"Indeed, Master Carlos. I am Amelia Oliver. A pleasure to make your acquittance." Amelia said as she squished herself into the middle to give Carlos more room. It would be quite a scandal to ride between two unmarried men, in her former times. Which had always confused her, as bathing at the beach was rather relaxed by todays standard. But that had been part of the reason she had chosen to dress in a masculine fashion.
Master? He just gave a small smile, "Just Carlos is fine. Really." He didn't even want to begin to think of the implications, or well... The modern age was really confusing.
"Certainly, and Amelia shall suffice for myself," Amelia said with a smile and a nod. Glancing over at the map, she added, "A trail avoiding the guards should be a simple matter. The man from Devyat claimed that there was no one policing this route, so there should be no need to avoid them. Assuming the man spoke truly, of course. I cannot imagine why they would tell falsehoods, but I certainly make no claims to knowing the minds of such men."
Taking a moment to get situated in Jerry's vehicle and get familiar with the map as a couple more cars roll past, it looked the map only showed and named roads. Police roads were marked in blue, this road wasn't and led through an grey unmarked squares that were likely an industrial area of Southern Urbana, near the highway.
Jerry makes sure everyone in the cab is wearing their seatbelt. Once everyone is situated, he pulls onto the road and continues on.
"They're worried about cars with kids in them. If something's escaped that eats children, I'm going to be fit to be tied."
"Something that harms children takes an immediate priority for removal," Amelia agreed. "Possibly, though, it may be families, or parents, that such a thing would seek, and uses children as a marker to denote to begin its hunt. It is a shame that magic would not allow one of us to take a younger form." Pausing, she adds, "I believe."
Continuing on out of sight of the checkpoint, the road is quiet for several minutes with just parking lots, warehouses, and office buildings. Then there is a street lamp that's been snapped in two. A parking lot that's flooded, but nothing else looks wet -- except the building over the road that seems to have random chunks melting. A truck going well over the speed limit crosses over down road on the right, and in the back is a large pile of spotlight lamps.
Amelia craned her neck to see the strange area, and the clearly unusual environment. "I feel that this is a place we should examine?" she suggested, looking at the melting building.
"Normally I'd agree, but another Hunter has asked for help, so I don't want to keep her waiting."
Carlos sat quietly trying to place the young woman. It was clear from the way she spoke that she wasn't from here, whatever that meant in this line of work.
"Yeah Jerry has the right of it, let's get Jessica safe and sound. Though a part of me doubts she really needs the help when push comes to shove."
"That makes a deal of sense," Amelia agreed, noting the strange locations on the map as they passed to simply keep track of them and, if possible, reveal any patterns.
Kavax shrugged, and clambered into the back of the truck, somewhat distressing its suspension. It at least beat walking.
---
"I caught word that it sounds like at least one person in here is summoning things. Hopefully not bad things, but if they're quarantining the place that might mean they got a demon or something that they couldn't control."
As Jerry continues to drive along and Amelia marks on the map, the weird melty blobs does seem to follow a wobbly line up and down buildings...which ends in a very burnt out looking window.
More offices, warehouses, and other industrial buildings. A few still seem to be active with forklifts moving equipment and a handful of white vans dotted near buildings.
"What kind of summoning Kavax? What kind of problem are we looking at?"
He wasn't sure what could be there, maybe it was demons or maybe it was something worse. "I guess when we get there I will check it out and see what I can learn. Amelia, what's your story?"
"A fiend chose to murder my elder brother. I chose to dress as a man - less so now, since your age is rather more accepting of the my gender - to learn how to hunt. The temptress fled into the future, and so I chose to follow, for my vengeance shall not be denied. At the current moment, however, I find that several billion souls is rather a lot to check, and so I must bide awhile." Amelia summarised her life's events in brief. There was nothing she was shamed by, after all. "And of yourself, Ma-Carlos? What events led you to this van, hunting for our angelic ally?"
Amelia scanned the area, noting that the trucks seemed to be moving. Everywhere else seemed to be abandoned, but this was the first time they'd seen any life. "That seems like more people than we have seen in this place. What does the Google say, Jerry? Is this akin to where we must go?"
Amelia notices that some of the people near the vans seem to be watching the cars going past - including yours - more than they're watching the forklifts carrying bits of metal piping and other equipment into the warehouses. She also notices that around many of the buildings, high up and nearly out of sight of the road, are a few small spinning flying things.
Jerry's phone rings. It's Jessica's number.
A clatter of dropping metal cuts off some of her words, "...experiments on other... beings. But they haven't gotten around to me, because they're more interested in Kavax which I'm trying not to take personally, but the Fury is really pissed off about that. Anyway, I don't know what you're all going to do, but you're definitely heading into..." her voice is muffled by the electrical buzzing getting louder and a pained cry out from a different, younger female voice.
"There are a lot of the metal boxes for watching," she noted, "And some kind of flying machines too small to be a helioscopter. I think it is safe to assume this is an important place." She glanced at Jerry's phone, wondering if the Google could call people or if it was one of the times a human would speak through the thing. The second seemed quite rare, despite its marvels.
