Sanity Center
The group would make their way through the center of the crowd, the filing people parting to one side as Nami made quick strides and the sound of her heels proceeded her. The milling masses took little notice of the group apart from this, and in fact they acted as if this rag-tag group of travelers did not exist. There was far too much work to be done, and no where near enough time to do it.
As they passed through the doors into the sanity center Nami waved a hand for all to follow her to one of the back rooms, waving off any questions or conversation until they reached their destination. With a small smile Nami waved to Serinity as they passed her office, the older woman looking even more stressed and apprehensive than usual. After all, with the city in chaos how on earth was she going to explain the intricacies of Alvadas to visitors?
So on they would continue, passing even more milling bodies and hurried figures as they traveled down a seemingly endless hallway… In fact, the walk had taking more than 3 chimes as it was, but the hallway appeared to have no end in sight. Zaragosh had noticed this, and his brow furrowed in concentration.“Hey there missy, where did ya say we were goin again?” The man looked rather cramped in the hallway, for even though he was of average height the bulk of his sword made it difficult for him to navigate the narrow passage. All in all, the Myrian did not look happy to be enclosed as he was.
Nami did not spare a glance over her shoulder as she spoke, “We are going to meet with a very influential man. Some call him a genius, one of the greatest that Alvadas has ever known.”Zaragosh grunted, “Damned smarts and no balls. Does he not have legs to come meet us?” He looked up at the ceiling, was it just a trick of the light or was it getting lower? “What the shite is with this hallway anyway?”The woman visibly shook her head, the annoyance rang clearly in her voice, “He is very busy, and this hallway is going to take us directly to his lab. It was fashioned for emergencies, and it in fact could take us to any of the major departments of government.” She glanced back at Zaragosh, then quickly away again, “But perhaps that is too much for one such as you to comprehend.”If the man caught on to the tone of Nami’s voice he never got a chance to show it, for at that moment another voice called out loud and strong through the narrow passage, from the direction that they had just come.“NAMI!” From the back of the line a small figure would begin shoving her way to the front, the sound of heavy boots and jingling chains following every step. The girl was not overly careful where the spikes on her wrist adornments landed as she made her way.
Zaragosh turned just in time to fill a sudden jab in his side as the girl pushed passed him, not even bothering to apologize as she took her pace in front of Nami. One would immediately be struck by this girl’s appearance. Her hair was about shoulder length and spiked out in the back and fell in straight locks over her ears. Straight bangs were parted to reveal a young face with interesting patterns painted in blue around her eyes and down her cheeks. The main part of her hair was a dirty blond, while the ends of the spikes and locks were an electric blue.
Nami had turned to meet this strange girl, and her face visibly fell as she caught sight of who had caused such a commotion. With an exasperated sigh she rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses, “Yes… what is it Camel?"Camel stamped her foot, “Where the shite do you think you are going? You are supposed to be supervising the Sanity Center, and if you leave that means I have to do it!” Chains adorned her dark leather clothing, and these jingled together with every movement.“I am afraid other things take priority over supervising at the moment. These people here," she motioned to Zaragosh and company, “Have been called to consult with the professor, and I was to bring them as soon as they arrived.”The girl snorted, “And YOU had to do it personally? That is what messengers are for, or do you have more boob than brain?”Nami’s face reddened as she tried to sputter a response, frustration and annoyance clear on her face as she looked down at the smaller woman, “Th-that, I-I wanted. T-to…” She smacked the clipboard on one hand and glared down at Camel, “I thought it would only be courteous of me to oversee their journey personally, to show that the Census Bureau was there for every citizen of Alvadas.”Camel crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, “Yeah right. You were shirking your duties, and we both know it.” She waved a hand behind her, “And they all know it too.”Zaragosh had watched this entire exchange with a look of amusement on his face. Leaning back, the Myrian whispered to Jaeden, “If it be a fight, my money be on the little one. She looks more a man than a woman, and I bet she fights just has hard as one.” He chuckled and winked at Jaeden.
The girl froze mid sentence, her gaze turning to stare icily at Zaragosh, “What was that?”The Myrian adapted an innocent expression, shrugging his shoulders, “I said nothing my little friend. This one and I were having a simple conversation on odds.” Camel’s frown deepened, her scowl becoming a glare as she turned to stomp closer to the large man. Looking up into his eyes, she did not seem cowed at all by Zaragosh’s large size and even larger weapon, “Who does not look like a woman?” She raked her hands down her body, turning around to show Zaragosh her figure, “You don’t think that is feminine?” It was obvious that the Myrian was walking on thin ice with this girl.
