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

Bender laughed at her comment, but mainly seemed glad that she stuck around. There was no denying this was going to be dangerous. Very dangerous even. Out of the three people they got the fragments on, they at least tried to move on with their lives. Eli'Syn seemed to have embraced her criminal nature, and no doubt she'd be fierce about it."Yer arse stabbin' skills might come in handy, yes. But what I'll be needin' ya for is remainin' in the shadows. It's yer main trait, lass. Yer a nimble one. Havin' someone who's capable o' goin' about unnoticed is very handy indeed. I see 't as a bonus she can break into places clunky ol' me could never reach."

Bender didn't answer to her offer of pulling out the arrow on purpose. Only once they landed in what seemed to be flatlands and farms surrounded by various mountains, did he answer her."Alright, lass. Give it a try once everyone's gone off 'n about." He said as he knelt down, acting like he was tying his boot. Once everyone was gone, he removed one of the laces, though, and bit on it. It was probably not enough to conceal the screams that were about to follow, no matter how big they were.

Stevie thought of this. "I'm good in tiny spaces!" she admitted proudly. Halflings were handy creatures for this, he was right, so maybe she had value after all. Relief settled over her like heavy fog over a river, a smile stretching across her face. When they landed, she was drowsy and half awake. She didn't even notice what he was doing until he began to pretend to tie his boot.

Waking up rather quickly, she stood on the chair so that she could be at a better level with his shoulder and grimaced. Oh this wasn't going to be fun... She tried to part the wound a little with one hand and grab the remaining bit of arrow that wasn't the, well, arrow or the tip. If she pulled and it wouldn't budge, she'd likely have to dig a little bit, and neither of them would be pleased by it. She kept apologizing, too! Didn't wanna hurt the guy.

Bender tried his best not to scream. He tore right through his shoelace, and couldn't keep in his groans of misery any longer. After a few pulls, the arrow was out, though, leaving a bit of a gaping hole. Bender took a nearby tablecloth and stuffed that into his wound."Thanks. Now let's get goin', lass. I've got some medicine in me cart. Hurry up now, before people come 'n check who's bein' murdered in here."

At a brisk pace, Bender left the airship, right in time before people in and check what was going on. Though all they'd find was a bloody arrowhead and a missing tablecloth.

Once they reached the cart, Bender started rummaging in the back, pouring questionable liquids over his open flesh and sticking a more clean cloth over his wound, sticking it on his shoulder with wine. His steel arm felt considerably more heavy now that his shoulder was wounded. Still, he managed to take the reigns and ride towards a nearby mountain.

During the trip, though, something moved through the bushes. It was following them for a while now, and Bender drew his gun after a while, holding his arm right over Stevie's head."Come on out, ya basterd!" He yelled out.

The shape revealed herself. Bender looked like he was in awe. It was a very familiar Ettercap."Hi, Captain, Fidget." She said casually, as if this was no impressive feat."How did ya... when..." "Attached myself to flying wood." She explained."Clung on during flight. Orcs missed arrows, so Bugface alive."

It was hard to do this since he was fighting his screaming. She knew it had to hurt and she counted her blessings that she had not suffered the same wound. However, to her surprise she was able to get the thing out! Once that was through, she followed his suggestion and got the Hell out of there.

The things they left behind were likely going to confuse whoever found them, as well as disturb thanks to the blood, but they'd live. They were travelling now, thankfully not by foot, and she was glad for that. The movement in the bushes did catch the Halfling's attention, but in her nervousness, she tried to ignore it up until the point where Bender drew his gun out at it.

When Bugface showed her mug, Stevie practically jumped for joy. All she could really say was, "BUGFACE! Yer alive!"

"Fidget alive too!" The Ettercap shrieked excitedly. Bender looked around. He couldn't help but smile a bit at Stevie's excitement. Now that was very unlike him. He shrugged it off immediately by asking a pressing question."What're ya plannin' on doin'?"

Bugface shrugged."Go with you guys? Would like to be on a boat again. Less angry Orcs there." Bender shook his head."A couple o' problems there, lass. I'd love ta have ya, but right now, we ain't travelin' for me ship. We're goin' ta Eli'Syn's lair. Second, d'ya see any hidin' places 'round 'ere? If Orcs wanted ya dead for bein'... well, you, think o' what a bunch o' bandits would do to ya."

