They Walk Among Us: Game Thread

[hiei82]

[HEADING=1]They Walk Among Us[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]Chapter 1: A Tight Spot[/HEADING]

I have set up a Skype group for those interested. Please PM me your skype ID and I'll invite you to the group. Now, without further delay, Game Start!

[hr]

[HEADING=1]The Boston Globe; September 23rd, 2018[/HEADING]

[HEADING=2]Boston Police Deny Rumors of Serial Killer in Northend[/HEADING]

Evidence suggests "Unconnected - if similar - cases" says Commissioner Daniels in press release.

In a release to quite recent rumors of a serial killer walking the streets of Boston's North End, Commissioner Daniels - speaking on the behalf of the BPD - stated that rumors of the illusive serial killer were "highly exaggerated". This statement was made in response to recent public outrage over the "leak" of classified police department records that seven deaths over the last month featured the same suspect. Daniels did not deny the veracity of the leak, but did say that the information was taken out of context.

"Each of the seven cases listed describe a similar suspect-" Daniels said, before adding "- A large Caucasian man in a white coat." He went on to say that while the Boston Police Department cannot discount the possibility of these crimes being connected - as the seven cases are all still under investigation - the investigations have yet to yield any evidence to suggest the deaths were related.

Addressing the leak itself, Daniels stated that the leak came from an "overeager, young detective [seeing] connections where there were none." He continued to state that the North End is one of the more dangerous areas of Boston and residents should be wary when in the neighborhood at night, but that it is no more dangerous than normal. He said that the BPD would be searching for holes in its information security procedures following the so-called leak, per Federal Policy.

The Globe's own investigation has so far turned up no additional evidence to refute the commissioner's claim. Following the press release, public polling has shown a 23% drop in the fears of the so-called "North End Ripper".

Further information will be posted as it becomes available.

-James Williams, Reporter, Boston Globe.

[hr]

[HEADING=2]Cleveland Circle C - Green Line, 10:30[/HEADING]

"You will take the 10:30 train to Park Street Station. Tickets are attached to this text. Await further instructions."

This was the standard procedure for most assignments. Agents are kept in the dark about as much of the operation as possible. Not knowing means that, no matter what the entities are capable of, the operation cannot fully be compromised. Jackson walked to the turntables, held up his phone to a QR scanner, and was let in without a hassle. He waited at the platform, got onto the train as it pulled to the station three minutes late, and sat in a seat.

"I wonder if I will have time to see a performance at Symphony Hall..." Jackson thought.

Jackson Clark spent the next few minutes reading the NBWDAC's wonderful piece of fiction running in the Globe. It was all certainly believable but highly unlikely given the nature of his job. It was three stations to Park Street when the man sat down next to him. He was a greasy little person; barely rising over 5 ft with short wet-looking jet-black hair thinning in places. He was bespectacled and wore simple slacks and a white dress-shirt stained with food-grease. His chest pocket had a pocket-protector in it and he carried a small, nondescript metal suitcase.

"Great weather we're having today Private. Sorry you're not going to have much time to enjoy it." he said offhandedly after a few minutes. They arrived at Park Station and the man stood and left with the crowd. Left behind was only the briefcase and a half dozen people.

[HEADING=2]Logan International Airport[/HEADING]

Father Daughtry folded up the paper and slipped it into his carry-on. It had been a long flight from The Vatican but neither he nor his "partner" had much time to rest. Most holy men flying states side only had to worry about how to best tend their flock; few had to consider the pleasures of fighting and killing demons.

Making their way to baggage claim, they waited nearly twenty minutes. When the carrousel started, the pair made their way forward - their bags were the first down the ramp; hunter's bags always seemed to have priority. It was just one of many perks of fighting the things that go bump in the night. After confirming their "Holy Relics" were in place, they exited the airport and into the streets.

[HEADING=2]A small rooftop cafe in Ashmont[/HEADING]

Victoria took a sip of her coffee. It was good coffee; her business associates always knew the best places in any given city. That most of them were extremely "exclusive" (read: expensive) was another thing entirely. After finishing with the Globe, she folded the paper and put it on the table. She'd have gotten up and left then and there, but she wasn't quite done.

Sesthine was busy nursing a "water" bottle, dressed in clothing which left everything to the imagination. The sun was going to be an annoyance today - at least for her vampire associate. After several more minutes, they were both done. Victoria paid and they were off to "acquire some samples"

[HEADING=2]Vessel in Boston Harbor[/HEADING]

As the morning fog cleared, the bright sun bounced off the shallow bay and the many large buildings in Boston proper into the eyes of the waiting harvesters. All said and done, it was a mediocre assignment at best; the demon couldn't be higher than type II if all it had done in a month was kill a few people. Therefore, it couldn't have more than a little useful flesh for augmentation. It was hardly worth a single mage's time.

Of course, they'd sent two harvesters - three of you counted one of the swords. Not that they'd been aware of this fact at first.

