Shifting Sands

Agatha read the paper and found out where Edmund Fitzgerald's estate was located, and headed straight for there.

If I time this right, I could stand to gain quite a bit. But wait, It might behoove me to stop by the stables first.

Agatha did an about face and asked the paper boy in is most haughty tone "where is the stables where Seacracker's trader keeps him? I want to do an appraisal for my friend Edmund before he goes and does something extremely stupid."

Amber first looked to Harrison, and then his father as if saying "Come on now, really?". She then addressed Beatrice. "Ma'am, as I told you before Harrison and I have not been together long enough to even consider marriage. I don't even live here, I live in a neighboring community. My job takes me away often." She paused and put on a very realistic concerned smile, "I am sorry about your heart condition, and understand your desire to see your child married. Perhaps after Harrison and I have dinner, we can all go to the local doctor and see if he can write a prescriotion for your heart to keep it working properly better." She smiled at Harrison and his father, hoping for support and assitance from one or the other. Hopefully, the father could help sort out this mess, Amber thought.

OOC: Whoops, that's my bad, I misread your post. I thought the archers were right beside me.

So it'd be a 4 on 1 against the Bandit Leader, with 8 archers taking free shots?

COJISTO

"I think I'll do just that," the Loyalist said, standing up and raising his axe, intending to bring it down across Cojisto's neck. But suddenly, with a great cry, the Innkeeper lunged across the room and tackled Cojisto's assailant, who hit the floor with a thud. One of the other men Cojisto had untied ran over and smashed the man's head into the floor, rendering him unconscious.

"You tried to save us," the Innkeeper said to Cojisto, "Figured I'd repay the favor."

Their victory was short-lived, however, as the other Loyalist drew his own axe. "You're gonna pay for that," he said, as he took a few steps towards the unarmed Innkeeper.

OOC: Remember, you're currently unarmed as well.

MAL

"I understand," the shopkeep said, and rummaged behind the counter for a moment. He emerged holding a small vial. "And actually, I have this tonic fer General Jorges, in Delios. Take it to him fer me, and here's yer payment. I'm sorry this happened to ye, m'boy."

+150G, Tonic of Strength


+30 EXP

AGATHA

"Ha," the paperboy replied, "Maybe you'll have some luck talking the old codger out of it."

Paperboy: The stables are down that way, just take a left onto Green St. and you'll see them.

AMBER

"Oh dear me," Beatrice said, "A doctor? No, no, they've all, er... said there's nothing they can do for me. ...Besides, I don't trust the doctors in this backwater town."

"Indeed," Henry agreed. Amber heaved a sigh; Harrison's father wasn't going to be much help.

Beatrice turned to face Harrison. "Harry, my dear boy, you'll grant your mother her one wish, won't you?" Harrison fidgeted.

"I... I..." he looked to Amber for help, but when she said nothing, his eyes turned steely. "No mother," he said, "You don't get to decide who or when I marry. Not any more. This is my life, so you can please stuff it!" Both Amber and Henry stared at Harrison, but their reactions paled in comparison to Beatrice's, whose mouth fell open in outrage.

"How dare... I did not raise you to speak to your mother that way!"

"No mother," Harrison retorted, standing up. "You raised me to worship the ground you walk on, and I just can't take it any more!"

"All I want is to see my son married, so if you love her, why don't you marry her?!"

"Because... because..."

"You don't have an excuse, do you?"

"Beatrice-" Henry tried to cut in, but Beatrice shushed him.

"Because... I..." Harrison continued to stammer.

"You know I'm right, Harrison, so why don't you listen to me for once and plan your wedding?!"

"BECAUSE I'M GAY!!!"

There was a stunned silence following Harrison's words. Then slowly, both of his parents turned to stare at Amber.

DAN

OOC: Actually, it's my fault, after re-reading the post; I wasn't very clear on where they were. But yeah, you've got the gist of it. The archers would each get a shot every round. It's actually quite possible to prevail, especially if you use Solidify, but it'd definitely be a risk. Your call; surrender or fight?

"Thank you for your kindness." And with that, Mal left the store. He cursed mentally. 'General Jorges.' He thought, shaking his head. 'Guess I really do have to go to Delios.'

Mal headed to the restaurant and ate a quick meal alone, feeling more revitalised. After leaving the restaurant and dodging two patrolmen, just in case they had any further questions for him, Mal exited the town. On the road north he heard a voice.

