Outside: Grass touch place

[Keeper]

The Triple B

Anri takes the drink. She sips it, but from her face it's stronger than what she's used to.
"Oh, I couldn't leave my library. It's my family business. And it's all I have of my parents besides a few paintings." She does her best to smile. "But if you want a portal straight there to visit me that's awfully flattering."

[Wolfbane]

The Triple B

"Well, in that case..." Lydia clears her throat after taking a sip of her drink and straightens up, nice and proud. "I wish you had a two-way portal between the Triple B and your home, built into staff room." See, entirely selfless with her wishes! Well, not entirely. It did mean she's got a nice looking drider in front of her and her drink back. "Now this way there's no trouble and hopefully you can go check on your place if you haven't been trapped in that bottle for too long."

[Keeper]

The Triple B

Anri hiccups, and a portal forms in the staff room. She glances around, looking at the clock (assuming there's one around somewhere).
"Hm... I'm pretty aware when I'm stuck in vessels like that. I don't think I was in there more than an hour. You certainly seem to be in a good mood today, for the record." Lydia seemed...a little less relaxed last time. Maybe the robot busting into her business and being all emotionless was annoying. She can certainly see that being annoying.

[Magtok]

Tower of Oujet

What are you even talking about, Laz?

The notice on the job board even SAID that these zombies were serious business and not to try taking them on alone. They're MAGIC zombies and a giant pain in the butt. Is that what you really wanted? A walk in the park where you aren't in any real danger and get to feel good about yourself? Lame. That's what a lame ghoul would want to do.

That notice on the job board was written with normal adventuring types in mind. The kind of people who have to worry about things like infection and bleeding and oxygen deprivation. Laz was expecting whatever serious business they were capable of to be neatly sidestepped by her own weird immunities. If that makes her a lame ghoul, for wanting an easy, comfortable path to success and helping others, well, so be it. Jenette has been lame her whole life and it never bothered her before. She had a lame family, lame school, and lame dreams of being a veterinarian before destiny had to go and ruin all of that. As far as she's concerned, being cool is nothing but trouble. You think that Magtok guy is mentally well after all that stuff he did? You think Wenomir isn't a big ball of issues and scar tissue underneath his rugged tough guy exterior? Everyone who was ever featured on Watchforce is so scary and intimidating compared to their onscreen counterparts, and Laz bets it's because of nasty, terrifying adventures like this one. From this day forward, unless innocent lives are at stake or there's no one else better qualified, she'll take the lame road every single time with her head held up high and proud, thank you very much.

"Let's go! This way!" the lame ghoul calls out after stepping back and retrieving her sword again, rushing towards the tower with only the briefest of glances over her shoulder to confirm Anika is alive and well. Time to get started on stealing this magical gem or ancient crystal or Oujet board we're looking for.

[Shadowcaller]

Sky Library

"I believe I told you I have a method of automatic translation active? As we have collectively travelled a great distance to meet here today. One language cannot spread so far." Again, he's taking credit for the Nexus' natural translation feature, not doing anything seperate, but hopefully it will hold through. Part of the issue with this is that Benedict already knows what's in his grandfather; a devil, not a demon, the possessing entity part of a greater whole and not truly its own individual. It's still a good idea, however; devils have many enemies, both in Hell and beyond, and few would be willing to let one gain a foothold on the mortal realm. Alas, true names mean little in Earl's cosmology, save to the Raksha who collect syllables like linguistic magpies and gain power thereof.

Sky Library

"Oh, that goes for text as well as speech? I happen to know a number of scholars who would either have you put to death or would sanctify you if you introduced them to such a method." Geun smiles amusedly.

It should be noted that 'name' is a bit of a misnomer here as it's not a spoken word and instead what the book refers to as a "truth". Since that's basically the synopsis to one of the later chapters. But that might not be relevant to Benedict so he could always simply find another book or read this one more in detail.

"But from what I've heard both dragons and the spirit lords are said to be able to command lesser spirits and judging by these titles I might not be entirely incorrect." He gestures at books with titles such as "tongue of the dragon" and "the spiritual hierarchy - a quick guide". "Since spirits just like people order themselves in a society of sort. Binding themselves to certain rules which the writers of these books take advantage of. So in theory, if you have something that represent something higher up the ladder than the demon you're planning to bind you should be able to control it to some degree, right?"

