Mosquitos Bite - RPLOG

Participants

• Angus
• Bite_PC
• Eleni
• Mazurek
• Rainer

Date

22/4/476

Log

The day is slightly cloudy, and the concourse is looking quite lovely, to more eyes than mere beings. Mosquitos, those dragonfly winged, blood sucking tail carrying little stingers are having a hay-day in Firmament, they can be seen in thick numbers preying upon quite unhappy folks. A group is situated in the center of it all, surrounded by a ring of fire that goes off every so often, a skilled mage in the center of it all fuming. "I HATE THESE THING!" he says as he works, and the others are inclined to agree with him. "We need more aid! We have to find the cause, this problem cannot continue unchecked." says a rather plump owl, with a few bystanders.

Angus positively hated this, as the annoying pests descended upon him. He had heard that someone wanted help trying to figure out what was going on so he looked around, and judging by the ring of fire around a certain group he had found his targets. Rushing towards them he waved a hand, slapping at a few of the insects as he went. "Hey, I heard that you were looking for help?"

A little, wet-and-shiny black noise pokes out from under an overturned crate. "Are they gone yet?" The question is answered by a jabbing sensation, right on the end of his snout, and with a yelp and a flurry of flailing arms the box is thrown off and Rainer emerges. "IhatethesethingsohsweetmercifulErickgetthemoffmeawughthey'reinmyHAIR"

Eleni strides onto the concourse from the gates, armed and armored from wherever she returned from. The thcik cloud of pests doesn't seem to bother her, though it's difficult to tell what her expression is through the helmet of her armor. "Ya mean ta say that even though it's spring and ya expect the pests ta not exist?" She mutters to herself amusedly, with a mostly hidden roll of her eyes at Rainer's antics, though she moves towards the ring of fire and looks across at Angus as the fox adresses the folk, adding nothing else yet.

An avian shriek cuts through the air as another newcomer arrives on the scene. There's a griffon strolling through the area...ok, more like running to get away from the pests. From time to time it spits out some fire maths to ward off the insects and upon spotting the ring of fire he charges right for it!

The group is allowed into the ring before the mage restarts his efforts. The owl continues, waving to the newcomers. "Welcome! Are you tired of this great problem too? We are in the process of divulging information about the situation before we go and seek the source." The mage, ironically a firebrat, continues his works of flames as he says "Well they are thickest over by the maritime district and those mange folks, but a few are out by that one fountain that's under repair, as always they are spawning in the standing water." The rest of the group nods and swats a few of the problems as they chatter.

Angus was rather grateful to be allowed within the ring and away from those little monsters. "Think we can rule out the fountain possibility, there are much larger pools of standing water around Firemament. But then again, it could be helping them." He shrugged, not really an expert on insects.

"Ahhuhaahuuhhug!" Rainer's still up on his tip toes and squirming about as the protective ring sprouts back up, shaking frantically, though none of the pests remain upon him. "Back home these blighters -never- came out 'til it was almost summer." The pup sticks his tongue out in disgust, finding the half-smushed remains of one of the creatures stubbornly clinging to his fluffy coat. With a bit of prying and a flick of his wrist he pulls it off and tosses it to the flames, a notable air of satisfaction coming over him as it turns to ashes.

Eleni looks back over to the owl and deadpans, "You lit a fire on the main concourse because of some pests. Isn't that overreacting?" The fennec says unimpressedly. "If ya want standing water ta check, look at ya sewer sluiceways and don't stand around here doing jack all." The fennec says bluntly. "Ya city plan must be something awful if ya get this kind of commotion every spring. Kid, pull yaself together before ya hurt someone or yaself." She derides Rainer, just shaking her head at the griffon fleeing from the pests.

Mazurek joins the group within the fire ring, shaking off whatever happens to be clinging to him, even bucking a bit to accomplish it faster. Once that is done he pads over to Rainer and noncommittally bumps his raven head into the fluffy belly. A birdlike warble accompanies the action and the panther tail wags a bit.

The owl shakes his head. "Every spring? No, this hasn't been a problem in... I can't recall how long...." he says, trying to think for a moment. Another folk speaks up, saying "The last time was that one smuggler and those barrels." The owl nods and says "Oh that's right... the plumbers haven't found anymore in the seweres than usual either... are you sure you want to be here sir? You seem rather..." he says to Eleni, looking them over. The mage is more blunt, saying "You hardly seem like you want to help, and you accuse a helpful ward of being excessive... if you're just going to look down on us why don't you go home?" He focuses his math on the task at hand however, occasional bursts. "The fountain isn't likely the problem no but it explains why they're over there. There must be a bigger problem over by mange square and the maritime district." finally the owl says.

