Maia watched him closely. Did he really care for this woman, or was their common interest really that compelling? She didn't like the feel of it either way, but there wasn't anything she could do.

Shrugging, she lifted her hands in resignation, "I don't know, to be honest with you. We saw it kill an NPC once--that's how it fell into our hands--and before the NPC died he found himself experiencing subtle symptoms, namely exhaustion and becoming bed-ridden. Players don't experience those in the game, though, so I wouldn't think you could tell when it was catching up to her. But..."

She was torn. If this man thought they could just trade the ring forever--though Maia doubted the Thief would permit such an exchange--then maybe he also thought they could keep it forever. Theta or not, this woman had stolen something, and justice would be served one way or the other. It would be easier to lie, but it might serve her more harm than good in the long run.

"I think you could trade it, but there's no telling if you would be more or less vulnerable. You can tread water that way if you like, but sooner or later I'll get to it."

"Honestly, if this thing's so dangerous, you'd be better off destroying it," Rua said, putting his hand on the door to open it. "Maybe we can find a convenient volcano to toss it into. I'll be in touch."

He opened the door carefully, peering out to make sure there were no surprises. Finding none, he opened it fully and stepped out, closing the reinforced door behind him and sighing. He should've known that hanging around that Terrel girl would complicate things. "What the hell did I do to deserve this, Relayia?" he asked the beast on his shoulder. The dragonet chirped in confusion as he sheathed his sword.

"Well, time to go get our supplies," he muttered. Where the hell was the market from here?

The air in the market relaxed. At least for a few precious, almost peaceful moments before there was a shriek as one of the hooded men leveled a crossbow on a warehouse guard and shot the man in the leg, sending him sprawling with a howl of pain.

Liam didn't so much as bat an eye as two more shrieks were heard, two more of his men firing crossbows into two of the guards. "Now, then." He said, his voice carrying clearly over the suddenly still market. Tone remaining painfully, dangerously polite as the rest of his men leveled their weapons on the mayor's ruffians. "I am expected. We are better armed and I have zero compunctions with burning this entire vile place to the ground. Tell your master the Warlord is here to see him. If he's not here in five minutes. I will make good on my threats."


Sera couldn't quite believe her eyes. No one had technically died yet. But three men had just been assaulted. Liam's hooded guardians moved with the assurance of veteran warriors, not seeming to mind their odds in the slightest. His words gave reasoning to that, perhaps. Warlord---she'd heard the name muttered. Darkly by Korin supporters in the region, with fear. Even those loyal to Stamaria spoke the name in hushed tones. He was a brutal general, commanding a sizable force of like-minded soldiers. He'd always been an NPC who intrigued her . . but now he was here, in Rogueport?

Her grip tightened on Fille's arm, now Sera was the one pulling towards the warehouse. If bolts started to fly, she'd much prefer to be inside.

________

Duff nodded amiably. "It'll pan out. Bekka says these white lion's know their way around the world. Er . . game." He immediately brightened up. "And yer right, your friends too. You'll love them, luvly pair 'o girls, right good mercs too. Just. . . like me. Not so used to this game."

A few paces ahead, Bekka glanced to the cave entrance. Annoying as it was . . .honesty was most likely the best policy. "Not much, unfortunately. Heard the name once or twice, when I was in the core. Didn't bother to look 'em up more though."

Edited by Ajax on August 19, 2014 at 3:25:19

To her credit, Audra didn't react when the bolts were fired at her men, wounding three of them and bringing them to her knees. The rest of the guards around the warehouse and the rest of her entourage were now on her guard, and she glanced back at him, a grin that didn't meet her eyes on her face.

"Oh, I can see you're gonna be a fun one to deal with, Liam," she said before walking away. "C'mon, you lugs, man up and get a move on. Show these boys where they want to go."

The others gave Liam and his men dark looks as Audra lifted her right hand in the air, twirling it about in a circle two times before dropping it. Unseen by everyone but her, the man in the warehouse's dark upper windows pulled back, taking the the railgun rifle's scope off of Liam. The man went looked back, and without saying a word, gestured to the others below him in the warehouse, causing them to move about in a hurry.

