Strife

Jay Kennedy
Morning
Breez Bar
Collab with @StareNation


“So you are in cohorts with providence scum today. Please for the love of god tell me that isn’t connected to your requested favour.”

Jay gave Nissa a nervous smile, before grabbing a second glass and filling it with tequila. He decided to give her the drink before answering. “Look, for the record she came to me. I would’ve turned her away if Kathleen and Aster weren’t involved.” Upstairs, gunshots rang out.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes before taking a drink. “I had to worry about that all morning, now I have a shootout going on upstairs in my parlor.”

Nissa’s brow furrowed in response as she straightened in her seat. As much as she could sympathize with Jay on the ruckus in his bar, she didn’t take being railroaded into a job lightly.
“Jay, get to the point. Just what is going on?” she replied shortly as she folded her arms across her chest.

Jay took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth. “I sorta, kinda need you to be a guide on a rescue mission in Stoneview.” He paused and managed to look Nissa in the eyes. “I’m not gonna lie, it’ll be dangerous. But if what I heard is true, they may have found something that can help against monsters.” He did his best to give her a confident smile.”If you don’t want to do it, you won’t have too. I won’t ask you again, but will you please do it? For me?”
Nissa had seemed to completely ignore the fact that there was chaos upstairs though given the kinds of places she had been and the things she had experienced, gunshots ringing out weren’t that unusual. What was unusual was what Jay had asked her. The colour visibly drained from Nissa’s face as her expression darkened, her eyes glaring at him as his met hers. Stone view was the last place she would set foot in with the exception of providence. There was simply too much there, too many memories and too much pain.

“Absolutely not, you know I won’t go back there…you couldn’t fucking pay me enough.” Nissa snarled at him lowly, her usual calm demeanour shaken by the mention. She could see he was doing his best to approach the subject as calmly as possible but his smile irritated her in the moment.

“Wipe that smile of your face,” She added, bracing her hands on the counter briefly as she stared at him. Perhaps what had irritated her more was the fact that he had a point to make. Something that could help them get rid of the monsters once and for all was an opportunity not to be wasted, prompting an unsettling feeling of confliction in her.

“Fine, fine.” Jay raised his hands off the counter and sat back and, as requested, his smile disappeared. “I’m sure Logan and whoever else goes can handle it, I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to have two people I trust out there to watch each others backs.” He pushed the glass of tequila that sat in front of her a little closer, quickly changing the subject “Drink up before the ice melts.”

Nissa watched Jay intently as he spoke, a brow raising as she listened to him before he pushed the glass of tequila closer to her. It was needed and she didn’t hesitate to take the glass and promptly throw her head back, tipping the liquor down her throat roughly before placing the glass back on the counter, her tongue rolling the ice cubes around in her mouth as she contemplated his words. Her frown dissipated as she let her head tilt back to a neutral level, pushing the empty glass back towards him and crunching the remaining ice before swallowing it.

“Really? You’re going with a guilt trip?” Nissa argued as she gave a small sigh. Glancing over her shoulder to where Logan had been, thinking over his appearance in the bar just minutes earlier before looking back at Jay.

“And I'm guessing no one else knows Stone View well enough?” she asked before hesitating. “How long has Kathleen been gone?” she asked curiously.

“Guilt trip? I would never!” The bartender said, acting innocent as he took a drink of his glass. He set the cup down and leaned back on the bar, a serious look on his face. “No one around here knows it as well as you.” He had to think about her second question for a moment, tapping his fingertips on the bar as he tried to remember. “Almost two weeks now. She left to meet up with a few scientists from Providence and some guy from Folly. The expedition was meant to strengthen relations between the cities, but a few days ago they stopped responding to the calls made by Providence. That girl-.” He paused and nodded up the stairs. “-was in charge of keeping tabs on them. When they stopped responding, she asked Providence to send another group to help them. When they said no, she stole a van and came here.”

He waved his hands over the counter. “There, that’s most of the cards on the table.”

Jay’s mock innocence produced a weary chuckle from Nissa before he grew serious in front of her, and a pause of silence settled between them as Jay’s fingertips sent a small vibration through the bar top as he tapped them in thought. Though Nissa was quite often one to stay away from matters in town, she knew Kathleen enough to know the woman wasn’t stupid. Jay began to explain the situation with more detail and Nissa’s posture softened as she listened to him. Trying to establish a ‘better relationship’ between the cities was a joke in her opinion but nevertheless this expedition group had tried to do just that. The lack of contact was disturbing to say the least and she wondered if perhaps relations between the attending individuals had become so strained that they had turned upon each other. Jay was right, she knew Stoneview like the back of her hand and as much as she wanted to refuse any kind of trip back there, there was a small lick of guilt that grew as she thought upon the idea of refusing to find out if something had happened to Kathleen Ramadan, Aster and the others. Since when had she grown this kind to her acquaintances?

Her eyes finally left Jay’s line of sight as she glanced down to where her fingers had been grasping the edge of the bartop, her skin blistering where she had gripped the bench with some force. She hated this feeling, the sense that things were about to be out of her control. With reluctance in her voice she muttered.

“Dammit you owe me...big.”

Jays smiled his usual happy grin. He took her hand, after prying it away from the bartop and gave it a firm, yet friendly squeeze. “Thank you Nissa, I feel a lot better about this whole thing now.” He laughed some, adding “And when you get back, I might have the town erect a statue in your honor!”
The sound of footsteps coming downstairs drew Jays attention. His hand slipped away from hers as he took a step towards the staircase, and he let out a groan at the sight of blood. “Please don’t tell me she bleed all down the hallway.”

Logan Russo
Morning
Breez Bar
@Kat @Rads @ItariChan


Logans frown was more aggravated than normal. For starters, the womans bloody leg was getting blood all over one of his only good pairs of jeans. As she started too pass out, she relied more and more on Logan carrying her extra weight, which annoyed him. Finally, and the worst of it all, the ringing in his damn ear still hadn't gone away.

As he reached the base of the stairs, he looked around the bar. Most of the people cleared out, the only ones that were left were Jay and Nissa at the bar. Jay said something, but Logan couldn't hear him complaining.
The kid-summoner and doctor were still there too. He half-walked, half-carried Lauren to the doctor and sat her at the edge of the table. The doctor said something, but with the ringing in his ears, Logan didn't quite know what he said.
"WHAT?"
He meant to say it in a normal voice, but unbeknownst to him he half-yelled the question. He looked back at Jay, who mouth the words 'old man' to Nissa before replying "He said Lauren is a trouble maker, but she needs to get her cuffs taken off so he can treat her properly."
Logan shook his head. "Not a chance. If you can't help her with the cuffs on, she can bleed out." With Lauren seated on the table, Logan rubbed his ear and mumbled in annoyance. Jay gave Logan a curious look and asked
"Something happen to your ear?"
"What?"
Jay sighed and waved Logan off and yelled to the doctor.
"Hey Doc, when you get done with that trouble-making friend of yours, could you take a look at the old-mans ear?"
Logan pulled on his earlobe, then started hitting his temple lightly. Slowly the ringing subsided enough so he could hear clearly, but it still annoyed him.
"I'm fine, I don't need no damn doctor for a little ringing in my ear."

