To Cure a Cabbit (Closed PS RP)

[Besyanteo]

Having found nothing better himself, and having no idea how to rectiy that, Jeridan bowed to Kelne's logic and followed along.

[pd Rydia]

"More skill than a Gunnir graduate..." Dia mumbled to herself thoughtfully, moving around the farm whilst keeping an eye on the remaining walls. If a dragon had been through here, it wouldn't be too unlikely for a thickly muscled wing or tail to leave a mark in the structure of the building. Assuming, that is, the fire hadn't eaten all the evidence.

'Fluffy, can you smell anything I can't? Do you think a Big Dragon was here?'

[Uncle Pervy]

Whilst Kelne and Jeridan begin to walk away, Dia looks about the ruined farmhouse. While she can't be sure that the fire didn't destroy the traces, she sees nothing that would suggest a dragon.

Fluffy finds the air holds the same miasma that Jeridan smelled. Whilst he can't make out everything in it, he is fairly certain the only dragons he smells are himself and Dia.

[Jak Snide]

"Come on!" Jak called to Dia, he himself following after the others.

[pd Rydia]

'Big Dragon? Rrrrhhnn...' Fluffy growled a little, shooked all over, then charged a short distance forward before jumping triumphantly into a small ash pile. 'Smells like fire! Smells like fire, smells like fire and--funny odd...buuubble? Others before, but just Dia Dia and Fluffy...fire! Fire waste sand, soft, smells like burning, niiiiice. Better than bubble odd. SNRRRHK! Magic? Ash! Dia Dia? Dia Dia needs to set fire in The Home Building more often, Dia Dia, yes? Ash is nice!'

"Come on!" Jak interrupted Fluffy's monologue to Dia. The lapdragon, shocked to rediscover Jak's existence, seemed to freeze in time for a moment to assess this information--giving Dia time to scoop the dragon out of his reverie--and his precious pile of ash--to much protesting. "Thanks," she mumbled, taking firm grasp of the squirming creature, as she her pace to catch up to the rest of the group.

[Uncle Pervy]

The group enters the town to find it like the others. The buildings, the streets, the people, just about everything seems the same. It seems about scale with Settlement Seven.

The only difference is that there seems to be a pair of EF Guards making their way along the town's perimeter. One, a taller man with what seem to be inu-jinish spots about his skin, gives them a hard look. The other, a shorter and more muscular man, regards them with a good deal more Thalsian detatchment.

Kelne is fairly certain he could find the AD's home, assuming that the layout is as he has seen in the other two towns. He is fairly sure he can extrapolate the location of the EF Station in short order, as well. The church of Shamaya can be seen peeking over the rest of the buildings with it's second floor reliquary. The marketplace seems to be fairly busy, from what they can see.

[Kelne]

Kelne nodded thoughtfully upon seeing the patrols out and about. Somebody was certainly taking the threat of the predator seriously. It was bound to be a great comfort to those who lived outside the settlement. Come to that, he rather suspected that the patrols could be circumvented easily enough come nightfall.

Now, what would be the diplomatic thing to do here? Checking in with the local law enforcement, probably. But he didn't particularly feel like butting heads with them again just yet. Then again, he wasn't looking forward to butting heads with other Thalsians, either.

"Well then," he said, directing the question at the group, "Who do we see first?"

[Jak Snide]

"Let's deal with the captain's business first, then take a look into what's going on around these parts. Provided we don't have a more pressing matter to look into after we talk with the TO, or whoever it is we're meant to speak to."

[Kelne]

Kelne nodded, "Sounds good." With that, he set out towards the Church of Shamaya. Jak had a point - it was best to organise the important things before giving the Thalsians the opportunity to tangle them up.

[Uncle Pervy]

The course toward the temple is not a hard one. As per usual, the group attracts a number of stares from the populace. Quite a few of these, however, are openly full of suspicion. The suspicion quickly evaporates, in most cases, when these stares are met, becoming the typical detatched look that Thalsians try their best to maintain. A few don't seem to care if they're caught in the act.

