The Found Arcana - Chapter 12 [IC] Options

[Thanee]

"That is one possibility, but it could also have been lying around for a while, just not handled or carried much. And no, I wouldn't know where to buy something like that. I would probably try some souvenir shop over in Aztlan." Trinket gives you a sheepish grin.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby nodded: "So no further contacts in the community that you could point us at? Well, thank you anyway. We'll have to move on then."

<<AM, put a mark on her commlink - I want to know if she is calling someone to warn them. We'll have to check out the other talismonger next.>>

[Gilga]

>> KK. I think Bobby is playing paranoid, but they say that just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not really after you. I'll wait until we are in the car before committing a felony though.

Once in the car, I close my eyes, Jack my Erika for maximum sleaze, and enjoy the intoxicating sensation of moving through the Trix at the speed of thought. If I am caught, I quickly reboot and try again, cursing quietly.

[Thanee]

Reception is really bad, but eventually AM manages to get a more or less stable connection going and also gets the Mark she is looking for.

There is no activity on Trinket's commlink, however.

[Gilga]

>> So far nothing... I notify Bobby and the team as I take a few extra moments to be sure.

[Beta]

"Anyone need to do any additional shopping while we are here? Or are we good to get out of Aurora?"

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby shook his head: "Let's go."

[Thanee]

<<Monday Evening - 22:03 - May 15, 2079 - Chinatown, Lowry, Denver>>

You have no difficulty getting back to Lowry. The go gangers are still there, but do not bother you as long as you stay on the direct route towards the district border. You cross the border into the southern parts of Lowry, where Chinatown is located.

This part of the city is a very different experience. The whole district is more low- to middle-class. The buildings and businesses in Chinatown have a distinct asian style. You also see mostly asian people, and a number of what you would call "muscle". Lots of tattoos as well. Seems like this is the playground of the Triads in Denver.

Only one part of the area, close to Aurora, is pretty much devoid of them. There is a nightclub there, Klub Karma. Loud, thumping music can be heard from nearby and judging from the long line at the entrance, the club seems to be pretty hot. You can spot an above-normal amount of guards (bouncers, of course, but also some that are watching the surrounding area for any signs of trouble), and those are pretty much all caucasian.

But that is not your destination, even though it is nearby. You arrive almost at the southern district border just north of the Cherry Creek State Park, where the shop Mystic Curiosities is located. Unfortunately, it is closed at this hour.

* * * * *

During the drive, AM has continued to look into the camera footage. There are a few cars driving along the 168th at this hour, going towards 6 a.m., as you would expect in the early morning. Easily half of them are four-by-fours and would fit the general size of what you are looking for. You cannot make out any dirt stains on the wheels, though.

[Beta]

Tamarind can't help but feel that they must have missed something. Surely the abductors couldn't have been this slick? To deliberately leave a clue or two, but nothing else?

Or was the knife really a clue?

"I think we have to allow that the knife could have been an attempt at misdirection. Obviously Atzlan, right? I wonder if that was just done to send any investigation down the wrong trail?"

"I'd have said worth talking to this Talismonger, if they were open. As it is, maybe check for cameras, have AM hack them, and see how far back the recordings go. Add that to our material to review."

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby nodded: "At his point, we really have to hope that our restaurant contacts come through with some more information. Still, I'd like to at least talk to the talismonger guy."

That said, Bobby brought up his own AR display and searched for a commlink to reach the proprietor after hours.

[ Spoiler ]

Computer Search: 8d6t5 4

[Thanee]

Bobby can only find the store's official comm, which goes to a voice computer that gives the opening hours, which are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., among some other typical stuff. Apart from the usual talismonger offerings, the store also offers extensive healing services, both magic and mundane. However, there do not seem to be any emergency or after hours services.

[Jack_Spade]

"No dice, seems like the owner doesn't want to be reached after hours. Right, let's get back to base and analyze the video some more. Let's start by checking the registrations of the vehicles that could fit the bill - maybe one of them is running silent - which would indicate that the driver has something to hide."

