Aberrant: War Journal - War Journal: Trans-D

[archer]

Still kneeling, Hood drops his larger pack on the ground, allowing him better mobility. Then - searching the darkness - he calls into the tunnel

"Who's there? Show yourself."

Slowing his stride, the man rounds the corner and stops at the sight of a rifle aimed right at him.

"Whoa there!" he says, backing up a step. Though dim inside the cave, enough ambient light exists for Hood to see that their caller is tall, and dressed in warm-looking clothing. A curly and brushy reddish beard dominated most of his face; the top half was in shadow, darkened by the draping wide hood of his coat. Build was hard to tell through the layers worn, but his movements, and some thickness that couldn't be all cloth indicated an easy strength.

"Easy now," he continued in a calming tone, "I don't want any trouble. Thought I overheard some voices and came back to check. Kind of surprising for me...considering no one passed me to get back here, and I slept up front all night. Why don't you lower that a bit so we can talk proper? I ain't pointing anything at you, after all."

Indeed, while talking, the man had even lowered his staff point slowly to the ground, and now stood leaning against it casually.

[Bahamut810]

At the noise DD turns to where it came from. Nothing felt off...but then nothing was here yet. He kept his hands on his (rather large) pistols.

"Who's there? Show yourself."

Still nothing off about this. The situation just didnt seem dangerous...

Why don't you lower that a bit so we can talk proper? I ain't pointing anything at you, after all

He puts his hand on Hoods shoulder. "It's ok, Hood. Why dont you lower your weapon and lets listen to him."

He looks back up and smiles at the newcomer. "Hey man. My name is Nick. What is yours?"

[Alex Green]

making no effort to muffle his footsteps or the solid tchink sound of the staff's end striking the rocky floor with each stride.

He made his own voice carry, made it sound more nervous than he was. "Hello? Is someone back there?"

Paul seeks cover behind an outcroping of stone.

[ConcreteDragon]

In the after light of the transport, Ironfeather shudders slightly, casting frost into the air around him like Bear shaking his fur. He then goes about checking the ground for fresh tracks and sign.

Using the metal bar as a walking staff, he kept moving towards the voices; making no effort to muffle his footsteps or the solid tchink sound of the staff's end striking the rocky floor with each stride.

He made his own voice carry, made it sound more nervous than he was. "Hello? Is someone back there?"

Erik drops to a crouch (and activates Catfooted)and fixes his eyes on the entrance.

He puts his hand on Hoods shoulder. "It's ok, Hood. Why dont you lower your weapon and lets listen to him."

He looks back up and smiles at the newcomer. "Hey man. My name is Nick. What is yours?"

The big Indian relaxes slightly and tales a moment to see if anything else is down the tunnel. Whispering in Navajo, he strokes the snow toward the entrance. The dusting flows quickly across the floor and down the hall (ESP+ Electomagnetic Vision and Hyperenhanced Hearing).

[Nullifier]

As the first sound of metal on stone reaches his ears, Hood quickly turns in the direction of the noise. Rifle to his shoulder, he drops to one knee and covers what he can see of the cavern tunnel. When the sound repeats itself and the walking rythm becomes evident he relaxes a little. Still holding the rifle ready, he directs Pat and Faith to the best ambush positions available in the immediate area and then falls back to a better position himself.

Pat quickly ducks behind a crease in the wall of the cave, not too difficut given his size, and draws his 9mm, pointing it towards the end of the tunnel. (EM Vision still on, or reactivated if necessary)

"Easy now," he continued in a calming tone, "I don't want any trouble. Thought I overheard some voices and came back to check. Kind of surprising for me...considering no one passed me to get back here, and I slept up front all night. Why don't you lower that a bit so we can talk proper? I ain't pointing anything at you, after all."

Indeed, while talking, the man had even lowered his staff point slowly to the ground, and now stood leaning against it casually.

