Elle'n narrowed her eyes, watching Shepard closely. So he was stalling, it seemed--two could play at that game. Whether Pius was a Theta or not wasn't public knowledge by any means, and it certainly complicated things. Before the Theta incident, assassinating players was extremely difficult or entirely useless, but now... It was ironic that the types of people who'd be so invested in the game to enter Project Theta were the biggest targets.

"Whose plan?" she replied simply, probing him in return, "yours?"

---

Orup's face fell a bit at the sight of Rua's sword--everyone knew Cher Plek was dangerous, but part of that was how easily it could sneak up on you. You could walk for three or four days in these jungles without running into anything dangerous, then a moment later a pack of giant spiders were overrunning the trees.

Glancing at the edge of the camp, the alchemist made sure the wards were still intact. "Find something?" he asked, an audible touch of nervousness in his voice.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," he reassured Mepple. "Just some predator and I think it was more scared of me than I was of it."

Rua returned to his seat on the rock, resting the tip of his sword on a small rock in the ground as he returned to sharpening its blade. "We'll be fine for now. Unless a pack of spiders drop on our heads--" he shuddered at the idea, "--I can deal with almost anything local."

Narharhi smiled sweetly at Korresh. "Insurance, Korresh. You demanded sacrifice on my part, and thus far, I have been more than accommodating. I won't tell you what, because that would defeat its purpose, but suffice it to say, you should hold your end of the bargain." He laughed, dropping all pretense of deference to the undead. Narhari wondered if Korresh would call his bluff; in reality, his "insurance" policy was no threat to Korresh, but did at least give him some moderate form of safety. Should his hit points drop into the red, he'd be whisked away by the teleport stone, to the place he'd bound it to. Hopefully it didn't come that that, as the chances of his making it back into the dead city were practically zero.

----

Bec nodded. "Yeah, I've done it a few times." And the last time was nearly disastrous. He tried to hide his worry as best he could, but he gave Bekka and Duff a quick glance. "Guess I'll be meeting up with you guys later, eh?" Hopefully.

Perseus, a hero of old, had made a mistake. Branwyn knew this; he had agreed to do something for another man before hearing what that something was, and as a result, he had been forced to track down and face the hideous Gorgan, Medusa. Her tutors had taught her well; she would not make the same mistake. “Help you?” She raised her chin a little, her eyes narrowing from behind her mask. “How?”

The shadows were growing longer. The artificial sun hanging in the sky was dipping beneath the city walls, causing the air within the accursed city of Thebas to hang even heavier with gloom. Eyes seemed to stare out at her from within the darkness, the sound of scuttling insects growing ever louder in the silence of the night, and Branwyn’s gaze flitted from hidden corner to hidden corner as she imagined the shadows moving towards her. She really hated this place- she really did. She forced herself to keep staring at the imp, doing her best not to shiver against the disgusting wraps tangled around her.

Korresh eyed Narhari spitefully, but it didn't look much different from his normal look, admittedly. So. The mortal fancied himself clever, did he? Korresh hated clever people, especially within these walls. Always pining for something, thinking they could get away with everything. Bah!

"Perhaps we arrange another deal--one without legs and only pain to feel? I have seen your ilk, and all are spies. What is your true purpose here, beneath the lies?" He was clever--Korresh could see that now, too clever to accept the first bargain without a plan. He would uncover it, even that meant taking a detour to the Place of Hanging.

---

"That mask," Skild blurted out, completely unable to restrain himself now. "I want it, and I want the one who made it! Where does it come from? Tell me--I'll tell you anything in return!" Ohhh he wanted it so bad now, he couldn't even handle it. Who made it? How was it so powerful? Could he make masks too? He needed to know!

---

Well, that was a relief--it sounded like he'd picked the right man for the job! Orup hung the pot of water over the fire at once, rummaging through his pack for ingredients as he spoke again in passing, "Sounds like you've got some experience, boy. You've spent time in these jungles before, then?"

"Not as much as I wish, given what I've got to do here now," Rua admitted, running the whetstone down his sword in methodical strokes. "I'm more familiar with the mountains north of here, and the badlands in western Zailleon. I try to avoid places like Rogueport. Not so versed in criminal politics and the like."

"Oh, couldn't agree more. Rogueport's an absolute mess! If all the rare materials weren't locked away down here, you can bet your boots I'd be in some cozy tavern up by the Allondell forests," Orup replied good-naturedly, tossing ingredients into the stew while counting under his breath unconsciously. These things required timing after all.

