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>>2976077

The cobblestone streets of the Water District are almost eerily quiet, the light fog that covers everything the closer you get to the main port only adds to that. You'd be more concerned if you didn't personally contribute to the slaughter of that covenant of vampires that were plaguing the city a month and a half ago about the prospect of being out here by yourself.

Following one of the major roads parallel to the waterfront, vaguely remember Archmage's rough directions to the meeting point, you first catch sight of the damnable mode of transportation itself before the station, once the pride of the Gambino mafia branch that ran out of this area before they had an unfortunate run in with yourself, comes into view.

Standing right outside it is another hooded figure, though given the fact that the cloak in question is clearly crimson there's no doubt in your mind as to who exactly is underneath it.

"John," The middle-aged mage confirms it for you as you approach, calling out to you in greeting but makes no move to remove his hood; an action you don't blame him for. You can see him clearly give your new armor an appraising look, a carefully neutral expression on his face, "I see you've prepared; good. With you here, we're all ready to leave."

Nodding in response, you follow the man into the empty station, ignoring what little signs of life weren't methodically collected. It's a relatively small building, enough to give people a place to sit inside and little else, but that just means its easier to cross to the other side, outside of which is a train you haven't seen in some time, but are no less well acquainted to it.

Entering after giving your cloak a quick shake, you step into one of the passenger cars, entirely empty unlike last time. The front of the train, where the workshop is and where Naofumi is surely residing, is off on your right while the rear of it, which contains the first-class section - probably where Archmage is heading - and the caboose you previously hijacked.

Now what?
> Go talk to Archmage, see if he's gotten any news from that last sweap.
> Go talk to Naofumi, you haven't spoke to him since his daughter starting apprenticing under you.
> Go talk to Dutch, he's probably sleeping around here somewhere and you've got something to give him.
> Go talk to Sarah, considering this is practically her home turf it might be interesting to see how she works.
> Go talk to Catherine, you're curious what she knows about all this.
> Go to sleep.
> Other

>>2976127
>Go talk to Sarah, considering this is practically her home turf it might be interesting to see how she works.

Naofumi must be PISSED that dutch is on the train.

>>2976127
>> Go talk to Sarah, considering this is practically her home turf it might be interesting to see how she works.

>>2976127
>> Go talk to Sarah, considering this is practically her home turf it might be interesting to see how she works.
Need to find the best escape route off this deathtrap once things go pear shaped.

>>2976127
>> Go talk to Sarah, considering this is practically her home turf it might be interesting to see how she works.
Also start complaining about trains when we get there.

>>2976127
>Go talk to Sarah, considering this is practically her home turf it might be interesting to see how she works.
We can surprise Dutch on the way over.

>>2976127
>> Go talk to Dutch, he's probably sleeping around here somewhere and you've got something to give him.

>>2976134
>>2976166
>>2976173
>>2976402
>>2976415

Sarah it is.

Writin’

>>2976127

In the middle of considering your choices, you feel the entire train around you lurge suddenly as it begins moving that forces you to pause for a moment as you get used to it. It’s a quick adjustment, as Naofumi isn’t going to push the speed up until you’re out of the city and the highlands to the west.

Now that you think about it, it has been some time since you spoke to Sarah; last time she was in your workshop was right before you went out on that previous job, so you might as well go catch up with what she’s been doing.

Heading towards the front of the train, you pass through another passenger car before you get to the heavy metal door that leads to the workshop and the main engine room. Giving the handle a testing push, you’re surprised to find it unlocked and, with a bit of force it easily opens.

Inside, the magineer in question is plugged into the main terminal you used for monitoring the train’s systems before, though given how your entrance is neither quiet nor subtle she glances over at you before performing a rapid double-take, “Wha- John? Is that you?”

With a simple click, you unlock and remove your helmet, “Yep, it’s me. How’ve you been Sarah?”

“Me? I-I’ve been fine; mostly working on getting the train running again after it’s been sitting for so long,” Sarah closes out of whatever she’s working on with her magitech gauntlet before unplugging the cable from the terminal. Putting that to the side, she sidles up to you, looking over your new armor with clear interest, “But forget about all that! This is... The set we were working on before was advanced, but this is something else entirely!”

Your response?
> Ask Sarah if she’s had any issues repairing the train.
> Ask Sarah how her father is doing.
> Ask Sarah how Dutch is doing.
> Ask Sarah something else.
> Leave, go talk to someone else.

>>2976962
>> Ask Sarah if she’s had any issues repairing the train.
PARANOIA, has she tripple checked for any bugs or other equipment rigged? Bomb patrols? ARE WE GOING TO DIE?

