Well that was quick.

Sorry for the lack of updates folks, but there's going to be a lot less of them in the future (as in: none). Unfortunately, real life started intruding last November, and I put the game on hiatus during the Christmas Holidays.

During that time I applied for a position with my company several thousand kilometers south of my currant location and wouldn't you know it? It looks like they're giving it to me.

So, it's been fun. The campaign has completely deviated from what I had originally planned (which is not a bad thing at all), but I have to close it down here. Sorry all.

Ciao.

Just One of Those Days

Quote of the Night: “You’re trying to think. That’s cute.”

-Kreshnik

The smell of bleach greets Viktor as he slowly returns to consciousness. Propping himself up as the remembers where he is, he can’t help but feel that he is lucky to be alive. Kreshnik groans and stirs beside him, but Jonas doesn’t move. Viktor stumbles to his feet and tries to scout around the area. Their small skiff is still docked, but the barge and all the medical supplies are gone, along with Kreshnik’s pistol and what little money that they had.

With little choice in what to do, they staunch the flow of blood from Jonas, hoping that the rags and stagnant water used to clean the wounds won’t cause too severe of an infection. They then drag Jonas into the skiff and slowly row their way back to Bankside, trying hard not to look like too easy a target.

Meanwhile, Josiah has decided that if Kreshnik isn’t back by sunrise then he and Firene are leaving. Going through Kreshnik’s home to find any supplies that they can, whey wait throughout the night.

All through the night, Kreshnik and Viktor row down the canals, finally reaching Bankside. They dock the boat, and sell it for a token amount. Viktor begins to haul the still unconscious Jonas to Kreshnik’s house, while Kreshnik limps to the Underground Market to inform The Fish that he has failed to hold up his end of the agreement.

Wounded as he is, Viktor still manages to get Jonas to the house just as dawn comes. Josiah and Firene are just leaving as he arrives. Much to Josiah’s consternation Firene still decides to stay and helps Viktor bring Jonas into the house. Using what little alcohol they have, they try to sterilize his wounds.

At the Market, Kreshnik finds The Fish’s assistant, Selma, who takes him in to see the big man himself, leaving them alone with the Fish’s two enormous bodyguards standing watch over their boss. Kreshnk explains that everything went poorly, and apologizes. Surprisingly, Willy is not visibly angry. Instead, he seems quite accepting of the situation. He dismisses Kreshnik with one more request – that he bring Firene by to see him some time soon. Puzzled and grateful that he’s still alive, Kreshnik leaves. On his way out, he notices Selma talking with a man. Kreshnik stumbles as he recognizes the man’s face – man that beat him into unconsciousness only a day earlier.

Arriving home, he curtly informs Firene that she’s going to see The Fish tomorrow, and then lapses into a deep sleep. Josiah shows the wanted poster and insists that he take Firene and run, but Firene, Kreshnik, and Viktor all refuse – Kreshnik because he promised The Fish, and you don’t fuck with a man like that; Viktor because Kreshnik promised The Fish, and you don’t fuck over Kreshnik like that; and Firene because hopefully the Fish might know why Arclight wants her, and sees little point in trying to evade them forever. During the night Josiah tries to get Firene to leave with him, but she again refuses. Disgusted, Josiah nonetheless remains with her.

By morning, Jonas is conscious – again. As a group, they take Firene to see The Fish. Willy cuts to the chase, showing the group a copy of the reward poster from Folly Hills, and then another one he found in Clearwater Break. The two posters are identical, except that Arclight is offering ten times more money to the people in Clearwater Break to find Firene.

The group immediately looks for a way out. Kreshnik makes a counter-offer. Surely, he insists, The Fish could make more money selling the information of Firene’s location to various Ghostfighters, Lostfinders, and Bounty Hunters around The City?

Willy smiles at the thought. He actually doesn’t need the £2000, that being a pittance compared to what he has at his disposal. Still, he does like the idea of human sport. Seeing as Firene’s protectors are for the most part near death, Willy decides to give them a one week head start. If they are caught before them, well, The Fish won’t lose too much sleep over it.

Shuddering, the group leaves to gather what little belongings they have and get ready to run

And If You Look Up, You’ll Notice Some Rather Large Rocks Falling Towards Us.

Kreshnik, Viktor, and Jonas wait in the small skiff, shivering in the night as they wait for the barge to arrive. Dawn greets the city and still they wait.

Eventually, they pick out one boat sailing down the canal. Slung low in the water, the barge is obviously carrying a heavy load. As it comes closer they can see the crates stacked high and four guards watch intently for danger, sparklocks at the ready as four more drudges row the barge through The City. Although he’s not entirely positive it’s what they’re looking for, Kreshnik reasons that it’s unlikely to be anything else and hails the guards, warning them of an ambush further up the canal, and they are supposed to make the exchange here.

The guards regard him slowly. They recognize that what Kreshnik is saying is more than possible, but it doesn’t sound quite right. When Kreshnik drops The Fish’s name as the source behind the ambush, however, the guards nervously dock their barge at the Old Bleach Factory to make the exchange.

On more or less stable land, Viktor examines the cargo, assuring that it is the medical supplies as promised. The guards regard the whole experience warily, keeping their sparklocks in hand, if not actively trained upon Viktor, Kreshnik, and Jonas. Examining a large bottle of unidentifiable fluid, Viktor lets the jar slip from his hands. As the glass shatters on the ground, the guards almost all instinctively turn to the noise. In that moment, Jonas strikes.

