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Doc was preoccupied with what Delia has said about zombie souls, and whether or not they were intact. "I'm just trying to understand the situation medically. What you're saying is the bacteria effectively kills the victim, and then continues to manipulate its body after death? If that's true then, when I've finished the disease-purging part of the ritual, which isn't a quick process, we'll be left with an uninfected corpse. Now this could still stem the tide of infection, but it means I would have to perform a second ritual to bring back their soul. I've reset a dislocated soul or two in my day. It's extremely bothersome and time consuming."

Doc paused for a beat, then said "Let's do this. By the way, would it help if I made us invisible to zombies?"

"I'll come," Aron said, once he got wind of the zombie-hunting party. "I can't remember who I was or what skills I'd have to offer--if any--but I'll try to be of assistance."

After a moment, he mumbled under his breath, "Seems like I go to sleep and the world goes to rot."

Aron couldn't be too surprised at the disruption of his world--after all, he couldn't remember what his life was like before this. But at the same time, it wasn't the most pleasant thing to wake up to.

Annie straggled downstairs, still in her hooded cloak. She'd abandoned the mask since it was a bit too difficult to sleep in something with a beak. The smell of coffee lured her into the kitchen and she silently listened to the preparations for the coming zombie hunt.

"I'd be willing to go too. Not much for guns though, they're a little too noisy for my taste."

"Six of us wanting to go...if six of us go, and one stays," Delia mused, casting an eye Austyn's direction. "That's not going to end well."

While the others were putting their party together, Doc had been looking through the kitchen for supplies. She had found a sack and tied it around her arm, and was now gather pots and other things that could be used as pots.

"Does the mansion have a garden? I need some plants and soil. Also, once we've figure our group out, I think our next order of business should be to decide where we're going to bring the zombies once they are captured. Any thoughts?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Delia said, putting her hands up. "Howsabout we start with one zombie and see how we fare?"

Neal returned to the kitchen in time to hear the doctor woman discussing a mass cure for the zombies. "How about we actually catch one first?" the Darkling said to Delia before addressing the rest of the room.

"Alright, whoever is going out hunting with myself and miss Death here, listen up. We need to stay together, so no splintering off and doing your own attempts at heroics. Likewise, this is a retrieval mission. Not a "let's go splattering zombies brains everywhere" holiday. Stick close and follow our orders... and we'll try to bring you back here in one piece."

Without another word Neal adjusted his fedora and went to the entrance of the mansion. Carefully opening the front door, the Darkling stepped out and scanned the square before motioning for the others to follow.

"Seems quiet for now."

Annie slipped out the front door behind Neal, scanning the surroundings nervously. Normally when she went into a dangerous situation, she had a plan. She studied floorplans, mapped out alternate escape routes, learned the guards' routine perfectly, and was prepared for every way in which her mission could go wrong. But here she was operating blind. It was terrifying and also exhilarating.

"So what exactly is the plan here? Wander around until we see a zombie and hope it doesn't eat our brains?"

"Where are you going to take and secure the zombie once you've caught him?"

Neal let a soft sigh escape his lips before turning around to answer all the questions posed at him. At times like this I miss working alone...

"The plan is to track down a zombie, immobilize it as best we can and then bring it back to the mansion to let the Doc do her thing to it. The mansion has a basement, if memory serves, so we'll use that for keeping the ones we catch."

The Darkling quickly scanned the motley crew standing before him, trying to find the perfect individuals for the mission. "I need someone with tracking skills and stealth... also someone that's good with a gun to go find a zombie with me. The rest, stay here and try to keep the mansion open for our return. If things get rough, go back inside. No point in making a heroic last stand... yet."

"Everyone needs to remember that although we are invisible to zombies, they can still track us using the rest of their senses, if we get close enough to them." With that, Doc returned inside the mansion, feeling that it went without saying that she would stay behind.

((OOC: A bit behind because of internet issues, but I should be back and able to keep on track now. Bear with me. ))

Austyn snagged a Twizzler and sat down on the floor of the mansion. She hadn't supposed this was a pizza roll sort of party and now it was sounding as if she had been correct. She chewed on the twizzler wished that she could wish herself back to her apartment. Death was all fun and games when it was in a video game, but when faced with the actual thing...Austyn shuddered and blocked out the conversation around her. She wasn't interested in dying or near death experiences, thank you very much. She was a respectable gamer with a loving (sort of) cat-dog that depended on her. Maybe she could sneak out the back while no one was looking.

She wasn't sure how long she sat on the floor of the mansion. Long enough to eat several dozen twizzlers, sure, and definitely long enough for her feet to fall asleep. Not long enough to fall asleep herself.

The mansion was mostly quiet, and she had had quite enough excitement for one lifetime, so Austyn made her way back to the front door, passing the open door to the common area. There was a small group of people huddled around a piece of paper. Austyn couldn't hear all that they were saying, but she could hear enough.

"Zombies," said one person. "Track down...immobilize," said another.

This was not happening. Not to Austyn. Not before breakfast.

She turned around and went back towards the kitchen. "This is not happening without coffee." She paused on the threshold of the kitchen. "And maybe there are hot pockets in here somewhere."

Bryan's ears perked up at the Darkling's list of requirements.

"I've done some tracking," he began. "Not of zombies - until today I didn't think they existed - but I think a lot of the same techniques will work. And with a little practice I should be able to distinguish between zombies and the animals I'm used to tracking.

"But there are probably others here who are stealthier than me, and I know there are others better with a gun. My kids used to tease me that I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn."

"I'd be happy to make coffee," Aron said. It was one of the few things he remembered how to do. "Since some of us are staying, anyway. It will tide us over while we wait for the others to get back."

He went into the kitchen and glanced at the coffee pot. To his surprise, it was already full. Oh, well. That was less for him to do. He poked his head back out of the kitchen. "I'll just bring this out to everyone, I guess. Would anybody like cream and sugar?"

"I guess it'll be the three of us, then," Delia said, nodding at Bryan. "Let's catch us a zombie."

Official Gamemaster Business

Given the strengths and weaknesses of the three characters and the options available in this story, your success will be determined by a 6-sided die. You must roll a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to successfully track a zombie. If you successfully track a zombie, you must roll a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to successfully capture a zombie. The roll will be done for you, and the characters involved will be PM'd with the result of their roll and instructed how to proceed.