The Mercenary RP.

[JoshuaDurron]

Charm. Show them charm, Ree old boy, or they might still decide to take a piece out of you.

The drow leaned heavily on his staff, rather tired from all his running, but considerably better off than most of his companions. He glanced around at the people on hand, and nodded. "Yes ma'am. We heard about a reward from the local authorities, and figured we'd try for it. Any misunderstandings are completely alright, it was one of the hazards of taking the job. Was anyone hurt badly enough to prevent travel? Outside of us, I mean..." Ree glanced around at his companions. In truth, it did look like they were much worse of than the ex-prisoners at the moment.

[Dark Xia]

"Heh, it's alright.. you bowled over some of those drow too I'm sure..."

And even if you didn't, you were a distraction, and I'm getting paid for all this.

"... Shouild we rest and recooperate a little, or head out immediately? Those drow might of had another exit.. who knows..."

[Jak Snide]

"No problems with this one." said Calhoun in reply to Boreas, as he let his magic do the work on the injured commoner, the wound sealing up into an almost imperceivable scar, the bolt that previously occupied the space in the red mage's hand. Meanwhile, a young lad, no more than twelve or thirteen, spoke up.

"I...I think that was the only exit, miss. But I dunno if they were all in there just now."

[JoshuaDurron]

"Then we'd best move as fast as possible," Ree announced, hoping he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, "so if there are any around they don't catch us. We're in no shape to fight. Try to stay together, please, and step lightly. We need to move fast."

The drow sighed after yet again giving orders. He wondered what his old gambling friends would think of this if they could see him now.

He had no doubt it would be properly demeaning. For now, he just wanted to get home again...

[Kelne]

"Aye, best to get movin'," Larak said, nodding. "Though if someone could wake up this heavy lump, that'd be good." Larak indicated Brandon, still slung over a shoulder.

[Jak Snide]

Brandon hadn't stirred ever since Larak had hoisted the large Baronian onto his shoulder. He was still alive and breathing, but seemed to be suffering the full effects of the drow sleeping poison.

<span style="font-size:xx-small;">(It may or may not occur to Larak that he has that Anti-Venom vial he purchased earlier, which may or may not work on this poison)</span>

Edited by: Jak Snide&nbsp; at: 1/20/04 5:49 am

[FlamingDeth]

Ratch looked up from examining his own crossbow wounds momentarily.

"Right, Chief." he said. "Should we get goin' then?"

[Kelne]

Larak did indeed belatedly recall the anti-poison potion, and lost no time tipping the contents down Brandon's throat. If the drow did have another exit, they might need every hand they could get. Then again, the drow might have retired to lick their wounds and plot their elaborate revenge.

[Jak Snide]

Larak only had to wait a moment before Brandon began to stir, sitting up slowly, supporting himself with one hand and holding his head with the other, the residual effects of the poison leaving him momentarily drowsy.

[JoshuaDurron]

Seeing that Brandon was awake, and at least mildly alert, Ree came to an executive decision.

Screw being popular, he probably wouldn't need the good will too much longer, and surviving came first.

"Well, it looks like we're all capable of moving, if not very fast. Let's head back to town as fast as we can without leaving anyone behind. Calhoun, see that people who need help get it. Stonestrike, please try to help Brandon along. Let's get going."

Once more, the drow suited words to action, wearily slinging his staff over his shoulder as he started walking back in the general direction they had come from (he hoped.)

His biggest concern was just geting back to the comfort of his own house, and may adventure be damned...

[Jak Snide]

The journey back to the town of Malmuth was an uneventful one. Calhoun made sure that everyone was able to make the trip without collapsing. Brandon, once a little more awake, was filled in on what went on, looking mildly disappointed that he'd missed the final moments of the fight.

They reached their destination with the sun peeking over the horizon, basking the freed townsfolk and their mercenary saviors in the new dawn's light as it began it's steady rise into the sky.

The town still looked a wreck in places, the house that Larak's pyrotechnics had brought down standing out particularly on the edges of the settlement.

They also noticed a small contingent of Doman guards watching them as they approached on the edge of town. It looked like Doma City found it could spare a few good men after all. Too bad it was a day and a bit too late.

[JoshuaDurron]

When he spotted his old friends, the Doman Guard, the drow fought his instinctive urge to run.

They don't know who you are, Ree. They know what you've done, but only one in several hundred know that you've done it.

A moment after that thought ran through his head, another did as well. Easy marks. After coming all this way for nothing, those guards were most likely upset. Nothing relieves a little stress like some gambling...

But first he'd need a stake. Ree glanced around for the guard captain who had comissioned them, hoping to cash in and make tracks as fast as possible. After, of course, picking up a little cash...