Fille could only rest against one of the crates inside, once she and Sera were in its confines. They were hardly safe--how could they be, stuck in here where apparently the political power of Rogueport was residing?--but still, none of the guards had moved into harass her and Sera, so they obviously knew better than to mess with Audra.

What the hell was that girl playing at, anyway? Since when was she a part of Rogueport's inner workings? She released one more breath, then shot Sera a look. "Well, hope this was everything you imagined it'd be," she remarked sardonically.

"Hoped what would be how you imagined it?" Audra's voice said, causing Fille to leap up. Audra was right by them, an oddly familiar-looking guard standing off to her side. She was grinning at the two women, and this time she seemed to be in a good move, even as the guards were escorting Liam and his men inside the warehouse.

Sera fought to control her breathing, taking one or two large gulps as she glanced curiously around the innards of the warehouse. It seemed . . . painfully ordinary. Not exactly worth the fuss. "Just wanted to see the mayor. Don't particularly care about the warehouse . . though I'd love to know how it randomly appeared this morning." She said, her voice returning to normal relatively quick.

Liam and his entourage, meanwhile. Strode into the warehouse with nary an apparent care. The three men casually reloading their crossbows. "Three minutes." He called out politely to Audra, clasping his hands behind his back.

Audra looked over her shoulder and casually hollered back, "You'll see him when he's ready. You're the guest here and you're also acting like a prick, so if there's a delay that's your own fault."

She waved her hand in a circle in the air again, and several men appeared. Quick as thieves, their hands darted out and snatched the bolts from the crossbows, and other hands yanked the weapons out of the guards hands. Other men and women moved in threateningly, as if daring them to struggle, as the pilfered weapons were placed on nearby racks. "No outsiders armed in the warehouse," someone growled.

"Take them to their waiting room," Audra called out again, then turned back to the girls, ignoring Liam entirely. "The mayor, huh? Maybe you should wait on that a while until Liam's done. I don't think you want to be in the same room as him right now," she said to Sera.

"Y-yeah," Fille muttered, her accent a little thick in her confusion. The guard near her was staring at Fille darkly. "What's his problem?" she asked her friend.

"Oh, some crazy woman last night stabbed him with an arrow and threw him in the harbor," Audra informed her cheerfully, causing Fille to cringe. The dark-skinned woman turned to him. "Show my friends here to the nice waiting quarters, if ya would."

"... isn't that where you sent Liam and his men?" he asked. His voice was surprisingly deep.

Audra blinked. "No, they wanted to see the mayor. Why would I send them to the nice quarters?" she asked.

"Oh. Right... whatever. You two, follow me," the man ordered, gesturing with his arm.

"I'll meet up with you two later," Audra said with a wave, before turning to watch the men who were now approaching Liam to take him to his own destination.

It took Terrel the better part of two and a half hours to get back to the tavern, but finally she managed it. Shoulder first, she pushed into the still raucous dung-hole, wearing a look of distaste on her face. The sooner they got out of here the better. Looking around, she wondered if Rua had beaten her back. Probably had.

---

"Yeah they keep a low head, especially if you don't frequent Cher Plek once, and I'd say you're better off for it that way," Parks responded, walking up to the mouth of the cave. There were torches bracketed on the walls inside, revealing an easy slope down, angling off to the right.

"They're earth-masters, is the thing," he explained, gesturing at the cave. "Trees, rocks, dirt, and all the rest, they've got under their grassy thumbs. They seem to think there's a clue to an artifact buried deep under here, and we're going to watch their backs while they do it. My men will keep an eye on the perimeter up here, and I want your team down there with 'em to make sure nothing's sleeping behind a rock when they move it. So far we've not run into anything below the surface, but it's Cher Plek and who knows what'll happen. You follow?"