Tower of Oujet
That notice on the job board was written with normal adventuring types in mind. The kind of people who have to worry about things like infection and bleeding and oxygen deprivation. Laz was expecting whatever serious business they were capable of to be neatly sidestepped by her own weird immunities. If that makes her a lame ghoul, for wanting an easy, comfortable path to success and helping others, well, so be it. Jenette has been lame her whole life and it never bothered her before. She had a lame family, lame school, and lame dreams of being a veterinarian before destiny had to go and ruin all of that. As far as she's concerned, being cool is nothing but trouble. You think that Magtok guy is mentally well after all that stuff he did? You think Wenomir isn't a big ball of issues and scar tissue underneath his rugged tough guy exterior? Everyone who was ever featured on Watchforce is so scary and intimidating compared to their onscreen counterparts, and Laz bets it's because of nasty, terrifying adventures like this one. From this day forward, unless innocent lives are at stake or there's no one else better qualified, she'll take the lame road every single time with her head held up high and proud, thank you very much.

"Let's go! This way!" the lame ghoul calls out after stepping back and retrieving her sword again, rushing towards the tower with only the briefest of glances over her shoulder to confirm Anika is alive and well. Time to get started on stealing this magical gem or ancient crystal or Oujet board we're looking for.

Tower of Oujet

While Laz is in a heated argument with the narrator Anika slowly gets up on all fours, completely drenched in seal.
She sways, looking almost like she's about to collapse back onto the ground again but in the last moment she instead sways heavily in the direction of what she believed to be Laz. Enough for her to fully get on her feet again even if she almost stumbles a few times over the remains of the seal.

Eww!

The bear looks rather out of it but as she's even more covered in gore than Laz is at the moment that's probably understandable. It's probably a good thing that wasn't a giant human instead of a seal since I'd be weird if Laz asked if she could help clean off Anika with her mouth.

[Wolfbane]

The Triple B

Anri hiccups, and a portal forms in the staff room. She glances around, looking at the clock (assuming there's one around somewhere).
"Hm... I'm pretty aware when I'm stuck in vessels like that. I don't think I was in there more than an hour. You certainly seem to be in a good mood today, for the record." Lydia seemed...a little less relaxed last time. Maybe the robot busting into her business and being all emotionless was annoying. She can certainly see that being annoying.

The Triple B

Before Lydia can open up, the Oni Bartender opens his mouth. "That's because she got laid last night. And this morning. And this afternoon. And now she can't keep the smug grin off her face." He says dryly, tilting his head back to avoid Lydia's swipe at him. "And what's it to you?" she snarls at him before sighing and giving a shrug and small smile. "Can't leave a cute lil' shy guy alone, I admit. First time visiting and was blushing so red I was afraid people were going to think he was a fire alarm." Her grin threatened to break her face given how wide it was but she gets it a little under control as she takes another sip of her drink.

"That said, now that you're out of the bottle, what's your plan? Just been studying up or are you lookin' for something to do?"

[Earl of Purple]

Sky Library

"It took a lot of practice to get it right, I'll say that about it." Benedict smiles and flips through to the relevant chapter, reading it to see if there's anything there that could actually help him in his current quest. "Yes, that sounds like a workable solution. The issue, however, would be controlling an entity higher up the ladder to evict the entity I cannot evict. If ordinary persuasion did not work, magical coercion of that scale won't either." Because Benedict lacks the power to coerce the weaker entity he's trying to evict. Also, devils don't really have anything higher up than they are, save other devils, and that brings with it a whole host of other issues.

[Spectre]

Serinet Village

Far from civilized lands meanders a forgotten dirt road into a valley watched over by dark, brooding mountains to the north and south. The woods recede, revealing a monolithic ruin that shines in the sunlight—a sundered tower of steel and glass. A sullen little village surrounded by a wooden palisade encircles the tower.