Just the name Eli'Syn made Bugface shudder."Syn bad person. Captain should not go see her. She changed. Scary now. And angry." Bender looked over at the backside of his cart and searched for something. He nearly toppled over until he found what he needed. He had an iron coin with him. One that pictured a grinning skull with two crossed pistols."Get yer jittery arse ta Fossler's Port. Me ship's stationed there. Ya'll recognize a couple o' me crew members, I bet. Jorlaf's bound ta recognize ya. 'N in case he ain't 'round, show 'em me coin. They'll let ya board me Moneymaker." He explained as he threw the coin at Bugface, who catched it."So captain forgive Bugface for taking map?" Bender nodded."Sure, lass. Just hurry to me ship before I change me mind."

With that, the Ettercap ran off, but not without waving at Stevie."See Fidget on ship!" She cried out like a child who was about to go on a play date.

Soon the cart kept on riding, and after an hour of riding, Bender suddenly stopped."Gotta leak, lass. Watch me stuff, will'ya?" He didn't wait for an answer. The old man ran off into the fields, looking for a tree or a bush or anything of the like.

Meanwhile, an person would approach the cart from behind, as if appeared out of nowhere. These roads were very empty, even though there's so many farms around."Excuse me, madame, are you passing by Fossler's Keep by any chance?" A gentle voice asked. The man was a Tiefling, and a very tall one at that. He has a very dark red complexion with yellow eyes to match it, partly covered by his thin and long black hair. His long horns curled to the sides of his temples like those of an ox, giving him a demonic look about him, though his white plate armor and yellow cape diminished that feel a little. On his back was a gigantic steel broadsword that shimmered in the light. The handle was shaped into that of a dragon's head with sapphires for eyes. Truly an armor fit for a knight.

Steve smiled and just sat there in silence, watching the interaction between Bender and Bugface. The halfling was excited to have Bugface interested in coming, but as the conversation went on, it seemed less and less likely. It wasn't too disheartening, though, because in the end the Ettercap got what she wanted. And of course, her departing statement filled Stevie with excitement. Did that mean she would one day get to see his ship? OOOH HOW EXCITING! Even though Bender said nothing about it, she already grew excited.

"Bye-bye, Bugface!" she called back. "Seeya again soon!"

With that, she sat back and glanced to the captain as he explained he had to pee. She probably should sometime soon, too, but she didn't really have to go that bad. She could wait a few more hours. "Okay, have fun," she joked.

While he was gone, she sat in silence until the Tiefling approached. It surprised her, but she wasn't exactly too scared or anything. A little bit, because she tended to judge appearances sometimes, but his voice was gentle enough to make her feel a little more comfortable. She thought on that. Was it "Keep?" or "Mountain" they were going to. Or was it both?! They both had "Fossler's" in their name, so she thought either way they'd get close to the area he spoke of. Maybe he had some information about the terrain or something helpful!

"Oh! Yeah, why? Bumpy road up ahead?" she questioned, grinning a little bit. She felt especially tiny now, though, considering his height. She looked around. "Ay, where'd you come from anyway?" She didn't see another cart.

The Tiefling grinned a bit and took a deep bow."My lady, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ser Hansel Verstaadt." He introduced himself formally."Don't let my sudden appearance dishearten you, my lady. My kind is quite good at staying out of sight. Sadly, it is a trait many resent us for."

At that point, Bender returned after having found a bush that seemed thirsty. The knight's sudden appearance had shocked him as well."Where'd this shiny fella come from?"

"Ah, I see you have a partner with you. My name is Ser Hansel Verstaadt, good sir." Bender nodded."A knight, are ya? Didn' know they accepted Tieflings in the Silver Order these days." The pirate had recognized this particular armor.

Hansel laughed."Hah, good sir, I had no idea either. Our blood is tainted, but our hearts are pure. The day I got accepted into the Order was both the most surprising as the most joyful day of my life. But back to business, I would be ever so grateful if I were given a ride to Fossler's Keep. I take it you're heading there? You seem to be a merchant of some sort. "

Bender shook his head."No, but I s'pose we can take ya to the crossroads. By the time we get there you'll be rested well enough." The pirate looked at Stevie."Care ta drive a knight around, lass?"