He took a seat at the bar in his stool and grabbed ahold of the bottle of whiskey across the bar. He forgo the glass he used earlier, and instead opted to drink straight from the bottle.

He glanced up towards the stairs as the Providence girl awkwardly stood on the final step like a deer in headlights. She looked around the room at everyone, but made a point to avoid meeting Logans gaze. The other young girl in the room, the summoner, made her way to the girl and took her by the hand and dragged her in front of the bar.
"Well, she's here. Care to start the explanations?"
Jay looked at the girl and started scratching his neck. He glanced over at Nissa before speaking with a charismatic smile
"Well this is certainly not how I planned the day going."
"Get on with it Kennedy, no stalling."
"Fine. Everyone meet Emilia Strider, a priestess from Providence in charge of communicating with a team of scientist that went into Stoneview."
Emilia waved somewhat awkwardly at everyone.
"The team is made up of a few Providence scientists, a gentleman from Folly and our very own Kathleen Ramadan. If what they found is true, they found some magic tech that Stoneview used to keep monsters at bay. Maybe we can use that to actually expand Breez beyond a neighborhood. Maybe we can actually help bring humanity closer."
Jay was really getting into the speech now, which only caused Logan to take another drink from his bottle and roll his eyes.
"The team stopped responding to Miss Strider a few days back and Providence has refused to send anyone to help. We all know Folly doesn't give a rats ass about science, so that leaves us."
He motioned around the room to everyone, which made Logan scoff.
"Why the hell would I risk my life because Kathleen ran off to play archaeologist with some white robes? She dug her own grave going to Stoneview. I'm not about to jump in beside her."
Jay sighed and leaned on the counter. He licked his lips nervously and tapped his fingertips on the counter.

"Aster was with them Logan."
The bottle slipped from Logans hand and gave off a dull thud on the counter. He sat silently for a moment, almost as if stopped breathing right then. He forced himself to swallow and he slowly started to nod. He stood up from his stool and headed towards the exit, saying somewhat quietly "I'll grab my things."

Jay watched him go before clearing his throat. "Lauren, you'll be going with Logan and Nissa. Consider it a way to pay off your fines." He raised a hand before she could protest. "And I'll throw in some supplies when you get back. If Logan says you behaved well, you might even have a place here in Breez." Giving her a teasing smile. "If you promise to stop stealing and shooting in my bar that is."

"Mister Greywater, I'm not gonna force you to go but I'd appreciate it if you tagged along. They could use a healer, especially if the scientists encountered some trouble." He started to walk back behind the counter. "Ofcourse you'd be rewarded as well. Food, medical supplies- You name it." Jay laughed some, adding. "And I promise I won't be cooking the food this time."

Rain gently sighs as he takes all in and then moves Lauren properly on to the table and opens his hands light is coming out his hand and then he says" I will come along but first I just need to get some stuff from my place, and thank goodness you are not cooking, but seriously man either learn to cook or hire someone that knows how to because you would get more customers even with basic food".
Rain pauses for a minute or so then says." I will need a mix of medical supplies and food, also as long as the scientist and company don't start talking shit saying how providence and the church are I will be fine with them".

' I get we need to expand but humans can be very selfish and self-serving, it's is going to be a lot harder to bring humans together than many people might think' ' I can fight and use a basic handgun if need be but I'm more of a lover than a fighter'. ' i should ask Nissa and Lauren for some lessons later on so I do not get eaten alive out there, heck I learned how to work with broken bodies how hard can it be'? After a couple of minutes or so of thoughts then rain speaks up and Rain says" I was just thinking the ladies in the group might have their handsful with other takes within the group, so with that in mind I was thinking if I tell people where the traps I have made are me and the scientist have a second layer of protection".
Rain pauses for a few moments or so then says" also I should be honest and say this before it's too late, while I can fight a little or shot small handgun I'm not going to pretend I'm some badass, I have been more of a lover than a fighter or shooter but if I'm going to survive long enough to help this group I need to learn more about combat at some point"


@Kat @Queensgaurd
 
Collab with @TheQueensGuard

Emrin turned to leave when she heard about the mission to Stoneview. She wasn’t about to go out into the middle of nowhere for some random researchers. Besides, without her owl, she wouldn't be the most useful person. Hell, even with her owl she wasn’t the most useful person. At the mention of Aster’s name though, she froze. It couldn’t be… that Aster could it? But it had to be. There was no other reason Logan would react that way. “I’m going too.” The words were out of her mouth before she knew it. She turned to Jay and said them again. “I’m going too. Give me some supplies! You owe me after all.” She tossed her bag up on the bar counter. “I… I have something I need to do before we go.”


Jay went to protest, but no words left his open mouth. He sighed and simply nodded. “Fine, I guess another pair of hands wouldn’t hurt.” He paused and slung her bag over his shoulder before heading towards the back. “Besides you seem to have your own reason for going, whatever it may be.”


Emrin found Logan outside his home and hesitated. She knew she had to tell him now. It would than him finding out if Aster recognized her. Finally she stepped up, “Logan. Before we leave, I have to tell you something.”


The old man was zipping up his duffle bag as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. It had been a somber few minutes since he left the bar and headed back to his place. Luckily most of his gear was already packed in the one duffle bag he owned. His shotgun was loaded, revolver was on his hip and old Inquisitor armor was over his clothes. It was pre-portal riot gear, likely used by prison guards, with the Inquisitor star painted on the bullet proof vest. The paint was worn and faded, though keen eyes could make it out.


He hadn’t expected the kid from the bar would follow him out here. He gave her a glance as she neared, but continued packing. “We? Guessing that means you’re coming to Stoneview too, huh.” He slipped the duffle bag on over his shoulder and slipped his arm in his riot shield that laid against a nearby burnt-up car. The shield had the word ‘Providence’ written on it, along with some enchantment markings, but Logan had taken the liberty to cross it out the city name with red paint. With his things ready he looked at the girl, waiting for her answer.


Emrin hesitated for a moment again, then looked at Logan in the eye, “I just thought it would be important for you to know who I am first. I just… I thought it would be better to tell you now rather than have you find out some other way later.” She took a deep breath. “My name is Emrin Carth. My parents are Alexander and Naomi Carth.”