Two trained Ghostfighters against 4 low-paid guards at close range should be an easy victory for the trained killers, but Jonas is still recovering from his illness and the fight with Myles. As Jonas cuts the first guard, sparklocks fire. The booming of the primitive muskets echoes across Mire End, and the acrid smell of gunpowder fills the air. Jonas is hit in the Shoulder, while Viktor is gut-shot. Still, neither go down. What was intended to be a simple job – for both sides of the fight – has become much more lethal. After the initial barrage, there’s no time to reload, so the guards’ guns become primitive cudgels. Slashing madly, Jonas manages to take one guard down before succumbing to blood loss. Viktor passes out moments later, taking another guard down with him. Kreshnik fires blindly from his pistol – an expensive automatic – and takes down a third. Struggling, he fights vainly against the last guard, until a strike across his temple with the butt of the sparklock knocks him to the ground.

As consciousness fades, Kreshnik can’t help but wonder if he shouldn’t have approached the situation differently…

Meanwhile, at roughly the same time that Kreshnik et al are awaiting their target, Josiah is finally regaining consciousness. Firene has taken his drugs away from him and been keeping him unconscious for the last day and a half with what little sedatives are left from the supplies that were recovered from Doctor Drake’s office and not sold to the Fish. Firene explains to him what has happened over the last few days. Wanting to clear his head, Josiah suggests that they take a walk to get something to eat. They hop the train, getting off in the east end of Folly Hills.

Walking through the Hills, Josiah can’t help but feel that something is wrong. It takes him a while to realize what it is – it’s so subtle and at the same time completely blatant – people are watching him. Not one person specifically, or even a group following him. Nearly everybody that sees him, however, seems to take a second glance, as if trying to determine if they know him.

Unnerved, He guides Firene into a small diner. The food is plain and greasy, but it’s more than they’ve eaten in a long time. The meal is eaten in silence, as both feel the gaze of strangers on them.

They leave the diner and start to head back to the Train. As they pass an old lamp post Josiah notices a poster that catches his eye. Reading it, the blood drains from his face.

MISSING: FIRENE OMBERWELL. PLEASE REPORT ANY INFORMATION TO ARCLIGHT. £200 REWARD.

The sketch underneath is a far cry from the girl walking with him – the girl in the sketch has long clean hair and a rounder, cleaner face. Still, someone looking very closely can tell that they are the same person – or at least related.

Grabbing Firene by the arm and forcing her head down as casually as he can, Josiah quickens his pace until they’re practically running. A single detour is made to purchase hair dye at an apothecary, but otherwise they head straight back to the train.

The train ride back is tense. Josiah keeps his hand on his gun, ready to fight or flee if necessary. Mercifully, they make it back to Bankside unmolested. There aren’t any posters for Firene there – yet. Always looking over their shoulder, they make their way back to Kreshnik’s place. Locking the door, Josiah sits Firene down and demands to know what Arclight wants with her.

Slowly, Firene begins to tell Josiah her story...

Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

Quote of the Night: “You want some money? Here! Give it to Charity. They didn’t earn it!”

- Kreshnik

Kreshnik returns to his place, Viktor and Firene in tow. Opening the door, they find that Jonas has regained consciousness. Although still weak, he has managed to show remarkable determination and restraint, as Josiah is in a manic state due to a combination of painkillers and stimulants.

Leaving Firene to try to bring down Josiah, Kreshnik informs Jonas of the current job that The Fish has asked of them. Leery about the lack of immediate monetary reimbursement, Jonas nonetheless is convinced to help Kreshnik & Viktor to recover the medical supplies for the fish.

Looking over the route that the supplies are to be shipped by – on a small barge via the canals from a warehouse in the southeast of The City to Folly Hills in the TCMA – Kreshnik decides that the best place to try to stage an ambush will be in Mire End: It’s outside TCMA jurisdiction so Provosts shouldn’t be a problem, and with any luck most of the citizens will be too involved in their own misery to get involved and try to steal the shipment for themselves. Also, Jonas at least is familiar with the area, having spent some time at Chain’s training to be a Cripplecut fighter.

A quick look at Josiah has them realize that they can’t take him along. Since Firene would also likely be more of a liability than an asset, they leave her to take care of him, and set off to Folly Hills to take the Ferry to Mire End.

Arriving in Mire End, the trio decides to keep a low profile for the immediate future. It’s pretty obvious that they don’t belong, but Jonas carries himself with a “don’t fuck with me” swagger that makes most people realize that there are easier marks. With a full day until the shipment is transported, they need a place to stay until they can make their move. Foregoing Forest Green for the simple fact that there might be some people that could recognize Jonas, they decide on Redberry Park. They make their way through the muck and filth towards the shantytown. Hundreds of hopeless souls try to eek out an existence in the park, selling their bodies for enough money to buy some food or just another hit of their drug of choice to take their minds off of their miserable existence.

Kreshnik sees hundreds of easy marks.

Ditching the low-profile approach, Kreshnik starts to evangelize, trying to turn the crowd’s misery into a determination to better themselves. It works to a point. Although most of the Dollymops and pimps haven’t even heard of the Mortal God Church, they respond well enough to his speech that one group offers their tent for the night.

Jonas watches the crowd with a wary eye, looking for signs of trouble. The hair on the back of his neck stands up as he hears a female voice behind him proposition him for sex. Spinning around, the color drains from his face. The figure is much older than he remembers, and strung out from obvious drug abuse. The daze in her cloudy eyes shows that she obviously doesn’t remember him, and indeed, looking at her Jonas would likely not recognize her as well, but her voice, cracked and ruined as it is, gives her identity away to him instantly.

His mother.

Unsure of what to do, he turns down her proposal. She comments that if he finds her too old, she’s got a daughter – or a son – that he could take as well. The bile rising in his throat, Jonas shakes his head and watches as she shuffles off, telling him that if he changes his mind to ask for Old Amy.

Still visibly disturbed by the visit from his past, Jonas rejoins Kreshnik & Viktor. The people that agree to put them up have little more than a crude tent for a home, but they offer it in exchange for the protection that the three provide. Kreshnik asks Jonas to find a boat or skiff that they can use while he himself decides to go looking for a few other supplies that he feels might be needed.

