Shifting Sands

"Well if this is a robbery, than this is my self-defense. I can't get in trouble for fighting back." Dan readied his lance, hoping his comrades would do the same.

OOC: You'd be so cruel if you didn't D:

Sooo not the man for interrogation...

Sitting down to face the prisoner, Misheil was at a complete loss, grasping for the first thing he could think of to say to the man.

"... Hello."

Solomon leaned with his elbow against the house as the woman criticized his physical stature.

"Well," he began to speak nonchalantly, "You should know that better than me, shouldn't you?" Solomon smiled slyly before continuing. "A wyvern is a beast of natural physical superiority over most...no man, no matter how powerful he may be, could ever beat one in a game of strength. However..." at this, the rogue spun away from the ranch doors, exacting his footing at the top of the steps and facing the woman once more. "As it may not have been apparent, I am one of exceeding speed and dexterity," and with this, Solomon bent low to the deck and suddenly sprung up, pulling his legs over his head at the jump and flipping backwards down the steps. He touched down gently and rose with the same sharp smile. "Which is precisely what I believe you need right now. After all, we're here to tame these wyverns, not slay them, correct?"

OOC: Sorry for the delay. =/

AMBER

Harrison jumped at her touch and let out an involuntary yelp, which caused both of his parents to raise an eyebrow.

"Erm..." he stammered, "B... burned myself... on the stove last night." He smiled and grasped Amber's hand hard enough to make her wince. "So... yeah. Girlfriend, parents. Parents, girlfriend. Okay, it's been nice but we have... um, plans, and um..."

"Now, hold on, Harry," Harrison's mother broke in, "We've just met our future daughter-in-law, and I think..." Harrison paled, and his mother's sharp eye caught it.

Beatrice: ...You two DO plan on marriage, do you not?

MAL

OOC: And this was supposed to be the EASY delivery... XD

Mal managed to find a small cave just north of the city. It would provide shelter and was a perfect hiding spot for the pills. He did just as he planned, putting half the pills from the box into a bag and stuffing it behind a rock. There was no pill that could help his soon-to-be wounds, though he did come across a couple of potent sleep aids, which he shoved into his pocket. He then took a deep breath... and began beating himself up.

Quote :

Mal vs. Mal FIRE FIRE Steel Lance (ATK4 35/35) Wooden Stick (ATK0 50/50) 18/18 HP MP 11/11 5 STR DEF 3 4 MAG RES 3 3 SKL SPD 5 18/18 HP MP 11/11 5 STR DEF 3 4 MAG RES 3 3 SKL SPD 5 Inventory: Herb Extract (3/3) Loot: ---

 

Mal raises his lance and stabs himself in the leg! 6 DMG! (12/18)
Mal isn't about to take that from himself, though; he takes his Wooden Stick and whacks himself over the head! 2 DMG! (10/18)

And once more for good measure, across the face with the Stick! 2 DMG! (8/18)

+3 EXP

Panting, Mal limped his way limped his way back towards Luxor, getting quite a few stares along the way. He located the house and knocked on the door.

Mrs. Figbaum: Go away, you rascals!

DAN

The two groups squared off; Dan, Mitch, and Shadow each took an enemy, and George turned to fend off the two charging up behind them.

Quote :

Dan vs. Highwayman EARTH (+) AIR ORB AIR (-) Slim Lance (+) (ATK3 20/20) Iron Blade (-) (ATK3 40/40) 17/17 HP MP 10/10 3 STR DEF 5 3 MAG RES 4 4 SKL SPD 6 18/18 HP MP 8/8 5 STR DEF 3 2 MAG RES 3 5 SKL SPD 4 Inventory: Herb Extract (3/3) Loot: 50G

 

Dan opens up the fight with a quick stab at the robber. 4 DMG! (14/18)
The highwayman recovers, whirls around, and slashes Dan across the neck! POWER BLOW AND CRITICAL HIT!! 9 DMG! (8/17) WTF dude... my dice hate you, apparently.

Dan is bleeding profusely, but he manages to swing his Lance down across the highwayman's shoulder. 4 DMG! (10/18)
The bandit swings his blade in an arc, but Dan ducks under the attack! MISS! (8/17)

Dan brings his lance up into the man's stomach! 4 DMG! (6/18)
The highwayman staggers backwards, carrying Dan's lance with him, but slashes Dan in his side as he does. 3 DMG! (5/17)

Dan takes the opportunity to patch up his neck. +5 HP! (10/17)
The bandit has freed himself from Dan's lance, which he flings at the soldier, but Dan sidesteps out of the way. MISS! (10/17)

The highwayman charges at Dan, but he scrambles over to his lance, swings around, and impales his opponent on it! POWER BLOW! 6 DMG! KO! (0/18) That's more like it... the dice seem to be Crit-happy tonight.