Thick fog presses up against walls of tall timber, as though looking for a way inside, hoping to swallow up villagers while they sleep. The dirt road ends at a set of sturdy iron gates. Planted in the ground and flanking the road outside the gates are a half-dozen reinforcing bars with human heads impaled on them.

Tattered orange banners flank the iron gates. They depict a red sun rising over a blue ocean. At the sun's center is a single stylized "F." Below the sun is written on each banner: "Frontier Corporation: Building Your Future!"

Two shadowy figures loom upon the palisade. The shapes cling tightly to rifles held in their arms.

A cold wind blows through Serinet Village.

[Keeper]

The Triple B

Before Lydia can open up, the Oni Bartender opens his mouth. "That's because she got laid last night. And this morning. And this afternoon. And now she can't keep the smug grin off her face." He says dryly, tilting his head back to avoid Lydia's swipe at him. "And what's it to you?" she snarls at him before sighing and giving a shrug and small smile. "Can't leave a cute lil' shy guy alone, I admit. First time visiting and was blushing so red I was afraid people were going to think he was a fire alarm." Her grin threatened to break her face given how wide it was but she gets it a little under control as she takes another sip of her drink.

"That said, now that you're out of the bottle, what's your plan? Just been studying up or are you lookin' for something to do?"

The Triple B

Anri starts to blush herself at how forthcoming the oni is.
"Well I can't say I would have been much better my first time if I had blood and a brain.
Um.
I guess I don't really have any plan at the moment. I could go back to work but today kind of feels like an off day, you know?" You just don't want to work after spending two hours stuck in a bottle of tonic.

[Wolfbane]

The Triple B

"Then why not hang out around here for the evening?" Lydia suggests. "Not as a worker, but as a customer for once. We'll be opening soon enough after all. Dance, drink, make merry and listen to music. You just had a hard few hours, so kick back a bit."

[Keeper]

The Triple B

"Oh, okay. Loud music isn't usually my thing but I appreciate it. Um. I don't really have any money on me. Would you be willing to spot me just this once? I could use some cider." The hard stuff she was given before isn't her usual pick.
Lydia probably picked up last time that Anri doesn't generally go clubbing.

[Shadowcaller]

Serinet Village

Far from civilized lands meanders a forgotten dirt road into a valley watched over by dark, brooding mountains to the north and south. The woods recede, revealing a monolithic ruin that shines in the sunlight—a sundered tower of steel and glass. A sullen little village surrounded by a wooden palisade encircles the tower.

Thick fog presses up against walls of tall timber, as though looking for a way inside, hoping to swallow up villagers while they sleep. The dirt road ends at a set of sturdy iron gates. Planted in the ground and flanking the road outside the gates are a half-dozen reinforcing bars with human heads impaled on them.

Tattered orange banners flank the iron gates. They depict a red sun rising over a blue ocean. At the sun's center is a single stylized "F." Below the sun is written on each banner: "Frontier Corporation: Building Your Future!"

Two shadowy figures loom upon the palisade. The shapes cling tightly to rifles held in their arms.

A cold wind blows through Serinet Village.

Serinet Village

Anika has spent the travel to the village in falcon form but once they get closer to the village she lands near Alice a couple of hundred meters away from the entrance. "Well, this doesn't look too bad. Though I kinda reminds me of werewolf village with this wooden wall. Werewolf village was... pretty bad." She pauses. "You figure this might me a werewolf village too?"

[Wolfbane]

The Triple B

Lydia seems to consider it for a very brief moment before hopping off the counter and offering her hand right to Anri to shake. "Your drinks are on us tonight, don't worry. And the secret to the loud music is genuinely just to have a set of ear plugs. Don't need to hear the music itself if all you're doing is dancing to the bass!" She gives her hips a shimmy as she smirks a little and the oni rolls his eyes. She stops for a moment as an idea comes to her. "Have you ever used a broadcast radio? I have one here that I use from time to time to just send out music and messages and tease and flirt, but if you've any experience..."

[Keeper]

The Triple B

Anri shakes the hand, not entirely sure what Lydia is getting at.
"I don't think I ever learned to dance with this many legs. But um. A radio? A few times, yeah. Not exactly a whole lot. It sounds like you have something in mind?"

