POOHEAD189

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

Neil didn't make a sound, but Junebug would have probably laughed when Neil's eyes widened in incredulity. If she was too old and heavy, then he would have been. Junebug looked younger and more supple than when he'd met her. "Tough crowd" was all he said into the comm, and on his earpiece he heard a door closing on her end before the transmission cut out until it would pick up her next words. He shook his head and turned the scope of his rifle to overlook the surrounding area.

The compound was located at the end of a short block, with a relatively wide open space for about 280 degrees other than its back being connected to a wall, that would in turn connect to another smaller compound. Other than that, there was a street between it and virtually every other building or hiding place. Dispensers and locals milled about across the street, but they all kept a wide berth. The building was made to look nondescript, but they all knew or felt the barrels of the guns and the weight of the wealth that inhabited the place.

"Eeeehhh, let's see...local, local, local, whore, local, Sven...wait what." He said, his retical zooming in to see Sven standing under the canopy of a tarp above the sidewalk, looking very blended in, as if he had always lived here, save for the fairer skin and blue eyes. He was eating some local cuisine that had the look of a yellow fruit that had exploded outward, and looking at the compound for a reason Neil couldn't fathom. Neil followed his eyes, and the retical moved left until it landed upon an AirV, a military aircar. One of four that moved down the street, armored plating and gauss turrets manned by hard men, wearing flak armor and leather satchels strapped horizontally over their chests.

They stopped in front of the compound.

Even in a hopeful scenario where they were allies of the Pasha, which was likely as they hadn't opened fired on the building, it would still be added security that Junebug would have to deal with. Neil patched her in. "Hey, Captain. You have...a dozen armed men heading inside where you are. I can't tell if they're customers or guards, but either way, be careful."

Neil wished he could fire on them and thin the herd. He didn't have the luxury of a suppressor. One shot they would know there was a shooter. Second shot they would ascertain his direction. Third shot, they would see the muzzle flash and know right where he was. He couldn't help at the moment and it was bothering him more than he would have liked.
@Penny

WoT: The Dark One's Own Luck.

Ali took it in his hands gingerly, his palm running up the smooth, laminated yew of the longbow. It was a Two Rivers Longbow. Not built for any military useage. It was about half a foot shorter than most longbows, but it was still large enough to pierce mail, yet short enough to be easily concealed and used in the wooded areas to hunt Elk and Boar. The arrows were a foot long, with broadheads. He hadn't held one in some years, but she had been right. He had learned how to shoot from a young age.

"I do," he said simply, his dark eyes, like red wine in the shade, went from the bow to Mave. "Thank you." If Ali didn't know any better, he could have sworn she was blushing. No, that isn't possible. Could Aes Sedai even blush? Light, he didn't know. With his strong but dextrious fingers, he coiled the bowstring around his wrist so as to not lose it. "Maybe with this I can hunt us some dinner tonight."

"Good," Mave said, smiling. "I expect it, what with me giving you a gift and all."

He smiled back, but their moment was short lived. There was something suddenly off. An inherent wrongness to the forest around them. They hadn't even gone too far into the Forest of Shadows. He had heard that loggers could make it this far in and have no trouble. Mave saw him hesitate, and suddenly he felt goosebumps on his skin again. She looked around, suddenly more animated and alive than she had been a second before. "What is it?" she asked.

"We need to hide." Ali whispered, still for a moment to gauge his surroundings before he grabbed his staff, setting the bow to his horse to keep it safe. After a moment, he realized that would do very little. "On second thought, we need to ride." It was a bit louder this time, because he had the distinct feeling that covert was no longer the strategy they should take. Ali mounted his horse while Mave scrambled onto hers, and it was at that moment that the largest creatures Ali had seen, save for the largest bears, burst out of the woods.

Misshapen monsters with humanoid bodies and the heads of Goats and other livestock, wielding wicked axes and swords. They drooled over the trodden path, and within moments they charged.

"Hya!" Ali cried, cracking the reins of his mount. The horses were frightened out of their minds, and Mave must have done something because the creatures that charged them hit what seemed to be an invisible wall, grunting and splaying their weight and bodies against the weave of the one power. They soon began to hack at it, but by the time it was let go, Mave and Ali were far down the path.
@Penny

💟 An RPG Valentine 💟

<Snipped quote by KaijuBaragon>

petition to make a dislike button on rpg

@ayzrules

I'll see what I can do.

💟 An RPG Valentine 💟

Me getting touched by the love in this thread.

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

Two days later...

Canek's orders were a bit hard to swallow. Well, orders was a bold statement. His enforced request, he called it. They needed to get in close with the Pasha, in order to gather what Canek had called them to get. Initially Neil had volunteered to go in and infiltrate. He'd performed missions of this sort before. He was not as combat effective as Junebug, but he did have a penchant for getting in and out of places he wasn't wanted.

