Rumors of a beast stalking Bordeaux are linked to a missing child.
Level: 10
Start: Aurelija, Port, Bordeaux Station
Introduction
Aurelija: I'll pound that miserable excuse for a face through the back of your skull you useless piece of space junk!
A large and muscular woman addresses a Gaulish guard whom she holds up against a wall by his throat. His feet dangle inches off the floor and his face gradually shifts from pink to an otherwise quite pleasant shade of lilac as he struggles to stay conscious. The woman, who your CORETECHS identifies as Aurelija, bares her teeth in a bestial snarl as her biceps bulge in a manner that suggests she is more than capable of making good on her threat. The guards own eyes bulge in a similar manner, almost as if eyeballs and biceps are involved in some intricate waltz of anger and fear.
Approach Aurelija
- "I don't think his face should be turning that color."
Aurelija turns to scrutinize you as she continues to hold the man up by his throat. You notice his eyes begin to roll back into his head as the last of his air no doubt slowly expires. She gives you a noncommittal grunt before replying.
Aurelija: It would not be so great a loss no? His type always look down on us. I am simply allowing him the luxury of a better view. At least while his eyes still work…
- "I'm getting the impression you want something from him. I'm not sure he'll be able to help if he's dead."
Aurelija draws the guard close so that his gagging face is inches from hers.
Aurlija: My little girl, my Gigi, she is missing. She has been taken by the Beast! And this star cursed piece of ejected flotsam could care less.
Aurelija snorts in disgust and releases the guard, letting him fall in a heap, gasping at her feet. She wipes her hand on the brown and cracked leather coat that covers her muscular frame. Ignoring the crumpled heap of a man desperately gasping in air at her feet, she runs a hand over her eyes and lets out a long drawn sigh.
Aurelija: I'm sorry. When I am worried, I react in anger. And I am more worried than I have ever been in my life, and I am the stable one! Both my husband and my wife are beside themselves with grief and panic. I should be looking for Gigi but I waste time with this fool simply because I could not hold my anger in check.
- "Let me help."
Aurelija's shoulders slump as her anger drains away, quickly replaced by anxiety. She runs a large hand over her face before looking at you with an earnest and grateful expression. People passing by cast curious looks at the guard at her feet who is gasping for air, albeit in a less panicked fashion.
Aurelija: I…that would be very good, yes. Please, anything you can do. I will have to take this man in to the medbay, I fear my scolding may have bruised his larynx. While I am there I shall continue to try and enlist the help of the guards, though I fear they will simply see another runaway urchin in my story.
As you walk away, your CORETECHs notifies you of a new message. You open it up and see a picture of a diminutive little girl with olive skin and bright green eyes. Her dark hair is caught up in pigtails and freckles adorn her sharp cheekbones. A caption reads, 'This is Gigi.'
Search Bordeaux Station for Gigi
Next NPC: Sonto, Market, Bordeaux Station
- Ask someone in the Market for information
The hustle and bustle of the market seems oddly subdued today. Vendors still hawk their wares and shoppers walk among the stalls, but there is a feeling of awkwardness permeating the scene. A large, translucent wall at the rear of the area is smudged with stains though the sweeping vista of a large planetoid can still be seen below the station. As you walk through the Market, you begin to get the impression that the awkward tension has a shape, like a large, breathing organism, and it is pointed towards one particular shopkeeper.
A squat and sullen vendor sits among her wares, arms crossed and a tiny thundercloud of emotions dancing across her features. Both hawkers and shoppers alike seem to be casting her bemused expressions from all around. This woman then, seems to be the eye at the center of the tempest of awkwardness that floats around the room. Her eyes meet yours from beneath her furrowed brow, almost like she is daring you to mock her.
Sonto: I know what I saw!
- "And what did you see?"
The vendor, identified by your CORETECHs as Sonto, subjects you to a long and searching look for a moment. Once satisfied that you are not mocking her, she continues.
Sonto: They all laugh at me, but I saw it, I saw the beast! It's real! It stole ration supplies and ran off, graceful and lithe as you'd expect a being from another dimension to be!
Sonto glares at the other market stall owners as they try to suppress their giggles and grins. She growls for a moment, perhaps emulating the beast she describes, before continuing.
Sonto: I'm telling you, it's some sort of alien being, no doubt infiltrating our society to learn more about us before his friends come and suck out our brains while we sleep! We'll never see it coming!
- "Did you see which way this 'alien' went?"
Sonto: I think it ran off in the direction of the ruins! No doubt that is where its lair is, I bet it has some secret base of operations from which its species will begin their brain snatching invasion from!
Continue your search in the Ruins
Next step: Ruins, Bordeaux Station
- Investigate the ruins
A number of segments pass as you travel around the ruins, searching for the missing child. While neither your inquiries or investigation yield any solid information, you cannot shake the feeling that someone or something is watching you.