>>2976962
>Ask if she has had issues with the train, and how duitch/her father are doing.

And
>Other: have you prepared for any of the cars to be hijacked if we need to leave and let the train [hopefully] be destroyed?

>>2976962
Ask whether dad and Dutch are going to kill each other, and how the train is going. Try to be polite while reminiscing about last train trip.

>>2976962
>Ask Sarah if she’s had any issues repairing the train.
Trains, it had to be a train. Taking bets on how long before everything goes wrong.

>>2977153
10 gold on Half way to the objective site. something will go wrong.

Rolled 18 (1d100)

Also Sierra is not coming with, or? Real wasted opportunity of reminiscing about the good times in a closet there.

>>2977190
What if she's on the train? She could have found out about the train going over there, and that the purge is done. Is that better or worse than a bomb threat?

>>2976962
>> Ask Sarah if she’s had any issues repairing the train.

>>2977153
>>2977188

It's an odd, though understandable, bad omen to have.

>>2977190

That would be amusing, but unfortunately she's got work of her own to attend to.

>>2977220

Sierra did explicitly state she wanted nothing to do with Bo Shan.

>>2987811
>>2977153
>>2977064
>>2976979
>>2976973

There's a few points of interest to speak about.

Writin'

>>2976962

"We can talk more about my armor later. For now, how have you been doing getting the train repaired? Any issues?"

That gets her to stand up a bit straighter, looking between you and the terminal off to the side, "It wasn't too bad; most of the damage was to the rear cars, and even that was only minor, but when I did a diagnostic on the train's electronic systems there were a bunch of coding errors. So, I've been spending the last day or so ironing them out."

"I imagine you've gotten them fixed?" She nods in response, so you move onto the next point of interest, "And how's your father doing? The bastard happy to be back in his element?"

"W-well, uh, Dad's been busy. He said something about cleaning out the engine to make sure it runs well after being sitting for so long; dunno much else other that, I'm not allowed in there." The slightly downcast look on her face is amusing and sad in equal measure, though you don't begrudge Naofumi for setting that rule.

With your more serious inquires out of the way, you force yourself to look as casual as you can before you open your mouth again, "That's good to hear that he's been keeping himself busy. From how things were going a week ago, I half expected to be digging Dutch out of a gutter at some point. How has he been doing lately? Haven't seen him since your father was chasing him with a spanner."

That gets a nice rosy reaction out of the young lady, who appears to sputter for a few seconds before getting her tongue briefly back under control, "D-D-Dutch's fine!" Sarah looks away from you, running a hand through her hair in embarrassment at her outburst, "I mean, I-"

Any explanation on her end is cut off by your stoicism breaking, resulting in you doubling over laughing. It was somewhat common for your best friend to sleep around, at least on the days where it wasn't his responsibility to get your inebriated ass back to his family's residence without getting mugged, but they were nothing more than one-night stands; a quick tryst with nary a thought to one another after the fact. When you consider her reaction to your light prodding, and how elusive Dutch's been lately, well, it could be interesting...

Getting yourself back under control, and resisting the urge to relapse given the way Sarah huffs and walks back over to her workstation, face still red in places. Wiping away a few errant tears, you consider what to do now as the train around you begins to accelerate.

Now what?
> Ask Sarah something else (what?)
> Go talk to Archmage, see about any updates from the burn teams.
> Go talk to Naofumi, see if he need any help in the engine room.
> Go talk to Dutch, you've got a rifle to give him and a bit of teasing to perform.
> Go talk to Catherine, you're curious what she knows about all this.
> Go to sleep.
> Other

>>2989138
>> Go talk to Dutch, you've got a rifle to give him and a bit of teasing to perform.
Also tease Sarah as we leave.

>>2989138
Ask her if she needs a hand with anything before we leave.

>>2989138
>> Go talk to Dutch, you've got a rifle to give him and a bit of teasing to perform.

>>2989138
> Go talk to Dutch, you've got a rifle to give him and a bit of teasing to perform.

>>2989138
>Go talk to Dutch, you've got a rifle to give him and a bit of teasing to perform.

>>2989138
Dutch
>>2989200
I think Dutch has got that job under control

>>2991547
>>2990816
>>2990389
>>2989225
>>2989200
>>2989154

Dutch has it by a landslide.