Pat studies the newcomer carefully, using his enhanced vision to locate any concealed weapons or anamolies. Still hidden, and keeping his gun on the large red-head, Pat's mind reaches out... (activating Telepathy)

[Asbjørn]

"Easy now," he continued in a calming tone, "I don't want any trouble. Thought I overheard some voices and came back to check. Kind of surprising for me...considering no one passed me to get back here, and I slept up front all night. Why don't you lower that a bit so we can talk proper? I ain't pointing anything at you, after all."

Indeed, while talking, the man had even lowered his staff point slowly to the ground, and now stood leaning against it casually.

As soon as it's clear that the new arrival is no immediate threat - and a long time before Nick even gets close to reaching him or putting a hand anywhere - Hood lowers the weapon and stands up. He pushes his own goggles and hood back and pulls his scarf a bit down, giving the native a friendly but cautious look.

[archer]

The man waits patiently until the rifle is lowered before answering. "Well, I'm not quite sure, really. But for now, just call me Rourke." Slowly, he raises his hands and pushes the hood back from his face, letting it settle on his shoulders.

Hazel eyes quickly take in all of the strangers he can see, then go back to switching between Hood and Nick. "From the bits I overheard, you folks are looking for somethin', maybe someone. And I gather from the way you're acting that you aren't from around here. Provided you don't try anything funny, I could probably take you all to the nearest settlement; that'd be Carson. It's a good walk, but not too bad."

As he talks, the others get a better look at him. Covered head to toe in protective cold-weather garments, there's no easy way to tell what bulges might be what. Upon closer inspection, it's obvious the man is powerfully built; the corded muscles of his neck, the breadth of his shoulders, and the easy manner in which he idly handles the 6 foot metal bar attest to that fact.

What looks like a normally friendly-looking broad face now regards them with a sober expression, but no trace of any uneasiness seems to show. Either he's a very talented actor, or simply unconcerned at any danger they might pose.

His clothes are simple; thick coat and pants over layers beneath, and the color is an interesting grayish white that blends well with the frost and snow that is omnipresent here.

((Nulli, not sure if you need a roll or not to get in there, he won't be actively resisting you.))

[Alex Green]

The lung blistering cold of the room (and the surroundings) gets somewhat less life threatening.

OOC: Paul's earlier action completes. The temperature rapidly increases from -40 Celsius to -30 Celsius (that's -40 F to -22 F).

[Asbjørn]

He looks back up and smiles at the newcomer.  "Hey man.  My name is Nick.  What is yours?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure, really. But for now, just call me Rourke."

*Not sure? That's gotta be a load of horseshit, or a serious case of amnesia...* ::huh

Hazel eyes quickly take in all of the strangers he can see, then go back to switching between Hood and Nick. "From the bits I overheard, you folks are looking for somethin', maybe someone. And I gather from the way you're acting that you aren't from around here. Provided you don't try anything funny, I could probably take you all to the nearest settlement; that'd be Carson. It's a good walk, but not too bad."

"Excellent!"

"I'm Hood, by the way. And you're damn right, friend. We could definitely use a guide. You know these parts well?"

[archer]

"Excellent!"

"I'm Hood, by the way. And you're damn right, friend. We could definitely use a guide. You know these parts well?"

←

Rourke shrugs. "Well enough, I guess. I can get you to Carson no problem, but the other towns are a bit further off. Couple hundred miles or so."

What looks like a frown surfaces under that great mass of beard as the temperature changes.

Spreading his booted feet in a ready stance, he looks quickly around, eyes narrowing. Turning so he's half-facing Hood and half-facing the way he came, he strips off a glove with his teeth, and waves his bare hand slowly through the air. His other hand holds tightly to his staff. "You feel that?"

[Bahamut810]

Nick shakes his head. "No. I dont feel anything. Ready to go?"

[Asbjørn]

Spreading his booted feet in a ready stance, he looks quickly around, eyes narrowing. Turning so he's half-facing Hood and half-facing the way he came, he strips off a glove with his teeth, and waves his bare hand slowly through the air. His other hand holds tightly to his staff. "You feel that?"

Nick shakes his head.  "No.  I dont feel anything.  Ready to go?"