He had. He was sitting at a table, a glass of water in his hand and Relayia on the same wrist, her head shoved into the glass to drink from it. He used that hand to wave her over, which wasn't enough for the dragonet to halt her actions. "What took you so long?" he asked. "I didn't think you'd get lost in this place."

Terrel offered him a smouldering look, taking a seat with a certain level of aggression and folding her arms moodily. "I didn't get lost. Some cockbag decided he'd tell me about his seven great adventures before ever cutting to the bloody chase. Passage is open, though, so we're good. You have any problems with the supplies?"

"Only had another player bug me for a bit, but it wasn't for too long. We have what we need," Rua told her, using his other hand to lift up a bag of things and pushing it across the table to her. "Here's your share. You have a weapon you can use, right? I haven't seen you fight."

Liam practically sighed as he shook his head to his men, indicating they shouldn't fight the thugs disarming them. He smiled to Audra, voice still painfully polite. "Two. Minutes. I hope the mayor is hurrying. For your sake."

Sera, meanwhile. Was glaring at the man who had attacked them last night. "This Audra's a bit of a twit." She finally said to Fille. "She sent someone to stab me, or you, or the both of us."

Almost frantically, her mind ran through what was happening. Something. Rather, several somethings didn't sit quite right. Firstly, the warehouse. gargantuan. Ordinary on the i

nside. But no one had seen it when they came into town. Secondly . . .she was trying to remember what she knew of the Warlord. Like all of the NPC's in the game, he was a fully-fledged AI. But the Programmers always had a few backdoors, didn't they? They'd always kept him in his designated zone out in the middle of Cher Plek somewhere. The ruined villages and cities he'd burnt to the ground in his Empire's war against the Korin making up most of the landscape.

But now he was here. In Rogueport. Without the majority of the things that made the Stamarian general a man to be feared. No might of Stamaria was here, blowing down doors and running people over with their tanks. Because no one had ever attacked Rogueport. It wouldn't do for the game if some crazy NPC's got it into their heads that the city of thieves needed to die. But they'd also meant for him never to leave his warzone. What had brought the NPC here? Why had he approached them. And why the hell was he going on with that ridiculous countdown of his? As though he could fight his way out of the warehouse without weapons.

"We---might need to leave." She murmured, glancing over to Audra as the woman headed for Liam.

______

Bekka gave a single grunt in acknowledgement. "I'll call my boys, well go down and guard the nice earth-movers. Don't mess with the gunship. I'll know if you try." She said it politely, mostly as a formality than a serious threat.

Edited by Ajax on August 20, 2014 at 7:37:40

"You think?" Fille hissed back. She'd been wanting Sera to flee this place since she met the woman! Now they were caught up in some political subterfuge. What the hell was Audra playing at? She always knew she was crafty--the girl was a combination of a skirmisher and ice mage, and apparently a thief as well--but now she was high up in the hierarchy of this twisted shanty town.

She was still her friend, though. She could tell right away that Audra coming out to deal with Liam was for her sake--the warmth in her smile was proof enough.

"Audra didn't send me to do anythin' last night," their escort suddenly claimed, glancing back at Sera. "Ya looked like a good mark so I went after it. Didn't know yer friend would be able ta throw me in the harbor."

Fille sighed as they were lead out of the warehouse proper. How could this town be so small? she wondered. Well, didn't matter. She certainly wasn't going to apologize!

The two girls were led down a hall that just HAD to be inside the hillside by now. Rogueport, all things considered, wasn't terribly big. The whole place was nestled into a curving hill that cupped the shanty town protectively, so there were only two ways in and both of them were watched intensely by the mayor's men. Their escort stopped by one door and pushed it open, herding the two women inside.

"... this is actually kinda nice," Fille said as she entered, looking around. A round table was in the center of the room, and the walls flanked by chairs, shelves, and chest of drawers, all of which were adorned by a number of fancy, expensive items. Ornamental daggers on racks, tusks and fangs and creature head tropies on walls, hanging tapestries and other memorabilia hinted at that this is where the important people went to. There was some wine in a pitcher on the table, and bowls of fruit, but little else.

