Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

For in-universe game play. Journey through both familiar and foreign settings, explore lost ruins and forgotten cities, and try to bring light to the darkness of the world... or, you know, blow stuff up. Either way.
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Graybeard
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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OOC:
OOC I'll try and get something more in tomorrow. Feel free to hijack the guards for creative purposes; these guys aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. The Captain (I'll have to check his name) is though./OOC
Did you mean Tom Odd, or does Mr. Odd (what a name for someone in a thread like this ...} have an underling that you're referring to? I didn't follow the earlier Falkenrohr threads well enough to know.

Anyway, there's a detail that I think needs to be resolved before moving forward here: did the bad guy get stuffed into Anna-Lisa's portable cell (may as well call it what it is), or is he otherwise being transported (walking, getting carried, whatever)? If the former, I propose a curve ball, one that's consistent with the way Al set up his part of the thread way-back-when, but that will complicate the resolution with the Falkenrohr significantly, it is fair to say. (It wouldn't apply if he's walking or getting carried non-magically.) I have it all written and will post if you want to go that way. Your call.
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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OOC I thought he'd been put into the carry-bag. If you've got a curve ball bud, throw away./OOC
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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[OOC: OK, then, bending it like Beckham, or for us Yanks, Kershaw or Scherzer ... /OOC:]

The guards squinted dimly at Jade; they were dim, the light was dim, and of course, the mushroom mage's prospects were dim once he got into the Falkenrohr's hands. It was a time for dim. Eventually one of them summoned enough awareness to mumble a reply. "Mon--monetary ree--reward?" He turned to one of his colleagues. "Uh, Ulli, watch this bird while I go check this reward bit with th' boss." He didn't wait for a reply, just turned and headed back into the watchtower.

Ulli, consistent with the setting, was dim, and made a dim decision. "Let's see what you got here." Then he frowned. "Hey, I don' see this bad guy you got. So how'm I s'posed to watch 'im?" It seemed a reasonable question, actually.

Anna-Lisa, by contrast, was her usual perky self despite the hour (and the fact that once again, her Contraception spell had been all for naught). "Oh, he's in here!" she piped up brightly, unshouldering her pack. "Here, I'll show you."

All sorts of alarm bells were going off in Khoo's head at this. True, getting the mushroom mage into the Binding had gone smoothly enough, and Gu or no Gu, they'd loaded him into the Pocket Dimension without incident. Still ... something didn't feel right here. "Uh, sweetheart," he said, "maybe we better wait on this until the captain of the -- guard gets here. It would be bad if --" He broke off, not sure how to finish that sentence.

Anna-Lisa dismissed the concern with the usual airy wave of a hand. "Oh, lover, you worry too much! Here, I'll show you." Before anyone could stop her, she popped open the Pocket Dimension.

For just a moment, there was a blur of magic inside, just the right size to be caused by a mushroom-mage-sized man encased in a Binding spell ... and then there was a much brighter magical flash.

When it cleared, the mushroom mage, if that was what the blur had been, was nowhere to be seen.

---------------

Nowhere in Ester, anyway. However:

Back in Tsuirakushiti, a specially prepared cell in a highly secure, and highly classified, detention facility, one that had been empty just seconds earlier, was empty no more. Elsewhere in the building, a magical alarm bell sounded ... in Choubei Masaki's office, specifically. The connection of that alarm to the alarm bells in Khoo's head was not clear to anyone for a few moments, but that would change.

Masaki blinked in surprise; he'd been about to wrap up for the night (it being, after all, a few hours earlier in the day there than in Farrel, far to the sky city's east) and go home. But then he got a rare smile as the meaning of the alarm sank in on him. Damn ... for once, those two kids actually got it right.

Maybe.


A hoarse scream issued from the detention cell, but nobody was listening.
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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Jade watched with baited breath as Anna-Lisa's magical display. The showman standard of flashing lights, the thrilling blur of movement and then...

Nothing.

The blacksmith stood in awkward silence for a moment, then huffed and reached for her tobacco pouch.

"Given my current run of luck. I'm hardly surprised." She said. "Sorry to waste your time gentlemen. I'll be back to pick up my goods in the morning. Your captain said I'd get an escort to sell them? Fantastic."

She turned to the group at large.

"Pub, everyone?" She struck a light to the dogend in her teeth. "My man is buying."

"Am I?" Leo queried, still a little off-balance due to his recent introduction to hostile plant-life.