Hood mentally rolls his eyes at Engall's reply. ::rolleyes

Facing Rourke he says

"Yeah, I felt it. It got warmer. Maybe a freak localized heat wave. Or maybe it's magic..." ::wink

"That kind of thing happen a lot around here?"

[archer]

Hood mentally rolls his eyes at Engall's reply. ::rolleyes

Facing Rourke he says

"Yeah, I felt it. It got warmer. Maybe a freak localized heat wave. Or maybe it's magic..."  ::wink

"That kind of thing happen a lot around here?"

←

Shaking his head slowly, Rourke replies, "No...at least, not like that. Not warmer. But if you ever feel yourself getting colder suddenly for no reason, watch out."

He looks carefully at Hood. "How many are there in your group? Maybe we should some introductions before we get going. Make me a feel a bit more comfortable about riskin' my neck for you folks."

[Asbjørn]

He looks carefully at Hood. "How many are there in your group? Maybe we should some introductions before we get going.

"We're sev..."

Make me a feel a bit more comfortable about riskin' my neck for you folks."

Hood raises an eyebrow, interrupting his reply for this more interesting question.

"Risking your neck...?" ::huh

"So this neighbourhood isn't entirely safe, then? What are the dangers, apart from the cold?"

[archer]

"We're sev..."

Hood raises an eyebrow, interrupting his reply for this more interesting question.

"Risking your neck...?" ::huh

"So this neighbourhood isn't entirely safe, then? What are the dangers, apart from the cold?"

←

Rourke chuckles. "Oh, there's a few. First, there's you folk yourselves. I'm takin' a chance on you as is. Not like I know anything about you, after all. But fair's fair...you don't know squat about me either." He grins toothily.

"Apart from that, once we get outside it gets real fun. You think it's cold in here, wait till you meet up with real stuff. Then there's tricky terrain; ice, crevasses under the snow you can tumble into and disappear. Finding your way's a hoot too, 'specially when the wind kicks up and all you see is a wall o' white. And then of course there's the corpsies and shadowcritters. They'll suck the heat and life right out of you; make you one of them."

He rambles on, stretching his arms above his head for a moment before replacing his glove. "That's just the walk to Carson, mind you. Once we get to town, you got a whole new set of problems. Close folk. Don't like outsiders, 'specially strangers they never seen before, and 'specially not armed to the teeth and knockin' on the door."

He pauses for a second, thinking, then repeats that grin like he thinks it's all pretty funny.

"Yeah, that about covers it. Sure I'm missing a thing or two, but those are some basics for you." ::biggrin

[Asbjørn]

Rourke chuckles. "Oh, there's a few. First, there's you folk yourselves. I'm takin' a chance on you as is. Not like I know anything about you, after all. But fair's fair...you don't know squat about me either." He grins toothily.

"That's the way it goes," Hood shrugs. "At least we'll have a short hike to get to know each other better..."

"Apart from that, once we get outside it gets real fun. You think it's cold in here, wait till you meet up with real stuff. Then there's tricky terrain; ice, crevasses under the snow you can tumble into and disappear. Finding your way's a hoot too, 'specially when the wind kicks up and all you see is a wall o' white. And then of course there's the corpsies and shadowcritters. They'll suck the heat and life right out of you; make you one of them."

The tall, hooded man nods his understanding to the dangers of nature, but when Rourke moves on to more unfamiliar turf he stops him.

"'Corpsies and shadowcritters'?"

He rambles on, stretching his arms above his head for a moment before replacing his glove. "That's just the walk to Carson, mind you. Once we get to town, you got a whole new set of problems. Close folk. Don't like outsiders, 'specially strangers they never seen before, and 'specially not armed to the teeth and knockin' on the door."

"Yeah... And that's where I start thinking 'What's in it for you?' Don't get me wrong, cause we really appreciate the offer. I've walked more than my share of tricky terrain and know how much a good guide is worth, but why would you want to connect yourself to a group like ours if you think we won't be welcome?"

[phoenix]

Faith stays mostly quiet and contemplative, watching the exchange from Hood's side.

[Heritage]

Dr. Winz hovers nervously around the nexus, all six of his limbs twitching.