As the name set in, Logan gritted his teeth and curled his hand into a fist. He looked at the ground and gathered himself. It wasn’t the kids fault what happened, and Logan knew it. He blamed her parents and it wouldn’t be fair if he took his anger out on their child. “I remember you now. You were Asters friend.” His words were calmer now and he slowly unclenched his fist. Logan managed to look up at the girl, and though he wasn’t angry at her he couldn’t hide the hate in his eyes. “You’re not your parents Emrin, I got nothing against you.” He started walking back towards Breez, passing her as he walked.


Emrin wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. She almost wanted him to be angry. To hate her, to tell her it was her fault and she was an awful person. She almost burst into tears, but from what, she wasn’t sure. Relief? Frustration? For a moment Emrin did nothing but stand in the doorway. Eventually, though, she turned, retrieved her bag from Jay and a few supplies from home, and waited for the others in the Market Courtyard.
 
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The action of Jay squeezing Nissa’s hand left a small lingering feeling of pressure as he continued on in addressing the state of the woman with her injury. The entire idea of his last joke however only settled a small pang of anxiety through her. Attention in most forms to her was not needed and when it came to the idea of statue no matter how much of a joke his statement had been, simply horrified her.

Turning to watch the interaction between the others in the bar she couldn’t help but immediately begin to assess them individually, briefly stopping to smile at Jay as he pulled the piss out of Logan. Glancing down briefly she smiled and shook her head before returning to the task of people watching. Her smile faded when she watched the providence woman appear at the bottom of the stairs, wondering if the lady possessed a much darker intent behind such an innocent persona. Still as the woman was pulled in front of the bar, Nissa listened to Jay explaining the job ahead as her eyes cast a long gaze at each patron to read expressions and spot the responses in their body language. Logan’s response was the most dramatic and Nissa’s lips pursed slightly until Jay specified that Lauren would be going with them. Her eyes darted across the room to where the injured Lauren was positioned and she immediately flicked a glance to Jay. The woman had wandered in brandishing a firearm in front of them which hadn’t sat well with Nissa to begin with but the fact that she was injured was equally undesirable.

“Jay...how is sending her along remotely helpful? She is shot in the leg, she is likely to slow us all down, hell unless you don’t mind us eating her,” Nissa stated dryly. She didn’t wait for his reply as she heaved a sigh and turned on the spot, wandering over to Logan before he headed for the door.

“Hey I need to grab some kit before heading out, I’ll meet you out beside the van.” She informed him, glancing back to where Jay stood behind the bar briefly before heading out the door as Whistler followed nonchalantly behind.

***

She made quick work of returning home, jogging back down through the subway stairs and across the tracks as Whistler ran ahead, habitually excited since it was the typical route home. Caring little for the surrounding hum drum of daily life, Nissa brushed past the train carriage homes until at last she arrived at her own and promptly unlocked the door as Whistler busied himself whirling in circles upon the spot in excitement. Swinging open the door and climbing up into her small hovel, it was briefly turned into a chaotic mess as she hauled an old tattered duffel from under her cot and began to pick items she needed for the journey. She had always made a point to take the bare minimum and after she had secured the right items she stuffed the remaining room with clothing items she would need before tucking a worn map into the pocket of her jacket. Already wearing her jacket and boots, Nissa swung the duffel over her shoulder and headed back out, locking up whilst glancing at Whistler as he whined impatiently.

“I know boy, another adventure.” Nissa chuckled, clipping the last padlock down before turning, patting Whistler behind his ears before whistling for him to follow as she headed back up to the market square. She hurried to the van to meet up with Logan, figuring that if she gave him enough information regarding the layout of Stoneview, she would be able to scout ahead of them.
---
@TheQueensGuard
 
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Breaking Free
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Lauren sat at the table where Logan had left her in silence. She said nothing as Rain began to heal her leg, quite flawlessly, actually. The bullet was taken out; it wasn’t too terrible- there was no exit wound and after a bit of concentration from the healer, Lauren’s wound had healed. Her leg would be sore for a bit, but nothing that would keep her from performing daily activities. Lauren swallowed hard, opting to ignore Rain. While she was glad he went to the trouble of healing her wounds, she struggled with her pride and didn’t want anything to do with him.

“I’ll stop stealing and shooting when my life isn’t shit,” Lauren snapped and stood up immediately, her body wobbling a little as she steadied herself. Her head felt light, but it wasn’t nothing eight hours of sleep could fix. “What’s next? I’m going on this trip. What do I get?”

Jay shrugged as he went about packing up some supplies in a bag. “It’s Lauren, right? If you help me out I can get you whatever you need. Food, water, basic supplies. A job. The essentials. More importantly you’ll have the chance to make your life a little less shitty.” He set aside the bag of supplies and gave her a smile as he leaned onto the bar. “Sound good?”

Lauren rolled her eyes, “Yes, whatever. I have supplies at home. Mind if I get them?”

“Sure, I’ll walk you.” The bartender said as he slipped the bag he was packing over his shoulder. He pushed open the door to the bar and motioned for Lauren to take the lead. “After you.”

Lauren’s lips pressed into a thin line, clearly annoyed with the turn of events. Her gun, however, was out of her reach, therefore she had no reason to complain when Jay told her he’d escort her. Lauren took a deep breath and stepped outside. This was embarrassing, but Lauren wouldn’t say that out loud.

“It’s not far from here, just kind of hidden.”

She led the way, hands cuffed, and Jay beside her. The duo eventually reached a worn brick building and Lauren turned down the alleyway to the back door.

“Key is in my back pocket.”

“This isn’t some trick to make me touch your ass, is it?” Jay said jokingly as he reached down one pocket, then the other until he found it. He unlocked the door and pressed it open, once again letting Lauren take the lead. “Nice place you got here, don’t think I’ve ever been in this building.”

“This is an abandoned building. Those who used to be in it are no longer alive. It’s far from nice unless you live in a complete shitshow. Then maybe I will take pity on you,” Lauren stated in a nonchalant tone. It was cramped, at best, only one small room available for what was left of the bathroom, a kitchenette, the dining area, and Lauren’s sleeping area/living room combined. She tried to scratch her head on the right, but the itch remained. “I can barely breathe in here most days. Do you have my keys still? Look for one that says G.S. on it and open this safe please.”

G.S., or gun safe. It had a decent set of pistols located inside and two rifles, along with the different bullets needed for each specific gun. Lauren walked over to her bag on the floor– the only place she kept her spare clean clothes. She opened up another drawer and pulled out a few miscellaneous objects, including a half empty pill bottle, a knife set and match box. Some energy bars were tossed in her pack, as well as her water canteen, a blanket, and thick rope that was 30ft long. She packed steadily and managed to fit quite a bit into one large backpack.