As the ship came to a stop, Customs came aboard to clear the vessel. The Cabal however had no fear of them; they had "special exemptions" courtesy of the alliance of factions. They'd even proven an aid by bringing in a local newspaper with more information on the events in the city. As it turned out, the alliance WAS occasionally helpful.

[HEADING=2]South Station Bus Terminal[/HEADING]

$175 and 23 hours later, he was in Boston. It had been a long ride from Chicago to say the least, but it was over. Even with his nearly-undead form, Randall Summers' muscles were stiff; such was the nature of trips. In retrospect, traveling by train might have been worth the additional price; at least then he'd have had the ability to move around enroute and he'd have had some level of privacy.

Pulling into the station, he grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment and waited until those ahead of him had left. Absentmindedly, he fiddled with the mystical medallion around his neck; comforted to have it, despite it being something of a curse. Eventually he managed to get off the bus, grab everything he'd stowed beneath the bus, and escape into the streets of Boston.

He'd come here on a tip from an old friend in the area who'd noticed some "strangeness" in the murders of North End. Glancing at the front cover of a Boston Globe through a Newspaper dispenser, it seemed obvious the tip was right. If the BPD were this on top of things, there had to be something wrong. Getting his bearings, he made his way into the city; it was time for a hunt.

[HEADING=2]The Boston Globe[/HEADING]

Jake tossed the most recent paper into the trash can; it was a hack job. Don't get me wrong; it would be effective. Most people would buy the story between the statements of the police and the Globe's own reputation for investigating beyond the official statement. The only people unlikely to buy it were the people no one would believe. What it lacked was finesse. It just regurgitated the official stance rather than guiding the audience to the conclusion the author wanted. He could have done so much better.

But then, he had the advantage of actually knowing the truth; he doubted the same was true of the journalist who wrote the trash. In any event, with the population blinded for the time being, it offered an opportunity. A chance to find the truth and bury it once more; and in his own backyard too.

Spoiler: Intel

All any of you currently know is that the creature is large, roughly humanoid, and extremely strong. It's moving around Boston's North End without being seen by some unknown method

 

[hiei82]

ignore

 

[DarkRawen]

Rain hardly cast a glance at the newspaper, it was clearly written by someone very ignorant. Naive. While he would never question the Cabal's decisions and teachings, he wondered if it wouldn't be better to just let everyone know what was going on, so that they could defend themselves better.

I suppose they wouldn't believe us. And, if some of the people I've seen is enough of proof, they'll probably not be able to handle it either way.

It probably was better that not everyone knew. They were born naive, or so he had been taught. Born naive, unable to see what was needed to be done. Still, it annoyed him to read about them dismissing it so... so easily. To him it was obvious, natural, logical, yet they didn't even acknowledge that the was the same culprit in every case.

I'll help, though. That's why I'm here.

It was a sunny day, hardly the right kind of weather to go hunting in. Rain preferred the evenings and the nights, that way he could draw as little attention to himself as possible. Now he had to walk around in broad daylight, wearing mostly blacks, and while he was mostly confused about what "emo" was, he'd rather not have another teen walk up to him and ask him if he was in that kind of band. He looked at Adrian, the very tall, dark man wouldn't help either.

I don't think there's a need to go together.

They'd talked a little during the boat-trip, but Rain preferred to work alone. It meant he wouldn't have to talk to anyone, and that kind of thing always ended up going wrong in one way or another. Besides, none of the others -Adrian and the sword- seemed very intent on being social either, which he had to admit had been a bit disappointing considering he had spent an hour thinking about just how to introduce himself on the ship.

It doesn't matter, I'm not here to socialize, and there's hardly a need for both of us.

"I'm going to go to this north end. You do what you want to do."

That was all he said, before he got his rather large guitar case -with his sword safely places inside- and started walking off, not stopping until he realized that he didn't really know where he was. He'd never been in Boston, after all, it was a rare case for him to be out of Europe at all. Not only that, but it was loud, and there was a little too many people for his liking. Not as much nervous as simply inconvenienced, he went up to a random person and spoke, examining them as he did;

"Where is the North End? I have no time to waste," he asked, his voice cold and clear. He knew that it might be a bit rude to talk like that, but it was too late to correct his tone, and only added a; "Please," which ended up sounding kind of sarcastic. He sighed, but ended up just waiting for a reply.

 

[IFS]

Randall grumbled quietly to himself and stretched slowly, feeling his joints creak, then shook himself trying to get some life back into his form. He tucked the medallion back away under his coat, under his balaclava his mouth creased into a grim smile for a moment, whatever this thing was it would find him much harder to kill than its previous victims. He studied the paper intently as he walked, his smile quickly fading, it felt like it had been a lifetime since he'd last set foot in Boston but he remembered the North End had never been the best neighborhood. And of course this thing hunts at night, when the streets are already at their worst.