[Wolfbane]

The Triple B

Lydia gives a little shrug. "Didn't know if radiowork interested you or not, really. I know a lot of folks now days seem to be trying their hand at radio shows and pod casts. The equipment is here, and while I just do it as a hobby, I'd be willing to pay and look for advertisements if that's something that would catch your eye and give you something to do other than library work."

[Keeper]

The Triple B

"Oh." Anri blinks.
"But I like library work."
It's kind of her family business.
"I'm the only person who works there besides Brag and he's the guard. He ran the place while I was out but I can't just make him do that regularly. Thank you for the offer, though."

[Recaiden]

[Serinet Village]

Alice had traveled to the edge of this valley on one of VIGIL's smaller airships, and only covered on hoof the last stretch down the forgotten road, laden with equipment. No sense getting worn out before they arrive.
"Don't think they're werewolves, but you don't have a bunch of heads on spikes outside your door unless there's something bad going on." Anika's probably referring to a specific village, but Alice doesn't know a thing about it.

From the cover of the woods she glances at the riflemen on the palisade walls. "Do you think they're going to be willing to talk to us? The wizard is probably up in that tower, don't you think so?"

[Shadowcaller]

Sky Library

"It took a lot of practice to get it right, I'll say that about it." Benedict smiles and flips through to the relevant chapter, reading it to see if there's anything there that could actually help him in his current quest. "Yes, that sounds like a workable solution. The issue, however, would be controlling an entity higher up the ladder to evict the entity I cannot evict. If ordinary persuasion did not work, magical coercion of that scale won't either." Because Benedict lacks the power to coerce the weaker entity he's trying to evict. Also, devils don't really have anything higher up than they are, save other devils, and that brings with it a whole host of other issues.

Sky Library

"Well, you have to keep on looking then. There have to be something in here that will help you solve your problem." Geun gestures at the books. Since there are indeed a lot of them.

If Benedict continues looking around there are books that specifically deal with possession. There is of course the classic exorcism which is a ritual designed to make the spirit leave the host. There are some variations of it but it comes down to a test of wills between the spirit and the leader of the ritual. Items important to the host and items with ritual significant would give the leader a significant boost while weakening the spirit.

On the list of such items are body parts (which could be as small of hairs) of saints and powerful rulers, the physical manifestations of spirit lords and dragons of course.

While any of these items could be within Benedicts reach there might be dragon parts within a dragon library.

[Serinet Village]

"Oh yeah!" Anika's eyes are drawn to the tower which is of course when she also spots the human heads. "Wait, heads?! Ew! Even if there aren't werewolves there that's just as gross! I should just fly straight to the tower since we don't want to go into a town with weirdos like that. Could you use some of your goblin magic to get lighter or fly yourself?"

[Recaiden]

[Serinet Village]

"Are werewolves really that gross?" Alice muses.
"But yes, I can make myself really light, and then you can fly us both to the tower." And she'll do as much as soon as Anika seems ready.
That way they avoid the gross entrance.

[Shadowcaller]

[Serinet Village]

"I dunno about werewolves around here but where I'm from, totally. Killed a whole bunch of people and used their remains like that." She gestures at the hanging heads. "Unless they're like the worgen- wait, really?" The druid pauses, turning to Alice. "I was really just kidding about the 'make yourself lighter' part but, uh, that works then! Let's fly!"

Anika will then turn back into a falcon.

But how light can Alice actually make herself? Since Anika can't actually lift that heavy things while a bird.

[Recaiden]

[Serinet Village]

"I can really do it, though. Just, not for very long."
Alice holds her breath, reaches out a hand to the falcon, and there's a flickering white outline around her for a moment as she adjusts her inertia. Though still the same size, for the moment she's only about as heavy as a rabbit.

[Spectre]

[Serinet Village]

The pair take to the sky, avoiding a terse confrontation with the village guard. They aren't entirely covert, though—someone spots them! Far below them slouches a man in a tattered orange uniform. Patches of ratty cloth have been sewn over rips in the orange fabric. He nearly falls off the ramparts as he glances up...