"Err, if you don't mind my asking though, boy, why were you and that gal here in the first place? Doesn't seem like home for either of you."

Rua glanced aside, out into the forest while his arm worked on autopilot. How much to tell him? He doubted the truth would hurt at the moment, especially if something came up during the journey to Charon-Ur's lair. But there was EP to consider--EP thus far was the best lead he had on actually finding one of the Arcanum Relics, suspect as it might be. And EP hadn't trusted Terrel, probably for good reason.

Well, EP he'd figure out tonight. With Terrel's absence, Rua was certain that EP would contact him once more. He was certain that EP would know of her absence, and of Mepple's presence.

... for now, the swordsman mused, the basic facts. "A Theta named Oracle started an artifact hunt. He somehow came across a prophecy that, if you look at it in a way, could relate to our entrapment in the game," he began. "He thinks if we can find the seven Arcanum Relics, then there's a possibility we could finally log out of the game."

He grimaced. Just reiterating it made it sound all the more suspect. "Well, Terrel and I felt that the prophecy was a little too convenient, so we decided to find out more about whoever made the prophecy. The books we found pointed us to Cher Plek."

Narhari held up a hand. "You assume too much. It is as I stated; I only wish to behold one of the relics with my own two eyes. This task is of such importance to me, that I must do everything in my power to assure my goal is reached. We will continue according to our original agreement, but if you are so intent upon breaking it, then you will have to find another to bargain with. Tell me, Korresh, has anyone else made such an offer to you?" He raised an eyebrow. Korresh would not have so hungrily accepted if he had, of that Narhari was quite sure.

Orup quirked up a bit at the response--that was the last thing he was expecting. "Prophecy? As in... things that will happen in the future?" He had been around this game world for a while, now, and he'd never heard about anything like that interacting with players. Not on such a scale, anyway.

---

Korresh shot Narhari a scowl, balling his fists and uncurling them unconsciously. This vagrant sought to test him.

"Oh, others have come. Come, come, come undone. The price was too steep, their hearts were too weak. All, like the rest, lie withered and bleak. You accept this deal--generous of you. Do you think I will let you play me the fool? The relic is here, beneath your feet--guarded by death, where gluttony eats. You bargain with me, but our king will decide. Now stay your tongue, before I skin you alive."

((OOC: I want to give Narhari a chance to reply/react if he wants to, but if he acquiesces I'll bunny this thread up a bit, toward the palace.))

"Something like that, yeah," Rua confirmed. "Terrel and I didn't really buy it either, but you can see for yourself."

Rua opened up the private messages and brought up the prophecy that Oracle had forwarded to everyone. With a flick of his wrist, he spun it across the camp to Orup to read.

Orup received the message ungracefully but successfully, taking a break from his cooking to read for a moment. As he perused the document, though, his face fell into a frown, causing him to scroll up and re-read sections of it again before finally looking at his companion.

"This Kasdim-Ur fellow, I've heard of him," he said slowly, clearly not encouraged by the contents. "'Fraid I don't know where he's at, though. His temple's supposedly much more hidden than Charon's is. Only heard his name mentioned a handful of times, but if he's connected to something like this... Boy, I don't know..." he trailed off.

Rogueport


Sera nodded, flashing a smile in the gathering gloom to her companion. "Well then, it's my job to cheer them up. We go there, I either sing or get shot. And then we go our separate ways . . . or y'know, I die and you go on your way."


_______

Tsuminar



Larent inclined his head. "I did say I was looking for "friends", yes?" Implying perhaps it had not been his plan to kill Pius.

He let that hang for a moment before shaking his head. "Of course, however. It was my plan." He conceded with a neutral expression. "I'm not very good at making friends. Go figure."


_______

Deepest Darkest Cher Plek Caves

Duff nodded to the short mage. "Aye, guess we'll be doing what military boyo's do everywhere."

Bekka ducked her head to both of the other men. Eye twinkling with amusement as she caught Khordus' gaze for a split-second, A merry tone tinging her voice as she spoke a foreign tongue. "Opskud en wag, eyeah?"

Duff smirked. "-Urry up and wait."