He folded up the paper and tucked it into his pocket as he began walking at a brisk pace towards the North End, hopefully some locals might have more answers for him. If not then he'd just have to wait through the night for it, maybe even set himself out as bait. He wasn't about to talk to the police quite yet, there were things he preferred to see with his own eyes first.

Besides, there might be other hunters already there, I'm not about to let them beat me to the punch here.

He soon arrived at the North End, and spent some time touring the area, getting a feel for the layout of the streets, as well as drawing some unwanted attention. His manner of dress, while necessary to conceal his condition, did make him look rather suspicious after all. He doubted he'd find much during the day with other people milling about, but he kept his ears and eyes open regardless.

After wandering the streets for a bit he decided he had enough of a feel for the area to start asking questions, choosing one of the passers by to approach. He chuckled quietly to himself as he saw the woman staring at him, no doubt due to his attire, but composed himself before speaking and approached with his hands in plain view.

"Excuse me," he said, his voice gruff but his words polite "Do you live around here? I was wondering if you'd heard anything about the recent deaths, I'm a detective you see, working to assist the police. Any information would help, any strange sightings or odd noises, things like that."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

+ Father Daughtry +​

The flight to Boston was largely uneventful, with Shaun making several awkward attempts at idle conversation at various points but ultimately abandoning the idea in favor of a quick briefing regarding their assignment. The fact was, he was bad when it came to people. So, when they disembarked with his carry-on in hand, he was relieved to see their bags and other items came down the baggage claim ramp in short order. Reaching forward, he handed his partners bags to him, then took his own baggage, which included a long wooden pole with a brass cross headpiece.

Each bag and the staff included a tag which entitled them to special dispensation, all thanks to the Vatican.

Though they garnered a few looks for it, Shaun in particular, most people seemed to shrug it off thanks to his Catholic priests garb. Making their way through the airport and out onto the beginning of the streets, they were met by an airport valet, holding the door to a nondescript black sedan open for them. With a nod, Shaun opened the trunk and loaded both his and his partner's luggage inside, then hesitated. As it was, he wasn't sure Hugh had learned how to drive, but he decided that it was best to play it safe, so he slipped into the drivers seat himself.

Then he pulled out the tourists map of Boston, handed it to Hugh and started the drive out of Logan International Airport.

"If you could, make sure I'm going the right way, could you? We need to get to the North End. That's where this demon seems to be active." he said after clearing his throat awkwardly.

"So, remind me of what we know, just to make sure." he added a little more firmly.

 

[Mestizaje]

Victoria stepped into the elevator down to the first floor, where her driver waited. They knew to head to the North End of Boston, after that it would be a simple matter of tracking down the creature by sniffing it out, literally, and then have Sesthine fight it. Maybe they'd be able to find it fast enough, and then wait for evening to arrive before any of the rabble even realized where it was.

"Fucking sunshine and week-old blood. I feel like one of those whiny miniature humans when you force me to drink out of a bottle." Sesthine muttered behind her veil, loud enough for her to hear, but luckily they were alone in the elevator as it sped down towards the first floor.

"Babies." Victoria said, straightened her suit, and tried to appear calm; Even though she was stuck in a closed area with her own devil. Any mention of blood made her uneasy when they were alone.

"Hmm, they call them babies and baby, just like in those songs of yours when refering to a female?" Sesthine turned ever so slightly towards Victoria, which made her take a step backwards away from her.

The elevator let out a ping, and then the doors opened to reveal the ground floor. Victoria stepped out of the elevator quickly, and felt Sesthine laugh at her. It was an eery feeling.

They headed towards the limousine parked outside. Sesthine attracted enough attention when they were among people with her garbs that Victoria didn't worry too much for her own life. At least they'd think she was nothing more than eccentric wearing that during hot days. Maybe some would consider her religious, or part of a cult in particular. The vampire wouldn't risk exposure and loss of value by attacking her openly, she hoped, even prayed at times. Not that she was religious herself, but more because it was said that it might keep such creatures as Sesthine at bay.

Victoria told the driver waiting outside where they wanted to go next, and stepped into the darkness of the limousine when he opened the door for them. The windows were tinted on this one, at her request. She'd enjoyed the privacy before too, but now it had become a necessity.

She sat down in the back, while Sesthine removed her veil, pulled back her hood and laid down on the seats along the side of the car. The majority of the inside was not seats either way. She put her feet up on the support for them, in front of her, so that she would be comfortable while checking her phone for any messages.

It was quiet in the limo during the drive to North End. Victoria stared out the window, having decided to put her phone away for now. Sesthine seemed to be asleep, laying with her arms over her chest. Once they arrived, Victoria ordered the driver to roll down one of the windows in the back just a little, but still enough for Sesthine to pick up any trail if there was one to be found. Victoria pulled at their bond to wake the vampire.

"Mmm, yeah, it's faint but there." Sesthine mumbled, keeping her eyes closed. "Let's scout the area."

