"why is there a large circus tent where my factory was?"
Grendel stood staring at the tent in Wheatstone as the workman was looking at an out of place cobblestone that was driving him insane, "Site was reclaimed by the city via the 'Sideshows and Curiosities Act, someone filed the paperwork, site was listed as available." he crouched down and tried fitting the cobble back in place.
"but it wasn't available, I had a factory here! how long was I in Bump for anyway?" the workman shrugged "dunno, paperwork is paperwork, someone had ta sign the form, sure you wasn't drunk and forgot?"
"I WAS OUT OF TOWN! how would I have even signed the paperwork?"
The workman took out a measuring tape and held it over the cobble "dunno, telegraph? they got them newfangled ones, you can sign over ta wire I heard, oh, wait, naw, it was that badger what signed the form, right, short fella, pointy nose, signed dereliction form 22ABX3, or was it 22ABX5 ; the form for aquiring a liscence for smuggling coconut macaroons?, had it on me earlier" the worker felt around his pockets.
Grendel rubbed his forhead "The Badger, figures, probably wasn't paying attention to what it said. fine fine, the building that was here, where would they have put the equipment in it?"
"equipt-ment?"
"yes yes, I had some very sensitive articles of machinery in there, what happened to them?"
"might of been impounded, " the workman tapped his tooth. "then again there was the vat in the basement with the dead...squiddy...thing, smelled aweful, think we dumped it in the canal, 'long with that glowing greenish sauce."
"wait, what?! you dumped it... Isn't there some regulation AGAINST dumping odd biological experiments and chemicals in the canal?"
"well, what about them pipes what'd been pourin stuff inta the canal before we even got here?"
"alright alright, hush... Project E, I suppose I could attempt growing another, listen, please tell me, you did not dump the machine on the top floor into the canal?"
"the cylindrical thing? with the bit that looked sort of like one of those reality dohickys on top? the creepy one? gave you the feeling you was bein' whatched anytime you went near it? naw, we didn't dump it in the canal."
Grendel gave a sigh of releif.
"We took it to the scrapyard for salvage, thing set off a loud blast when we busted it open."
"you. did. WHAT?"
"well we couldn't salvage it whole you know, we didn't even know what it was." the workman carefully picked up the cobble and slowely put it in place before getting back up satisfied.
"salvage?! do you know what you did? I could overlook the release of a semi-undead biological powerplant along with a few gallons of serum into the canals, fine, I can make more, but dissassembling the containment device?" Grendel glared at the pengi's that had gathered around, planning to talk to them later about letting just anyone interfere with the equipment "have there been any sightings of an out of place shadow in the city recently?"
"not that I heard of, an only shadow I seen's my own, right there." he pointed to his shadow helpfully.
"alright, maybe it moved on to greener pastures, the others likely would have gone back to the graveyard," he looked at the worker, "excuse me, I have to send out some telegraphs, and find temporary lodging," the workman had already crouched down to study another cobble, "er, good luck with your...cobblestone arrangement? and you," he glanced at the pengi as he stormed off "We'll discuss this later."
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Monday, September 5, 2011
August 12th, 188x: Dead man Walking
Bump doesn't have any real inns, most places to stay (not that anyone ever wants to) are rooms over the seedy bars. The Sump Rat was the closest attempt in Bump, at a roadhouse. It was an abandoned pumping station before Debbie McMourning won the small, shedlike structure and worthless land around it, in a poker game. After that, some of the storage rooms, once it was determined they contained nothing of value, were rented out to traveller's (often finding themselves sleeping amongst the rotten crates that were never removed).
The main room, sitting at a card table, surrounded by pipes, Sump Debbie played solitaire. the hunchbacked old woman, slipping out a card from her sleeve when she was sure she wasn't looking.