Upon reaching the temple, the group notices an EF Guard leaving the place. He gives them an odd look, but no trouble, as he walks past them. Upon entering, the smell of of blood becomes quite apparent. A quick look around finds the source, a human-shaped mass wrapped in a white sheet strained with blood. Three other such sheet-wrapped masses can be seen nearby, though their sizes vary. Aside from this, the temple seems to be exactly the same as the one they visited before.

A balding older man, his dress exactly like that of PR-7, seems to be praying over the bloody sheet. He seems to be much more weathered than his counterpart at Settlement Seven. He also seems unaware, or uncaring of, the group's entry.

[Jak Snide]

"Seems there's more going on her than simple arson." Jak muttered to no one in particular, hoping the corpses were indeed murders. The alternative was far less appealing.

[Besyanteo]

Jeridan hesitated before entering the building. Even as harsh as this environment was on his senses, this much blood in the air was nigh impossible to miss. Entering the building made the scent that much stronger. He considered trying to distinguish other scents from the blood, to see if he could tell what caused all this, but then realized how many people must have been in and out since then... The number of confounding scents would be enormous.

Instead, he simply tried to stay out of the way for now, and observe what he could visually.

[Kelne]

"Oh, wonderful," Kelne muttered to himself. There'd be precious little chance of engaging anybody in productive conversation with this sort of thing going on. At the least, they'd have to deal with the reflex response of 'Foreigners! you must be responsible for this!' before they could move on.

Deciding that there was no point in interrupting the man's prayer, Kelne simply settled in and waited to be noticed.

[Uncle Pervy]

It does not take long for the old man, whom the astute presume to be PR-10, to finish his ritual. He stands, and lives the group a long look, devoid of anything. Then he speaks. "Finish your business swiftly."

[pd Rydia]

Dia pulled her hand up to her face, covering her nose and mouth. So much blood in one, small, hot place was making her dizzy and lightheaded, and she had to lean against the doorway to steady the world around her.

She had been going to ask something--at least, she thought so--but she could no longer remember what it was anymore. The blood was overwhelming her senses, and it was taking all her concentration to keep herself calm.

[Uncle Pervy]

He gives Dia a curious look, then addresses the group again. "What is your business here?" His voice has taken emotionless tones again. Not even Kelne can be sure that he is still not hating their very presence. Or rather, Kelne can be very sure of it, but he no longer has the supporting proof.

[Kelne]

Kelne knew very well that he was hardly the soul of diplomacy. Nevertheless, the duty of negotiation seemed to be falling to him more or less by default.

Mustering his reserves of calm, he began, "We are here in search of information on an artifact known as the Limiter. As I understand it, this artifact was kept here in Settlement ten until it was stolen some years ago."

At that moment, an odd thought occurred to Kelne. The Limiter acted to suppress Ushyu's magic, that much they knew. How drastic that suppression was he wasn't entirely sure. Here on Thelahasa, the entirety of the astral was dampened. Was there a connection?

Everyone they'd spoken to had assumed that the Limiter was unique. But that wasn't necessarily the case. In fact, where one such artifact existed, one would probably find another. Worse still, the Limiter might be a mere fragment of something infinitely larger. Something so pervasive that it took outsiders to even notice its effects.

All he had right now was speculation, though. These thoughts might well have no more basis in fact than his briefly held belief that the astral creature they'd encountered was in small part responsible. He might never know the truth of the matter.

All these thoughts flickered through his mind in a few brief seconds as he awaited the priest's response. Somehow, he doubted that he was going to be particularly cooperative.

[Jak Snide]

Jak took this opportunity to give the corpses a more thorough look over, though he tried to remain somewhat discreet about it, staying where he was. If there'd been a murder it'd mean that these wretches would have need of people with actual ability. And that meant that he and the others would have a bargaining chip.

[Uncle Pervy]

Jak glances at the covered bodies. The bloodstained one draws his eye. Judging from the way it drapes around the body, the victim must be missing several large chunks of flesh. It makes him recall his fairly recent brush with the serpent unpleasantly.

PR-10's lips quirk into a fragment of a frown for a moment. "The Limiter is no longer here. It was taken by your people, as well as the lives of the former PR-10, TO-10, TO-10A and TO-10B. What do you wish to know about the relic?"