Victoria ordered the driver to drive slowly around North End, and to stop whenever she wanted too, but not turn the car off.

"Hope you pay this one more, so he doesn't bail on us or die for nothing. You know, like the one who was split in two and stringed up in the air between wires." Sesthine muttered, quietly, but it was easy to hear anything she said when they were bound together.

Victoria thought about telling her to be quiet, then opted to increase the man's pay as suggested.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

The story clearly was NBWDAC's work, he briefly wondered if they forced them to run it or the agencies had connections directly within the paper. He hoped people really were buying it. Civilians often got in the way or got themselves killed. It did give him some information to work with. Whatever the thing was, it appeared as a man in white. It was killing people, but not outright trying to slaughter them in broad daylight, so it either wasn't that powerful, or had reasons to be discreet. However, it does prove it's intelligence.

A man sat down next to Jackson on the train. Jackson was betting it was his contact.

"Great weather we're having today Private. Sorry you're not going to have much time to enjoy it."

Jackson mentally sighed. "Best get it done wit, in that case," he though as he picked up the briefcase and headed out the station into the park.

It was a sunny day. Jackson walked into the park, and found a bench away from the hikers or anything he suspected people would stick around to stare at. He put down his "hiking pack", opened up the briefcase and looked at what was inside.

 

[Redryhno]

While the flight may have largely uneventful for the Priest, for Hugh, it was his first time flying, and all the fun little experiences that come with it. He could easily say it was one of the worst experiences of his life afterwards however, ships rocked, and the ground could easily quake and break apart beneath your feet, but flying was....a whole new level of terrifying the more he thought about it. But he did quite enjoy the entertainment that came along with the flight that took his mind off the fact that he was in a tin can with giant windmills flying around.

When Father Shaun and he weren't going over what they'd been told to expect in Boston, his bright blue eyes were stuck to the screen and didn't move, and it wasn't until halfway through it that he realized that everyone else on the plane had headphones to listen to it. After reaching into his wallet and pulling out what he believed to be the correct amount for said headphones, he plugged in and sat transfixed in wonder and amazement at the Marvel before him.

Eventually the movie ended and their plane set down in Boston, their bags were collected, Hugh simply his shoulder satchel and a small case with his weapons inside, and the quaint metal-detector he'd been forced to remove the ring and cross from around his neck to pass through was fascinating, he hadn't been through anything of the sort before. He slipped them back on and beneath his buttoned shirt, making sure the cords were also hidden from plain view, their Order was more secretive now than ever, especially with the recent alliances.

Exiting the airport, a car awaited them, as well as the sound of a million horns,tires, engines, and people, slightly overwhelming for the young man having been raised in a boarding school near the Vatican, though thankfully a car awaited them at their arrival, and though Hugh put his bag of necessities in the trunk willingly, he did not so willingly set his case of weapons beside them, but climbed into the relative silence of the car happily. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, and with nervousness came major annoyances. He sat in the car, however, he fully opened and closed the door three times before slamming it closed, and then tapped the seat belt either side of the locking mechanism twice before finally snapping it in. A deep breath and scratching of his left hand later, he was calm again.

They began to drive off and Father Shaun Daughtry gave him a map for their journey to their destination.

"So, remind me of what we know, just to make sure."

"Type-II, possibly Type-III humanoid, large, strong enough to cause more than enough medium coverage," He said confidently, if not completely clearly, he was still learning the small things that came with speaking English regularly, and his mixed accent was still quite noticable,"Possibly using the waste system to move around, many things are unknown about this particular demon, and Mother Church has far too many records for us to accurately identify it without more information."

He spread out the map on his lap, and attempted to find the right directions for them, though it was a much more detailed map than the ones he had been shown in his training, and it took him a few minutes to decipher it, though he finally found the best way by the time they exited the airport parking lot.

As they drove, he found himself looking out the window at the sights as they passed them, billboards, construction sites, advertisements aplenty, so many things that were seen in Italy and Jerusalem, but nowhere near the size or scope of these here.

 

[Drummodino]

Adrian strapped Eligos to his back and donned his coat, leaving only the hilt visible above his shoulder. Carrying an obviously demonic artifact through a bustling city in broad daylight didn't seem like the wisest plan, but he wanted it easily accessible in case of emergency. Putting on his sunglasses, Adrian checked his appearance in the mirror to make sure his augmentations weren't visible. Satisfied, he stepped out of the cabin and headed up to the deck.

It was amazing how little Boston had changed since Adrian had last visited... six years ago? Even with the presence of the supernatural, life seemed to continue as always. Briefly skimming the newspaper he'd been given, he snorted. It was useless, not telling him anything he didn't already know. Tossing it aside, he glanced at his colleague. He didn't quite know what to make of the quiet man, but he did seem to know his way around that sword of his. They hadn't talked much on the trip which had suited Adrian just fine, he wasn't one for pointless chit chat.