Jonas heads out. Before he even starts looking for a boat, he enquires about Old Amy, learning that she came to Redberry Park a few years prior. Unsure of what else to do, he heads to the canal. It takes him little time to find a suitable boat, and when the owner protests Jonas stealing it, Jonas takes even less time to kill the man, dumping his body into the canal.

Meanwhile, Kreshnik heads out to explore the area and see if there’s anyone/thing else that he can use. Unfortunately, all too quickly he runs into a couple of thugs from the Holher Gang. Faced with the business end of a sparklock, Kreshnik does what he does best – he cons them. He informs the thugs that he’s got a big score, and if they let him live they’ll get a cut of it. Weighing their options, they take him to see Garsey Hatchet.

Hatchet isn’t the most stable individual, but he knows a good deal when he hears it. Tempted to torture the information out of Kreshnik, Hatchet decides to be magnanimous and settles for a sizable cut of the haul. He lets Kreshnik go with 3 Holhers to watch him.

Shaking, Kreshnik heads back to Redberry Park. Jonas, never particularly enamored with the Holher Gang, wastes no time in picking a fight with them. The thugs are no match for experienced Ghostfighers like Jonas and Viktor, and within moments all three are dead. Aghast at the carnage and terrified at the retribution that the Holher Gang will bring upon the Park if Hatchett finds out what happened, the locals run Kreshnik, Viktor and Jonas out of the Park.

With little else to do, the three head to the canal to wait for the shipment.

You Can't Script This

In the hot confines of the freezer, Kreshnik begins to panic. Smoke is starting to leak in and the temperature is rising. A second explosion can be heard outside, and shrapnel peppers the door. A moment later a third explosion shakes the door. Knowing that there should be no more compressed air tanks, Kreshnik tries to open the door to make a run for outside, but the extreme heat forces him back in.

As the moment tick away and the group begin to resign themselves to their deaths they hear other shouting. What they first assume to be more victims of the fire they quickly realize is in fact a volunteer fire department. They feel the heat of the door recede, and burst out, choking on the smoke and chemical fumes. The fire brigade is shocked at the survivors, but after questioning their involvement in the fire (and realizing that they likely won’t get any useful answers), they leave to ensure that the fire hasn’t spread too far to the whore house and drug lab that are next door.

Taking a step forward to head outside, Jonas stumbles and collapses in a heap. Rolling him over, the group is shocked by his pale pallor and high fever. Scanning around for anything to help with, Firene rips open a small cabinet that has survived the fire relatively unscarred. Inside is a plastic packing box full of medical supplies – syringes, sutures, painkillers, stimulant patches and other things. Most of the contents are higher tech but some of it is of the lower-tech that the group is more familiar with. Unfortunately, nothing seems suitable for dealing with Jonas until they can figure out more of what’s wrong with him. They pull him outside into the (relatively) fresher air and contemplate what to do.

In the end, Kreshnik has Viktor talk to the people in the building to see if they know anything about the late Doctor Leon Drake, and then inform Myles’ employer of his fate. Unfortunately, Drake kept to himself and the other tenants of the building didn’t pry too deeply into his doings. After delivering the news to Myles’ employer and asking to be informed if anybody else goes missing Viktor heads back home to Longpond to make some inquiries with some of his friends as to the history of a certain Fulgurator by the name of Josiah Hall. With nothing else to do, he heads home (a small skin in the mass of boats that makes up Long Pond) and goes to bed.

Firene and Josiah take Jonas back to Kreshnik’s shack/church to care for him – which is to say that Firene mops his brow and tries to keep his fever down. Josiah takes more stimulants (he’s been awake for over 30 hours now) and positions himself, gun drawn, so that he’s got a clear shot at anybody entering from the front door.

Kreshnik takes it upon himself to inform Brooke of her husband’s demise. He does so in a cold manner, offering little comfort to the distraught woman. When she asks for him to kill the people responsible he agrees, and then leaves her to inform her children.

Kreshnik then heads to Long Pond himself to speak to some old acquaintances in the 3^rd Syndicate. It takes some time, but an old friend by the name of Lorentz is quite sure he can find a buyer for Kreshnik’s misappropriated medical supplies.

Rather than heading back home at the late hour, Kreshnik finds a relatively secluded corner in an alley and sleeps.

Back at Kreshnik’s place, Josiah is running purely on stimulants. His body is awake but his mind is fogged over by the chemicals in his system. The door opens up and a man walks in. Josiah levels the gun at him and tells him to freeze. The man stops, and demands to know who Josiah is. In the ensuing argument, neither giving their identities, Josiah tries to shoot the floor, close to the intruder’s foot, to scare him. The drugs affecting his aim, he misses and hits the man’s foot. Moments later, the epitome of excellent timing, Kreshnik walks in to see Josiah holding a gun at his friend Lorentz, who is now bleeding quite profusely.

The situation deteriorates quickly, with Kreshnik shooting Josiah as a punishment for his transgression. Much of the stolen medical supplies goes to immediate use staunching the flow of blood from Josiah’s leg and Lorentz’s foot. With Josiah taken care of thanks to a near overdose of painkillers, Lorentz and Kreshnik sit down and discuss business. Kreshnik has found a buyer. Willy “The Fish” tends to move much larger amounts of contraband medical supplies than what Kreshnik has, but he’s willing to meet with the Priest and his companions at the Underground market. Lorentz leaves just as Viktor arrives and Kreshnik, Firene, and Viktor leave for the Underground Market, leaving the comatose Jonas guarded by the now nearly delirious Josiah.

Viktor is unsurprisingly okay with this.

In the Market, the group has some difficulty making contact with The Fish’s associate, Selma, but is eventually taken to meet the notorious man himself. Being one of the largest dealer in medical supplies in the city (and possibly the largest independent dealer), Willy enjoys reveling in his opulence, and his “office” in the Market shows that. Even Firene, used to as she is to a life of privilege, is taken aback for a moment by the decoration of his office – even if his ex-military guards tend to detract from the ambiance.

