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Post by Allison Kazim on Sept 24, 2019 18:13:13 GMT -8
"So this was one chance we had to strike back and cause less of a problem. Part of the nature of the business if it's on protectorate lands." She felt worse already. Sighing, she tried to refocus.
"Well, at least it's not a facility on top of everything else."
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Post by Zack Asiv on Sept 24, 2019 18:29:07 GMT -8
"Our sentiments exactly, Frau."
Winters says, but eventually they make it to... A huge desert of white sand!
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Post by Allison Kazim on Sept 24, 2019 18:59:40 GMT -8
What.
Ali blinked at the light reflecting off the white sand, disliking the glare.
"Where are we?" She asked almost suspiciously, half expecting them to be at Territory One, but the change was too quick to be the way they'd come to get to the weapons.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Sept 24, 2019 19:13:14 GMT -8
"Ah, well we have hit the desert surrounding the city to Territory One. It's still a bit of a drive."
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Post by Allison Kazim on Sept 24, 2019 19:33:11 GMT -8
...
"Why? To ask them?" Her brows knit together as she frowned. The bandits would be long gone, and she couldn't see a place with that kind of reputation being that honest about what happened. Why go to where they would have the disadvantage, unless they were going to stop before hitting the city?
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Post by Zack Asiv on Oct 6, 2019 10:46:00 GMT -8
"Well, it would be a waste not to go now."
Violet said, and Winters would corroborate.
"Ja... If it iz not zem, we have greater problems. If it iz zem, there is nozing we can do. Simple, no?"
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Post by Allison Kazim on Oct 6, 2019 19:42:04 GMT -8
"Fair enough." Ali nodded at the explanation. If they were down to ask now, then they might as well. As much as she was curious about the what-if of the situation, the mage held off on asking until they had confirmation.
Since they're driving, she turns her attention to Violet for a moment, then back to Winters with a raised brow.
"So you were able to track Agent Winter's PT and shift from his jacket?" It would be impressive if it wasn't possibly a lie.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Oct 7, 2019 12:18:35 GMT -8
Violet smirked.
"I was his jacket the entire time. One of my abilities I have acquired allows me to morph my body into most any object. Since our job is mostly secretive and stealthy, and since I am who I am; it tends to be better if I remain hidden as a jacket or something similar."
Winters would nod.
"Ja, I apologize for deceiving you, Frau... Iz part of ze job."
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Post by Allison Kazim on Oct 7, 2019 14:34:56 GMT -8
"I thought as much." She nodded, answering both statements at the same time. It was refreshing to get some honesty without scorn. As much as Ali didn't enjoy the subterfuge, it was evident with all that had happened that Violet's presence was a secret, especially around a new trainee. She couldn't even be mad at that logic. Which was kind of irritating.
"I can understand why you would. It's a sensitive topic without everything that's happened lately."
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Post by Zack Asiv on Oct 9, 2019 11:12:28 GMT -8
It wouldn't be long before they pulled up to the range of the walls of the city its self. They would make their way forward as they have done many times in the past. Paying local thugs to keep an eye on the jeep as they would go to the gate to try and gain entry into the city proper. Ali may notice Violet didn't care to shift into anything or hide herself.
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Post by Allison Kazim on Oct 12, 2019 13:11:40 GMT -8
Ali would take in the attitude and appearance of the city walls as they drove up, having heard of the infamous city but curious to see how it measured up. She wondered at leaving the jeep under gaurd with a few locals, but as much as it might make her cautious, it seemed this wasn't the first time John and Violet had done so. For now, she would save her questions for when they weren't approached a guard and observe!
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Lucifer
QC 
Posts: 700
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Post by Lucifer on Oct 13, 2019 17:48:29 GMT -8
They wouldn't have much trouble getting into the city itself. The city walls were tall and thick, with large metal contraptions along the wall, though their purpose may be difficult to discern to someone unfamiliar with old-world technology. There were several guards posted at the gates, at their hips Ali could see some metal contraption that looked similar to the strange weapon the man had used on her. Though it was not identical. They also carried larger contraptions that had similar barrels. Winters and Violet would recognize them as rifles.
However, as they were not causing trouble they would find themselves unmolested by the guards as they entered the bustling city with many others. Inside the city was a haphazard maze of buildings almost stacked on top of each other. Narrow twisting alleyways opened up to large streets squares. One could easily become lost here if they were not familiar with the streets. Thanks to their military training all three could see many spots that could be used as chokepoints and ambush spots to defend against invaders, some of which were occupied by thugs lurking in the shadows.