"I'm going to go to this north end. You do what you want to do."

With those parting words, Rain departed the boat and headed into the city. Watching him take a wrong turn, Adrian shook his head and sighed. Striding after the man, he caught up to him just as he approached a civilian.

"Where is the North End? I have no time to waste,"

"You're going the wrong direction Rain. North End is this way," Adrian interjected, pointing back over his shoulder. "Let's go, probably not wise for you to run around solo if you don't know the city."

 

[Terratina.]

Sea travel...

The trapped demon quickly grew to hate it ever since he had encountered the damn thing. The bobbing of the boat taunted Eligos, sometimes the sword itself slid to and fro as the sea churned and with it came the reminder that he could not walk freely in the human world nor walk at all. It was like being stuck in that Cabal Vault for centuries all over again, except with the irritating matter of the damn bobbing. Not like being carried everywhere was any better. Nor was the next assignment: find monster, kill monster, yadda, yadda, yadda. However, that was just a molehill of monotony compared to the mountain of gathering dust with nothing but stone carvings to look at. In fact, part of Eligos relished the prospect of sinking his tendrils into something unworthy of its very flesh.

Speaking of which...

The other human was being as droll as ever - asking for directions like a lost child. Simply embarrassing. The once-proud Cabal reduced to asking peasants like the headless chickens, like tourists. Eligos didn't think much of his sword, either. To him, it was simply a crude chunk of metal the boy swung around and hit things until they fell down - no finesse. While Souldrinker was but a metal prison, its craftsmanship was easily superior. The demon doubted whether what Rain called a sword could hold the soul of an imp, let alone The Great Duke of Hades. Of course, Eligos only had half-remembered recollections to go off, but the pride that still endured was clearly one of someone great. Hunting one monster? Try bringing sixty legions under your heel.

Regardless, Eligos chose to continue his silence. Let the humans do the work, wouldn't want the sheep to know the wolf is among them and all that.

 

[Lotus_Gait]

For a time, Jake allowed himself to wander the Boston streets aimlessly as his brain considered the best course of action to take. He was loathe to head straight to North End and try to find any witnesses willing to talk - let alone reliable ones - but needed trustworthy answers in order to best cover the truths. The police definitely wouldn't give up any names of witnesses, not even to a world-reknowned journalist. That only left one other option...

Jake focused on where he was and found himself stood outside The Boston Globe offices - just across the street from where he'd dumped the newspaper. Surely other journalists - no matter how ill-informed - would point him in the right direction? But Jake knew they wouldn't. The last few years had lost him a large number of friends amongst his journalistic peers - many believing that the stories he wrote had "more to them". And they were right. But that wasn't something Jake could admit, for his own safety - and the possibly world's sanity.

Either way, most uninitiated journalists considered Jake a "sell-out", and accused him of forgetting exactly why he had become so popualr in the first place. But Jake hadn't forgotten, he could never forget about the desire to pursue truth... which is why he thought of his current situation as a terrible tragedy.

With these thoughts rolling through his mind, Jake frowned as an idea suddenly burst though his melancholy. Part of the paper's article came back and sat shining in his mind as a great place to start his investigation.

"overeager, young detective [seeing] connections where there were none."

As he mumbled the words over and over again, Jake quickly realised that he needed to speak to this "overeager, young detective" very quickly. He hailed a nearby cab and told the driver to take him - with haste - to the Boston Police Department.

Watching the Boston streets slip by, only one thought remained in Jake's mind as he unconsciously fiddled with his phone.

This was going to be a long, terrible week.

 

[DarkRawen]

"You're going the wrong direction Rain. North End is this way. Let's go, probably not wise for you to run around solo if you don't know the city."

Rain turned around to look at Adrian, before frowning. This was shameful, even embarrassing. Him, a Cabal member, getting lost? And even more so, a fellow, older Cabal member having to point that out for him?

What a fool I must look like. At least the demon in the sword can't comment on it in public.

Especially since he had insisted on going ahead on his own, only to get lost a few minutes later. His first instinct was to make up an excuse, and he did, all while glaring at Adrian with a sullen look in his eyes.

"It's just because of the boat trip, it disoriented me slightly," he replied, sharply, feeling his face getting warmer, and the almost tingly feeling of embarrassment spreading. He turned away, though his face was already fairly red when he did, his pale skin making it rather obvious. "I'm not lost, I've just never been here before. I am capable of getting around on his own." With a sigh, he continued. "However. I'll go with you for now, if only so that we'll get there as soon as possible." His voice had turned less hostile at this point, and he looked back towards Adrian, ready to follow him.

At least now I won't get lost again.

Part of Rain wanted to add that he wasn't annoyed with the other, or that he was thankful, but then he'd probably seem even more stupid than he already did. Besides, they had to get going, a hunt was a hunt, finding their target as soon as possible was the goal.