"I saw that! ye cheated!" "I tain't done no such thin, mama McMourning ain't never raised a cheater!" "well whatya call this then?!" she grabbed her right wrist in her left, and shook, the old woman watched angrily as cards poured out of her sleeve. "I ain't never seen those before! get your groddy mitts off me!" Her argument against herself was interrupted when someone came in the creaky door. "'Ello Debbie" Patchwork nodded to the haggard old woman. Debbie let go of her wrist and nodded as Patchwork dropped a bag of coins on the table "E's in room 2, wait'll i'm out 'fore ye do anyfing! old woman likes of me, can't be hangin aroun' if there's a beaten, does no good for my health!" Patchwork waved her away "fine, fine, go get yerself drunk." As the old woman snatched the money and made out the door, Bowler stepped in, blocking her way "Key?"
"nao, nao key, what you think this is? a fancy 'otel?" the woman shoved past him to spend the money as Bowler looked at Patchwork and shrugged.
"c'mon, let's get on wit it." The man in the patchwork coat ground his stogie on the table, and pulled out his cudgel as they walked to one of the doors, this one had a crudely painted 'Too' on it. Bowler blinked, "Is this it?" Patchwork pointed at the door"What'd you think?" "ya knows I can't read." Patchwork rubbed his hand down his face and sighed "C'mon, get ready."
The two large men pressed themselves against the wall on either side of the door, Patchwork nodded to Bowler, who turned the knob.
The room was dark, after a moment, their eyes adjusted. it was small, and amazingly had a bed and table as opposed to the usual piles of broken gears and junk left from when it still operated as a pumphouse. The table was covered in schematics and maps, neiter men could really understand what they were looking at, but they were more concerned about something else
"ere, were is 'e?" Bowler looked around, nervously aa Patchwork waved him off "Not 'ere, but lookit this!" he pulled out a leather case, grunting with the effort, getting it onto the filthy bed and opened the lid. The two men looked at the assorted machine components, not understanding what any of them were, but understanding they could get a good price for them. "Look aroun' see if 'e's got anyfing else, money, gold, somethin, toss it all in that case an' we'll see what Sully'll take for the whole lot." Bowler nodded as the two men searched the room. Patchwork climbed under the bed, the only real storage space in here, and heard a crackle, and a thud "That you? what you find? all's under 'ere's dirt now." Patchwork crawle out from under the bed, and saw Bowler laing face down on the floor "what you doin' sleepin?" "He's been temporarily paralyzed sir, an electric shock, now, what exactly are you two in here for?" Patchwork turned and saw a tall gaunt man, in a long black coat. with a gasmask , and a window in his chest, displaying a heart that looked like it came from something else. He was adjusting knobs on one of the two large metal gauntlets he was wearing, the smell of formalyhide and other chemicals wafter in the air.
"ah, er, well..." Patchwork suddenly rushed Grendel, raising his cudgel over his head. Grendel managed to dodge the swing, and brough his hand up, as blue arcs leaped from it. He lightly touched Patchwork on the back of the head. The larger man's hair stood on end as the shock went through his body. As Patchwork slumped to the ground, Grendel detached he cables leading to the backpack containing the eel battery, and shrugged it off the bed "that was it's highest setting, I'm going to have to find a better way to power them when we're not in Babbage of near the Clokhaven plant." He nodded to the door, as one of his pengi's waddled in with a loud clanking. "make sure these two don't go far, I'll need test subjects for our work here, I need to talk to our landlady first."
Debbie staggered into the door of the Sump Rat, and flopped onto her chair, cradeling the bottle of rotgut to her. "I wunner if they 'ad enough sense to clean th' room when they was done." She took a swig of her rotgut and was about to get up, when she heard Grendel behind her "Miss McMourning, I had thought I asked not to be interrupted in my room."
The old woman shreiked and swung around, holding the rotgut like a bat, ignoring the rancid liquid pouring out the empty bottle. "Don' scare an old woman like that! what if'n me 'eart gave out?!" "Ma'am, I am a skilled surgeon, if your heart gave out, I would have you up again in no time, now, I had two visitors tonight, after their complication, I'e been convinced that I can not possibly continue my research, if I am renting a room here. security is rather lax."
