[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/dItCSzC.png[/img]

[color=F92a2a]Level 2 (XP: 8/20)[/color]

[b][u]Edinburgh MagicaPolis[/u][/b][/center]
Wonder Red’s tour for information didn’t start out all that fruitful. The ebb and flow of the city, itself a hodgepodge of different shops and buildings from dozens of unique worlds, made it  hard to zero in on where the best info would be. He didn’t have the same relevant experience to throw around like Big Band did - ‘costumed superhero’ wasn’t a common occupation, and his alternate identity as Elementary teacher Mr. Wedgewood wouldn’t help, either. In reality, without a team to support him Wonder Red was a small fish in a big pond, and now that pond was exponentially huger than what he was used to.

That line of thinking wouldn’t keep him down though! He was on a mission and no personal qualms were going to drag down his performance. He made little progress on the street, trying to stop groups of passersby to ask for any news and attempting to purchase some newspapers without having any of the region’s currency, and his first real stop at Coffee Talk yielded the same results. The [url=https://i.imgur.com/CO8AzA1.jpg]cozy café[/url] seemed promising at first, but there were barely any customers present, with the ones that were there being more interested in relationship advice or overcoming writer’s block than if any monsters have been wreaking havoc somewhere else. Disappointed but undeterred, Wonder Red hit the streets once again, doing his best to sleuth out some better hubs, eventually leading him down a particularly shady alleyway to a bar, tucked away from the general populace.

[url=https://i.imgur.com/BlIsG7m.png]On the inside[/url] the bar had a strangely similar atmosphere to the café, a place where the weary can come in, unload their problems, have a nice drink and take a breather from the chaos of the outside world, though this one had much more of a cyberpunk flair. Maybe, Red figured, such an out-of-the-way location would offer some equally out-of-the-way gossip.

Inside, the red-suited Wonderful One found a motley selection of strangers. Although he’d gotten an idea of how Edinburgh MagicaPolis worked from what he’d seen while outside, like cars that floated on magic circles instead of running on tires, the interior of this bar all but confirmed the pattern: that everything in this city ran on an eclectic blend of magic and science. From phones that were little more than glyph-projecting artifacts, to lights powered by crystals, to taps that were more like fancy cauldrons, no conventional technology could be seen anywhere. Naturally, the people here possessed a certain fantastical element as well. Most notable was the two-foot-four [url=https://media.tenor.com/OYZ2NntMPJAAAAAC/moji-paladins.gif]leipori[/url] sipping wine over a book on one of the couches, but an [url=https://i.imgur.com/poeLq90.png]old man[/url] held a rod somewhere between a cane and a casting catalyst, and the most conventional people like the [url=https://i.imgur.com/OpTxkgB.png]smoker[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/bkspVuy.png]scarf-wearer[/url] over at the bar. When Red stepped a little farther inside, he even saw a [url=https://i.imgur.com/gCxijF9.png]bipedal turtle[/url] over in the corner booth, shivering with a big mug of beer beneath a heat lamp.

Red did some quick social math; the small creature was reading a book so she wouldn’t appreciate being disturbed, and the people at the bar might be open to talk but seemed to be in a group, so a stranger barging between them for an interrogation was going to fall flat. That left the lonely old turtle in his own booth. Wonder Red strode to him and took the seat opposite.

[color=F92a2a]”Hello there. Do you mind if I take this spot? It’s pretty chilly outside and your heat lamp seems… less chilly.”[/color]

When Red approached, the turtle’s rather miserable expression suddenly brightened up. “Oh no, nono, please, sit!” He shifted in his own seat a little, although he obviously didn’t need to move so that that superhero could seat himself. Not quite sure what else to say, he took hold of his mug with both hands and took a long drink, then set it down and smacked his beak. “Just…awful cold out there, isn’t it?” Whether elderly or just infirm, he spoke with a somewhat quavering voice, as if he’d always just stubbed his toe on something. “Dry, too!” he added. “Most…most folks, they don’t think about that part, but it is. Anything that gets damp’ll just freeze, of course, I know. But look at me! Scales dry as a bone…I’m not a tortoise, I need somethin’ wet!” He gave an airy, almost coughing laugh as he raised his mug. “So this stuff…’bout as good as it gets, eh?”