Over the next while small talk and verbal fencing gradually leads to the topic of the medical supplies. There has been a noticeable increase in the sale of such supplies over the last several months, hence Willy’s willingness to (re)purchase such a small amount. When questioned about the source of the market upswing, Willy admits that he doesn’t actually know the cause, though he can put Kreshnik in touch with somebody who might – for a price.

The price is twofold. First, when Kreshnik finds out why medical supplies are on an upswing, he will inform Willy. Second, Kreshnik and his group needs to perform a small service for The Fish. A woman, Nelle, has decided to go into business for herself, directly competing against The Fish. Suffice it to say, she’s been more than an annoyance, and Willy wants her taught a lesson. Nothing permanent, she’s having a shipment of medical supplies due to be sent to the Folly Hills Hospital intercepted by some of her men. Willy wants the supplies.

It takes very little discussion. They agree.

Strange Bedfellows

Desperate for help, Brooke approaches Father Kreshnik Ymeri, a preacher of the Mortal God Church. Father Ymeri has a reputation of being a hard, unforgiving man belonging to the Unfair Universe faction of the church, but she has no one else to turn to. Sobbing, she explains her situation to the Father, who sits back and takes her story in without emotion. The wheels in his mind start spinning – in the last several months a lot more people than usual have gone missing in Bankside. Some of their bodies have been found in the canals twisted and deformed.

Kreshnik quietly agrees to help determine the fate of Brook’s husband and sends her on her way. Suspecting that this will not be simple, he decides to call in some backup. He asks Viktor Kobb – a zealous follower of his teachings – to join him, as well as a Fulgurator by the name of Josiah Hall who has been listening to his sermons for some time. Josiah has agreed to come out of some strange search for redemption. Realizing that they might need more muscle, Viktor heads home to Long Pond to enlist the aid of a rather mercenary acquaintance of his – Jonas Rohm. Jonas has recently taken up a job as a bodyguard to one Firene Omberwell, but her money is fast running out. He agrees to join up if he’s paid well (Josiah offers Jonas his share) and because she has little chance on her own, Firene follows along.

The motley gang heads to the western side of Bankside, to the Fat Fish Breeding Pond where Myles worked and was last seen. The Banksiders are naturally distrustful of outsiders, and the Foreman makes that abundantly clear when Josiah questions her about Myles. She doesn’t respond any better to Viktor, but upon noticing Kreshnik she calms down visibly and tells him that Myles hasn’t been around for a week and if they do find him they can tell him he’s fired. She points over in the corner at a skinny man dumping food into one of the ponds, explaining that Rolf was the last one to see him.

Already on edge, Jonas is over in a flash and has Rolf by the collar with a knife at his throat, interrogating the now terrified man. Kreshnik and Viktor have to talk very quickly to settle him down, as the other workers are only a step away from inflicting mob justice upon the ghostfighter.

In fear of his life, Rolf tells the crew that the last time he saw Myles was a week earlier. They had left work and stopped by a local watering hole – The Mudlark’s Fish – for a few drinks. Rolf explains that he stumbled home some time later, and that he doesn’t recall what happened to Myles. Kreshnik believes him.

Disturbed by Jonas’ instability, Viktor sends him on ahead to the ‘Fish to search for witnesses, in hopes that Jonas will pick a fight with the wrong person or people. Jonas goes off with Firene in tow, but manages to keep a (relatively) civil tongue in his mouth at the bar - even when a drunken patron tries to buy sex from Firene.

Soon enough Kreshnik arrives with the rest of his hires. In short order, they are able to learn that Rolf and Myles showed up after work and started drinking. A couple of others (not regulars, but still locals) started drinking with them. Some time after that Myles left with the two strangers and Rolf left some time after that.

Confronted by this information, Kreshnik goes outside to ask some of the more sober locals if they recall anything. In short order he notices another sound slowly drowning out the dull roar of The City – an inhuman roaring, like some bestial tyrant in torment. Concerned, he retrieves his hired muscle from the bar. The roar gets closer, and they can see a visible line of destruction as whatever it is destroys shanties in a narrow swath of devastation. People can be seen fleeing from it, although Kreshnik and his group are still not sure what it is.

With a crash, the thing breaks through a small flimsy shack, not even noticing its collapse. It’s humanoid, but barely seems human. Naked and standing hunched over, it’s body completely covered with thickly matted hair, it’s mad eyes are sunken deep into its skull and barely seem conscious of it’s surroundings. One brave – or foolhardy – soul throws himself at the tyrant. It snarls and grabs the man by his throat with one hand. Grossly disproportional muscles bulge and the tyrant rips the man’s arm clean off.

Shock prevents the group from acting for only a moment. In one motion Jonas draws his knife and throws himself at the beast, Viktor only a fraction of a second behind. It makes no effort to avoid their attack, but their slashes barely cut the thick hide of the tyrant, however, and it responds by clubbing Jonas about the head. Worried about hitting their comrades, Kreshnik and Josiah level their pistols at the tyrant and take careful aim. Firene looks around for a weapon.

With a roar, the thing grabs Jonas by the arms and starts slowly tearing him in two. Loud pops signal his arms being dislocated and he does even stop when Viktor slices deeply into the creature’s arm. Hearing Kreshnik’s cries for help, another man comes out from behind cover and charges the beast, but in its rage it fails to even notice him.

Desperate, Firene grabs a chunk of stone and hurls it with all her might at the tyrant. The stone strikes it in the temple, and it roars, throwing Jonas at Firene. The two go down in a heap. His target now a somewhat clearer shot, Josiah takes a breath and squeezes the trigger on his pistol. The bullet impacts the creature’s skull, rocking it back but not stopping it. It turns it’s attention to Josiah, dark ichor slowly dripping down its face. It takes one more step when Kreshnik fires. His bullet is barely an inch lower, penetrating the creature’s left eye. With a jerk, the tyrant collapses.