Stevie just sat in silence as the Tiefling bowed and made his reply. "Oh, I'm Steve. Stevie. Whichever," she smiled wide. My oh my, a knight! Only time she was spoken to by a knight was when she was being scolded for stealing something edible out of vendors on the streets. When Bender returned, Steve looked back and grinned at him.

"I'unno! He just kinda showed up," she said in reply, but she didn't seem disturbed by this at all. What a kind lad! When Bender and Hansel exchanged words, the Halfling remained quiet and smiling. When attention was on her concerning giving the knight a ride, she nodded.

"I'm okay with that," she replied. "You wanna sit in the middle or on the edge?" Didn't matter to her any. She could sit on either considering she took up so little space, without likely making the knight or Bender uncomfortable by squishing them up close together.

"Oooh no." Bender interrupted Stevie's request."If the knight wants a ride, he's sittin' in the back with me food 'n drink." He grinned as he stepped back into his seat. The knight only laughed."That is fine by me, sir. I have traveled in worse circumstances, trust me. Once I had to drive a truly monstrous and muddy pig from some middle of nowhere village into the big city. 'Twas not a pretty sight, though many were amused by it." He told the pair as he stepped onto the cart and made himself comfortable in between a sack of cabbages and a wooden chest.

The drive took a little while before Hansel started talking again."Forgive me if I seem nosy, but, you do realize there's a creature following us, right?" Bender looked over his shoulder. But it was just Bugface who had to traverse the same road in order to get to Fossler's Port. She did her best to stay concealed, but that was not easy when there were only small bushes alongside the road and no forests."Oh, she's harmless. Throw 'er a piece o' meat, she'll be satisfied." The knight nodded."So, what are your stories, fine people? Been on the road long?" He asked curiously as he looked around for some dried meat to throw.

Stevie tilted her head. She thought that was a little rude, but wouldn't say anything about it. It's Bender's cart after all. She shrugged it off and found herself amused by the knight's story. When silence ensued, the Halfling allowed herself to be sleepy.

Of course, she wouldn't rightly fall asleep just yet because the moment she felt herself slipping, Hansel spoke of a creature following them. Terrified, she jumped up and looked behind them. A big grin stretched across the girl's face as she called out, "Bugface!" She waved at her but looked over to the Tiefling as he casually questioned them.

"Not too long together, I dun' think. I wouldn't call it long. Days. I been walkin' around for a while though. Few years. No reason!" she said happily in response. There was a small reason, but it wasn't really a big one. Just got tired of her home. It wasn't an incredibly happy environment and Stevie loved incredibly happy things. Plus, there wasn't a lot of adventurin' you could do from your house! Especially as a kid.

When Stevie cried out Bugface's name, both Hansel and Bender looked at her."You know this creature?" He asked when she was done talking about herself. Bender had to think of something quickly. Not everyone had a good disposition towards Ettercaps. Could be Hansel might want to chop her down rather than throw a piece of meat at her."Ettercaps talk, lad. She ain't an agressive one. She just reeks." The knight nodded at that."I see..."

Bender decided to tell a little about himself, just to keep the knight's mind off of the monster following them."I come from Isania, was the middle child o' a big family. 'T least twelve sisters 'n four brothers I had. All we really did was work on me mother's fishin' ship. We were a crew on our own, which's pretty cheap for her considerin' she don' have ta pay us all that much. But o' course I didn' like that dull life o' workin' 'n seein' the same faces constantly. So I left when I was... how old was I again? Sixteen 'r somethin'. Twas on the day I earned me new name. Been spendin' me life on the sea ever since, tradin' with foreigners 'n scavengin' for valuables."

That did the trick. The knight forgot all about Bugface."A man your ripe age must have seen much." Bender rolled his eyes."Why do ya young folk always insist on makin' me feel old. Most I've seen 's water, really, with the occasional hunk o' floatin' wood we call boats. Now what about yerself, lad? What brings ya to this desolate boring piece o' dirt."

The stretched his arm."You realized I was knight of the Silver Order. So you'll also realize my order hunts down evil of all sorts. Bandits, rogue mages, cursed beings, witches, you name it. I suggest sticking to the roads, my friends. Fossler's Mountain has become dangerous. Common folk speak of strange lights coming from the caverns at night. I'm here to investigate."

