FFD6 The Dicening, Group 1, Chapter 1, Mission 1

[phil_]

"Ok, if we're splitting up..." Bello looked around for a moment, "I'm taking the dragon." Here, he grabbed Jugan in both arms and held him to his chest. "We'll take the second floor, 'cause there's no way I'm staying down here and checking the morgue. Let's go, dragon."

Bello headed up the stairs to the second floor, followed by Ark. Well, Ark was probably following Jugan, not Bello, but whatever. Jugan was excited about this new turn of events, either way.

[Teal Mage]

Cowled and swathed within the nearly shapeless form of her cotton white robes, Arden followed a handful of paces behind the bulky and armor-clad form of Elsa. The White Mage kept her own counsel for much of their trip. When the harsh white hospital lights allowed it, her companions may have caught glimpses of the woman's stern and serious expression. Hidden by the broad sleeve of her robe, the mage's delicate hand gripped the handle of her simple handgun.

The sight of the corpse - and Elsa's report regarding its claw marks - had done much to set her on edge. Something, very clearly, was wrong.

And worse still, Arden had no idea what it was.

The group's progress through the third floor was not slow, though neither was it particularly quick. For much of that time, Arden only broke her silence when the group arrived at an intersection point of some kind, and even then, only long enough to set them in a new direction.

Eventually, after coming across - what appeared to be - a second, locked, elevator, Arden suggested that they return to meet with the others. Though they'd stumbled across the key they'd needed to unlock the - seemingly secret - elevator, something about what they'd found in that room, along with the keycard, made Arden hesitant to return there.

Especially when returning there would force them to touch one of those bodies.

While she didn't know what deathtrap they'd walked into, Arden was going increasingly certain of one thing. None of the bodies they'd stumbled across were really dead.

She just wished she knew whether or not shooting them while they were down would solve the problem. Or make it much, much, worse.

Uncertainty, she reflected, as made her way down the staircase they'd used earlier, on route to the first floor, is thoroughly vexing.

[Menarker]

Ark strode toward Bello who had kidnapped his companion with the impression of a rather annoyed parent. Sheathing his sword, Ark bent down and clenched the Tarut's collar, lifting him cleanly off the floor, turning the entertainer around. Jugan's mood was elated by the ride, but Ark paid no mind as it robotically stared at Bello and recited the data that ran through his mind.

"Violation detected: Unauthorized contact with dragon companion Jugan."
"Threat rating: Minimal with no detected hostile intent."
"Warning issued: Cease and desist future unauthorized contact."
Warning Amendment: Dragon behaviors unpredictable with occasionally life threatening results irrespective of age. Respective risks also present with Dragoons."
"Violators are fully responsible for all results that happen forthwith."

Ark then put the Tarut down, and proceeded toward the second floor with his blade redrawn, expecting the two to follow after him.

Stepping out of the stair case and onto the second floor the lights flicker slightly, enhancing the deserted feelings of the floor. There are a pair of hallways after leaving the stairs, one leading to your right past pediatrics and one in front leading past the O.R. storage area.

In the interest of a through search to find information or resources, Ark entered the storage room almost immediately, and some searching found nothing of real interest. Sterilized scalpels, tubing, doctor's scrubs in all sizes, antiseptic cleaners, etc. However, there appears to be nothing in the way of useful items.

Indifferent to this lack of discovery, the android proceeded down the hall further and turned left into the operating recovery area, where people were supposed to be waiting and getting better. A nurse's station here sports the corpse of the head nurse, and searching behind it reveals a few usable medical supplies. Namely a potion and a remedy.

The rooms, however, appear to all be empty. Not even a corpse in any of them.

Continuing through the oppressive silence, Ark steadily proceeded into the O.R. and I.C.U. proper. Moving through the rooms, there are a few corpses, still hooked up to machines, though there are no attending nurses, doctors, or surgeons. Where the city seemed to have far too many corpses, the hospital seems to have too few.

However, Ark examined carefully and salvaged a single hi-potion and an ether from an anesthesia machine left in one of the hallways.

Moving on, he entered the pediatrics ward. Here there are bodies. Small children laying in nearly every bed, each with a pained expression on their face. They did not go into the dark sleep of death peacefully. Ark examined the faces, comparing mentally to what data he had regarding the stable master's friend told by his allies. No matches... The dragoon then turned toward the entertainer, announcing his results and expecting a report in turn.

"Investigation yields no data."
"Resources found as follows: One potion, one high rank potion, one ether, one remedy."
"Proposed division of resources: You take potion, and ether. You also hold remedy on the contigency that I become unable to defend myself due to restrictive magical conditions."

Ark then slowly started moving back to the stairs, expecting to meet up with the group they had split up from.

[Bard The 5th LW]

As the split up began and Raltz and Kole began their investigation beggining with the morgue, and Raltz found something that had been very pervasive in their search of the town. Dead People. However, these were genuine corpses, mostly elderly folk. They were all tagged as well. He figured that with the town gone, he'd make a search for supplies. All he found in the morgue was a singular revify though. He opted to keep it on his own person.

He and Kole proceeded to move on to the offices in search of anything else, and were met with more dead people. The two took the time to scan over medical records and other papers, but he couldn't find anything important. He considered holding onto them anyways, but it would be more logical to use the space for any supplies he could find.

The nurse's station held a much more prodigious gain however. A search yielded 2 more potions, 2 antidotes, and some craftsmen tools for healing. He kept the fast acting items, the potions and antidotes, on his person once more, but he didn't care to keep the tools on him as he was losing space. "Are you any good with these... Kole is it?" he said, displaying the tools to Kole, "if so you can hold onto them. Otherwise I think we are about done. Do you have any disagreements?"

