Black Zenith [Adventure / RPG / Chapter Three: Forgotten Whispers]

[BlazerC]

"Big flying ship thing, just past the town square from here, you can't miss it. Meet us there."

And so, Bohw gets out of her seat, grabs Daril and Jane and gets going. Not much else I can do.

[Supernerd]

(I think you might have lost four major players chimmy. After two full weeks of inaction you should replace their main character status with someone who is willing to play.)

Lets see here... I'll try casting Stasis on the wisp to freeze it in time until I have a use for it!

[chimericWilder]

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I am blaming the fact that chapter 1 was way too long, i am just hoping that i can poke them into participating in chapter 2 :l Jeez, i cant blame them when they had nothing to do

[chimericWilder]

Bohw has left the building, Jane and Daril in tow! They'll eventually arrive at the airship, where Thunderpaw, Heedal and Selphy should be waiting.

The servant sighs to himself, now with noone else around. After a little while, he turns around, stopping at the entrance to the sideroom. He calls the innkeeper over, to talk. Takumi happens to magically be within hearing distance of the two.

"Good sir, you know this place quite well, i assume. I have been asked to, hm, employ someone of the more brutish type, if you take my meaning. I thought maybe you would know someone fitting to act as, hum, 'muscle'?"
"Well, while i do keep my inn clean, i do know a few such types. Theres Karat, for one, though he is probably too mean tempered for such work. And Dav, but ah, he doesnt take employment too well. Too greedy for his own good, you see. I think the dwarf there, though, might be a good choice, but as i recall, he is already otherwise occupied, though you could always ask..."

[sjasogun]

((Nope, totally did not see that coming from the point the servant mentioned 'muscle', nope what))

Takumi: Somehow be within hearing distance of the servant and also be unaware what bullshit you are going to pull yourself into this time around. Walk up to the innkeeper and the other guy.

"I'm sorry to butt in like this, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. If you need any 'muscle', I'm the guy to go to. For a good price, that is."

[chimericWilder]

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Nope, you totally didnt, i totally veiled it perfectly.
Or not. I werent even trying.

The servant eyes you uneasily. "No offense, sir, but although i may not be very, err, experienced when it comes to these things, i figured that the Lord meant one of those types..." He gestures towards a shoulderthumper type sitting at a nearby table, currently laughing along with two others over a game of dice. The 'muscle' part is obviously obvious, ofcourse.

[MasterBlade]

((Sorry, been busy with studying for finals and have been forgetting half the games Im in >.>))

Thunderpaw finishes staring up at the clouds at an indeterminable location and goes back to the inn.

[sjasogun]

Takumi: Grin broadly at the servant. Take a mug from the bar. It's one of those thick, wooden mugs taverns like this usually have. Nothing you'll have any trouble with, though. Take a hold of the thing and crush it with a single hand effortlessly.

"Looks can be deceiving, as you should be well aware of. But if you think any of those tentonners can outdo me I'll take my leave."

[chimericWilder]

(roll 17+4) You crush the mug into a malformed heap of wood, then drop a small pile of splintered wood on top of it. The innkeeper gets a look of incredible sadness in his eyes, and he looks as though he wants to kneel beside the thing and mourn. You get the feeling that the mug will have a burial fit for a king.

"Alright, very well then, i do believe you've convinced me otherwise. I am hiring you at the behest of my Lord to ensure the relative safety of a group of people, the purpose of which i am not informed of. If you accept, you will not required to obey their commands, but to earn your pay, you need to keep them alive. You will be paid 20 gold now, to cover any possible expenses you might find necessary, and two hundred and fifty gold whenever you return. We may decide to tamper with the precise amount of money paid to you depending on certain factors, but regardless, you will be paid far more than is reasonable, if you ask my judgement."

[sjasogun]

((That is probably one of the best jokes since Riou's PONY SHISHKABOB COMING UP. Have an internet.))

((Also, shouldn't Takumi's intimidate and guile have helped in his initial contact with the servant?))

Takumi: The job isn't really of the clandestine kind you usually do but if you get paid and get the chance to crush some skulls you're not complaining.

"We have a deal, then. Where and when do I have to report for duty?"

((Also, could I get a balance on how much money Takumi has at the moment?))

[chimericWilder]

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Internetz. Also, yes, but Takumi simply doesnt fit the physical description "muscle". Also, you have 80 gold at the moment.

"The description i were given was 'big, flying ship-thing', somewhere close to the central square. Locating this ship-thing just prove... Interesting."

[Supernerd]

(Probably exactly 100 gold)

[sjasogun]

(So with the added 20 gold from the servant that'd be exactly 100 then.)

Takumi: A small muscle twitches in your cheek, barely noticable but still present. An airship. You know of only one airship and you hoped that you'd have seen the last of it twenty minutes ago. You could just give the guy the finger and waltz off since you don't care what people think of you anyway and that'd be the end of it. On the other hand, you haven't gotten your revenge yet. The shadow creatures must pay for making you suffer defeat and the girl will pay for dragging you into all of that. You'll just go along with them, take your venegance on the shadow creatures and slit the girl's throat at the appropriate time. You don't actually need the gold the man offers and you wont care particularly much about it's loss, especially if you get revenge in return.

You take the gold from the guy and take your leave.