Um, I shall have to be going soon...and the nexus comes with back with me, so...

He pulls a small object out of his labcoat and shakes it vigorously - in a few moments it is glowing brightly, and he flutters down to the floor of the cavern and gently places what is now visible as some sort globe on spindly legs on the icy surface. The light globe is much brighter than the nexus, casting a bluish-white illumination almost like a kerosene filament lantern. Once he's sure it'd steady, Winz returns to the nexus and starts weaving his concerto of glass and light once again.

Good luck all of you! Make sure your recallers are on, and we'll see you again soon.....!

And with that, the strange insect-man is lost from view.

Dr. Vanderlay, wearing a thick down parka over her Pandora jumpsuit, gingerly crunches over to the newcomer and offers a smile and friendly wave.

Hello, I'm Doctor Katherine Vanderlay - it's a pleasure. So what exactly are these...things you were talking about?

[archer]

"Yeah... And that's where I start thinking 'What's in it for you?' Don't get me wrong, cause we really appreciate the offer. I've walked more than my share of tricky terrain and know how much a good guide is worth, but why would you want to connect yourself to a group like ours if you think we won't be welcome?"

About to answer, Rourke's mouth stays open as he notices the bug-man moving around. The bearded man simply gapes until Winz has disappeared. Snapping it shut abruptly, he shakes his head vigorously and scrubs his eyes in an effort to dispel what he just saw. He opens his eyes, blinking, just as Dr. Vanderlay walks over.

Hello, I'm Doctor Katherine Vanderlay - it's a pleasure. So what exactly are these...things you were talking about?

::blink ::blink "Was that a...uh...nevermind." Regaining at least his outward composure, Rourke's looks somewhat bemusedly at Vanderlay, then narrows his eyes at Hood. "I don't reckon you were going to mention the giant bug at all?"

Sighing, he continues without waiting for a response, locking eyes with Hood in a level gaze. "First, let me answer the scary monster question. Corpsies and shadowcritters, as I call 'em, are this place's natural predators. Or unnatural predators, however you look at it. The corpsies are zombies, pretty much. Frozen zombies that suck the heat out of everything; including people. They don't move real fast, and they ain't very smart. But they do have a nasty habit of popping up from under the snow you're walkin' on and gettin' you that way."

His face turns sober. "The shadowcritters are worse. They suck the heat out of you too, but they're a whole lot smarter and meaner. They look just like shadows and they don't like bright light very much. Some folk say they can even make you see stuff that ain't there...lost a few people who wandered over to hug a corpsie, thinking it was a loved one instead. If you ever see a shadow movin' that ain't yours, get the hell away from it."

"As for your other question? Nothin' too fancy or secret. I figure if you came to get the others, you're gonna be able to take 'em back to wherever you're all from. And I want a ride back with you when you leave." ::sleep

[Asbjørn]

About to answer, Rourke's mouth stays open as he notices the bug-man moving around. The bearded man simply gapes until Winz has disappeared. Snapping it shut abruptly, he shakes his head vigorously and scrubs his eyes in an effort to dispel what he just saw. He opens his eyes, blinking, just as Dr. Vanderlay walks over.

::blink ::blink  "Was that a...uh...nevermind." Regaining at least his outward composure, Rourke's looks somewhat bemusedly at Vanderlay, then narrows his eyes at Hood. "I don't reckon you were going to mention the giant bug at all?"

::halo

[...]"As for your other question? Nothin' too fancy or secret. I figure if you came to get the others, you're gonna be able to take 'em back to wherever you're all from. And I want a ride back with you when you leave."  ::sleep

Hood seems to take mental notes of the peculiarities of the local wildlife without much surprise, seemingly used to stranger things than dead people walking around.

When Rourke's explanation is done, he replies

"Don't like it much here, then? ::wink Well, If I have anything to say about it, you've got yourself a deal."

"You're right, of course. We're here to find some people. And as you've probably read on that classy sculpture in there, they might be in Carson. Do you know anything about them at all? A group of strangers who came here about a year and a half ago?"