“The bag that’s mine. We grabbing that? It fell off when Logan shot me in the knee.”

Going through the key ring, Jay found the one labeled G.S. He started opening the safe, though he fumbled with the keys for a moment. “You mean the one you took from the van?” He said, calling over shoulder before finding the right key once again. He stepped back from the safe as he opened it up for Lauren. “Yeah, I think it’d be best if we leave that here.”

Lauren was shocked.

“What do you mean we’re leaving it here?” She stormed over to the safe and analyzed efficiently to determine what guns and rounds she should bring. “That came from the van we’re going in! It has valuable information. Why the hell would we leave it?”

“Because you don’t need it,” Jay said simply, taking a seat on the bed in the small room. “Besides, that stuff isn’t even yours!” He laid back on the bed and yawned. “This room is sorta cozy. I could take a nap if I didn’t have to make sure everyone is geared up and ready to go.” He stood up and stretched. “Anything else, or you ready to go?”

“I want the bag. What if that little girl needs it?” Lauren choose a nice, fairly new glock pistol and stocked up on rounds.

“The little girl won’t be going with y’all I’m afraid," Jay said, scratching the back of his head. Before Lauren could respond, he quickly elaborated. “She’d be useless to the group, just another body that’d get in the way. When you get back I’ll see about you getting ahold of the bag.”

“The bag has walkie talkies in it and research about Stoneview. Take it or leave it, and for the record, I’m glad she’s not coming with us. You made a wise decision there. Let’s get going before the others hop on our tail. Key please.”

Lauren held out her hand. Jay jingled the keys in the air, then placed them in her hand. “Well, I’m glad you think I’m wise,” He said jokingly before heading out the small room.

“I guess that was a bad compliment,” Lauren responded nonchalantly before rolling her eyes and making her way back to the bar with Jay. They retrieved the bag and sure enough, there was a pair of walkie talkies and information on Stoneview. Lauren stuffed everything in her bag, prepared and ready.

"Let's go."


@Rads @StareNation @ItariChan
 
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Rain gently rubs his head as he is heading to the hunter's shop to get some new gear because he's running low of trap snares and the like, talking says to himself" After all this time things are still awkward between us, but then again she really has filled out a lot since looking like a tomboy back, i wonder if is because of her pride even back then she was really proud was awkward and such".
He gets to the hunter's shop and then shows the man the list of things he needs and then the man nods and gets them and then says" I was a quarter short for the operations for my boys a few months back so this is to make up for it".

Rain gently smiles and says" I know this is a little cheeky but my house is all the way across town can your boys go and get my medical supplies and my tent and such so I can start making the snares and such for later.

The man motions the boys to come downstairs, it's not long before they are downstairs, Rain hands them his keys and then they quickly dash across town and head towards his house.

Rain can only hear their footsteps for a minute or so then they are gone, he laughs then says" Dang it's the road running duo they would put some adults to shame".

The man laughs then says" You got that right and I do not mind, because, you also give us stuff when we badly need it".

Mini ff

The boys come back with rains stuff and food but most importantly his he gives a thumbs up and then quickly puts the snares and such where it won't damage the bag and such then quickly heads off and it's not long before he gets to the van.
 
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Kane

[IMG]https://data.iwakuroleplay.com/avatars/s/25/25128.jpg?1515868314[/IMG] Snowflake [IMG]https://data.iwakuroleplay.com/avatars/s/14/14392.jpg?1422134380[/IMG] Sketching101 [IMG]https://data.iwakuroleplay.com/avatars/s/18/18296.jpg?1528745666[/IMG] The Wanderer

Kane's mind was racing as he thought of a way out of the mess he was in. He couldnt help but think how he could gave taken the beast out if he hadn't been so tired from the journey. He started thinking about past missions when he worked for the baroness, they were tought to conserve their energy and deal a fatal blow when the target least expects it. He thought maybe it was due to his new found purpose that he changed his tactics and wound up in this mess. "Damn it. I just. I just wanted a chance to repent. Now. Im gonna die, without helping anyone."

Suddenly kane felt himself being lifted up. His shadow tendrils were nearly disengaged by the shock of being carried, but he held on if only to give them a head start. He turned to see his savior and it turned out to be the masked man from before. "I knew choosing you was the right choice. I felt it in my gut." He said as they got closer to his companions.

The Troll was starting to move slowly as the shadow tendrils grew weaker the further Kane got. Kane watched as the troll growled and roared struggling to break free. "Masked man, we have maybe another 15 seconds before he breaks free. If you have some great talent or magic now would be the time to use it."
 
Lyra Rosewald

Lyra seemed to be about to argue against Mona’s decision before their guide jumped across to the other building. "Don’t wait more than a few seconds," she barked before running to the edge of the room, and leaping across. As she landed, she seemed to almost fall, but made a quick recovery. She whipped out her knife as she came to a halt, looking over to the window. She glanced over at Nomad, who seemed to have been waiting for them. She mouthed a quick thanks, unable to find an outlet for the air to leave her lungs, anxiously glaring at the shattered windows. As something came crashing in, she heaved a heavy sigh in relief.

As they made their way through the corridors of the building, with an inexplicably large number of mana-starved, shooting the odd fireball or magical blast every now and then, the group of three managed to beat and squirm their way down to the ground floor. Lyra had an empty, horrified look on her face, with her hands and clothes drenched in the stench of blood. Her pale eyes and skin contrasted very clearly with the rotten blood of the half-dead Mana-Starved they were bludgeoning. Her movement seemed more automated than thoughtful, where she was losing her ability to pay attention to her surroundings. She only snapped back to reality when she heard the odd, muffled sound of their mute guide’s deep breathing into his mask.

Her eyes widened as the young man bolted out into the clearing. "W-Wait!" was the only word she managed to blurt out at first. She froze up again for a moment. She looked over at Mona, and then back at their guide and the mage he had started to carry back. The bindings on the troll seemed to be vanishing, rather than loosening. Lyra took a couple of quick, deep breaths, and focused her mana in her hands. She jumped out of her cover and held her hand back as if she were preparing to throw a ball. A small, green orb appeared in her palm as he thrust it forward at the large creature’s head. The creature stopped walking forward for a moment, but the impact didn’t seem particularly large. She only then realized the bindings weren’t merely disappearing, but rather melding into the creature’s blueish, now mildly glowing skin. The creature didn’t seem to have stopped from any impact or pain from their magic. Rather, it seemed to be the creature savoring its meal.

The Mana Troll!