"Lead the way, then."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

+ Father Daughtry +​

Shaun listened as his partner Hugh went over the intel that the Vatican had given them, even as he kept his eyes on the road and drove easily despite the crowded streets.

"Type-II, possibly Type-III humanoid, large, strong enough to cause more than enough medium coverage. Possibly using the waste system to move around, many things are unknown about this particular demon, and Mother Church has far too many records for us to accurately identify it without more information."

He had to give Hugh credit: He was certainly thorough, and better versed in the various types of Demons than he was. Then again, that was to be expected. Hugh knew about the Knights Templar practically from the beginning, whereas Shaun had been a priest first, and only learned about the Templar much later.

"Very concise, but lets not forget that this demon attacks at night, making it nocturnal." he said quietly.

"So, how do you want to go about hunting this demon, Hugh?" he asked, glancing over and then frowning as he noticed his partner looking out the window and asking, "You, uh, are making sure we're going the right way, right?"

 

[Drummodino]

"It's just because of the boat trip, it disoriented me slightly," he replied, sharply, feeling his face getting warmer, and the almost tingly feeling of embarrassment spreading. He turned away, though his face was already fairly red when he did, his pale skin making it rather obvious. "I'm not lost, I've just never been here before. I am capable of getting around on his own."

Adrian raised an eyebrow at Rain's rather pathetic excuse. Standing there sullenly, red-faced and glaring up at Adrian, he gave the impression of a petulant child. There was little shame in getting lost in an unfamiliar city, yet there most certainly was in getting defensive when someone pointed it out.

"However. I'll go with you for now, if only so that we'll get there as soon as possible."

"Okay Rain, let me tell you two useful pieces of information. One, weak-ass excuses like that make you look petty and juvenile. Two, if you continue to act like a child, I'll ditch you and finish the job myself. Eligos and I could handle this ourselves, but I'm doing you a favour and allowing you to tag along. You're supposed to be a member of a proud and ancient organization, start acting like it. Now come."

Finishing his rebuke, Adrian turned and marched northwards, not checking to see if Rain followed. There were a fair number of people in the streets, but crowds tended to part around Adrian. Being a hulking giant of a man had its perks from time to time.

 

[Redryhno]

"You, uh, are making sure we're going the right way, right?"

"Hmm?," Hugh said absentmindedly, watching the ships enter enter Boston as they drove over the bridge above the harbor,"Uh, yeah, we just keep on this McClellan highway, exit off onto the Nine-Three until we hit Atlantic Avenue, follow that until we begin turning west, Sixth turn on our - " He began to hold up his left hand, but stopped the action with his other hand, then hold up his right," - Passenger right. Should put us right in the heart of the North End, we can get to the scene from there pretty easily."

"Standard hunting procedure I suppose, we don't know what manner of Demon we're going after or even its potential strength after all. Look for anything it's left behind and try not to draw attention right?"He said somewhat timidly, but gained confidence as he continued,"Shouldn't be too difficult, I understood this Boston had a large population of believers in the Church. Unfortunately we can't conduct a quiet investigation, the other organizations mentioned in the folder we received from our superiors in the Vatican'll be snooping around too, if they haven't beaten us to this Eradication first." He screwed his face up into one slightly annoyed at that thought, the other organizations in the alliance were bothersome according to what he had heard about them, the Cabal the worst offenders and the least likely to be amiable.

He moved around in his seat as they entered into mainland Massachusetts and the small jump from leaving the bridge behind. Once getting himself comfortable, he shrugged himself out of his jacket, it was a little warm in the car anyways, though he was careful to keep the cords hidden beneath his shirts, though there was a small bulge from the ring itself. Exhaling, his face went back into its normal wonder as he caught out of the corner of his eye the location of an aquarium on the map they'd picked up at the airport.

"You think they'd allow us to go to the Aquarium while we're here,"He mumbled, the voice of a child arriving back in his accent," Father Daughtry?"

 

[Lotus_Gait]

The cab pulled up inside the Boston Police Department's imposing shadow. Jake climbed out after paying the driver, his phone held to the side of his head.

"Yeah, I got here safely." His sigh was weary, a clear sign that he'd been over the point numerous times in the conversation. "The hotel's great, but it's just a place to sleep. I'm gonna spend most of my time chasing leads out on the streets." Jake paused, allowing the other to speak. "Ooooh..." his voice became vague and airy as if insure how to respond, "some murders, I told you that. Yeah I'll be careful. Right, I gotta go. I'll ring later this evening. Love you." With that, Jake hung up and raked a shaky hand through his messy hair.

Jake hated lying to his wife. Hated the secrets and the deceit and sheer pressure of carrying all these burdens on his own. He'd married Melissa in order to share everything with her, and they had done just that, up until the final days of 2013. the past six years had been hard to say the least. But he could never tell her the truth. He wanted to, of course, but the Consortium had made it clear that down that path lay oblivion.

Oblivion.

