((Collab between Letter Bee, RoflsMazoy, and CavnderOHeart.))
Ascot was now decently clothed again, but not in his normal clothes or his St. Laurel's uniform. Rather, the sixteen-year-old was wearing a set of black jeans and boots, as well as a long-sleeved shirt and hooded cloak. A taser, grappling hook, and sleeping spray was at his belt, along with a smartphone and utility tools. Accompanying the young man as he rode the bus leading to the City Wall of Rhea were two students in hoods and cloaks, as well as Vernon; Ascot cannot conceal them directly with Narrative Role of Familiarity, but he didn't need to as the tourists in the bus accepted him as one of them, and by doing so, accepted those who accompanied him. The boy turned towards his boyfriend and the two other students; hopefully, all three knew of his plan; they would only have one chance as the wall, a great edifice of stone and concrete and magical materials, grew closer and closer...
A toothed grin hid behind Vernon's lipy smile he held out a hand and offered it to Willaim. ''Its a crowd and appaluse.'' In Vernon's filecabinet of a mind he had invisioned the tourists applauding them, as if it were a magic trick and the act was to give them all a razzel, dazzel. He had changed into black clothingminus the tee shirt which had a goth metal band's logo on it, and he lowered his hand. Part of what his father taught him; their fellas in the mafia would be ready to pick them up once everything had been cleared. Vernon smiled. "Such a lovely city isn't it?'' All the while he had been thinking, of luring the God or Goddess that gave hm his powers. 'Someday, I'll find you. Mister or Madam. They?'
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A smile as Ascot looked towards him. "It is a lovely city. A city that might have the answers we all seek." The bus stopped; it was as close as the group would get to the wall through legal means. Ascot, the two anonymous Mephistos' students, and Vernon would get down, and Ascot would go to the foot of one of the towers of the wall. Activating his Narrative Role of Familiarity field, the boy would make himself (and to a lesser extent, his accomplices) look like they had the proper clearances to get inside; the guards assumed they were from Rhean Intelligence.
This would be furthered by Ascot flashing an authentic-looking card given to him by his family. Normally, it would be useless for actual entry into classified areas, but with NRoF, it worked for now.
Ascot, gesturing to Vernon and Co. to stay close to him, would enter the Wall's watchtower while keeping up his field of narrative deception. He would then go to an elevator, and the group would be allowed inside. Said elevator, however, was small, almost claustrophobic, and furthermore had cameras inside. Nevertheless, Ascot felt like resting easily...
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Vernon had followed along, taking in what started to happen arround them, some of which interesting the rest familiar and done before. The clarences, the trickery, and the espioange had all been taught to him by shadowing his father. Vernon's father was a clairaudient so he knew his son would eventually need to know how to work around legal andsafe systems. Today Vernon had this as another real ordeal, the danger, the chance of death and exposure and the chance of being caught was all done before. So Vernon had a calm and cool, mind and he side stepped into the elevator he, smirked.
Lowering his head he clasped his hands together and had began to form a mock prayer, in which he took the role as a necromancer. It was to throw off the persons watching the cameras when shit hit the fan. "Oh Goddess Of Death, please help me guide the unrested and Near Death to the Realmsof the afterlife. As they have struggeled through life and are soon to be exempted from their suffering of this mortal coil.'' That last part was anothe code which Willaim understood as; Vernon casting their bodies in Ice/Snow to protect them. (And the unnamed Mephisto's students) To boot any magical sensory devices Vernon had actually invoked death evergy, which was a knack among The Family's true Necromancers.
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As the elevator to the upper part of the watchtower opened, the four would encounter five people in body armor pointing tasers and net guns at them. Their commanding officer, known as such because of his chevrons on his shoulders, said: "That would be enough. You don't think there's anyone here without immunity to memory alteration? Now surrender, kids; you'd be lucky not to be in juveile detention for this."
Asccot frowned, and spoke back to the officer: "Sorry, but our business is important, just as important as yours'."
And then the two students accompanying him attacked. The first one, who had the build of a slender girl, threw grenades of light that exploded like flash-bangs, disorienting the guards with brightness and sound. The second one, a heavyset boy, transformed into smoke that carried Ascot and Vernon up, up to the watchtower's roof, where the latter used his Scream for MY power to paralyze the sentries keeping watch*. Once the two were safely on the watchtower roof, the smoke kid went to extract his compatriot from the fracas below, while Ascot began making sure that the guards were safely dosed with knockout gas in addition to being paralyzed.