Hm. Competition for the mountain, it would seem. It would take an hour or so before the cart had reached the crossroads.

One way lead clearly to a nearby settlement. The watchtowers were visible from here, even during dusk. The other lead to seemingly nowhere. The distance promised only more flatlands.

"I thank you for the ride, my friends." Hansel spoke as he gave the pair two silver coins each."May the roads be calm." He said as a manner of saying goodbye before hopping off the cart and walking the road to Fossler's Keep. Bender turned the other way, to the road that lead to seemingly nowhere.

Stevie just sort of hunkered down when the both of them gave her that look. The question was something she didn't know how to respond to, but at least Bender took care of that for her. With a tiny sigh of relief, she just remained quiet while she listened to Bender and Hansel exchange stories. Hers was a little boring now that she thought about it, but really there wasn't much to go into. She was still so young.

The thought of lights in caverns made her both nervous and excited. She wondered what it could be! However, the thought of something magical made her uneasy. The Halfling was quite afraid of that. Now that they arrived at the crossroads, Stevie turned her attention to the knight. The silver was much appreciated, evident by how she lit up when he gave it to her. "Ah, thank you! Be careful," she'd say.

When they began to move again, the Halfling pocketed the coins and looked over to Bender. "How long does this road go on?" she asked. "Wonder how much longer we have...." She didn't want to admit she was nervous, but she was. She tried to ignore all the little stories between Bender and Bugface about how frightening this woman could be.

[OOC: Sorry this took so long!]

Bender came to the same realization as he told his story to Hansel. Stevie's story had only just begun. It was easy for an old man to forget someone hasn't got all that much life experience likeh does. This would be one to brag about to her next of kin, should she be fortunate enough to have those. Bender did wish he had that.

"Not all that long, lass. Once we drive a lil' closer, you'll see it goes downhill from one point. But we ain't goin' there yet." He explained as he looked over his shoulder. The knight was gone, and Bender briskly parked his cart in between the trees.

"Up the mountain's where we go." He said as he hopped off. The sun was setting, already. Though hardly noticeable, Stevie might make out a dim red light coming from one of the top caves, where the snow was starting to set.

((OOC: No worries!))

Stevie glanced over to Bender when they were alone again. "Oh, goes downhill? If we're not goin' there, where we goin'?" she asked. And, of course, as soon as she'd say that, they'd turn and pull to the side between a few trees. She stepped down and looked up at the mountain. "Ahhh we gotta climb that...?" she complained. Not like she wouldn't do it, she was already grabbing her coat and closing it around her.

If memory served her right, she took the dagger she used to stab the orc up the butt. May need it! Once found, she'd shove it in her pocket because her dress had no belt and she had nowhere else to put the damn thing. "How long do you think it'll take us? We gon' freeze to death?" Full of questions tonight it seemed! "Think Bugface is ok?"

Bender Of Iron Will looked up the mountain wall."It ain't a far climb, lass. If I'm right, after about... thirty minutes o' climbin' we'll reach a pathway. Should be unguarded, 'n if it is, I'm sure Eli'Syn wouldn't miss a few goons." The pirate handed Stevie his gloves. They were far too big for her, though."Try 'n tie them 'round yer hands with some rope 'r somethin'. Yer fingers'll bleed if ya don't protect 'em from them sharp rocks. Not all o' us are 's lucky 's me ta have a mechanical arm." He grinned as he twitched his steel fingers into a fist three times. He wasn't sure whether she had gloves of her own, if she did, Bender would probably find out immediately.

Before they would cascade the mountain's wall, though, Bender took a thick rope from his cart and tied it around his waist."Should'ya fall, I'm pretty sure I can hold ya up, lass." He laughed."Should I fall, though, keep yer knife close. Cut yerself loose if need be. I've got sea legs, no climbin' ones."

After a few deep breaths, Bender would walk to the mountain's wall and look up. He took his hat off, allowing his silver hair to flow freely over his shoulders. The hat would be tucked in within his overcoat. Once his mechanical arm raised his body up the wall, the climb had begun.