Bobby suggested

[Tecumseh]

Mato bids farewell to Rattler. As they drive off, he has visions of HK Urban Combats and Ultimax Rainforest Carbines dancing in his head. But Mato's true passion is 'ware, not weapons, and he must budget accordingly.

"It seems like a tight crew, a professional one," Mato says. "Leaving the knife must be intentional, not an oversight. The question becomes why did they leave it? The two options seem to be sending a message, or misdirection.

"If it's a message, then it must have an intended recipient. If Falcone or Hafiz understood, one would hope that they would pass the message along to jumpstart the investigation. We can ask them directly, but if it wasn't meant for them than it was meant for us, or whoever else was investigating. Trinket said it was a fake, right? Not even sharp. That suggests a cost-effective misdirection, buying time as we run around town chasing dead ends.

"But what of the feather? We think it is Belenkiy's. It was under a pillow. The rest of the room and the bathroom looked like they had been quickly searched, but nothing notable was missing. Perhaps they didn't see the feather in their haste or, if they did, they did not care. Which is the more likely?" Mato seems uncertain about the right answer.

"Let's check in at the Ranch. We can talk with Falcone and Hafiz, and get some downtime ourselves."

[Gilga]

"The feather is not Belenkiy's. This is the only thing we know about it." I agree to go to the farm; it is not like there is much else we can do at the moment; we're pretty much stuck.

[Gilga]

"So there is no jeep with mud on the road in the relevant hours... could they have gone elsewhere?" AM speaks out loud but does not expect an answer. Instead, she looks at their map and tries to figure out if there is a possibility that their kidnappers did not use that road after all. What were their alternative options, if any?

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby frowned:
"We saw their tracks heading for the road, but I guess there is little stopping them from going off-road immediately afterwards.
Then again, the mage could be able to cast Vehicle Mask. That would erase any recognisable markings easily.
We'll have to go back and start from the beginning.
But check the vehicles that passed by anyway for theft - maybe it is one of them."

[Gilga]

" Either that or they doctored the camera feeds. There might be a hint with one of these images in both cases. A hacker would loop the camera using prerecorded traffic, and illusion spells are not bulletproof - especially with electronic equipment involved. There might still be stuff there. Let's look closer - it's not like we have anything better to do.

[ Spoiler ]

improve intuition: 12d6t5 3
perception: 13d6t5 5
perception (if the team helps): 5d6t5 2

[Beta]

"Them heading to the restaurant had seemed a likely bet, but there are so many places they could have gone, and ways to get there. I don't know if it is worth it at this time of night, but maybe at first light we could east on 168th street, the way they turned. Looking at the map it runs along the north edge of Brighton and south edge of Lockbuie before carrying on into more country side, finally ending near a reservoir. Way too many places that they could have turned off, but hopefully we could at least find cameras as it approaches Brighton and see if they track it, then again on the way out. If they stayed on the 168 we can do the same with Lochbuie. And maybe we'll get insanely lucky and see it parked at a motel or something.

"Come to think of it, once Mato has had his short sleep, he could probably head out before first light and start scouting cameras, maybe even look around some at anything that seems worth digging into deeper. Take the Gopher, we'll off-load it into our rooms tonight first. You could do it with your skimmers, but I wouldn't trust the ZDF, or whoever is patrolling the roads these days, to not pick you up just for being an orc and being unusual. My limited exposure to the outlying towns of the Zone suggested that they are mostly pretty suspicious. "

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby drove while he thought furiously. What had they missed? There had to be some way to find the man...

"AM, how good are your ritual skills? And do you have a large area illusion spell like tried phantasm? We do have DNA of the victim from his bathroom - toothbrush, comb whatever. How about we use that to create a link and have a giant illusory arrow appear above his head that extends through the roof of whichever building he is held in. That might be a way to find him through social media."

