Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Of Cults and Disaster (Closed!)

ugh, piece* and random miscaps. I was mobile.

Artair just stood there, with a rose eye brow. What was she on about?...

The door to the tavern opened with a crash and a large woman walked in with her arms crossed and an irritable look on her silver-tinted face. Her long, purple ponytail whipping as she looked around the tavern, she settled her eyes on the only feline-looking thing she noticed in the place. Approaching it and ignoring everyone else, she started to feel skeptical that it was the right person-cat-thing since it certainly didn't look like something with ten thousand gold to spare. Still, no point in second-guessing herself when she wasn't sure.

"You're Pendulum, right? I'm Marisanthia. I'm sure you know why I'm here, unless these were from someone playing a joke on ya." She said, holding up one of the bounty notes for the feline to see.

Why can't there be at least one other guy...? I'm so alone here... Artair turned back to his drink. Waiting, and listening what this new woman had to say...

Pen's face grew somewhat brighter at the newest arrival as she took the items from the other woman. "Thank you," she said very briefly to Rumea, "And I have no problem paying you in full for any service given."

Now, the newest arrival seemed much more interesting than the woman who came before her. "Yes, ma'am, those are legitimate. I would be good for the money even if there were ten of you." Wait, who carried around 100,000 gold!? Someone very determined, obviously. Probably someone who stole a lot, too. Hopefully, Marisanthia wouldn't care where the money came from.

"Would you like the short orientation or the long one?" she asked.

On another note, Artair was surrounded by three women. What reason would a man have to complain? Granted, one of them was a cat and he probably wasn't into that.

Marisanthia raised an eyebrow at the feline. Ten thousand each? From this thing? It sure didn't look like the normal rich type she dealt with, but it sure did talk like one. She just shrugged at the offer of orientation. "If you're talkin' about why you're puttin' the bounty out, I couldn't care less. Just point me at whatever you want a head shorter and I'll arrange it promptly." She stated, patting the swords at her sides.

"You don't care what the job is? That's foolish, not only because it's dangerous, also because you may end up hurting innocents." Artair without turning his face from his drink.

The cat smiled briefly. "Not quite. More like the list of targets, their abilities, and which strategies they like to employ. I'm glad that you didn't ask why I put out the bounty. I do dislike repeating myself."

To Artair, she sighed. "Be glad that the targets are ones who would do such a thing as get paid to hurt innocents, and know that some mercenaries will not have your morality."

Her tail flicked back and forth as she opened the door to go outside. "There is a carriage station just outside of town," she told them. "Be prepared to leave when you get there. You will be informed on the first target during the ride."

Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly get to her twin scimitars quite yet... They were with her husband. She would just have to wait until his name came up on the list.

She walked calmly toward the carriage station outside of town.

Artair just sighed and finished his mug. He looked at the other two with a quick glance, then back at the wall. Looking at the bottles on display. Artair ordered a bottle of vodka, then got up. "I'll see you two there..." He said as he walked out and headed for the station, drinking the bottle a bit. "Hopefully I can have a nap on the way..." He mumbled to himself

Rumea's feline tail ticked with impatience; the fellow cat may recognize it: restrained one way or another, she clearly felt she had other things to do. Perhaps it's why she left a summons rather than promised staple presence. "...also, if you lose track of your mark, call me. I can often locate anyone who is within the sight of the sun. That said... I had best go before my den is destroyed by petty argument. Flaebeath grows restless with inaction." whatever that mean. With a vague gesture of farewell, she headed for the door. Odd one, that.

Marisanthia gave mister no-harming-innocents man an irritable look, watching him in the tavern and following after him when he left. "You're way too naive for a sellsword, ya know that? Everyone's guilty of somethin', innocents are just a myth." She told him, arms firmly crossed again.

The cat's ears laid flat on her head and she shot back, "Fighting within the group means to forfeit your cut. Keep your opinions about what qualifies as 'innocent' to yourselves."

She made her way to the carriage she had in mind, a shabby little thing that looked like it couldn't hold that many people. Good thing there were only three of them. "Party of three," she told the driver, "Go down the Western road to Fort Pale."

"I am not taking that route," the driver enunciated.

"Oh?" she asked. "Then I will have to take my gold somewhere else..." She flashed a medium sized pouch of gold that couldn't have carried more than 100 pieces.

The driver grumbled as he took the pouch, "All right, get in back."

Pen, with the smarmiest of smiles, climbed into the back of the carriage.

Apala hid in the grass, watching the people as they walked towards the station as if they had a purpose. Never seeing many different race joining together. Laughing, she scooted up a tree to get a better view. Bored as always, Apala was hoping to find something interesting in this little adventure they would be taking. For now she would try to stay hidden. Humming happily to herself, A.P. made sure she would be ready when they started moving.

Artair was going to argue back, but stopped when their leader told them to. He mumbled a curse under his breath and got into the carriage, sitting beside Pendulum. "So how long will this trip be? If you don't mind me asking?"

Marisanthia glared at Pendulum's back. Yeah, the woman was defintely some upper-class snob if she was getting snippy about other people's opinions. "Lady, if I was fightin', I'd be armed. I'm just tryin' to get to know whoever I'm gonna be workin' with. Do to that, ya gotta talk and figure out what makes 'em tick. Trust has gotta come from somewhere other than a pile o' gold or you'll just end up with a sword in yer back." Again. She added silently, before climbing into the back of the carriage as well.

Dropping down on the seat across from the man, she gave him a curious look that was mainly directed at his attire. As much as she wanted to ask about it, miss-grouchy-puss would probably consider it another attempt at "fighting", so she figured she'd save herself the frustration. "Speakin' of which, what's yer name, anyway?"

Artair just sighed more when she spoke about the 'getting to know each other' he didn't know this woman, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. What are innocents? What kind of a question was that?! He remained calm though, still drinking the bottle he had.

"Not too long," Pen answered Artair. "Fort Pale is an abandoned fort 4 hours away. I mean... It's officially an abandoned fort. It actually houses several low-ranked Spark members and one mid-ranked member."

"Stay alert," she warned them. "I know for a fact that our first mark makes his home along the road and attacks any strangers that dare go too close to his territory. He should be about an hour away along the road. There will be an ambush of new, young members when we reach that point. They should not be more than 12 years old, but do not underestimate them based on their age. Even though their experience does not yet match my own, they are trained how to fight from birth."

She couldn't hold it in much longer. "Marisanthia. No need to get so defensive. If the discussion were to become heated and you did take up arms, what then? Especially with such a moral issue, I cannot trust that you would not attack someone over it."

Artair didn't really pay attention at first, but once the words sank in his eyes opened wide, and he almost choked on his vodka. "12 years old! You want me to kill children?!" He shouted

"If you must," Pen answered bluntly. "They are not normal children. All of them have murdered civilians and travelers as their rite of passage. None of them will hesitate to kill you if they are given the chance. However, they do not need to be killed. Capturing them alive will be enough."

The carriage began to move down the path at that point. Let the words about killing children sink right in...

(Artair's response is the logical one. :B )

Giggling at their arguing, Apala followed quietly and out of sight. Hearing that they would be encountering a brute along the way made her fur prickle with excitement. If they got too out numbered, she would secretly intervene. if not, then she would wait for another opportunity.