Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Promises of gold, bad luck and more gold (1x1)

This trip took an unexpected turn of events. Bender never really wanted company on this trip, but anything was better than being ratted out for grave robbery. He'd probably have to share his treasure with this guy as well once he gets his hands on it. But at least he didn't bring a child along. Bender hated children. It was quite fortunate Steve was a Halfling, actually. Perhaps Bender could use him to break into someone's house (which is racist to ask, come to think of it).

"If we're goin' to be partners, ya can call me Bender O' Iron Will, me adult name. Ron's the name I had as a kid. Isanian tradition, don't ask. Just call me Ron when we're in public, 'right?"

Once Bender reached the crossroads he answered the curious Halfling."We're visitin' Buttsey now. Strangest thing, I completely forgot 'is real name. But from what I know, Buttsey's been hidin' in Stoneridge, a Dwarven miner's settlement. Now that I think of it, this snake's underground as well." He laughed as he turned his carriage to the left sided road."Try 'n get some shuteye, lad. This town ain't so far, we'll probably get there at sunrise."

Bender may not have gotten just what he wanted, but Steve got what he wanted! This was exciting. Unfortunately, he didn't really take into consideration just what it could get him into if things don't go the way they want them to. They could wind up in jail or dead if someone got too pissed. Still, he didn't think about it. Maybe he just didn't want to? Either way, it didn't much matter now that they started. Even if he began to think like that, Steve would try to think selflessly about it and convince himself to stay for the sake of Bender. "That old fart needs the help!" he'd likely tell himself.

"Can I just say Bender? Bender O' Iron Will seems so drawn out, y'know?" he replied.

When advised to get some shut-eye, by no means was the halfling going to protest. He was tired as it was, and the repetitive noises of the horse-and-carriage creaking along the road were slowly lulling him into a sleepy state. "Awright," he said in response. "No arguments there!" And with that, the small thing just sort of curled up and laid down where he once sat, curled up in the fetal position to conserve space. Both hands were together between his legs at his knees so they didn't go flying about while he was sleeping if they hit any bumps or had to go fast or something.

Bender sighed a bit."No one ever calls me by me full name." He spoke."Sure, lad. Call me Bender. Ya kids 're lazy. Me mother's named Solitary Rose O' The Dead Beach, 'n I never shortened 'er name ta Rose 'r somethin'. I ain't so lazy." This ramble went on for quite a while, probably even after Steve fell asleep.

Soon though, the pair had reached Stoneridge, and Bender nudged his new partner awake."We're here, lad."

During sunrise a few snowflakes were twirling through the air. It was significantly colder than back in Alifern. The little miner's town was also significantly smaller than Alifern. It were just a few houses surrounded by the mountain's edge and a wooden wall. Bender drove the cart inside, where it became clear the Miner's Guild had a presence here. Their headquarters were at least three times as big as the tavern, and their flags, two red mining picks over a silver, black and gold lump of ore on a white background, were everywhere.

The old pirate gave Stevie a couple of silvers."Go 'n buy us some breakfast, lad. I'm goin' to ask fer clearance to check out the mines." He spoke as he jumped off of the cart, heading for the large building.

The inside of the inn was nothing spectacular. It was a rather dark place with a dimly lit hearth and a couple of furs hanging from the walls. It was busy though. Each miner was here eating and drinking before the working hours began. Their loud talking and laughter was deafening if you stood too close to this mixture between Dwarves and Humans.

Steve probably had to plug his ears in order to get to sleep while the old man rambled on like that, but he was out quickly enough so it didn't much matter. When nudged awake, Steve swatted very gently, wrist limp, but soon put two and two together once he heard his friend's voice. Plus, it was really freaking cold out here and it was hard to stay asleep once he noticed that. Steve was considerably under dressed, wearing his typical overalls and sleeveless shirt. He had no shoes.

So when the halfling was handed the silver, he ran off after he heard the word breakfast. He wanted to be warm! Warm with food. But not to worry - it wasn't that he wasn't listening, but he was shivering so uncontrollably and was also incredibly uncomfortable. Miserable, even. So he nodded his head vigorously and ran off.

When he got there, he ordered a typical breakfast meal for Bender, but got himself some leftover stew from the previous night. Although it wasn't a breakfast food, it was warm and soupy so it was a pleasure to eat in this cold weather. Hell, some nearby woman (likely working for the little establishment herself) took pity on the poor, dirty creature (having assumed Steve was a child) and allowed him to keep the silver if he just went and bought something warm to wear with the money.

Steve was more than happy to do just that! But he'd wait for Bender to tell him what was up. He was just gonna give the guy his money back since he had a little left over from the town before. He may even be able to steal something nice for himself! Like a dress! Wait, what?

When Bender came back inside, he wore his goggles, though bright red marks surrounded his left eye. He looked around, seeing if Buttsey was in here, but apparently he's got the job as foreman in the mines, and thus was already down there long before the other workers.

"I had ta do some... convincin'." He admitted as he sat down and uncovered his cloak. In his mechanical arm he held out two black boots with fur trimmings and a woolen inside."Here's a lil' gift. If ya freeze yer feet off I ain't gonna carry ya. They fit a dwarf, so they better fit you too" He laughed as he took a scoop of his porridge. Hopefully Steve wouldn't ask about his eye now that he had a pair of shiny new boots.

"On a different note, I learned Buttsey's real name. It's a posh one. Harold Delafoure." He said in a faked rich man's voice."We're allowed into the mines ta give 'im a 'business proposition'. 'Is new wife lives 'ere too so should he refuse ta cough up the fragment, we know how ta threaten the basterd. Once we're in the mines, look for a bald guy with a streak o' fur on 'is upper lip. Buttsey's nearly as tiny as you are, so if ya find 'im, gimme a yell."

Steve learned not to ask many questions when it came to body parts. He'd been thrown way too many times for dumb questions like that. When his eyes caught sight of the boots, the little halfling grew mighty happy. That'll warm his feet up, for sure! But the rest of him needed to be properly clothed, so he'd probably still go get something at some point. Probably soon. Speaking of! He handed Bender the silver.

His voice was low and oddly high pitched as he mumbled, "Lady thought I was a kid n' lemme keep the money if I went and got clothes. So 'ere, have yer money back. I got enough for pants and a shirt. Maybe a coat. Thanks for the boots, by the way!"

The halfling pulled himself away and listened to what the old man had to say. "We ain't really gonna hurt her or anythin' if he doesn't cooperate, are we?" he asked. Steve wasn't keen on hurting people who're innocent, but he didn't think they would. He doubted the old man could rightly throw a decent punch, let alone follow through with harming a lady. If he wanted to hurt anybody, he coulda knocked Steve over the head with the shovel when he was grave-digging. So, the little thing just relaxed after thinking it over and listened to the task set out for them.

"So... you want me to find 'im? What're you gonna do?"

Bender laughed when he got his silver back. He had been charitable enough, no need to allow Stevie to keep the silver."Looks like you've got more uses than I thought, laddie. I'll name ya me official free breakfast guy." Thinking he was hilarious, he laughed once more before stuffing his mouth with more porridge.

"I won't hurt the woman. Though keep in mind I'm an Isanian, lad. Women're treated just like men 'round me. Whether Buttsey'll cough up the fragment quick enough ta my tastes 'r not's goin' to decide whether Misses Buttsey'll be safe from me iron fist." He tried to justify. Bender would definitively hurt someone if needed, though he preferred not to do so. Usually his tremendous size and mechanical arm get the job done."I'll be lookin' fer the basterd, too lad. But this 'ere is a big mine. Four eyes see more than one. Should I find the bald basterd, I'll get ya ta join me."

Soon Bender was done with his porridge and stood up."I'll go on ahead 'n start lookin'. I want ta find 'im before this 'ere pack o' miners clouds me vision." With that he left, whether Steve followed or not.

The inside of the mines were large indeed. It was brightly lit, though, riddled with tracks, carts, pickaxes and wooden cabinets similar to those outside. The mines went rather deep as well.

Steve listened intently, keeping his eyes on his stew. When he mentioned women being treated just like men, he didn't look appalled, but sort of relieved and excited. He kept quiet despite that, and fought a smile with some success. He didn't really say anything in return to what he heard about what they were going to do, mostly just nodding in response instead. He was paying attention though, and he showed that by making eye contact most of the time he'd nod.

When Bender announced that he was leaving for the mines, Steve got down from his stool a second later and brushed himself off. "I'll meet up with ya, I'm gonna find some warmer clothes first," he said. So the two departed and went their separate ways. He figured he'd ask where the mine was later, when he was through.

Bender would be on his own for about an hour. It took the halfling about thirty or so minutes to find clothes that would fit (good thing they were in a town full of incredibly short people, it made things easier), and the rest of that time was spent finding someone who'd tell him where to go, then walking there. He could run at a decent pace, but walking was slow. And to be honest, he was still warming up. He left the shops with children's clothes, but they fit well enough. His coat was long and concealed most of what he wore up until his trousers, which were surprisingly tight. They were cloth, though, and not leather. Steve didn't like armor or anything like it, at least on his body. Eventually he got there and would begin to snoop around. His coat had a belt around it, which housed a sheathed dagger. That's all he really needed, right?

Steve saw the size of this place and bit his lip. He had a bad feeling he was going to get lost. Oh well, at least it was well-lit!

By the time Steve got to the mines, it was filled with Dwarves going up and down the mines, using the carts. Apparently the mines were so deep they needed minecarts to go from one place to another. They just hopped in into a cart and drove along the coals and ores up- or downwards.

The Dwarven tech was incredibly precise, though. The carts came with a lever that would abruptly make the cart stop.

The mine seemed to be split up in three central areas. Left, middle and right. The left and right chambers were rather small, while the middle room acted as the main hub of the mines. It was as if this was a little village on its own. The area was filled with wooden shacks and miners appeared from everywhere with bags of coal. Somewhere in this mess were both Bender and Harold.

Using the carts would be beneficial, though it would also draw unwanted attention. Steve decided to travel on foot, which was fine since it was warmer down here and he needed to stretch his legs anyway. His mind was mostly focused on finding the Dwarf in question, though keeping under the radar was a close second. And really, he was doing a decent job of the latter half.

He moved around with ease, the mines a perfect size for him considering how close to the dwarfs he was as far as size went. Still, he was considerably smaller, more so in width than in height. The halfling continued on with no real luck, at least for the better part of an hour or so. Eventually he caught sight of what looked to be the man they were looking for. Unsure, Steve followed him. What else could he do? If he wasn't who he thought he was and he sought Bender, then they returned to this man, they'd probably be screwed over. Well, maybe not too terribly, but he anticipated getting kicked out of the mine. But that wasn't so bad. If that happened, they could search for the man outside of the mine, which would probably take less time.

It hadn't come to that yet, though, so he wouldn't dwell on it too much. Instead, he studied the figure before him as he hid in the shadows to the best of his ability. The man turned around to fix one of the light-sources on the wall, and it was then that Steve recognized that he was probably Buttsey. What gave it away? The mustache! Steve retreated back toward the three-way fork at the beginning. He had been in the left, and now decided to go to the right. If Bender wasn't in there, he'd dive into the center path.

Looks like Stevie did it. That was Buttsey alright, though everyone greeted him with "Harold". He sort of sounded like Bender whenever he spoke; loud and with a mixed accent, categorized under "barely comprehensible."

Finding Bender though was not that difficult. The pirate was easily found surrounded by the short but stout men, even though he was sitting down, surrounded by three other Dwarves, playing cards.

"Lad, yer way out o' yer league." The old man spoke to a bald blonde Dwarf, looking older than Bender."Ach ya overgrown shark basterd, put down ya cards 'n we'll see who's outta who's league."

Dropping down his cards and revealing a ten and a four, the Dwarf jumps up, laughing as if he was being tickled."I knew it! Yer a bluffer!"

It appeared as if he didn't have far to go before he found Bender. Relieved he wouldn't be spending hours and hours within these mines, he rushed to the old man and smacked his leg gently, trying to gain his attention. His expression seemed mildly bothered though, almost as if asking, "Are you seriously playing cards right now...?"

"Bender!" whispered the halfling. "What're you doin'? I found 'im!"

Steve was half bouncing with excitement, which looked sort of funny since he was enveloped in a thick coat. He looked like a neckless, fat stick with tiny feet poking out the bottom. Yeah, the coat was pretty damn long. Maybe down to his knees or mid-calf, couldn't be too sure.

Bender looked at Steve, as if sudden realization hit him. He was in the deep, dark and stinky mines for a reason other than to lose to a Dwarf! The old man nodded and threw a couple of silvers the Dwarf's way."Enjoy, ya lucky basterd." He grumbled as he stood up."If ya want to play, come find me again!" The bald Dwarf laughed as he collected and stood up."Come on, boys. We got work to do." With that, they took their tools and walked away.

"He knew Buttsey, I swear." He explained rapidly to Steve."I just needed ta- why am I justifiyin' meself to ya? I'm an adult, I can do what I damn well like! Now lead me ta where ya found 'im, lad."

Steve shook his head and frowned, walking ahead of Bender. "You shoulda been lookin' too. Eh, whatever, I managed to find 'im and you in good time, so that's good enough." The tiny creature scrambled toward where he last saw Buttsey, pausing to look back and let Bender catch up. He finally arrived where he saw the dwarf last, but couldn't see him right away. He looked about, not quite paying attention to whether or not Bender decided to follow or begin searching on his own accord. Did he lose him?

God, he hoped not.

Bender remained quiet and followed Steve. He didn't want to admit he was right and Bender had been slacking off. What could he say for himself? He likes gambling. Though with no possibility to cheat gambling got a whole bunch more difficult.

Once they were back on the spot, it was more crowded than it was before. There were plenty of bald people around, which made it difficult to pinpoint anyone in this mess. The old pirate did not like that one bit."So it was here, was it lad? Look for anyone with a look o' fear on 'is face. Might be he'll back off as well."

Bender took a deep breath."BUTTSEY!" He yelled through the mines as if he was an actor on stage and wanted the audience to shut up. Almost everyone turned around to look at the pair."Ya've got somethin' o' mine 'n I want it BACK!"

And oh yes, someone near wet himself in the crowd. The little bald man with the mustache that looked like a caterpillar took a few steps back, which Bender did not see.

Steve's poor ears rang when he heard Bender yell. His hands instinctively came up to slap against them, eyes squeezed shut for the duration of the yelling. When he concluded, Steve began to scramble about, gazing at everyone to make sure they weren't Buttsey. He shuffled through them as if trying to search for a specific card in a deck - quick and without thinking.

Finally, he spotted him from a distance. His small size made it easy for him to weave throughout the dwarves and stay relatively hidden from the man they were searching for, so when he spotted him, he'd return to Bender and drag him toward Buttsey. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

Bender followed Steve, but eventually recognized Buttsey as well and chased him down."Buttsey! Get back 'ere, ya slimey eel! If I ya don' stop runnin' I'll gut ya like one!" Sadly, running was something Bender could hardly do. His arm weighed him down tremendously, which Harold A.K.A Buttsey knew. He wasn't about to slow down.

Bender thought of shooting him through the foot, but Dwarves are a rather violent race. If he was to fire a gun, it wouldn't scare the crowd off, unlike with Humans, or most other races. Instead Bender would have the entire mine trying to beat him up. It was in situations like this having a faster and more agile person would pay off. Hopefully Steve would be able to tackle him or slow him down somehow.

Harold was a fast Dwarf, though. He pushed people aside and threw tools to the floor behind him to keep ahead of Bender. He wouldn't know he had a Halfling chasing him until he looks back.

Steve heard the man scream at his 'friend' from behind him, realizing now that he had began to run after the dwarf without thinking of any consequences. Sure, he likely tripped over one tool or another, but he was quick and managed to jump over many of them. And much to Bender's hope, Steve would eventually attempt to tackle the man.

It was hard to catch up, though, what with all the throwing of tools and whatnot. But eventually, he did, and when he got close enough he'd jump and attempt to cling to the dwarf's back. "Stop running!" he'd yell, his voice cracking into a squeak midway through.

Harold figured out too late Steve was with Bender, and had not expected the little Halfling to catch him so easily. The Dwarf stumbled to the floor and tried getting Steve off of him by pulling on his hair. Luckily the Halfling wouldn't have to endure that for long. Bender was soon upon them, and held Buttsey by his collar, using his mechanical arm to lift him up like a puppy that had misbehaved."Let's have a lil' talk, you 'n I. Good job on catchin' 'im, lad." He spoke to Steve, nodding towards a nearby wooden cabin.

Soon a whole bunch of miners were closing in on them, curious as to how their foreman got into trouble with these two. None seemed to have the intention of trying to beat up the pair, though. But just to defuse the situation, Bender put up his loud acting voice again."Harold, I chased ya down fer miles! Yer gonna pay yer gamblin' money up, whether ya like it 'r not!" Hopefully this would stop the miners from interfering, as most were probably the gambling type, a 'sport' Dwarves and Humans alike loved so much.

Bender walked to the wooden cabin, dragging the squirming Buttsey along with him. He refused to scream though. The stubborn pride of a Dwarf.

Inside there was nothing more but an oil lamp and a desk with a crummy chair. Plenty of space for the three of them to meet in. Bender threw the Dwarf rather violently inside."Ya thought ya could hide from me with me property, could ya? I promised ye and yer gang o' misfits I'd chase ya down the depths o' hell if I had to!" Steve probably hadn't heard Bender this angry before. This rage as genuine as it gets.

The Dwarf took deep breaths as it crawled back up."Yer chasin' ghosts, cap'n!" He yelled right back."We still didn' figure this piece o' s**t out!" Bender didn't really like that answer. He revealed the fragment of the map he had retrieved from the Elven corpse."I'm askin' ya one time, 'n one time only, Buttsey. Would ya PLEASE give me me map? I won't hurt ya if ya do. I'll allow ya ta live, 'n I won't tell 'nyone 'bout yer pirate ties. I'll even leave yer wife 'lone. But only if ya give me the fragment."

The Dwarf remained silent, though. Dwarven stubbornness, once more, which made Bender Of Iron Will draw his pistol and aimed it for him."I tried askin' nicely." Buttsey only laughed."Yer not bein' a great example to yer kid over there."

Steve let out a sort of high pitched wail when his hair was grabbed. He had a fluffy mop, so it was easy enough to snatch. Thankfully, Bender got to them relatively quick. His wail concluded rather abruptly and he scurried to follow the two in silence. His heart was pounding and he was a tad shaky, not quite use to wrestling around like that. Or any form of violence, really.

So when they got to that small room and the two began fussing back and forth, all Steve could do was watch. When that gun came out, even though he wasn't quite a child, it was still very shocking. He even whispered his friend's name in a tiny voice! But then the Dwarf said what he had and he grew incredibly frustrated.

"I'm not a kid, ya fat piece of sh*t!" screamed the tiny thing in a voice that squeaked too much for his liking. He was one to talk, what with his thick coat doubling his width, reaching just past his knees. "Shoot 'im in the foot, Bender! Right in the foot!"