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Post by Osiris on Jul 27, 2016 21:47:28 GMT -7
Much of the city had suffered from the dragon's attack, and while some of it had already been repaired, the suburbs hadn't quite been given the same rebuilding treatment. There were ruins and debris still scattered about, and many of the civilians had not returned to their homes yet given their state. Even during the bright hours of the day, sometime in the afternoon, there was hardly a soul out on the streets.
Despite this, a metallic figure roamed through destruction, seemingly completely at home with the state of its surroundings. Osiris strode through the demolished streets, occasionally pausing here and there to examine a particularly large hole, or to shift some debris out of the way to investigate underneath. It seemed to purposefully avoid areas that had been cleaned up after the battle, as well as ignore any places that could conceivably hold survivors waiting for rescue. Instead, it moved with a singular purpose, driven by one all-encompassing motive.
It needed to find more.
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 27, 2016 22:04:54 GMT -7
Geata had decided that at the very least, he could make it a little easier on the rebuilding effort. He portaled back and forth, taking rubble with him and depositing it all in an ever growing pile. It wasn't for the sake of the people, or because he had some sense of duty. The people could handle it, even if it would've took them longer, and he had done his part by helping to kill the dragon. It was more that it needed to be done and he was available. On top of that, one never knows when they could come across something important that was missed in a mess.
He had spent a good portion of time clearing away everything when, stepping out of a portal to locate more debris, Geata noticed a metallic figure walking away from him. Said figure didn't seem to be there to help, or really doing much of anything, so the young super found himself matching the metal man's pace and following from a distance.
If there was a reason for the figure to be there, Geata was intent on making sure that he found out what it was.
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Post by Osiris on Jul 27, 2016 22:34:23 GMT -7
At first, it didn't seem to even notice Geata's presence. Instead, Osiris continued on its path, this time bending down to lift the remnants of a wall off the ground. It crouched, tilting its head as it examines the ground underneath. There was nothing unusual about the newly revealed patch of grass, aside from the fact it had been flattened, and the metal figure stood up after a moment of inspection.
Then, it slowly turned to face the one who had been following it.
"What are you doing?"
The voice is cold, electronic, and difficult to distinguish from other robotic playback devices due to the modification.
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 27, 2016 23:00:43 GMT -7
Geata was learning nothing from following the tin man. In fact, following the figure was making him more and more confused than when he first saw him. Tin man moved some rubble, but it wasn't anything but looking underneath. It was enough to make Geata wonder if the metal guy was just looking for something he had lost. It wasn't likely if he was looking for it in the destroyed part of the city, but at the same time, they always did say that it would always be in the last place you'd look. Jokes aside, Geata figured it seemed more like it was looking the area itself more than looking for something in it.
When the figure turned towards the masked super and spoke, Geata tilted his head slightly. "Which answer would you prefer? 'Following the suspicious figure in the area make sure it didn't make things worse,' or would you rather hear 'satisfying my curiosity, same as I figure you are'? Both are true." He shrugged as he spoke, but the look on his face was deadpan. He was taking care to not put off any intimidating signals, but he was preparing all the same. If the tin man was wanting to fight, Geata wanted to be good and ready to send it straight back to Oz.
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Post by Osiris on Jul 28, 2016 12:10:25 GMT -7
"Either answer is acceptable, as long as you do not interfere."
Osiris took a half step forward, not quite advancing, but a clear signal that it was not backing away from this interaction. It wasn't sure what to make of this one, as most civilians had left when faced with the prospect of a strange figure moving through their neighborhood.
"You are a super?"
It actually sounded... curious. Interested, even.
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 28, 2016 12:28:48 GMT -7
Geata answered the question by tapping on his metal mask. "Yeah, I am." It was short and sweet, with little emotion, but he was still wary of the figure. He was also curious about what he wasn't to be interfering with. "Am I wrong to assume that you might be one as well?"
He stepped to the side, maintaining the same distance but moving where he could get a better view of what the metal man had been looking at. Nothing caught Geata's interest, but he didn't rule out that there was something there. He turned back to the figure and spoke again. "Keep everything harmless and I won't have any reason to interfere. Try to make the place a little worse, though, and I will forcibly evict you from the area. Are we clear?"
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Post by Osiris on Jul 28, 2016 13:38:50 GMT -7
Osiris hesitated, not answering right away. While there was certainly no harm in someone knowing its capabilities overall, it was always unsure of whether to give information away for free.
"...yes."
It finally gave an answer, looking away to the side. If anything, it seemed unconcerned by Geata's warning.
