Fantasy Rifts [IC][Closed]

[joshuadim]

The Custom's House
Breadman​

"We need Gerwin's services." Arnas added to Fraskia's words and putting emphasis for urgency, as the mention of the Utterlin captain made Lanya's eyes widen in surprise. "We may have entered based on a lie, but we couldn't get any other easy way in to tell the truth." He then pulled out the talisman that the Guardian had given him and gently tossed it over to Lanya, who caught it and inspected it for a moment. "The Guardian sent us for an important task." the young mercenary then continued, "Surely you've heard of what's happened recently? Or at least, heard some hearsay? It's why we're here."

Lanya was quiet for a moment as she set down the talisman onto the table in front of her and sighed: "There have been rumours of what's happened across the continent, yes." she said, "...that new rifts have appeared. Some say it's the end of days." She then looked up to the two strangers in her midst, still harbouring her doubts visibly as she sighed. "And how does he play into this?"

"He knows the best way to get past the elvish coastal patrols. We need to get to Argos. Believe me when I say that if there was another... more reliable way to do so, we would not be here." Arnas then pulled out the small envelope that he had been handed by Gerwin and set it onto the table. "And... he also wanted to give this to you too."

Lanya looked at the parchment for a moment before - with caution - taking and opening it to reveal its contents: a single letter of with the writing in a deep black ink that nearly bled through to the other side. Her eyes scanned over the writings, and her once hardened expression softened from suspicion and agitation to melancholy. Arnas said nothing, save for sharing a glance with Fraskia, as he watched her lean back into her seat and crumpled the letter gently in one hand. "...I've been let down by him so many times, it's hard to keep count. And here he is again, still haunting me and my doings." Lanya cradled the paper close to her chest, and both Arnas and Fraskia could see how tumultuous her thoughts were. "If only you knew him the way I do."

"And we probably never will... but he's willing to help us through all this, and he needs our help first."

Setting the paper back down, Lanya let out another sigh and shook her head: "I can't just... give it to you is the problem." she spoke with resignation, "There's a whole process with appeals, and it would need to be officially judiated..."

Arnas could only pace around the room as Lanya listed the issues, scratching his head in frustration: "Please, there has to be some way. Anything."

A moment passed as Lanya scratched her chin, lost in thought, before pulling out another envelope and set it on the table in front of her. "Well, I said I can't give it to you. But... if you took it, well, that would be another story altogether. I would have to send the guards after you though." She did, however, look uncomfortable as to the potential consequences.

---

The Gutters
Vexumin Oreo Cookie​

Ornam twiddled with the end of his beard as he listened to both Vera and Reece's thoughts on the matter, and let out a quiet snort. "Aye, need to be smart about this. I agree." the dwarf stated as he looked back to the wooden gate leading into the yard before back to Vera. "Alright, I'll have a look. See how many I can make out." he then said quietly, before slowly making his way over to the gate. The wood itself seemed to be in decent condition, which meant there was little in the way of sneaking a look to the inside of the yard and in turn getting a good look at Kiri and his fellows. However, there was a small gap in the planks that provided some leeway and allowed only a glimmer of sight. A moment passed as he stood, hands cupped around his face he struggled to get as much as he could.

Meanwhile, more conversation could be heard from the rowdy bunch that was in the back courtyard of the inn: "Been thinkin' of collecting some o' that brine I been hearin' 'bout." another voice chimed in, "Heard it's good stuff."

"I also heard that it completely screws you. I wouldn't touch that. Stick with the ale and mead." spoke who was presumably to be Kiri.

It was then that Ornam quietly shuffled back to the others and whispered: "I count six. Five if that other one be too drunk ta fight." he said, sparing a glance over to Levy. "I think we can take them if things get ugly."

---

The Sewers
Beann Chaos Gallant Worthlessplebian​

Jannah looked between the trio and the brigands with fearful eyes as the former tried to defuse the situation, offering to heal their man and get their deal through. The leader of the brigands, however, looked less than trusting of such flowered language as he spit onto the mossy bricks below. "Yeah, lay your hands on our lad... then slit his throat yeah?" he asked with a snarl, pointing his blade towards Edoardo. "You're already in league with this scale-fuck aren't you!?" It was more than obvious that he himself, and his other companions, were all intoxicated to varying degrees; and this in turn meant that they weren't in their right minds, seeing enemies everywhere and ultimately seeing those they had confronted as more bodies to deal with as they had before.

"Listen, man-idiot!" Jannah then shouted angrily in response to the insult directed at him, "No bad! They he-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" the brigand shouted again, immedaitely shutting down the kobold's protest and in turn sent him shirking back behind the chair for cover. It was then that he pointed his blade back towards the group, switching targets as if unable to choose who to threaten the most in that moment. A toothy grin encapsulated his face as he turned back to his compatriots: "...I think I smell good business here lads." he spoke, a comment that brought out a series of chuckles from the other men as he turned his attention back to Aelestra, Terrence and Edoardo, before settling his blade on Terrence. " 'specially from this traveling green gobshite... he practically reeks of money. Drop yer weapons, and all your purses, and your belongings. We'll be taking those, and whatever shite your priest has for our man. Then I'll consider letting you all leave here."