"Audra will be with you girls later, I guess," the man said gruffly. "You don't leave." That was clearly an order.

He shut the door, leaving the two women on their lonesome, wondering just what in the hell kind of mess they'd gotten themselves into.

Whereas Fille and Sera were led inward in the warehouse, the men escorting Liam and his three guards were taken upwards, to the higher levels within the warehouse. Despite Liam's constant countdown, none of them seemed to move at a brisk pace, and Audra followed unconcernedly at the Warlord's side, eying herself with a pocket mirror, as if checking her makeup.

The men stopped by a specific room, where what looked to be a tavern wench was waiting by, a bottle of wine crooked in her arm. Audra stopped beside her, took the bottle from the lass and read its label before shaking her head and muttering some instruction that sent the girl scurrying away.

"Your boys will wait inside here during your meeting," Audra informed them after turning back to Liam. "They mayor, he prefers his clients to meet with him alone. Security, or something like that. Mea will be back in a bit with something appropriate for you to drink.

"You, though," she said, looking right at Liam, "get to follow me up to the top, and then we'll see if the mayor's not busy doing whatever he does in his spare time to see you."

Far from the Warehouse, on the outskirts of Rogueport. An explosion rocked the city. Several shanty buildings vaporizing in a cloud of fire and light. The shockwaves rippled through the city, less powerful with every passing second and inward foot, but still painfully noticeable within the warehouse.

Liam nodded to his men "Try not to wreck anything while you wait. I don't think it will be a long meeting." He said in an almost gentle tone before gazing to Audra. "You have just earned two more minutes. I suggest you use them wisely." He smiled politely, none of the expression's warmth meeting his cold eyes.

Audra's look went cold as she turned to Liam. "That's going to cost you," she told him, her voice icy. "Come."

It was a brisk pace she set, with the guards surrounding her and Liam needing to step it up to keep pace. It wasn't long before they were at the top, standing in front of an otherwise-unassuming doorway leading to a single large office. Audra threw the door open unceremoniously, causing it to slam hard against the wall and making the man inside look up angrily.

He was middle-aged in appearance, dark-skinned and bald. He wore clothing that was native to the area, but oddly more muted, faded in appearance. Hazel eyes that were staring in anger softened to just irritation at seeing Audra stepping into the room. "Must you do that all the time?" he whined, looking back down at the various papers on his desk before straightening them out to put them away.

"Yeah, well, your guest is proving to be a nuisance this time, making demands like a whiny child and all that rot," Audra muttered as she stepped through, heading towards one of the walls and letting Liam in. The guards shut the door behind them roughly, and there were no footsteps to be heard to indicate they were leaving from the entryway.

"I see, so that explosion just now was his doing?" the mayor asked, his eyes following Audra as she began to lean against the wall. She gave him a short nod, and he sighed, running a rough-looking hand over his hairless scalp. "Well, pull up a seat, Liam," he said, gesturing to one of the two empty seats before his desk. "We'll see what your rash actions have cost us today."

Fille could only grip the table where she sat at when the shockwave of the explosion subsided. "Jeez, you meet one person you don't expect and the whole bloody town starts to explode," she muttered, her distress thickening her accent. "We're in the heart of the bloody thieves' den of this town and it's beginning to explode. What the heck are we going to do to get out of here, Sera?"

Parks frowned at the gunship comment. As far as he was concerned, once they were on the ground together everything was communal property so long as it kept people alive--not that he expected to use the gunship, of course. He was about to say something, but he noticed a figure in the cave and decided against it. Sometimes you had to pick your battles.

A young, deeply tanned man worked his way up the stone path of the cave. His hair was dark, matching his eyes, and he wore an orange vest, simple trousers, and not very much else save one gauntlet on his left hand. He had an average height and build for the game, yet there was a certain wildness about his face that made the jungle seem a fitting place for him.

"Ah, saved me the walk, it looks like," Parks responded cheerily, gesturing toward the figure who was already in earshot. "Bekka and company, this is the lead Architect with us. You'll be working with him more than anyone, really."