The old woman looked at him ."you wanna leave then?"
"no, I am purchasing this pump house from you, it still has much of the eqipment, plus it's fairly isolated location from the rest of the town, will suit my needs after some renovation."
He plopped a large heavy bag in her hand as she just stared at him, confused. "This should be enough to cover the cost, now please. leave the perimiter or N0. 67A will have to escourt you out."
The pengi clanked over from wherever he'd been lurking, and taking the old hag's hand, lead her out the door as Grendel walked back to his room.
Bowler was lying on the bed, with enough tranquilizers in him to keep a rhino comatose,
Patchwork glared from where his head was connected t the aparatus the two were looking at earlier, his body lay on the floor.
"Thank you again for volunteering, I hadn't tested the cranal-translatrophier yet." the head groaned at him while the rubber tubes trailing from his neeck pumped serum through it , the device the head was connected to transferred through the bolts drilled into the skull, to a small typwriter "what is going on?" Grendel looked at the paper and nodded "good, good, I have agood feeling about this place."
The main room, sitting at a card table, surrounded by pipes, Sump Debbie played solitaire. the hunchbacked old woman, slipping out a card from her sleeve when she was sure she wasn't looking.
"I saw that! ye cheated!" "I tain't done no such thin, mama McMourning ain't never raised a cheater!" "well whatya call this then?!" she grabbed her right wrist in her left, and shook, the old woman watched angrily as cards poured out of her sleeve. "I ain't never seen those before! get your groddy mitts off me!" Her argument against herself was interrupted when someone came in the creaky door. "'Ello Debbie" Patchwork nodded to the haggard old woman. Debbie let go of her wrist and nodded as Patchwork dropped a bag of coins on the table "E's in room 2, wait'll i'm out 'fore ye do anyfing! old woman likes of me, can't be hangin aroun' if there's a beaten, does no good for my health!" Patchwork waved her away "fine, fine, go get yerself drunk." As the old woman snatched the money and made out the door, Bowler stepped in, blocking her way "Key?"
"nao, nao key, what you think this is? a fancy 'otel?" the woman shoved past him to spend the money as Bowler looked at Patchwork and shrugged.
"c'mon, let's get on wit it." The man in the patchwork coat ground his stogie on the table, and pulled out his cudgel as they walked to one of the doors, this one had a crudely painted 'Too' on it. Bowler blinked, "Is this it?" Patchwork pointed at the door"What'd you think?" "ya knows I can't read." Patchwork rubbed his hand down his face and sighed "C'mon, get ready."
The two large men pressed themselves against the wall on either side of the door, Patchwork nodded to Bowler, who turned the knob.
The room was dark, after a moment, their eyes adjusted. it was small, and amazingly had a bed and table as opposed to the usual piles of broken gears and junk left from when it still operated as a pumphouse. The table was covered in schematics and maps, neiter men could really understand what they were looking at, but they were more concerned about something else
"ere, were is 'e?" Bowler looked around, nervously aa Patchwork waved him off "Not 'ere, but lookit this!" he pulled out a leather case, grunting with the effort, getting it onto the filthy bed and opened the lid. The two men looked at the assorted machine components, not understanding what any of them were, but understanding they could get a good price for them. "Look aroun' see if 'e's got anyfing else, money, gold, somethin, toss it all in that case an' we'll see what Sully'll take for the whole lot." Bowler nodded as the two men searched the room. Patchwork climbed under the bed, the only real storage space in here, and heard a crackle, and a thud "That you? what you find? all's under 'ere's dirt now." Patchwork crawle out from under the bed, and saw Bowler laing face down on the floor "what you doin' sleepin?" "He's been temporarily paralyzed sir, an electric shock, now, what exactly are you two in here for?" Patchwork turned and saw a tall gaunt man, in a long black coat. with a gasmask , and a window in his chest, displaying a heart that looked like it came from something else. He was adjusting knobs on one of the two large metal gauntlets he was wearing, the smell of formalyhide and other chemicals wafter in the air.