+20 EXP, 50G

Dan stood victorious over his opponent, and it appeared his allies were gaining the upper hand, too - even George, fighting two-on-one, was prevailing. But then, the bandits' leader stepped back from his fight with Shadow and raised his hands.

"Alright! You beat us, fair and square." He had an evil glint in his eye that Dan didn't care for. "Unfortunately for you, we don't like to play fair." He made a gesture with his hand, and Dan looked up to see eight archers, four on either side of the pass, their bows trained on the mercenary group.

Highwayman: Just a little added insurance...

MISHEIL

"....Hi?" The man in the handcuffs looked questioningly at Misheil. There was a long, uncomfortable silence, then: "I assume you're the latest police lackey they've sent to try and get me to squeal. So I'll tell you what I've told every cop I've spoken to before you."

Jailbird: Just because I turned myself in does NOT mean I'm giving up the others.

SOLOMON

"You're exactly right," the girl said, smiling, "And you just passed your first test. I'm Alyssa McVeigh, owner of McVeigh's Mounts." She stuck out her hand, which Solomon shook. "Your partners are waiting back in the stables, I'll show you the way." She led the rogue around back of the ranch house. The stables in question were twice as large as traditional horse stables, designed of course to house wyverns. Three men waited inside; one turned as Alyssa and Solomon entered.

"This here's your fourth member, boys. Say hello."

"Mrs. Figbaum!" Mal called. He tried to speak as loudly and as clearly as he could. "I have very important medicine for you from... er, the shopkeep. Please open the door so I can deliver it!"

If she didn't open the door this time, he would head to the Tipsy Squirrel and see if anyone knew why the old woman wouldn't accept her medicine.

Amber flinched a little at his death-grip, but quickly became accustomed to it. She turned to Beatrice, "Well, its a little early to be thinking of marriage, it hasn't even been a year yet." She smiled at the couple. "Anyways, I was just seeing him before I head off on another job seeing as I just returned from one in Luxor."

Amber looked to Harrison and winked at him, hoping that he would follow what she was doing. "I was told that the inn-keeper here had my mission ready to be picked up." She paused as she pretended an excellent idea had just popped into her head. "Hun, would you like to come with me? We can get some lunch together before I go."

Sweetly, she added "It would be nice to have a meal with you, just the two of us, as a parting moment" making sure that it didn't sound too cold or pushy.

"That seems a bit pointless from where I'm sat," Misheil remarked, "going down all on your lonesome when you could accomplish something while you're at it."

The rogue leaned in a short respectful bow towards the men and turned back to Alyssa.

"You mentioned that question was only my first test, er, will there be a second?" Solomon inquired, turning suggestively to the men in the stable.

Cojisto felt as though he should be able take them, but instead, he sat down. He crossed his legs and put his hands on his kneecaps.

As soon as they came in, he rose. "Stop, I'm sensing something." He put two fingers to his forehead. "One of you are going to die, no, wait... All of you are going to die. Also, can I borrow a watch? This is important, I need a watch. You need to give me a watch, for this thing I need to do. Preferably a pocket watch, chain not needed. Trust me, you need this." Cojisto then stopped appearing frantic and gave a flourish of his cloak before attempting to walk out of the room.

MAL

"Oh!" Came the reply, "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" Mal could hear the sound of about a dozen locks being opened on the inside before the door swung open and a short old lady with bushy white hair appeared. She gasped when she saw Mal, and clutched at her heart.

Mrs. Figbaum: Good lord in heaven, what happened to you?!

AMBER

"Er... well, my parents are here, and..." Amber shot him a look, and he seemed to catch on. "...Right! Um, that'd be... nice... babe." The last word was overly forced. "Sorry, Mom, Dad, but we, er... don't get much time together, so... yeah. ...Let's go grab our coats."

Before either of his parents could reply, Harrison had pulled Amber into the kitchen. In a hushed tone, he said, "How far are you willing to go with this? I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they followed us to restaurant."

Harrison: We've got to give them a definitive reason to leave me alone!

