Heroica RPG - Quest #138: Fade To Black

[Endgame]

"Me? No. I got nothing else to offer you except Puffy - I'm no good in combat. To use it, just throw the lever on top. Throwing it to the left creates a burst of remedial mist, while shifting it to the right fires a concentrated jet of the stuff.

Best of luck."

The party begins passing through the Commoner's Quarters in order to leave the small town and make their way through the forests. There, they meet a distressed mother and her child...

"Please, my son and I are starving. I have nothing to give you, but could you spare some food?"

At the sight of Skrall, the young boy darts even further behind his mother, afraid of the ogre.

"Mommy, the big monster, h-hes scary... Is he gonna eat me...?"

"Laurence! That is no way of talking to anybody." The other turns back around to the party, and sighs. "I-I'm sorry, sir, he's never met an ogre before... I'm sorry if he insulted you."

[Lind Whisperer]

"Me? No. I got nothing else to offer you except Puffy - I'm no good in combat. To use it, just throw the lever on top. Throwing it to the left creates a burst of remedial mist, while shifting it to the right fires a concentrated jet of the stuff.

Best of luck."

Lind looked at the piece of machine with obvious love. "The next obvious squabble will be over who gets to carry it...

I, of course, submit my candidacy..."

The party begins passing through the Commoner's Quarters in order to leave the small town and make their way through the forests. There, they meet a distressed mother and her child...

"Please, my son and I are starving. I have nothing to give you, but could you spare some food?"

Lind tossed the woman the container of Barnacle Broth and 20 gold. "'S'not much, but maybe it'll help..."

[Kintobor]

Karie watches as Lind donates his goods to the group.

"So where are you guys from? Around this town?"

[JimBee]

Jinnipher stands silent at the back of the group with her arms crossed. There was nothing she could do for these people except slay the dragon as soon as possible.

[Waterbrick Down]

"Me? No. I got nothing else to offer you except Puffy - I'm no good in combat. To use it, just throw the lever on top. Throwing it to the left creates a burst of remedial mist, while shifting it to the right fires a concentrated jet of the stuff.

Best of luck."

The party begins passing through the Commoner's Quarters in order to leave the small town and make their way through the forests. There, they meet a distressed mother and her child...

"Please, my son and I are starving. I have nothing to give you, but could you spare some food?"

At the sight of Skrall, the young boy darts even further behind his mother, afraid of the ogre.

"Mommy, the big monster, h-hes scary... Is he gonna eat me...?"

"Laurence! That is no way of talking to anybody." The other turns back around to the party, and sighs. "I-I'm sorry, sir, he's never met an ogre before... I'm sorry if he insulted you."

Skrall looked down at the little one and his mother, "No offense taken, besides there's much bigger things than me roamin' 'round these parts. Caution is a friend to both the weak and the wise. We don't carry rations with us, is there anything else ya could use?"

[Endgame]

The woman gratefully catches the bowl of broth, trying her hardest not to drop it, and gives a respectful bow.

"Thank you, sir - thank you so much!"

Karie watches as Lind donates his goods to the group.

"So where are you guys from? Around this town?"

"Yes, we're from here. Rations are on a "first come, first serve" basis, and we've been stiffed twice..."

Skrall looked down at the little one and his mother, "No offense taken, besides there's much bigger things than me roamin' 'round these parts. Caution is a friend to both the weak and the wise. We don't carry rations with us, is there anything else ya could use?"

"I hope it isn't too much to ask, but could you spare a remedy?"

Laurence seems to calm down, a bit.

"Do you think you're scary enough to scare that dragon away?"

Edited July 29, 2015 by Endgame

[Waterbrick Down]

Skrall bent down and handed over the remedy, "I've faced down bigger things that didn't live long enough to learn to be scared of me, little one. Keep yer head up and yer wits about ya."

Edited July 29, 2015 by Waterbrick Down

[Lind Whisperer]

Laurence seems to calm down, a bit.

"Do you think you're scary enough to scare that dragon away?"

Lind stretched. "Kid, I've faced the dragon solo. And trust me, Vorpalis isn't as formidable as you'd think he be.

I mean, sure, he's forty, maybe fifty feet tall, with four horns, bright blue claws that can make fog explode, he can breath fog that can give you nightmares and explode, and he wants to kill pretty much anyone he meets - but all in all, he's not that scary.

Now star lizards - star lizards are scary."

Skrall bent down and handed over the remedy, "I've faced down bigger things that didn't live long enough to learn to be scared of me, little one. Keep yer head up and yer wits about ya."

"What he said."

"Not to ruin the moment, but we might want to move on towards the forests, now. There's dragons - well, dragon - to be slain."