[archer]

"Don't like it much here, then? ::wink  Well, If I have anything to say about it, you've got yourself a deal."

"You're right, of course. We're here to find some people. And as you've probably read on that classy sculpture in there, they might be in Carson. Do you know anything about them at all? A group of strangers who came here about a year and a half ago?"

Scratching at his beard, Rourke considers before answering. "Yeah, I found some folk around that time. They obviously weren't from around here. When I found em', they were lost as hell and fightin' off some corpsies. I lent a hand, and walked the survivors back to Carson; they been there ever since. They introduced themselves later. Two women, two men. Kathy, Judy, Tom, and John. Their last names were written on their clothes, uniforms they said."

He shrugs apologetically. "I'm not great with names, and I normally just call 'em by their first names anyway, but I think I remember Kathy's. Hershel, or Herbert...no, Hermann. The others always call her 'Big Herm' for some reason."

Turning his head towards the way he came, he nods in that direction. "We should get going, if you want to go. Try to cover as much as we can before nightfall."

[Bahamut810]

DD looks over at Pat and nods over at the newcomer, then looks back at Rourke.

"Lets get going."

[Alex Green]

Paul thinks a bit and says,

“Two different types of heat absorbers? Very likely related, maybe the shadow is the adult form. Ick, maybe they lay eggs or something in people to make zombies. Uh oh, if they eat heat, then our current warm snap might make them more active.”

Paul shrugs, “On the other hand, if we are really lucky then maybe our warm snap means the overhead haze is gone, sunlight might be bad for the light sensitive. Thermal grenades even more so.”

“Speaking of eating, does anyone have any extra ‘juice’, I have the feeling I’m going to run low before we get to town.”

(To Rourke) “Oh, Hi, I’m Paul. You can call me ‘Doc’ or ‘Paul’ or even ‘Doctor Paul’. Say, different question, how bullet sensitive are these things?”

[phoenix]

"Speaking of eating, does anyone have any extra ‘juice’, I have the feeling I’m going to run low before we get to town."

Faith nods, and wordlessly walks over to Paul to facilitate the draining.

"Oh, Hi, I’m Paul. You can call me ‘Doc’ or ‘Paul’ or even ‘Doctor Paul’. Say, different question, how bullet sensitive are these things?"

Faith inclines her head slightly towards the doctor to say,

"He doesn't know what that is, Paul."

[Alex Green]

Faith nods, and wordlessly walks over to Paul to facilitate the draining.

Paul says,

“Ah, bless you.”

Paul only grips her hand, but he also shields what he is going with his body and fumbles a bit with his grip (i.e. he prevents Rourke from seeing exactly what they are doing).

{Q-Leech}

Faith inclines her head slightly towards the doctor to say,

"He doesn't know what that is, Paul."

Paul says,

“OK, I’ll rephrase that: If we shoot shadows or corpses, will they even notice? Do head shots do damage?”

[Bahamut810]

"What the doc is trying to ask is...can we kill 'em?"

[archer]

"Lets get going."

Nodding, Rourke turns to leave. Then stops, slightly irritated, when conversation starts up again. ::rolleyes

“Two different types of heat absorbers? Very likely related, maybe the shadow is the adult form. Ick, maybe they lay eggs or something in people to make zombies. Uh oh, if they eat heat, then our current warm snap might make them more active.”

"On the other hand, if we are really lucky then maybe our warm snap means the overhead haze is gone, sunlight might be bad for the light sensitive. Thermal grenades even more so.”

“Speaking of eating, does anyone have any extra ‘juice’, I have the feeling I’m going to run low before we get to town.”

Waiting patiently for the man to run down, Rourke nevertheless raises a curious eyebrow at that last bit. *Juice?*

“Oh, Hi, I’m Paul. You can call me ‘Doc’ or ‘Paul’ or even ‘Doctor Paul’. Say, different question, how bullet sensitive are these things?”

Recognizing an introduction when he hears it, their white-clad guide politely nods in response...

"He doesn't know what that is, Paul."

