Forums » General Roleplay » Cult of the Machine God (Closed Steampunk RP)

"Why should I help a worthless creature like you?" Grant asked. "The only thing I want to help YOU with right now is to help you find your arm after I tear it off and throw it down the sewer!" Once again, he realized he was drawing attention to himself. Deep down, he felt like he would get a chance at him some other time, but now he had another mission and it was one of the same. Grant held his wing up signalling he did not want an attack. "Nevermind, if I start a fight with you, it will last all day until one of us is dead. Fine, I will help you through Stoney Hills, but first I want to retrieve something from my house, would that be acceptable? Lately I haven't exactly felt safe around here, so I often take my war garments outside, but today it needed some repairs, so I left it at home. Still, I figured out its problem, so it will only take a few just to fix it up again. Just let me do this, and then I will help you."

OOC: No, seriously, do not attack Grant, Icias.

Meanwhile, Jack took a drink of his alcohol and watched "So what kind of guild do you think would be a good call?" upon seeing the virus inside of the robot lady be removed he was glad for her since the problem inside of her would be gone. "On the bright side, you'll be able to help us now and do as you suggested." Jack thought about Stoney Hills for a moment "Well like wise we can always keep looking for advice?" Jack also turned to the bird "I'm glad you'll help us get to Stoney Hills but as long as you keep your conflicts to yourself as well as Icias then I believe we won't have too many problems."

"Yeah," Icias chuckled, "cause your battle all day would end with a cold breath of air and a shattered face within a minute." He was not amused or threatened by Grant in any way, "you give yourself to much credit bird brain, no one would die in a little quarrel, nor would it last any longer then a moment or two before I could put you in your place." He noticed a pal of his since he got into town at another table, "unless you want threatening an officer to be the reason you get dragged away for the second time today?" Coughing to clear his throat he chugged the rest of his drink, "there has to be plenty of people here who know the Stoney Hills, why waste our time on a bumbling immature tweety bird who can't control his emotions like a preadolescent woman?" He shot his eyes to his buddy, an officer of Tall Shore to watch the birds movements, not to fight, but to prosecute if need be.

OOC: I won't attack if you don't

"Alright, SHUT THE HELL UP YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!!!" Grant cried. He had had just about enough of Icias crap. "You have no clue what the hell I had to go through in life. Leading a battalion of over fifty-thousand Featherfolk in a pointless war where many times I've had scars, broken bones, emotional damage, and I still lived through all of it to tell the tale. And before you tell me how hard your life is or was, it's not a contest on who had the worst life, it's just the fact that I am sick of dealing with your stupid bullcrap! The only thing keeping me from even trying to mess your face up even if it kills me is my better half and me trying to calm myself around complete tools like YOU!" Grant had no fear of Icias, which may have been bravery or stupidity.

Grant immediately spun around in his chair and headed for the exit of the tavern. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going home to prepare. You can come with if you want, but leave that attitude in the gutters if you do, or I'm not helping." In a matter of minutes, Grant was heading home to prepare. He had something special he wanted to show Jack and Florence, but he knew Icias wouldn't be remotely impressed.

Jack watched Grant leave the pub and sighed "Icias....I know he may have done some things wrong, but don't you think this is going a bit far? I know he tried to physically hit you in some way but he did bail himself out fairly and you saying things to him like that is only pissing him off. I'm not gonna tell you to what's right and what's wrong, but couldn't you keep your insults to yourself? We don't need a argument to get in the way of our work and he is offering some help so shouldn't you be a bit thankful?" he asked kindly as he could without trying to sound in the wrong. Although, Jack wondered if Grant would come back at all.

Icias sighed, "compulsive actions like his are native and will only get in the way when it comes to taking on Babel." Icias looked at his empty drink and tried to drain any last drops of it into his mouth. "Having him guide us is the same as having a child guide us, and to be quite honest, I simply don't believe he was in any sort of military position." Icias had a feeling that Grant may be hiding something, he did get real defensive when Icias was talking about Babel earlier, but he also followed the group here. "What if he is a spy Bearstone? We know she is clean in the head but him, we have no idea."