The mana-starved in the buildings, the corpses strewn around the courtyard, the creatures clamoring to get into the troll’s nest… It all made sense now that this mindless towering giant hinted at its true nature. "Get back here!" Lyra cried out as the troll seemed to be realigning its short attention span on the two men. As the creature lumbered towards the two once again, some noise came from above, the familiar pitter patter of the mana starved, drawn to the sweet lure of the rare mana troll.

Mentions : @The Wanderer @Kurogane86 @Snowflake
 
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Logan Russo
Market Courtyard
@Kat @ItariChan @Rads


Logan had been the first one to get to the van. He set his things against the side door and dug in his pocket for his lighter and a cigarette, lighting it quickly and taking a quick puff. It was surely an eventful morning to say the least. First he had been playing sheriff, running through the streets after a book thief just to get a drink from Jay, and now he was heading into one of the most dangerous areas in an attempt to save his daughter and some scientists.
He was on his second hit of his cigarette when he spotted Nissa making her way through the Market Courtyard.
After a quick exchange, the two agreed to meet up at a market a few blocks in from the outskirts of the city at a grocery store, which Nissa quickly marked on a map of the city for him. She left quickly, her dog following suite, to scout ahead for the group and see if she could pick up on the scent of the research group.

Everyone else came in a short period. First Emrin showed up, then Rain and finally Jay and Lauren. The bartender tossed Logan the keys to the van, who caught them in his free hand. He took one more hit of his cigarette and tossed it on the ground and stepped on it before opening up the back of the van.
"Nissa went out ahead of us to scout things out and see if she could find out where the scientists are. Supposed to meet her at some supermarket"
He was speaking to the whole group as he opened the back of the van. "We're taking the quickest route there, meaning we're gonna pass through the Ashhills. After that we'll hit the West side of the city." He paused to place his shotgun beside his bag in the van. "From there we're gonna stash the van someplace and go on foot. If everything goes to plan, we will camp out at the supermarket for the night."
With his things in the back of the van, Logan went towards the driver seat. He waved a map in the air, not looking at anyone specifically.
"Someone that can tell directions needs to sit up front to tell me how to get there."
He climbed into the van and started it, gave a quick nod to Jay before closing the door.

"Wow, what a charismatic leader."
Jay said, shaking his head slightly.
"Everyone have a safe trip, no one take any unnecessary risks trying to be a hero. It's gonna be dangerous, so no one go off on your own." He placed a bag into the back of the van. "I packed that with extra rations, some spare ventilation masks and a vial of anti-venom in case anyone needs it."
As the group situated and began putting their things in the van, Jay approached each one to say a final goodbye.
First up was the doctor.
"Rain, make sure everyone comes back in one piece. Seems like you'll have your hands full with this group. When you get back I'll get you and your dog some good food, on "
Second, the kid.
"You and your owl be safe Emrin, no doubt you can handle yourself but don't underestimate anything." He paused and glanced towards the van, specifically at the driver door. "When Logan is in a better mood, you might ask him to show you some tips on summoning. Could help you control that owl a bit better."
Finally he said his goodbyes to the thief, where he handed her a pair of cuffs and the keys to them.
"Best be on your best behavior, Logan likely will still by grumpy about that knee of his."

 
Making the jump was the hardest part. She couldn't just fling herself over the divide and roll upon landing because she had a laptop backpack strapped to her back. So she did the only thing she could and jump forth on more hope than skill, which was also 90% of the athleticism. Thankfully she was last and Lyra and Mask-guy were there to catch her and pull her in. After nodding a thanks, she continued after them descending the building helping take care of the mana starved in their way and switching positions whenever someone became overwhelmed. Apart from the great number of walking corpses things were looking good as the Troll seemed more interested in the noise than them. Of course, it all went to shit when someone else appeared in front of it like a god damn lunatic. What's more, the Mask-guy went on after him to try and 'save' him.

"What the..." Mona was visibly annoyed at this situation, they were practically free and away from danger when this idiot rolled up to the troll to try and fight it all alone. That kind of idiocy was the sort that determined who lived and died and Mask-guy just had to go and meddle with it. In an attempt to help Lyra seemed to come to a conclusion, fighting this thing without several RPGs would be pointless unless one had other means to bring a building down on top of it. Mana trolls were the worst enemy a mage could get. "Run you two!" Mona shouted at the top of her lungs while quickly fishing a ball out of her pack. It was a simple thing just a plastic ball, the kind you'd give to an overeager dog to play with. The inscription on it was simple as well, too simple. The thing was a one time use so it didn't even have any circuits. "Cover your eyes, keep running!" Mona rushed out to meet them and threw the thing high into the air so that it would reach closer to the Troll's face. As it was activated it began to glow with increasingly bright light until it culminated into a flash that could blind anyone even in daylight.

In the event that the two did not heed her advice and actually didn't close their eyes, she was right there to guide them. Even then she decided to offer help to the Mask-guy in pulling the idiot alongside them. "Ya fookin' moron! The hell ya thin ye are!? Attackin' a troll like that!" She wasted no time berating the crazy person they were yanking along.
 
Nomad

To say that Nomad's mind was racing, was an understatement, it was practically zipping from thought to thought. The overall idea that these thoughts were lingering on, was how to get out of this. Their original path was cut off by Mana-Starved and now the lumbering troll behind them. The latter requiring them to get inside somewhere where the beast couldn't break apart their haven to get at them. Somewhere that was so solidly built that it could keep the beast at bay long enough for them to be long gone. He was so into his thoughts that he didn't look at the thing that Mona had thrown.

He remembered that there was another train station nearby that they could run to, one that might blend into the train station tunnel back to Breez, but without Nomad being able to double check with his journal due to the circumstances of the current situation, he was just gonna have to hope this would work. Taking the lead once he had regrouped with the others, the man from before still in his grasp. He led the others through the nearby building that didn't have the groans and screams coming from it and one that would provide temporary safety as they went to the train station.

He led the way somewhat, still helping carry the man with Mona's assistance as he didn't want to burden her too much.

Being the one to kick doors open and point to where they needed to go. The building they had gone providing just enough time and putting enough space between them and their pursuers for Nomad to lead the group to the train station, it's routes' sign on the entrance long since corroded away so it was a blind run as to where it'd lead, so until they got into it, they wouldn't know where it led.

He paused to ensure that others were still there and not lagging behind, and when they were right there, he continued down the steps into the metro. Motioning for Lyra and Mona to go ahead while he took over for carrying the man. Taking careful steps to ensure that the man wouldn't fall or that Nomad himself wouldn't fall. The metro's light still working, although barely as said lights were flickering and some of the platform were still cast in darkness. Once on the platform and safety of the train station. Nomad would place the man onto a bench so he could recover. Nomad went over to the decaying map that depicted the routes taken here, Nomad pulling out the journal and then proceeding to flick through the pages until he would find the page associated with the name on the map.