[Gilga]

I sigh . "When things get rough, I guess it is time to take out the regalia and begin chanting. I am proficient in ritual magic. It is the first magical skill I learned.

I quickly note the curse ritual within my digital grimoire to familiarize myself with the ritual specifics and then say. "I am not sure I can pull off a large enough arrow - I mean, maybe, but I can do a few meters, and it would be visible unless they are in a tall building. There may be a loophole, though, something more insidious.

What if I form a small, barely noticeable illusion, like a sweat stain? Obviously, We will not see it from here, but the digital grimoire has this warning that the ritual forms a link that connects the ritualist and the target. They mention that they can find us --- but if they can do that, why can't we use the same link to track them? I haven't tested it, but it should be possible."

[Jack_Spade]

"Whatever works - we have reagents to spare now, so let's do it."

Bobby was happy to have a new option available and relaxed a bit.

[Gilga]

"I'll need a private place to set up the ritual without spooking off the guests. I'll also need a solid six hours where I'll be unavailable in a quasi state of trance, if I break the trance or exit the ritual circle it would fail - so don't disturb me unless it is more important than completing the ritual.


Once we're at the farm, in the privacy of the room, I begin to work on the ritual. I paint my face with spiderwebs to symbolize my connection with Iktomi, and I change to my traditionalist regalia, the last thing I would typically wear. To complete the look, I had to make a dress by hand, with sea shells and other natural objects as decoration, and a symbol of each great spirit in a necklace. The spiderweb is covered with a face mask in black and red. (I had to make myself, of course, and I suffered every moment).


Placing a few stones, a feather, and a bunch of leaves in a rough circle. Is all the reagents I need to use for the offering? Setting it up is easy, but it is only a tribute - I'll need to spend the rest of the time proving to Wakan Tanaka that I am worthy. I do it by absently singing, dancing, chanting, and telling stories. Acting as if all the great spirits are there to listen, dance, and sing with me. Sometimes, I imagine them with me - because whatever I do is not a show and is likely unnecessary with UMT - but this is how I know how to tap into these realms.



In the ritual, I reiterate three hours of the best stories I recall from the Wakan Tanaka, bless each great spirit, and politely ask for their divine assistance. Some of the stories are sung, and some of them are played and acted. It feels strange not to do it with an entire community as participants but to say the truth - nobody would have allowed me to lead a proper ritual anyhow, given how much of an outcast I am. I put aside any residual ego until I feel part of my heritage.

After six hours, I still can't leave the circle, but at least now Bobby can track the mystical connection. Oh my, what a night I yawn. >> I did the ritual; there is a little illusionary dirt stain on the floor wherever he is. Now, you need to follow the breadcrumbs to the source.

[Tecumseh]

"I can do that," Mato nods to Tamarind.

In truth, he doesn't have the grasp of magical theory to follow the back-and-forth discussion and the resulting plan. Having something concrete and defined to do suits him.

He turns off for about three hours. When he's awake again, he cleans himself up. Tamarind's warnings about the local's suspicion of outsiders seems prudent. He debates whether to wear his dress uniform, but decides that would make him stick out more. He opts for his armor jacket and jeans, and makes sure that his hair is combed and his tusks are brushed.

[Thanee]

<<Monday Evening - 22:49 - May 15, 2079 - Horse Trot Ranch, Brighton, Denver>>

You make it back to the ranch to plan your next steps, and hopefully there will be some new information coming in over night. Getting some rest also doesn't sound so bad.

After meeting with Hafiz again for a moment, he shows you an empty vacation house with four bedrooms, which has been prepared in the meantime, since they assumed you might need a place to sleep.

Mato quickly retires for the night, or at least some part of the night, considering how little sleep he needs thanks to his augmentations.

AM, howver, is not done for the evening just yet. She is busy putting some of the reagents they got at Trinket's to good use, creating a temporary Lodge.