"ah, er, well..." Patchwork suddenly rushed Grendel, raising his cudgel over his head. Grendel managed to dodge the swing, and brough his hand up, as blue arcs leaped from it. He lightly touched Patchwork on the back of the head. The larger man's hair stood on end as the shock went through his body. As Patchwork slumped to the ground, Grendel detached he cables leading to the backpack containing the eel battery, and shrugged it off the bed "that was it's highest setting, I'm going to have to find a better way to power them when we're not in Babbage of near the Clokhaven plant." He nodded to the door, as one of his pengi's waddled in with a loud clanking. "make sure these two don't go far, I'll need test subjects for our work here, I need to talk to our landlady first."
Debbie staggered into the door of the Sump Rat, and flopped onto her chair, cradeling the bottle of rotgut to her. "I wunner if they 'ad enough sense to clean th' room when they was done." She took a swig of her rotgut and was about to get up, when she heard Grendel behind her "Miss McMourning, I had thought I asked not to be interrupted in my room."
The old woman shreiked and swung around, holding the rotgut like a bat, ignoring the rancid liquid pouring out the empty bottle. "Don' scare an old woman like that! what if'n me 'eart gave out?!" "Ma'am, I am a skilled surgeon, if your heart gave out, I would have you up again in no time, now, I had two visitors tonight, after their complication, I'e been convinced that I can not possibly continue my research, if I am renting a room here. security is rather lax."
The old woman looked at him ."you wanna leave then?"
"no, I am purchasing this pump house from you, it still has much of the eqipment, plus it's fairly isolated location from the rest of the town, will suit my needs after some renovation."
He plopped a large heavy bag in her hand as she just stared at him, confused. "This should be enough to cover the cost, now please. leave the perimiter or N0. 67A will have to escourt you out."
The pengi clanked over from wherever he'd been lurking, and taking the old hag's hand, lead her out the door as Grendel walked back to his room.
Bowler was lying on the bed, with enough tranquilizers in him to keep a rhino comatose,
Patchwork glared from where his head was connected t the aparatus the two were looking at earlier, his body lay on the floor.
"Thank you again for volunteering, I hadn't tested the cranal-translatrophier yet." the head groaned at him while the rubber tubes trailing from his neeck pumped serum through it , the device the head was connected to transferred through the bolts drilled into the skull, to a small typwriter "what is going on?" Grendel looked at the paper and nodded "good, good, I have agood feeling about this place."
August 11th, 188x: The natives are restless
In Bump, in a small dirty saloon, three dirty, unkempt men were sitting around a broken table, one of the legs snapped off and propped on a stack of bricks.
"You see the train came in? another out o' towner's 'ere" the one in the patched together coat managed to drink the questionable liquid in the glass, while still keeping his stogie puffing.
"ya, I'd seen i'm, mask, some window in 'is chest, had to be another from Babbage, why're they coming here so of'n now?" the scrawny redheaded one twitched as he spoke, and rubbed under his eyepatch.
"who cares? they're good pickin's, got me a fine watch from one last week." This one was a corpulant one, with a beat up bowler balanced on his head, a size too small, and a stained vest.
"naw naw, this one, I ain't touchin 'im, he was wierd, the thing in 'is chest, I could see 'is HEART! was all wierd lookin', like weren't from a man." One-eye took a swig of his swill and wiped a greasy hand over his mouth. "Bad feelin from 'im."
Patchwork puffed on his stogie "Man looked like another doctor, they have nice thin's, I don' care what 'is heart looks like, 'e can still bleed."
"'e 'ad some sorter, whatcha call 'em, 'tomo-tons, looked like a 'pider, didn't he?" Bowler asked thoughtfully "I seen 'im this morn, at stucky's, he' was sittin' there at one o' the tables drinkin' din't see no mask tough, 'is face looked bad, like he'd been dead."