Writin'

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>>2989138

With a snicker still across your face, you turn to leave the engineering section of the train. After all, despite your differences you're more than happy to admit that Naofumi's your senior when it comes to train engines and you could personally attest to Sarah's work at this point, the systems are in good hands. Of course, the urge to throw one last rib over your shoulder as you walk out the door is too great to resist, "If you need a hand, feel free to ask me Sarah. Say, hypothetically, I could cover for you while you and Dutch have a tryst in one of the security closets."

---

A couple minutes go by as you navigate the empty train cars, shit-eating grin firmly plastered in place, which doubles as a way to reacquaint yourself. From what you've looked over, including poking around the security terminals to check for any recent 'additions', everything seems to be secure. Between that, and the simple fact that your little group are the only ones on board, you might just have to concede that this ride won't end like the last one.

Or like the other several times that trains have been involved and everything went to shit.

...

Ignoring that odd line of thought, you pass through the doors into the meal car, where you find Dutch sitting at one of the large tables, both of his revolvers set out as he's in the middle of cleaning them. He's pretty focused on cleaning out the cylinder of one with a tiny brush as he doesn't notice your presence until you're pulled up a chair and plopped down in it, the wooden thing creaking for a moment under your power armor before it stops.

The gunslinger flinches minutely, a tiny twitch you might have missed if it wasn't for sheer proximity, before he glances over at you, "Fuckin'... Nice to see you too, John. What's got you so happy this morning; you get a quickie for the road or what?"

You snort at his jab, waggling your eyebrows suggestively just to keep the banter going, "And what's got you so distracted? Giving your 'gun' a good cleanin'?"

Both of you snicker at that one, the conversation lapsing into comfortable silence for the moment as your best friend gets to work on re-assembling his revolver.

Now what?
> "I hope you've been a good boy, Dutch, because the Festival of Frost's come early this year."
> "So, you and Sarah huh?"
> "Any idea on the potential shit-storm we're riding towards?"
> Other

>>2993356
>Plonk rifle on table "So, you and Sarah huh?"

>>2993356
> "So, you and Sarah huh?"
> Pull rifle into his view.

>>2993389
>>2993463

Better fess up, Dutch.

Writin'

>>2993356

Deciding now's as good a time as any, you reach down into the lockbox firmly attached to your side and pull out the Gauss Longrifle from within it.

You don't think you've ever seen Dutch's eyes boggle so large before, his pupils shrinking down to mere pricks as he looks over the beast of a weapon you plant, stock first, against the floor of the train.

The end of the barrel is well above either of your heads right now.

"W-What the fuck...?" The gunslinger glances between the longrifle and your side where you apparently pulled it out of thin air. It's a toss up as to what he's caught on currently, "How the fu-"

"You're better off not knowing. Or, rather, I'll tell you about it once I actually know how it works," Waving off his concerns about your lockbox, mostly due to the fact that you're not sure you could answer any serious questions about it, you instead rock it back and forth for a few seconds, flickers of amusement coloring your thoughts at the way Dutch's eyes follow it, before you strike, "So, you and Sarah huh?"

"...Yeah?" The absentminded tone to his voice tells you just about all you need to know. It doesn't last long, however, as he snaps his gaze to you quickly enough with a light glare, "You gonna give me that rifle, or are you just gonna jerk it all day long?"

"You're lucky I make this shit for free, asshole. All I'm asking for in return is an update on how you're doing, and whether or not I need to go pick out a nice suit and tie for the wedding?" Grinning at the look you're getting in return, you pass the weapon over, along with the couple of magazines you'd managed to make.

> Dutch has obtained: 1 Mastercraft Quality Gauss Anti-Material Longrifle

Giving your old friend a quick rundown on the rather advanced weapon now in his possession, you swiftly return to what's important, "You're still dodging my question, Dutch. What's the deal with Sarah, huh? She ain't a blonde, which I'm happy for since you've finally grown up enough to appreciate real women, but what's with the sudden change?"

It appears that you've broken through to Dutch at some level, as he's put aside the longrifle in order to lean back in his chair, heavily sighing as he does, "I dunno, John. Really, I barely remember anything about that night considerin' just how much I drank, but when I woke up that morning and saw her, well, I didn't really feel like leaving. Of course, I realized soon after that we weren't in a private hotel, so I tried to get out then and there and you know how that story goes from there."

That gets a raised eyebrow out of you. Yeah, the bumbling idiot's got it bad.

Now what?
> Ask Dutch something else (what?)
> Go talk to Archmage, see about any updates from the burn teams.
> Go talk to Catherine, you're curious what she knows about all this.
> Go to sleep.
> Other

>>2993693
>"So have you done more than just share a bed then? I'm starting to worry I'll actually need to buy that suit"

>>2993693
this, we must be teasing friends>>2993718

>>2993772
and another one

"Is there a chance i get to have a god child any time soon then?"