Merchants yelled into the crowd hawking their wares, exotic foods and spices Ali had never seen or heard of before, jewelry of all types, some exquisite enough to make even the nobility back home take notice. Offers of drugs were flung at them as well as elixirs from across the ocean said to show you the future, crystals that a man claimed to be the still-beating heart of a great warrior. Tomes that were promised to hold mystical secrets of magic, and weapons of all shapes and sizes. Though absent from the stalls of weapons were the odd types the guards carried, or that the man used on her. Or the red cylinders strapped to the villagers.
But there was more that was for sale. Women in chains linked against a wall were presented in the nude for buyers with an old woman promising exquisite service and pleasure from any of her wares. Another man had a large man on a block taking bids on him, highlighting his strength, perfect for manual labor. In the shadows were more men and women chained up, waiting their turn on the block of all ages... Many of them with eyes downcast in defeat, others barely holding on to any spark of life or hope at all. And all around people milled about, undisturbed by the sights and offers of the Brazen Bazaar.
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Post by Zack Asiv on Oct 15, 2019 14:14:29 GMT -8
Violet and Winters do a good enough job of ignoring things around them beyond dangers or choke points. Avoiding them so they don't get mugged and making their way towards the main buildings to get their answers. Winters would however address it to Ali.
"Zere is nozing you can do for zem, Frau. It is vorse to look at zem, as it is obvious vhere ve are from; and give zem hope... Vhen zere is nozing ve can do."
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Post by Allison Kazim on Oct 15, 2019 14:58:39 GMT -8
The place was, to put it simply, horrifc. Ali's eyes wandered from area to area of the city as they went, trying not smother the instinct that the next corner would have someone ready to snitch from her pockets. Not that she'd brought anything. The hawker's calls were a motley of voices, harsh on her ears but not unfamiliar. The markets back home were adamant and determined to get a potential buyer, just like anywhere else. But this place looked so...downtrodden? No, that wasn't the word. Barren, maybe, but it had high walls and strange weapons scattered about, sbut Victor and John didn't stop at things that looked similar to what she'd seen earlier.
It was exactly what she expected of the place, and worse. Irritation and resignation mixed at the sight of what were most likely knock-off grimoires and ingredients, promising much with no work to put into it. Lazy, feel good moments with no promise of actually working. Her gaze lingered in horror at the women chained on a wall, unable to keep her thoughts from going back to those in the cage that Azure and the others had freed. The man on display seemed impossibly strong, all of them with no sign of hope or joy in their eyes, just an empty shell of existence. Her stomach churned as her lips pressed together, but further reaction was cut off thanks to Winters as he spoke to her. Her focus returned to him as they continued on.
"How...how can they do this? This can't be okay." They were treating people like prisoners, or props. How could they just walk on and act like it was nothing? The thought of false hope turned her mouth sour as she tried to reign in her thoughts. What kind of good could come from this place?
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Post by Zack Asiv on Oct 17, 2019 7:29:41 GMT -8
Winters would sigh and motion at Violet.
"How can people do zat to anozer person? Taking a child no older zan sixteen and calling zem so vile and repulsive to society zat you are allowed by ze government to strap zem into a chair and pump zem full of drugs to 'correct' zeir bad behavior? Vhat Vas it you did to diserve your life az an experiment again, Vi?"
Violet spoke without looking back at them.
"A fellow classmate was being repeatedly bashed in the head with his locker door. I stepped in and defended him. However, his punishment was being handed down by school officials known as pillars. So, my delinquent behavior was reported and I was carted away to the correctional facility."
"Ja, zats it. An excuse as it vere. Good does not exist vithout evil. Vhile zis is surely not ze entirety of ze evil left in ze land. It is vhere it gathers. Luxury never exists vithout suffering. You should know zat by now, Frau... You call it Nobility and Commonership. Vhile not as extreme, is another form of luxury through suffering. Someone being better zan someone else for arbitrary reasoning. Take it further in your mind. Commoners or Vorth less than a noble, commoners Vorthless. Commoners are trash. Commoners deserve to serve Nobles. Commoners are property. Commoners are a commodity. Commoners are a sign of greater nobility. Not so many steps away from zis, is it?"
Violet would once again chime in.
"And this society never had the chance to have the in-between steps, they started here."
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