Shifting Sands

"I am invincible!" Cojisto shouted out loud with a great "Mwahahaha!" He pocketed the Riding Gloves and retrieved Teetering Wilson's candlestick before heading towards the door, humming a victory theme as he went.

Mal shook his head. Why couldn't his life just be easy? Carefree, like it... like it once was? Was that right? Maybe. He couldn't know.

Happy for a distraction, Mal found the friendliest looking person in the crowd and asked them what was going on.

AMBER

Amber arrived in Luxor, immediately pulling down the one remaining flyer on the town bulletin board.

OOC: If you want a new quest, you don't have to bother asking for it in the OOC - if it's open, go ahead and find it listed on the board or something.

COJISTO

Cojisto opened the door, blinking as he stepped into the sun. Suddenly, there was a shout, accompanied by two swords pointed at his neck, one on either side.

Soldier: Drop the candlesticks and lie down... slowly.

MAL

"Well, no one seems ta know anyfing for sure," the woman Mal had asked answered in a heavy accent, "But 'sfar as I know, there was some kinda murda! General Jorges 'as been called in an' everyfing! I tell ya, we ain't 'ad anyfing this citin' 'appen round 'ere since ol' Marge 'Amburg went mental!"

Cojisto sighed and dropped his and Teetering Wilson's candlestick. "Okay, but can I sit instead? I didn't have enough sitting time when I was a hostage, only daring escape time, so I would much rather sit." Knowing things wouldn't end well if they thought he'd attack with the candlesticks, he kicked them away before sitting down cross-legged on the ground. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to your superior about a reward for my actions and my justice. And a little something on the side for my good friend, too."

Mal blinked at the woman a few times before turning away and looking for someone a little less homely. He soon decided to just approach one of the two guards. "Excuse me, sir, I have a delivery for General Jorges. Can you please tell me when he'll be available to accept it?"

Agatha walked to where the paper boy said the stables were. Following his nose, he quickly came upon them. He saw in the outside fenced area three beautiful horses, all three magnificent beasts of burden. He saw two stable buildings on each side of the fenced area, one labeled "regular horses," and the other helpfully labeled "race horses."

Agatha decided to first look in the regular horses building, since that was the more likely route to find the person who ran these stables, and quickly walked in. When he opened the door, he was met by the beautiful image of a gigantic clydesdale in the back with a name plaque on his stall saying "Big John." next to his stall was the work horse named "fordham" and working in his stall was the stable boy.

"Excuse me," Agatha said, "could you direct me to the owner of these stables?"

COJISTO

Before the soldier could reply, the imposing figure of Colonel Dimitri Kusmanov appeared before them.

Kusmanov: A revard? 'Oo are you and vat are you talking about?

MAL

"Well..." the guard hesitated. "The General's right inside; he's overseeing the investigation here. But I really shouldn't let you into a crime scene..."

Guard: If you'd like to leave it with me, I'll see that the General gets it.

AGATHA

"Ah," The stableboy stood up, and Agatha could now see that he wasn't a boy at all, but a man of about 40. "That'd be me."

Stable Owner: What can I do ya for?

"No can do; I need to deliver it personally." Mal replied. "How long will he be in there? What actually happened? Can't you just get him to step out for a second?"

If there was really nothing that could be immediately done, Mal would sit opposite from the building and wait until the General stepped out.

"First off," Cojisto said casually, "I'd like to let you know that I love your accent. Second off, I rescued all of the hostages with only minor setbacks, therefore leaving you free to clean up these loyalists in a timely manner. Unless, of course, you're on their side, which would explain the extremely lax security around the back. Of course, I expect a man of your accent to be more loyal than that, and not just to loyalists."

After pulling down the flyer, Amber noticed a posting for a miner seeking help.

Well, I did help Harrison pretty well. Perhaps I can help this fellow too.

She took the flyer, and read it very carefully. "Graw? Alright, off to Graw after a stop at the store."