"Yup. I promised our heroic friends a reward, And, frankly, after the day I've just had getting righteously hammered sounds like the best course of action."
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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Anna-Lisa looked at Khoo, stared (with a very different emotion visible on her open face) at the cigarette Jade had just rolled, back at Khoo, at the Falkenrohr, back at Khoo. "Uh ..." she began, sounding hesitant, but it was an act, as Khoo realized; Anna-Lisa never hesitated long over anything. Anything. "I dunno, we're kind of tired, probably wouldn't be good company at the bar. I think we'll turn in early, let you go out and have fun. Right, lover?" She smooched Khoo, who simply nodded -- no typically Khoo-ish sigh this time -- suspecting that the Contraception spell was FINALLY going to get put to use, as indeed it was. They headed back to their room and got naked very quickly. [OOC: And fade to black on these two, until morning.]

-----------

Which was not to say that the Silver Hands didn't have company at the pub.

As they came through the door, they were being watched by a slender, thirtyish, rather severe-looking blonde woman wearing the kind of outfit appropriate for a mother-to-be who is not quite far enough along yet to require full-blown maternity wear. She was sitting in a corner, nursing a drink that would look like something typically alcoholic and potent, but was in fact entirely alcohol-free; she wasn't particularly religious, but there were specific things she was religious about, taking care of her unborn child being right at the top of the list. She was alone and was being given a wide berth. One or two unattached men in the bar had thought to try their luck with her, but it had been made very clear that if they pushed their luck, their luck would become bad. Very bad. Terminally bad.

[OOC: And so, at least until Khoo and Anna-Lisa recover from their own "celebrations," enter Elke. However, she will observe passively unless specifically engaged. Feel free to let your motley crew do whatever they'd do without her.]
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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"Swoggles!" Enthused Udo, making a beeline to the bar with an un-canny speed for a man of his build and a clink of coin courtesy from the silver hands financial benefactor.

"What on earth is swoggles?" Eve quiried, following the man despite herself.

"The best cider ever!" The highwayman, colour high in light of their recent triumph. "A friend of mine from the southern continent introduced me to it. Only the finest apples are in it.... well.... mostly apples."

"Better make that two then." The short mercenary replied running a hand through her short blonde hair as she joined Udo at the bar. Despite herself, Eve found his boundless enthusiasm beginning to cut through her usual cynical demeanor. She half-considered offering the man a job.

Jade, on the other hand, had gone with Leo to secure a free table. She slumped with legs full of iron next to her boyfriend and gave him a wry smile; finally in a good mood for the first time since leaving the port.

"Are you ok?"

Jade nodded.

"I wish I could've been more help. Then again, I don't think anyone was prepared for giant vine monsters and projectile thorns of death in the woods."

"My hero." She smiled, and planted a kiss on Leo's cheek. "And there's plenty more where that came from."

"I don't know if my ribs could take it."

Jade nudged with object of discussion with an elbow, causing a yelp from the injured mercenary.

"So what do you make of my new friends?"

"They seemed nice enough. The heavy guy, Udo? His energy is oddly inspiring. That couple Anne-Lisa and Kyoo…"

"Khoo."

"Right, cute couple. Not the most battle ready, but they came through in a pinch, and that other woman..."

"Fumiko."

"She looked totally out of place."

"Yeah, I'll explain later. I've been meeting some weird and wonderful people in merry old Ester, and speaking of out of place..." Jade nodded meaningfully at the lady at the bar she'd been eyed for the last minute. Leo glanced over.

"Certainly doesn't look like the regular clientele in here. Professional looking... maybe with an outfit?" At that moment Leo caught the woman's eye. The handsome merc smiled and winked at her as Udo and Eve returned with the drinks.
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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Leo had enough medical problems already, but he had to add one more to the list: frostbite, from the look that Elke gave him. [OOC: BTW, she's at a corner table, not the bar, but it doesn't change anything fundamental. /OOC:] She wished she'd been carrying one of the new assassination devices that her thaumato-tech people had quietly imported from Tsuiraku, but this hadn't seemed like the trip to try them out. She decided to make do with the look, which had similarly "frozen" two other men in the pub.

As for Fumiko ...

[OOC: Well, as for Fumiko, exactly what? I had something in mind involving her and Udo, but I'm not sure it's compatible with the way he made his entrance here. I think, however, that we can reasonably assume they'd be an Item, at least for the moment. Want to take the helm for her? She's an NPC, after all.]
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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OOC Tbh, I'm not sure what to do with her. I'll have to re-read posts involving her to get a sense of what to do next./OOC

Jade slugged a shot of whisky and immediately poured herself another shot as Udo settled in next to their resident damsel in distress. Fumiko managed a weak smile as the highwayman pushed a glass towards her with an 'everything's ok now' and a reassuring pat on her shoulder. Eve planted herself with all her usual tomboyish grace and rested a boot on the table near her brother-in-arms. Leo made a distasteful expression and sipped his wine.