"If you answer my questions, there will be no need to make anything worse. Will you comply?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 28, 2016 14:02:50 GMT -7
Geata nodded as the metal man stated that it was a super. It wasn't very surprising, but it was somewhat comforting to know what he was getting into early on. As for complying with questions, what harm could answering a few questions bring? Potentially, quite a bit long term, but that would depend on the questions and a number of other factors.
"Yeah, sure, I'll comply," he said calmly. "But tit for tat and all of that. I hope you won't mind if I ask a few of my own?"
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Post by Osiris on Jul 28, 2016 18:00:54 GMT -7
Another moment passed as Osiris hesitated again. It was paranoid, and Osiris mentally went over what sort of danger this could lead to. Thus far... the risk was outweighed by the potential benefits.
"Acceptable."
It agreed.
"There was a dragon killed in this city. How many supers did it take to defeat it?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 28, 2016 18:42:39 GMT -7
Geata stopped to think for a moment. The exact amount was iffy at best, but he was lucky enough that he had moved into a house with other supers. It certainly made it easier to tally up the names.
"There were around thirty of us I believe, maybe a few less," he said, lost in thought, looking up towards the sky. "To answer a potential follow up question, we only had one causality, as far as I've been made aware."
He then turned his eyes down towards the metal super. "My turn. Are you looking for something in particular, here, or just surveying the scene?"
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Post by Osiris on Jul 28, 2016 18:55:30 GMT -7
"Thirty..."
It repeated, confirming the number. That was a wonderful number, one that filled it with joy. It was exactly what it had been hoping for. At Geata's question, Osris gave something of a very small nod.
"Both. I wish to find something, but also to see if there is anything significantly different about this dragon."
But thus far... it hadn't had the luck it wanted.
"Who would be considered a dragon expert in this city?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 28, 2016 19:05:54 GMT -7
Geata pondered a moment. Who would be a dragon expert? Did anyone he know qualify? It was doubtful, considering how the people he knew were all but limited to the group that formed as an anti dragon measure, and nobody at the fight really knew anything more than "hurt it to death", but he did at least know the group that would undoubtedly qualify.
"Any one person that qualifies as an expert might be a tall order, but I'm unsure if it's impossible. Of course, I'm sure you know this, but the Keepers are probably your best bet if you want anything more than how to kill it. Of course, getting info from them is going to cost you." He stretched his arms back behind himself as he took a step forward. He didn't have another question that was extremely pressing, yet, but it was obvious that he was debating what he should ask next.
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Post by Osiris on Jul 28, 2016 19:41:54 GMT -7
Even if Geata didn't have a question in mind, Osiris most certainly did. The moment the man stopped speaking, Osiris would press on.
"What is a Keeper?"
Truth be told, it hadn't heard the term before. From the way this one spoke, it was assumed to be common knowledge. It was... distressing, to be considered ignorant.
"I am new to this city."
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Jul 28, 2016 19:59:40 GMT -7
Geata stopped and looked at the super for a moment, interest peaking as he realized he was dealing with someone completely new to the scene. It almost made Geata proud that he'd get to be the lucky dog to explain the strange super politics of the city.
"I'm assuming if you don't know about the Keepers, then you haven't heard of Pandaemonium or the Bulwarks yet either, right? Well, simply put, those are the three super powered factions of the city. The Keepers are a secret organization of sorts that pretty sure is world wide, but it's understandable that they wouldn't be common knowledge. Around here, its members are pretty active, which is the only reason any of us know about them. The Pandas are a chaotic bunch that is pretty much the equivalent of a super powered street gang. Those two are both made up of mostly villains, whereas the Bulwarks are your superheroes trying to stop them. They don't have the best reputation though, and are known more for making things worse than fixing the actual problem."
He paused and considered his explanation before deciding it was good of a crash course as anyone else would offer. "The Keepers are all about getting their hands on every bit of info they can, so it's reasonable assume that if anyone knew anything about dragons, it'd be them." Around this point, Geata mused, would be the info that could cause all sorts of trouble later on, but it was something the metal man was going to learn eventually. No real harm in being the one to tell, Geata decided.
"I could potentially point you in the right direction of where to find specific members of each faction, but first I'm going to have to ask: are your interests here purely draconic, or do you have something more in mind?"
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Post by Osiris on Jul 28, 2016 20:37:43 GMT -7
Now that was interesting. This city was much more than Osiris had originally thought. While it doubted it would get much help from the Bulwarks thus far, given its own penchant for collateral damage, the other two groups had potential. Especially these "Keepers". It wanted to meet with either one, but it seemed in order to do that, it would need to continue to answer questions.
"I have no interest in others' business as long as it does not intrude on mine."
It was a vague answer, but it really didn't want to get into specifics. Especially as it did not trust this one it was meeting with just yet, or at least had no reason to.
"I want those names of specific members."
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