"I'll be heading there then. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

And with that you leave the innkeeper with to mourn over his precious mug.

[chimericWilder]

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That is correct. To be precise, though, 250 gold is a lot of money. You proooobably dont need it, but it is still a lot.

[Supernerd]

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There is no way you are going to actually get that 250 gold though. If for no other reason than the fact that chimericWilder explicitly stated that you won't get over 100 gold in chapter one. If that weren't the case I would be doing all sorts of entrepreneurial crap like looking for a buyer for my airship and buying parts to make new ones and stuff!

[chimericWilder]

"Big flying ship thing, just past the town square from here, you can't miss it. Meet us there."

And so, Bohw gets out of her seat, grabs Daril and Jane and gets going. Not much else I can do.

After a few minutes of trekking though town, you arrive in front of the backyard in which the airship was landed, carrying that letter. Thunderpaw and Heedal are here, aswell, and you think you spot the small girl standing on the airship, but your bad vision makes it hard to tell.

Lets see here... I'll try casting Stasis on the wisp to freeze it in time until I have a use for it!

You are absolutely succesful! Well, somewhat. It isnt directly frozen in time, but it is rendererd inert and will only revert to being active at your command. You think that you can toggle the stasis on and off with a little training, in effect enabling you to keep the wisp with you forever. (Roll 20+4)

Gain Wisp as permanent follower? (Y/N)

((Sorry, been busy with studying for finals and have been forgetting half the games Im in >.>))

Thunderpaw finishes staring up at the clouds at an indeterminable location and goes back to the inn.

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Dont worry about that, there was absolute jackshit for you to do anyway.

Just as you're about to turn and leave, Bohw, Daril and Jane show up! Though the latter two have a certain distant look in their eyes which you recognize as AFK Syndrome.

So uhm what now

Takumi: A small muscle twitches in your cheek, barely noticable but still present. An airship. You know of only one airship and you hoped that you'd have seen the last of it twenty minutes ago. You could just give the guy the finger and waltz off since you don't care what people think of you anyway and that'd be the end of it. On the other hand, you haven't gotten your revenge yet. The shadow creatures must pay for making you suffer defeat and the girl will pay for dragging you into all of that. You'll just go along with them, take your venegance on the shadow creatures and slit the girl's throat at the appropriate time. You don't actually need the gold the man offers and you wont care particularly much about it's loss, especially if you get revenge in return.

You take the gold from the guy and take your leave.

"I'll be heading there then. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

And with that you leave the innkeeper with to mourn over his precious mug.

Offscreen, we see the mug being buried in the backyard. Years pass by, and from its solitary grave grows a new tree the likes of which mankind has never seen!

Anyway back to the relevant present time... You make your way back to the accursed airship, only to find the three people who just left, plus three others, one of which is a huge metal golem, standing in front of where the airship is parked. They're a pretty ragtag group, really.

What now?

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E: also

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There is no way you are going to actually get that 250 gold though. If for no other reason than the fact that chimericWilder explicitly stated that you won't get over 100 gold in chapter one. If that weren't the case I would be doing all sorts of entrepreneurial crap like looking for a buyer for my airship and buying parts to make new ones and stuff!

The servant said 'after you return safely with those people'.

[Supernerd]

Wait. I can take the wisp as a permanent follower? What's stopping me from making hundreds of them in the same manner?

[BlazerC]

The same rule Somye could only keep 4 summons around, probably. And she had a skill for it, you don't.

[BlazerC]

(Oh right a command. I assume I also already know Selphy's name. Also why am I the one that got this ENTIRE GROUP TOGETHER I'm the leader okay cool.)

Bohw gives the letter to Thunderpaw and vaguely mumbles something about it being for him, followed by calling out to Selphy.

"Hey! Lil girl! Issat you? Where's the ladder?"

[chimericWilder]

Wait. I can take the wisp as a permanent follower? What's stopping me from making hundreds of them in the same manner?

What BlazerC said. Also, you only got that option for rolling a 20.
Besides, there is a limit to how many majyykal effects you can have going at any one time.

[MasterBlade]

Thunderpaw recognizes the seal on the letter as that of the banners at the castle and opens it up post-haste.

[Supernerd]

"Hold on. I'll send down the ladder after a quick detect evil spell!"

I'll cast Detect Evil on that group to make sure that none of them are evil.

[BlazerC]

Detect evil yeah that's fine and everything-... wait seriously.

"What?!"

[sjasogun]

Takumi: Stand a bit away from the group. From the looks of things you got yourself into a whole lot more trouble than you bargained for. The impling from before with her big steel bodyguard are there, as well as what appears to be an armored, man-sized bunny, some kind of lizardman, a woman with an oddly blank gaze and an overly armed guy with a cowboy hat. All in all a very strange group. A group you'll have to protect, at least for a while. You step towards the group to ask who the leader is.

"Greetings. I was hired by a man to protect a group of people travelling with an airship for an undisclosed reason. As you are all gathered here I assume that'd be you lot. Who's in charge?"

((Also,))

"Hold on. I'll send down the ladder after a quick detect evil spell!"

I'll cast Detect Evil on that group to make sure that none of them are evil.

((That may have some interesting results when used on Takumi }:-] ))

[chimericWilder]

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