[color=F92a2a]”Wet, huh? I suppose you could always collect some snow, and… bring it indoors, so that it… melts?”[/color] Red offered, having no real hydration advice handy. [color=F92a2a]”Sorry, let me start again. My name is Wonder Red, and I was hoping to get some help. You seem like you know the place very well, and you’re sitting here by yourself. Would you mind if I asked a few questions?”[/color]

The turtle scratched at his cheek. “Questions? S-sure, I suppose.” He blinked at Red a couple times, then tilted his head. “Hmm? ...Aren’t you gonna get something to drink?”

[color=F92a2a]”Later, maybe. Right now I’m, ah, on the clock, in a manner of speaking. So, sir, do you know of any ways out of the city? Other than the Metro, that is.”[/color]

After a brief moment the reptile’s brow furrowed somewhat. “Don’t wanna share a friendly drink with ol’ Bubbles, uh, I get it, I get it.” He looked down into his own beverage and waved his claw dismissively. “Just walk in whatever direction long enough, and you’ll get out. Eventually.” The last word he said with a shrug before he went to take another swig.

Wonder Red’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward in his seat. [color=F92a2a]”Oh, no, sir, that isn’t at all how I meant– uh, Mr. Bubbles, is it? I-I’d be glad to have a drink with you! What would you recommend? It’s my uh, first time here after all.”[/color]

Bubbles looked up from his mug, his spirit seemingly renewed by the mere thought that someone might actually like to spend quality time with him. “Well then, why didn’t you say so? As for beer, it doesn’t get much better than this.” He tilted his cup forward so that Red could see the foamy red-pink liquid inside, although it seemed to be just about empty. “Watermelon lager! It’s light, refreshing, reminds me of…of summertime, oh…” The turtle seemed to tear up suddenly. Maybe he’d already downed a few. “I miss the summer, Wendy, I really do. How’m I ever s’posed to get by, stuck up here in this wretched cold…”

Things were getting out of hand. Red looked around the bar as if this ‘Wendy’ would appear out of thin air, but he wasn’t that lucky. He cleared his throat and reached a hand out to Bubbles to try and placate him. [color=F92a2a]”Bubbles, sir, me and my compatriots are also looking for a way out of this region to somewhere further south. I can understand how difficult it might be for you to be stuck here, but if you could offer any information we’d be glad to accompany you to somewhere nicer. Would that be okay?”[/color]

Another ray of sunshine brought Bubbles out of his shell. “Really? You’d do that for me?” He sniffed and patted at his face with a napkin. “Well then. If I have anything worth anything to tell you, I’ll tell you over a nice round of drinks!” With prospects looking unusually bright for the first time in a long while, Bubbles seemed steady at last.

[color=F92a2a]”Excellent!”[/color] Red, too, was looking brighter than when he walked in now that some progress was being made. He sidled off his seat, went to the bar and came back soon after with two more cups of Bubbles’ favorite watermelon lager. A sip here or there would be fine to keep the mood light, so long as he didn’t get too tipsy trying to get something out of this old turtle. [color=F92a2a]”A toast, to… a new friendship, and a way forward!”[/color]

“Cheers!” Feeling uncommonly cheery, Bubbles raised his mug, then bent his neck to shove his whole head inside. He greedily gulped down as much as he could before retracting it, dripping wet. A few of the other patrons glanced over, but only for a moment. “Aaagh,” he shamelessly sighed in relief, moistened at last. “Tastes even better knowing it’s free!”

[color=F92a2a]”R-right.”[/color] Wonder Red sipped on his own mug and tapped a few fingers on the table. [color=F92a2a]”It’s on me…”[/color] He’ll have to start a tab. And then, hope Alcamoth covered mission-critical expenditures. Hmm.

After Bubbles had finished his chug, Red continued the topic. [color=F92a2a]”So then, seeing as you’ve been here for a while, have you heard of any other ways out of the city? I’m sure a hike [i]would[/i] work, but that seems more of a last resort. A place as big as this, there must be some other means of transport, right?”[/color]

The turtle drummed his claws on the table. “Weeeeell…there’s buses and taxis, I guess. Cause enough of a ruckus and the cop’s’ll give you a free ride, too!” He took another sip and wiped the foam off his beak with the back of his caly hand. “There’s also the canals. They keep ‘em from freezin’ with some kind of magic, but they’re still too cold to swim in. Gondolas, boats, even ferries for cars, you name it. All…[b]urk[/b], magical, just like me.”