[Jak Snide]

"Our people?" scowled Jak, attention diverted from the bloody mess before him. "You think we're Belu? Or did more outlanders visit some time ago?"

[Uncle Pervy]

"Yes, outlanders," PR-10 says. "People dressed in impractical and unordered clothing, with people who resembled animals. They spoke as you do, and lived in a manner like the Belu."

Jak is not certain if there was scorn in that description or not.

[Jak Snide]

"Do you know anything about them? Appearance, personal effects, plans?"

[Uncle Pervy]

"I did not know them personally," says PR-10. "They came from across the ocean on an immense sailing ship. They proclaimed to be a peaceful people, and we welcomed them despite their lack of self control. They portrayed themselves as being peaceful despite their ways, and we accepted it."

[Jak Snide]

"Then they stabbed you in the back and robbed you. Now I can understand the suspicion leveled at us by your guardsmen. Anyway, did anyone meet them, and were any records kept of their dealings?"

[Uncle Pervy]

"AD-10 met with them, I am certain" says PR-10. "He would have had access to their provisional records, but such would be at Settlement 2 now. I am uncertain which others have met them."

[Jak Snide]

Another Settlement? In the gods'....

"AD10 around, right?"

[Uncle Pervy]

"He will be in this settlement, barring disaster. Most likely at his home." says PR-10.

[Jak Snide]

"We'll seek him out, then" he stated, turning to regard his comrades. "Anything else we need to know in addition to the AD's address?"

[Besyanteo]

Jeridan shook his head. Not finding anything here, he was ready to get away from the stentch of decayying blood.

[Kelne]

Kelne went for the direct approach, "What happened to these people, if you don't mind my asking?" Which people he was referring to ought to be rather blatantly obvious.

[Uncle Pervy]

"They escaped back to their ship," says PR-10. "We have not seen them since."

[Kelne]

It was a lesson Kelne really ought to have learnt by now. Never assume anything was obvious. "I was referring to these people here," he said mildly, indicating the bloodstained bundles. At a guess, he'd say that these were the people who'd been caught up in the violence at the farm, but assumptions, as he'd just seen so aptly demonstrated, were not necessarily reliable.

[Uncle Pervy]

PR-10 falls quiet for a moment. He gives Kelne an appraising sort of look. It is difficult to tell what he concluded when he speaks again. "They were victims of an attack outside of the settlement. Most were burnt in the resulting fire, but that one" he gestures toward the bloody bundle, was found away from the home, partially devoured."

[Kelne]

Kelne nodded, "I think that about covers everything, then. Many thanks for the information."

Assuming nobody else had any further questions, Kelne would be heading back outside again, with an eye to locating the residence of AD-10. This would, in all likelihood, involve questioning one of the locals.

[Besyanteo]

Jeridan was more than happy to leave the bloody place. The arid air outside that threatened to dry out his nose, but it was still better than the overwhelming smell of death in that room.

Given some time for his head to clear, he started trying to think of anything he might have heard of or seen before that would do damage like this creature had. Even if it was useless, he had to do something to distract him from this growing sensation of uselessness.

[Jak Snide]

Jak nodded to the priest and followed after the others. Things were finally starting to look interesting. It'd give him something to dwell on besides the deficiency of magic in this wretched land. Hopefully they'd end up tracking this man back into a mana-enriched part of the world.

[pd Rydia]

"I don't feel well. I'd like to rest for a while...not here." Dia's words came somewhat quietly, and spoken through the hand she still kept over her mouth and nose in an attempt to filter out the smell of blood from the air, so it may have been difficult to hear. "Wherever there's shade, I can just wait there..."

[Jak Snide]

"Wow, she's gone soft."

"So, we off to see the AD?" he asked Kelne. "Once Dia's recovered, of course."

[Shinigori V2]

"I...I'd like to rest, too." Paige finally spoke up. It seems the blood had shocked her into silence for some time, and she finally began to get over it- Not that it was surprising, knowing Paige. "Then after that, yeah...We should go..."

[Jak Snide]

Jak shook his head. At least such a reaction was expected of this one.