Then snorts derisively. "Sure I do. And no, not really."

As Faith walks over to Paul, Rourke is busy re-buttoning his thick coat for going outside. Looking down at his coat, his eyes slide sideways to try and see what they're doing, but can only notices them huddling together. He makes a mental note to avoid getting to close to Paul until he figures out this 'juice' bit.

“OK, I’ll rephrase that: If we shoot shadows or corpses, will they even notice? Do head shots do damage?”

Rourke turns towards the front of the cave and starts walking, not looking to see if they'll follow. He continues as he walks. "Bullets don't do much but slow 'em down, and not by much. You can blow their legs off and they'll just crawl after you instead; and as for head shots, that only works in movies. These suckers will just keep chasing the heat. They don't need their heads to function."

"What the doc is trying to ask is...can we kill 'em?"

Shaking his head slightly in near disbelief, Rourke just keeps walking for a second or two before answering. "Yeah, you can kill 'em. Only way is to overload 'em with too much heat. Or did you bring all those pipin' hot grenades for a backyard barbeque?"

((Assuming everyone followed him...))

Just as he finishes speaking, they all arrive at his cubby of a campsite. They can all feel the real cold of outside seeping in from the entrance, but the narrow corner he'd selected was well-protected from the wind and casual prying eyes. Setting his staff against the rock wall, he reached into a dark natural hollow just below his waist, and dragged out a pack nearly as large as he was. Hoisting it over both shoulders in a practiced manner, he scooped up his staff and turned to face them.

"You folks need to drop any assumptions and attitude you have right now, or you're in a world of hurt when we hit Carson. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think, and I guarantee you the folks that live here aren't either. You come in through a dimensional portal from another world that you created, which means pretty high-tech stuff. You're packin' an arsenal, which just happens to include exactly what's needed to kill thermovores. And, I'm guessin' that some, if not all of you, have some other 'special' abilities. Which would explain the relation between the sudden temperature difference that's been following us, and Doctor Paul's funny little comments earlier." ::dry

[Asbjørn]

Turning his head towards the way he came, he nods in that direction. "We should get going, if you want to go. Try to cover as much as we can before nightfall."

Nodding, Rourke turns to leave. Then stops, slightly irritated, when conversation starts up again.  ::rolleyes

Hood glances at Rourke - seemingly sharing his opinion, and simply shoulders his pack and starts moving along with him.

"You folks need to drop any assumptions and attitude you have right now, or you're in a world of hurt when we hit Carson. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think, and I guarantee you the folks that live here aren't either. You come in through a dimensional portal from another world that you created, which means pretty high-tech stuff. You're packin' an arsenal, which just happens to include exactly what's needed to kill thermovores. And, I'm guessin' that some, if not all of you, have some other 'special' abilities. Which would explain the relation between the sudden temperature difference that's been following us, and Doctor Paul's funny little comments earlier." ::dry

"Right back at ya, friend."

Hood's voice has taken on a no-nonsense tone as he faces the native.

"Careless means dead, and you know that as well as I do. You ain't exactly been sharing your life story either. Where I come from, trust takes a little time - time I for one am prepared to give - but we both have to earn it."

He adjusts his hood, pulling it forward a little, but leaves the goggles and scarf off to show his eyes as he speaks.

"Yes, there's more to us than meets the eye. Just like you. You saw the portal, and jump to the logical conclusion it's from another world? Means you know or have seen more than most people I've ever met, at least..."

Wrapping his rifle up and slinging it over his shoulder he looks Rourke square in the eye and adds

"So. I suggest you drop your own assumptions as well, and ask if there's anything you want to know."

[OOC: I choose not to reply to the grenade comment, since I don't think Rourke would have any way of noticing them. We packed them for trade, not combat. And they haven't been mentioned. Or are you implying that Rourke notices things normal people wouldn't?]

[archer]

"Right back at ya, friend."

"Careless means dead, and you know that as well as I do. You ain't exactly been sharing your life story either. Where I come from, trust takes a little time - time I for one am prepared to give - but we both have to earn it."

Rourke nods slightly. At least in this, he agrees.