...and spots perhaps the strangest thing he'll ever see. Unable to fully comprehend what he's seeing, the village guard simply watches the falcon (and the horse?) soar out of sight. Unfazed, Anika and Alice continue onwards, avoiding being seen further. The tower soon comes into view:

--

[The Tower]

The tower of glass is vast and impressive, with collapsing scaffolds clinging to one side where a large gash has split the wall, farther up the structure. The first, second, and third floors are intact, but the structure has cracked and toppled above that, splitting the fourth floor from its top to its bottom.

The upper floors have fallen to the side, and have been partially reclaimed by the woods. Several ramshackle structures, including what appears to be a tavern, have been built atop the toppled upper floors. It's a precarious mess, however. Safety, it seems, is not a priority at Serinet Village.

The courtyard before the tower is empty, but several more rows of rotting heads have been placed on rebar, here. From their high vantage point, Anika and Alice spot a wooden sign before the rows.

It reads "ACRO's UNWELCOME"

The exposed fourth floor of the tower could provide access to the structure, but so could the front doors. They're constructed of timber and steel, but the material is far less advanced than the rest of the tower, suggesting that the doors are a recent addition. Perhaps the villagers are responsible.

A second sign hangs over the heavy doors: "DO NOT DISTURB - IN SESSION."

Two village guards armed with rifles flank the doors, but they're chatting absently with one another.

[Shadowcaller]

[The Tower]

Okay, she was now carrying a horsey. Cool.

But apparently it wasn't going to last long so she had to set them down somewhere quickly. But if there was anything about towers that Anika knew was that the most important stuff was near the top so that would surely be their goal, right?

Besides, the way she was flying the fourth floor was closer and would leave them less exposed so she will attempt to put Alice down at it. She couldn't help but to wonder why a goblin-taur would want to go into a tower though considering how much stairs they had. She must have some pretty cool tricks up her sleeve that she couldn't wait to see.

Unless anything jumps them once they've landed Anika will shift into her humanoid form. "Okay, we're in! Now we just find whoever is in charge, beat them up, then make them reveal where the mage is being held." A classic plan!

[Recaiden]

[The Tower]

As soon as the horsey is put down, it resumes its former mass and solidity, and Alice takes a few quick breaths to catch up.

Yeah, cramped vertical spaces aren't the best. But the tower is clearly the centerpoint of the village. Which means the best chance of quickly finding the mage.

However, the centaur doesn't head down into the broken tower. Instead, she points towards the ramshackle town hall built along the ruins. "That looks like a 'person in charge' manner of place. Come on."

[Shadowcaller]

[The Tower]

"Eh? Looks more like a ruin to me. Besides, won't they shoot at us if we go around in the village? That's what they did in werewolf town. I got so much of that black bullet stuff everywhere. It was a real pain." Anika will follow Alice if she decides to go anyway but she wasn't so sure about this. When people had guns it was best to meet them in a more cramped space where they weren't as effective. Being on the ground with a whole bunch of buildings around meant they'd be exposed to all crazy people in the town to shoot at them from their hideyholes.

[Spectre]

The Tower

The open fourth floor has suffered extensive damage from its exposure to the elements. The orange carpet has turned a hideous black shade, and great patches of dark mold stain walls of melted steel. Remnants of metal structures sprout up from the floor periodically, all that is left of many cubicles and offices. All things are scorched with fire.

Tattered orange flags flutter atop rusted reinforcement bars arranged at high points throughout the open floor. Heaps of industrial trash choke the halls, preventing entry into areas that were once conference rooms. A set of huge metal stairs leads down to the third floor. A crooked steel sign by the stairs reads "Drill Control ->."

The Western half of the floor is dominated by the toppled base of the tower's precariously collapsed upper floors. Within the first open area, where the fifth floor once was, is a ramshackle structure that consists of several tall wooden walls. The rustic architecture is at odds with the industrial tower that surrounds it.

Before the pair can decide which route to pursue, voices carry up from the metal stairs leading down to the third floor. The first voice belongs to a worried man. The second voice is that of a woman's, utterly serene.

--

"A-and the apprentice? She could pose a threat?"

"Don't fret. You'll find she's quite incapable of that, now—and a great many other things."

"I s-see. W-wait, you don't mean that she's..."

