Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

"You ARE an overly protective mother." The half-elf replied ruefully, although not unkindly. "It's the reason home has been safe for so long, and thank the Gods you are. As for my travel plans, I really don't know. 'Out of the Port' is about as far as I've gotten. I... need some time to reflect on the things I've done, and what kind of difference I want to make in his world."

They were headed to the outskirts of town. A beeline, more or less, to a stable where the former Ralkin member had a horse and pack waiting for him. It was a contingency plan he'd thought of on his own initiative for the event that things fell apart in Lorrel. Given the Esienfaust's grudge against the Black Guard, not to mention what the same Black Guard would do to Eli once word got to them that Logan had been unwillingly dancing to his tune, it was time to make the escape a priority. He fought the urge to steal a paranoid glance over his shoulder and focused on the conversation, trying to recall something a little more optimistic.

"Believe it or not there are a lot of people here whose lives are better because of the things I was involved in. People got homes, food, money, who wouldn't have otherwise had them... the promise of a future with hope... not that that excuses the methods we employed, but it is what it is. Once I caught myself wondering if that satisfaction I felt at helping them was the same as how you felt about home..."

He trailed off, clearly struggling to articulate his thoughts. With Aleron gone the half-elf was facing the absence of a direction to go. Perhaps then, finding a new one should be his next goal.

"I want to see more of the world." He said. "There's got to be something out there which could be of value, real value, to the people I want to protect. I can't in good conscience stop my search until then, and if that path leads to my end... well... at least it'll be in pursuit of a noble cause. Maybe I can find some redemption along the way."
Last edited by Jack Rothwell on May 8th, 2013, 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

Udo urged Khoo to fall back a little, to give the kobold a smooth, quiet ride. She was so adorable when she was asleep. Also when she was singing. Or dancing. Or climbing. Or bickering with Alleece. Or slaughtering the enemy. Or at all other times.

He was remembering the happy times - even when they'd first met:

"OooOOOOOooohhh!" She exclaimed, her pupils widening until the yellow in her eyes disappeared completely. An expression of deep, devious cunning, coupled with a maniacal grin spread across the kobold's face like a slow sunrise. She reached behind her and fumbled something small out of a nearby sack.

She waved at the bandit.

"Umm... hi, hi-hi. Can I... have one of the shinies?" She said, striving to sound cute and at the same time showing him what she'd liberated from the wagon.

"Give you a biscuit!"


There'd been so much more -- the battle with the Expendables, the death of Winslow, the abortive search for Jun Oshima, the fight with the slavers, riding with air pirates, the cannon fight with those other pirates, reaching Goriel seeking clues in the Red Shell House of Comfort, the trek through the mosquito-ridden mountains, the descent into the mine, the monsters they'd fought there, the papers they'd looted, Jamie's desertion, the battle with the undead wizard Carloc, the gated travel to Tsuirakushiti, the airship that struck the towering restaurant, the sea voyage to the Southern Continent, the fight with the Sea Knight...

"Kick him in the coojahs, Udo! Gonna tell all the Killikah how brave you were after you win!"

...meeting Leli and the villagers, fighting galdy in the forest, magic firebugs and lurching ferals in the abandoned elf temple, hunting the garlop to impress Alleece, hauling it back, feasting with the kobolds, that wonderful, wonderful, memorable night with Alleece (even though he didn't, in fact, remember it), then straight from play to war -- to his finest hour, battling the Ralkin mercenaries in the jungle, slaying their wizards and cutting their column with Khoo's magic barriers...then defending the breach in the village walls, showing defiance...

by thumbing his nose at the enemy and singing "Neener neener neener!"

...and resolving to fight hordes of mercenaries more, that the kobolds might be forever safe. And the sea voyage back here, the gut-wrenching storm-flight with Drusia, so she could teleport them all to land, his scouting expeditions into town, his humiliation by Jargalan...but the triumph that came after! Fighting a huge monster in the warehouse, fighting the Ralkin chiefs themselves in the tower, fighting a lurching, muscled monster while Khoo blew the altar, then rushing to the top to fight the winged monsters, and catch her himself as she fell...