[Jak Snide]

The captain, unfortunately, wasn't in sight. Either he was inside, or on the other side of town. Ree didn't have much time to ponder the matter further, as a trio of guards approached them. Having had run inns with the guard before, he quickly noticed that two of them were rank and file, with the third man's uniform designating him as a black mage.

"Well, looks like some of the mercs decided they could do our job better than us." the closest man commented, his lack of love for those of the mercenary trade being made all too apparent from the off.

"Keep silent, Crenshaw." the mage snapped, giving the young looking guardsman a harsh stare. "They've done right, regardless of their motivation. You shouldn't reprove those who've risked life and limb for the safety of these here townsfolk."

The mage, having established himself as the most senior ranked member of the trio, turned his attention to the party.

"I take it these are all the folks who were stolen away?"

[JoshuaDurron]

Ree straightened and nodded, deciding to play the soldier for just a little longer, as that would probably keep this short. "These are them, yes. And we probably would have done better with a little help, but we thought it best to move as fast as possible."

For my own good as much as for theirs...

[Jak Snide]

The townsfolk had already began to move off back to their homes as Ree spoke, a few being greeted by loved ones, overjoyed to see them safe and sound.

"We'd have been here sooner, if we'd been allowed to leave. There's been some tension with Barius as of late, and the commanders wanted Kohlignen as secure as a dwarvern hold. It took quite some time for them to realise that those foreigners aren't the only threat to the homeland. Not that we were needed in the end, thanks to you."

Larak noticed the younger guardsman who'd spoken against them before giving him an hateful glance.

"Anyway," the mage continued, "you'd best report in to the resident militia captain. Briggins, I believe. You probably know him better than I do."

[Dark Xia]

Saen, sighed, her stare rather blank, as she didn't feel like asking anyone to heal her wound, but it was getting quite annoying... not to mention painful to walk. However she refused to bring herself to ask anyone.
All she did do was quietly mutter to herself about perhaps permenant damage to herself that wasn't worth the reward.

[JoshuaDurron]

Oh yes, we know him perfectly well, thank you...

Ree did not enjoy talking to the malitia man, but if he had no choice... "I suppose we'll try to track him down, then."

Turning and glancing over his small band, he asked inquisitively, "Shall I go and collect our money myself, or do you folks not trust me enough to divide it fairly?"

[Dark Xia]

"Teh... even iff we're trsuting enough to let you, I'm sure some of us aren't trusting enough not to count the money, and come back and kill ya... heh.. but I dobut we'll have to worry about that happening with that being said ~_^"

Saen then realized she had been an idiot, and took out the healing potion she had bought... muttering to herself frantically about her own stupidity.

Better late than never...

With that she gropped around for the healing potion she thought she remmbered buying, looking to quaff the thing like a some drunk drunkard.

[Jak Snide]

Saen found that she had indeed purchased a potion, and it's effects were quickly felt as she drank it down, her wounds healing almost instantly, leaving barely perceivable scars behind.

"Doing it for the good of the people isn't..." the young guard began, before another glance from his senior cut him off.

[FlamingDeth]

"Go ahead, chief...I'm sure we'll catch up with ya later. Ratch looked to Saen. "An' I think I'll have to save the whole Devil Woman experience for later, after I've rested for....well, a while, that's for sure."

With that, the gunman left to find somewhere that he could indeed take a long nap.

[Dark Xia]

After stretching a little, making sure not to go too far, her body having jsut healed, she gave Ratch a brief wink before he walkedo ff. "Mhh... but it's even better when you're pooped out..." She licked her lips absently in thought.

[JoshuaDurron]

Why can't I get any of the leg work done for me?

"Well then, I'll track the rest of you down back at the inn." With that, Ree headed off towards the building where he and his companions had first been teamed together a few endless days ago. He wanted to find his employer and go home as soon as possible.

From now on, I'm my own boss...

[Kelne]

"Aye, we'll be waiting," Larak said, nodding. Despite the occasional glare from the younger guard, he was feeling pretty good about the whole enterprise. They'd managed to rescue the townspeople without losing anyone, killed themselves a few drow, and made sure they wouldn't be bothering anyone for a while.

Life was good. Nodding to the others, he made his way back towards the inn, intent upon getting some rest and maybe a bit of drink. He'd earned it, after all.

[Dark Xia]

Saen followed in stride with Larak, also wanting anice hot meal, maybe a bath, maybe a foot massage...

My own personal torture chamber would be nice too..but I can't afford that either really..

She stretched and yawned, while continuing to walk towards the inn.

[Jak Snide]

The sight of a lone drow jogging through town scored Boreas his fair share of surprised faces, distrustful glances and a single terrified little girl, who promptly burst into tears upon seeing the dark elf. Outside of the company of his new companions, Ree was really beginning to feel just how much Rivan attitude had leaked South across the border.