 

[Beann]

Aelestra had hoped the offering of free services to aid their writhing companion would be enough to diffuse the situation but of course, it was never that easy when it came to ill-hearted men. While she had been the one to suggest helping the cowering kobold, she could not help but spare Jannah a glance as he threw out an insult to worsen the atmosphere. For a split second, there was a hint of annoyance in her gaze but that quickly faded when her attention returned to the leader of the intoxicated bunch. With his blade pointed at Terrence, the monk instinctively stepped out in front of the merchant and she brought her hands up to sign a quick message directed at the brigand.

‘You turned down our offer to help him. Now, you will receive nothing.’

She allowed a brief pause for Terrence to translate for her before dashing forward, quickly closing the distance between herself and the leader. Aelestra feigned a hook from the left side with the intention of striking his gut with a balled right fist.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Edoardo Vargas Melcher​

Edoardo's hardened gaze gleamed lifelessly in the dim illumination of Jannah's chambers, jaw tight with consternation. His hands remained at his side, cold and steady in the gloom. In ordeals such as this, Sobekoni, the lower rung of their swamps, would've enacted similar demands. As then and now, Edoardo despised the senseless brutality. His amber eyes, with a righteous fury about them, swept the bandits slowly. Then his head shifted to the merchant when the leader levelled a plain blade to him. Though, he could not grasp the basest intricacies of the monk's sign-cant, some meanings transcend the barrier of language. He uttered a prayer for their vagabond souls.

Then Edoardo lunged. The priest became a blur of pale cloth and grey scale, of animalistic, savage motion. His jaw snapped wide, growling. His eyes streaked as though they were orange comets in the night sky. His bared fangs and wicked claws were aimed at a man to the leader's right, his arm outstretched to snatch another close by.

 

[Chaos Gallant]

After translating for Aelestra, Terrence drew his ax, seeing both of his companions charging in. “It is regrettable that you did not take our offer. Unfortunately, I do not think you will have the opportunity to make that mistake twice.” The orc moved forward on the leader, bringing his weapon at the man with an upwards slash.

 

[Breadman]

"What if they were...misplaced?" Fraskia said after some uncomfortable moments of silence. "You are very busy and sometimes you need someone to carry out work for you like transporting permit important papers to storage and vaults." She shrugged "You wouldn't know what exactly has happened to the papers as they were transported. They could get lost somewhere."

 

[Vexumin]

Reece nods his head. The numbers were against them , but he had a good feeling. If it came down to it, he would be right there healing whatever wounds he could manage. He would sling magic to hurt even, should the situation call for it. He clasps his hands around the focus hanging from his neck.

"I am ready. I am with you both. I shall pray for the best," he says. He was starting to get nervous, but he could feel Tereila with him. As he recounts the prayers of his faith in his head, he begins to feel a warmth take him. His demeanor changes, nerves are replaced with an eagerness to see this task done.

A smile spreads across his face.

"Let us hope they see reason."

 

[Oreo Cookie]

“Only six, huh?” Vera mused in a murmur. Not the worst odds, and truthfully, less muscle than she’d expected Kiri to have. Six pairs of fists? That was less a gang and more a gaggle in her book.

She cast a quick look over their own motley crew, a growing assurance that if push came to shove, they'd be able to collect Kiri's debt regardless of what happens. Her sidelong gaze lingered on the elf priest clutching his charm. The pure earnestness he radiated was almost foreign to her. “Aye. Maybe I’ll name my sword Reason, just to be sure they’ll be seein’ it either way.” she replied, her words a jest—mostly.

With a nod to display her readiness, she added, "Let's not keep em waitin'."

 

[joshuadim]

The Customs House
Breadman
​

"What if they were...misplaced? You are very busy and sometimes you need someone to carry out work for you like transporting permit important papers to storage and vaults. You wouldn't know what exactly has happened to the papers as they were transported. They could get lost somewhere."

Lanya visibly pondered it for a moment, before shaking her head: "I... have a reputation to maintain, based on my competence and capabilities. The magistrate would be more than happy to find a reason to get rid of me if I were to misplace such an important document, especially when we are constantly dealing with smugglers and pirates. If one such permit were to be 'misplaced', then the possibility of forgeries would come into question and I would be a suspect in aiding such an effort." She tapped the permit on the table again, indicating her impatience: "This way, I am removed from that possibility as being a victim rather than a suspected perpetrator. We all get what we want in the end... at least, I would hope so. Do you have a way out?"