"You like to steal, don't you?" A raspy female said. Mal turned and saw that between him and Luxor stood... no-one. He looked around and saw only vast, rolling nothingness ending considerable distances away.

'Must have hit my head harder than I thought.' He mused, continuing north, and a realization hit him; he should have memorized which of Mrs. Figbaum's pills were which, or made a copy of the card. He remembered pocketing the sleeping pills and recalled reading over the card but was that enough? When he reached the cave he would look over the medicine and try to discern what, if anything, he could remember about their affects.

********

Amber turned to look at Harrison in surprise. She turned back to his parents. "I didn't know.." she muttered.

She sighed and turned to look at Harrison. "I guess I'll be going then." She gave him a stern look, now that she had been made a fool. "If you want to talk to me, I'll be at the inn, in a room there." She walked past his parents muttering something about how it was nice to meet them, and left walking slowly and sadly to the inn.

She turned to the bar keep. "Excuse me, could I have a room please?"

"For someone who's simply a "hired hand," and for someone who's all alone, you seem awfully cocky about taking out all of us." Cojisto strolled over to the people still tied up and untied them swiftly before grabbing his chair, holding it up as if ready to swing. "Now, I'm going to give you one chance to take your friend and get the hell out of here before Teetering Wilson and I," he jerked his head to the left, though no one was there, "take these chairs and beat you down. I suppose the other nine people in the room can help, too, since there's enough chairs."

"One chance, are you going to try to take all of us or are you going to find some Serenity?" Cojisto asked as he cast that very same spell.

MAL

Mal couldn't be sure, but he thought he remembered the orange pills to be for arthritis, the blue ones were suppositories, and the yellow ones had something to do with blood sugar... or was it cholesterol? As for the green and purple pills, Mal had no clue.

AMBER

"That'll be 5G," the Innkeeper said. Amber paid up, and was led to her room.

OOC: If you want to post something about her thoughts, etc. go ahead. Otherwise, the story will continue on my next post.

COJISTO

The Loyalist was momentarily surrounded by a glowing green light, which dissipated almost immediately.

"I guess..." he said, "I guess you're right. There's no need to fight." He sat down in one of the empty chairs. "I could really go for some soda right now..."

OOC: The effect won't last long. Whatever you're planning on doing, do it quick.

Mal took a moment to memorise what he could remember and then stuffed the small bag into his inventory old, beat-up rucksack, keeping the sleeping pills pocketed for ease of access. He swept the small cave to make sure no glaring clue of what had happened was left behind before departing for Delios.

When he arrived he would immediately try to find Jorges, so he could do his business and leave.

Amber went up to her room and laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling thinking. Why, when Harrison had pulled her to the kitchen, had he not told her he was gay. Or was it just a desperate act to get his parents..well, his mother, out of his hair. She hoped that he had got the message she was trying to send and would stop by the inn..to at least apologize if not explain to her.

She got up and looked at the window, and noticed she could just see Harrison's door from where she stood. She sighed, men suck.

"Alright everybody, that worked out amazingly!" Cojisto gave a single round of applause (he counted). "Now, grab your chairs and let's go, we're getting out of this joint. Follow Teetering Wilson!" Hefting his chair, he grabbed another one (thus depriving someone of their weapon) and held it out in front of him so he could "follow it."

MAL

Mal arrived in Delios without incident. He located the barracks easily - it was the first building he came across - and strode up to the door and knocked.

Voice from inside: State your business, please!

AMBER

It was an hour later when Amber heard a knock on her door. She opened it a crack to see Harrison standing there, wringing his hands.

Harrison: Can I, uh... come in?

COJISTO

The bizarre procession proceeded out of the room and down the hallway. They were almost at the front door when a shout came from above. A man jumped down from the stairway above them, landing right in front of Cojisto. He clenched his hands together, and Cojisto recognized the Riding Gloves the man was wearing as the ones that had been stolen from him.

Loyalist: An' where do you folks think you're goin'...?

"Everyone, go around and get reinforcements! Teetering Wilson and I will hold him off!" Waving both chairs in the air like an arrogant madman, Cojisto jumped at the man who had stolen his gloves, flailing wildly and possibly ineffectually at the Loyalist with both of the chairs. "We can do this, TW, believe in ourselves!"