When he eventually arrived at the barracks of the town guard, he found the man he was looking for at his desk, an officer of the Doman guard brushing past him as she left, presumably having just finished speaking with the militia captain. A ice blue set of chilling eyes drifted to meet his; whether she recognized him or if she was just another human with a prejudice against drow was a question left unanswered. Briggins, on the other hand, looked overjoyed to see him, beckoning to take a seat, hoping for the best.

"You've come to report a successful rescue, I hope? That witch just carved me out for last night's fiasco, and it would be jolly good if you don't give me another reason to frown."

He honestly sounded hopeful, if a little desperate. Knowing the Doman Guard, Ree figured that Briggins had assumed full responsibility for the capture of the townsfolk, whether by his choice or not.

[JoshuaDurron]

On his treck, the drow found his worries about his continued safety growing slowly. People here did NOT like him, for reasons that he could not remedy with a smile and a little charsima. That worry became almost-panic when he saw the guard leaving. But she didn't stop him. That was good. Best to leave while there was still time.

Then the captain gave his greeting. Ree couldn't help but burst into a wide grin. Not because he was happy with a successful rescue, but because he knew damn well he had this man where he wanted him. Sadly, he also knew there was very little he could do with that advantage at the moment. Still, that fact and his earlier discomfort did little to dampen his enthusiasm at one more being master of the situation. "Successful? Captain, if you ever hear from that band of raiders again, I would be very surprised."

He went on to explain exactly what his group had done, and the effects the dynamite had had. He finished with, "The rescued prisoners tell us that they were all the captured people they know of. Of course, this all required a lot of effort on our part, and no small deal of personal danger..."

That Ree was hinting at their pay was fairly obvious.

[Jak Snide]

Ree noted the Captain's glee at certain points during his tale; most of them were when he mentioned the explosives Larak had used to wreak havoc on the drow. All in all, Boreas had only improved his mood. The hint of pay, however, seemed to bring the man back down to earth.

"Ah, yes, a reward is in order. However, I don't have the money with me. You collect your friends and meet me at the town hall in half an hour, and you'll receive your pay."

If a less honest man had said this, Ree would have had reason to suspect something was up. However, he could tell that Briggins was a man of his word, and wouldn't try and dodge paying them. That, and it was reasonable enough that a simple militia captain didn't carry such a large fee on his person.

[JoshuaDurron]

Ree nodded. Of course extracting that big of a chunk of cash from someone wouldn't be terribly simple. Rather than sighing, he just nodded once and said, "Of course. In half an hour."

He sketched a rough bow, doing his best to look respectful, and then turned and exited the Captain's office and the barraks, making his way at a lazy swagger towards the inn. He might not be respected very much by the locals, but at least he would get paid...

When he arrived, he rounded up the others and told them what was what, then settled down to take a nap in the remaining time he had.

[Jak Snide]

Ree caught a nice nap, although he was awakened five minutes too for his liking by the Aodhfin, who reminded him that punctuality was a virtue. The others had fettered their time away; Brandon taking this time to boast his exploits to all willing to listen at the inn. Wounds were taken care of, either being magically healed or bandaged, to be tended to later.

The group then made it's way to the town hall, Ree thankful that the townsfolk had placed praising the group over giving him the usual distrustful glances. However, one townsperson did approach the group directly, and thank them profusely for saving his wife and children.

They eventually made it to their destenation, only a few minutes late, and were ordered inside by one of the pair of militia guards at the door. Inside they were greeted by the sight of Briggins, along with a trio of short, elderly looking men, whom most of the mercs presumed to be the town elders. Saen, however, noticed that their collective gaze snapped onto her as soon as she entered the room, and she doubted that they were staring at her wings...

"A little late, but I suppose that's to be expected."

Briggins flashed a grin, just to show that their tardiness was irrelevant.

"Well, down to the conclusion of business. I have been authorized to pay you a grand, collective sum of twenty five thousand gil, which has been raised from the town treasury, for being a far more effective force than those rotten guards could ever have been."

Apparently, he was still stinging a bit from being chewed out, not that the mercs had long to dwell on it. From the back of the room, two of the town's militia lifted and carried a chest forward, which by Ree's estimate could easily contain more than their fee. And he was right, for when the chest was opened he stared straight at a veritable horde of money; most likely the results of several years of taxation. The two guards then began to count out the money, using coinage of the largest value, and place it into a large, leather pouch.

Soon enough, the money was counted, and the money handed to the group. As for the elders, they hadn't said a word. They'd just kept staring at Saen.

[Dark Xia]

Not used to this much attention really, Saen briefly appeared puzzled, but decided that if people wanted to look at her, sure they could, and her face quickly became a radiant smile. Thoguh a part of her wanted to charge them by the minute...