Yes, ever since they'd met, he'd fought monsters and men, attacked and defended, bluffed and backed it up, whored and loved, and fought with all kinds of weapons, from staff and multi-barreled cannon to sword and spear and knife and pistol and rifle and mana rifle and even halberd. This was truly the adventuring life he'd been seeking. Ever since he'd met Tamina, he'd been living it! She wasn't just an absolute sweetheart, a cuddly li'l darling, and the fair damozel every Noble Knight Protector needed to defend. She was his good-luck charm and the key to all the best that'd ever happened to him.

And he could see it was coming to an end.

She was lovers with the hot elf, that was perfectly clear - you couldn't keep a secret like that in a tiny little camp, and the elf at least wasn't even trying. He'd been at peace with that for a while. Maybe because she was so innocently happy about it all. Or maybe because he'd checked "make love to a kobold" off his bucket list already. In error. Whatever the case, the adventure was over, and something in the air told him they'd be going their separate ways, her with the elf and him...somewhere else. Maybe it was a subtle signal from the elf. Or maybe the kobold's kiss had just tasted like "goodbye."

Well, he would not complain. He would find new challenges and new thrills! If Tamina was his gateway to adventure, he'd passed through it now, and it was up to him to explore the other side. But if she or any kobold ever needed a champion -- then let them call Udo Fujomori!

He had blisters. He didn't care.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Browncoat »

{We were lucky this time. No friends died. And for some, redemption.}
There was a feeling in the air; goodbyes were soon to come. It was almost palpable.
{It's probably for the best. I've got a promise to keep}
Angrist watched the others for a moment. Eli and Drusia talking; old history there that the monk would likely never know. Udo, as protective of Tamina as ever; despite his failings, he really was a good person. Khoo, quietly assisting; Angrist never really got to know him.
An old quote rose to the monk's mind as the group made their way. "The stories never really end. The characters may come and go, but the stories continue on and on"
{Is there just one story, or several?}
But to be honest, Angrist knew he was really just trying to distract himself from thinking about Jargalan's dea-no, murder. The monk knew he'd have to face his feelings about it...but not yet. Today evil had been stopped and now was time to be glad for that. All other feelings could wait a day or two. Angrist stretched; after the back-to-back battles and some of the side-effects, he felt like he could use some recovery time.
{Monsters die and heroes rise all before break of dawn. Our feet will walk while old friends talk and life continues on}

[OOC: Aside from starting the plot me and Al cooked up by telling Udo (in character), Angrist doesn't have much to do right now. So I'll probably won't post much here]
They kicked me out of the asylum. I miss the jello.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"I want to see more of the world." He said. "There's got to be something out there which could be of value, real value, to the people I want to protect. I can't in good conscience stop my search until then, and if that path leads to my end... well... at least it'll be in pursuit of a noble cause. Maybe I can find some redemption along the way."

I nod. "I can hardly critize you for wanting to travel," I tell him, smiling.

The smile turns a bit wistful. "Do what you need to do. There are people who love you back home, but we'll understand if you need to find your place elsewhere. Just try to keep your head down for a while, huh?"

I pause thoughtfully. "And... have you considered rejoining Rose's group? She was a bit distracted before, but I have it on good authority that situation has been resolved. If you're looking for redemption, I think she knows that road pretty well."

-- Drusia
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Eli shook his head, a pained smile straining his lips.

"I don't think my presence would be appreciated there. And they spoke of another cult of magic-users dabbling in things best left alone. I should stay away from them, there's wounds there too fresh to reopen, and the chance of temptation through dark magic again. No... I need to find my own way. You should return if anyone, your daughter is there last I heard, and they should know that they have nothing further to fear from me."

He looked into the woman's eyes. It was difficult, given the hostilities that had passed between them, but he held her gaze steady.

"I'll be careful, I promise. And... I'm sorry I turned on you. I let desperation and a desire for power lead me to hurt those closest to me. It was unforgivable."
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

"Gods-damn-knife ears!!" The woman spat, leaning against the brick wall of an alleyway. Fury had driven her to a state of near-paralysis. The blacksmith who stood behind her could only stare in astonishment.

They'd had a bad time of it since their exit from the battle at the pier. Myra had paddled them, eventually, to a small dock where they'd alighted. The Black Guard Sergeant had half-cursed, half-pulled Jade in the direction of the nearest guard outpost to fetch reinforcements.