Carefully, Viktor moves in to ensure that the tyrant is dead. As he does he notices something on the creatures arm. With a sick feeling in his stomach he compares the body to Kreshnk’s lithograph. The mark on the arm is obscured by the creature’s hair but there can be no mistake. It matches the birthmark on Myles arm, clearly visible in the lithograph.

As Jonas struggles to re-locate his arms in their sockets the rest of the group decides on a plan of action. They cut the scrap of flesh off of Myles’ arm as proof of identity and dump the body into the canal. Then they head down the path of carnage that Myles left.

For a period, it seems that a blind man could follow the trail. Suddenly, however, it ends. They find a very frightened child hiding in some smashed crates. The kid’s disposition isn’t helped by Jonas’ questioning, and all that they can get out of the child is that three men dropped Myles off and left. Josaih gives the child money for train fare and tells the kid to find a friend of his (“Uri”) with the transit militia.

It takes a great deal of time to pick up the trail again, but with much back-tracking they manage to eventually trace it back to a large stone building on the edge of the Canal. All windows on the lower levels have been covered with sheet metal. Kreshnik knows the reputation of the building – it contains several different businesses, all of them at least somewhat suspect. One of the most infamous businesses in the building is that of “Doctor” Leon Drake, a former fish breeder and now back alley biosci-modifier of ill repute. The trail leads to his office.

Jimmying the lock to the Doctor’s office is no difficult task, and the door opens to a small, dingy waiting room. A copy of the Mire’s End Tribune, several years out of date, details how a recent skirmish between the company of Arclight and the Macrocorporation Hirplakar has escalated into a full scale “Hundred Block War”. There is a wide doorway in the wall with a filthy sheet hanging across it. A silhouette can be seen in the other room. Kreshnik orders the Doctor to come out but the silhouette simply motions for the group to come in.

The group heads in while Josiah guards the main door. Mere moments before pushing aside the curtain, Kreshnik notices a flash of movement and jumps back, barely avoiding a vicious knifing from a thug hiding around the corner. A second thug appears from the other side and they try to kill the investigators.

The fight is quick and brutal. In the end, the thugs lie bleeding and unconscious on the floor. Kreshnik storms into the operating room and grabs the Doctor and starts interrogating him, Jonas and Viktor close on his heels. The operating room, in stark contrast to the rest of the building, is in immaculate and possessing a remarkable amount of high-tech medical supplies. On the far wall are several lithographs of various people, with notes underneath each one. Myles in listed as “Subject #18”.

Josiah turns to close the door and is confronted by a large man, his face obscured by a cloth mask. Before he can do anything the figure kicks him in the abdomen, sending him back into the room. He follows it up by throwing two small devices, and slamming the door shut. A rough scraping can be heard on the other side. A moment later the two devices explode, and the “reception area” is bathed in flames.

As the flames make their way across the room, everyone reacts differently: Kreshnik demands to know of a back door from the Doctor, who only babbles and points to a large refrigeration unit in the back wall. Viktor dashes over to the lithographs and starts grabbing them and the notes to try to save some evidence. Josiah, seeing the compressed oxygen tanks near the front of the operating room demands that everybody help move them into the refrigeration unit to keep them from exploding. Viktor adamantly refuses, insisting that there won’t be room. Josiah draws his gun and points it at Viktor, demanding that he move them.

An inferno building around them, both men refuse to back down. Sweat builds on their brows from the heat and the stress as each waits for the other to move. The situation is temporarily resolved when Kreshnik wrenches open the refrigeration unit. It’s small, but has an air duct leading outside the building. If they are able to get the chemicals, blood packs, and shelves out they may be able to fit in it…

Working quickly, they toss everything out onto the floor. The flames lick the walls inside the operating room, and are getting dangerously close to the air tanks. Firene goes in first, followed by Jonas, and Viktor. Josiah needs to double over to get his 6’7” frame in but fits – barely. Kreshnik is barely able to squeeze himself in as the Doctor pleads for them to help him. Grimly, Kreshnik shoves the doctor away and closes the door.

In the darkness of the fridge, the seconds seem like hours. The minutes like days. Despite the fresh, cool, air being pumped in it is difficult to breath. The air gets warmer from both the bodyheat and the raging inferno. The Doctor pounds on the door, pleading and trying to get in, but Kreshnik holds the door shut with all his strength. They hear him starting to scream in pain as he catches fire, and a muffled explosion shakes the door. His screams and pounding become more frantic and then quickly slow and finally stop.

The door gets hotter, and smoke starts drifting in around the edges where the seal is failing…

Introducing Firene Omberwall

Fragments in the History of the Omberwell Family

A man paces and smokes a long, ornate silver pipe filled with nembelweed. He tries to ignore the gnawing in his gut with every agonized scream that filters through the tightly-closed door to the bedroom. Sometime after he smokes himself into a wall-eyed daze and collapses in a chair, the nurse comes bustling into the room, her skirts making a noise like paper falling off a desk.

"Ser?"

He turns to look at her lazily, watching the colours of his wife's much-loved plants smear across the hazy yellow light streaking the far wall.

"Ser, it's finished. You've a healthy wee girl now. Madam Beatrice is asking for ye."

She fidgets uncomfortably as his brain starts working with an almost audible grinding of gears. He sits up carefully and looks at her more closely.

"Did you say a girl?"

"Aye, ser. Madam Beatrice wishes to name her Firene, but she waits to hear your thoughts on the matter."

"Damnation."

He slumps back in the chair and starts filling the pipe again.

"Beg pardon ser?"

"Tell her she can name it whatever she likes."

* * * * * * *

A small child with curly silver-blonde hair kneels on top of a stack of heavy textbooks, which are in turn precariously balanced on top of a chair. Even with the added height, she can barely see over the edge of the workbench, but she still watches her father in rapt fascination as he carefully explains the composition of the alloy he's been developing for The Company. He says it like that too - both words capitalized, infused with meaning beyond the merely generic identification they should denote.