Zaragosh chuckled, leaning closer to pat Camel’s head, and the girl’s expression darkened. Nami’s, on the other hand, had brightened considerably.“Now now my dear, you cannot rush your development. Don’t worry, your breast and feminine figure shall come to you in time." Camel looked up at Zaragosh in shock, her eyes widening as he continued to speak, “Where I come from the women are fierce and beautiful, but even they cannot be expected to reach a desirable shape until they have reached at least fifteen summers of age. Give it another two or three and you will be as full as that one there.” He motioned at Nami, and winked at Camel.
Nami could hardly suppress a laugh as she watched the stupefied expression on Camel’s expression darkened to something close to lothing. Her slim frame trembled under the Myrian’s hand. Zaragosh seemed to take notice of this, as she patted her head twice, “Now now, don’t be upset. It is only nat---“Suddenly the girl’s hand balled into a fist and swung upward almost faster than the eye could trace, clocking Zaragosh square under his chin with enough force that he stumbled back, releasing the girl’s head. Moving forward, one of those heavy boots slammed down on the Myrian’s foot hard enough that the Myrian cursed, and her other hand landed squarely in his gut, forcing him to double over. The girl’s hand caught a hold of the Myrian’s hair and pulled him to within an inch of her face. She glared coldly at the man, who was too stunned to resist at the moment.“Listen here you petching piece of trash. My name is Camel Tameran, a speaker of Alvadas and someone with more influence than you would even believe." Her grip tightened and her voice resounded with authority, confidence and more than a little bit of threat, “If I wanted, I could have your mouth sewn shut and your privates cut off and braided into that ridiculous hair of yours. So be careful who you start calling a little girl.” Her hand released the Myrian and she turned to stomp further down the hallway, “Nami I will take them to Fletcher. You get back to your work at the Sanity Center.”Nami’s face was flushed and a smile broke her lips as she spoke between gasps and laughter, “Ah-- Y-yes a-alright.” Turning, the woman squeezed passed the group, the sound of her merriment following her as she made her way back.
Zaragosh looked stunned for a moment, though not hurt. It seemed he was more shocked that the girl would dare to do such a thing had gotten to him more than the actual actions, but then a grin lit his lips and he looked back at Jaeden, “Now THAT’S how a woman is supposed to be. I like ‘em strong,” he paused and leaned closer to whisper, “Though I prefer a bit more upstairs if yah catch my meanin.” He chuckled and straightened, moving to follow Camel, though from a more appropriate distance than he had used when following Nami.
The group would then continue down the hallway, the seemingly endless stretch coming to a sudden end after another three or four chimes. Camel stopped before a plain wooden door with fading and flaking white paint. Looking back, she glared at Zaragosh before speaking to the rest of the group, “Alright here we are. No matter what, do not take everything he says seriously. He is what people call a mad genius.” She smiled and opened the door, “But he is far more mad than genius.”When the door was opened the group would find themselves in a large room with a ceiling that stretched far overhead. There was actually a balcony with a metal railing that ran the entire way around the room, which extended several yards over the floor. Many people in white robes were milling about on these balconies, working at various benches that held many strange devices and were covered with more paper and books than anything else. On the main floor there were only two workbenches side by side in the very middle of the room. The floor space seemed to be divided into sections. The far right corner held a table covered with papers and tombs that seemed to be devoted to Alchemy, and in fact that was a pedestal with an open leather bound book that held countless alchemic symbols that stood beside an alchemic circle of impressive proportions. The far left corner seemed to be a space dedicated to Magecraft and Malediction, or some strange mixture of the two perhaps. Piles of bones and different metals were set beside a round table that held several instruments for both crafts. The corner directly to the left of the group was devoted to alchemy, and countless circles of varying designs and sizes littered the floor and walls. The closer right corner had a much larger table; about six feet in length, and on its surface there were gears, screws, cogs, springs, and all manner of strange devices and unusual meshes of metal and other materials. “Hey there.” A young boy who could not be more than twelve or thirteen would greet the group. His unkept hair and dirty fingers and forearms spoke of just a normal, every day kid one might see on the street, and even his lopsided smile and eager expression would give no indication that he was anything other than that. He wore robes of white, or rather off white as they were covered in grease, dirt, and smudges of countless other unclean things. There was even a stain from his lunch at the collar.