Only things hadn't quite gone as planned.

She'd limped a painful five minutes, heading to Yanbrack road. The lateness of the hour giving an ominous echo to their hurried steps through the cobbled streets. Jade's ankle had eased a little since the boat ride, but every other footfall was like an electric current shooting up her leg, making her ragged breathing hiss through gritted teeth.

It was then, turning into a narrow street, that the Sergeant skidded to a halt.

"What?"

Myra flapped a hand at the other woman, not taking her eyes off the stretch before them. It was barely more than a track lined by head-height stone walls. Ones peppered with gates which marked the way in to the tiny back porches of the low budget housing. Jade stared a moment at the quiet road... and understood.

It was a great place for an ambush.

She grasped the other woman's arm, earning a sharp look as Jade jerked a thumb over the shoulder; the universal gesture for 'let's get the hell out of here'. Myra shook her head, pointing at the street behind them and mouthing three words which sent a chill down the blacksmith's spine.

'We're being followed.'


"Gods-damn-fucking-knife-ears!"

The Sergeant's cursing drew Jade out of recent stressful memories and back in the here and now. Myra hadn't said much beyond a cavalcade of obscenity since what had happened, had happened. The Black Guard contractee suspected she'd get around to explaining eventually. But what was really surprising was the loss of the urgency the woman had to get back to her men.

Jade winced, rubbed her ankle, and wished for a swift exit from the madhouse of the Port. As she watched her hunched over companion it drew her mind back to their narrow escape.

She'd crept close to the ground like a snake, knife gripped tightly in her hand as the blacksmith followed in her wake. The track was narrow, too narrow to give her use of the long sword which hung off her hip, and the men on their trail would be drawn to a gunshot. Fighting here would be very close... and very ugly.

The man spun out of a dark enclosure with a whisper of cloth, a blackened hand-axe slicing downwards towards the neck of the leading lady. Jade saw the Black Guard soldier strike like a viper, wheeling into the man's guard under his weapon arm and burying her blade into his abdomen with a hiss of escaping air. The blacksmith seized the man's weapon as it slipped from nerveless fingers, saving the clatter. He folded backwards, his face reddening as he silently wheezed his last.

The trap was sprung moments later.

There were three more of the hit squad, for that was surely what the well-armed black-clad gentlemen were. They stepped from their respective alcoves brandishing blades and shouting war cries which were answered by their pursuers some hundred yards behind them. They needed the path clear, fast. Jade braced herself gingerly on her hurt ankle with her own knife at the ready.

She hopped awkwardly backwards as the first man came lunging in. Barely righting herself as the second assassin behind him was cannoned into the banditwoman hurling herself from the cell the first causality had emerged from. Jade blocked a hook aimed at her neck and, in a flash of inspiration, gripped the hilt of her sheathed sword and punched it's pommel into the face of the attacker. She released the blade to swing on it's sling as she struck with her other hand and drove her knife neatly into the throat of the stunned man.

Their third opponent's face was now a red ruin, ravaged under the frantic and merciless assault of the Sergeant who'd tackled him. Jade saw the final assassin (with a health dose of self-preservation) wheel around to flee. The blacksmith felt panic seize her.

"Don't Let him get away! He'll lead the-"

The thunk of a throwing knife hitting home cut off the end of her sentence. The fleeing man stumbled, arching his back and clawing at the wood sticking out of it like a short mast. Myra made a noise somewhere between a snarl and laugh.

"...never mind." Jade said.



OOC Hope you don't mind me including the eisenfaust in this one Grey. I figured this was ok since they were knocking off the black guard earlier. Let me know if you want it changing.

I'll either add to this post or finish the aside on a later one./OOC
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Drusia
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"I'll be careful, I promise. And... I'm sorry I turned on you. I let desperation and a desire for power lead me to hurt those closest to me. It was unforgivable."

I quirk a smile. "Apparently not. Because I forgive you," I tell him. I give his shoulder a squeeze.

-- Drusia

OOC: I was going to go on, but that seemed like the kinda thing that might require a response.
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Graybeard »

Meanwhile, a certain Eisenfaust operative was making his report.