"Dead? Oh no. But she'll need a nurse with a stronger stomach. Tell your god that."

"You shouldn-... A-as you wish. I will send for the Father immediately."

"Good. When you return, I want an update on his progress with the old fool!"

--

Heavy footsteps come closer and closer.

Someone is about to walk up the stairs and into view!

[Recaiden]

[The Tower]

That's a very sensible tactical analysis from Anika, but Alice finds herself caught up on a minor point.
"Since when do werewolves shoot anything?" Aren't they mostly about claws and teeth?

Anyway, she starts going from the wreckage of the 4th floor up towards the large but precarious 5th-floor, when they hear those voices.
That...sounds like exactly what they're looking for.
Alice points towards the tall wooden walls, and in as much of a whisper as she can, suggests to Anika that they "Hide!". She'll already be hurrying that way herself, and hopefully the figure coming up the stairs doesn't think much of the noise.

Then they can follow him to this 'Father', and then he'll know about the mage!

[Shadowcaller]

[The Tower]

Despite what some people might think, Anika didn't consider herself dumb. Even her sister, Shanti, agreed on this point and she rarely held her tongue when it came to point out Anika's flaws.
It was just that she rarely allowed herself to think since in her mind by the time you were thinking it was already too late.
"Not when they're still human-looking." The druid points out. "And these ones were trying to hide their werewolfness." Which made all those human heads they put on display all the more confusing. Apparently they considered it was better to appear as crazed murderers than werewolves.

The people they were hearing though? They might be actual crazed murderers by the sound of it.

Hearing this Anika's first inclination is also to hide to Alice wouldn't need to tell her twice as she crouches down into one of the burned-out cubicles out of sight from those that would soon go through that door. However, in the druid's mind they would rather than following them jump them right here and have them tell the two what was going on. But she will wait for now as that plan could easily change depending on who or what that was arriving.

[Earl of Purple]

Sky Library

That one does in fact seem as though it'd be useful. He's going to pull a small notebook out of his pocket and transcribe what he's reading as accurately as he can, though he's probably not writing in the same language it's written in- he's writing in an archaic dialect of English. He's not actually worried about sourcing dragon parts, as he happens to already possess some relics claimed from the bodies of saints, including an entire mummified corpse. Though he then destroyed large parts of its inherent power by trying to learn about hemalurgy after he'd discovered a spike carrying a hemalurgic charge and hammered it into the corpse without studying bind points or knowing anything about hemalurgy. "This has an interesting exorcism ritual within. I rather think it might work. It says it helps if it's charged with parts of a saint, a powerful ruler, the physical manifestation of a spirit or a dragon. As somebody with some familiarity with the culture producing these books, how would you explain those terms to me?"

The last thing Benedict wants is to use the tibia taken from the tomb of a king that conquered half the known world when the culture that wrote the book decries war as the last resort of the weak and desperate, and so exalt those arch-diplomats that avert war through masterful oratory and massive bribes.

[Shadowcaller]

Sky Library

"What terms specifically? Since the books written by the fourth tower were made in Elshar and often back during their imperial days." Geun glances at the book in Benedicts hand and nods. "And this one is no exception. Saints were persons decreed holy by their empire back in the days. They could belong to various faiths and by granting them them the saint status they could appease the followers of that specific religion. But I believe the term could be applied to any sort of important religious figure. I'm unsure if saints can be alive though. In most cases I believe they're only granted the title posthumously."

He clears his voice. "As for the others its easier to explain. 'Powerful ruler' is a bit unspecific but I think that one should be fairly clear at least. Spirits are a bit more tricky however. They manifest by possessing something. Usually an animal or an object but sometimes even people. Then they bend that matter to their will and change it however they like. Quite twisted really. But it doesn't stop people from using parts of such possessed as good luck charms and relics. I've visited whole temples that has been built around statues that supposedly been possessed by a spirit at one point. Of course, that's nothing compared to the dragon shrines. Each village and most self-respecting households that can afford one has a dragon shrine around here. Just a scale or a a hair of a dragon is worth a fortune as they're ascribed all sort of amazing properties. So I'm potentially one of the richest men in the empire by just being here." A beat. "If I could leave that is."