MISHEIL

"Yeah, well..." the man fidgeted. "I was just done running. Way too much, er... stress on my part. Yeah, that's all. Doesn't mean I'm not loyal, of course I'm still loyal! And don't think I'll cooperate with the cops, no way."

He seemed a little nervous.

SOLOMON

Alyssa laughed.

"Sorry, poor choice of words on my part. The only test you'll need to pass from here on out is the actual taming of them wyverns."

One of the men stepped forward.

"Speaking of, we're behind schedule, Miss Alyssa," he said. "We need to depart immediately."

"Of course," she agreed. "Good hunting!" To Solomon, she added, "Just follow Marc, he'll show you the ropes. ...Better hurry up, they seem to be in an awful rush."

Solomon turned to see his group already out of the stables and heading for the road.

COJISTO

The two men who had entered the room stared at Cojisto as he sauntered past them, obviously unable to find anything to say. But just as he was headed out the door, one of them grabbed him roughly by the collar.

Loyalist: What in the world're you talkin' about?

"Ma'am," Mal gasped. "I came earlier, and took a rather rude tone when you misunderst-stood me. I was in a sour mood, so I took a short walk to clear my head and relieve myself away from the town, as it would have been unsanitary to take your medicine into an outhouse, and..." Mal stopped and took a few breaths. "And before long my wondering mind led to me straying too far and being attacked by a bandit. I... I took chase when he grabbed the package but I was ambushed by his friends and after a fight I managed to scare them away..." With puppy-dog eyes, Mal looked to the opened package he held and then to the old woman. "They... I'm afraid they managed to escape with a lot of the medicine, I think maybe half of it. I came as soon as it happened... I don't know what you wish to happen, perhaps there was an insurance policy or the shopkeep can replace them since he has an excess, but please talk it over with him whilst I go report the incident to the local authorities."

And, leaving the package with the woman (and assuming she has no objections), Mal did just that.

"No no no, not a strawberry, a watch. The things you tell time with. I can't help you until you get me a watch. It's as simple as that, I don't see why you're struggling with the idea! Now let go of me until you find a proper timepiece." Cojisto shrugged away from the Loyalist. "A watch, that was all I asked for. Not a hedgehog, not a demon, I didn't even ask for a sandwich! A watch. Find me when you get one."

He attempted to leave once more.

Amber responded also in a hushed tone, matching his. "However far you want to go. We both know its a facade and thats what really matters...what did you have in mind?" After a bit she said, "You know your parents best, so I think you'll know the best how to get them to leave you alone."

Amber paced around the kitchen. "It does seem like your father is more understanding, perhaps we could try to get him to get your mother to leave?" she wondered.

MAL

Mal dashed off, headed for the sheriff's office, leaving a slightly bewildered Mrs. Figbaum standing in her doorway. He arrived at Luxor's jailhouse, which doubled as its police station, and opened the door. The man at the desk inside looked up.

Officer: Yes, what can I h...oly hell, you look terrible!

COJISTO

Once again, one of the Loyalists pushed Cojisto back into the room.

"Seriously, who the hell do you think you-" He was cut off by the Innkeeper, who raised his hand.

Innkeeper: I've... I've got a pocket watch.

AMBER

OOC: I'll get back to you lol. Hopefully tomorrow; I figured no sense in making the others wait.

Mal recounted his tale, certain to keep the details the same, and then he added some onto the end. "I didn't see their faces in the chaos but..." He swallowed hard. "But they were wearing brown leather armour and had black masks. Their hair was dark and short, it didn't..." He took a breath. "It didn't appear to have any significance. They came dangerously close to the town. Please, inform the guard and find them." And, once again not waiting around for a reply, Mal turned and strode out of the sheriff's office and headed back to the shop from where the job had originated. Once again with a puppy dog face, he walked into the building and shut the door behind him before he explained to the shopkeep what had supposedly happened.

"Splendid!" Cojisto exclaimed before moving in to pat the innkeeper down. "Now where is that darn pocket watch." Despite the innkeeper being free of his bonds, Cojisto didn't let him do it himself. However, only a few seconds of searching, he turned around to face the guards. "Okay, while he gets the pocket watch, I need you two to do something for me. I need a shoe. No heels, a boot could work. Actually, no shoes. I need a boot, in fact, two boots. Two left boots. A belt could also work, but for something entirely different but nonetheless very important. You two get straight to work on that. Trust me, you'll love it, and you need it." Then the red haired man moved over to a particularly lovely lady off to the side. "Now I need you to stop crying." She most obviously wasn't crying. "For this thing I need to do, I need quiet, can you understand that? What, are your wrists chafing? Oi, I have to do everything myself." He moved around behind her and untied her arms. "There, is that better? Will you stop now? Thank you." She still, most obviously, was not crying.

