[robbers]
"The robbers are getting more and more desperate by the hour. This man tried to attack me right in front of a group of guards. They made short work of him. The guards also took everything they could find on his body, claiming it was important evidence.
Soon after, a courier arrived with a letter for me. He was very nervous and wouldn't say what it was about, but he urged me to read it right away."
Anna Angel's invitation posted:
Bachelor!
In connection with yesterday's horrors, I had one brilliant idea. This is a very insignificant affair not requiring much effort, and we will become the owners of a huge estate! So come quickly to my home, the Verbae.
P.S. Tell nobody about this letter.
P.P.S. Never speak about our secret affairs.
P.P.P.S. Keep this strictly incognito!
Respectfully, A.A.A.
"Anna's house is nearby, but it's right in the middle of an infected area. She's asked me for some pretty strange things before. I guess I'll just have to talk to her and see what this is about."
[damned rats]
I can dodge the clouds just fine, but the rats still gets me! I better buy a pair of heavy boots. It's not like the rats are very strong, but they've been running around in this foul air and they have probably been eating at the corpses. You can't outrun them either.
[sup anna]
Anna Angel: I've got it! I know how to escape! I know how to evade the awful ordeals that I went through yesterday... I'll give them money! Olgimskiy is greedy and he is in need of money at the moment.
Bachelor: Are you rich enough to be able to pay Olgimskiy? That is, if you are right about him.
Anna: I don't have any money at the moment, but I know where to get it. Will you help me? We could part the profit fifty percent, how about it?
Bachelor: You know where to find treasure?
Anna: It's a sort of walking treasure, but my hands aren't long enough to get it. That's why I'm asking for your help, and I'm also sure of your honesty.
Bachelor: Speak on then.
Anna: Well, you know that I'm one of the outsiders as well. I came here a few years ago and stayed because there were... new possibilities here.
Bachelor: Lots of kids who weren't cared for properly by their parents, Anna?
Anna: What are you talking about? Do you really care about my past?
Bachelor: Yes, I do. I don't think you're being honest with me.
Anna: You have to promise never to tell anyone about this... I used to be part of the Diamond Ace Caravan. We disguised ourselves as a traveling circus to lure in children and kidnap them...
Bachelor: You were part of the Caravan?! You got some nerve asking me for favors, then.
Anna: I was paired up with the fakir. When the police finally caught the caravan, they broke his back with a crowbar. We both managed to escape and ended up in this town. He is a money-lender now. He's been saving up money all this time! I think he must have a fortune by now. You could take a lot from him.
Bachelor: What have I got to do with all this? If he's your companion, why don't you go and take it from him?
Anna: You should tell him that you know of his past. We have been covering each other until now... But word about the Caravan has come back to the surface lately, somehow. The Kains, who loves children, would bury us alive if they got to know about it.
Bachelor: You mean I shouldn't say anything about you being involved in all this? That you're betraying your companion?
Anna: Of course! Don't say a word about me.
Bachelor: Why don't you ask him for money, if you are partners? I think he would understand you. He's in the same situation at the moment.
Anna: Yes... Sooner or later he'll have to use a lot of that money to bribe his way out of trouble, but he won't give me anything!
Bachelor: It seems he would have a lot to tell about you, in return.
Anna: Look, do you need the money? Ask him for one hundred thousand, and tell him you know he's part of the Caravan. He'll give it to you. If you don't ask any questions you'll get half of it.
Bachelor: Ok, tell me where he lives and I will think about it. But you better be honest with me, or you'll get into a lot of trouble.
"I have a good mind to just yell for the patrol guard and turn her in right now. The Diamond Ace Caravan are nothing but a bunch of murderous and sadistic criminals. No wonder Anna is so afraid to show her face. If the caravan ever visited this town then half of it probably has a reason for killing her on the spot. On the other hand, those who got away when the caravan was caught by the police has got to be very crafty... or very lucky. I've seen this hunchbacked man before, and while his face isn't very pretty, he could very well have saved up a rather big sum if he's stayed here for a few years."
The Diamond Ace Caravan is one of those back stories that aren't really explained fully in the game. You are expected to pick up a few hints here and there, but just like with the Mistresses I don't think there's enough info there. Most of the information about what happened to the town before we got here is instead found on the website, but not everything got translated. At least they did a pretty good job with the ones they finished. In this case, there is a great article on the Diamond Ace Caravan on the official website. I strongly suggest you read it!