Then, the boy would walk to the centre of the Watchtower Roof, and, after relying on Vernon to freeze over or otherwise disable any cameras or sensory devices, prepare to use Interrogate Area.
With a serene blue light, the spirit of the city walls appeared. An extension of the spirit of the city as a whole, but more focused on watching over its people. This incarnation was like a steel-gray statue, wreathed in laurels and heaped with crowns atop its head. Some of the crowns were rusted, victories which had long since been forgotten. And yet, there was still one shining above the rest as the victor above all.
"Speak, agent of stories," The spirit said. "What is it that you would ask of me?"
Ascot pursed his lips, still looking around. He would then ask: "I want to know the backstories, powers, and secrets - as far as you know them - of the most 'interesting' people in St. Laurels, Mephistos', and the Vigilantes. Can you provide them to me?"
Vernon and the two other students ought to provide him with the needed time to take in such a wealth of information. Ascot then followed up with his second question, even as he held out his smartphone to record the encounter, "Also, can you tell me of what you have known of Mephisto himself?"
"...You do not understand my essence, do you?" The spirit said with a smirk. "I am but a spirit of these stalwart walls. There is nothing a human could do to attract my 'interest'."
The spirit looked down at the old walls. They were once well maintained, but now the many battlements and weapons of war which lined it were old and rusting.
"We would not even manifest without your presence, even if one who would destroy me were to appear, all that would mean is the dissappearance of a being who barely existed in the first place." It continued. "Place a name to your desires. Then I will be able to answer to them."
"This man, Mephisto, did not come from the city of Rhea. He travelled here 2 decades ago. He treads carefully, but never wavers in his confidence. He shows pride in all things, but especially in his daughter. Even now in his cell, he laughs rather than languishing.
What would you desire from this man?"
Ascot said resolutely: "I desire to know if he is an enemy or a friend of Humanity as a whole, not just an enemy or friend of part of it. I also want to know the story of Vittorio Twinveil and Zachery Smith. And finally, I want to know if Alto Ganze has feelings for Clara Deimos Erdigan as well as if King really is an Alien and what his true powers are, if those are within your power. Oh, and I noticed one Andreim Volkazar eavesdropping on me once or twice. What's his' deal?"
"...I will say this only once, agent of stories. Humanity's story, and the story of humans are two very different things. Your family has long since watched over humanity's story, but it was their own stories which buried them in the end." It replied. "Do not burden yourself with more than you ought.
"Still, as a watcher I am only privvy to thoughts said to the world, and the man known as Mephisto keeps them hidden away like precious jewels. There is nothing he has done within the bounds of my vision that would make him an enemy of humanity. However, not all is within my sight, and there are things he would be able to do without my knowledge. But he is evil, that is for certain.
"He seeks the downtrodden and angry. The misfortunate, the evil, all so he can use them for his own ends. Vittorio Twinveil is one such example.
"The demon which had made him victim escaped this dimension soon after. He nursed a vendetta for Alto Ganze as he recovered from his wounds.
"Feelings are not my domain. If Clara Deimos Erdrigan means anything to Alto Ganze, it stays only within his thoughts.
"There are any number of things King could be. Since the day he appeared he has not changed in any way, shape or form. I cannot say whether he is all that he says he is.
"I also cannot say what reasons Andreim Volkazar would have for eavesdropping on you, but I imagine it has something to do with how different you are."
Ascot then paused; sirens were sounding; the guards were being missed, but he still had two minutes. Enough time for two things. "Two last questions! One, does Clara still have some good in her heart? Two, does Vittorio still yearn for friendship?!"
"Do not let your heart cloud your mind, agent of stories. I am a watcher only, I can only see what they have done. Vittorio Twinveil follows vengeance blindly, and Clara Deimos Erdrigan follows her father's shadow. Whether they will continue to do so is neither in my knowledge, nor is it my concern." The Spirit finished. It seems as if their time was nearing its end. "Some final advice, agent of stories. You were meant to be the watchers. Though you have been given the permission, do not assume writing history will be easy."
As the spirit faded into motes of light, Ascot sighed and wept. He then told Vernon: "Give the signal: We got what we came for."
Vernon nodded, and at a push of his smartphone's button, the two Mephistos' students who had followed him - two Mephistos' students who actually had a use for what Ascot learned- went to the top of the roof; the smoke one carrying the flash-bangs one. Then, a bright flash of light, and the four young people vanished.
But it was clear there would be no easy answers...
*I am allowed to use Vernon while his player is away.
