman a wave-of-greeting and a beckon call.

The coffee is sipped nonchalantly, the other people on the street gathering minor attention until the apparent settling of eyes on each other. It may well have been a while since she's seen Vargus, one doesn't forget that armour quite so easily. A few moments pass before she pushes off the wall, settling into a ready stride as she moves to join. "Morning."

Vadania studies the other woman, then offers a small grin. Another hunting partner she asks Vargus as she ponders what to tell him. Then shakes her head slightly, "Nothing so modern. Though I heard of one being used with an old pig-leg six-shooter. I'm not certain I believe that though."

Vargus nods his head to Vadania. "Hummm... will have to do some experimentation if you're up to something like that." He waves again to Celaeno as she approaches. "Morning yourself. What'chu doing up this early in the day?"

"Having a bit of coffee," Celaeno states to the world at large, "Don't see what's surprising about that - it's always nice seeing the sunrise." Looking between the two for a moment, she takes a sip, "How goes life, hmm? It's been a while, no?"

Vadania hmms softly as she studies the other woman again. "I do not know if it would work for you anyway. The spirits have to agree for them to work." Then turning back to Celaeno, "Are you feeling alright still? We are hunting the cause of the sickness."

Vargus tilts his head slightly to the side. "Has it been that long? Huh..." a bit of a shake of the head. "We're out hunting demons." The sides of his helmet quirk up, a smile under the helmet, and his head nods to

Vadania at her comment. "Sage found out the virus-whatever-thing is linked to some demonic entitiy. Don't know the details yet.. we figure it's staked out in Dregstown somewhere, since that's where the outbreak started."

The talk of spirits and general mysticism brings an oddly neutral expression to Celaeno's face, though she ignores it for the most part. "Not so much as a tickle in the back of my throat," she says, "Thanks for the concern." The mention of demons brings a decidedly apparent piquing of interest. "Maybe. There are quite a lot of sick people over there. But hey, it's not like they're the healthiest to begin with."

Vadania hmms softly as she listens then shakes her head sadly. "It is spreading far to fast to be natural. Nor are the usual medicines working upon it from what we learned at the hospital." Her gaze flicking towards the rest of the crowd gathered as her lips purse slightly as if she's thinking how easy it would be fore something like what they are hunting to have a field day in het crowd.

Vargus wrinkles his nose and nods agreement with Celaeno. "Yeah, conditions in the refugee camp are pretty bad. Not much they can do about that until that whole war thing gets worked out." he turns and looks at Vadania. "Oh, that reminds me... you don't wear environmental armor, nor do you seem concerned with the precautions for catching the whatever-it-is. You're not worried about it?"

Celaeno simply shrugs at the initial assessment, "I'm not a doctor. All I know is that they've already got just about every disease running rampant down there anyways. But hell, if there's some monster involved, well, there's probably somebody looking to pay somebody to get rid of it." She quaffs back half her cup, "...Is there?"

Vadania shakes her head in answer to Vargus' question. "As I told the nurse back in the hospital. I do not get ill. Something to do with the ties I forged with the spirits and nature." Sh flashes a grin at Celaeno. "It would suprise me if the town elders will not pay for this to get cleared up."

Vargus is about to say something, and points to Vadania. "Nothing official, but, I'm sure they'd have some kind of bounty for helping to save the city and it's population... I'm just doing it to kick some damn nasty demon in the jimmy, who things it can roll in here and chew on a bunch of innocent people.

Watching the two for a moment, Celaeno gives a shrug, "Politicians can be remarkably stingy. Especially when they think they can rely on peoples' 'enlightened self interest.' Especially when they might not even know that there's a demon running around causing it. This is the first I'm hearing about it, but maybe I missed the posting." Her cup is swirled for a few moments, considering, eyeing Vadania. "But if it's not a natural disease - you sure it still fits into this little cease-fire you've got set up?"

Vadania blinks at that, "Cease-fire? And no, it is not a natural illness. At least that is what Sage stated after her study of one of the victims of it. Magic in nature, hightly spreadable."

Vargus shakes his head. "Sage just did some kind of brain mojo earlier and discovered that 'something else' might be the cause of the sickness. I'm a scientist at heart, so I'm wanting to do some investigation and see if we can figure out what the thing is, or what it's deal is." He motions to Vadania. "We decided to take a chance and just start looking around..." he looks over at the woman. "I don't really think we've been introduced formally, have we?"

"Just if it's not natural, whatever deal you've made with nature to keep from getting sick..." Celaeno gives a shrug, "Not really my problem, though, even if it's the case." She steps back, one hand sliding into her coat pocket as the other lifts the cup to her lips once more.

Vadania ohhs and shrugs, "So far the deal has held. I do not get sick. Like it that way. Though it does tend to get me holding a lot of hair behind bars." A sad attempt at humor, but it could have been worse, right? Her attention back on ther dividing line between the rest of the City and the Dregs.