Suddenly, at a time when you find yourself delving into the deepest parts of the ruins, you spot an impossible shape standing upon the side of a ruined building, jutting at an awkward angle out of the detritus around. Just for a moment, silhouetted against the hazy light of the station's distant core, you spot a strange, bestial form.
Wild hair or possibly fur juts out from its form at every angle and a long shaggy tail seems to protrude from its rear. It appears to be four legged and a long, twisted snout juts out from its face. Before you have a moment to react, the beast raises its head towards the distant roof of the station and emits a long, mournful howl. Then suddenly it lopes off the angled building, disappearing from sight.
Search for the beast in the ruins of Bordeaux Station.
- Search the Mesh for the beast.
- Continue to investigate the ruins.
- Try to track the 'Beast'.
Search the Mesh:
You call up the Mesh and a semi-translucent window appears in the corner of your vision. Utilizing the image banks of your CORETECHS device, you use an image of the beast you just saw to search for information on the Mesh. After some moments, an entry with some archaic text and an image closely resembling the beast pops up. The entry reads:
Mesh: The domestic dog is a member of the genus Canis, which forms part of the wolf-like canids and is the most widely abundant terrestrial carnivore. The dog was the first species to be domesticated and has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes. Their long association with humans has led dogs to be uniquely attuned to human behavior and they are able to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canid species.
The entry continues to explain various apparent genealogical and biological facts about the creature called a 'dog' and explains the way this creature apparently served as companion to much of humanity Before.
You close the Mesh window and the stark and grey vista of the ruins once again springs into focus. A long, keening howl once again pierces the air in the distance. You are unsure if this 'dog' you saw in the distance could be called a companion. One thing is certain, however; the Beast of Bordeaux is real!
- Continue to investigate the ruins.
- Try to track the 'Beast'.
Track the 'Beast':
(Intelligence check)
You do your best to follow the beast through the ruins of the broken city. At first you worry that it will be difficult to track as the terrain filled with debris and dust but whenever you lose sight of its trail, the beast itself seems to appear on the horizon. Segments blend into what begins to feel like an eternity as you continue through the silent depths of the ruined metropolis. Splintered and twisted buildings jut out of the dusty ground around you, seemingly marking your progress like ancient behemoths.
Suddenly, just as you round a corner, you come face to face with the twisted features of the beast. Surprised by its proximity, you almost fall backwards but manage to maintain your footing. Something deep within you, some old and forgotten genetic instinct suggests that finding yourself in a prone and vulnerable position before this animal would not be conducive to a long and healthy life.
The 'beast' however, does not seem to act in a hostile manner. In fact, it rests on its haunches and watches you, occasionally turning towards a pile of debris and emitting a soft whine.
- Observe the beast.
- Investigate the debris next to the beast.
Observe:
Scruffy fur covers a lanky and lupine form. The hair, bearing a salt and pepper type of coloring, seems coarse and wiry, jutting out at all manner of angles from the animal's head down to its long and wiry tail. It's snout, however, seems wrong. It is twisted to what seems like an abnormal degree in a clockwise direction in what seems like a painful injury or defect of some sort that leaves sharp canines jutting out of one side of its mouth. The beast's eyes, a dark brown color, study you with a quiet intelligence.
- Investigate the debris next to the beast.
Investigating the debris seems to elicit a reaction from the animal behind you, a nervous energy comes over it and it seems to strain to look past you into the shadows. Shifting some rubble you understand why. The body of a small child seems trapped between two large chunks of regocrete that must have shifted at some point, pinning her beneath them. Torn bags of empty ration packs are littered around her. With a sinking feeling, you note that she is not moving and wonder if you have arrived too late.
The Beast of Bordeaux: WOOF!!
Suddenly, the small tunnel of debris reverberates with the echo of a single loud bark from the beast that has crept up beside you! Dust and small pebbles stir and settle for a long moment as you struggle to get control of your heart rate once more. You turn your head to meet the gaze of the beast, now inches away from you in the cramped confines of the tunnel and wonder if it understands that it very nearly caused you a minor cardiac episode.
Before you can put voice to your thought, you notice the little body further along in the tunnel stir! A small and sooty face looks up, blinking tired eyes as she tries to brush her bedraggled hair away from her face. She shifts as well as she can pinned beneath the twisted regocrete and calls out of the darkness.
Gigi: Squish? Oh good boy Squish! You found someone! Good boy! Please, can you help me Ser! My leg, it's pinned real good!
- Free Gigi from the rubble.
(Strength check)
Try as you might, you can't see a way to shift the rubble safely. Squish barks encouragement. Try again!
- Free Gigi from the rubble.