[Endgame]

The young boy smiles and nods at Skrall's encouragement, only to go right back into being terrified at Lind's remark...

"Please don't, sir..."

[Endgame]

With their business with the beggar settled, the party heads towards the woods...

QM Note: Update coming soon to a theater near you!

Edited July 30, 2015 by Endgame

[Endgame]

The air soon turns oppressive and dark as the party steps out of the clean air of Yukumo and back into the black fog enveloping the rest of the country. They make way through the woods, trekking over the roots and stumps of the plants, pushing towards Mermont. Winding over various fields, hopping the fence and trekking throguh a plot of farmland if need be, the party soon meets a duo in the woods...

An ogre and a moon elf.

"Oy. The hell d'ya think you lot are?"

"You look mighty familiar..."

[Lind Whisperer]

"Oy. The hell d'ya think you lot are?"

"You look mighty familiar..."

"Without any information to the contrary, my guess is they're evil duplicates of us..." Lind muttered to the rest of the group.

Lind stepped forward, and spread his hands apart. "Who do we think we are? Excellent question. I personally think myself to be an aspiring trickster rogue, with a clever tongue and a fairly impressive vocabulary.

The moon elf thinks she's leading the group, and that she's a princess, while the ogre hunter thinks and knows that he's the actual leader. The mystic knight thinks he's in love with a elf that sounds suspiciously like my love, and the witch thinks that she's really tired of listening to the moon elf and I.

Perhaps, a more useful question would be who are you two?"

[The Chosen Minifigure]

Lind stepped forward, and spread his hands apart. "Who do we think we are? Excellent question. I personally think myself to be an aspiring trickster rogue, with a clever tongue and a fairly impressive vocabulary.

The moon elf thinks she's leading the group, and that she's a princess, while the ogre hunter thinks and knows that he's the actual leader. The mystic knight thinks he's in love with a elf that sounds suspiciously like my love, and the witch thinks that she's really tired of listening to the moon elf and I.

"Lind, let the adults talk now." He gestured to Skrall, Karie and Jinnipher.

[JimBee]

Jinnipher cast a sideways glance at Skrall, then addressed the Moon Elf, speaking in their own tongue with a sense of diplomacy. "<Finally, a familiar face. I am Jinnipher Buchaire of Mermont. King Faust hired us to kill this dragon. Who are you?>"

[Lind Whisperer]

"Lind, let the adults talk now." He gestured to Skrall, Karie and Jinnipher.

"If you want to define yourself as not being an adult, that's your choice, but unfortunately, I have reached the age of physical maturity. Admittedly, the jury's still out on behavioral maturity..."

Jinnipher cast a sideways glance at Skrall, then addressed the Moon Elf, speaking in their own tongue with a sense of diplomacy. "<Finally, a familiar face. I am Jinnipher Buchaire of Mermont. King Faust hired us to kill this dragon. Who are you?>"

Lind addressed the ogre. "Out of curiosity, where's y'alls Munchkin? I need to kill him before everyone starts voting to swap him out for me."

Linds surreptitiously removes the Medal of Valor and equips his Anniversary Medal.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[Kintobor]

"If you want to define yourself as not being an adult, that's your choice, but unfortunately, I have reached the age of physical maturity. Admittedly, the jury's still out on behavioral maturity..."

Lind addressed the ogre. "Out of curiosity, where's y'alls Munchkin? I need to kill him before everyone starts voting to swap him out for me."

"You're seriously still on this idea that they're evil doubles?" Karie's palm masterfully directed itself to her forehead. "Look, I've fought evil doubles of myself. Twice, actually! These people-" Karie motions to the ogre and moon elf, "are not evil doppelgangers!"

Edited July 30, 2015 by Kintobor

[Lind Whisperer]

"You're seriously still on this idea that they're evil doubles?" Karie's palm masterfully directed itself to her forehead. "Look, I've fought evil doubles of myself. Twice, actually!

"My congratulations - that's quite an accomplishment!" the Munchkin said, with complete sincerity.

These people-" Karie motions to the ogre and moon elf, "are not evil doppelgangers!"

"...You're the one with "in-the-field" experience in the matter, not me, but how many ogres do you really run into on an island populated almost solely by Moon Elves? Plus, he's carrying a big club, which would make sense, if he's supposed to be an evil version of our crossbow wielding leader..."

[Kintobor]

"If these two wind up being evil versions of our group members, I will personally eat your silly green hat." Karie replies.

[Lind Whisperer]

"If these two wind up being evil versions of our group members, I will personally eat your silly green hat." Karie replies.