Hearing the introduction, the man picked up the pace until he was with the group properly, extending his hand to the closest newcomer while introducing himself with an odd amount of fervor.

"Khordus Jorin, at your service."

---

Terrel jumped as a distant explosion shook the dubiously constructed building they were in. Sounded like something had gotten out of hand, but it was beyond her as to what it might be. Sometimes things got crazy in Rogueport, and it was just part of life. Didn't mean you wanted to be around when it did, though.

"Yeah I can fight," she told Rua shortly. "Better hope we don't have to. Come on, the sooner we get out of here the better. I'll lead the way through the streets so just stay close, all right?" If he was ready to go, so was she.

Terrel wasn't the only one to jump at the blast. Rua also started, as did pretty much everyone in the tavern. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah, let's get the hell out of here," he remarked, leaving the glass and all but jumping out of his seat.

Outside was a mess. A clamor of confused chatter--Rogueport didn't seem the type to fall into all-out panic--and smoke rising into the air from nearby, proof of fire still raging. "Does this place blow up often?" he asked as he began following Terrel's directions.

Terrel cut through the crowds as best she could, sticking to the side streets that she could remember and keeping an eye out for rogues in the shadows. There were plenty of people looking to capitalize on panic in the streets, and she didn't plan on being one of them about now. Glancing over her shoulder every once and a while to make sure Rua was still close by, she carved a path toward the outer wall of the city as quick as she could.

After a short while, they arrived at what looked like an abandoned house--it was actually two stories tall!--that sat unusually close to the walls of the city. Where normally the muck of the harbor layered itself below the walking boards, here there was some amount of firm ground beneath their feet. The resulting effect was an unusual amount of vegetation surrounding the house, leaving it look even more destitute than most buildings.

Not wanting to delay, she quickly pulled the door handle and pushed her way into the house, waiting only long enough for her companion to join her before shutting the door and leaning against a wall to catch her breath.

"You all right?" she asked after a moment, raising a hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

Rua looked to be a little winded, but in better condition than Terrel as he leaned against the wall with one arm, his other on the hilt of his sword. Relayia was hanging onto his shoulder, her little claws punching through the fabric of his outfit. "Yeah, I'm good," he said after a moment.

He glanced around the inside the building. "So what is this place? Entrance to a tunnel of some sort?" he asked.

Liam inclined his head. Remaining on his feet. "Given my reputation. Your surprise seems a bit out of place." He shrugged once. "My men and I live, and return with what we seek. No more of your town will fall and you will be handsomely compensated. So. Two questions. The Mage that veils this warehouse, does his magic hide it from the Angels themselves? Or can they still see what hides behind?"

He took a breath, eyes locking on the Mayor. Waiting with almost a sudden air of impatience, now that his question was asked.

____

Bekka did a small dance inside her head at Park's frown. Not that she enjoyed causing comrades consternation.

Well . . okay, yes. She did. A bit.

But getting any sort of reaction out of Parks seemed hard work. And she'd at least managed a frown. Progress.

Now her eyes swept to the new man just inside the entrance, taking in his looks with no small amount of admiration. "Well howdy." she said cheerfully. "I'm Bekka. The two fine gents next 'o me be Duff and Bec. Two more back in our gunship. We'll be safeguarding your earth-moving, muscled ass for the duration."

_____

Sera shivered, feeling the explosion ripple through the building and hearing Fille's words. "Blast it. .. " she muttered, gazing up. "Why did the scary Stamarian pick this day to wander outside his zone--." She grimaced. Realizing the why of it, while important. Didn't matter so much now that he "had". "Guess I'll sing for the Mayor another day, then." She sighed, smiling tiredly to Fille. "So, overpower the guard and make a break for it?"

The mayor gave Liam a calculating look that almost dragged on before he finally looked back down at the documents on his desk. "The Angels see what they want to see," he told him. "But if they can see it, they've done nothing about it."

"I doubt anyone could hide this place from the Angels if the Angels actually gave a damn about it," Audra muttered.