After studying the rubble for some moments, you manage to shift it to enough of a degree for Gigi to wriggle out. The beast, who is apparently named Squish, barks encouragement, or possibly admonishment, while you work. Soon enough a very ragged and exhausted looking little girl stands before you. She giggles as Squish showers her dirty little face with wet, slobbery licks of his tongue. After a moment, he transfers his attention to the angry looking wound on her leg, licking and cleaning it with a gentle determination.
Gigi: Thank you so much Ser, I been trapped under their for so long! I woulda dies for sure but Squish brought me food! I guess he stole it, I hope he's not in trouble.
Startling green eyes stare up at your from beneath a layer of grime and dust. Clearly, the little girl is quite anxious as to the well-being of her furry friend.
- "It's Gigi right? Your mom sent me, she's very worried."
- "So… what is Squish?"
What is Squish?
Gigi: He's a dog! One of the Elders told me they used to be all over the place, but they're much rarer now. He's not supposed to look like this, I think his face got hurt when he was just a baby. He's my friend though, my best friend. I bring him food here in the ruins and sneak him into my room when everyone else is asleep. It's getting real hard now though cause of how big he's got! I think I might have to tell moms about him. I think they'll be ok though, 'specially now that he saved my life! And if they're ok, dad won't have a say in the matter!
Her verbal avalanche apparently concluded, Gigi gives you a lopsided grin. You can't help but notice that it very closely resembles the way Squish's mouth twists to the side though, in his case, his tongue also hangs out of one side.
- "Wow, ok. Well, your mom sent me, she's very worried."
Gigi nods as she absently scratches the beast behind the ears. The beast itself sits on its haunches and stares at you via a pair of lopsided eyes in an unnerving fashion.
Gigi: I bet both my momma's and my poppa are real worried. I didn't mean to stray so far into the ruins but I got scared cause some men saw Squish, I wanted to hide him. But then that building fell on me! I'll go back home right now, we both will. We live in the Court of Fools so we can get there easy from here.
- Scratch Squish behind the ears.
- "Ok, well I better find your Mom and tell her you're ok"
Scratch:
You cautiously reach out to give Squish a friendly pat. His strangely lop-sided eyes cross on your hand and he gives it a careful sniff before letting his tongue loll out in what you imagine might be his version of a smile. As you scratch his head, you note once more how his entire muzzle is twisted in a clockwise direction, dragging all of his features into a bizarre shape. You can't imagine the pain this creature must have gone through at some point, though he seems happy enough now. Your fingers trace a pattern down his muzzle, noting the way his teeth jut out of one side of his mouth, but he seems content to allow you this tactile exploration.
- "Ok, well I better find your Mom and tell her you're ok"
Gigi: Oh yeah, that sounds like big mom. You'd better hurry! She gets dangerous when she's worried.
Gigi giggles at the last thought before running off towards the ruins. You briefly worry that perhaps you should accompany her, but after subjecting you to another lopsided stare, Squish turns and lopes off after her. Somehow, you do not think any danger can befall her while her furry guardian is close by.
Return to Aurelija in the port
Next NPC: Aurelija, Port, Bordeaux Station
- "She's ok!"
Me: She's o….OOF!
Before you can finish your sentence, Aurelija has lifted you off the floor in a giant bear hug. You feel your breath slowly squeezed out of your lungs and begin to wonder if the powerful woman's display of affection will inadvertently be how you finally leave this life. Just as the stars outside the station start to appear inside and dance around your vision in a lovely albeit concerning fashion, she puts you back on the ground. Thankfully she is also holding onto your shoulders or you feel that your knees may well buckle beneath you. After some time, sound also rushes back in and you realize she has been talking.
Aurelija: …called me just moments before! She is back home and safe! I could hardly make sense of it all with my husband and wife both chattering up a storm in my ear while Gigi's own words flowed like super-heated plasma out of a mark III engine. But I understood that you saved her!
Aurelija leans closer in a conspiratorial whisper, though in actual effect this just means you have to crane your neck back as her head towers above you.
Aurelija: And I understand something else had a hand in her safety? She needn't have worried. That beast will live like a king, we shall keep him safe and feed him from out own rations if need be. I owe my daughter's life to that ugly thing, as far as I am concerned it possesses more nobility in its mangy tail alone than any human on this station.
Aurelija I must go now and see my Gigi, I waited only so that I could thank you my friend. I want you to take this, I know it cannot even come close to what I wish I could give you for finding my girl, but I hope it can convey some small measure of thanks. Know that you have a new friend in me.
Aurelija presses a pouch into your hand and beams a gigantic smile before squeezing your shoulder one last time and loping off in the direction of the ruins. The pouch shifts and jingles in a way that suggests a number of credits are within.
You have received 200.00 credits.
You have completed the "The Beast of Bordeaux" mission.