"Only problem being that some nimrod glued the hat to my head, else I'd have taken it off a very, very long time ago." He leaned closer and grimaced. "I'm getting the bad feeling I was the nimrod."

"...Don't ask me why, because I don't know."

[Waterbrick Down]

Skrall grunted at the other Ogre, "Not often ya seen two of us in the same place. We're just simple folk passin' through, not lookin' fer trouble, I'd hope you are as well."

[Endgame]

Lind stepped forward, and spread his hands apart. "Who do we think we are? Excellent question. I personally think myself to be an aspiring trickster rogue, with a clever tongue and a fairly impressive vocabulary.

"Doesn't matter what you think of yourself, only what others think of you. And i think you're better off as a jester or clown."

Jinnipher cast a sideways glance at Skrall, then addressed the Moon Elf, speaking in their own tongue with a sense of diplomacy. "<Finally, a familiar face. I am Jinnipher Buchaire of Mermont. King Faust hired us to kill this dragon. Who are you?>"

<My name is Melody. And Vorpalis has put a bounty on your heads.>

"If you want to define yourself as not being an adult, that's your choice, but unfortunately, I have reached the age of physical maturity. Admittedly, the jury's still out on behavioral maturity..."

Lind addressed the ogre. "Out of curiosity, where's y'alls Munchkin? I need to kill him before everyone starts voting to swap him out for me."

"A munchkin? Isn't that a pastry or something?"

"You're seriously still on this idea that they're evil doubles?" Karie's palm masterfully directed itself to her forehead. "Look, I've fought evil doubles of myself. Twice, actually! These people-" Karie motions to the ogre and moon elf, "are not evil doppelgangers!"

"Doppelgangers? What?"

Melody turns to the party.

"I'm afraid we're not playing dress-up - we're here to bring you in and collect the reward money."

"And although the occasion ain't the best, it is good to see a member of your own species once in a blue moon."

Skrall grunted at the other Ogre, "Not often ya seen two of us in the same place. We're just simple folk passin' through, not lookin' fer trouble, I'd hope you are as well."

"Not often a all. Last time I had seen an ogre musta been a decade ago. Doubt we have much in common, though. Judgin' by the accent, I'm gonna guess you grew up in Nathuz, maybe Draida. Me, I'm a high kingdoms bloke, born and raised, til' they needed a farmhand over here that could "do the work of three men." Guess which ogre fit the bill. Name's Bulk, by the way."

Bulk heaves his hammer behind his shoulder.

"Listen. This is Vorpalis's country. Not Faust's."

"Not anymore. Never should've been..."

"I'm going to make a guess and say Faust has been lying to you."

[Lind Whisperer]

"Doesn't matter what you think of yourself, only what others think of you. And i think you're better off as a jester or clown."

"You know, I might be wrong about the evil duplicates thing. If you were an opposite duplicate of Princess Jenny, you'd be a lot more sociable..."

"A munchkin? Isn't that a pastry or something?"

"...Yes. Death to all pastries!"

"Doppelgangers? What?"

Melody turns to the party.

"I'm afraid we're not playing dress-up - we're here to bring you in and collect the reward money."

Lind turned and whispered to the rest of the party in a voice low enough that it couldn't be overheard.

"For starters, this plan is crazy. What if we surrendered and let them take us in?" He held up his hand before anyone could object. "That way, we'd have direct, unobscured passage straight to Vorpalis. And, if we wait to attack until after they've been paid, we might make a little bit of spare change...

The problem would be getting them to let us keep our weapons. Well, one of the bigger problems, anyway..."

"I'm going to make a guess and say Faust has been lying to you."

"And I'm going to point out that that's exactly what you'd say if you were lying to us.

No offense meant, just pointing out the obvious."

[Endgame]

"What story did he tell you about Vorpalis? That he was a coward, and Faust was the warhero?"

[Kintobor]

Lind turned and whispered to the rest of the party in a voice low enough that it couldn't be overheard.

"For starters, this plan is crazy. What if we surrendered and let them take us in?" He held up his hand before anyone could object. "That way, we'd have direct, unobscured passage straight to Vorpalis. And, if we wait to attack until after they've been paid, we might make a little bit of spare change...

The problem would be getting them to let us keep our weapons. Well, one of the bigger problems, anyway..."

Karie shakes her head.

"If you expect me to give up my weapons and allow myself to get captured, think again. You can go and become a pastry for Vorpalis for all I care, but I for one would prefer not listening to your silly schemes."

Karie turns to the two bounty hunters.

"What was the stipulation for the reward? Vorpalis looking for us dead or alive? Either or?"

[Endgame]

"He has a thing for the guillotine, so assuming we don't kill you... alive is best."