One-Eye shuddered "they had them problems with zombies in Babbage, don't they? mebbe 'e's one o' them?"
Bowler smacked One-Eye on the back of the head "Don' be stoopid Chauncey, there ain't no such thin as zombies!"
the one called CHauncey rubbed the back of his head "No! it's true! I heared they had them walking corpses, a couple o' times now! he's gotta be one o' them!"
Patchwork puffed his stogie thoughtfully "corpse 'er not, ee's pretty well off lookin, just lookin at the fancy bird with 'im, you know where he's stayin'?"
Chauncey nodded and swallowed "The Sump Rat, Debbie's place, not sure what room, but you can count me out, I don' want to be messin' with walking dead."
Bowler laughed hard "Fine, then you don' get no share!"
Chauncey got up and shakily made his way out "I'm warnin you, that man ain't right"
"yeah, yeah, " bowler waved him off dismissively as Chauncy left, then leaned forward "So, what's th' plan?"
Patchwork puffed his stogie, before grounding it on the wooden table "The Sump Rat eh? Debbie owes me a favor, she'll let us a key to 'is room, and we 'it 'im tonight..."
"You see the train came in? another out o' towner's 'ere" the one in the patched together coat managed to drink the questionable liquid in the glass, while still keeping his stogie puffing.
"ya, I'd seen i'm, mask, some window in 'is chest, had to be another from Babbage, why're they coming here so of'n now?" the scrawny redheaded one twitched as he spoke, and rubbed under his eyepatch.
"who cares? they're good pickin's, got me a fine watch from one last week." This one was a corpulant one, with a beat up bowler balanced on his head, a size too small, and a stained vest.
"naw naw, this one, I ain't touchin 'im, he was wierd, the thing in 'is chest, I could see 'is HEART! was all wierd lookin', like weren't from a man." One-eye took a swig of his swill and wiped a greasy hand over his mouth. "Bad feelin from 'im."
Patchwork puffed on his stogie "Man looked like another doctor, they have nice thin's, I don' care what 'is heart looks like, 'e can still bleed."
"'e 'ad some sorter, whatcha call 'em, 'tomo-tons, looked like a 'pider, didn't he?" Bowler asked thoughtfully "I seen 'im this morn, at stucky's, he' was sittin' there at one o' the tables drinkin' din't see no mask tough, 'is face looked bad, like he'd been dead."
One-Eye shuddered "they had them problems with zombies in Babbage, don't they? mebbe 'e's one o' them?"
Bowler smacked One-Eye on the back of the head "Don' be stoopid Chauncey, there ain't no such thin as zombies!"
the one called CHauncey rubbed the back of his head "No! it's true! I heared they had them walking corpses, a couple o' times now! he's gotta be one o' them!"
Patchwork puffed his stogie thoughtfully "corpse 'er not, ee's pretty well off lookin, just lookin at the fancy bird with 'im, you know where he's stayin'?"
Chauncey nodded and swallowed "The Sump Rat, Debbie's place, not sure what room, but you can count me out, I don' want to be messin' with walking dead."
Bowler laughed hard "Fine, then you don' get no share!"
Chauncey got up and shakily made his way out "I'm warnin you, that man ain't right"
"yeah, yeah, " bowler waved him off dismissively as Chauncy left, then leaned forward "So, what's th' plan?"
Patchwork puffed his stogie, before grounding it on the wooden table "The Sump Rat eh? Debbie owes me a favor, she'll let us a key to 'is room, and we 'it 'im tonight..."
Academy: Old Spear House: Explosion
The pengi bartender had unveiled a new drink, the flaming iceberg, unfortunatly, the fire, industrial alcohol, high voltage electricity, and clockwork, caused a spontaneous explosion.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Footman's Logg, June-July, 188X, Laboratory notes
June 18th: Edward, aka: Project #626, is developing nicely, the energy emissions are increasing on an almost daily rate, much faster than the eels. I have noticed an effect some of the stray emissions have had on the etheric containment chamber, the one the SLenderman is currently held in, the output of the feild has been fluctuating, I've had to move the machine before we had a breakout. An examination has shown the shadowman is still safely trapped inside, but better to be safe than sorry.