"Thank you," the gardener at the temple said, and the man was dismissed. Mr. Jones turned to Annabelle. "This is consistent with some of what I've picked up around the temple." He smiled in a way that was curiously disarming for a man who'd killed enough people when he was younger to reach double figures. "Of course, it's better if you don't know exactly what those things are."

"Indeed it is," Annabelle agreed, wishing that Elke was here. "What do you want us to do?"

"Just watchful waiting for right now," the senior Eisenfaust man said. "And fact finding. There've been a couple of Veracian airships come in at the terminal. See what you can find out about them. If they have anything to do with what we just heard, I want to know about it chop-chop pronto."

"Aye, aye, sir," Elke's lieutenant said. The meeting broke up.

[OOC: Just making sure the Eisenfaust are still in the picture, but they wouldn't be doing anything more at the moment besides trying to figure out what's going on. Remember that by and large, they're not as bloody-minded as the Gewehr ... and when they do decide that someone has to die, they're much more inclined to use imported Tsuirakuan magic to make it happen.]
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC No worries Grey, flashbacks more or less done now./OOC

"Apparently not. Because I forgive you."

Eli smiled back. The group turned a corner and came face to face with the half-elf's destination. It was a small, nondescript affair. A simple wooden shack from which the gentle braying of the horses emanated soothingly. Behind them, the kobold was coming round, sleep-murmuring to herself in her native tongue.

"Thank you." Eli said to his former mentor. "I promise you won't regret it."

........

Myra was finally coming out of her fury. The woman breathed heavily as she straightened up and looked back at her companion. Jade waited politely until she was addressed.

"It was that damn half-elf!" She proclaimed. "He did this to me. He put me in this mess!"

"So that was-"

They'd made a hurried escape from the scene of the skirmish, running on legs of lead for several minutes until Jade called a halt, citing that her limbs were about to drop off from the effort. The bandit waved a hand at her in an annoyed gesture, but complied to the request.

It was then that it happened.

Myra stiffened suddenly, as if a puppeteer had pulled her upright by invisible strings. She had time for a confused expletive before her legs buckled and deposited her in a heap. The woman threw her back and screamed as smoke, bright red, the color of blood, began pouring from her mouth like a well-fed camp fire. This distressing development went on for several seconds before the woman's eyes rolled up in her head. She folded gently into an unconscious ball on the street before the surprised blacksmith.


"A spell!" Myra shouted. "That Eli prick scratched me with some kind of bloody knife and the next thing I knew his word was the law! I should've known there was something wrong! Me? Working for a military organisation? I'm Myra-fucking-Jianti! the scourge of the Northern Plains! Not some businessman's attack dog!"

"He controlled you?" Jade replied, dumbfounded.

"I knew we were getting along too well. That bastard, that absolute bastard..."

"Did he make you do... anything?"

"No." The woman said, in tones of lead, although the weapon-maker saw the reply was tinted by just a hint of a blush in her complexion. "He just made me into one of his soldiers. But,that's the besides the point, he used me... and I cannot let that slide."

Myra kicked a trash can and sent it skidding down the alleyway.

"Balls to the Black Guard." She spat. "First thing I'm doing is killing their Captain, and then I'm going back home to get my damn money back."

"What money?"

"None of your bloody business." The woman snapped.

OOC Aside done. Just need to wrap up Dru/Eli, tie up any other goodbye's and we should be good to segway into the other thread./OOC
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Re: Port Lorrel- Puppet Masters (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"Thank you." Eli said to his former mentor. "I promise you won't regret it."

I nod. "I'd tell you to be careful, but that's probably a foregone conclusion, so I'll just say this - don't get yourself killed. I'll see you back home sometime."

I release his shoulder - letting him go.

I stretch and crack my shoulder. Ah, that's better. "And, while I'm out and about, I'll try to stop and visit Lillith and let her know that you're okay. Just in case you ever do end up passing through her neck of the woods."

That's the thing, after all, about burnt bridges. With a little work, they can be rebuilt.

-- Drusia

OOC: Unless there's more, I think that's Drusia's cue to make her exit. Does Tamina have stuff she needs to talk about? If so, let me know. If not....
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