Fille shook her head. "We'd die before we even get out of the building," she told Sera. "We could trash him, but then what? That warehouse was full of them, never mind the ones outside."

After a moment's more rest, Terrel nodded and pushed herself off the wall, glancing around the house passively. It looked like it might have been almost nice once, relative to it's location, of course. The thing was dusty and decrepit, but the general size spoke of a certain amount of wealth. There was a second floor and you didn't have to duck your head to avoid hitting the ceiling, so that was a plus. Besides, she was fairly certain there were at least six unique rooms in the whole house.

"Pretty much," she responded, moving away from the front door and into the room next to it. It looked like it might have once been a living area, though all the furniture was gone and the only thing that remained was a stone hearth set against the wall, blackened by soot. "This one was abandoned a while ago when players started camping the outside the exit. I think we'll be fine, though." She walked up to the fireplace, examining it, but something made her freeze a moment later.

A loud creaking noise could be heard from upstairs followed immediately by footsteps and voices. "Crap," she muttered, looking around for someplace to hide. In a quick decision, she turned to Rua, "Stay here and, whoever it is, just kill them. Don't ask any questions and get in first. Okay?" She pulled a short blade from her inventory and equipped it without a word, glancing toward the stairs as the voices got louder. "I'll be close," she whispered, and vanished into the other room.

Not a moment later, three thick men elbowed past each other into the room Terrel had just left, facing Rua with cudgels in their hands and greedy looks on their faces.

"Looks like the boss was right," one said to the other who nodded in agreement. "That swords looks nice. I think it'd be better on me," he chuckled, advancing as he did.


---


Khordus raised an eyebrow, glancing at Parks with pleasant surprise. "Looks like you've outdone yourself this time," he said with a smirk, turning back to Bekka with a wink, "I won't mind if you bite." Then, tilting his head toward the cave, he added, "I'll take it from here, then. These three will be enough, Parks--I'm more worried about up here than down there. Care to follow me down into the abyss, Bekka, Duff, and Bec?"

The swordsman player only looked at the men as they entered, while Relayia took to the air on instinct. "I think you're right," Rua said, smirking. He lunged forward, blade flashing out from its sheathe and spinning around in his grip before he struck.

His blow struck just below the man's left rib and swept out past, an angry red streak running the length of his attack. The man screamed and staggered back, clutching his side as Rua turned to attack the next. His sword came up to slap aside the swung cudgel, deflecting the heavy strike down into the floor. The man overextended, which proved fatal as Rua pivoted around and cut him down from behind.

Rua snarled as the final man attacked, his club smashing him across the back and knocking him forward over his fallen comrade. Rua shoved a foot out to catch his fall, and glared over his shoulder. The thug lifted his weapon to strike him back down again, but Rua's blade flashed around him, catching him across the chest. He cried out as Rua spun back around, sword flashing downward once more.

A third body hit the floor, and Rua straightened up before calling out to Terrel again, Relayia alighting on his shoulder. "We're clear," he told her as he knelt down to loot his three kills.

Liam closed his eyes, keeping the annoyance on his face to a minimum. He really shouldn't have hoped for anything more. The information had been misleading. But not terribly surprising, considering the source. "Then." he opened his eyes, "I'll compensate you for your time and be on my way. You don't have what I need."

______

Sera nodded, "true. But they're probably wondering what the boom is too." She glanced around the room, too deep in the warehouse to have windows, the group holding them definitely too paranoid to allow such an oversight. "But do we have another option?"

___


Bekka whistled to the others, smirking to Duff as he rolled his eyes back at her. "Just for fun." she mouthed to him. Musing on their new charge, including his good lucks. "Come on, boyo's. Let's go see what the cave has to offer."

"Oh let's not jump to conclusions here," Audra remarked sardonically. "This is Rogueport, after all. We have what everyone needs."

The mayor cast a cold eye at Audra, but said nothing about the bite in her remark. "Recompense for the buildings you have destroyed would be welcome," he said to the man, but then shook his head. "But the girl is right. There is little that Rogueport cannot get its hands on. What is it that you seek?"