"Drake, do you not think she's a bit young to understand such things? Even I can scarcely comrehend your work at times, and you've been telling me about it since we were courting."

"Nonsense, Beatrice. Our Firene is going to be a fine metallurgist when she comes of age. See how she plays with the molecular models I bought for her?"

The woman smiles indulgently at her daughter. Firene has stood up on the chair and is putting together a complicated arrangement of metal rods and plastisteel balls in various colours.

"Be sure you don't give her real chemicals until she's not in danger of burning our house down."

* * * * * * *

This time, the man is more relaxed, although the sterile Arclight medical wing is considerably less comfortable than the Omberwell home. He still smokes nebelweed, but only puffs on the pipe idly - his concentration is largely focused on a technical document one of his subordinates has prepared for a conference at Longshore University. Firene is in another chair, her gaze directed with equal intensity at a maths problem in her schoolwork.

A junior doctor marches over and stands at attention.

"Yes?"

"Sir, I am happy to report that your wife has given birth to a viable and apprently healthy son."

"Really? Well... that's... that's wonderful news. Truly. May I see them now?"

"Of course, sir. If you'll just follow me..."

The clockwork doctor marches off again. Drake Omberwell turns to his daughter.

"You don't have to come in if you'd rather not."

If she notices the sudden distance in his voice, she doesn't show it. She nods absently and continues working, occasionally using a small hand-held dingin for particularly difficult calculations.

When he's gone, she looks down the corridor, a speculative expression drifting across her face.

Fragments in the History of the Omberwell Family II

The girl stomps into the library, flinging herself into a chair and scowling at her mother. Beatrice refuses to rise to her bait. She continues to prune the dead flowers from the massive climbing plant that clings to the window frame.

"And how are you liking your new tutor, my dear?"

"I don't know why you and father hired a tutor for me, mother. She refuses to talk about anything interesting - all she seems to want to teach me is useless frippery like music and art and other 'domestic arts', as she calls them. I don't think she has any knowledge whatsoever of mathematics or science."

Beatrice sighs and closes her eyes.

"Firene, sweet... she's not meant to teach you mathematics or science. To tell you true, you probably won't find anyone to teach you something you don't already know about those subjects until you're old enough to go to Longshore. Your father and I merely felt that there were certain... gaps in your education which we were ill-equipped to fill."

"But why must I learn these things at all?"

"By knowing a little about art and music, you mark yourself as a person of culture and refinement. And it is important when you are in the company of others to know how to comport yourself as befits your station. Don't you want to make us proud of you?"

Firene looks at her feet.

"Yes, mother."

"Good girl. Now, go wash up - your father will be home soon."

* * * * * * *

"This is hardly a laughing matter, Beatrice."

His wife stifles a giggle.

"I'm sorry dear; of course it isn't. But honestly, you should have seen the look on her face--"

"Damn it, Bea - that's the third one this year! It's not as though the city possesses an inexhaustible supply of governesses of suitable breeding and background. The agency is beginning to ask questions, and I suspect others are starting to talk. Jecks asked how my 'little spitfire' was the other day, and I'm assuming he wasn't referring to you. If her behaviour becomes common knowledge among our circle, there won't be a single appropriate family willing to let their sons be seen in her company, much less marry her."

"Drake, she's only twelve..."

"And if we wish to reinforce our position in The Company, we must cement our existsing alliances while building new ones. Tedwin will be starting school in just a few years, and by then I'd prefer to see Firene betrothed. I don't want him to live in his sister's shadow."

"Especially when she showed such aptitude for the work..."

"Enough! I have been considering alternatives to our current situation, and Jecks rather casually mentioned a school which might provide the discipline our daughter apparently requires."

He walks briskly to the library door and throws it open.

"Firene! Your mother and I would like a word with you!"

* * * * * * *

Drake watches Firene climb the long flight of stairs from the canal to the heavy iron doors of Miss Markham's School for the Education of Young Ladies. She doesn't look back and doesn't look up, so she fails to see the words carved deeply into the otherwise featureless stone walls.

SILENCE

GRACIOUSNESS

DEFERENCE

POISE

DECORUM

MODESTY

OBEDIENCE

This will do nicely, he thinks, then taps the cabbie on the shoulder when the doors clang shut behind his daughter.

* * * * * * *

Firene stands at attention at the end of her bunk while Matron performs the morning inspection. Unlike most of the others, she doesn't try to whisper or make gestures while Matron's back is turned. Keeping quiet has never been a problem for her. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for poor Teresa Brannart, who has just been caught mouthing something to Alice Govanade. Alice is smart enough to stare straight ahead and not give any indication that she's even aware that Teresa was trying to get her attention, so the Matron turns the full force of her scorn on Teresa.

"Is there something you wish to say, Miss Brannart?"

"No, Matron."

"I see. So you are, what, merely exercising your mouth?"

Don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh...

"Yes, Matron."

"Don't you think it gets quite enough exercise, Miss Brannart?"

Teresa looks at the floor. She knows what's coming.

"I believe you might benefit by a few hours of wearing the brank. However, since I am not convinced that you were not alone in your crime... Miss Govanade!"

Alice flinches involuntarily.

"Yes, Matron?"

"Was it you Miss Brannart was attempting to communicate with?"

"No, Matron!"

"Very well - then you may choose the severity of her punishment."

"Oh, please, Matron - not too severe. I'm sure she's sorry..."

"I'm sure you both will be. You shall both wear the gossip's cage - Miss Brannart for speaking out of turn, and you for lying. Spikes down."

Teresa whimpers slightly. Alice opens her mouth as if to protest, then seems to think better of it.

"The rest of you may leave for breakfast."