But that'd take time.

Time that for the others, could be used to recuperate and figure things out until Nomad finds what he is looking for.

@Sketching101 @Snowflake @Kurogane86
 
Lyra Rosewald

A breathless gasp escaped Lyra as she formed a pair of magic orbs in her hands, this time a distinct, sickly yellow hue. She shoved one into Mona’s back, and the other into Nomad’s back just as he was kicking the first door down. She seemed almost out of breath after transferring energy to the two, but was able to keep up with her two newly invigorated companions, if only because they had the burden of the stray they had picked up.

As they made their way through the building and roads, there weren’t many of the mana starved to notice them. The very few isolated ones who’d lingered just on the edge of the troll’s seemed to notice, but ignored them in favor of catching up to their mindless, magic spewing friends.

"A mana troll!" Lyra exclaimed in frustration. She slid onto the cold floor of the metro station. "Mighta’ been worth mentionin’ on the job notice, I’d think." She struggled briefly to get the piece of paper out, while still catching her breath. She stared at it to see if she could find where they were, but she’d lost track of their direction earlier in the building. She quickly got to her feet and took a few hasty, impatient steps toward Nomad with one finger up and her mouth open as if she was about to start yelling, but she stopped in her tracks, and closed her mouth without saying anything. After a moment, she heaved a sigh and lowered her hand. "Who’s he?" she asked, staring directly at the masked guide. She seemed more wary than anything else as she continued. "Should we be afraid he’ll empty our pockets, soon’s we’re done scavengin’?"

Mentions : @The Wanderer @Kurogane86 @Snowflake
 
Kane
interacting with @Sketching101 @The Wanderer @Snowflake

Kane was happy that his masked companion had carried him but it felt really degrading. He was a proud assassin but was being carried around like a child who hurt himself. At first he was ready to start resisting that's when his shadow tendrils broke. "faster masked companion, move those skinny legs." he said as he tried to summon more tendrils. He summoned more but they were torn through just like paper at the charging troll. It wasn't until the masked man's companions showed up that the truth was revealed it was a mana troll, a beast that was ill suited for magic users. "damn, i wan't aware of it's actual identity." He said as started to feel light headed.

"masked companion, i seem to have used up alot of my powers, i apologize but it looks like i will not be able to be of any help." the masked man's associates showed up and offered help one of them thew a ball at the beast and blinded it giving them all a chance to run, the other summoned magic and injected it into the two that were carring Kane. "i appreicate all the help lady mage." He said as she took his arm. She yelled at him asking why he would attack a mana troll and all he could do was tell her why. "i thought i could beat it as is, but i was mistaken. i didn't take into account how exhausted i would be from being in the shadow for so long."

Eventually they reached a train station where they seemed to be away from danger. The masked man set him down on a bench and Kane thanked him again. "thank you masked companion, you are truly the person i need in my team." NOw that they were out of danger the questions started. "yes, yes all in good time females companions of my masked friend. I am Kane an assassin from Grimms folly. Due to various circumstances i was given a new duty to clear out monsters and close the portals in which they spawn from." he said this with no changes in his expression as if he was talking about the weather.

"That being said you both seem to know your way around monsters, so that being siad i'd like to invite you two to join my team and help me close these portals to save the world essentially."
 
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~~Mona Twist~~

It was hard to maintain a single train of emotion with this idiot they just pulled out of danger. He had a few things to say and Mona was left speechless as she tried desperately to find reason where there was none. The only conclusion she had reached is that the fella was never burdened by the overabundance of intellect or education. She approached him calmly, a serious expression on her face then proceeded to flick him against the forehead with her middle finger. "You fuckin' daft, kid?" She said out with all the seriousness of asking if he needed to be stitched up.

Moving away from him again she gave him the up and down then shook her head. "Listen here dipshit, I'm gonna give you one-time free advice and hope you take it. You can't kill trolls on your own, let alone mana trolls. But that's not the advice it's a fact, the advice is to keep your mouth shut if you're an assassin or from the Folly. I have half a mind to crack your skull now and leave a note of warning to your friends." She crossed her arms and looked at him with a slight scowl forming. "Not to mention you expect anyone to accept you as a leader when you so pointlessly put yourself in danger and almost died. No one will follow you into death like that unless they're a real fucking idiot." To finish off she stepped closer to him again, practically menacing over him with her presence as she said slowly and simply so that it would sink in. "One more thing. Touch either of us and you'll die a horrible death the likes of Folly can only dream of."

Stepping away she turned towards the exit they entered through. "Let's get going now, I think we're in the wrong tunnel." She walked on over to the stairs to check walking slowly as if prowling. Being a few steps ahead she saw it first then having little to no grace whatsoever she turned and screamed. "Fucking book it! It's back! RUN FUCKERS RUN!" She leapt and strode down the steps clearing several in each stride until she was at the bottom where she picked up the pace and ran as fast as she could, not daring to turn around and look at the destruction and crumbling ceiling of the metro entrance. only after the noise stopped did she slow down and turn to look seeing they were completely caved in, but at the very least safe from the Troll. Furious she pointed a finger at the 'assassin' and spoke spitefully. "This is on you!?"
 
Nomad

Nomad went through his journal in an attempt to find what he was looking for, but so far he was finding nothing. Or at least nothing matching the name of the train station's tunnel system that could leak into another system so they could get back to the safety of Breez.

His search was stopped when Lyra walked up to him, her sudden voice startling Nomad as he was too engrossed in his search for the page in his journal that could help them navigate out of here. He turned to face her, somewhat bringing the journal closer to his chest out of a subconscious effort to feel a bit more secure, an attempt to calm himself down and avoid lapsing into a panic, which given the current situation would not benefit them at all. He heard the strange man say something about being from Folly, was an assassin and that his name was Kane, which heightened Nomad's wariness, as he heard many things about Folly, many of them not exact good for the faint of heart. In response to Lyra's quarry, Nomad forced himself to maintain eye-contact, which was hard considering he was still wearing the gas-mask and he hated a mood like this, as it made him feel more awkward than normal.

And he simply but shakily shrugged. Part of him wanting to say something, but when he attempted to, it felt as if his vocal cords refused to budge and only silence would come out. So the gesture of 'I don't know.' Would have to do for now.