"From where I'm sitting? There isn't any," Fille said, frustration creeping into her tone. "We're stuck. We might've been able to get out of the area if we were still outside, but Audra pulled us in here... and given what that man did to her guards, he probably would've tried to kill us if we had made a break for it."

Dammit. She didn't know if she wanted to strangle Audra or Sera or both for the mess she was in.

"You will have your payment." Liam reaffirmed. "As to the rest. My business is my own." With that, he turned and headed for the door. "We'll be leaving now."


_____

Sera bit her lip thoughtfully, gazing to the door. "Maybe we can just ask to leave." She muttered with a half-smile, going up and knocking on the door. "Guard?"

This Khordus was oddly trusting. From what Bec could gather, they were supposed to be guarding the man, and whomever else was with him. One would expect him to be a bit more... cautious, about whom was given that job. He didn't even bother asking about what the three of them were capable of. That bespoke of a great trust of Parks, or great foolishness on his part. But Bec wasn't even sure of the kind of research Parks had done.

He pushed such thoughts from his head, despite the unease he felt; both parties didn't really seem to know much of each other, and that worried him. He worried too much. Instead, he directed his thoughts towards the earth-masters. He was curious about them; he'd never visited Cherk Plek before, and they weren't very well known outside of said continent. He'd seen mention of them before, but Bec looked forward to seeing them in action.

Bec shrugged to Bekka. "Hopefully nothing but an easy time, yeah?"

Edited by WillowtheWhisp on August 27, 2014 at 5:32:55

For her part, Terrel had her reservations about Rua's capabilities, and she recognized the thugs that had come in. They were generics, NPCs at the thumb of a powerful rogue in the city, but usually one or two were enough to drag your average player through the ringer. Rua seemed like a resourceful person, capable of getting out of things. You had to look out for your own skin.

As combat broke out in the room, she decided against staying--at least inside the building. There was a window outside she could watch the fight from, and if Rua went down then she didn't need to be anywhere near it. Silent as any good thief, she slipped out of the room and made for the front door, opening it with a glance at the brawl and making to flee the indoors.

But something hard crushed into her neck, and all breath left her without a moment's notice. Painful and immediate, it sent her sprawling onto the ground, stars in her eyes. A cold, metal hand wrapped around her throat and picked her up easily, bringing her back into the house as she struggled for breath. As her vision cleared, she could see captor clearly, and she felt like she was going to be sick. It was her of all people. Wouldn't she ever catch a hint?

Maia's hand dug into her skin painfully, but Rua's voice came from the other room. He had won? Bloody serious? She had underestimated him, then. Struggling for breath, she made a cry for help against her captor.

"Other room, Rua!" The hand clenched tighter, and words became impossible. One hand on her hostage, Maia turned her hand toward the doorway and lifted an energy pistol at the entrance, waiting.

---

Khordus smiled, seemingly unshakably satisfied by the whole of the situation. As he began walking down into the cave, he replied to them, "Oh, I don't think we'll have too much trouble. My group has worked with the Lions on two or three occasions, and they've always sent excellent help. So far, though, the monster's down here have been fairly easy meat, but we're looking for a bigger prize. Are you familiar with the Earth Temple at all? I know you've never been there--it's been closed since this game started--but you've heard of it, at least?"

---

((OOC: My description skills are bad at best, so I'm including a reference image to bridge the gap: http://img.4plebs.org/boards/tg/image/1397/53/1397535020886.jpg ))

Outside the Walls of Thebas - Kemei

The lands of Kemei were a treacherous place. Once fabled as a lush, beautiful land full of grass and vegetation, it had since been reduced into a terrible wasteland for all travelers. Deserts stretched on for miles, covered in harsh, parched soil, and towns were infrequent and often unfriendly. One city's fame, though, could travel easily across the wasteland. Thebas, the city of the dead and damned.