Amber walked to the store and selected 3 Herbs (1500) and a Medicine (750). She thanked the store front and made her way to Graw to find the miner.

(-2250; +3 Herb; +Medicine)

MAL

"Whoa, calm down there, son," The guard cut Mal off in mid-question. "See, the local judge was killed last night. They found his body this morning, and since Dankron doesn't have much in terms of police - hell, we barely have a militia - the General was called in to head the investigation. And, I'm sorry, but I really can't let anyone disturb a crime scene, even myself. You'll just have to wait."

Mal did just that, seating himself under a tree from whence he could see the front door. About half an hour passed before General Jorges appeared, unmistakeable in his shining crimson armor. He paused to speak briefly with one of the guards, then began pushing his way through the crowd.

COJISTO

"Vat did you say?" Kusmanov looked puzzled, then suddenly there was a shout from their left.

"It's true, sir! The hostages made it out the back door!" It was one of the guards Cojisto had snuck past to get in. "According to the Innkeeper, that man and his partner singlehandedly saved them all!"

The Colonel of Redwood turned back to Cojisto. "Really? In zat case, I suppose a revard may be in order..."

Kusmanov: ...'Oo did you say your partner vas?

AMBER

OOC: You've only got 1744 Gold to work with. Care to revise your purchase?

Amber arrived in Graw, and immediately grimaced. The town was dilapidated. Windows hung open, doors were broken off their hinges, the streets were made of dirt, and shingles dripped off the buildings like raindrops. She spotted the Inn after a few minutes of searching - though how any Inn could stay open in a place like this was beyond her.

If she had expected anything different from the inside of the Inn, she was sorely disappointed. If anything, it was worse inside than outside. There were two people hanging around: an Innkeeper who looked stunned to see a patron, and a lone man on a rickety bench against the wall.

As the flyer had said to meet the miner at the Inn, Amber had to assume that he was the man she was looking for.

"If it were my partner and I," Cojisto calmly explained to the guard, "That would be double-handed, I do believe."

He turned his attention back to the Colonel and motioned to his left. "My partner is none other than the one and only Teetering Wilson." Of course, there was no one there. "And I, good sir in high power, am none other than Cojisto, Rednell's finest adventurer, rushing in to save the day for the lovely Rachel Reene in a way that only someone detached from the state and the military can." He bowed, but the effect was diminished greatly due to the fact that everyone now thought he was a crazy. Also because he was still sitting.

Ignoring the shouting guards who demanded the people give the general room, Mal pushed through the crowd until he was directly in front of General Jorges. "General," He greeted. "I have a package from Luxor, a tonic of strength." He held out the tonic to the general, who looked at him awkwardly. "Is that all or is there more story exposition you'd like me to go through?"

ooc: yes, i shall revise it to 2 Herb Extracts

Amber first went over to the bulletin board, and removed any flyers that had to do with Harrison. She then went over to the man in the corner.

"Hello" she said to him. "I hear that there is a miner who is seeking assitance. I've come to help him."

COJISTO

"Right..." The Colonel gave Cojisto a strange look, then turned to one of his soldiers. "See zat zese, er... two 'ere are... amply revarded."

As Kusmanov led a few of his troops into the Inn to rout the rest of the Loyalists, the soldier handed Cojisto a small leather pouch containing a few gold coins, leaving him to ponder Kusmanov's definition of "ample".


+500G, +55 EXP

MAL

OOC: Here's your penalty for sarcastically breaking the fourth wall. =P

The General's eyes widened as he looked at Mal, and one of the guards shouted.

Guard: That's him! That's the murderer!

AMBER

"You... you have?" The man's face lit up, and he sprang to his feet and gave Amber a huge hug, catching her completely off-guard.

Miner: I didn't think anyone would come out to a backwater town like this just to help me! You have no idea how much it means!