The word just brought all kinds of dread down upon Jake, creeping in like the evening shadows of a forest. Feeling his skin crawl, he shuddered, and moved forlornly into the police building.

The precinct was busy, with cops milling about or striding purposefully on some errand. Jake caught snatches of jokey conversation mixed with dispatch transmissions and the perpetual shrills of telephones. The place had a warm, inviting feel but also stank of an underlying professionalism; a cord of elastic pulled so tight, it could snap into violence given the slightest provocation.

Suddenly, Jake felt incredibly conscious of the gun inside his jacket.

After meandering through the throng, Jake came to what looked like a reception desk. A large man with a crew cut and hair-lip stared at the journalist over the rims of his small glasses. He cocked his head questioningly, but said nothing.

"The young detective who was on the case of the recent murders?" Jake began, hoping they'd give him an interview. "I have some information that I think he'll want to hear."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

+ Father Daughtry +​

Shaun was a little worried by Hugh's initial disinterested response, but when he immediately launched in the directions to get to where they wanted to go, he blinked in surprise. It was rather impressive, really, and he got a feeling it had to do with his more extensive training compared to Shaun's own.

Hugh went on to suggest they go with standard procedure: Investigate any evidence the demon left behind and keep vigilant for it's return, only to go on about the fact that there would be other groups looking for this same demon. Father Daughtry sighed softly and nodded at that. He was far from experienced when it came to inter-organizational cooperation, but he didn't like the idea of working together with Turned demons, or the Cabal, who were pretty much the next-best-thing. The Consortium or the Foundation didn't bug him quite so much, nor did the government-run organizations. Then again, he only heard about them from reports, and knew about them in theory. Working with them in practice was sure to be something else entirely.

However, Shaun was caught off-guard by Hugh's next question as they continued to drive to the North End.

"You think they'd allow us to go to the Aquarium while we're here, Father Daughtry?"

He smiled just a little at that and shrugged.

"Well, assuming we have time, maybe. The real problem would be making sure we don't use the mission account to pay for it. Can't imagine how we'd justify that to the Vatican, and as it is, I'm waiting on my next paycheck." he said apologetically, then he added, "But, if we can find a way, I don't see why not."

 

[DarkRawen]

"Okay Rain, let me tell you two useful pieces of information. One, weak-ass excuses like that make you look petty and juvenile. Two, if you continue to act like a child, I'll ditch you and finish the job myself. Eligos and I could handle this ourselves, but I'm doing you a favour and allowing you to tag along. You're supposed to be a member of a proud and ancient organization, start acting like it. Now come."

Hearing that made Rain's heart sink. Not only was it condescending, insulting him by calling him a child, but it was hurtful. He wasn't acting like a Cabal member? As if, that was the only thing he knew how to act like, being told off like this made him... sad. If he'd spoken up at that point, his words would have been vicious and direct, tell the other how wrong he was, insult him, then leave and do the job before Adrian and that sword-demon could even do anything.

This is unfair.

he thought, as he started walking, following the other.

I am just as capable as him. He's not allowing me to tag along anywhere, I was sent by the organization to do this job.

However, he didn't speak up at that time, only forced himself to calm down, stay cold. It wasn't as much his own will as it was pure habit and training, he wasn't allowed to insult or question older members of Cabal, regardless of status, strength, or skill, regardless of if he had spent his whole life within the organization. He pushed the sadness and his pride away -though, certainly not that well- and spoke.

"My apologies, sir," he said, with no irony or sarcasm in his voice or words. "I won't disappoint you again." How many times had he repeated those words? And how many times had he actually meant them, rather than speaking because he was supposed to?

It doesn't matter.

It didn't, if Cabal told him to do something, he did it. If an older member spoke, he was supposed to respect what they said, regardless of if he thought they were correct or not, regardless of if they were morons who didn't know what they were talking about. Then again, he'd been taught that he himself was naive and young, compared to everyone else.

Don't question what I'm told.

For some reason, that made him even sadder than he was before, though he certainly did not show it. Instead, he kept walking right behind Adrian, glancing over at the people who were avoiding the large man out of instinct and convenience. Rain tried to think of just what they were going to do, until he realized that whatever he thought didn't matter anymore, Adrian was his superior now, and was likely to ignore whatever Rain suggested.

I want this over with so that I can work alone.

Interacting with people or not, he liked being something more than just an accessory. Not that he could say that, because... because that was how things worked. If only the other hadn't been older than him, or a member of Cabal, then perhaps Rain could express the frustration he was feeling right now.

"What do you want us to do first, sir?" he instead asked. "Do you have a plan in mind?"

 

[Terratina.]

Boring. Boring. Boring.