"So, what's next?"

"I'm not sure." Jade admitted, downing a second shot. "I've still got my merchandise to unload tomorrow, but after that... finding parts to fix up that golem in the port was a bust and going back there any time soon isn't an option for me if there are people with a grudge against the black guard." She turned to Udo. "I noticed at the docks you were in the company of a couple of elves." She couldn't repress a shudder. "Are THEY likely to come after me?"

"Oh no, of course not." Udo replied. "Drusia was only there for rogue errant's and the other guy is dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Friend of yours?"

"Nope."

"Well, ok then."

"If you keep your hood up in the port we should be fine if you want to go rumour hunting." Leo interjected. "Or we could try to catch up with Ace and company. Failing that, I have a brother in the port who could sail us somewhere for cheap. I hear the southern continent is nice this time of year."
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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[OOC: OK, then proceeding according to my plan for Fumiko, with a minor variation based on what you have her and Udo doing. Note, btw, that this is intended to give the option -- not requirement, just option -- of writing them out of the story until/unless Alberich comes back, if you wish -- although if you want to keep them around, they're no more "out" than Khoo and Anna-Lisa, and they'll be back in the cold light of morning.]

Fumiko took in this conversation in silence, doing two things: pulling out a compact and putting on her face (which all and sundry had to admit was quite pretty when thus adorned, if in a somewhat overblown style), and quickly draining the bottle Udo had caused to be placed in front of her; so quickly, in fact, that she ordered and drained another one. And then a third.

It was never clear why the next thing to happen happened. Had Udo managed to spike one of the drinks? Had the barkeep? Had Elke arranged it? (She did have a sly smile on her face now over in her corner chair. There would be a certain symmetry to it; many weird adventures had started after a similar spiking of a drink at Elke's behest.) Did Fumiko simply have a very low tolerance for alcohol? Whatever the cause, Fumiko's demeanor changed dramatically with that third drink. "You're .. so ...handsome," she got out without any slurring; that would start one sentence later. She snuggled against her "hero" Udo and started gently stroking his thigh. (Elke was barely containing herself now, and of course, Udo's reaction was predictable.) "You ... shaved my llffe. Let'sh go shome place private and ... shelebrate."

Udo, being Udo, could hardly resist an offer like that ... So the pair lurched to their feet and wobbled out the door, as Udo, being Udo, fired a parting leer back over his shoulder at the small crowd. Fumiko, being Fumiko, just had one more line on the way out, delivered in all seriousness: "My... hero."

That was entertaining, Elke chortled to herself. She called the barkeep over and produced some coins in rather large denominations. "I'm paying for those lovebirds. I'll pay for that mob over there too, on one condition: that they don't thank me for it or otherwise try to strike up conversation." She settled back into her corner seat; acoustics in corners were usually live enough that she could hear what was being said at the table occupied by the Silver Hands ... she hoped.
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Re: Farrel- Vengeance in the Mushrooms Woods

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The Silver Hands watched what happened to Fumiko in frank surprise and a fair amount of amusement. Leo, however, felt more than a hint of suspicion; he recognised the actions of subterfuge (it being something of speciality himself). He looked at Jade with mischief in his eyes.

"Don't." She said.

"But she's being so generous." Leo countered.

"She specifically asked us not to thank, or talk to her." Eve added.

"You're making it irresistible!"

The women sighed, Eve's the tone of a long-suffering younger sister, Jade's more of the put-upon wife.

"Fine. But don't come crying to me if she kicks you in the misters."

"...or kills you." Eve said. "She's more dangerous than she looks Leo, don't fuck about too much."

Leo donned his usual easy smile and got to his feet. He ambled over with a graceful stride and gave a respectful nod.

"Forgive my rudeness, madame." He said, in tones that would've given a nun a hot flush. "I appreciate your desire for privacy, but I would have to hang up my hat as a gentleman if I didn't at least raise a toast to the fair maiden for such a kind act of generosity."

At this Leo removed his fancy hat and gave a sweeping bow that wouldn't have looked out of place on the stage of an upmarket theatre.

"My name is Leonardo Landau, son of the late Lord Marchelle Landau and currently a patron of this fine highway tavern. Might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
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