"Yes, there's more to us than meets the eye. Just like you. You saw the portal, and jump to the logical conclusion it's from another world? Means you know or have seen more than most people I've ever met, at least..."

"So. I suggest you drop your own assumptions as well, and ask if there's anything you want to know."

Shifting his pack to a more comfortable position on his shoulders, Rourke chuckles dryly. "Fair enough. I didn't jump to that conclusion, by the way. I knew that much from some things Judy and the others said. Add that to your giant talking bug-buddy, which I know ain't from around here, and everything gets clear real fast. No mystery there." He smiles.

"I'll have to take you up on that offer of questions as we go. But for now, let's get going."

He strides easily to the entrance of the cave and peers out, seemingly unhampered by his pack. "You coming?"

((OOC: They were mentioned, actually, by Paul just a few posts ago. And, I might be wrong on this, but as a player I assumed that at least one of your group had some hanging on the outside of their clothing. Just as I assume any firearms larger than a handgun are clearly visible? I could be totally wrong, and I apologize if I am. But aside from any of my assumptions, thermal grenades were mentioned IC by Paul when theorizing how to kill the heat-sucking zombies.))

[Asbjørn]

Shifting his pack to a more comfortable position on his shoulders, Rourke chuckles dryly. "Fair enough. I didn't jump to that conclusion, by the way. I knew that much from some things Judy and the others said. Add that to your giant talking bug-buddy, which Iknow ain't from around here, and everything gets clear real fast. No mystery there." He smiles.

"That's what I thought..."

"I'll have to take you up on that offer of questions as we go. But for now, let's get going."

Hood nods, and pulls his goggles and scarf up to cover his face, then grabs his skis and moves to the cave entrance to buckle them on.

He strides easily to the entrance of the cave and peers out, seemingly unhampered by his pack. "You coming?"

"Right behind you."

[phoenix]

Faith falls into step with the men.

Why the Hell aren't we telling our guide what we're capable of? I'd tell him right now, but he seems in a hurry to be off. "Questions as we go" it is, then.

"Mr. Rourke, I'm Faith London. I hope I didn't offend you a few seconds ago. I can assure you that I do not think you are stupid - in fact, I know next to nothing about firearms myself. I've never had occasion to need one. I will try to assume less about you in the future."

[Bahamut810]

Nick lets other people take the lead, and grabs Pauls sleeve as they walk by.

He leans in and says, "Take some from me too if you need it."

He walks along with everyone, takeing the rear, keeping a look out for anything that may want to eat them (or their heat).

[Alex Green]

… they all arrive at his cubby of a campsite. They can all feel the real cold of outside seeping in from the entrance, but the narrow corner he'd selected was well-protected from the wind …

Paul grimaces at the ‘feel of real cold and wind’ and decides to ‘adjust’ things a bit more.

{Weather Alteration: => Reduce the wind, increase visibility.}

"…You folks need to drop any assumptions and attitude you have right now, or you're in a world of hurt when we hit Carson. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think, and I guarantee you the folks that live here aren't either. You come in through a dimensional portal from another world that you created, which means pretty high-tech stuff. You're packin' an arsenal, which just happens to include exactly what's needed to kill thermovores. And, I'm guessin' that some, if not all of you, have some other 'special' abilities. Which would explain the relation between the sudden temperature difference that's been following us, and Doctor Paul's funny little comments earlier."

With good humor Paul responds,

“From the feel of things, our warm snap extends a lot further than just us.”

Nick lets other people take the lead, and grabs Paul’s sleeve as they walk by.

He leans in and says, "Take some from me too if you need it."

Paul nods.

{Q-Leech}

[Nullifier]

Pat steps out of the shadows, and walks up to the group, his pistol disappearing into one of the numerous pockets in his jacket. "Stop," he says in his slurred voice, loudly enough to be heard by all, "I'm Pat, and I've no intention of walking the whole way there, nor going anywhere near there till i get a chance to get a better look at the area. " Nodding towards Rourke, "He checks out alright, for now. He knows a lot already, and I'm not going to walk all that way through frozen wasteland just to keep up appearances. So, if you folks wouldn't mind giving me a few minutes, I'm going to take a look at the town and the surrounding area, see if I can't come up with some options other than walking. "

Having finished his speech, Pat watches Rourke for reactions, and has the radio tuned to the group for theirs.