After that, Nomad's attention was pulled as Mona went up and flicked Kane on the forehead and give the man what for in words, something that spooked Nomad when it happened, as he was too preoccupied with the question posed by Lyra and wasn't expecting the interior of the train platform making the otherwise normal volumed talk a bit louder than he was expecting. Even his breathing, which thanks to the gas-mask was even louder, which in turn was made even louder by the train station platform's wide area. This caused him to take off the gas-mask, leaving his regular mask and goggles on as he put the gas-mask back into his backpack where it could be safe.

And just when Nomad thought his poor heart wouldn't jump again, when Mona went back up the stairs, she soon came back down as if a monster was on her heels, which was true in a sense as the troll from before was at the entrance and in its attempts to get to them, had collapsed the entrance and leaving them with no other option than to try their luck with the tunnels and wherever they may lead. The shock from the impact causing Nomad to drop his journal, which in turn caused him to fumble to catch it.

Thankfully, he managed to catch it before anymore damage could be done to it. That's when the realization of the situation kicked in completely in his head. They were stuck here, and were going to have to try the tunnels and hope for the best. But the benefit is that there was a big barrier between them and that damned troll.

That fact caused Nomad to relax just a bit. Not enough to detract from the previous conversations, but enough to prevent a panic attack.

Nomad's head cleared enough to once more look through the journal. This time finding his objective, the page while the ink was a bit faded from being done a long time ago, but still clear enough to still convey the vital information. Seems that the tunnel system wasn't part of the original tunnel system they had used to get to this place. Which wasn't good, and with a heavy heart he held the journal open for the others to see it as well.

He just had to hope the others had a plan.

@Sketching101 @Snowflake @Kurogane86
 
Lyra Rosewald

"Oh! Terrific!" Lyra yelled at Nomad. She froze up for a moment, betraying a hint of guilt. She recovered her composure soon enough and threw her hands up in the air as she turned on her heel. She walked a couple of steps before turning . "I s’pose we do need to watch out for him, then. Some bandit with delusions of grandeur. Well, that’s just--" Her rant was cut short as the entrance started to crumble. Her shoulders tensed, and her head sunk as the rubble first hit the ground.

Lyra didn’t move at all, her eyes shut tight, hoping the trouble would pass. She was far enough into the tunnel that nothing fell on her head, but she felt a need to check to see if she’d survived. She opened one eye, and then relaxed with a sigh. She took a look around as the lights near them flickered violently before going out for good. The path down the tunnel had some of its lights still working. The station seemed to go down quite a bit before it reached the train network. The entire place shook every few seconds as the trolls heavy footsteps travelled overhead in a hungry frustration. As she kept on mapping out the station, she stumbled upon another exit. Before she could take the first step to the rest of the group to show them the way out, the path collapsed, this time with a gigantic hand rummaging about, trying to grab onto something delicious in the ticket booths. It seemed satisfied with the bench it caught.

Making her way back to the rest of the group, Lyra clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. "There’s’nt much to it. The troll’s still up ‘n about, and seems quite inventive in its goal to make us dinner," she grumbled. "Let’s get goin’." She took a step to walk down to the train tunnels, but then stopped and turned to the assassin. "Walk in front. I’m not ‘bout to trust my back to some merc from Folly."

Mentions : @The Wanderer @Kurogane86 @Snowflake
 
Kane
Interacting with @Sketching101 @The Wanderer @Snowflake

Being Placed on the Bench Kane had felt some very strange emotions. He kept silent as the others seemed to be recovering. He Felt useless for the first time. He couldn't remember the last time he needed help from anyone when completing and assassination. He wondered if he really did underestimate his new found purpose, if the reason the old couple hadn't seen their son in so long was because a beast like that had taken his life long ago. Kane was snapped out of his deep thought by one of the females who was venting her frustration and yelling at Kane for all of his actions. Kane sat there, he knew that she was right. It was clear that there was more to dealing with people than he had ever thought.

Kane spoke as soon as the female had stopped. "you are right. I was a fool, i underestimated my opponent and could have died." he faced the stood up walked over to the masked man and knelt in front of him. "you could have left me there but decided to assist for that I am grateful, i owe you my life." He faced the other two females and bowed. "you two as well, I owe you both a great debt. Please allow me to repay you with my life." He said meaning that he would follow the group until he either repays his life debt or dies trying.

The females didn't seem convinced of his intentions and didn't trust him. In all honesty Kane understood, he suddenly told them he was an assassin from Grimms Folly a place that rubs people the wrong way just from hearing it's name. He decided he would keep things close to the vest for the time being, he wouldn't mention his new found quest or anything until the time was right for now they had to get to safety. Kane knew that the Troll would most likely follow them so he tried to recover his magical energy by meditating. It was around that time that one of the females stormed off and just as fast ran back screaming to run. Kane jumped up and dodged the falling debris. He watched as the Troll's arm reached in looking for them, he gripped his knives, ready to charge in if necessary. Instead the other female insisted they leave out of a tunnel and the masked man seemed to agree. They told Kane to go first, not wanting to turn their backs to an assassin, "smart." was all he could say to this as he kept his knives ready going out in front of the group ready to explore the tunnel.
 
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The Merry Band of Rescuers
Mid-Day
Collab between @Kat @ItariChan @Rads and Myself

As the group settled into the van, Logan tapped on the steering wheel impatiently. Once everyone was finally aboard and the doors were closed, he set off towards Stoneview. The first twenty minutes went be relatively quick as the group drove through the ruined city, passing by old-town shops and dismantled neighborhoods.

On the outskirts of town was a forest, the brush overgrown on either side of the road. The roadway itself was mostly cleared already, the traders and scavengers already had done the work for them so it should be a straight shot all the way to their destination. The only part that might slow them down would the narrow strip of the Ash-Hills they would be driving through. Logan glanced at Lauren in the passenger seat and scoffed, shaking his head slightly. ”Can’t believe you stole a book and it landed you a damn job,” he mumbled lowly to himself before rolling down his window slightly. He glanced back at Lauren and sighed ”Lauren, right? Let me know when I need to take a turn.”

“These are not books, by the way. They’re articles on Stoneview. So save your accusations and make a left turn three blocks down. You should be glad we have all of this. If I hadn’t persuaded Jay to allow me to take the bag, we would be lost,” Lauren stated matter-of-factly and turned the page on the article about Stoneview’s history resting on her left leg.“How’s everyone holding up back there? Emrin, do you need another bag?”

Emrin scowled. She had wanted to sit in the front due to car sickness but the older woman had beat her during their tussle to get into the seat. “I'm fine thanks.” She stared out the open window and tried to not feel nauseous.

Rain gently sighs and says” I get the feeling it's going a long trip, I just hope people don't do anything too stupid, also before I forget people, I want to set up traps around the perimeter where me and the scientists will be as as extra precaution”.