Before Camel could speak Zaragosh was voicing his thoughts, “Is this your boy then?” The girl’s balled fist landed with a dull THUD squarely in the Myrian’s chest, and Zaragosh sudden release of breath was followed by a smile and a chuckle. Camel then rolled her eyes and looked at the boy, who seemed a bit lost as to what had happened, “This is Corti Keeble, the Supervisor of the Department of the Un-Qualitative Expansion of the Mind.” Zaragosh spoke before Camel got the chance, “Our genius is but a boy?”Ignoring the Myrian, Camel spoke directly to Corti, “Where is Fletcher?”The kid blinked and shrugged, waving his hands in the air, “How should I know? He does what every he wants, when he wants. The last I heard he was rocks for his chicken and asparagus surprise.” He did a fake gag and laughed, smiling at Camel, “You are free to wait here until his return though.”Camel sighed and crossed her arms, tapping the toe of her heavy boot on the floor, “Petching old fool. He was supposed to be here waiting for us.”Suddenly there was the sound of something exploding, and a jet of flame shot from the balcony over the group. Camel jumped in surprise, and Zaragosh released his sword from its harness, swinging it overhead and looking up at the source of the sound, his body tense and ready for danger. Corti, on the other hand, did not seem surprised in the least, and when he looked up at the balcony he said, “Oh, there he is.”There was the sound of coughing, hacking more like it, and the shape of a man became visible through the smoke. Corti waved a hand to this figure, and the figured hacked once more and waved a hand at a seemingly random worker. This man rushed off into the smoke, and after a moment the sound of clanking could be heard and a small section of the balcony began to lower to the ground floor with the figure upon it. Once this makeshift elevator was paused, the man would step off onto solid ground, his wild grey hair, stooped shoulders and staff giving away his age, and his identity.
Camel sighed and shook her head, crossing her arms and looking crossly at the man, “Honestly, The Professor should really mind the explosions in his old age. He is going to burn off his beard and most of his face one of these days.” This was a very astute observation, for as Fletcher shuffled toward the group the ends of his beard were indeed singed and smoking. Corti moved quickly to the elderly man’s side, grasping his arm to held support him.
Fletcher was an elderly man, and if his grey hair and staff did not give this away then his strange way shuffling steps and hunched back would. He was dressed in simple garments with a lab coat draped over his shoulders, the color now a dark grey from countless stains of innumerable sources. His gnarled hands gripped the wooden staff firmly, and he leaned heavily on it for support.“Bah, damned oven burnt my lunch. And I collected the squid fresh this morning!” Fletcher grumbled to no one in particular as he allowed himself to be lead by Corti, “It is so troublesome to set the traps too. Took me close to two hours to catch one of the suckers before it could escape Underground. Then where would I be? Can’t make Chicken and Spinach surprise without squid.” Zaragosh had lowered his sword some time ago, after it was clear that there was no danger, but now he rested its tip on the ground and stared at Fletcher with a confused expression.
Corti did not seem to notice the old man’s strange words, or perhaps he was just used to his rambling, “Yes I know. It is very difficult to catch them before the escape.”“Indeed!” Fletcher rocked dangerously, but Corti was there to steady him, “Damned buggers always want to burrow before I can catch them with my fork, and I am far to old to be digging for my meals now adays. Well it doesn’t matter now. My lunch is ashes, so I suppose I am going hungry today.”“I told you not to use fire reimancy to cook your meals.” Corti made sure that Fletcher was standing well on his own two feet before stepping a little to his side. Fletcher snorted and looked at Corti like he was the insane one, “As if I would wait for the fire pit to grow hot enough for cooking? That would take far too long, and even seconds are precious to me now.”Camel had followed this conversation astutely, and now she interjected, “You keep cooking supplies with your research materials?”Corti made to answer, but Fletcher cut him off, “Course we do little missy! We have not the time to sit idly while our food cooks, so we must cook it while we work! Too much trouble to go out to eat, and the taverns are all too noisy and crowded. Plus the boggle sworts swarm places where drink is served and men act like fools.”The Myrian scratched his head, the look of confusion on his face seeming to be fixed there permanently. When Zaragosh began to speak, Camel made sudden and quick gestures with her arms, mouthing, “don’t ask questions” frantically, but she was too late. “What are boggle sworts?” He asked, and Fletcher’s sudden intake of breath caused Corti and Camel too look back at him, their expressions falling.