<<Tuesday Night - 02:12 - May 16, 2079 - Horse Trot Ranch, Brighton, Denver>>

Once the Lodge is completed, the elven sorcerer gets busy with her ritual spellcasting. They sure have more than enough items, that she can use as a material link from Belenkiy's room.

Mato wakes up around the same time.


<<Tuesday Morning - 05:17 - May 16, 2079 - Horse Trot Ranch, Brighton, Denver>>

Three hours later, the ritual is complete. AM could feel the link growing. There was something on the other end for sure. Does that mean Belenkiy still lives? Probably.

However, she also felt a strong force opposing her efforts. The spell that AM was going to cast on Belenkiy through the link never took hold, unfortunately.

* * * * *

Around three in the morning, you also get a message on your comms. It's from Dean.

<< Hey guys! I got some information about what you were asking. There are two teams currently active in the Denver area, which have the numbers you mentioned, and which also seem to be busy at the current time, though that is a bit of a guess, as I havn't spoken to them directly, obviously.

The first are called The Trinity. They are a team of three, well... duh. But they have some connections in the mercenary scene and often work together with others, especially one guy with whom they have a common past, apparently. They are very good at their job from what I could gather. Ex-UCAS special forces, all of them. Anyways, there is one troll called Jackhammer - who is their leader and the 'face' - and two humans. Diva specializes in magical security, and Deimos is a rigger and electronics expert. I heard that those two are romantically involved as well. Frost, that fourth guy, is a battle-hardened merc who works mostly as a bodyguard these days. His real name is Jack McPherson. Should be possible to figure out how to get in touch with him.

The others are called The Black Cats. Four ... Mask'e? Or mashké? mašké? Sorry, if I am totally butchering that. As I understand it, that is a Lakota term for 'sisterhood'. Something like blood brothers, just, well... sisters. They are all Amerindian, as you probably have guessed by now. Kyra Blackfoot is their leader and face. Then there is a shaman, Lena Walks-With-Ghosts. And the other two are very handy with their weapons. Jennifer Sundancer, well-trained but unaugmented, and Tala Blackfoot, your typical street sam. They have ties with the woman who runs the Hardpan, a local Sioux bar. She probably knows how to get into contact with them. Her name is Susan Johnson, but she also goes by Banshee.

Did you get any closer to finding him by now? >>

[Gilga]

"You find it funny, don't you, Coyote?" I gesture toward a space where I imagine the great spirit to stand. "Careful there, little girl, think..." just what I always wanted - to be called a girl - I am thirty, dammit, but what am I compared to immortal spirits.

Mato would have punched it if they called him a little boy, given that he is middle-aged for an orc. Though I pray, we'll be rich enough to buy him a decade or two extra. It feels like a good investment rather than entering a midlife crisis. Well, sort of good given how violent our life is - what if we never use these extra years - I mean, Mato exploded. Well... I sigh - if we don't use them, then money is meaningless. So it is a good investment - right?

I look frustrated at the empty places where I placed the Wakan Tanaka in my mind. I would normally swear, but Iktomi has taught me better than that. At least, our relationship is past swear words - masochism perhaps... but I know my place as their toy.


"Well... I did learn that we have the shorter wand, speaking - which is not surprising given that I am not particularly powerful, and they expect to make half a million nuyen. So I am probably looking with a team that has good magic security, a decker. "

I think loud "They did search Blenkey's room - why?"

I texted the team, figuring out that I was too tired to solve this riddle. It was not that I was sure that sleep would help, but it would make me feel better.

>> Alright, guys, I can confirm that Belenkiy is alive, but I can also confirm that they have good magic security. Trinity seems like a good fit; they have a Diva that is likely to counter a ritual attempt, and they have a Trix expert. On the other hand, an Amerindian shaman may use the feather... and who knows perhaps she is good enough with magic security to counter me, or they had a ward or magical lodge and were lucky enough. Anyhow, I am going to sleep. Wake me up if you need me, but try and let me have a few hours of sleep. I really don't handle sleep deprivation very well.

... and they better have coffee if they wake me up after like four hours.