"Regardless, this will have to wait until I am finished with my other tasks. As much as it bothers me to think this way, there are others who are more... deserving of help than she is. My main lead right now is that man who stays in Lara Ravel's house. Word is he saw Burakh getting captured."
[stalker clouds]
"On my way I noticed something very odd. The moving clouds seems to be following me, to the point of actually leaving the infected areas. But here they quickly dissolve into nothing. They can drift on the air for about a block or so, but anyone who is paying attention would probably turn and run at the first sight of one so it's unlikely they will infect anyone. Maybe it has something to do with body heat? Or air turbulence due to my movement?"
[sup lara]
Lara Ravelle: We are still alive... That's so strange.
Bachelor: Lara, tell me, is the man who saw Burakh get captured still in your house?
Lara: He is dead.
Bachelor: Do you know where Burakh has been taken? Did he tell you?
Lara: He said Burakh was followed. Saburov's patrol captured him on one of the bridges near the factory district. There were three guards and they barely managed to keep hold of him. When they crossed the embankment Burakh broke loose from their grip, but they caught up with him at the railway and knocked him down. The leader of the guards decided that they would find some place nearby where they could lock him up. It seems Burakh got hurt pretty badly.
Bachelor: Do you know where Burakh has been hiding lately?
Lara: At first I thought he could be in the Apiary, but of course that's impossible now. From what I've heard lately, it seems he lives somewhere in the industrial area. Perhaps he was hiding in one of the factory buildings.
Bachelor: Are there any residential areas near the factories, for the workers?
Lara: I don't know, I've never been there. But... Isidor had a secret place somewhere around there. He complained that he was too old to get over the embankment ten times a day.
Bachelor: Thank you, Lara. I think I know where to look for Burakh.
"If Burakh is held in an improvised prison down at the factories, it's likely that there will be a lot of guards. Without a properly built cell they can't rely on heavy locks. That makes things a bit tricky, so I should think my approach through properly first. I might as well go to the city hall and see if I can release the prisoners there in the meantime."
[missing image]
"There are two doors at the front of the city hall. Neither of them appears to be locked, for some reason. I'll try the right one first."
[sup guys?]
"The whole administrative center is deserted! I guess most of the food deliveries and employment issues are taken care of by the rulers directly now. It's a wonder that still works, because I very much doubt they are sharing much information between them."
[missing image]
Let's try the other door.
[missing image]
Executor: It has begun! The left wing is infested with the Sand Plague. There are more dead than our men can carry outside.
Bachelor: Release the ones who haven't been infected yet.
Executor: It's useless. In fact, half an hour ago a respectable man came here. He paid ransom for a few dozen men.
Bachelor: Who was that?
Executor: He had a suspicious look about him. Dressed like we are in these masks, who can tell who it really was?
Bachelor: I'll pay for the rest.
Executor: Go on then. Saburov won't take any money from you, but we sure will. Ten thousand per person, so sixty thousand in total.
Bachelor: That's way too much, isn't it?
Executor: Had we been sure of their innocence, we would ask less. But what if there is a criminal among them? Some robber, murderer or rogue? The risk of releasing such a person costs that much.
Bachelor: What, you can't distinguish a murderer from a peaceful person?
Executor: Of course not! The idiotic patrol wrote no protocols, so we can't tell who did what. Forget about them. There are no more than a few men left in there anyhow.
Bachelor: You are no jail keeper, you're a real villain!
[missing image]
"This prison is barely enough to hold a dozen people! I guess there wasn't much need for it earlier. Now they have cramped half a dozen prisoners in one cell!"
[missing image]
"And they keep sick people here too! How long have they been trapped here?`There's a high risk that the infection will spread if I don't get the healthy people out soon. I very much doubt the medical care here is enough to keep them alive."
Summary: Anna is a really messed up girl with a criminal past, but we can exploit her fear and blackmail her former partner. He's a guy generally called "The Hump" but his real name is Van. His main job is illegal money lending, so he's probably got quite a bit of cash stashed away. Is this worth the risk? It's a LOT of money.
We could use this cash, because if we are to get the innocent(?) prisoners out, we need to raise 60k. Maybe we can get some from Young Vlad but there's still a risk that we'll have to put in some money of our own. On the other hand, if we do this we'll have a big favor to call in later. The alternative is to let the people die, which will make no one happy.
To free Burakh, we'll probably have to break him out by force. He's being held somewhere in the factories. Finding the place shouldn't be too hard, but there's bound to be guards there. The alternative is to pay Gryph off to help us out, and stay low until the guards are taken care of.
Please post your opinion on how to handle this!
No comments:
Post a Comment