June 24th: Since the removal of the Spirit Containment Unit from the lab, Project 626's development has slowed, it's possible there was some sort of etheric emergy feedback loop occuring between both machines. The organism has become more sluggish, the energy output lessened. I even halved the ration of sedatives, but it seems to be regressing.
June 28th: Little work was preformed, as I have found myself taking care of a broken leg at the currently being remodelled hospital. I did return to the lab after, to find Project #626 actually active, slapping the viewing glass of the development chamber with his tentacles, while the energy readyouts had spiked. Whatever had caused the recent regression, it couldn't have been the containment device then. Edward was quickly sedated.
July 1st: Project 626 was regressed again, I had increased the ration of immortalus serum, and decreased the sedative again, to little avail, I'm hesitant to call it a lost cause and flush him into the canals, the tissue sample alone was expensive, and not easy to come by another.
July 2nd: On further examination as to project 626's sluggish state, it appears to be growing an arm, it could be most the organism's energy is being diverted to it's regenerative abilities, this may requite further study.
June 24th: Since the removal of the Spirit Containment Unit from the lab, Project 626's development has slowed, it's possible there was some sort of etheric emergy feedback loop occuring between both machines. The organism has become more sluggish, the energy output lessened. I even halved the ration of sedatives, but it seems to be regressing.
June 28th: Little work was preformed, as I have found myself taking care of a broken leg at the currently being remodelled hospital. I did return to the lab after, to find Project #626 actually active, slapping the viewing glass of the development chamber with his tentacles, while the energy readyouts had spiked. Whatever had caused the recent regression, it couldn't have been the containment device then. Edward was quickly sedated.
July 1st: Project 626 was regressed again, I had increased the ration of immortalus serum, and decreased the sedative again, to little avail, I'm hesitant to call it a lost cause and flush him into the canals, the tissue sample alone was expensive, and not easy to come by another.
July 2nd: On further examination as to project 626's sluggish state, it appears to be growing an arm, it could be most the organism's energy is being diverted to it's regenerative abilities, this may requite further study.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Footman's Logg, June, 26th, 188X, mixology for constructs
The Old Spears house is now, for all intent's and purposes, open for business, and even has a tenant in one of the upstairs rooms. the bartender however, needs more work.
Pengi #99 had returned from advanced mixing classes, and after being assured his lack of thumbs, fingers, and anything other than iron flippers would not impede his mixing, I put him to work behind the bar, I ordered a rum. the avian construct went to work, pouring me, a whiskey. Miss Eslan had stopped in and after ordering an absynthe, received....a rum.
It could be an error in his cognigator, or it could just be the amount of liquor he'd already imbibed himelf, but reguardless, it appears he'll need some work before he can get drink orders right.
I should of just hired a zombie.
Pengi #99 had returned from advanced mixing classes, and after being assured his lack of thumbs, fingers, and anything other than iron flippers would not impede his mixing, I put him to work behind the bar, I ordered a rum. the avian construct went to work, pouring me, a whiskey. Miss Eslan had stopped in and after ordering an absynthe, received....a rum.
It could be an error in his cognigator, or it could just be the amount of liquor he'd already imbibed himelf, but reguardless, it appears he'll need some work before he can get drink orders right.
I should of just hired a zombie.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The Old Spears House
Formerly a pump station, supplying water to the Academy district, it was then bought and refurbished by a Dr. R.A. Spears to lie in as he preformed research into what he termed 'Arcaneotech" . Dr. Spears dissapeared mysteriously one night, and the house fell into disrepair until it was recently bought and rebuilt by Prof. Grendel Footman.
Now it has a bar, and possibly rooms to rent.
Now it has a bar, and possibly rooms to rent.
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