Mal rolled his eyes and looked around to make sure they were talking about him. If they were he would drop what he held, fall to his knees and place his hands behind his head. To take on Jorges or give any guard a chance to misinterpret him would have been foolish, so he would announce his surrender immediately before demanding that he had an alibi in both Luxor or Dankron, depending on the time of the murder. If there was enough time before being roughed up by the general he might even offer a comment of annoyance towards the god of luck.

OOC:

Amber inhaled as the miner hugged her. She patted his back.

"Well, I just helped a young fellow in Crosal, and since I like helping people I figured I'd help you too." She looked at the miner. "Besides, I like to travel and told him I'd help him out in other towns."

Amber walked over to a table and sat down. She waved for the miner to take a seat across from her. "So, what can I help you with? Or rather, how can I help you?"

He didn't ponder long, however, and the first thing he did was think, "MONEY!"

He gave Teetering Wilson his share (as in, put it in a pocket that wasn't with the rest of his money) and headed towards the town's Arena to sign up and Fight to the Death. But not really death, just fight to the Hospital.

OOC: Just want to point out, since it's basically been only you three posting as of late, I'll be cutting Chapter 1 short and diving into Chapter 2 probably right after Amber's quest ends. That way we can get into some plot and possibly have your characters meet up. It'll be interesting to do this with only three players, but since you've all been posting regularly, it should work quite well.

MAL

Mal fell to the ground as the guards surrounding General Jorges drew their weapons. The General strode up to Mal and looked him over.

"He fits the description," he said over his shoulder to one of his elite guards. "Take him in for questioning."

OOC: Protest your innocence now or let them lead you away?

AMBER

"Well," the miner said, "If you're here it means you know basically what you're here for. When the mines were shut down last month, this town lost everything. And we didn't have much of nothing to begin with. One of the only treasures I had was a letter from me late wife, and I... I dropped it somewhere down there on me way out on the last day." He fidgeted. "Truth is, there's rumors going around that the mines weren't shut down 'cause of productivity. They say there're monsters down there - demons! I wouldn't know about it meself, but I figured it'd be better if I got someone who can protect me to go with."

Miner: It's okay if you wanna back out... tell you the truth, them mines scare the shit out of me.

COJISTO

Cojisto located the arena and strode up to the window. The man inside regarded him with a bored look on his face and recited in monotone:

Attendant: Hello sir, welcome to the Zellovah Arena. what can I do for you today?

With a flourish of his cape, Cojisto gave a great bow. "Good sir, I wish to partake in fisticuffs. Just me, my friend here won't be fighting. I'm most willing to fight anyone, anything, any person, any beast, or even an army. Provided I had one to back me up, of course."

"How much to enter? I want to fight as quickly as possible."

Amber looked at the man reassuringly. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look, would it?" she asked.

"No, I was in Luxor yesterday, and then in Delios!" He protested. "I saw a soldier there when I was looking for you, he can testify to my innocence! And the shopkeep in Luxor! Look at my stats for gods' sake, I've only used three attacks out of my weapons, surely not enough to kill a man." He struggled against the guards who picked him up and dragged him away. If they showed no sign of stopping and listening to him, he would have to take action.

Under these circumstances he would cast Broil onto their arms or armour in the hopes that the heat would make them release him. Then he would cast Torch in their faces to blind them, then try run away. If, gods forbid, he were to be trapped in the city he would at least try to find a place to stash the medicine bag before they caught him.

COJISTO

"Your name, please?" Cojisto gave the man his name, and he scanned a paper in front of him. "New here, I see." Cojisto nodded. "In that case, your first fight is free. Head on in."

OOC: Since you've been SO patiently waiting [/sarcasm], I'll do your fight for you now, rather than wait for a reply. Also, I'm going to say you ate at the restaraunt first, so you don't go into this battle with less than half HP. -25G

Cojisto did so, and was shown to a waiting chamber by a buxom brunette. Inside, a series of weapons lined the walls.

"To ensure an equal fight," the lady told him, "All participants are given weapons owned by the Arena. Take your pick." She left as Cojisto strapped on a pair of Knuckles. He sat down and waited for about 15 minutes before the doors in front of him opened to a sizable crowd. He stepped out into the bright sunlight and tightened his gloves.