"Greetings!" Mal called hardily. "I am sent from a merchant in Luxor; I come with a package for General Jorges, a Tonic of Strength, and must see that he gets it. If at all possible, may I come in and deliver it to him personally?"

He awaited the answer.

"I'm not the cops," Misheil shrugged. "I'm just a guy trying to get some money together to avoid starving. Just so happens that they're the ones I'm trying to do a job for at the moment."

Amber opened the door fully and nodded, but giving Harrison a steely eye. She was still sort of mad at him, but she could get over it.

"Did they leave?" she asked to be polite. "Was that a trick or a truth?".

OOC: It's all good, just have Dan use one more herb extract and cast solidify before stupidly charging into his death

BIC:

"We fight!" Dan called, casting his solidify spell upon himself, after taking a swig of his herb extract. He thrusted his lance towards the Bandit Leader and hoped for the best.

If we surrender we know we've lost. At least we have a chance with this.

OOC: Just so you folks don't think I've forgotten you, I'm posting the non-battle posts. The ones with battles in them will be up later tonight (trust me, battles take a shitton of time to do).

MAL

The door opened and a low-ranking officer appeared.

"General Jorges is out at the moment. He's been sent to Dankron at the behest of the King."

Officer: You can most certainly leave the package with me, but if you'd rather hand-deliver it, he'll be at the Dankron courthouse.

MISHEIL

"Ah," the man sat up straighter, "Then we're kind of in the same boat. I'll tell ya a secret: I'm being paid rather handsomely to keep my mouth shut. Thing is... see, the gang I ran with has changed. 'Swhy I gave myself up in the first place. We were petty thieves when we were caught, but since the escape, there's been arson, terrorism, murder... I didn't want anything to do with it." He paused for a moment. "So I turned myself in. Next thing I know, this man comes up to me and says he'll pay me a fortune to keep quiet and not rat out the others."

He stared hard at Misheil for a moment, then whispered, "But if you're not a cop, I see you as an opportunity. See, I want these guys to pay. But... I want the money, too. So here's my proposition: I tell you where they are. You lie to the cops, then head there yourself. Deliver a little justice for me, but don't make it look like the cops had anything to do with it, and I'll cut you in on the payoff."

Jailbird: Sound good to you?

AMBER

"Yeah... yeah, they left," Harrison said. "I'm not sure my mother is ever going to want anything to do with me again, though... I suppose it'll stop her ridiculous efforts to get me married, at least..." He fell silent, though he still hadn't answered Amber's second question. There was an awkward pause, then Harrison heaved a sigh.

Harrison: Yes, it's true, I'm gay. There, you happy?

OOC: And now the battle posts.

COJISTO

The other hostages did as Cojisto ordered, if perhaps only to get away from the madman wildly flailing two chairs around his head.

Quote :

Cojisto vs. Loyalist METAL METAL Wooden Chair (ATK1 3/3) Riding Gloves (ATK1 15/20) 7/16 HP MP 9/13 3 STR DEF 3 6 MAG RES 5 3 SKL SPD 3 14/14 HP MP 11/11 4 STR DEF 2 4 MAG RES 1 3 SKL SPD 4 Inventory: Herb (3/3) Loot: Riding Gloves (ATK1 15/20)

The Loyalist lashes out with his ill-gotten weapon and slashes Cojisto across the stomach. 2 DMG! (5/16)
Cojisto smashes one of the chairs over the man's head. 2 DMG! (12/14)
Teetering Wilson (aka Cojisto's left hand) makes an identical attack. 1 DMG! (11/14) You're getting -1 to DMG because it's your off-hand.

The Loyalist blocks the chairs with his arms, then leaps at Cojisto again, but Cojisto sidesteps. MISS! (5/16)
Cojisto attempts to sideswipe the man with the chair, but he ducks! MISS! (12/14)
However, TW manages to bring his chair down on the man's back. 1 DMG! (11/14)

The Loyalist hit Cojisto with a vicious uppercut. 2 DMG! (3/16)
Cojisto uses his Herb to lessen his wounds. +10 HP! (13/16)

The Loyalist seizes the opportunity to tackle Cojisto to the ground. 2 DMG! (11/16)
Cojisto brings his chair into the back of the man's head. 2 DMG! (8/14)
TW does the same, but the chair shatters on impact! 1 DMG! (7/14)

The Loyalist rolls off of Cojisto, but lashes out and nicks him with the knuckles. 2 DMG! (9/16)
Cojisto swings his one remaining chair at the man, who rolls out of the way. MISS! (7/14)
But Cojisto hands his chair to Teetering Wilson (ie. swaps it to his other hand), and smashes it into the Loyalist's side, destroying the chair in the process. 1 DMG! (6/14)

+10 EXP

Both of Cojisto's "weapons" lay in pieces on the floor, but his adversary still wasn't down.

