1.20 - Have a Talk
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
[X] Plan: Hello Fellow Kids
-[X] Stick to public spaces with lots of people. Your stalker hasn't made a move yet, so it's probably a safe bet to stay where law enforcement can help you.
-[X] Walk up to the gaggle of kids looking for a fight, and try to be as non-threatening as possible. If they really are do-gooder vigilantes from a detective agency, surely they wouldn't punch a homeless, injured man and his only guide just trying to buy some clothing? Inform them you two are on your way to a meeting with Wei and the Rat King, and show them the note to show you're not lying.
-[X] Stick to public spaces with lots of people. Your stalker hasn't made a move yet, so it's probably a safe bet to stay where law enforcement can help you.
-[X] Walk up to the gaggle of kids looking for a fight, and try to be as non-threatening as possible. If they really are do-gooder vigilantes from a detective agency, surely they wouldn't punch a homeless, injured man and his only guide just trying to buy some clothing? Inform them you two are on your way to a meeting with Wei and the Rat King, and show them the note to show you're not lying.
1.20 - Have a Talk
These kids are gearing up for a fight. Well, at least, two of them are- Crazy Cat seems to have an awfully eager grip on that syringe gun of his, and you don't know what disgusting chemicals are on that thing. You need to defuse the situation.
First, slow down. You take a deep breath, and the world stops- your perception accelerating a thousandfold. Slow down, slow down. You need time to think and analyze the situation.
Hm. You need to negotiate. The girl is a vigilante- she has likely being messing around with the local Syndicates and holds quite a grudge. As Capone is himself a Syndicate leader and thus the cause of numerous issues with this city. You have no illusions as to the moral fiber of Syndicates- protection rackets, kidnappings and probably even drug trade are all possible additions to Capone's resume.
"These are very good additions to his resume, mind you." chips in Abel.
Oh, he's back? Awfully early. Did he find out anything?
"I did. It wasn't very difficult. But first, continue talking."
…you don't know what you can say about that. Oh well. The situation reminds you of these ridiculous Offices that seem to come up from the woodwork recently. People just pick up random Syndicate members from the single most dogshit Syndicates imaginable and just… expect them to become Fixers, apparently. The market is ludicrously oversaturated.
"Oh? Do tell me. We do have time."
It's quite simple. The Fixer economy is in shambles. Absolute shambles.
Everyone and their mother wants to be a Fixer, and in the current environment, they can. Normally, this isn't an issue. It's a natural part of the City's workings. When a new line of implants or weapons is released to the public at cheap prices, it tends to happen. Like that time R-Corp just sold a huge batch of defective bio-mods for pennies to every Workshop who was willing to take them. Apparently they gave people serious brain damage, and R-Corp wanted to get rid of the poisoned fruit immediately.
Normally, what happens is that first, the influx of new meat makes the rates for Canard and Urban Myth jobs plummet. Supply and demand- more Fixers competing for the same amount of jobs. This worsens the situation for all Grade 9 to 7 Fixers, and indirectly worsens the situation for Offices of Grade 6 or 5, as their influx or recently promoted-out-of-grade-7 recruits drops.
But then, these poor souls who think they can get some half-baked implant and challenge the world simply die or get into crime or form Syndicates when Fixer work doesn't pay the bill. With the increased criminality, Canard and Urban Myth cases go up in number, and as such, the prices stabilize.
But recently, there have been Offices recruiting Syndicate members- entire low ranked Syndicates- into half-baked Fixer offices. They're completely unaware of the concept of subtlety, but no one cares about subtlety at such low ranks. As such, these gaggles of berserk criminals literally don't have to do anything but kill the target and, you don't know, splatter their guts against a wall. And they're skilled enough to survive for longer.
The Canard and Urban Myth case rates have dropped to pennies.
Then, came the other part of the catastrophe. The Library.
"Of course. The damned machine…"
He seems resentful.
Oh well. With the Library demolishing the entirety of Shi and Liu Association's Sections 1 and 2… eating up numerous Offices of renown such as Angels of Ruina, Cold Sun, Cane Office, and then taking down renowned Grade-1 Fixers such as Dong-Hwan… and then apparently taking down the Purple Tear and THEN some of the top dogs of Hana Association… the rates for Urban Nightmare and above-ranked cases exploded.