“We wouldn’t be lost, I could’ve found a way there,” Logan with a shake of his head. He slipped a hand inside his jacket and pulled out a cigarette to place it in between his lips. He dug through his pocket again, this time to grab ahold of a lighter. He lit the loose cigarette in his mouth and tossed the lighter into a cup holder.

He tapped the cigarette on the open window, knocking some of the ash off after he took a quick puff. ”Set up all the traps you want Doc, just make sure to tell me where they are so I don’t step into one.” He called to the back of the van.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Lauren muttered and flipped to another page about monsters. Some of them she’d seen before and knew what they were capable of, but didn’t say much for the rest of the car ride other than directions and responses.
~~~​
Evening

The rest of the car ride wasn’t too eventful. Mostly Logan kept to himself. Occasionally he would glance into the back of the van to make sure neither Emrin or Rain was going through his things, smoke another cigarette or tap on the steering wheel to the beat of a song that played in his head. Logan was somewhat thankful that the occupants of the car were somewhat boring, it let Logan gather his thoughts. After all, he was about to see his daughter after a decade of being a way from her.

Logan sat up, somewhat straighter when they approached the city. His eyes were a lot more narrowed in and focused as they scanned the various vacant buildings they drove past for signs of movement. A roadside billboard read 'Welcome to Stoneview! Home of the stoic Stoneview Rams!"
The board itself was falling apart, a corner of it chewed off by some dreadful monster for whatever reason.
"We'll park here and hope no scavengers come across the car."
Logan said, rolling up the window and pulling the van beside the sign. Turning the car off he stretched his arms and popped his fingers as he looked around. They were at the edge of the city, and the farther you looked into it the taller the building got. At the moment it looked as if they were near some small corner shops and hole in the wall shops.
"Lets get to the supermarket before that sun sets. We should have plenty of time to clear it out and set up camp for the night. Doc, set up traps when we get there. Emrin, stay with Lauren." As he gave out orders he gathered his things. He swung his duffel bag over his shoulder and slipped the riot shield on his left arm. He strapped his shotgun snugly to his back and started off down the road.​
 
Nomad

The plan they had all agreed on was to simply walk down the tunnel and see where it led. The distance traveled was long and for the most part in the dark save for a flashlight they had found in an old repair-custodians locker along the rails. Throughout the journey, Nomad was a bit twitchier than usual, but then again the prior events took their toll and he wasn't exactly sure of where this tunnel was going to lead. What if it led all the way to Folly and they were happened upon by some of the psychos that lived there.

The thought made Nomad have to suppress a shudder.

The others were somewhat quiet, especially Kane. But then again, he was at the forefront of the group and Nomad didn't pay much attention to him. Lyra and Mona chit-chatted for the most part, though Nomad didn't pry on what they talked about, as he did not wish to end up on the wrong side of an argument or gain some form of dislike or raise tension beyond its already high level in the group. For the most part of the walk, Nomad kept his distance from the others and only made gestures when he was talked to.

They eventually had to make camp in the tunnels, and he immediately volunteered for night-watch. The others agreed and before long, each went about their own sleep mannerisms. And he kept watch for the remainder of the night. His rattled nerves and still present adrenaline keeping him awake. There wasn't much to be worried about approaching them in the tunnels. So no need to use his firearms to dissuade any creature from coming back.

Then when everyone was rested, they continued their journey. This time with quickened steps, as they could see the literal light at the end of the tunnel. Nomad's nerves were still rattled and fatigue bearing down at him, but he kept pressing on. Out of fear or something else entirely, he wasn't sure. Eventually they reached it. And before them was a great big city. The tracks leading well into it, but they could make their way down and move about off of the rails. However, Nomad didn't recognize the city before them. It surely wasn't Breez and Folly presumably look as empty as this. It unnerved him, making him want to hug himself in an attempt to give himself comfort in some form.

But first he needed to check his journal once more to see if the city in front of the group matched any sketches he made. Flipping through the pages, he would eventually happen upon something that matched it, but the name eluded him due the fact the page had been damaged. And at best, there was a "-view" in the name.

The sketch had a few words like supplies and dangerous. Not in his handwriting, but of the person who gave him this journal. And he wouldn't travel outside of safe areas he was used to, and without good reason. Hell, he would barely go to trade with Providence and any actual friendly traders from Folly. He didn't quite know what to do, he was stunned. Handing the journal to Lyra and Mona and even Kane to see if any of them knew more about the place before them.

@Snowflake @Sketching101 @Kurogane86
 
Kane
Tunnels to Stoneview
@The Wanderer @Sketching101 @Snowflake

Kane was in the front of their party keeping an ever watchful eye out for any dangers that may arise. It made sense for the assassin to take the lead since he was used to darkness, it was part of his training since he was young. They walked for what seemed like several hours until they all agreed to make camp for the night. Kane was going to volunteer to watch over them all during the night but realized he had to earn their trust. as of now the females hated him for putting them through that mess with the troll. He nodded when the masked man Known as Nomad agreed to keep watch. Kane set himself up further away from camp but still within eye sight. He had a lot to learn about the world outside of Grimms Foley and he felt these people would be helpful with that. He quickly fell asleep.

The next day they were back on the trek. Kane had been thinking had already traveled several miles by now. They finally saw it, the light. They picked up the pace till they finally were out of the tunnel. The sun was welcome, Kane was used to the cold but nothing felt more refreshing than basking in the sun. As he looked out on the huge city in front of him, Nomad started frantically looking through his book. He kept looking up from the book to the landscape as if trying to find it in the book. He finally did and looked lost, he showed the picture to the girls then Kane as if asking if they knew where they were. "I never traveled outside of Grimms Foley, this is not Foley so i'm at a loss."
 
Emrin started to protest when Logan told her to stay with Lauren. After the events at the bar, neither of them like each other very much. Plus, if Lauren decided to do something crazy, there was a very slim chance of Emrin being able to stop her. They walked in silence mostly until Emrin finally blurted out, "I'm sorry he pooped on you. I didn't think he'd do that. He...he doesn't listen to me very well."

They arrived at the supermarket in the late afternoon. "I'll have my owl fly around to scout the area." She told Logan. Her owl was summoned in a huff and perched himself on the top of her staff, facing away from her. He was still mad about being shot. Emrin rolled her eyes and pulled out a piece of dried meat. He turned his head slightly and then huffed and turned up his nose. Emrin sighed and added another strip to her palm. The owl peered down at her. Finally, he swooped down, snatched up the meat in this mouth and flew off.

While he was gone, Emrin helped the rest of the group set up a camp. They were just about to finish when her owl came back. He landed on the top of an old shelf and made some noises. "He saw someone!" He held out his claw and stretched out all four talons. "Four of them. Coming from...from the west."