Fragments in the History of the Omberwell Family III

Firene shuts off the mini-telly and pushes it back into its niche in the wall above her bed. The clock on the small nightstand reads 00:17, but she can't sleep. Something's missing, or something's out of place. She sighs heavily and stares at the ceiling. She looks at the clock again - it's now 00:21.

Down the hall, she hears the rustle of Matron's skirts along the stone floor as she makes her way through the long first-year dormitory. There's a sudden startled shriek as Matron catches someone not sleeping, immediately follwed by a series of sharp snaps. Matron rustles past Firene's door but doesn't enter. There's the muffled sound of sobbing coming from the dormitory.

Firene curls up on her side and drops easily into slumber, a faint smile on her lips.

* * * * * * *

Tedwin leans against the doorframe, waiting for his sister to acknowledge his presence. She sits at her writing desk, her dark, severe clothing a sharp contrast to the pale colours of her bedroom and the misty light coming through the domed lightwell.

"Fireeeeeene..."

She looks up sharply from her dingin.

"Do you need help with your schoolwork again, Tedwin?"

"No... I mean, if you can check it later that would be good, but I think I figured it out after you explained how to do it last time. But... 'Rine... I don't like school."

"You're not supposed to like it, little one. I certainly didn't."

"No, but... you know, Da says I have to do good at school so I can go to Longshore and be a metallurgist like him, and I don't want to go to university."

"Do well at school, dear. And why don't you want to go to university?"

"'Cos I want to be in the Brigade of Light. Byron's older brother is in the Brigade - he showed me a picture of him in the Tentenel armour. I want to do that - then I could defend The Company against those dogs from Hirplakker..."

Firene takes as deep a breath as her stays allow, closes her eyes, and does not say all of the twenty things she immediately thinks of saying to her brother. He's just a baby, after all.

"Well, maybe you should wait until you're older before you tell Da you want to join the Brigade. In the meantime, it can't hurt to keep going to school. And I'll help you with your work if you need me to, all right?"

"All right... M'sorry, Firene. Mama said you liked school."

He shuffles back to his own bedroom. Firene still hasn't opened her eyes.

* * * * * * *

She stares at a point somewhere past her reflection in the dressing mirror as Ester fusses with her hair, braiding silver wire and tiny lights into the longer sections and sprinkling her exposed skin with a fine metallic powder. Her mother beams at her.

"Oh Firene - isn't it exciting? The Grand Palova is the biggest social event of the year, and our little girl was invited!"

"Well, at least all those dancing lessons won't go to waste..."

"Now, dear... I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Several of your friends are going, after all. This is a great opportunity for you to meet suitable young men your own age."

"Who will coincidentally be the sons of families in a position to assist Father in attaining his political ambitions within The Company?"

Ester senses a change in the atmosphere and hurries off to perform her regular duties. Beatrice observes her daughter for a moment.

"Firene... that may well be your father's hope for you. Mine is considerably less far-reaching. I would like to see you happy and secure, preferably with a husband whose goals are less lofty and hence less hazardous."

Firene looks up sharply. Her mother looks tired, possibly even a little haggard.

"Mother?"

Beatrice smiles wryly.

"Nevermind, my dear. I speak more than I think. You look radiant. Here..."

She steps forward and wraps her thin, pale arms around her daughter's shoulders for a moment. When she pulls back a heavy, ornate locket hangs around Firene's neck on a thick ribbon of some iridescent material.

"Make us proud, my darling."

Firene: Crucible

"'Rine! Over here!"

She looks around carefully. Shasta and Valeri and a few other people she vaguely remembers from the Palova are waving wildly at her from a small table at one of the crowded floating cafes clustered by the canal bank. She lifts her skirts delicately and steps onto the barge to join them, a rare smile crossing her solemn face.

"Here, try some of this."

"What is it?"

"Edge. Just try it, you'll like it."

* * * * * * *

She's never realized how colourful the city was at night. There's just the faintest whisper of a breeze up here on the observation platform, and the surrounding buildings are all lit up, each with slightly different-coloured lights, bathing her and Valeri in a hazy glow. It's been the sort of night that Firene's only experienced second-hand in vidstories - her friends surrounding her, the brilliant, witty conversation, and Valeri...

As they walk along the canal, he brushes a strand of hair away from her face and kisses her.

Her father is waiting at the door. She notices the grey streaking his black hair and the lines etched into his face on either side of his mouth, and then the sterile whiteness of his work clothes washes over her, stealing the colour from her surroundings. Dimly, she notices that Valeri's dropped her hand and beat a hasty retreat.

* * * * * * *

"Where the blaze were you?" Shasta hisses.

"Sorry," Firene mutters, dumping her dogskin cape in the back of the water taxi and struggling out of her heavy overdress. The boatman studiously prentends not to notice.

"Your da shutter you again or something?"

"More or less. I'm still shuttered from that business tennight ago with Val, but that's not what he was on a fury about this time. Teddy, bless his dim little head, decided that tonight was the time to tell Da he wanted to be a Brigadier. You can just vis how well that went."

Shasta covers her mouth with a gloved hand. "Oh Builder. How long did he crash on for?"

Firene balances a row of small pots across her knees, daubing metallic dust along her cheekbones and at the corners of her eyes before smearing purple waxstick across her lips. "About an hour. Or felt like, anyway. After that he piped about three or four though, so he was walled out by the time I left."

"Want some Escape?"

"Hah. Does the rain fall black in Dreamingspires?"

* * * * * * *

The klaxon cuts through the landscape of her dreams. The twinking lights slowly resolve into flashing emergency beacons and the flickering glow of flames. Her house is on fire.

Her house is on fire.

Firene stumbles forward in the wake of a team of Clearwater Emergency Personnel carrying a battering ram. The heat barely registers on her consciousness, although her father's lab and the library are completely ablaze. The remainder of the house seems relatively intact, albeit filling up with acrid smoke. She walks upstairs like a sleepwalker, idly noting Ester's bloody corpse in the hallway. She turns in slow motion and sees Tedwin huddled in the space between his bed and the small worktable their father built for his birthday this year. Then she sees the awkward way his head is twisted around.