But Canek wanted no screw up. They needed a...consented infiltration. He laid out his plan, amusing Junebug and having the exact opposite effect on Neil. He didn't feel comfortable for Junebug or Taya masquerading as a harem girl, covert or not. Taya because he was protective of her, and Junebug because... well, you do the math. They hadn't talked about Neil's confession from a few nights ago, and though he wanted to find closure on it, he'd just started to pretend it never happened. Better to bottle stuff up, right? Just like his dad said.

Still, he was glad that Junebug had volunteered. He didn't think Taya would have the stomach for it, and he remembered when Junebug had killed a man and moaned over his dead body to fool his friends. He knew she could at leas take care of herself. She had a comm on her, linked directly to Neil who took point on a slug rifle on a rooftop, and the Highlander. Saxon did not know the spirit of the mission, only that there was a mission. Once they told him it was a covert op, he was not interested regardless.

Good, the last thing they needed was Saxon to rip apart half of the settlement.

Neil lay atop a three story building, one of the few structures over 20 feet in height in the entire city, save for a beacon tower, an expensive inn, and the Pasha's house that Junebug was now infiltrating. He made sure his gun was loaded, and on the sights he could see one of Canek's men guiding Junebug to the entrance wrapped in cloth, posing as if to sell her.

There was a quick exchange of words, before she was roughly handed over.

"In position," Neil said on the comm, his voice now reverberating in Junebug's ear. "Status?"
@Penny

Damned to the Depths

Markus had always done his best to remain stoic for appearances sake in front of the men. But seeing the indescribably lavish palace, still riding atop these strange creatures from distant lands, his eyes widened and he looked around in awe. The inside was far more beautiful than even he had anticipated. Birds of every color flocked in the tamaron tree, from parrots to eagles, to what looked like birds with beaks larger than their multicolored bodies.

In the distance, a large spotted hunting cat lounged, its fangs easily four inches long and razor sharp to pierce the skull of its prey. Markus wondered why it did not eye them hungrily, but he supposed they fed it often. They had to. No doubt the fountains were where it loved to keep cool in the intense heat.

As they halted, Calliope would take Achmed's hand. Markus dismounted from his camel somewhat awkwardly, the beast stepping uneasily once he got his feet on the ground. He patted its neck and shushed it, soothing the foreign animal how he would a horse. He reached into his pack and pulled out a dried berry, offering it to the Camel. If any of the nobility saw him calming the camel, they would have likely gasped at him doing servant's work. But as it were, they were focused upon the returned prince and the darkly beautiful Calliope.

The Elephant had bent down, and Achmed had led Calliope down (as she pretended that she needed his help to descend) and a great cry of "By Hayashim and the Blessed Moon!" was heard from atop the large staircase. All eyes turned to see a man in robes of silk, with a plumed hat that burgeoned into what looked to be a bloated beehive. Markus would have thought him a crazy man if not for the bejeweled pendants and rings upon his person, and a large diamond the size of Markus' fist at the base of his hat.

"Father! I have returned!" Achmed cried, and he embraced the Sultan after the elderly man descended to see him. He had a grey goatee, well groomed to seamlessly integrate into his somewhat light skin (for a Rasheeki). They smiled and hugged, though there was a tenseness there Calliope would be able to detect.

"Come come, let us go and clean you up my son."

"Father, I have guests." he said, and indicated Calliope, and Markus who strode up. Immediately the Sultan's eyes narrowed, and he muttered something in his native tongue, before saying. "No one is to be armed in my presence, save my guards."

It was an order, one to be followed or you would lose your head. Markus hesitated, glancing at Achmed and Calliope, before unbuckling his sword belt to comply. "Nonesense, nonsense!" Achmed exclaimed, gesturing with his hands. "Father, this man is my ally, having helped me escape the vile corsairs! And this woman directly saved me from certain doom! They are my guests, father." he explained, placing a hand on the sweeping shoulderline of the Sultan.

For many moments, he was quiet. Until he gave an inclination of his head. "Very well. Now come! We must get you clean, all of you. There will be a feast tonight to celebrate the return of my son, and may Hayashim bless the night on this hallowed day. Come come, we have much to prepare for..."

Servants immediately approached as they made it to the top of the stairs. Somehow, it was far cooler even at the opening of the Palace, refreshing and lightly smelling of lavender. As the nearly naked men approached, Achmed grinned and patted Markus' shoulder as if they had known one another for decades. "Smile, my friend! Tonight, we shall feast. And I will allow you the pick of my harem as much as you wish. We have many things to discuss."

"Uhm..." the Captain began, not unhappy at the mention of the harem. It had been a particularly long time before he had enjoyed the company of a woman. Perhaps a month before he and Calliope had fled Calaverde. He had mostly focused on survival and captaining a ship since, but he felt his arousal at the mere thought. No, this was all a bit too good to be true. Yes, they had survived odds none of them had thought possible, and they had rescured a Prince. But he has always preferred to earn his woman rather than have one given to him. And even if he let himself go at this one time, there was always a catch...