Jerry slides the window between the cab and the bed of the truck open so that Kavax can hear Jessica. After she's done, he responds with questions.
"Jessica, are you in immediate danger? And are we driving into a trap? Can you teleport out?"
The sounds of machinery and the phone moving around: "I'm in some kind of circle. I'm trapped, but I'm safe at the moment. But they know about you and Kavax. They're not nice, they're--
The other girl's voice comes back and is weak, muffled. After a moment, Jessica says, "The bleachers *make* monsters? And guns? They've got a ton of lights, big ones, and they're shining them on something called a 'bee-dim.' I'm trapped with her and someone else. I just... be careful. I'm going to see what I can do to get out of here myself."
"Do you have any information about your location?" Amelia asked, speaking loudly and slowly into the strange, colourful box. "We are outside of a building with many guards, and strange flying things."
"Drones," Jerry offers.
Kavax thought for a moment.
"They didn't say, but they seemed to recognize me for what I am, and didn't panic. Which is likely a bad sign. Also some mention about there already being a 'fire' going on. SO something hot, I'd guess. Maybe demons."
He shrugged. "I'm not particularly enthusiastic to experience whatever it is they think can kill me. And it will almost certainly be unsafe to be anywhere in the area when they try. Maybe I should get out a little while before we get there."
"I sent Jerry a screenshot of my location. It's a warehouse or factory of some kind. I can't see much, the spotlights are too bright. I can't see hardly anything past them... is followed by the sound of metal hitting concrete.
Then, outside of the car, there is a loud sound of something wet hitting metal. Down one side road, there are two large figures bashing against a warehouse, bits flying off. There are people in white hazmat suits using flamethrowers to limited effect.
Carlos listened intently at the cell, "A bee-dim? Shining light?"
He wanted to know what was coming, what to expect, but he was pretty good at improvising anyway. "What is---?" Almost shaking at the flopping sound of wet hitting metal, Carlos taps the wall, "Jerry what do you see?" Beginning to crawl over to a window, Carlos pulls his bag over with a thud.
Jessica exclaims in pain. After a moment, she says, " "I, uh, just tried to mess up the circle. Hurts. And I don't think it worked."
After Carlos talks, Jessica replies, "No, no! The bee-dimm is trapped here too! It's the bleachers you gotta watch out for...Lot of loud banging going on outside."
Between Carlos's experience and Jessica's explanation, it's clear to him that she's talking about another type of supernatural being - one that is in there with her and is somehow restrained or something by bright lights. Weird, though not the weirdest he's heard of.
Jessica's voice comes back after a few moments, "Look, guys... you don't have to come. I'd understand."
Sitting himself down he starts shuffling through his bag, "Something is with Jessica." He gives an invisible eye roll through his glasses, "Yeah okay, and then bring vengeance down onto me? Puh-lease. I'm coming and I'm sure the rest of them are too."
"We may be here. What does the outside of the building you're in look like?"
"The banging certainly suggests we have arrived. Some white-clad men seem to be using wands of fire to try and destroy creatures, which may be the banging you hear," Amelia reported to the box. "And you invited us, so it would be eminently rude to refuse. I would like to have a word with these 'bleechers', I think."
Amelia considered the name and to remember how much she could recall about it, considering what she knew of Devyat.
.
In Amelia's time, bleach was an industrial product most often stored in vats and used for whitening cloth before selling with more recent turns of using it for cleaning up after animal and medical mess. She didn't not get how it would relate to the magic-seeking group, but an excess of bleach might explain the amount of white outfits around.
On the phone, there was a long pause.
After Jerry's question, with some not entirely restrained irritation, "I just appeared here in the circle, my Summoner."
This was followed by other voices, farther away than before and some were shouting. The exact words were too muffled to pick up though some of it had that familiar tone of not hostile but still angry swearing.
One of the people with a flamethrower has been sent flying alongside thundering wind that goes past, knocking some of the drones/flying spinny things back too. The larger figures seem strong, but not steady with very stiff movements, their steps slow.
Jessica's voice comes back, "Okay, they others here say we're on a road with several warehouses. Look for one with the windows blocked up. But there's a lot of light in here. Unless they've done a really good job covering them, maybe you can see it from the outside?"
Unperturbed by Jessica's irritation, Jerry replies, "All right, we're going to check this place out. If it's not where you are, we'll get back on the road as fast as we can."
He hangs up and looks for a safe place to park his vehicle close to the warehouse, but out of harm's way. As he gets out, he turns to look at Kavax.
"If this is a trap for you, you need to be extra careful. I'd ask you to stay here, but that just leaves you unprotected. Stick close instead."
Assuming there are no objections, Jerry fits his nightstick in its belt loop and readies his shotgun before approaching the warehouse.
Amelia slid her hoped out, sliding the shield onto her arm and put her hand on the hilt of her sword, but didn't draw or unfold them. "Let us enquire as to whether we can render aid, and adamantly insist on a search of the premises," she murmured as she headed towards the warehouse. "Shall we aid the men with the firewands, and see if that garners gratitude, or allow them to remain where they are and attempt the door?"