<span style="font-size:xx-large;"> ^__^</span>

In addition Saen gave a friendly wave, her wings giving two small flaps (which was really her way of channeling feelings of nervousness into a manner she thought would be the least embaressing). She still didn't feel quite at ease with all the eyes.

... have I broken some huge law or something -_-?


Edited by: Dark Xia at: 2/2/04 5:33 pm

[JoshuaDurron]

Ree naturally took charge of the bag, and nodded his thanks to the Captain. "Our grattitude, Captain Briggins. It was a pleasure to work with you."

Already, the drow was working out how the money should be split, and whether he could manage to get a larger chunk of it for himself.

[FlamingDeth]

"Quite, thanks." simply stated the gunman.

Ratch eyed Ree. He was a slippery type, for certain, but he had yet to do anything to violate their trust, so it wasn't a terrible stretch of the imagination that they'd all get their fair share of the reward. He also seemed to be a good judge of character...so it also served to reason that if he, and maybe some of his other recent coworkers, stuck with the drow, they may be able to make relatively large amounts of money relatively quickly.

[Kelne]

Larak bestowed the council with a cheerful grin. And why not? It wasn't often he got this kind of cash in one swoop. Yes, life was definitely looking up.

[Jak Snide]

The captain flashed a grin at the drow in reply.

"Well, now that business is concluded, I have other duties to perform. You, on the other hand, are dismissed from your duty. I wish you luck, wherever you go."

And with that, Briggins was on his way, the elders making their own way out in time, Saen still being the subject of their attention till they were gone. As for the two guards, they'd taken the treasury chest away, locking it up wherever it had been before.

As for the mercenaries, they now found themselves out of employment. And fairly rich, for that matter.

<span style="font-size:xx-small;">(Righty. Experience time. The fight is worth a good 700xp flat rate, which goes to everyone. Larak gets a 75xp bonus for amusing dynamite antics, which made the fight considerably easier. Saen gets 75xp for being nigh-untouchable up until the last round. Ratch gets 75xp for remaining the man with the most kills notched on his guns. Ree and Saen get a 50xp bonus for successful deception. Larak gets a 25xp bonus for saving Brandon. On top of that all, everyone gets a 500xp for successful completing the mission, along with overall GM satisfaction. Totals, for the remaining players, are:

Boreas: 1250
Larak: 1300
Ratch: 1275
Saen: 1325)</span>

Edited by: Jak Snide&nbsp; at: 2/4/04 7:44 pm

[JoshuaDurron]

Ree carefully counted out the money and distributed it to his partners. Former partners. He saw no easy way to get away with part of their cash, and decided it would be best to just get rid of some of it by paying them off, so he was less of a mugging target.

Once everyone had their money, he gave the group a grin and said, "Well, best of luck to all of you. I don't plan on doing this again terribly soon. See ya."

With that he headed back towards the inn, hoping to finish that nap he had had going. The dice he kept in a small hip pouch bounced against his side. And there had been those Doman guards from earlier, no doubt hoping for some action after their lost opportunities here...

Ah, the possibilities... perhaps he would stay in town just a little while before going back to Doma.

[Dark Xia]

"Mhh... Hey Larak... now how much did I lend you again?"

So how much should I get out of him.. mhh... to be evil or not to be evil.. ut I don't want to annoy him, he was a good meat shield along with the others.. mhh..

[Jak Snide]

Caught up in thought, Ree was shocked when he felt a large hand placed on his shoulder. Looking around, he recognised his "friend" who had escorted him to the town of Malmuth in the first place. The other hand was extended, palm facing up. Clearly, the man he crossed didn't just want to make the drow suffer by sending him out here. He intended to reap the profits of it as well.

The other mercenaries, however, were not out of sight just yet, and the more observant ones noticed Boreas' predicament.

<span style="font-size:xx-small;">(As a note: Everyone got 4166 gil from the split, except for Ree, who swindled the 4 "spare" gil, giving him 4170.)</span>

Edited by: Jak Snide&nbsp; at: 2/6/04 12:37 pm

[FlamingDeth]

Ratch looked up for a moment from examining this relatively sizable amount of money in time to see Ree's sitation. While Ree had just broken ties with them, that was a rather rude thing to be doing to anyone.

"HEY YOU!" Ratch shouted at Ree's 'friend'. "What is it that you think you're doing?"

Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=flamingdeth>FlamingDeth</A] at: 2/6/04 3:18 pm

[Jak Snide]

The large man lazily turned a head toward the gunman.

"Keep to yerself. We's got business matters to conclude."

He then turned his attention back to the drow, who was almost dwarfed by the large human.

"Just pay up and yerl never hear from me, or me employer, again."

[JoshuaDurron]

Ratch made a great impression of thinking very hard. "How much was it I owed your employer again?"

He asked mainly to stall for time, and guessed at how much support he could count on from his ex-teammates. It might be possible to get out of this one, and save himself further trouble down the road...