Arnas exchanged another look with Fraskia as the realization settled, with him mentioning with just a look that this was the best that they were going to get in this situation. The young mercenary then nodded to the Utterlin: "There's some scaffolding at the wall repairs near the back end of the estate, we can use that to make our exit." He gently took the enveloped in between his fingers before stuffing it into a pouch that hung at his belt. "You'll give us a head start, I hope?"

Lanya nodded, but before the duo left she spoke up again: "Wait, before I forget." She quickly inked a quill and pulled out another piece of paper to quickly write down whatever the contents were before stuffing it into another letter and holding it up to Fraskia - as she was closer by that point. "Can you hand this to Gerwin as well? I would greatly appreciate it." On taking the second letter, Lanya then sighed. "Alright, I'll give you ten seconds before I have to ring the alarm. Please don't hurt any of the guards if you can. They're just doing their job."

Arnas nodded, before quickly turning for the doors with Fraskia; once outside her office, he quickly filled in Jordie with the situation by waving a hand briskly towards himself. "Quickly, we'll rush for the second floor before going out the windows at the back to get to the scaffolding." he whispered, making a dash for the stairs.

---

The Gutters
Vexumin Oreo Cookie​

Ornam let out a soft chuckle at Vera's jest, before straightening himself and pulling out his bow as a precaution. "Alright, time ta get to it." he muttered, positioning himself at the courtyard door. Taking a deep breath, he quickly kicked open the door so that he and the others could catch Kiri and his goons by surprise; their target in question, another dwarf with a scar tracing the length of his brow, jumped off the barrel he was sitting on in surprise as Ornam and Vera took the front while Levy kept the exit secure with her blade brandished out front in a menacing manner. A few of the others were a collection of haggard and rough looking men, but what really stood out was Prox - who was a ogre - sitting on the ground clutching at his belly and burping loudly.

"The fuck is this?" Kiri then asked, throwing his hands up in the air - more annoyed than threatened. "Did Konrad send ya gobbers? I told him I ain't payin'-"

"We were sent by Gerwin, you owe him."

Kiri was quiet for a moment, staring at his dwarven counterpart for a moment, before letting out a derisive laugh. "I don't owe that drunkard SHIT!"

Wordlessly, Ornam nocked an arrow onto his bow's string and snorted: "I'll give ye a moment to reconsider that answer."

The threat made Kiri's compatriots put their hands on their blades as well in response, while Kiri himself looked over to Prox with anger. "Get your drunk ass up NOW. The fuck do I pay you for!?"

However, it quickly became clear that the ogre was less than capable as he let out another burp before falling on his back entirely and began to snore. With his greater trump card gone, Kiri was left with only a few pair of hands against the trio and let out a nervous chuckle. "Alright... my memory is coming back to me. But I don't have all the money! I only have half of what I owe him." His eyes darted between Ornam and Vera as he leaned onto the barrel he had just been sitting on, gritting his teeth as he tried to negotiate his way out of this.

---

The Sewers
Beann Chaos Gallant Worthlessplebian​

The ringleader of the brigands was quickly felled as Aelestra first broke his nose, before Terrence's blow sent him sailing back crashing into a wooden crate that shattered on impact from his lifeless body. The rest of the brigands quickly sprung into action, despite their inebriation, as Edoardo quickly lunged forward as well and managed to snatch one man into his jaws - his teeth digging deep into the man's flesh - while the other he tried to grab managed to just barely escape his claws. Enraged by the loss of their leader in the moment, the fighting escalated as steel sang in the air and shouts from the brigands filled the cistern. Janna and his compatriot quickly manage to scamper behind cover at the far end of the chamber, only peeking out the tops of their heads to watch the fighting unfold from relative safety.

Edoardo felt two swords scrape across his hide as a few of the brigands - seeing him as the larger target - band together to try to take him down. A third brigand then charged forward and stabbed his spear into the sobekan's side, before quicking stepping away as Edoardo reactively batted an arm at him. The remaining brigands split their attention between Aelestra and Edoardo, who both managed to evade most blows save for a few scratches that stung more their pride than it did their bodies.

"Fucking die you bastards!" yelled one of the brigands, slashing at Terrence with hate but missed when he easily sidestepped the blow and left him open for a counterattack.

Aelestra in the meantime faced a more difficult situation as another brigand managed to catch Aelestra by using his weight to tackle her onto the ground and brought the shaft of his spear to her neck and began to press down in his violent attempt to crush her neck. Spit gathered at the sides of his mouth as he strained to squeeze the life out of her, veins bulging at the sides of his head from the sheer rage he focused into his attempt to murder her. A large jar of glass - filled with the same brine that Edoardo had drank earlier - then shattered on the man's face, leaving him staggering back off Aelestra and clutching at his visage in pain as the alcohol burned at his glass wounds.

"KILL HIM!" shouted Janna, providing words of encouragement before ducking back into cover.