Stevie looked up as he did. Even when she grabbed the gloves and put them on, her eyes were glued to the mountain. She was decent enough at climbing smaller trees, but she'd never climbed a mountain before. This could prove to be a bit on the difficult side.

When he pulled out the rope and began to explain what would happen if either of them fell, she shook her head. "Let's... not think about that, hahah...," she said nervously. Of course it had already been said, so there wasn't any use in telling him not to go on about it now.

Despite really, really not wanting to climb, they began to do just that. She was slow, very, very slow. Careful, too! Her knife was in her pocket, and she wasn't too sure she'd be able to snatch it out in time if he fell before she'd go down, too. But even if she could, the Halfling wasn't even sure if she'd be able to cut it knowing it may mean he'd get injured or killed.

The mountain's wall proved to be a rather easy climb. The stone was sturdy and could even hold Bender's weight. The climb didn't even take too long. After thirty minutes of scaling the rocky wall, the duo would reach a flat area, where they could rest a bit. The rest of the way up was a steep walk, but the climbing part was over.

Bender pulled his companion up once he reached said flat area and collapsed to the floor, taking heavy breaths."Th' things I do fer gold..." He muttered. The elder looked up into the air. Now that the sun was down, it was easy to see the various lights coming from different caves. There were quite a few to be seen. Most of the lights had a blood red color, while others a deep purple. It was both a beautiful as well as a scary view."Still want ta go on, lass?" He grinned.

After a while, when they rested, Bender got up again, dropping the rope from his waist and making the final trek up to the nearest cave. Though still steep, it was not so difficult to scale this part. Soon the entrance would be reached, where the duo would figure out what generated these strange lights. The entrance was unguarded, but there were cages filled with strange red crystals in them. Going near them would feel incredibly warm, and there seemed to be more of these filled cages deeper within the cave."Be wary." Was all that Bender said as warning.

Steve was lucky not to have to finish the last foot or so of the climb due to Bender pulling her up. It was times like these when she was happy being small. It might have been a short climb normally, but for her it was pretty taxing. As they rested, she leaned forward with her arms draped over her knees and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I wanna go, just... gimme a sec' please," she replied, placing her hands on the ground between her legs and leaning forward in a stretch. After doing that a few times, she wiped her eyes and got up to her feet.

She surveyed the caves, although her eyes were especially drawn to the one they were approaching. She was a little nervous about the source of the light, but upon entering, she was able to approach the crystals. The Halfling was grinning from ear to ear! They were very warm without touch, though she was almost too wary to do so just yet. "Woooow! They're so pretty!" she whispered. After that, she'd run to catch up and kept close to him as they walked, just gawking happily at the pretty warm glow-y things.

Bender Of Iron Will eyed them."I've no idea what they're s'posed ta be." He admitted."Substitute fer fire, maybe?" He had been thinking out loud, but after entering the cave, he had an idea."Lass, I'll need ya 'gain." He said as he suddenly turned towards her and knelled down to her level.

"Remember the knight from earlier? I'll bet all me gold him 'n 'is order'll attack this 'ere place tonight. Though should they see us 'ere I doubt they'll believe us ta be innocent bystanders. How 'bout we try 'n get these people's trust? We warn Eli'Syn 'bout dem knights. I'll make a whole commotion 'n try ta get 'er ta tell me where she hid her bloody fragment. Once we know where the thing is, ya slip out o' sight 'n go look fer it. If we got them bandit's trust, they'll probably let ya walk freely 'n ya won't have to face their blades." He explained."Got any ideas yerself, lass? I'm quite open to 'em. Me own plans always seem ta backfire somehow." He referred to both the incident with the dwarves in the mines and the Orcs who nearly killed Bugface.

Stevie looked up to listen to the man as he explained the plan he had. She appreciated him kneeling down on her level - sometimes her neck could ache trying to look up all the time. "I was gonna suggest sneakin' around either way. At least your plan sounds more thought-out," she replied. "It didn't backfire completely though. We all got out in one piece and got what we wanted. No one was seriously hurt 'r anythin'. 'Sides. I've never dealt with bandits before, so I'm not sure what I'd even do other than just hide myself and try to find the thing. I'm kinda good at that." When she's trying that is.

The Halfling finally shrugged and just stood there, waiting for any change in plans to be made or the word to go ahead and get the ball rolling.