OOC: Your move.

DAN

Quote :

Dan vs. Bandit Leader EARTH AIR ORB (-) EARTH Slim Lance (-) (ATK3 15/20) Broad Axe (+) (ATK3 23/25) 15/17 HP MP 7/10 3 STR DEF 8 3 MAG RES 4 4 SKL SPD 6 20/26 HP MP 18/18 6 STR DEF 5 4 MAG RES 4 6 SKL SPD 6 Inventory: Herb Extract (1/3) Loot: --- Shadow FIRE (+) Steel Knuckles (ATK4 29/35) 14/18 HP MP 8/8 4 STR DEF 5 3 MAG RES 4 8 SKL SPD 9 Inventory: --- Mitch EARTH (-) Quarterstaff (-) (ATK1 36/40) 12/17 HP MP 12/16 6 STR DEF 4 6 MAG RES 4 5 SKL SPD 5 Inventory: Herb Extract (2/3) George WATER Iron Hammer (ATK3 20/30) 13/20 HP MP 8/8 8 STR DEF 7 6 MAG RES 3 4 SKL SPD 3 Inventory: ---

Shadow opens the fight with a lunge at their enemy! 4 DMG! (16/26)
The bandit counters, bringing his axe down on Shadow's shoulder. 3 DMG! (11/18)
Dan rushes in to help his leader, but the bandit merely steps out of the way. MISS! (16/26)
Mitch casts a Terra spell, which strikes the highwayman with tremendous force. 4 DMG! (12/26)
The archers launch their arrows!
-One hits Dan, but the Solidify spell works like a charm. 0 DMG! (15/17)
-Two embed themselves in Shadow's back. 6 DMG! (5/18)
-Two more find their mark in Mitch's flesh. 8 DMG! (4/17)
-Two land in George. 2 DMG! (11/20)
-One misses.
George flails his axe wildly at the bandit, but the man turns, and George comes nowhere near hitting him. MISS! (12/26)

Shadow staggers to his feet and lunges at the bandit leader, plunging his knuckles into the man's chest! PWR BLOW + CRT HIT!!! 12 DMG! KO!! ....You are the luckiest son of a bitch I've ever met.

+15 EXP

As the bandit leader went down, the group of four dove for the relative safety of the rock formations on either side of them; Mitch and Dan on one side, Shadow and George on the other. The twang of bows stopped momentarily, and Mitch looked at Dan.

Mitch: Think we should make a break for it?

"Ah ha! You've fallen for Teetering Wilson's trap!" Cojisto exclaimed! Casting Glide on a heavy metal candlestick that was unlit on the other side of the room. The candlestick soared through the air towards the Loyalist and, in the confusion, Cojisto jumped up to grab its twin on the other side of the hallway to renew his attack.

(When plausible, the other candlestick will be picked up by Teetering Wilson to be used in this assault)

For a moment Mal's stupid senses were tingling and he looked around and imagined something ridiculous happening far away. He shrugged it off.

"I ask you take no offence," He stated. "But I would sleep sounder to deliver this by hand." And with a nod, he walked away.

"Didn't you hear?" A nearby voice asked, close enough that Mal could hear it clearly but far enough that he knew he wasn't meant to. "All she has is a note and no true idea of how she can follow up on it; the boy vanished like a wraith."

A boy? Vanished? Mal let out a sigh. Apparently he wouldn't be heading to Graw anytime soon after-all. He would return to look into the situation but first he had to clear his tracks, which meant leaving for Dankron.

Amber sighed, and gestured for Harrison to sit wherever he would like while she poised herself carefully on the bed after Harrison had seated himself on the chair by the desk.