Shrinking away, Florence kept her mouth shut as the two men fought across the tables, distracting herself instead as she built the little mechanical flower from the broken pieces of the virus. Would Babel's insane propaganda remain within the little creation, even now?
The argument made her uncomfortable, but she let them work as they did, until Grant came to his decision to retrieve his tools.
She perked up immediately, letting the flower's cogs begin to turn, spinning the petals idly.
"With all due respect," she hummed softly, "I understand I'm not qualified, really, to have an opinion here. His...behaviour may not be the best, sir, but-- but if the Featherfolk really does know his way around Stoney Hills, then that's...that's invaluable! There are few willing to work against Babel who know their way around the place. A-and, S-Sir Polar Bearon, I apologize for not recalling if I've heard your name, but...in the event he continues...we can take him through Stoney Hills, have him lead us. And you can arrest him as soon as we're back!"

After almost a quarter of an hour of waiting, there was a metallic thud heard outside the tavern. Outside, Grant was waiting for the three, and as it turned out he brought a new toy. Grant was now wearing some huge armor that made him look even bigger than Icias. It was bronze in color, and looked quite heavy, yet it was surprisingly light. In addition, he had a large set of blades above his suit that are likely used for flight. On one side of his armor was his weapon of choice: a long steam rifle that also doubled as a lance. The armor didn't seem strong enough to stop bullets, but it still looked very intimidating. And the crowning jewel of the suit was a set of three medals that proved his actions in battle.

"Right, whenever you three are ready," Grant said. When the three came out, he switched his view between Jack and FLRNCE to explain his situation. "I'm not sure if you guys trust me or not, but as it turns out, I am too an enemy of BABEL," Grant started. "Years ago, I was a prisoner of war. All the wars I've survived through, no one of my adversaries has ever compared. That is why I wish to help you Jack and Fluorence in destroying BABEL. Perhaps I can do more than just show you through Stoney Hills. ...That is if you are willing to accept my help." Grant lay not a single gaze on Icias.

Icias being somewhere between ten and eleven feet tall looked at the machine bird and began laughing. Hysterically might I add, "you look like a giant tin can!" Nearly falling over he continued his criticism of the suit, "what flavor soda are ya bird? Orange, grape??" People began looking over at the bird as he tried to be intimidating, "lemon lime perhaps???" Walking around the metal bird he signaled to the others to follow, "come, we can find another navigator who doesn't need a land submarine to feel safe!" Still snickering he continued to walk away from the tavern before turning around at the end of the alley, "sorry Grant but bird children in tin cans don't belong on a police investigations."

As Icias was walking away, he took the time to look at Jack and Fluorence, who were still there. He had hoped they would be more understanding. "Icias will get his one day," he said. "Frankly, I'm trying my hardest to make sure that's not by my wings. ...In any case, as I said before, arguing with that cheese-ball isn't going to get me anywhere, so whenever you are ready then I will show you to Stoney Hills."

Jack was beginning to feel a little impatient with Icias. As much as he saw the conflict, he felt like he was going a little too far but that didn't mean he'd believe Grant since he could be fooled. Jack nods "Once I somehow convince Icias to back us up or something...We'll be ready. Listen...I know you don't like him and I know he doesn't like you either but you two really need to pick a fight with Babel instead of one another. I'm not gonna tell you to say sorry to him but rather maybe keep your comments to yourself and should he start to call out on you again, I'll let him know to keep back. But for now, for my sake...Don't say anything that'll start an argument with him. Now...Give me a moment to talk to Icias." he said as he entered the pub to talk to Icias.

Icias had left the pub and had headed out to the Main Street, their was a guild called the Warriors Guild in town and Icias was just outside of that. "Yeah there is a Warriors Guild in Steam Harbor, you guys do good work." The Dwarf nodded and the human sat back and chuckled. "I was wondering the fee of using a guide to help us trek through the Stoney Hills?" The Dwarf gave him the amount and Icias's eyes widened. "What do you mean three thousand shill? I'm not asking to buy a member of the guild, I'm asking to acquired a service!" The human explained how since the uprising of Babel they had been losing a lot of funding since many rich people in the stall Shore who funded them have been robbed by Babel worshippers. "This would be to fight Babz," Icias tried to convince them to lower their price but it wasn't working. And he sure as hell wasn't going to dip into some of his pay for them. Ten Tousand if they didn't kill him, fifteen thousand if they did kill Babel, and that was just Icias's pay. Bearstone was looking at fifteen for the detective work and twenty thousand if we take him out, "but I'm not spending a penny on this navigator," Icias explained to the pair of gentlemen before him.

