Nothing extreme, luckily, Gwynn said, So... how was she-- it? How was it all?" She asked, wandering if Seraphina's experience was as extreme as her own.
Anyone else feel that chill? Abel give s slight shiver
"Lot of talk about fire." Seraphina shrugged. "I didn't really understand any of it, to be honest. I think I need be wary of the inferno?"
Wow. Now that I think about it, my one was actually pretty tame.
"Well this all sounds unsettling. Now if the rest of you are done riling the lesser nobility, we will move on to our next destination." Morganna indicates for the party to take their leave. Kal strides back over to her side. Bishop exchanges a light nod with Alton’s guards as they follow him into the shop, but not before an audible sigh from the young man is heard when the party walks by. Bishop coughs violently after they enter.
*wheeze* ”Pardon me. Shall we? Our next destination will be the home of Mister Celo. Celo would be the man we hired to follow up on your investigation of the factory the other day.”
”I wish for an update from him in person. His family is most likely present. They will not be aware of the danger present in the task we had assigned to him. They are to remain that way for the sake of discretion, as a part of his contract as well. Am I understood?”[/b]
Walking further down the nearly gleaming avenue of Castle Road, the group is able to secure yet another private tram, this time headed for “East Reach.” A district devoted solely to housing and schooling at the furthest end of the city.
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Smoke.
The tram makes its stop, and a plume of fumes the color of coal rises from a building nearby.
”Oh hell, what is it now?” Morgana’s reaction leaves little room for doubt as to who the burning house belongs to.
”Should we help? We should do something right?” Kal leans forward as he leaves with a hustle. Bishop and Morgana seem to stay more collected.
It’s a trip of roughly two-hundred feet to the site of the fire. A crowd of onlookers have already gathered. The building has two floors and there are responders on scene, but the fire hose seems a slow work in progress. There are two people sitting on the curb closer to the fire than the rest of the crowd. A human woman, and young girl. Someone in the Calweld firefighters uniform is kneeling next to them. Morgana gives the order:
”Find Celo. I don’t care how.”
lets go ! We need to do something Abel heads toward the fire posthaste
Well, this was not as informative as it might have been, but Seraphina began to look around and see if she could get some information. The firefighter seemed like a good bet. She moved over and knelt by the woman. "Is everything OK? I'm a healer."
"Bruce! Damn, get out of my way! Bruce!"
It was normally Coco that rushed into things these days. She was supposed to be the hothead dragging him into trouble constantly. He did not even much care for the punch-hungry redhead, but she had a seemingly preternatural ability to find him and drag him into messes. Now he had lost track of her back when he first realized where that smoke was coming from.
"Look, Voah can eat your misbegotten eyes for all I care. Get out of the way or, so help me, I'll lay you out."
The tall and lanky former soldier did not have his armor or his rifle on him but he always carried his gauntlet and sidearm, that should be more than enough to handle any uppity civvie. Finally, Jean barreled his way through the last few gawkers and his head snapped to the handful of people actually close to the conflagration, daring anyone to stop him as he started for the door.
He must have been a sight. Jean-Guy Roth was not what most would consider a handsome man, his features were too blocky and rough for that. Even as a civilian, he dressed with habitual formality but his shirt was a rumpled mess and his jacket was held in an armored fist that featured the kind of short and ugly spikes meant to put someone down and keep them there. Across his chest was strapped the bulky shape of a Bosch Type-14M service revolver.
"You!" Jean barked at firefighter in a voice that was clearly meant to be obeyed. "You got any of the new filter masks? Quick now!"
Mindos moves towards the woman. I'm assuming Celo's still in there? Where was he when the fire started?
The group advances to the scene and gets to work in various ways.
The woman stands up to answer Mindos, pressing a crease out of her dress. Compared to what Morgana is wearing, it's downright cheap-looking. Of course the slippers are a hint she may not have been planning to go out soon.
"Bruce? Bruce didn't make it out yet! He was talking with that doctor upstairs, when I smelled smoke. I don't know where it started, Cindy was with me making lunch, we heard him yell for us to go. Please! He's still trapped in there!"
"You!"
"I-we uh, sir, please remain calm. We have standard issue but they're for active personel." The firefighter and the child (named cindy it seems) flinch at the sound of Jean barking his order over the fire. He looks to the bag propped on the step of the fire engine. Sure enough, there's one jutting out. The guy manning the hose doesn't have one equipped.
On the other side of the crowd, Morgana's aide seems to double over momentarily in a coughing fit.
"Congrats, you just got yourself a new volunteer firefighter," Jean growled, without patience, "There will be a redhead along shortly, tell her what I'm doing."