Angus glance at Eleni. "I don't know, we might need her if things get out of hand." He shrugged. "Other then that I have to agree, the problem has to be in those two location. So lets not waste time." Walking up to Maz he smiles, and pats the Griffion on the back. "Hey there Mazurek, how have you been?"

Rainer shoots Eleni a look of disdain, mixed with a pouty bottom lip thrust as he utters, "That's easy for you to say, I bet they can't get through that tin can you're stomping around in-oof, hey!" The pup stumbles when Maz collides with him, and it's only when Angus identifies the griffon that recognition gives in. "Oh, it's you." A couple quick pats on the avian head, then he swings 'round to point towards Mange Square and the Maritime District beyond, "What're we standin' around here for, then?!"

Eleni nods back to the owl for the reply, then looks back to the mage. "'M saying ya should put ya skill ta use at the root of the problem rather than where it's convenient ta stay. Ya seem ta know what you're doing, but I find myself questioning ya thought process." She replies evenly. "Now. 'M not a mage, so It'd be damn ineffeciant ta try and squash out a problem if it's on a bigger scale in the maritime. Ya think ya see where 'm goign with this?" She says. "Either way. 'M not telling ya that ya have to. I've got no qualms with spending a few hours stepping on bugs and larvae. The kid there is on the right track. Ya want ta sort this out or not?"

The owl nods, as does the group. The mage stops his fire magics and stretches, nodding. "We should split and search mange square and then the maritime district." he opts, stating his opinion as the group decides to proceed down the main concourse to the east. As they proceed the little biters get worse, thick clouds of them at times obscure ones vision. A small crate, not quite to the point of falling apart, but more than soaked carries a little bit of standing water inside it from the last rain, just jutting out of a back alley. It's a literal hotspot for the creatures.

Angus nods as he follows, and then notices the pool. "Work our way towards them, taking out any trouble spots on the way." He mutters as he looks around, trying to see if there were any more spots around.

Slap! Smack! Swat! Rainer's hands are in nigh-constant motion, fruitlessly endeavouring to keep the stinging beasties at bay with errant swings, crushing them beneath or between his palms wherever the opportunity strikes, but having to wade through them is doing nothing to keep his spirits high. "Math. I bet it was math. Someone used math, and all these skeeters are the result of it. Rule 19 at its finest."

Eleni scoffs at Rainer's comment under her armor, shrugging off the errant sting that manages to slip through her platemail. Noting the dense cloud of the things near the box, she mutters something under her breath, calmly moving over to the crate and delivering a vicious blow with a gauntleted hand that smashes the water-damaged wood.

The box is crippled by Eleni's blow, spewing water and little insects out as it flows over the ground. The mage of the party says "Move aside please." as he focuses on drying it up to speed along the process. With that complete, the owl motions to mange square's center. "Perhaps we should divide our efforts? We can cover more ground and try to locate anywhere that is more dense than the rest easier that way." He looks over the group and says "I'll lead a few folks over to the north side, a few of you take the west, by the entryway, check in the alleys and behind the houses, someone head down to see how things are by the maritime district, and someone head east?"

Angus nods in agreement to the plan, eyeing the box as Eleni delivers a deadly blow to it. "Sounds good enough to me. Now, who wants to go where. I can take the west, if no one else wants it." He mutters as he swipes at a few more of those vicious little insects.

Rainer edges away from the breaking box, grimmacing at the commotion its destruction creates amongst the flying devils. "Whatever gets this mess sorted faster." He waits no longer than that, starting away, still swinging every which way, "I'll cover the eas-abhglkAGHHHK I got one in my MOUTH son of a thrice-cursed Shadow--!"

Eleni hasn't stopped moving, giving the crate a kick for good measure. "I'll detour by the maritime district and call for ya if something's up." She volunteers, already en-route anyway. Rainer' babbling prompts her to turn sharply. "Right, kid. One, 'm not a bloody boy. Two, keep ya mouth shut or ya will have much more ta worry about than a sting. Understood?" She barks her orders, tone obviously a throwback to the military. With that, she's back on her way again.

The owl just watches the others with a hoot of amusement, waving some folks to follow him. he brings along the fire brat, and sends two of the others with Eleni, and Rainer. A buddhaesque bellied jellyfish folk follows the seemingly crazed canine, and Eleni gets a rather quiet and sheepish argali boy of the clever folk. Off they go, Angus's return towards the west provides a view of someone trying to force their way into a home, Rainer and the jellyfish folk hustle to the east, where they find a bit more in the way of insects but less in the way of water as they move towards the brothel. The alley-ways and turn offs are mostly empty. Eleni hit's the jackpot, winning loads of the tiny insects all about them as they and the mountain sheep move to the maritime district. The bugs seem to clear out as they approach the ocean, prompting the sheep to look back and point. "They seem focused right there don't they?" he says quietly.