Nodding as she listened to Jack, Florence's arms wrapped around herself, holding tight to her own arms. As Jack went off to find Icias, Florence looked back to the Featherfolk, where they had been left to wait. She ducked her head briefly, then set her shoulders back proudly.
His armor was impressive, certainly, and she determined that he must have had years of practice wearing something so heavy, to look as if it was so effortless to carry. She had carried on her own shoulders the bodies of soldiers three times her size, many of them at once, without a single stumble or bump, but it looked much heavier than even that.
"Mister Featherfolk," she tried, clearing her throat as it started to shake. She thrust her gloved hand forward for him to shake. "Thank you for standing up for me, sir. M-my name is Florence. In...in case you didn't catch that."

"You're welcome," Grant said. "My name is Grant: Grant Trevoli. I am a war veteran from Cogyucytox. I'm willing to help, but just remember I'm not just going to stand around and allow every single insult that fat glass-furred slob says about me. The idiot probably went to a guild where he's going to get charged a paw and a leg for touring the Stoney Hills. I'll take you there for free but only because my mission is there as well."

Grant started to take off in his suit, sending himself into the air. He was surprisingly speedy in the air despite the heavy appearance of his armor. His armor wasn't as heavy as it looked though. The metal was quite lightweight, and it used lightweight padding inside. He was mostly showing off with the speed of his suit, but he eventually started to fly slowly off to Stoney Hills, trying to allow the others to follow him.

Jack left the pub upon noticing he wasn't there. With a sigh, he shrugged "He left me behind...At this point, I think he's gone lone wolf...As much as I hate to say this, but I have no choice but for us to proceed on without him...Unless he bothers to stay to his objective and let his conflict with you get in the way then there's nothing more to do. By the way, I'm not telling you to not ignore every insult he says but just let me do the talking since he'll maybe stop insulting you if I command him. Just please understand my advice." upon seeing him fly, Jack was a little amused but not overly impressed as he had seen some incredible things. It didn't mean he disapproved though. Jack thought for a moment and nodded "Right...Get us to Stoney Hills." he said as they began to follow the flying Grant to it.

Icias saw the jet pack like suit lifting the Featherfolk into the sky, "so noisy... Why not just fly normally? He'll give our position away from the time we step within a ten mile radius of Babel's camps..." He tipped his hat to the men and turned to see Jack and Robogirl walking through the streets. "Bearstone," observing his actions he was quite offended, "we're you just about to leave without me? Following some feather freak that is as loud as a locomotive?? Your trusting him to not only lead you there but also not give our possession away???" He was now really offended, "you were REALLY about to leave without me weren't ya Detective???"

As Jack proceeded, he saw Icias catch up and shook his head "I went with him for a reason. Because you left me behind when you left the pub and he clearly knows the way and is our only chance. You're simply letting your conflict with him get in the way instead of giving him a chance and insulting him constantly. If you're gonna refuse a offer of assistance, you may as well just give up this case. I'm a detective and I'm supposed to hear everyone out and such. I don't fully trust him, but I'm giving him a chance and should he pull off anything funny, then I'm willing to do what it takes to take him down." Jack walked but stopped again and turned his head around to Icias "And you know what? I'm offended you left me behind."

Icias stopped, "Jack just took me off the case," he sighed. "Better report to the council and head on home..." He'd most likely be reimbursed for his travel costs and lodging, along with a bit of Shill for his time. But by being taken off the case by the officer in command he had no choice but to leave the team. "Tall Shore is too brisk anyway, it'll be good to get back to Steam Harbor."

Watching the drama unfold, Florence felt helpless. She was but a citizen in all this, and, at that, she was one without weapons, and, seemingly, without purpose. She could do nothing to alleviate the tension between the Polar Bearon and the Featherfolk, do nothing to argue for the Polar Bearon to stay, and instead, she could only set her shoulders back with a solid click of metal, and tip her head up.
Quickly keeping up with Jack as he walked away, she tossed up her hood, pulling at her gloves.
"Detective," she gave quietly. "Is-- I mean...do we...do you...Is there a plan?"

Grant decided to go back to the group when he noticed Icias was gone. "Hmph, I wish I had the words for this, but forget him. He's just going to insult me the whole entire time, and I'm going to be trying my hardest not to shove this contraption through his neck. In any case, Stoney Hill is just up here."

Eventually the group reached the city limits and made their way to Stoney Hill. It didn't seem like it was truly inhabitable for sapients, but there were other creatures scurrying around such as small lizards. "There really isn't much to this place," Grant mentioned. "Still, we should watch out for Owlbears."