He strode over to the bag and grabbed the mask, pulling it on with practiced motions. Reckers had been the ones to field test these masks against alchemical poison clouds. Whatever contractors might have gotten the job of producing them for the mass market might have cut corners but it was better than nothing.
Coco was arguing with a street vendor over the price of some drinks and a snack when the sudden disappearance of Jean distracted her.
dang it, now where did he go?
Suddenly realizing the fire nearby, ahh nuts, why you gotta run in like that?
Coco pays the vendor and grabs the drinks, then rushes to the scene.
Looking about, she doesn't see her normally reluctant partner. Trying to the attention of a firefighter. hey, you see soldier type guy? she asks, scanning the scene for him.
The fireman sighs as he indicates to Coco in the direction of the bag with supplies, and the loud man digging through them.
"But you two can't go in there!" despite his protests he seems relegated to allowing the newcomers to do what they will. He doesn't bother arguing with Seraphina or Mindos, seeing their badges indicating who they work for.
The party faces the building with multiple possible points of entry, though none easy.
On the other side of the crowd, Morgana looks on impatiently as Bishop begins to recover from his outburst.
"And what exactly are these two doing?"
"Good deeds by the looks of it. Keep an eye on them? They might help your people." Kal responds to Morgana in as he joins the crowd.
Biting her lip for a moment, Seraphina reached out and laid a hand on the childs shoulder. After a moment the glow of positive energy shone for a moment. She probably shouldn't use her resources like this, but the child's breathing didn't sound good - it sounded like either the heat or smoke had damaged the lungs. It might heal...or it might not. Now there was no might.
Looking as the two ran towards the building, Seraphina muttered, "Who runs into an inferno..." Her mind clicked on what the fortune teller had said. "Oh, hells." Looking at the woman she added, "A bit of rest and they'll be fine. Now, excuse me a moment..."
Rising, she moved to the firefighter. "OK, I'm going to go and make sure the mad people who ran into the inferno don't die. A fortune teller told me hat infernos are a theme for me." She rather felt that the free comments were going to cost her. She pointed to the spot where the woman and child were. "Gather up any injured there, and I'll heal them when I get back."
With that, Seraphina walked towards the fire. For a moment she was tempted to dance, but light as she was this place probably wasn't the safest for that.
Grabbing Jean before he runs into the fire, Hey, don't be so Hot heaeded. these guys know what they.. are...doing? her words drift off slower as she stares at the second floor window.
there's someone or something on the second floor! the closed window Coco yells pointing to the window.
looking to the firefighters, mind if I borrow one of these? I gotta keep him from being... well, nevermind that, I just need to borrow one of these, please.
If the firefighter says its OK Coco grabs a mask to put on and makes her way closer to the building. looking for an access to the second floor window.
"Bruce is still in there. Grab on and get ready to smash through that window," with that, Jean pulled a small device from a pocket. It looked almost like a knuckle duster with a gas canister, a hefty spool of cable, and a bulky mechanism of unknown purpose attached to the butt and a large metal spike with four metal spikes pointing backwards poking out from between his fingers.
With that, Seraphina walked towards the fire. For a moment she was tempted to dance, but light as she was this place probably wasn't the safest for that.
Seraphina walks barefoot into the home. For most people, this would be a terrible idea. For Seraphina, it just becomes clear the fire has ruined perfectly good blue wallpaper and furnishings with a nifty industrial theme. The fire is much more intense inside, the firehose is doing more to contain it than to extinguish it. Seraphina doesn't see anyone through the acrid smoke on first glance.
Don't worry. We'll get him out.
Mindos stands up and runs to a spot near Jean, below the second floor window. He gauges the distance from the ground to the window, before pulling out a small bottle of colored liquid.
"Hey! Chemist! Grab a mask or leave this to the professionals," Jean ordered as another good samaritan crowded him while he tried to line up the shot. He did not want to have to rescue someone who did not realize just what they were getting into. There was an irony there, but Jean was too focused to currently appreciate it.
If the firefighter says its OK Coco grabs a mask to put on and makes her way closer to the building. looking for an access to the second floor window.
The fireman the party has spoken to doesn't offer further resistance, he instead focuses on trying to disperse the crowd now that Cindy's cough has cleared up. There doesn't seem to be something more direct than either climbing up, or batmaning with a grappling hook.
Coco grabs hold of Jean, she indicates the window that she saw something. wee need to get there. I think your friend might be up there.
Covering her mouth to protect herself from the smoke, and hoping the fire didn't start getting bad enough to burn, Seraphina shouted, "Is anyone here?" She began to move through the building, although she'd fall back if it got too hot.
Gwynn followed the group, hand for whatever reason falling to the grip of her pistol, as if that would be a suitable measure against a flipping fire.