Red listened intently, making sure to note any piece of useful information that came from this rambly old turtle. [color=F92a2a]”Canals?”[/color] He took an idle sip from his own drink again. [color=F92a2a]”This city seems to be on an island - do they lead out into the ocean?”[/color]

Bubbles nodded. “Eventually, yeah. Whole city’s surrounded. Glaciers to the north, Highlands to the south. Not much on the mainland ‘cept snow, rocks, an’ trees though, from what I heard. It’d be days ‘fore you an’ me saw a single…[i]gosh[/i]-darn blade o’ grass.” He slumped down on the table, resting his tired head but still very  much awake.

[color=F92a2a]”I see…”[/color] Going by water would be the slowest option, but it was the one most easily reached within the city. They could also fare with simply leaving Edinburgh proper to some other form of travel outside the city, though there wasn’t a guarantee that would end up leading anywhere. A true dilemma. [color=F92a2a]”I’m sure that once I meet back up with my group we can discuss the proper course of action. Is there anything else you can think of that might be helpful? Maybe any news from the mainland?”[/color] He decided to omit details on the region’s Guardian, just in case asking about ‘some big thing that may or may not be causing mayhem’ made him seem crazy.

When asked if he could think of anything else, Bubbles seemed to tune Red’s follow up question out. “Be careful after dark!” he blurted out. “These last couple days, folks’ve been whisperin’ about something mighty strange at night. Funny sounds. Funny [i]lights[/i]. They say the bones of the dead are walkin’ the streets, burning on the inside with blue fire. Nobody knows why. They’re not hostile, s’posedly, but I tell you it’s only a matter of time! They got a bone to pick with this city, I’m tellin’ you! It’s cold, dead ground….” Bubbles went to take another drink, only to find his mug empty again. He slumped back down, and this time fell sound asleep.

Well, that was certainly a bit more than Red expected to find out. Disappearing people, strange happenings at night? It might not be related to the Guardian itself, but it was probably worth investigating still. Something that affects an area this big couldn’t be nothing. Before he left Wonder Red quickly grabbed a naked and jotted down the location where he and the others would meet, slipping it in Bubbles’s sleeping hand. He might’ve only been there to get info, but Red didn’t want to leave this man in his circumstances.

And since he’d been there enough to “blend in”, in a manner of speaking, Wonder Red went around the bar a second time, asking the other patrons for further details, both on ways to the mainland and of the nighttime strangeness.

He got a mixed bag of responses, with the simplest but also most helpful information coming from the bartender, since Red was now a customer. Public transportation seemed to be plentiful and relatively inexpensive, with option to pay per ride or buy passes, while taxis tended to cost more but could be more flexible. He did learn one detail that Bubbles skipped over: that magic flying machines existed both to carry passengers and fly in the freight that Edinburgh needed to stay afloat, so to speak. As for the nocturnal activity, nothing too concrete came his way. Some thought the whole thing to be an elaborate hoax at best, and a downright lie at worst; after all, in a city full of magicians, anyone could pull a supernatural stunt or two. The old man, however, spoke of a personal encounter with some of the skeletons, and after putting two down with his own sorcery more just reanimated elsewhere. This necromancy, he said, seemed to lack any kind of purpose. His own theory was that it merely preluded something far more dire yet to come. 

Thanking each person for their help, Wonder Red left the cool interior of VA-11 Hall-a and back out into the much colder Edinburgh weather. Finding some ways off the island was a definite boon, though with what he’s gathered so far about the so-called necromancy at night he wasn’t sure if they should jump ship quite so soon. At the very least it didn’t sit right with him to leave this place to its own devices when something potentially dangerous could happen.

Either way, Red spent enough time there that it was close to when they were all to meet up again, so he headed off back to the pub. Hopefully his friends didn’t mind a potential fourth party joining them later on…[hr][center][color=F92a2a]2,344 Words
+3 EXP[/color][/center]