There aren't that many people willing to take cases such as these. The supplies of people who can take down Stars of the City are scarce.
"With all these high-rank Fixers cleaned from the slate, there were less Fixers competing for the same jobs. They would gain drastically increased negotiating power. One would think that your own Office, which is commanded by a Color, would benefit massively from this arrangement."
And one would be completely correct. Your Office exploded in popularity. All of a sudden, people started to tolerate your eccentricities when they could have been a dealbreaker. All the people that sneered at the thought of paying a Bloodfiend for a case now had to come back to you with their tails behind their legs.
You were always a popular Office. You pile on the work quickly and efficiently, and you have a reputation. But oh, boy was the money piling up quickly.
You expect the economy to recover soon, actually. Maybe not in the lowest-ranked side- Syndicate Offices are here to stay- but with everyone who died at the Library up and running again, the prices should stabilize once these guys get themselves patched up mentally.
Oh, you got distracted. Abel, it's probably better if you learn of what Carmen is doing after the situation gets cleaned out.
The "dogboy" which you referred to, seems to be in a position of negotiation. He is trying to reign in the other two. Walk up to them, and disarm the two hostile ones by talking- being as non-threatening as possible. Simply shock them with a total nonconfrontational attitude. Look friendly- they are expecting a Syndicate enemy. This will allow him an opportunity to hold their hands and cool down the situation.
"Hmm. Might I offer an insight?"
Why not? You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Go for it.
"The greatest issue is the so-called Lone Wolf. We do not know if she is willing to attack us in broad daylight, or if she is willing to leave these children in the crossfire. We should remain with witnesses. If you can defuse the conflict, ask them to help you in your search of suitable clothing."
The catgirl seems like she's a Nest Admission Exam taker. She probably has classes or an examination right now… it's not likely she'd be able to drop it to help you.
"She could also be returning, not going to the nest exams. It's… roughly twelve o'clock. Perhaps you should ask her."
Okay, then. Time returns to its normal velocity. You stop walking, right as you pass through the tree kids. You lift your hand up.
"Good morning, kids! How are you doing?" you say as loudly and clearly as you can.
The hesitation is palpable. It's clear none of them were expecting this. Capone's staring at you in confusion.
Dogboy blinks. "Oh, good morning, sir. I am doing well, thank you for asking." he says, while also taking the opportunity to grab the arms of the other two.
"Why is that man with you?" asks Catgirl.
"Why, he is a friend of mine, accompanying me on a shopping trip! You see, I have a very important meeting today, and I need to look the part."
Catgirl shakes off her friend's hand, and walks up to you.
"That purple rice hat…" she mutters. "I recognize you. You're the one who saved Uncle Tung last night. From… the creature."
Crazy Cat's eyebrows rise.
"Whoa, whoa, hold up. You mean the huge monster we saw sailin' through the sky yesterday? The one with the wings?" he turns towards you. "The hell happened to it!?"
You shrug.
"It's dead now."
Technically not a lie. The Eternal Persistence is dead, no?
Oh, and Capone looks like he wants to dig a hole to hide himself in. Thankfully, none of the kids are looking at him. You lightly tap him with his shoulder, and he quickly changes his expression.
"So the monstrosity has been vanquished. But I would like an explanation. What was that creature we saw last night?" says Catgirl.
"A science experiment gone wrong. Don't worry, the guy who made it was dealt with." this time, you just lie behind your teeth and hope your skills in deception are enough.
"A science experiment gone wrong- that sounds like some comic book stuff, man! No way that happened…I checked, there wasn't a trace of Originium in the landing site. That's the only thing that could cause a mutation as heavy as this!" says Crazy Cat.
Well, the more you speak, the more suspicious you'll end up looking. Also, what the hell is Originium? A Singularity?
"Well, I am a mercenary, not a scientist. By the way, what happened to Tung?"
Dogboy looks sad, for a second. "He is okay. Jaye brought him over to the Agency tonight. He already left. A bit shaken, but fine."
You nod. Facing down a Distortion is not something most people find enjoyable.
"If you'll forgive me, I have to go and resume my trip. I can't go to meet Wei Yenwu without some preparation, no?"
The three of them blink. Before they can react, you hand Catgirl Emperor's letter and wait for the three to read it.
"Wait, is this really the Emperor's signature…?"
