Chicago

So, Daniel and I haven't updated in a while, so I figured now was as good a time as ever.
Right after Daniel put up that last post, he gathered all of us together and informed us that he had no intention of meeting up with the Blood Vessel in Chicago. He then asked me and Abdalin to patrol with him. While we were out, he explained what his next move would be to us. We both agreed it would probably be the smartest move.
So, every night, for the next six days, the three of us would go patrolling. Except that on the seventh day, we lied. We left told the others we were going out to patrol again, but as soon as we were a few blocks away, Abdalin grabbed Daniel and I by the shoulders and we all vanished.
We then found ourselves in Chicago.
“Seraph's gonna be pissed,” Daniel said.
“Whatever,” Abdalin said, vanishing.
“Well, let's get moving,” I said.
We started walking. You see, the truth is that Daniel had lied. He had every intention of meeting with the Blood Vessel. He didn't really want to, but it seemed like our best bet for finding and dealing with Jack.
“It's been a while,” Daniel said after a while.
“Since what?” I asked.
“Since you and I did this,” he said. “You know, handling a case together, just the two of us.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Just like the good old days.”
Daniel laughed, but it felt sad. He knows as much as I do that the “good old days” are over.
“I'm nervous,” he said. “About Jack.”
“He was my contact once,” I said. “Maybe I can reason with him.”
“I hope you can,” he said. “But there's no telling what he's planning. Plus, Isiore tried to kill me. What if he's the one who ordered it?”
“I don't know,” I said. “Let's hope this Vessel can actually help us.”
We arrived at a local pub and entered. Daniel ordered us a couple ales and some steak sandwiches. It didn't take me long to notice that there was something off about the pubs other patrons.
“Daniel,” I said. “Have you noticed that-”
“We're surrounded by servants?” he asked. “Yeah, I knew that before we came in Why do you think we're here?”
“Perfect,” I said sarcastically. “So when does she get here?”
“Dunno,” Daniel said.
A few minutes later, a Blood Vessel walked through the door, and Daniel immediately groaned. Turns out, it was the same Vessel who had infected him with the Red Cap.
“Hello, boys,” she said, taking a seat with us.
“Hey,” Daniel said. “So, you're gonna help us with Jack, right?”
“Yep,” she said.
“What's the catch?” I asked.
“The High Blood-” she started, but Daniel interrupted her.
“Is situated in three different points in this city,” he said. “You want our help breaking them up.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Pretty much.”
“I'm not dirtying my hands,” Daniel said. “But I'll help. I agree that they need to be put in their place. But I'm not killing anybody.”
“Very well,” she said.
We discussed some game plans for dealing with the High Blood and pinning down Jack's whereabouts for the next hour or so. Then Daniel brought up another point on our agenda.
“So, Ol' Red wouldn't answer all my questions when we spoke,” he said. “But I was wondering if you may know anything about the Apostles.”
“I'm afraid I don't have the information you want,” she said. “But I know how you can get it.”
She then ran a plan by us. I was shocked at the idea. Daniel showed some surprise at first, but his expression quickly shifted to one of deep thought.
“That's... farther below the belt then I normally strike,” he said. “But...”
“Desperate times?” I asked.
He nodded.
“We might have to,” he agreed. “The question is, how do we get the Apostle's to fall for a plow like this?”
“Leave that to the Boss,” the Vessel said.
So, we started helping the Vessel out with the High Blood. I'm not gonna go into all the details, but we got the High Blood to scatter and leave the city. I'm a little surprised at how easy it was. We also obtained this book written in Italian, which Daniel thinks might be a clue to finding the Bleeding Crest book they've been searching for. I'm gonna work on translating it, see what I can find.
Also, last night, we had something interesting happen. Daniel and I were sitting in a hotel room, discussing how we might locate Jack. While we were drunk.
“Maybe we could do something to attract his attention,” Daniel suggested.
“Yeah, but how?” I asked. “It's not like we have his phone number or anything.”
“Maybe I could make ringing sounds and see if he picks up,” Daniel joked.
I laughed and said “Yeah, you try that!”
“RING RING!!!” Daniel shouted. “RING RING!”
Suddenly, a loud dial tone sound filled the air, followed by a voice.
“I'm sorry, the Jack Of All cannot answer the invisible phone right now,” it said. “Please leave your name and number after the creepy child's giggle, and I will get back to you as soon as you stop being a dumbass.”
Then a creepy child's giggle played, and Daniel sat up straight.
“Hey Jack, it's Daniel!” Daniel said. “We need to talk! Give me a call back at 1-555-gosuckreddanielsballsack! Now what button do I press to end this fucking message.”
“Meet me at the museum Saturday night, dickhead,” Jack's voice replied, before the sound of a phone slamming down on a receiver filled the room.
“What the fuck just happened?” I asked.
“No idea,” Daniel said. “But we'd better figure out where that fucking museum is.”

-Tony Helioson, signing off