She's still screaming when the fire crew hauls her downstairs.

* * * * * * *

"Miss."

She stares at the wall. The medic clears his throat awkwardly.

"Miss Omberwell."

He shifts, opens his mouth, closes it again. She stopped screaming when they administered the sedative, but this leaden silence is almost worse.

"Miss Omberwell... the fire... your father was storing several volatile chemicals in your house. Shortly after we found you, the place blew up. We were able to save these..."

He places a handful of sooty banknotes and her mother's jewelry box on the table.

"Im sorry for your trouble."

Firene: Precipitation

"It'll be all right, 'Rine. I'll look after you."

His mother smiles at her in a manner which is probably meant to be supportive but just looks strained. She's barely spoken five words since they discharged her from the hospital.

"You're welcome in our house, Firene. Valeri has told us so much about you. Is there anything we can do to help?"

She frowns slightly. Her gaze sharpens and focuses on Mrs. Oslawski's face.

"I want to go to Longshore University."

* * * * * * *

"Omberwell? As in Drake Omberwell's daughter?"

She nods, startled by the old herrprofessor's sudden show of interest.

"Well, this does cast things in a different light, does it not? Your father was something of a celebrity among chemists. Almost an alchemist, one might say, hmm?"

Firene has no idea what he's talking about, and it evidently shows on her face.

"From the last few articles he submitted and the preliminary results he shared with some of our mutual colleagues... Drake Omberwell was on the verge of doing some truly spectacular things with metals. I cannot, you understand, share many details with you... walls having ears and so forth, you know... But then perhaps you could tell me what it was he was doing better than I could tell you anyway."

"No, Herrprofessor. I regret that my education was somewhat curtailed by events beyond my control. I have some knowledge of chemistry and metallurgy, but I was not privy to..."

She trails off, blinking hard and biting down on her tongue to keep from crying.

"A pity, a pity. Truly. Still, if you'd managed to salvage any of his research notes, anything at all... You'd find yourself in quite an advantageous position. And I would be more than willing to act as a broker so you would not be forced to deal with... unsavoury characters who might think to put undue pressure on you in your current delicate state."

She stares at him blankly again.

"Forgive me, my dear. Allow me to speak more plainly. According to corporate protocol, your father's research materials, had they survived the fire, would revert to Arclight. And I am certain that if you assisted them, Arclight would make sure you, as Drake Omberwell's only surviving heir, would be well looked after. They might even be willing to pay your tuition at Longshore. But there might be other parties who would be willing to offer more. Gorunna, for instance..."

She stands suddenly.

"Sir, if I were in possession of my father's notes, which I assure you I am not, there would be no question whatsoever regarding their disposal. I would not dream to betray The Company and my father's memory by selling his work to the highest bidder. But this is a futile discussion, because as I have already stated, I do not have them."

"Ah. Well, then, do forgive my indelicacy, Miss Omberwell. I am sure that the Registrar will be able to assist you with the application process and payment of tuition. Perhaps I shall see you in some of my classes. Good day."

* * * * * * *

"You must be joking."

"What? Why?"

"Your application is in order, and you passed the entrance exams, which - no disrespect intended - somewhat surprised me, considering your lack of formal education. In fact, you scored higher than many applicants who have attended school. But you appear to be unable to afford even a single semester's tuition."

"That can't be right. Please, check again."

He types in the codes on the filthy banknotes with exaggerated care.

"Nothing. In fact, your parents appear to be in a spot of trouble with their bank - the account is overdrawn for a significant amount."

Firene makes a conscious effort to slow her breathing.

"All right. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Would you be so good as to provide me with directions to the bank, sir?"

* * * * * * *

"Ooh - innit pretty?"

A painfully thin boy steps out of the alley to her left, and when she turns to face him she hears scuffling behind her. The edge of his rusty knife is the only thing that shines.

"You lost or somefing, sweetmeat? Or you looking for someone, eh?"

She feels something behind her catch at her skirts, hears fabric tearing.

"Sweetmeat's slumming, Chaz! And she brung prezzies, see?"

Hands snatch at the jewelry box. She pulls back sharply and trips over the torn edges of her skirts.

"Well well well... Prezzies first, or playtime? Whatchu think, lads?"

He lowers the knife and pretends to be lost in thought. He's somewhat surprised when Firene screams, kicks him in the shins, and starts running. But only for a moment.

"Ey - no fair! We din't call a hunt!"

She keeps running and tosses a couple of the now-worthless banknotes behind her to distract them. A couple of them stop, but the remainder, including Chaz, seem to find the pursuit much more entertaining. Still, she's better fed and healthier than they are, so she manages to outdistance them. Then she rounds a corner into another alley and finds the other end choked with debris. She hears shouts and catcalls and the pounding of their feet as they approach, and then decides to try to climb the pile of rubbish at the end of the alley.

She tumbles down a few seconds later, opens her mouth to scream...

And realizes she can't hear anything.

In a way, the silence is almost more terrifying. She turns around and sees a man standing in the alley mouth. He's taller than the young toughs were, thin, but wiry-looking. He's covered in blood. She releases her breath, which comes out as a startled but disappointingly decorous shriek.

"Five on one. Tha's hardly a fair go, especially when you're just a little thing."

She stares at him, frozen in shock.

"You should go have y'self a drink. Steady your nerves, like."

He turns to walk away, clearly not expecting any thanks.

"Be seeing you."

"Wait!"

He stops and stares at her as she stumbles over.

"Please... will you help me?"

She opens the charred box. Her mother's jewels glitter in the dim light. He looks at them, then looks back at her, appraisingly.

"Reckon we ought to talk about this somewhere a little more private. And you still look like you could stand a drink. Come on, then."