"It looks the same as the one in these autographed shirts…"
"He's meeting with the Rat King, too?"
When you feel they finished reading, you offer your hand to take back the letter. The second they hand it back to you, you turn your head towards the direction your stalker was waiting in.
"I HAVE A MEETING WITH THE RAT KING, LONE WOLF. PLEASE, LET'S WAIT UNTIL IT'S DONE TO GET YOUR BUSINESS WITH CAPONE RESOLVED, OKAY?." you scream at the top of your lungs. You see the silver-haired girl looking at you. She blinks, shrugs, and then walks away. "THANK YOU. BYE."
Capone stares at you in concern. While the three kids are too stunned to react, you take Capone by the arm and walk away. You have some shopping to do.
Well, that was productive.
Capone didn't need anything, really. His Psychoment- sorry, E.G.O ability, is versatile enough to fulfill the roles of any weapons. You bought him a crossbow anyway. The original is probably with Penguin Logistics and you don't want to go through the trouble of getting it back.
That shop was excellent. Good service, good products, excellent aesthetic, polite staff, well-cared for, you get a free 30% discount in breakfast or lunch if you buy a weapon or armor.
Which you did. You just got yourself a nice sword, and some light body armor.
Really, it was that easy to get replacements? Sure, it does not have even half of the cutting power of your old sword, nor does it have the utility of its disabling effects. A blade that can burn and freeze at the same time allowed you to… bypass quite a lot of the defenses that certain City inhabitants employ.
No use crying over spilt milk, though. The Dilaceration Workshop's greatest work is now gone. That's that, and this is this.
…you feel very strange saying these words, for some reason. Oh well.
Now, what was it that Abel had to tell you? The sun is almost setting… your meeting with the Rat King and Emperor, plus this Wei Yenwu guy… is almost there. You're on your way to the bar, Capone on your side.
He hasn't spoken much since the whole thing with the three kids.
"...to put it simply, it seems that Carmen has been scouting targets for Distortion purposes."
That is worrying.
"Indeed. The targets located seem to be some kind of horrifying necromantic construct. It is known by the name of "Big Sad Lock," and was constructed from the remains of a suicide victim. The victim's consciousness remains trapped in the construct."
That… is horrible, and reveals some nasty information about this world. It seems that it is not actually that better from the City. It's just that the nastiness was simply somewhere you weren't looking. How curious.
"...the second possible victim is a woman known as Lyudmila. She seems to be the most stable of the three. I could barely muster a peek into her consciousness, with the very small amount of Light she has received. It would take much more exposure for her to become a possible target… the quantity she currently has allowed me to gleam that she was a member of a group known as "Reunion." No more, no less."
Reunion. You will probably ask Capone when he goes off to give you that rundown he promised. Actually, you think you should get him to do that right after this talk is over.
"That would be reasonable. The third victim is the most peculiar. She is a teacher, and her name is "Koshelna." It seems that her consciousness has been almost entirely subsumed by an entity known as the "Deathless Black Snake," who took over her body. I could not gleam much more. If I attempted a deeper look, the Snake would very likely notice my presence- a scenario that I prefer to avoid. However, the Snake has not noticed Carmen at all. Which is… strange, at best."
Deathless Black Snake.
What a peculiar name.
What a different world.
…you think it might be worth an investigation.
"Hey, Capone." you say.
"What?"
"Can you give me that rundown?"
He blinks, and presses his glasses against his face.
"Guess so. What do ya want to know?"
"What is Originium?"
"...there isn't any at the other world you came from? How do ya get, like, power? For your industry, and stuff like that. For your houses and your cars?"
"L-Corp supplies all the energy necessary for the entirety of the City. How they do it is a mystery. Or at least they did. Recently there was some trouble."
That seems to bring him pause.
"A single business bringing energy to your huge city the size of a country… must be a really big business. Well, I'll tell ya. Originium is a rock."
…like, a mineral?
"It's a rock that can generate energy. And it powers Arts, and it powers our mobile cities… and everything else. It's the blood of the world."
"Is there a catch? It seems almost too good to be true." you ask.
"Heh. There sure is. If you get exposed to too much of it, like the folks in the mines, or through a cut… you become Infected. That Oripathy thing I told you about."
"And what does that entail?"