Cojisto turned his attentions back to the innkeeper and the Loyalists, crossing his arms impatiently. "Well? Where are my two left boots and my pocket watch and my belt? Seriously, am I the only reliable person here?"

AMBER

OOC: Took me a while, but I now know exactly what's going on with this family, so here we go. =P

"Worth a shot," Harrison agreed, "But I wouldn't know what to say... you're better at this, you do it!" He shooed Amber back into the living room, where she stood awkwardly in front of Beatrice and Henry for a moment, before Harrison called from the kitchen:

"Mom, can you come here for a moment?" Beatrice hopped up and strode briskly past Amber, shooting her a glance as she did so.

Amber was left alone in the living room with Harrison's father.

MAL

The shopkeep stared in horror as Mal relayed his tale.

Shopkeep: But... why on earth would someone want poor Mrs. Figbaum's pills?!

COJISTO

The bewildered innkeeper held out his pocket watch. The Loyalists looked at each other for a second, then one stepped forward, an axe in hand.

"I have two questions," he said.

Loyalist: Why should we comply with YOUR demands, and why shouldn't I just strike you down where you stand?

"The very fact that you had to ask tells me you're intrigued, my good sir! I'll have you know that I am Cojisto, Rednell's finest adventurer! And in my many travels, I have come across some marvelous, fantastical, wonderriffic tricks to entertain the masses. Now let me ask you one question, good sir, to counteract your question. What harm is there to us passing by the time with this thing I need to do? Surely you don't mean to tell me that you want to sit here, staring at us while we stare at you staring at us staring at you, do you? No no no, of course not." Cojisto lightly pushed the axe away and took the man's arm. "Now come, sit down." He pushed him into the chair he had formerly been tied to. "Now I'm going to grab this pocket watch from this fine old man, fine young man! Yes, young man, and you and your friend can give us your left boots, because you're both wearing exactly the same kind and that makes things much much easier." Cojisto turned to the innkeeper and snatched the watch away from the man in a rather rude manner, turning to the guard still standing up. "Okay, while you remove your left boot, your left, not your right! I want you to tell me what you see in this room right now. Just explain away. And if you want to threaten me with striking once more, ask yourself 'why not?' And 'what do I have to lose because he needs to do this thing he needs to do?'"

Cojisto stood with a very satisfied smile on his face.

OOC: Oh you bastard...

BIC:

Well, this really really blows. Dan thought, taking in a deep breath.

Dan turned to his allies. "I think we can do this," he said to them. He used another part of his Herb Extract and readied his lance again. But first, he had a thought. Dan had been reading some old Earth Magic tomes to pass the time back on the farm. Some of those old spells would sure come in handy. He thought about one spell, Solidify, it was called. He uttered the words to himself as best as he could remember, and felt himself increase his defenses. Mmmm, this is good shit right here. Dan smirked. He was now ready for battle.

OOC:

Herb Extract (1/3)
+5 HP (15/17)
Cast solidify on self before charging into what may be his death (If that's cool)

So I'm guessing we each take on two archers at a time?

"I don't think they knew what it was, to be honest." Mal explained as sincerely as possible. Mrs. Figbaum had either decided to not come or to make her visit very brief. "When he grabbed the package he was most likely gambling on what the contents could be, and when they took off it seemed a mad scramble for whatever they could grab. Surely there must be a place where they could sell on what they stole, which could be investigated, right?"

He continued after the shop-keep had replied. "Did Mrs. Figbaum visit? I'm afraid I may have frightened her." Again, he allowed him to answer before continuing. "Forgive my abruptness but I need rest and would like to have this matter resolved as soon as possible, so... how do we proceed?"

Amber looked at Harrison's father and sat down across from him. "If I could have your ear for a minute?" She asked to be polite before continuing on anyways looking at the table.

"See, I'm about to go on a long job, perhaps 6 months or more, that takes me very far away-all the way in Khas-Kaven Village and I would really love to have my last night here be spent dining with your son, just the two of us. My job requires that I travel a lot and it is rare that we get to see each other." She looks up, into Henry's eyes. "I love Harrison, and I understand your concern, but I would be much obliged if you let us dine together, just the two of us. Do you think you could get his mother to let us dine together, alone. We just need some time together before I leave early tomorrow morning. Think you could help us?" I smile.