Angus clears his throat to get the would be invaders attention, and smiled as he placed his hands on the hilts of his dagger. "Hello there good Citizen, what are we up to today?" He asked, a neutral hiding the annoyance underneath as he readies himself. He didn't know if this being would run, attack him, or if this was actually his home. But he wasn't taking any chances as he cast out with his senses, to read this beings emotions for the slightest hint in change.

Rainer grumbles all the way, keeping his hands over his maw from now on, except for the occasional furious swat when one of the pests passes his field of vision or lands on him. "You and me got the plum assignment, I think." he comments aside to his jelly associate, "The further we get from the river, the better. They ain't even givin' you a second glance, what's up with that, eh?" He presses on a while longer, looking around for he-doesn't-even-know-what, though his eyes aren't exactly peeled, with so many distractions flitting around him.

Eleni rolls her eyes, muttering sarcastically under her breath before she replies to the sheep. "'M not surprised they're here in the least. Let's get on with it." She replies to the boy, calling over her shoulder to the others. "Looks like the majority are here, unsurprisingly!" She wastes no time in heading down to what she can only assume to be the epicenter of the infestation. "Kid. Do ya know much about these bugs, or know any math, preferably water or fire?"

The mountain sheep shakes their head. "I know a little bit of wind, but I'm an archer for the next... year? I'm doing my army time early, but I don't know anymore than I need to light an arrow on fire miss." The owl and mage don't seem to hear them, possibly from being on the other side of the square completely. Angus hears them, although they also hear a groan and get a look from the folk, who continues to try for the door. "Let me, this guy thinks i'm trying to break in." he calls out with a huff. There is no reply, to which he responds with more applied force. "Look unless you can console my lifebond I think you should go, all this gossip is crushing us. Like I'd ever date my boss on the side..." he grumbles and bangs on the door. Rainer doesn't manage to hear it, possibly from being back in the alleys themselves, the jellyfish plopping along beside them as they go. "They just like you! You're sweet huh? Huh?" they say with a nudge and a chuckle, they seem to find this very amusing. The two heading into the thick of it all are rewarded with an increase in insects and a view of a cellar, or basement door that is slightly ajar.

Angus sighs as he realizes that he was mistaken. "My apologizes, I did not mean to seems like I was threatening you. And I'm sorry for interrupting." He gives him a polite smile before he turns around, Eleni's call a blessing as it frees him from his foolishness. Cupping his hands around his mouth he yells, trying to help get the others attention. "They found the source in the maritime district!" After that he starts heading there himself.

"Haha sure, whatever you say." Rainer waves away the compliment, such as it is, with a little shake of his head and a dopey grin. Down between the buildings he wanders with his aquatic companion, stopping to kick over a loose stack of old boxes, and then, in a Lightbulb Moment, he picks one up and... puts it on his head. "HAH" his slightly muffled voice comes from beneath, "Can't get me now, can you, y'little blighters?!" He stands there for a moment, tilting his head to one side and another, then in the general direction he's reasonably sure the jellyfish was last standing in relative to him, "I can't see."

Eleni nods back to the sheep. "Well kid, this could be interesting." She mutters, looking on to the ajar door and moving up cautiously to take a look, keeping her shield between her and the building. "'m going ta move in on the building. Don't think there'll be any problem but if there's hostility keep out of sight or behind me. Might want ya ta try and keep the insects outta the air if there are too many inside."

The folk at the door plops down outside it, talking through it as Angus walks off. "Yes you're far prettier than her... yes I know, she's a fat hog... I completely agree... well of course not, I love your eyes..." he says in answer to the unknown conversation. The jellyfish sneaks around Rainer, and yells "GOTCHA!" as they tap their shoulder. The chuckle and take the box off the silly canines face, saying "We should be looking for the source." As the door is opened out bursts cloud after cloud of the insects! The mountain goat can only clear so many away, the shield can only deter their path so much. A rush of the smell of stagnant water hits our heros.

Angus managed to get there in time to be swarmed by the little monsters. "What in the name of the Creators!" He manages to mutter before he's swatting at the things, pulling both his daggers as he slices through the thick cloud of insects. "Dammit, this is why I hate these little buggers!"

Rainer flips around and, luckily for the jellyfish, it isn't with fists a-flailin'. "Eh?" He bats his eyes twice as the box is lifted off his head, then lifts a hand and makes a dismissive flicking gesture, "I know that!" Hands go to his hips... though only briefly, before he's back to swatting pests again, and he gives their immediate surroundings another quick inspection. "...I think this is a dead end. We should probably see if the others had better luck."

Eleni doesn't respond to Angus's comment, too busy pushing through the airborne insects to get into the building. The woman's helmet keeps any expression on her face unseen as she looks back and forth for the source of the stagnant water.