Were they hunting a monster or having a stroll through Boston? For someone who had been locked up for hundreds upon hundreds of years, Eligos didn't have much patience. His excuse was that there wasn't much to focus on except himself, Mr. Drake and the lost little puppy, in addition to his own predicament, murky memories and the hunt itself. A large, strong humanoid monster who can get around unseen... The information they already had was too vague to go off. Obviously, that was why they were heading to the North End. At least the mutt was being reasonable. Thank goodness that Eligos appreciated Adrian's frank approach towards things, a weak wielder would just be pathetic.

'Souldrinker, why do I pretend that I am your soul, that you do have a soul?' The demon mused.

Swords: metal hammered and sharpened for the purpose of killing. Nothing just shaped lumps of smelted ore. Perhaps it was the way of some demons to trap lesser beings in inanimate objects - something which the Cabal picked up rather quickly from the looks of things - which caused Eligos to entertain the notion of being part of Souldrinker. Or maybe it was just the years of being trapped in it? He had gotten rather comfy, after all. Nevertheless, the demon wouldn't have to think of it as a prison, what with escape in sight and all. It would be soon, or at least 'soon' in terms of somebody who had waited so very long to be free. Of course, those somewhat romance notions, of being part of the sword, might just be part of the spell which had trapped him there.

Connect the conscience to the object and then gradually make it rooted to the object via emotional attachment - what a clever spell.

 

[hiei82]

[HEADING=2]North End[/HEADING]

North End was labyrinthine to say the least. The 400 year-old, thinner-than-average streets intersected and odd angles, connected further by innumerable twisting and turning alleys combined with the almost universal brick construction served to make the quarter all but unnavigable; even by Boston standards.

The number of people walking the streets was remarkable. For every two store fronts, there were three street vendors. The area seemed to be something of a massive open-market. Business was booming and there seemed to be something of a miniature celebration in the streets. If asked, any of the locals could tell you the reason: they'd been laboring under the fear of a serial killer for two days. The neighborhood might not have been any safer, but it certainly felt it.

Unfortunately, the celebration and the streets served to make vehicle traffic cumbersome at best and stalled at worst.

[HEADING=3]Randall[/HEADING]

"Excuse me, Do you live around here? I was wondering if you'd heard anything about the recent deaths, I'm a detective you see, working to assist the police. Any information would help, any strange sightings or odd noises, things like that." Randall must have asked the question a dozen times before he finally got something useful.

The person he questioned - an older gentleman of Irish decent - turned to Randall with eyebrows raised. In a thick Bostonian accent, he spoke up "Yah, I've lived heahe foah all my life. Sixty-two years! Don't see how it's any a this is yer business." he said before wandering off down a side street.

Before Randall could continue on however, a vendor began to speak "I heard somethin" the plain-clothed man said after serving a woman a cup of what appeared to be chowder. "A few nights ago I heard some grunting from an alleyway up off Hanover. Sounded like some kinda animal. When I went to look for it, I couldn't find it. Didn't make any sense on account the thing must've been big based on the sound."

[HEADING=3]Victoria[/HEADING]

It was slow going in the limo, but they made progress. Tracking the scent was extremely difficult between all the smells of food and the general city. Eventually, Sesthine lost the trail on the shore-side of North End.

[HEADING=2]Boston Police Department[/HEADING]

"The young detective who was on the case of the recent murders?" Jake began, hoping they'd give him an interview. "I have some information that I think he'll want to hear."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the officer he was speaking to smiled while the others began the chuckle. Turning around, the officer called back into the department proper "We got another one Chief." A few minutes later, an older woman made her way out into the greeting area. "Look here kido, as funny as this has been, we've got some real work to do. If you want to interview ex-detective Jones, he'll be around the corner, two streets down, and in the bar."

[HEADING=2]The Park[/HEADING]

The park was largely empty; apparently those who'd have been in it were off in some massive celebration somewhere toward the shore. Opening the briefcase, he found a few items of note. First was a small tablet. Turning it on, all it did was display a series of 23 red points; each scattered around North End and numbered. Pressing on each point displayed more details of what had occurred there. In addition, a handful of green points appear on the screen; each moving. A note inside read as follows:

Spoiler: Note

The tablet inclosed includes the locations of the murders currently believed to be associated with the target. A Foundation hunter managed to tag the beast about a week ago before it escaped. The tag appears to be damaged as it only transmits infrequently. While the hunter didn't get a close look, the creature is considered Type II or Type III and is larger than a normal human. It appears to be moderately intelligent as it's taken to wearing a cloak and collecting trophies. It partially eats its victims. The hunter in question noted that the creature may have once been human as it has proven to be extremely skilled at navigating Boston as though it had knowledge of the area.

The Foundation Hunter is still in the area but has elected not to share any further information or work with others for reasons unknown. In addition; two Knights, two Cabal, a pair of Consortium agents (not working together), and an independent are all hunting the same creature. The tablet will mark each of their locations as they become known.

The tablet inclosed is linked to notify and display whenever the tag is tripped.

Good hunting.

Spoiler: OOC

You know the location of Victoria, Hugh, and Shaun currently