COJISTO

"Don't look at me," the Loyalist replied, "I'm just the hired muscle. I've been ordered to keep everyone in here under control, and from where I stand, you're out of it."

Loyalist: Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't lop your head off where you stand, and maybe, just maybe, I'll get you those boots.

DAN

OOC: I don't think you realize the height of the cliffs on either side of you; there's no way to get to the archers from where you stand. Solidify's a good idea, but you'll be attacking the bandit leader, and the archers will be getting free shots at you. If you win, however, I'll let you get to cover without further injury. Still want to go through with it?

MAL

"I... I wouldn' know..." the shopkeep replied. "Hell, this day just keeps goin' from bad to worse..."

To Mal's second question, he answered: "Aye, Mrs. Figbaum stopped by, demanded the rest of her order... guess now I know why..."

And to his third: "I guess... ye said ye informed the police? I mean, I'm just a shopkeep, I don't know how to handle these things."

Shopkeep: I still need the rest of these packages delivered, but ye've had one hell of an ordeal... if ye want to go home and rest, go right ahead. I'll pay ye fer the one delivery.

AMBER

"I understand," Henry replied, "And I'll do my best; no guarantees, though - you've seen what she's like. Now-" He was interrupted by a scream from the kitchen. Both Amber and Henry scrambled into the other room to see Beatrice on the floor, with Harrison kneeling beside her, his hand on her shoulder. He looked up at them.

"I don't know what happened!" he said hysterically. "I... I... we were talking... she said something about marriage, I told her... I told her we... we weren't, and then... she just... keeled over!"

"Beatrice!" Henry moved to kneel next to his son, and put his hand on his wife's cheek. "Beatrice, can you hear me?"

Beatrice stirred. "Ohh... I'm sorry, it's... it's my heart condition," she said weakly. "I don't know how much longer I can..." She coughed with a strange amount of force. "...last. I just... want to see my son married before... before..." Her voice trailed off into a high-pitched whine.

OOC: She's obviously putting on a show here. Call her out or play along?

"A good reason," Cojisto said to himself, putting the watch in his pocket. "Well, if you want a good reason then you shouldn't have come to me. Never had a good reason in my life. What I do have, however, is the adventuring spirit. And while I do admit that I'm not the adventuring extraordinaire that I usually claim to be, I am an adventurer nonetheless. See, I don't think I'm making it out of this alive. I think the Commander, or Chief, whoever it is who's outside with that army is going to barge right on in, and you and your associate here will kill us where we stand, because they're not following your boss' orders about keeping clear. So instead of crying about it, I'm trying to go out with a bang. With the laughter of children. But there are no children, only two hired hands and a group of hairy men as well as a lovely young lady who I would buy a drink in the bar if we had time. If I had a hat, I would tip it at her right now, but I think she gets the picture. I could spout on and on about how it could be my last chance, play it up as a last request, try the whole pity angle, but that's not a very good reason."

Cojisto walked over to the guard/thug and rested his hand on the man's shoulders. "The real reason is because, since we're seriously lacking some blueberry cheesecake, it's just something I've always wanted to try. A dream, of sorts. I have a whole list of things I've wanted to do on an adventure, and this is one of them. But if you're still insistent on striking me down, I humbly ask you to make sure that axe is sharp enough to strike me down in one blow. I promise I won't haunt you."

"I'd feel bad just taking the pay and leaving even though my own absent-mindedness caused this. If I hadn't needed to clear my head or bladder, I wouldn't have strayed so far and been attacked, and you wouldn't be out however many pills it will take to keep customer satisfaction. May I confide in you?" He paused. "I... I do not feel safe here. I know that I'm supposed to be an adventurer but... I'm afraid this place makes me rather on edge at the moment, the fact bandits came so close. I have no home here and do not feel safe anymore.

"I planned to finish this job and then head to Delios tomorrow. I can't stay here, so now I plan to go there today, since I know a city with a king will be well-protected. To make up for this mistake, if there was anything you planned to send to Delios, or even Dankron, I would be happy to take it for you free of charge.

"I thank you for not docking my pay in spite of my failures. Assuming the price of one package is enough, I will take it gladly and restore my strength at the restaurant before taking my leave of the town."