_______

Stamarian 7th Armored Legion. Cher Plek Roadways


Gloom was gathering on the convoy as it rumbled through the jungle, the soldiers now more wary, paranoid. The Korin couldn't stand up to the veterans in a fair fight, and always used sneak attacks and ambushes. Of course, the Veterans of the Warlord's legion much preferred to fight as unfairly as possible in return.

Scouts ranged far and wide, rifles at the ready for signs of trouble. Now very much in a "Shoot First, Ask the Corpse Mocking Questions" mood.

The rumbling truck that housed Terrel and a few sleeping soldiers slowed for a moment as the Warlord himself clambered up into it. Nodding to the men and sitting down. What few were awake to see him ducked their heads respectfully, but otherwise made no sign of a commotion.

He made his way through the truck, he paused every soldier or two, kneeling and resting a hand on their shoulder, whispering a few words and then moving on. Finally coming to a stop a few potato sacks short of Terrel. He sat softly, exchanging a few words with the nearest soldier. "Has she eaten? Drunk anything?"

The soldier shook his head in dissent. "No sir. Not a peep."

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Rua said grimly. "If we're all running after a prophecy concerning made by a lich, then all of us Thetas are in trouble."

He remembered what he had found in the book. That Kasdim-Ur, whoever he was, was chosen to "carry the burden of evil." He had a sinking feeling that whatever a lich was like in this game, Kasdim-Ur was going to be worse.

Fille found Sera's own morbid humor in self-deprecation rather creepy. "Well, hopefully it won't come to that," she said, her French accent thickening a bit. The warehouse made everything near it darker at times, it felt. Fille didn't think she'd feel comfortable until they were once again back in Audra's custody.

"I'd say you're already in trouble, boy," Orup replied as he returned to the stew, laying the meat he had packaged into the pot and grabbing different handfuls of seasoning. "I'm surprised you're not just hiding out in a city somewhere, to be honest."

---

"That was always the plan. He's far too annoying to bribe, and too set in his ways to sway to a different way of thinking."

Elle'n frowned at the man, wondering what he was on about. First he'd responded smoothly to the idea of killing Pius, and now he was avoiding it just as eagerly. Either response she could understand, but switching back and forth spoke of a damaged spine.

"That's wonderful," she replied calmly, "everyone can have friends. I'll get the balloons. After the cake, do you suppose we can talk about something that actually matters?" Though if she had to coax it out of him, maybe he wasn't the right man after all.

---

"You'll do just fine," Khordus assured the short man, nodding at the taller ones as well. He wished he had something for them to do, but for now--indeed--it was a bit of a waiting game. As he turned to the other architects on the room, he raised a fist above his head, "Let's dig!"

And dig they would, linking at once into a magical circle and inviting Bec to join them--he would hopefully find it much easier being pulled into a large group, especially since most of them were players. When the bond was set, Khordus dug his fingers into stone floor and heaved.

((OOC: Someone else can post in response to this if they want, otherwise I'll make a follow-up post after a timelapse in a few cycles.))

---

Terrel, for her part, found sleeping in the bumping truck not the most agreeable thing, though she kept her eyes shut tight. Before long, though, she could hear rustlings as someone else boarded, and she focused on keeping her breathing loud and routine, not daring to crack a lid. This whole thing was probably a terrible idea, but what did she have to lose, anymore? Hopefully they would just pass over.

Rua opened his mouth to explain when the warning in EP's private message flashed through his mind. He closed his mouth with a grimace and shrugged. "I've got my reasons," he finally said. "Besides, someone has to check out this Kasdim-Ur guy. If there's something dangerous going on behind the scenes, then maybe I can find a way of stopping everyone else before they get in over their heads."

He sighed, remembering the gathering at that hall in Minervum. "There were a lot of Thetas at Oracle's meeting," he told Orup. "We all got that prophecy. I daresay all of us are trying to get our hands on an Arcanum Relic."

"I'd like to see some ruddy angels get involved already," Orup replied grumpily, though he stilled attended his stew with all gentleness. How much longer were they going to sit back and just hope a solution would appear? It had been over a month, and still no progress had been made. The player death count soared, though, and--according to his sister--things were beginning to get ugly on the outside. It seemed impossible to think that there simply wasn't a solution, but at this rate... Who knew?

"That'd be nice, yeah," Rua agreed with a nod of his head. "But I get the feeling that things are a bit more complicated than Y-Corp's letting on."

If was EP said was true, then this ran much, much deeper. Rua definitely needed to get his hands on the Arcanum Relic he claimed to have, but Kasdim-Ur was a danger that may very well take precedence. There were more lives than just his at stake.