"It means the Originium will start replicating inside of ya. Growing, cutting, ripping through your insides. 'Til you die. And when you die you turn to Originium dust, to start it all over again."
.
Somewhat gruesome. Really good thing that this Originium thing doesn't exist in the City. If it can grow in humans, and has such a productive usage… the entirety of the Backstreets would become one big harvesting operation. How horrifying of a possibility, that is. If you return to the City one day, you should make sure not even a single grain of it returns with you.
"A self-replicating mineral… I recall obtaining such an entity from the Ruins… an Abnormality. What was the number? T-07-175, yes. The "Valley of Mercury." ALEPH-class. Deemed too hostile, even with 75% Qliphoth Deterrence or higher, and placed in storage indefinitely."
So L-Corp was snatching up monsters from the Ruins?
"Oh, yes, we sure were. Quite a lot of them. We even made a few ourselves."
Funny, but you don't care enough to ask for more information.
"Do you know what Reunion is?" you ask.
"Organization of Infected terrorists, I'm pretty sure. Invaded the city some time ago, but the L.G.D and some folks from a paramilitary organization- Rhodes Island, I think? Held them off."
So "Lyudmila" belonged to a terrorist organization. This probably fits in with the mental instability that would give the potential for Distortion in this person... interesting, to say the least.
"Do you know who the Deathless Black Snake is?"
He stares at you in confusion. "No? Why ya asking?"
"Heard the name somewhere."
"Eh, it's probably nothing important. Never heard of it. Even sounds like a really dumb name."
Oh look, you're here. There is the bar. The Ends of the Earth.
"All right, Capone. You ready?"
He nods. You open the door and walk inside with Capone.
It's the same bar you were inside a day ago. This time, it does look cleaner. You take a look around the area. In one of the tables- the main one, the one you had that little party in. There are five people sitting in it, and a single empty chair has been left for you.
Texas is on the balcony, mixing a drink. She waves for you. You wave back.
Now, to take a look at the table.
The first is the Emperor. He is just as you remember him. You know, a penguin. He whistles and lifts his can of beer in salute, as you enter the room and walk towards him.
The second is a strange girl. She is staring at you… her hair is red, and her haircut is… strange, at best. She sculpted it in two strange, pointy shapes. She also has… is that a tail? She turns her head towards Capone, and seems immediately struck by disbelief.
The third you recognize as well- it's Mostima. That light smile never seems to leave her face, but there is a sharpness in her eyes once she looks at Capone.
The fourth is the Rat King. You know, the rat guy in the long, expensive-looking coat. He is not looking at you, but rather at Capone. He looks confused.
The fifth and last… is the person who you guess is Wei Yenwu. And oh well, he is probably the most radical bodytype you've ever seen in this planet. Apparently people are just like that here? He has strange horns. They remind you… of the director of Section 1 of Liu Association, Xiao.
Time slows down. You need time to analyze this man- he's important.
Yes, his horns remind you of hers. His aren't as long, nor are they black- instead, they have an orange-red hue, the same hue of his hair's front part. That's the least exotic part- the back part of his hair is white, and there are… is that a bat ear? There's also what seems to be a banner earring.
Snout and furred face, divided between black fur and white fur. Dressed to impress, it seems.
"I told you to buy a suit." notes Abel. "You are awfully underdressed, in that jacket you bought."
Shush.
Wristbands, a… is that some kind of dagger? A dagger necklace hanging over his neck. Shirt, pants, is that a skirt? You don't know what that skirt type is called like, but you've seen a Liu delegate wear it. Coat, gloves… oh, he has a tail. Really, if you were to speak about all of the ludicrous amount of fashion this man is carrying you'd be here for hours.
Also, does everyone have a tail on this planet?
…this is a man who clearly puts quite a lot of stock in his appearance. Very well-cared for. He is also a serious threat- such a thing is palpable in the air. You think this is a man who could challenge you at your full power. Someone who would stand as a Star of the City in his own right- and hold against your most devastating strike- your Mirrored Light. You are to treat him with the utmost respect.
You feel like you need to have the first word, in this situation. Also figure out what your priorities for this meeting are. You got a look at your drinking buddies for the night… now what to do?
[ ] Write-in.
Character Sheet Unlocked: Wei Yenwu
Status of Self and Allies:
Sieghart: Unharmed.
Capone: Kind of nervous right now.
Last edited:
