The Guardians of London: Third Echelon CHAPTER THREE [6 Slots Open]

[tobi the good boy]

Enchanted candles ran up and down these dark halls, with great towering bookshelves stretching beyond into the abyss. In the common room of the library aloft the deep red carpet sat a lone individual, beside him lay two stacks of books labelled Occult History And Lore .

Faustus scrawled through a large tome detailing ancient knowledge passed on from the generations of man and monster dating back thousands of years. His eye's were absent of colour and illuminated in a white glow with pale smoke evaporating from his sockets. Each page rapidly cast aside with the flick of his wrist.

Faust had reached the final page of the great archive and placed it atop one of the two pillars of literature. He closed his mystical eyes, crossed his legs and whispered an incantation under his breath. His body began to sweat and his skin took a deathly pale hew. His maw widened beyond natural means with a resounding crack. With a free hand he reached into his elongated mouth and removed a smoking, transparent orb. With another loud crack his mouth returned to it's correct position, a visible jolt of pain spreading all along Faust's visage.

"This should contain the necessary information. Now, I simply need the key words." Faustus rose and went in search of his companions to find out what they had discovered.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Bastian looked at the letter Breaker held up, read it for a moment then said "This is the freshest?"
The vampire nodded, so Bastian nodded as well. "We should check out the address on the envelope. It could help. We also need to do some digging, and some of it is inside the latest victim's noggin."
Everyone looked at him strangely, but Bastian was used to it. Few Guardians knew about the investigative tools at the disposal of a Guardian. "A Collar of Desolus is needed. It basically lets us look inside a dead person's mind...see what they saw in the first few minutes leading up to the death."
Bastian tapped his communicator twice, once to activate it and the second to make a loud, audible thump to get the attention of his team. "If Faustus is listening; could you collect a Collar of Desolus and bring it to the 8th Precint. That's where the body is being held. Thank you."

"Everyone else, lets go for a walk."

~~~

 

[tobi the good boy]

Faustus was marching through the hallways searching for the rest of the squad he was assigned to, with each stride came a buzz of excitement from the smoking spectral orb in his grasp. It was a spirit very similar to the one he had used during the assembly the night before. A reconnaissance spirit that stores information, however based on the sheer volume of knowledge to archive it required extra measures, Self possession.

How big is this library?

A faint ringing echoed from his left ear, it started off as nothing more than background noise and proceeded to evolve into distinguishable words. "If Faustus is listening; could you collect a Collar of Desolus and bring it to the 8th Precint. That's where the body is being held. Thank you."

Faust placed his middle and forefinger on a disk of metal that situated comfortable in the outer section of his ear and answered the call for assistance.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, I just need to finish up here" Faust released the pressure of his two fingers and continued scouring the columns of tomes for another 10 minutes before coming across one of the Guardian's that joined him in the courtyard.

"Guardian Kase?"

 

[Hussmann54]

Spoiler: OOC

Somebody post something!

 

[InfectedStar]

"Guardian Kase?" a voice asked surprising Seth and making him jump. He noticed it was none other than Faustus Black, "Yeah, something you need?" he eagerly replied. He had just woken to a quick nap prior and was quite startled when waking up in the library he once thought was empty; Kase slipped the Illuminomicon into his inside pocket and got up taking a nice brief stretch.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Spoiler: OOC

sry i didnt post. i was hospialized.

 

[tobi the good boy]

"Not much of a bookworm are you?" Faustus mused as he advanced towards his superior. A trickle of saliva ran from the corner of Seth's mouth to the tip of his chin, his clothes were dishevelled and his eyes drooped. Faustus made a subtle gesture and watched as the guardian wiped his features in recognition.

"I've finished scanning over the 26 volumes of Occult History And Lore , but I need some key words to help me sift through all the information. You come up with anything I could use?"

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

The house at 33 Westminster Road was a typical brown stone and peaked roof house. Probably contained four or five apartments. Bastian pulled the collar up on his coat and stepped to the door, knocking twice.

A middle aged woman answered the door and said "Yes. May I help you?"
"Guardians, ma'am. Were here about the recentest victim of the serial killer. The victim had a letter addressed here."
"Oh my. The only correspondence we get anymore is from mother's surgeon. Mister Van Diverson wasn't the victim, was he?"
"If he was a man in his late forties, thinning hair and heavy set...yes, he was the victim."
"You'd better come inside."

 

[InfectedStar]

Seth wiped his sleeve to his mouth. "Not much all, all I got on the grey maiden is that she was apparently some sort of cult leader and most of her followers were chronomancers, but I still can't figure out why the victim's wounds glowed green." He quickly glanced at Faustus, "Did you find anything about skull tokens or rituals of any sort?"

 

[MrJKapowey]

"Well, a name's always good. We've got Date of Death - 14th, Cause - Stab wounds to the chest, Name - 'Van Diversion', Profession - Surgeon but no motive..."

Harper sighed before following Bastian into the house.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

The woman sat them down and put a kettle on while she talked. She got right to the point, the woman's mother had cancer which had been surgically removed by Van Diverson. Unable to pay, her mother fell into debt with the Hellfire Club, which Van Diverson was a member, and served as a safe haven to hide from police when things got hot. The last person to stay had brought an object from Van Diverson's place. He only stayed a night and left in the morning on a train bound for Egypt. Whatever the object was, the woman didn't know, but she sketched an image like a nine pointed circle on the end of a rod. "Thats it. We haven't heard from Mr. Van Diverson since the 14th. Since you said he died that day, that would explain the lack of communication."

Bastian leaned back, hearing the kettle whistle and wound a small thread of fortunamancy out and the kettle shifted itself off of the stove to cool. The woman offered them all tea, Bastian accepted some. It was a cool day so far, he needed something to warm his hands. "Thank you for the information, miss. The tea is welcomed as well." Bastian took a sip. "Is there anything you can tell us about the types of people who came to stay here?"
The door burst open, and an out-of-breath young man came in. "Danny?" said the woman.
The young man stumbled in, gasping out "You gotta...help me maggie....police...dogs...whole nine yards..."
She sat him down, gave him some tea and shut the door "Are you OK? What did you do?"
"Yes, Mister Daniel. What did you do?" said Bastian, bringing his fingertips together.
Catching his breath he said to them "I was told by my superiors to snatch an item before it made its way out of the country. A certain artifact, part of some sort of key. I've got it, but a copper saw me and sent his dog after me."
Bastian nodded.
"I'm done with these Hell Fire blokes, maggie, they're too much trouble and they think too big of me. I'm gonna go back to working on my own."
"If I know the Hellfire Club, they'll make it hard for you to leave but they won't kill you. We can help you if we put you under our protection for a few days, to make sure they keep any word they give you. In the mean time, give us the key."
The young man unrolled a cloth to show ten colored rods. "I dunno what they open, but whatever is is must be real foolish."
Bastian nodded and took the cloth, rolling it back up.
There was a knock at the door. Maggie got up to answer but Bastian shook his head and unwound multiple threads of fate energy, winding them around the young man. He quickly faded from view, becoming hazy and insubstantial.
The police officer at the door asked if a young man, approximately five foot six with a moppish brown haircut had come inside. Bastian shook his head and said "Your dog's nose must be confused." and unwound more energy, creating a false scent trail leading away. "Poor thing might be sick."
"'Ee better not. 'Ees my livelihood, come on you old salt try again. Sorry to be bothering sir."

Bastian shut the door gently and said "Now the plot thickens...if only a little."

 

[MrJKapowey]

"Oh, brilliant. Does this mean we're harbouring a fugitive, or is he 'assissting us with our investigations'?" Harper sighed and shook his head.

Spoiler: OOC

We are with you, right? You told us we were going for a walk, so I'm guessing we're all here, if not then I'll blank out my posts.

 

[tobi the good boy]

Faustus raised his pulsating hand to eye level, scanning the white glowing orb that buzzed in his grasp. He waved his other hand over the sphere while whispering an almost silent incantation, as he did the shape began to contort and ripple. He methodically continued the ritual, his mobile hand moving as if on patrol.

Suddenly a painful shriek radiated from the wisp clutched in Faust's claws. With his free hand he drove his middle and forefinger into the heart of the spirit and watched as the glow began to fade and it returned to it's spherical form

"Let's find out." Faustus replied bringing his fingers to lips and taking a deep breath.
"Grey maiden. Chronomancers. Green glow. Tokens. Rituals." He recited before a foul cracking noise reverberated through the halls. His Jaw widened to unnatural proportions and he proceeded to devour the small spectre. Moments afterwards his eye's began to flicker and a white smoke began seeping from the sockets. His back arched in pain and his fellow guardian rose from his seat to aid but Faustus simply pushed him away.

Seth returned to his seated position watching as Faust slowly overpowered the spirit that he had just forcibly possessed himself with. Through heavy breath's he rose and turned to face his superior.
"Alright, from what I've learnt: The tokens are linked to a ritual of sorts that revolves around the magic of Necromancy. It's apparently a Toll that is payed to cross over into the land of the dead, Ou'Rus. The next entry has something to do with finding some sort of Divine significance in death but likens it to crossing a River."

Faustus shook his head trying to compile the thoughts now running freely in his head, trying to damn the unnecessary images into his sub conscious.

"As for the glowing wound. Quintessence: A rare form of metalwork that leaves a sensitive Barium chloride mixture that reacts with air. It apparently has Magic nullifying abilities... And that a small sect of Light worshipers, The A- A- Annatang, Still forge and use the substance. They apparently abhor the use of magics."

Faustus keeled over and vomited a clear, smokey liquid onto the cold stone floor of the Library.

"I've got to go. I need to collect something called the 'Collar of Desolus'. Do you know of it?"

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

*snip*

Spoiler: OOC

Yes, we're all here.

"Now, Daniel...you are going to help us." said Bastian
"I am"
"Yes. We need to find out where the Golden Skull will hit next. I have a sneaking suspicion the Golden Skull is targeting people who have carried this artefact or ones similar to it. He's attempting to intercept something. So we are going to find out what."
"Well, I was supposed to give this to a pastor over at the Our Lady Church for safe keeping till tomorrow when it was supposed to leave. If he knows it's going there, he's no reason to suspect I've been waylaid. He'll still go there tonight, looking for it and kill whoever is supposed to have it."
"Then we are going there, as soon as we check a few things with the last corpse."
"What, are you going to ask it questions?"
"Something like that...come on lets leave. Thank you for the tea, miss."

 

[MrJKapowey]

Harper stood up straight from where he was leaning on the wall near the doorway. "Alright then, let's get moving..."

He opened the door and stepped out into the cold of the outside world, checking the hammer on his Colt as he did so. "Right, so we're running pre-emptive victim protection for a priest now... Don't think this psycho stands a chance..."

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Bastian stepped out with Harper. "Looks like it's a stakeout."
~~~

The police station was no less welcoming than the outside, they were ushered downstairs to a cold morgue. Their breath collected as a fog in the air. The body was pulled out for them and Bastian unzipped the body bag. "Faustus," said Bastian into his communicator "I am going to open and portal for you. Just step over with the collar. It should be hanging in the Tinker's Vault with all the other contraptions. Its the big leather belt with the red crystal eye."
As he waited, Bastian looked at the wounds and created some magical energy in his hand. The wound began to throb with green light. "So," he said, stepping away from the body "It really does glow."

 

[mcpop9]

"Bastion, would you like me to be in the water systems of the church? It will be useful to have someone inside if anything happens." Breaker said eyeing the body, weary of the glow. she had no interest in it because it was dead.
However, she was getting hungry and wanted to feed once again. Breaker was also slightly shivering from the cold.

 

[InfectedStar]

"Yeah, some sort of device that focuses the last few minutes before someone's death, did Bastian ask for it?" He got up out of his chair, "Oh, and next time warn me when you do that crap, it's just..." He froze for a moment, "Disturbing." Seth then extended a hand to help the younger man up, "Here c'mon I'll show you were we keep it."

They procceded down a unsettling corridor, opening a door to his right Kase signaled Faustus in and the two quickly aqcuired The Collar of Desolus. "If you're taking that to Bastian I'm gonna tag along, I've done enough reading to last me a life-time and besides, I got something to ask him."

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

"Breaker, you had best go ahead of us and stake out the church. Appraise me of the layout when we arrive. This is most likely going to be an interesting night. I need to know every cranny." said Bastian.

Bastian focused his energy along his right index finger and gently worked it in a small circle. The fate energies swirled, building a flat disc that slowly expanded in front of him. He concentrated only on the location the portals would connect and silently hoping nothing else would occur. The portal opened with a rush of air and the vault where all the tinkers and toys were kept was visible through the hole, the other side was an inky black miasma...
"There one nicely made portal. Quickly, before it closes."

 

[mcpop9]

Breaker stepped though the portal and found herself infront of large cathedral, it looked like it was straight out of the dark ages. Large arches spanning the sides of it were in place.
Breaker walked up to the front doors, they were large and wooden, when closed they formed the shape of a cross engraved into the wood.

She easily slipped underneath the door and looked around. At the far end of the church, there was the alter and the confession booths to its left. on the wall opposite the booths there was a doorway, presumable leading to the nuns and priests chambers rooms. there was a center isle and the pews were lined up in rows facing the alter, standard orientation for them.

Breaker walked over to and went inside of a fountain. she got access to the Church's pipe system there and found a vault underneath it for safekeeping of artifacts. she formed her head outside of the fountain and spoke though the communicator.
"I'm in place bastion, this place is something else though."

Spoiler: ooc

That ok? got caught up last night and forgot to post. if you need anything changed let me know.