“By Inou’s 7th toe, are you dim!?” Fletch rapped his staff on the ground, his expression turning to one of utter shock and surprise, “The boggle sworts are the most fearsome, most terrible, most annoying creatures on the face of this world!”Zaragosh blinked, clearly not sure what he had done. Fletcher continued, “They are little bitty, tiny and small insect, bug crawlers that fly around, buzzing and jabbing people in the brains. They are attracted to places where chaos and frivolous acts are abundant, and they feed off of the better nature of people!” The older man waved a thin finger at Zaragosh, “ Nasty, awful creatures they are. They attack in swarms, invisible to all but the drunk, and they fly up your nose to burry themselves in your brain and eat off your better nature. You know they are present because you suddenly lose all your inhibitions and do and say things you normally would not!” He paused and stroked his beard, a look of contemplation overcoming his features, “Strangely though, they only have a taste for those who have drank or indulged in other such activities. Perhaps they find intoxicated better tasting than the sober?”While the Professor was lost in thought, Corti took the opportunity to guide the discussion back on track. Looking at Camel he spoke quickly, before Fletcher could go off on another tangent, “So then, what brings you here?”Camel shook her head, her mind seeming to be struggling to refocus despite the mad ramblings that had just assaulted her ears. She pointed back over her shoulder, “I brought this bunch as the Professor requested. Apparently he needed them for some reason or another.” She tapped her foot on the ground, looking at the pondering man before speaking to Corti once more, “Then again, it could all just be a mistake.”The boy nodded, looking thoughtfully at Fletcher, “Yes, he has not spoken a word to me about visitors today. Perhaps it was a miscommunication?” “There was no miscommunication.” Fletcher’s attention was suddenly back on the group before him, and his eyes seemed more focused than before, “I have a task for them.”Corti seemed surprised, “You said nothing of this before. What have you got planned?”The old man grinned, winking at the boy and looking back at the group, “As you know, the city is under attack. The major force you have all met. I am of course speaking of the metal men you fought to get here today.” Fletcher turned and walked to the two tables in the center of the room. Scattered across it were bits and pieces of the metal men, an arm here, a leg there. There was even a head and torso, and countless other parts were scattered all across the surface. He picked up a gear from the table and turned it over in one hand, “I have been collecting bits and pieces as I could get them, but now I see that it is useless. I can glean nothing from mere parts of a work. I need a whole one, and that," he looked at those gathered before him, “Is what I need from you. You must capture one of these golems, and bring it back to me whole and functional. I don’t want a scratch on it!”Zaragosh lifted his blade, resting it on his shoulder, “You expect us to capture one of those metal dolls and NOT break it? How the shite are we gonna do that?”Fletcher eyed Zaragosh up and down, looking at those behind him, “Don’t let him touch the thing. He will likely rip its arms off and eat out its liver than bring it in whole.”Camel laughed, “Yeah, this one is a really idiot. More muscle than brains, and a bad attitude to boot. Better to have him do something else that is not so delicate.”Zaragosh laughed, looking down at Camel and leaning close, “The words of a child mean little in the eyes of adults.” The girl looked like she wanted to smack the Myrian once again, but she was not given a chance.“Good idea!” Fletcher shuffled forward once more, taking a roll of paper from one pocket and unfurling it. Its length reached down to the floor and rolled several more feet besides, “In fact, I have other things that need collecting as well. So, while you are gone pick up as many of these as you can.”Clearing his throat, Fletcher began to read, despite Camel’s groan and rolling of eyes, "One plucked chicken, two barrels of ale, one goblet of gold, the third eye of a blind man, true loves first kiss, the left hand of fate, a slice of beef from a pig, a lucky rabbits foot (with the rabbit attached), twelve chimes before midnight, a legless man’s left boot (preferably with the foot still in it),”[color-white] the list continued on for a full chime, the items growing more and more outrageous as he continued to read down it, [/color] “A worbleshank’s twisted horn, thee pieces of stolen silver, a carriage wheel,” Fletcher cast Zaragosh the briefest glance before finishing the list, “And a giggling sword.”Rolling up the list, Fletcher looked at each face in turn, ”Well? What are you waiting for? Off with you now! We have no time to waste picking our noses!” His eyes then fell on Bob, a strange look of contemplation overcoming him as he reached up to stroke his beard, “Except for you… You may come pick your nose with me. And you as well little missy.”Fletcher would stand there long enough to answer any questions, or share words with any who wished his attention, and when the group was ready to leave he would turn and walk back to the tables in the center of the room, waving for Bob and Camel to follow him. Corti would look between the group and back at fletcher, and then give them all an apologetic smile and rush to stand beside Fletcher once more, Camel following closely.
Zaragosh shook his head, looking at Jaeden as they begin to leave, ”Off his petching gourd he is. Lets see if he gets us all killed.”OOCThere is a door on the left wall that leads directly out into the city. Feel free to stay and question Fletcher a minute, or jump right into fighting golems and trying to capture one. There are a few small groups of 5-6 golems walking the streets just for you. There are also a few healers in the streets as well, collecting any injured they find and taking them back to Ionu's Mercy. Feel free to get a bandage if you need one  |