Kavax considered the scene.
"Looks like they're having trouble. There may be more than one faction here."
He clambered out of the back of the truck, unburdening it significantly, then sniffed the air, trying to see what kinds of otherworldly beings he could scent.
Jerry absently nods at Amelia and Kavax, but first he scan the warehouse for points of entry.
All the warehouses have multiple doors. The windows of all the warehouses on this road seem to be shuttered or otherwise covered.
To Kavax's keen senses, those in the hazmats suits seem to be humans - but beyond them there are many otherworldly beings scents around here - some that rarely if ever linger in these parts including those that would be unwell to do so. The smell of multiple forms of magic comes strongest from the warehouses -- and the large figures, the only natural scent that remains of them are tinged with decay.
Those in hazmats seem to ignore you, though the one who was knocked back and is now getting to his feet seem to gesture one of the drones. Two drones are now following the Hunters, while there is another on the other side of the fight.
Suspicious about the drones, Carlos looks and considered the problem of multiple factions. "You might very well be right, which brings us to the question of who is going to be in the right..." Regardless he knew he had to get Jessica out.
Not wanting to use any magic right away, he looked for telltale signs of conflict and footsteps and whatever else he could glean.
Kavax gritted his teeth as he started to approach the warehouse.
"Someone's been busy. That place reeks of summoned creatures. Lot of them. We should be wary."
Beyond the struggle going on in the street between the large figures and those in hazmats suits, there are odd dents in the warehouse walls - large marks nears the doors, and bulges in metal that appear to have been created from inside the structure.
Approaching the nearest door, one of the people in hazmat suits stands between the Hunters and the door. They look conflicted in stopping you and dealing with the problem at hand. It's noticeable that, unless the rest of the dull warehouses, the large electronic locking system on the door is very fancy.
The large creatures don't seem to pay the Hunters much attention. One sends a whirlwind, sending the firey spray upward away from another.
Carlos was confused and decided to go up to the nearest person in a hazmat suit.
"Okay let's cut to it, what the hell is going on here?" He gave a stone-gaze, "I would hate to have to report this whole failure."
The person in the hazmat suit adjusts something on the flame thrower, "Failure? This testing is going great! then a pause as he looked at Carlos, and then continues is a more official tone "But I can't discuss that further until you show me your hands... as if he was asking for ID.
Amelia leaned in and whispered, "Magic away a finger. All of those at the check point had one missing," the time traveller muttered low. It didn't seem to occur to her than Carlos perhaps couldn't cast a spell to hide a finger from sight.
Kavax just eyed the flamehthrower-wielding men. There was basically no chance of them mistaking him for one of them.
"If this is your idea of things going well, I find myself wondering what it looks like when it goes badly. Summoning monsters just to fight them is almost always a bad idea. Sooner or later you get one you can't handle."
Carlos sticks his hand out and does his best paper impression.
"There? See?" He wasn't even convinced himself.
The fancy locks on the dented warehouse doors appear to have multiple components - keypad, cameras...
A loud cheery voice over the flames, "These aren't summon, just some failed bits...not nearly as scary as what they used to be... Ivan, moonbird.
Ivan turns away from Carlos, and after a moment looking at the drones, sends a jet of flames at one of them. Catching fire, it swiftly changes directions, after a bit of of an air fight between drones, crashes into another drone, sending the pieces scattering to the ground.
Carlos's hands spark in dark flames that shoot up high above the group, and catch one of the figure's attention... those in hazmats seem to find this funny. One takes a swing, it's long arm going well above any of the Hunter's heads, the strong wind pushing against them and sends the remaining drones spinning.
Amelia sighed, and used her own magic to create a small illusion of her removing a fake finger on one hand, along with a little slight of hand. "If that satisfies you, my colleague can remember to remove the fake another time. Now, why are these creatures being exposed to public? What condition of the others within?"
Amelia's magicked away her left pinky finger, with enough skill that there was impressive magicked scarring.
A rough chuckle from Ivan, "Too much time in the upper echelons pinky-queen? Major wants ~the public~ exposed - the state police put in some rules, but this test is 100% green lighted. Those turkeys must be freaking out...moonbirds seem to be enjoying the show though." he kicks away some of the debris. The others send a large blast of fire which sends the figures stepping backwards - closer to the main road with cars passing by.
"Indeed," Amelia agreed with no particular hint as to what she was agreeing to. So, someone desired public exposure. Given how they seemed to desire to do so, it would seem that not allowing it would be the best bet. But first, to rescue there allies.
"And the remaining prisoners? Or am I to assume that this is the entirety of what has been achieved here?" She added a slightly more imperious tone to her voice, the one her mother took with a serving girl that had dropped one of the finer cups but had failed to actually break it.
Confused at the situation, Carlos listens in Pinky queen? I wonder if the fingers might have to deal with their rank.
Before having a chance to realize he swings his hand wildly at the dark flames on it. Throwing it onto his pants.