Partway down the stairs it is clear the source, the entire basement is flooded. The mosquitos are in full force, having taken the entirety of the basement for themselves. The sound is paticularly audible here, their wings going about in mass, and above the room is a leaking pipe, or rather a cracked pipe, etched in some form of math. The jellyfish nods and moves with Rainer towards the mange square center.

Angus follows Eleni down the stairs and into the basement, and when he notices the pipe he frowns. "That's just weird...." taping Elenei on the shoulder he points to the pipe. "Something here is suspicions, that pipe over there isn't a standard one. Whoever put it in used Air magic....and something else, but I don't think any water magic was involved. At all."

"Angus! ...Hey, Agnus! ...Um, hoity-toity armoured lady? ...Aaaanguuus~" Rainer keeps calling as he leads the way out and into Mange Square, keeping one hand swinging back and forth in front of his face constantly to prevent a repeat of the bug-in-mouth incident. Before long he's found himself heading towards the Maritime District, and he can already see the swarm thickening ahead. "...Of course it would have to be..."

Eleni Shrugs. "Figured it was a leaking water pipe, but if ya want ta break it open, be my guest. 'm no mage, so 'm not about ta tamper with it. Where the hell has the owl and that mage got to? If I find out they've been slacking after the talk they gave..." She replies - at first terse though her tone progresses to annoyance as she mentions the owl and mage, moving down the stairs cautiously. and using her shield to rather unceremoniously crush and smear the eggs. Inefficient but after all, she's no mage.

The swarm is almost an active barrier, the water and layer after layer of insects barring progress. However, the group proceeds down the steps into the water, and Rainer and the jellyfish folk manage to catch up. The jellyfish looks over the area and nudges Rainer forward first, being the insect attractant they are. The jellyfish holds up a hand, waving it about before retracting it at a bite, and says "That's a strange heated water pipe." as he points to the pipe and then again retracts his hand at the insects attack.

Angus looks to the jellyfish, and then back to the pipe. "Heated? Now that's intersting." Turning back to the pipe and the flooded basemtn he frowns. "Don't suppose you have any skill with fire?" He asks the jellyfish as he rubs his chin with a sigh. "I really hate these things..."

"Alright, alright, quit shovin'... oh, so this is where you lot have got to." Rainer's nose wrinkles as he descends into the basement, and he wades right into the muck before realizing what it's full of... "Oh, yuck, gross, aieeesh!" The pup then does a whole lot of prancing about, keeping one foot lifted up out of the water, switching to the other when he's about to lose balance, going back and forth like that.

Eleni sighs, rolling her eyes at Rainer's entry. "What did I tell ya earlier, kid?" She demands sharply as the wolf does his immature schtick, turning to Angus before making her way through the water unconcerned with the stench, still crushing the eggs with her shield. "Angus. Tell ya pup ta get some sense inta his skull. And you, jellyfish. Can ya tell us something a bit more useful, by any chance? Can't tamper with the pipe otherwise."

The jellyfish nods. "Well it's not... done right. It might have worked before they added that fire math, and I don't know what else they did to it, they did a really bad job. I don't think sealing it off will solve anything but... you might just... scratch something to cancel it out in there?" They smile and laugh about Rainer, shaking their head at the canines antics. "At least you aren't blind again."

"Rainer, put both feet on the ground and stop squirming or I swear I'll push you in." Angus responds as he starts to wade in further. "Alright then, if it will only take a scratch then this should be a little easier." With a firm look he dras a throwing dagger from beneath his cloak and takes aim. "Hopefully I don't miss..."

Rainer sticks his tongue out and cringes, poke-poking at the water's surface with the tip of his toes and finally plunking his foot down and settling. A little shudder runs swiftly through him, then he seems to just abruptly make peace with his situation. "So what are we doing now? Indiscriminately breaking pipes? Because I'm all for breaking things." He only briefly surveys the room before picking the closest tube he can find, approaching it with destructive intent--!

Eleni gives an appreciative nod to Angus, putting a hand around the haft of her spear and looking back up at the Pipe. "If ya do miss, I can try ta make a few jabs at the pipe." She offers, continuing around the room methodically, opting to ignore the wolf this time.

Angus strikes true, the pipe scratchesa and creaks as it comes to a halt, and as it does there is a whiney cry. From above them movement can be heard.

Angus smiles as he manages to hit his mark, and then he looks up in suprise at the noise. "What was, Rainer don't touch that come on!" He yells as he notices what Rainer was doing, before he turns around and rushes out the door to try and catche the owner of that cry before they can get away.

Rainer is just starting to draw his sword when his ears perk and draw his attention to the ceiling, stopping him in his tracks. "...What's that, now?" He turns to see Angus bolting away and, with little more than a shrug, falls in behind him. "Tally ho~"

Eleni moves similarly, though without bothering to wait for the wolf or fox. The fennec calls back to the sheep and jellyfish; "Keep watch down there."