Rua finished his sharpening and stowed the whetstone back in his inventory. He hefted the blade up into the dying light and the radiance given by the fire, checking over the now pristine blade. "Well, there's always the possibility of sending a message to a GM, but I'd rather find some hard evidence before I say anything. Don't need the Angels pissed at me for crying wolf, right?" he remarked to his alchemist companion.

With a sigh, the alchemist nodded in agreement. Having run out of things to add to the topic, he instead focused his attentions on their meal, applying the finishing touches to the mixture and checking the meat to ensure it had cooked thoroughly. Thankfully, this game made certain tasks that were normally menial and time-consuming a little less taxing.

From his pack, the alchemist pulled out a pair of bowls with spoons, handing one to Rua and dipping a large ladle into the stew. "Eat up, boy. Doesn't get much better than this, on the road."

Rua sheathed his blade and accepted the bowl wordlessly, and took the ladle once Orup was done with it and scooped up his own share of the food. He sat back down on the rock and sighed--now came the difficult part.

Rather than taking a bite of the food himself, Rua scooped up a bite of sauce-covered meat and held it up to his face. The effect was instantaneous--Relayia's tail wrapped around his neck, and the dragonet's foreclaw and wing gripped his hair and skin, digging in uncomfortably as the dragonet leaned in to snatch the morsel off of the spoon.

Rua grimaced apologetically at Orup. "She gets antsy if I don't share," he explained, now taking a spoonful of stew for himself while Relayia devoured her first piece.

Edited by RisingDragon on October 26, 2014 at 23:00:35

The heavyset man couldn't help but let out a chuckle, nodding as he dug into his own food, "I know what that's like. How long've you had her?"

"About five months now," Rua said after a second spoonful. Relayia finished with her first morsel and Rua had to bring up a second for her to feast on, again getting his face used as an anchor for her. "I stumbled upon a minor quest to protect a clutch of dragonet eggs from scavengers. She imprinted on me when the clutch hatched afterwards, as a quest reward."

He managed a third spoonful of stew as Relayia ate. "She's come a good way since then," after swallowing. "She used to be much worse about this."

Orup nodded cheerily, shoveling the remainder of his bowl into his mouth all at once, setting it aside a moment later, satisfied. "Well, time for me to hit the hay, I'm afraid. The wards will keep back anything overnight, though your body's not so battered as mine; I doubt you need the sleep so much."

With a stretching groan, the alchemist cracked his neck and stretched his arms out, pulling out a bedroll from his pack a moment later and rolling it out. Sleep was a glorious thing, even in this game.

Rogueport


"One can hope," Sera replied easily as they finally managed to near the massive building. "Guess the moment of truth." She said, nodding at the pair of guards by the door.

_____


Tsuminar



"Such as?" Larent replied simply, tilting his head to the side. "We can continue probing each other's motives if you'd like. I find it rather interesting." A flicker of a smile glimmered across his face, showing that he did indeed enjoy the careful back-and-forth.

"Or of course, we can get ahead with more things that matter."

_____

Stamarian 7th Armored Legion. Cher Plek Roadways



Liam's steely eyes took in the girl's appearance with great care. She seemed so very young, and he now understood Raiph's caution when mentioning her. This girl bore a striking resemblance to Jaina--

He could feel the eyes of the soldier next to him, cautiously observing, wary of Liam's reaction. "-See that she is well fed. When she wakes." He finally snapped, fighting the sudden urge to get out of the vehicle and vomit. His world swimming from memories, faces and fire.

He stood, sharper than he'd intended. And stalked out of the truck, barely noticing the drop as he fell to the ground, landing and continuing on his way without skipping a beat.

Back inside the truck, the soldier looked after his commander, expression distraught. "Bloody buggering hell." He muttered darkly. "Those Korin are gonna pay."

"I'll keep watch for now," Rua volunteered as he and Relayia finished their own meal at a somewhat leisurely pace. Orup was more correct than he realized, sleep was much less of a requirement for him currently. "You go on and get some sleep."

As he finished his own meal, Rua set aside his bowl and stood up to stretch. Orup was right--it wasn't often he got to eat that good of a meal while out in the game's wilderness. As night set in, Rua opened up his inventory menu and equipped his favorite cloak; the red fabric materialized and settled around his shoulders with the press of a button. No need to freeze if it got chilly, after all.