Quote :

Cojisto vs. Archer METAL WATER Arena Knuckles (+) (ATK3 --/--) Arena Bow (-) (ATK3 --/--) 16/16 HP MP 13/13 3 STR DEF 3 6 MAG RES 5 3 SKL SPD 3 17/17 HP MP 8/8 4 STR DEF 3 2 MAG RES 3 4 SKL SPD 5 Inventory: ---k Loot: ---

Cojisto's opponent quickly notches an arrow and fires it into Cojisto's shoulder. 4 DMG! (12/16)
Cojisto sprints towards the archer and swipes at him, but the archer dodges. MISS! (17/17)

The archer puts an arrow into Cojisto's back. 4 DMG! (8/16)
Cojisto whirls around, slashing the archer across the stomach. 3 DMG! (14/17)

The archer steps backwards and tries to notch another arrow, but Cojisto knocks his bow out of his hand! MISS! (8/16)
As his opponent scrambles to grab his weapon, Cojisto swipes at his back. 3 DMG! (11/17)

Cojisto's foe reaches his bow, but as he turns, Cojisto jumps on top of him, pinning him to the ground. MISS! (8/16)
Cojisto punches the archer in his face. 3 DMG! (8/17)

The archer struggles and manages to throw the Pugilist off of him. Cojisto hits the ground hard. 4 DMG! (4/16)
Cojisto rolls over and plunges his knuckles into his opponent's arm. 3 DMG! (5/17)

The archer, writhing in pain, pulls an arrow from his quiver and flails at Cojisto with it, but the pugilist avoids the blow and staggers to his feet. MISS! (4/16)
Breathing hard, Cojisto runs over and kicks the prone archer in the ribs. 3 DMG! (2/17)

Oh snap, it comes down to this next blow!

The archer rolls over a few times, but somehow manages to notch his arrow in the process. He raises his bow and fires... into Cojisto's chest! 4 DMG! KO!!

+10 EXP

Cojisto staggered out of the arena, out of breath and aching, and no richer than he had been when he entered, though he did feel somehow stronger.

AMBER

"Glad to hear you say that, ma'am," the man grinned. "Me name's Horace. If you're ready, we can head out now."

OOC: Again, to make up for my two-day absence, I'll just skip your reply so as to get you started.

Horace led Amber to the gaping entrance of the Graw Mines. A pitiful wooden sign hung on a chain across the opening. "DANGER: No Entrance" was scrawled on it in red paint. Horace lifted the sign up and beckoned for Amber to go in, which she did after a moment's hesitation.

The inside of the mines was dark. Amber squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light, or lack thereof. It would be difficult to see where they were going in the depths. There was a flash of light behind her, and she turned to see Horace holding a blazing torch.

"Helps to see where you're goin' down here," he said grimly. "Follow me, I'll show you to me worksite. It's down about three levels." He set off into the darkness.

OOC: Care to ask a question or anything? If not, you'll continue your quest on my next update.

MAL

OOC: Torch doesn't work like that, it merely illuminates a dark area like... well, a torch. So I'll disregard that. However, you shall cast Broil and attempt to escape.

Mal kicked and struggled, but the guards held him fast. That is, until the bracers they wore on their arms suddenly started sizzling. Both guards holding Mal dropped him instantly as they struggled to pull the red-hot metal off of their forearms. Sensing his opportunity, Mal made a break for it. He dashed off towards the relative safety of the buildings. Houses in Dankron were built close together, making the alleyways between them a veritable maze, and the perfect hiding spot. He made it to the closest building, not looking behind him until he was obscured by its walls. He had no way of knowing how many guards were after him, though he assumed the two whose armor he'd cast the spell on were still incapacitated.

Mal tried to steady his breathing, but just as he'd begun to calm down, there was a noise to his left. He peered around one of the buildings to see a lone guard, sword drawn, heading his way.

OOC: Fight or flight?