[Alex Green]

Paul says (mentally to Pat's Path)

"What did you have in mind, can you fly?"

[Nullifier]

Pat replies (same way), "I'm clairvoyant, and can open warp gates. The clairvoyance requires some time to work at this distance. I need to find a seculded spot in or near the city to warp to. "

[Alex Green]

Paul says (mentally to Pat's Path)

"How about here? How far are we, 10K or so?"

[Nullifier]

Pat replies, in a mildly annoyed/amused tone of mind through his path, "Like I said, a few minutes. I'm not exactly certain. It's not like I'm a machine or something. I send my mind out, and it takes as long as it takes. "

[Asbjørn]

Standing at the entrance with Rourke, Hood smiles at Pat's comment.

"Too bad, Pat. I'm sure we could all use the exercise. I was almost looking forward to it, actually..." ::wink

Then he pulls his scarf down again and takes a deep breath of the chilly air while he shares a waiting glance with Rourke and Faith. Smiling slightly at the guide he says

"Seems the probation period is over for now... Pat here has got some pretty special tricks up his sleeve, so he'll take a look at Carson from a distance, and see if he can't shorten the way a little. If you talked to Kaprinski - Judy - about where she's from, she probably told you about a trick called 'warping' too. We don't have to walk the long way if only Pat can find us a safe place for a portal exit."

"That reminds me. You mentioned four people, and we're looking for eight. Do you know anything about the others?"

[archer]

"Mr. Rourke, I'm Faith London. I hope I didn't offend you a few seconds ago. I can assure you that I do not think you are stupid - in fact, I know next to nothing about firearms myself. I've never had occasion to need one. I will try to assume less about you in the future."

Speaking inbetween long strides, Rourke nods approval at her politeness. "Much appreciated, ma'am." He smiles in a friendly fashion, showing even white teeth behind that great beard.

"Right behind you."

Finally stepping into the dim muted light outside, he breathes in the fresh air and takes a step forward...then nearly throws his hands up in mock despair at the new voice behind him.

"Stop. I'm Pat, and I've no intention of walking the whole way there, nor going anywhere near there till i get a chance to get a better look at the area. "

Nodding towards Rourke, "He checks out alright, for now. He knows a lot already, and I'm not going to walk all that way through frozen wasteland just to keep up appearances. So, if you folks wouldn't mind giving me a few minutes, I'm going to take a look at the town and the surrounding area, see if I can't come up with some options other than walking. "

Having turned to face the newcomer, and still surprised at the little man's sudden appearance, Rourke flexes one hand on his staff in mounting anger. "So glad you approve.", he mutters through gritted teeth.

Shooting a not-so-friendly sideways glance at Hood, he asks rhetorically, "Anyone else hiding in the shadows I should know about?"

"Too bad, Pat. I'm sure we could all use the exercise. I was almost looking forward to it, actually..."

"Seems the probation period is over for now... Pat here has got some pretty special tricks up his sleeve, so he'll take a look at Carson from a distance, and see if he can't shorten the way a little. If you talked to Kaprinski - Judy - about where she's from, she probably told you about a trick called 'warping' too. We don't have to walk the long way if only Pat can find us a safe place for a portal exit."

::glare "Wonderful."

"That reminds me. You mentioned four people, and we're looking for eight. Do you know anything about the others?"

Expression going blank, Rourke nods, slowly. "Yeah. They're dead. Killed by corpsies before I got there."

Suddenly tired, he shrugs off his pack and dumps it on the ground with a heavy thud. Sitting down to lean against it, Rourke looks up at Hood briefly, regret and sadness lingering in his eyes. Propping his staff across his knees, he lets his head fall back against the top of the pack, then shuts his eyelids while waiting for Pat to do whatever he's going to do.