>>2993693
>"Being slightly serious here, damn, man. If you think she's 'it', then...hell, best of luck. Lemme know if I actually need to buy that suit."

>> Go talk to Archmage, see about any updates from the burn teams.

>>2993693
>> Go talk to Catherine, you're curious what she knows about all this.

>>2993718
>"I bet you two have been handholding you degenerate."

So are we going through the teleporting rune?

>>2994171
>>2993954
>>2993822
>>2993772
>>2993718

Tease Dutch a bit more then go talk to Archmage it is.

Writin'

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>>2993693

Given how you've given Dutch his gift, which he's still got in his hands, it's probably for the best that you get moving at this point. After all, you'd like to talk to Archmage to see if there's been any updates for those teams he's got in the area; you want to know what kind of shitstorm you're going to be running head first into before you get there for once.

Still, you've only got more fuel to mess with Dutch and like hell are you going to pass up the opportunity, "Well, I suppose I needed to go out and get a good suit anyways."

The gunslinger glances over as you stand up, "The hell are you talking about?"

"What do you think I'll be wearing to your wedding?"

Your old friend clearly pauses at that, the seconds that he takes to process the words you use to walk past him towards the other end of the meal car.

Grabbing the door to open it, you look over shoulder with a smile, "Oh, and do me a favor and make sure that Sierra only plays with your 'gun' rather than that rifle; I put a lot of work into it, and I don't want to catch you trying to put it back together again."

---

The first-class cars are about the same as you left them all those months ago, although now it's missing the gaggle of security troops angling for putting a few round in your ass. Given what you know about the man, Archmage is likely to around here, up to his nose in paperwork of every kind.

Going on that hunch, you push open the door to what used to be Gambino's office and find the crimson magus right where you thought he'd be, sitting behind that wooden desk with a pile of paperwork scattered out in front of him. Curiously, there's almost the hint of a superior air to the middle-aged man; one that you elect to ignore as you walk in, knocking against the door frame to catch his attention.

Archmage adjusts his glasses as he looks up at you, motioning for you to take a seat, "You've got excellent timing, John; I've just finished going over the most recent report from the burn team, and they report success."

"Good," Knowing that's a small weight off your back, and you aren't quite as stiff when you sink into one of the office's chairs, "They report anything else?"

"I won't bore you with the details, but the bulk of it covers their sweep of where Bo Shan once was and the surrounding area, which has been thoroughly cleansed, and the Ruin from which this incursion started, which they have set up a quarantine and are holding until we arrive."

That gets a raised eyebrow out of you, especially given what you were told previously.

Your response?
> "Is that why Dutch is here, so we can manually cleanse the Ruin?"
> "Why haven't they cleared the Ruin?"
> "What's the plan, Archmage?"
> Other

>>3007520
>Whats the plan
>why havn't they cleared the ruin?

Want to make sure you are the first one near there so nobody messes up your toys?

and are there any artifacts left over from the population? bringing back something that survived from serria's bar would be nice.

>>3007520
>> "What's the plan, Archmage?"

>>3007520
>> "What's the plan, Archmage?"

>>3007520
>"Why haven't they cleared the Ruin?"

>>3008810
>>3007560
>>3007546
>>3007544

What’s the plan, Stan?

Writin’

>>3007520

“Alright, Archmage, so you’ve got all the area cleared except for exactly where we want to go. What’s the plan then? You holding them back so that way we get first dibs on what might have survived down there?” You really were hopeing that this would be a simple, in-and-out dive, which in retrospect was a fucking stupid idea but you are armed and armored properly regardless.

“I sincerely doubt anything of worth is still within that Ruin, given how the Blight has had it for the last several months. That, in and of itself, is the reason why the burn team is on standby until we arrive: the Blight is sure to have turned the complex into a laybrinth and given how you’re the only person that knows it’s layout I’m not going to send those men into a death trap without an idea of where to go,” The look on Archmage’s face isn’t quite scolding, but it is a damn near thing. It, however, doesn’t last long, “So, given that, the ‘plan’ is to discuss between ourselves and the leader of the burn team what the best way to clear the Ruin, without destroying it, is when we arrive. All the preparations that could be made are in place; all that is left is to purge any abominations from that place and uncover the secrets contained within.”

This is...

Well, it’ll certainly be interesting.

> Given how we’re about to fall off the board here, I’ll be posting a new thread where we’ll be getting right into it when I get home from work in a few hours. See you all then.