Jean made sure he had a good grip on the belt of his noisome companion and pulled the trigger. His device made a polite little cough and the grapnel shot through the glass of the window. A cable trailed behind it, going slack for the moment before the complex of pulleys, springs, and pressurized gas ate hungrily slurped the line back onto its spool. The grapnel bit into the window frame
There was a jerk and suddenly Jean and Coco were hoisted into the air. It was not blindingly fast but had them up far faster than if they had tried a ladder or the first floor.
"Go! Damn thing does hold for long."
Mindos bites back a retort, before shaking his head and sighing. He drinks the extract in his hand , runs back to grab a mask, and quickly comes back to the building. He attempts to climb up the wall to the second floor window.
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Once she reaches the window, Coco kicks at the window to shatter it and get into the second floor window.
In short order, Jean and Coco reach the second floor window. They push off of the wall, and smash into the room inside, revealing a study of some sort.
Following seamlessly after them, Mindos pulls himself up the wall with fluidity, rolling in through the empty windowpane soon after.
Abel takes in his surroundings for only a moment before standing back for an angle. Ever patient, Abel sprints through a hole the crowd makes, stepping onto the trucks rear for a springboard. He leaps an impressive distance, just enough to hook an arm in the broken in frame.
However, his jump leaves his feet with nothing to leverage with, and he remains in the windowframe at the moment.
Gwynn walks in the front door like a regular person. Same as Seraphina, the fire's lick at her exposed flesh without consequence. For now.
Seraphina waved to Grynn. "No sign of anyone so far!" she called out over the crackle of the fire. "Beware of your clothes, I'm not sure if they're as fireproof as we are." She wasn't sure what the reaction to showing up with your clothes burned off would be, but she suspected at least some people wouldn't approve.
coc rolls her eyes at the silliness, I got ya she says as she grabs Abel and pulls him into the room.
Thank you for the assist Abel climbs in
There’s some overturned furniture in the room, most notably a desk and a wardrobe with a few small arms having fallen out. There looks to be a thin and long tail stuck under the desk, visible only faintly under the smoke.
The smell of sulfur fills the air, and the wooden house seems to be glowing with embers just under the windowpane you entered.
With no one and nothing obvious, Seraphina headed for the stairs, holding her skirts up to try and keep them out of the fire.
Remembering to keep his breathing steady and his head low in the increasing smoke, Jean casts about for his friend. As one might imagine, Jean was not the sort with a lot of friends, so he made a point to take care of the ones he did have.
"Coco! Check that gun cabinet for any kegs or horns of gunpowder and toss them out the window," the last thing they needed was an explosion going off and knocking them senseless in this mess.
Finding the long tail, the former soldier rushes to help Bruce Celo as quick as he can.
Coco nods at Jean, deciding now is not the time to start any arguments. she starts rummaging through the wardrobe and starts to gather the weapons, or anything else that may go BOOM. and hurriedly tosses them out the window, trying to avoid tossing them into something burning and not tossing them at anyone.
Grunting with the effort of holding the desk off his friend, Jean looked around to the strangers.
"Found him! Someone get him to safety," Jean said. There was strain and worry and anger in his voice. He was falling back to his harsher ways in the face of it all because that was what saw him through the most dangerous times in his life.
Mindos, eager to help (and to get out of the smoke) cradles the kobold in both arms and picks him up. He awkwardly carries him to the window before setting him down and yelling out the window. You firemen down there! Make yourselves useful, bring a net! We have someone unconscious up here!
Abel coughs upon entering be careful and spread out, Look for those who might be stuck he begins looking for anyone stuck or injured
Coco tosses a loaded revolver out of the window, following it with a flintlock pistol that looked like it belongs in a museum. There are only a couple more sources of gunpowder to go; a box of ammunition, and whatever was under the kobold that turned out to be Bruce.
As Mindos rushes to the window, the movement seems to awaken his charge.
"Buhh... Huh? The hell's going on?! Who are-"
Even with this distraction, he has no difficulty seeing a full man-sized pile of molten rock bubble up from the debris the party climbed over to get inside. It's movements are slow, but that only serves to help it block the only current escape route from the building. The staircase would usually be an option, but almost on cue, the waist-high chunk of ceiling in the doorframe is pushed aside by an identical seething mass.
"Not exactly...what I was...expecting." Seraphina hacked as she got ready to fight.
Spitting a vile invective Jean fumbles with the desk, managing to drop it on his foot in his haste to pull his piece on the strange sight.
Coco looks about, Magma Mia! Found the fire starter. Coco, says as she clenches her fists. friends of yours? she asks of this Bruce fellow.