Vargus sees his question goes unanswered and shrugs it off, turning to look at Calaeno. "So you interested in coming along? There's not guarentee of cash right off the bat, but if we find out some information we could take it to The Powers That Be and see what we can negotiate."

Celaeno gives a shrug, "I can poke my head around, sure. Anything I should be looking for? A giant red cackling guy with horns?" She finishes her coffee, "Or is it going to be harder than that?" The question is light, nearly flippant. "And I'll see if I can't toss around an inquiry about a potential reward. Speaking of, you up for a spot of dragon hunting?"

Vadania blinks as she realizes a bit late that Vargus asked her a question. Her attention swinging back to him, "Hmm? No, I do not think we were ever fully introduce. Though we have met several times now." She shrugs slightly and smiles. "I am Vadani SilverFeather, Shaman of the Pequot people." The smile lingering for the moment, then Celaeno's question registers. "Dragon hunt? That could be useful. What are the plans for the remains?"

Vargus blinks once. Twice, then shakes his head. "Dragon hunt? Egad... you ask that like if we were free for lunch." he chuckles a little. "I've heard some stories of some flying serpents eating cattle. That the kinda thing you're going after?" He looks to Calaeno and points at Vadania, stage-whispering, "...she's hunted dinosaurs. I think she's a good one to ask." He smiles and bows his head to Vadania now. "Blake Vargus... I'm a Shifter and archeologist."

Celaeno's smile lingers for a few moments as her smile settles on Vadania, "Have to produce the remains before you can do anything with 'em. And that's my focus, so far. But who knows, there might be a claw or two in it for you, assuming you don't get ripped to pieces," says merrily, a hand brushing her hair back from her face. "Might even be the self-same one - but maybe not. Who knows?" Another glance up and down the street and she tacks on as an afterthought: "Name's Cel."

Vadania inclines her head to both of you. "It would be an odd thing if ending one threat took care of the other as well. But I do not think I have heard of a dragon overflying the Dregs."

Vargus chuckles, then stops, "Oh, Cel... sorry. We don't know a whole lot about the thing yet. Sage kept saying it felt like a possession. So it could be just another one of the refugees with something inside them, or it might be a thing all unto itself with horns and flaming naughty bits. We're in the first-stage info gathering really.. or, at least that's where I think we might be, since we don't know a whole lot of anything about it."

Celaeno gives a shrug, "I don't think the bastard's got anything to do with any of this. But that doesn't mean he's not wrecking up the places where he's located. If you're interested, look me up once we get all this sorted, or before. As for now, I think I'm going to see what I can do about getting paid for all this, hmm?" Simply tossing her empty cup to the side, she gives a little wave, "I'll see you guys later then, shall I?"

Vadania nods slightly, "I think that hunting the dragon could be interesting. May even be a good thing if I can recall the proper respects needed when one is brought down." Then blushes she glances to Vargus. "Which end of the Dregs were the others starting at? I don't have the radio to talk to them."

Vargus shakes his head to Vadania and gives Celaeno a wave. "Freaking dragons... you're a maniac, Cel." he chuckles and looks back to Vadania. "Hummmm, I don't think anyone really said anything about. And the radio is quiet. So I think we have our pick of wherever we wanna go."

Vadania hmms softly at that and nods down the street. "So we could start there. There are a couple people coughing and sneezing there. Do you want ot question them?"

Vargus grins and chuckles. "Huhh, I think we should go to wherever the first cases were reported. A lot of the times, these supernatural predator-types aren't all that smart, and are very overt about things. So where it started may be where it's holed up."

Vadania hmms softly and nods. "Alright. I believe it was reported in the Dregs. Though Erica was also an early case and she started showing in the gym after a bout."

Vargus hummms and rubs the side of his face. "Does she hang out in the Dregs a lot?"

Vadania nods and sighs, "Almost daily. She favors the bars there for cheap firewater and easy people. Or else it was the easy fights, I'm not certain."

"Easy people...? Huh... she doesn't seem the type." Vargus replies. "Although, she's a scrapper... so, guess she does. So where do you want to hit? I'm really not all that familiar with the area. I know where Moe's is, and the Alibi... and... well, that's pretty much it."

Vadania chuckles softly at that and shakes her head. "Perhaps it would be best to just wander a little and see where the highest concentrations of sick are? I'm certain that if there are areas where people are getting sick more often then their neighbors will be trying to avoid those places. Much as people avoid the park after dark now."

Vargus considers, and then nods his head. "That's a good idea." he hefts the rifle on his shoulder, getting it settled, and then stops. ".. oh, I've only got about twenty minutes of good air before I have to get out and refresh my armor's supply. I'm going to look around and see if I can find anything to suppliment that, but, that's what I've got for now. Going to be carrying my jetpack with me, so I'll just go straight up if I need to." Vadania hmms and nods to that. "It sounds almost safe. Just warn if you are going to, I'd rather not get scorched." She pats hip lightly as she mulls over which road to take. The bow pointed down for the moment, a finger looped over the aroow to hold it in place against the string as she finally nods towards the cross street. "We should be able to go this way and catch the top part of the Dregs."