[IHateMakingNames]

Kole, was usual, was nervous when searching through the ground floor. He chose a group that did not include the evil Dark Knight, so that was off his shoulders, but things were not right here. Everywhere else had been filled with bodies, but this level had only a few bodies. One could only assume something was going around and picking up the bodies on this floor. So Kole had his weapon would ready to fight that things that clearly existed off.

Kole let Raltz take all the supplies they were finding. The blue mage already had emergency potions on his person, and if he's incapacitated he cannot use them anyway. But if another person has them, the items can be used on him.

However, the craftsman tools Kole wanted. Since vehicles tended to crash or monsters would explode, Kole had gotten good at making quick patches and doing first aid. This tools would help him out even more so.

"I can use these." He mumble as he picked up the healing tools. Kole hadn't really been interested in talking to his search partner. He was too busy wondering about the Red Mage's gender to bother.

And with that he headed towards the stairs to meet with the rest of the party.

[Teal Mage]

After the group had reconvened at the base of the stairs, Arden had wasted no time in informing her companions of the mysterious (locked) elevator they'd discovered on the third floor. Receiving little in the way of alternative paths of inquiry, the White Mage collected her six companions and lead them back to the third floor of the hospital. Acquiring the apparent keycard from the hospital administrator’s corpse without incident, the group soon found itself inside of the - formerly - locked elevator. With only one button to press, there wasn't much need for discussion. The descent was entirely uneventful - thankfully.

When the large double doors opened a second time, the group found themselves in another hospital floor, similar to the one they had just left. There was an aura of unfinishedness about this place, patches of unfinished construction were visible. Directly across from them was another room, unfinished pieces of cybernetic hardware was visible from there position, though little else about the chamber was.

A long hallway led off to the the group's right, with a directory hanging above their heads. Arrows indicated that down the hallway was a morgue, an operating room, a room for data storage and analysis, and a room enigmatically titled the Necroeanimation.

This, clearly, was the place they had been searching for.

"Well," Arden offered, looking down the hallway, "I think its safe to assume the Data Storage and Analysis room is where we'll find out mission's objective." She glanced back toward her team, "I'm going straight there - Bello," Arden's green eyes went to the Taru, "you'll either need to come with me, or give me the data disk so I can start the download."

She returned her gaze to the rest of her team, "If any of you would like to investigate a different chamber, please say so now. I think it would be best if everyone split into teams of - at minimum - two as well."

"So?" She concluded, crossing her arms, "How do you lot want to go about what's left of this mission?"

The time for discussion was now!

[Menarker]

After rejoining with the group at the bottom of the stairs, Ark regained the lead role of vanguard, following Arden's guidance toward the elevator. As the doors opened, Ark's attention was on full alert as always, but paid special notice to the room with cybernetic hardware. He continued to lead the rest of the group for a while until they found some of the other rooms.

"If any of you would like to investigate a different chamber, please say so now. I think it would be best if everyone split into teams of - at minimum - two as well."

"So?" She concluded, crossing her arms, "How do you lot want to go about what's left of this mission?"


Ark was silent for the briefest moment and then stated pragmatically and firmly,

"Chosen location: Cybernetic Department"
"Quotation from client as follows regarding the possibility of a clandestine organization: "Currently they are known as 'Case File 576-B, Unknown'. We've been tracking a variety of weapons, grafts, and medical supplies. They've been purchased by various buyers and each funneled to a small number of locations--most without any known residents to receive them. Maris, however, was an exception in that there was a city there.""
Mission Objective Consideration: Affixing and selling grafts is considered a crime. Increased possibility of hospital being used as a front to justify the use of medical supplies which is instead redirected to affixing grafts. Proof of the existence of these grafts has high probability to contribute to mission objectives of providing evidence to the Council of Four regarding the possible involvement of the organization in Maris.
"Additional consideration: Cybernetics components serve to boost the combat and survival parameters of androids such as myself. Boosts in such parameters will increase success rate of current mission and those subsequent."

Ark took one big step toward that room, Jugan jumping to its feet getting ready to follow its master, growling playfully as it looked at the rest of the group.

[Riin Whitewind]

Jhennek peeked out from behind one of Ark's legs, which she had used as an erstatz transport. Unwrapping her arms from the chassis, the childlike Tarut stood with a little spin, ending her rotation beside the commanding figure of the White Mage.

"I'll go with you again!" Jhen's enthusiasm bubbled over into her voice.

"I'll follow you as long as you keep leading me to wonderful, wonderful research." Staring dreamily off into the distance, she raised her small hands to her cheeks and smiled. Research.

One of the over-bright lights above them reflected off the strange ring, one half of a life, spinning lazily on her raised wrist. The smile wilted a little, remembering her promise. You deserve to be found, too! Just like the research. I will keep looking, no worries. Fussing with her hat, the mage ignored the ramblings of Ark. Grafts were nowhere near as important as research! The knowledge one could gain...

[phil_]

"I'm coming, Arden. As much fun as hanging out with Ark is, I've had about enough of this place." Bello took a place at the White mage and Jhennek's side.

[IHateMakingNames]

Kole was waiting to see which group would become bigger. The bigger party would be more likely to fight off the pending attack, thus he would go with that group.. They were in a deserted town filled with corpses, yet nothing bad has happened yet. Clearly something foul would happen soon. At this point Kole wouldn't even care if the Dark Knight was in his group. Maybe the traitorous attack would happen to the group she isn't with, in some kind of divide and conquer plan.