Fille nodded and approached, waving her hand experimentally and smiling. "Ah, Audra's expec--"

"Yeah, yeah, we know," the foremost guard interrupted, blowing the girls off with a wave of his own hand. The doors were being opened up. "Jus' get inside, she's waitin' on you."

Fille frowned at his rudeness but decided they were better off just going with it. "Thanks," she said as they entered into the warehouse with Sera. They were quick to spot Audra, as the woman was lounging on some cloth-covered crates like a chair, arms draped across other crates while she joked with another thief.

Satisfied, the alchemist pulled out a blanket of his own and nestled down into the ground, apparently quite pleased with everything at the moment, and it was not long before he was snoring softly.

Perhaps true to the swordsman's expectations, a message arrived in his inbox not long after his companion was sleeping.

"Contrary to the popular phrase of your kind, Mr. Dragonheart, you do not 'know how to pick them' do you?"

---

"Do you remember what happened the last time a Chief Stamarian officer was permanently removed from office, before my father?" Elle'n asked, deciding to switch gears. If he wasn't going to bite about Pius, she'd work back into it.

The last time an officer had been taken out was before Theta, but assassinations were still possible--it just meant that you had to kill more than their body. General Berkire was his name--they'd discovered that he was in bed with both the Korin and the White Lions, selling secrets and giving favors in an effort to get Aurinar Stamarin killed. After that, they'd drowned him in the River Sanguix--you didn't respawn from that--but even if they hadn't killed him in body, he was as good as dead after all that hit the fan either way.

Edited by Ribitta on October 27, 2014 at 14:20:24

It wasn't too long before Rua received the message he had been expecting. He sighed, causing Relayia to chirp in concern, as he opened it up and read its contents. He grimaced. Now what? Was EP just going to gloat about Terrel's panic attack? Or did he have some insidious background information on his latest companion?

It's hardly my fault I was betrayed by her sister. But I suppose you're happy now that Terrel's removed herself from the picture.

- Rua Dragonheart

He grumbled to himself as he sent the message. Everything had been a mess since Oracle's proclamation and he was hardly in the mood for the gloating of a smug NPC.

Much like the last time, the response came almost immediately, as if it were automated.

"I recall we already discussed Ms. Valdez's deficiencies last time; let's be fair, though: I did warn you not depend on her. It's a shame you parted ways with the bounty hunter on such poor terms; she might have actually helped you.

However, I was referring to your new companion. How far, do you suppose, can a man beyond fifty years of age and who weighs over three hundred pounds, actually get you? He'll more likely have a heart attack before he proves useful."

Tsuminar



"The drowning?" Larent queried with a curious glance, one of the first he'd shown. Almost as though the thought of using the fabled river to kill Pius's character hadn't crossed his mind. "Yes, I know of the incident. But the river's a bit far and troublesome to get rid of Pius that way. Unless you have a quick way there. Or you feel like kidnapping him and dumping him in Thebas." He added on, just the tip of a probing question heard within his tone. Would she really go so out of her way? If Pius wasn't a Theta, as he'd surmised the man was . . . getting rid of him would be far more annoying.


_______

Rogueport


Sera smiled sweetly to the guard, "Thanks," She said enthusiastically before jogging after Fille. And ah, there indeed was Fille's friend. "Hey look, not dead yet." she smiled to Fille. Seconds later, as they closed the gap between themselves and Audra, she called out cheerfully, though not overly loud. "I hope your day has gone well enough, oh master of thieves?"

"Yes and no," Elle'n replied slowly, in response to Shepard's immediate question. "You're right, we do not have the means to push Pius into a place so vulnerable, but I mean the story from a different perspective. Stamaria drowned him in the river to be sure there was no hope, but there have been stories of people surviving from that somehow. Berkire's death was so much more involved than that."

The young woman paused, walking toward the edge of the building and looking down again, suddenly pensive over the idea of death-giving circumstances. After a moment, though, she sighed, deciding to entrust this man with a small amount of what she knew. "Berkire's death was a setup. I orchestrated it with the help of a few others to cause the correct movement within the lines. We planted the evidence related to the Korin, the White Lions, and everything else. Aurinar Stamarin ordered the death of his body, but we killed his character first. Whether or not he was physically executed became irrelevant, as far as we were concerned. In a similar way, Pius is powerful but it makes him vulnerable at the same time."