The walls were tall and regal, despite it's reputation to house only rotting misfortune, and it could be seen from miles upon miles away. The ambitious warriors and truest scholars chose to attempt it's walls, the deep dangers perhaps made small by the fabled great riches.

The paths to the city were lonesome and barren, but lights could be seen from behind its walls. Some said the lights were for the living who managed to reside there, others said they mourned for the innumerable departed souls in the place. Only one thing was certain: few entered its walls, and even fewer departed.

Edited by Ribitta on August 30, 2014 at 11:25:35

That's odd. Shouldn't she have answered by now? Rua looked around and then alarm bells went off in his head as he heard Terrel's response, sounding very much distressed. Hand gripping his sword tightly, he darted into the room, face hard and then--

"Ah, dammit," he cursed, skidding to a halt as he recognized the player holding his companion hostage.

Curiously, both the mayor and Audra had the same calculating look as they gazed on Liam, measuring his response. Finally, the mayor sighed and looked down, shaking his head in disappointment. "As you will, then," he said, taking a pen and signing one of his papers before sliding them both forward to their guest.

"Sign here and we'll see it taken care of," he instructed, as Audra went back to doing her own thing, examining her nails in apparent boredom.



There was no response, nothing to indicate that anyone had heard Sera call out. After a moment, Fille stood and approached the door, knocking on it herself. "Hello? You still out there?" she called herself.

More silence, causing her to knock on the wooden door harder, but there was still no response. "What's going on?" she asked herself. She reached for the door handle and twisted it, only to find it locked. "Oh, come on!"

Now she was getting upset. She shook at the handle futilely, then let go and banged on the door again. "Let us out! This isn't funny anymore!" Fille demanded.

But still, nothing happened. The auburn-haired girl backed away from the door and cursed. "We're stuck."

Edited by RisingDragon on August 30, 2014 at 21:00:48

Thebas. His eyes wandered over the large wall that stood in front of him. It had been a difficult journey, arriving here. But he wasn't the only one that had made the trip; other eyes, some hungry, others searching, searched that wall for any sign of the city's fabled riches. But there were not many. Just the few crazy enough to venture out there. Then what does that make me?

Narhari had to wonder about his own decision. Considering his position, it was strange he had left the safety of a city in the first place, much less the dangerous lands of Kemei. And now he was about to enter one of the most dangerous places in the game? Insanity.

But fortune favored the bold. There were rumors that placed one of the Arcanum Relics here, in Thebas. There was no sound proof, as always, but where the game was strange and warped, Narhari found it likely that there must be a cause. That cause, hopefully, would be a Relic. Reminding himself of why he had come, he moved towards the singular gate into the city.

It was open, and was left open for quite some time, perhaps even since the beginning of the game. The only gate they needed was fear. Death was not experienced normally, here in Thebas. If one's character died, they did not simply respawn. Instead, the game AI overrided the player's control, adding that character to the restless ranks of the dead. Some players remained in control, still, but for most, to enter the city of Thebas was to condemn a character, and all it had, to oblivion.

Narhari wondered what might happen to him, should he die, as he passed through the wall and into the city.

Bekka and Duff moved down into the cave with their short companion, following Khordus as he wound his way through the tunnels heading down. Bekka smiling with a measure of pride as she realized Duff caught onto the same wording as she had. "You're a player too?" She asked, ignoring his question about the Earth temple for a moment.

Duff meanwhile turned his gaze along the rock and earthen walls. The images brought back curious memories . . . but his mind not so gently reminded him that Bec had spoken as well as Khordus. "Imagine it'll be pretty easy. 'Dis game isn't te hard. Nothing has tried to kill us yet that would survive a missile to the face."

____

Sera shook her head. "If he's not outside---then." She knelt in front of the door, rummaging in her pack. "I've got a way to get us out the door, at least."

____

"You'll receive your payment. You've my word on that." Liam shook his head at the bill. The thought that he wasn't good for his word---was almost an insult. But then, he'd expected nothing more from Rogueport. "In gold, two days hence. One of my transports will bring it to you." He looked back once more to Audra and the Mayor, nodding once, politely.