The Rebel [KurtH6355]

[Lorsh]

Maci gratefully accepts the money from you, and walks off in the other direction after bidding you farewell, somewhat nervously. You walk down the sidewalk towards your residence, noticing the extremely decrepit buildings of this area of the city. A few yards containing appetizing mushroom patches have been sealed off with makeshift barbed wire.


A sallow-skinned prostitute in her thirties or forties solicits you as you walk by, standing near an alley. "Twenny certs, fella? Whaddya say? I'm real open to different stuff." She flutters her eyelashes.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Francis ignores the woman of the night, being no pleasure-seeker. He sighs, at the state of the slums. He always tried to stay clean - Now look at him, covered in blood that wasn't his, in dirt from a hellish trip to those tunnels. Atleast he had the backpack, and would get paid. He tried to think back - How many certs had he been offered for the job?

 

[Lorsh]

You were offered two hundred certs, which isn't exactly much. Rebels usually aren't in it for the money, anyway. You hear a police helicopter fly overhead as you see a few posters lining the grimy brick wall of the post office. These things were usually less common in the slums. There was likely a security camera hidden somewhere, in case anybody tried to tear them down.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Francis shook his head in disappointment, and looked around for a camera. If there are no cameras around, he rips them down. If there are cameras around, he just keeps watching, his weapons and armor concealed.

 

[Lorsh]

You don't happen to see any security cameras around, so you go about tearing down the posters, seven in all. The paper either crumples in your hands, or blows away in the wind. A junker drives by.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Francis smiles at his vandalism, and then continues walking through the dark streets of the slums, running a hand through his hair. He looked around suspiciously at his surrounds, paranoid due to where he is.

 

[Lorsh]

The alleys seem to stretch out and become wider as you walk onward, and you see a few folks standing around barrel fires. You see a bruised young girl advertising herself in a skimpy outfit, while a well-dressed mab (for a slum dweller) lazes on a nearby couch. Probably her pimp. She forces a smile and waves at you. "Fiffy certs," the man mutters.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

"Fifty, huh?" Francis asks, walking forward. "How about this - No fuckin' certs. This girl don't deserve this treatment." Francis said, drawing his Orderkeeper and holding the pistol by his side. "Come on, girl, we're leaving." He says to the prostitute, glaring at the pimp. "I fuckin' dare you to draw on me, pal. I killed a Watchman for this thing, I can handle a lowlife whore-keeper."

 

[Lorsh]

The pimp raises his hands, and you see beads of sweat begin to form on his face. Even the young prostitute seems dumbfounded. "Calm down, take her," he tells you, frantically seizing her arm and shoving her over towards you. She glances around, not seeming to know what to do. You see a few grizzled slumfolk over by one of the barrel fires glance over at you, but their interest doesn't seem to be very high.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

"Be nicer to a woman and maybe you could get laid without having to pay. Save a bit of cash." Francis says, taking the girl by the arm and gently pulling him behind her, putting himself between him and her former pimp. "If you have keys to a car, or a weapon, hand them over - Slowly." Francis orders. "Aswell as any certs you have on you. I don't want the wallet, just the cash." Francis continues, still holding the Orderkeeper slightly raised. "I'm shaking you down, fuckface."

 

[Lorsh]

"Fuck off," the man mutters as he reaches into the pockets of his leather jacket, patting himself for his cert-purse. He takes it out, digging around briefly before throwing a bunch of cert-notes at you. They flutter onto the ground, but luckily none of them blow away yet. However, it attracts the eyes of the loitering slumfolk, who appear a great deal more interested in the scene now.


The girl's eyes flick down towards the money, and then back towards the angry pimp. She then nudges you cautiously, leaning in and just barely whispering something. "He's packing heat..."

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Francis takes a step back, making the whore step back aswell, and raises the gun, now pointing at the pimp. "Pick them up, now! And give me your gun!" Francis orders, his finger on the trigger. "Anyone who comes near here will regret it!" Francis says harshly.

 

[Lorsh]

The pimp shakes a bit, but an expression of fury is still on his face. He bends over and plucks the cert-notes off the ground, and also slowly takes out a snubnosed slum pistol, holding it by the barrel towards you. "Okay, okay. Here, buttfucker," he spits. The prostitute cowers and takes a few steps back.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Francis scowls and takes both the pistol and the cash, before smacking the pimp across the forehead with the gun, likely knocking him unconscious due to the force of the strike. He then pockets the cash and slum pistol. "Let's go." He says to the prostitute, keeping his gun out as they walked away.

 

[Lorsh]

You club the man in the head, and he slumps over, as expected. A few slumfolk from over by the barrel fire begin to creep over towards him as you leave, and begin to pat him down for other items. If you bothered to count, you seem to have obtained 131 certs in all. The ammunition you saved earlier is also now usable in the pimp's pistol you recently acquired.


"How will I make money now...?" the young girl asks as she is lead away. "And... I'm a little worried that you may have... angered some even worse people, by doing that..." she says worriedly.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

"I'm not worried about it." Francis said simply, putting his gun away. He turned to the prostitute, a serious expression on his face. "If you want to keep doing this, fine. I just didn't want him to remain as your pimp. If you're paranoid of this guy, just tell me where he lives and he won't see the light of tommorow.

 

[Lorsh]

"I don't know where he lives," the girl says with a nervous shrug. She seems to cautiously glance up and down the street. "I'm just... worried, is all," she tells you. "T-Thanks for trying to help and everything, but..."

 

[Lord Bradorian]

"I'm offering you my home for the night, breakfast in the morning, your pimp's pistol and two magazines and a half, and fifty certs. Buy a phone with the fifty certs, something cheap, and text me so I've got your contact. If you get in trouble again, just text the number." Francis says, continuing to walk forward, his guns holstered.

 

[Lorsh]

"A-Are you sure?" the girl asks, seeming uncertain about the gun. "I'm not sure i-if I'd know how to use it... and... well, I don't want to get caught with it." She scratches the back of her head. "Oh, and, uh... fifty certs for like... free?" she asks, as if you were trying to purchase her services.


A gray junker drives by somewhat slowly before making a right turn up ahead.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Francis eyes the junker as it turns, not speaking for a second. "It's like a camera - Point, and take a picture. Just instead of a picture, you take a life." Francis says. "And yes, fifty certs for free. But don't use it to buy drugs or something. Get a phone, and text me. I'm not going to pay to fuck you." Francis continues.

 

[Lorsh]

"Umm... uh, okay," the girl says, unsure of how to respond to your quick verbal firearms lesson. She seems to brighten up a bit when you tell her that she is getting a free handout, and she nods when you tell her not to purchase narcotics with it. "D-Don't worry," she says. You briefly see the gray junker again, but it turns around another corner.


You're getting closer to home. Only another block or two.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

"That car is sketching me out - Come on, let's start moving." Francis says, grabbing her by the arm more roughly than he intended, and beginning to speed up their pace, now at about a jog.

 

[Lorsh]

The girl winces a little and begins to pick up the pace. You continue heading towards your home, and soon it is within sight. "Are we almost there?" the young former prostitute asks you.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

"Yeah." Francis says, and looks around as they run, hoping not to spot the junker. He knows they are attracting quite a bit of attention due to the fact that they're running, but it's better than getting hit with a drive-by. He just wants to get in his house.

 

[Lorsh]

You manage to reach your doorstep, but you catch a glimpse of the gray junker in the distance, behind you. You see it park near an alley, but it's rather far away. You cannot make out who is driving it.


The girl seems oblivious to it all, however. "Is there where you live?" she asks, having a slight look around at the facade of your residence.