Amber flinched a little at his harsh tone before replying. "No, I'm not happy. But I'm not mad either. I can understand why you didn't tell your parents, but why didn't you let me know when you pulled me aside into the kitchen. We could have staged a "break up" and therefore you could still have a relationship with your mother." Amber got up and started to pace a little bit, she liked Harrison and wanted to keep him as a friend or potential allie. She went over to the window looked out of it, and pointed. "You can see your house from here." She turned to face Harrison. "I could care less what your sexual preferance is, as long as it makes you happy." She gave him a lopsided smile, "I just wish I had known so I could have helped you better."

Amber walked over to him. "If I may, how many people knew? Does it at least feel a bit better to let some people know? Not as heavy a weight on your shoulders, huh?" She knelt down so that she was eye-level with him. "And I'm sure your father can get your mother to come around, at least a little bit in your life choice."

OOC: Holy shit I am a lucky son of a bitch.

BIC:

"Well, before we do anything, is everyone able to make a break for it?" Dan asked, noticing that Mitch had taken a bit of a beaten from the onslaught of arrows. He also looked over to see Shadow in a similar condition. George wasn't at his best either, but he was functioning as well as Dan was. They both still had reasonable amounts of gas left in the tank, but he worried about the welfare of Mitch and Shadow.

Dan pulled out his herb extract. "Take this, if we're going to run for it, we are going to need to sprint."

COJISTO

Quote :

Cojisto vs. Loyalist METAL METAL Candlestick (ATK2 5/5) Riding Gloves (ATK1 11/20) 9/16 HP MP 6/13 3 STR DEF 3 6 MAG RES 5 3 SKL SPD 3 6/14 HP MP 11/11 4 STR DEF 2 4 MAG RES 1 3 SKL SPD 4 Inventory: Herb (2/3) Loot: Riding Gloves (ATK1 11/20)

The Loyalist recovers and tries to hit Cojisto as he lands, but Cojisto ducks and the attack goes right over him. MISS! (9/16)
Cojisto turns and smashes the candlestick over his opponent's head. 3 DMG! (3/14)

As Cojisto stands over the prone man, the Loyalist brings his fist up into Cojisto's stomach. 2 DMG! (7/16)
A gasping Cojisto raises the candlestick and brings it down on the man's forehead. 3 DMG! KO!!

+15 EXP, Riding Gloves

MAL

Mal arrived in Dankron weary from the journey across the harsh terrain of Palmira. Not stopping to rest, he made right for the courthouse, where he'd been told he would find the General. There was a small crowd gathered outside the run-down building, as well as two men standing guard. It was clear that something had happened, but what?

AMBER

"I wish; that woman's stubborn as a mule, and my father's none too happy about it either. That should answer your first question - you're the first person to know. Sorry I didn't tell you, but I was brought up in a strict household, with a very narrow outlook on life, and apparently it rubbed off on me to some extent." He sighed. "At the very least, I guess they won't bother me any more. I must be off, though - gonna start taking down those flyers... I'd appreciate it if you did the same, should you come across any more." Harrison stood up, and rummaged in his pocket for a moment.

"If it wasn't for your example," he said, "I don't think I could've stood up to them. So, here, to say thanks." He tossed a cloth pouch to Amber, which she nimbly caught. "Maybe I'll see you around."

As he made for the door, Amber opened the pouch and gasped. There was a LOT of gold inside.


+1500G, +80 EXP

DAN

"Thanks," Mitch said, "But I've got my own." He took a swig of his own Herb Extract, then turned to Dan. "Well... here goes nothing!" Before Dan could stop him, Mitch was dashing across the narrow pass. An arrow just barely missed him, but he managed to slide behind the rock with his two partners. He looked back across the pass and made a motion for Dan to follow.

...Except now the archers knew where to look for him. Dan looked around, and suddenly spotted an outcropping behind him, with a small trail at its base. It was, presumably, how the archers made it up to their perches. Dan paused.

He could head up the path and surprise the archers, but he'd be one against six, and he'd only be able to clear one side. If he made the dash across to his comrades, there'd be safety in numbers, but he'd be risking injury, with his Solidify spell fading.

Amber smiled at Harrison, "Of course I'll take down flyers that I find. My home is in Luxor, thats where I'm headed now, if you ever need an ear, feel free to visit me any time." She paused. "Surely, this isn't all for me?" she mused bewildered but by then Harrison had exited the door.

I guess I'll go back home, to Luxor, and take down the flyer's I saw posted there.

Amber thanked the inn-keeper and left to make her journey back to Luxor.