Calliope was whisked away into a hall that loomed above her like a horizon line, with potted plants of unknown nature leaning lazily fifty feet above her and the servants that led her through a door of satin drapes, into a connected room that was the size of a yeoman's plot of land. It took her a moment to realize they stood within a closet. Rows upon rows of cleaned, comfortable, gorgeous outfits; most revealing at least some skin were arrayed before them. Within, a bald eunuch stood, eyebrow raised. The part of his face between his nose and upper lip was a seamed slope.

"Ah, as beautiful as I had heard, and as gaudy as I had feared." He quipped, clapping twice as more eunuchs appeared, stripping Calliope down to nothing. She kept her necklace on her, guarding it like a hyena at bay. The master eunuch examined her studiously. "Black is her color" he said in northern, and then began to call out in Rasheeki, causing the eunuchs to move mechanically, grabbing an odd mixture of black and dark red garments that they began to slip upon her, caring not whether they touched her inappropriately or uncomfortably, though it was obvious they did not do it with lecherous intent.

By the time they were done, two small slave boys with lashes upon their backs were ushered in holding a mirror of golden filigree. Calliope would see herself presented in a courtly yet appealing garb. Black silk was expertly wrapped around her waist and legs to hug her curves but give freedom of movement to walk, tied together at the base of a shining agate stone that swirled with an unknown substance within. Her midriff was expodes, though sliding up it to fall over her dress was a crimson sarong. Her croptop was black like her dress, sleeveless and strapless, her shoulders covered by a dark veil. Her hair had been reformed into bun, with a diamond circlet resting above her brow.

"Now, Prince Achmed has informed me to bring you to the courtyard. If you would follow me..."
@Penny

WoT: The Dark One's Own Luck.

They began to trot downroad, Ali holding the reins to his horse tightly. He had ridden before but not for long. Mostly to help sheppard various animals. Mave asked her question and Ali had a hard time answering, fumbling like a boy with his mount to keep it on the road. "Light, no!" he said, then realized he sounded very rude there.

Ali still had goosebumps from earlier. Just as the horse had wandered off that sent the gleeman away, he had felt it. He didn't know why. He didn't feel cold at all. "Sorry," he replied, hunching his shoulders up as the last shiver escaped his spine. "This is all a bit much to me. No, I don't know anything. At least concerning why they would want to go after me."

With a ghost of a smile, Mave spoke. "You're a good man, Alidren Baldyr." she said. "And for that I will take your word on it. Though I fear we both know a bit too little to survive for long. We need to make as good as we can on time."

"What are we running out of time with?" he asked her.

She didn't answer. Instead she bade her horse to go faster, and Ali followed suit. The rest of the day they rode without speaking much, only stopping when they believed there was someone else on the road. But there never was. Ali's da would probably call it 'jumping at shadows.' Though considering last night, he had every damn right to. What worried him was that Mave seemed on edge. Even facing down the Myyrdraal, she had been calm.

"Blood and ashes, I just realized something." he said out of the blue, as they had stopped by a small stream during the late afternoon, their horses taking a much needed drink.

"What?"

"We're heading toward the Forest of Shadows." Ali explained, a grim look on his otherwise handsome face. "They're impossible to traverse. I think only Jain Farstrider has ever been able to do it..."
@Penny

WoT: The Dark One's Own Luck.

"You know, you are quite right. I was just taking a stroll along the trail." The Gleeman claimed, indicating his horse as if it was merely a companion who sought to walk with him. "And what do I find when I do? The loveliest girl in the Two Rivers. Though I suppose it isn't your home."

"No, it is not." She replied.

"Forgive me, my memory isn't what it used to be." He said with a laugh. "Though I do recall you and Master Ali heading to his home the previous night. Now why would I find you here today?"

"I had to go. It would be my head if I hadn't" she said pleasantly, her joke not exactly untruthful. It would have fooled most people, but there was a twinkle in the old man's eye that showed he knew exactly what game they were playing, and he intended to win. He gave a chuckle, and inclined his head.

"Oh, girl..." he said. "I'm sure you would make your instructors at Tar Valon proud."

The silence after he spoke was defeaning, until the crunching leaves of footsteps ahead of them. Alidren Baldyr appeared with his walking staff, entering the clearing, obviously having already seen the exchange from afar. Ali didn't dislike the old gleeman, but after having run for their lives the previous night, he wasn't in a welcoming mood.

"It's nice to see you, Master Ali." Simon said. "You're looking well rested. I'm surprised. It seems your resourceful enough to where you just might live."

"I'll give you this one chance to leave." Ali said, clearly understanding off the bat that this man knew more than he should. "Take it, now." There was that weight to his words again, as if he had wrought them on a forge and thrown them at those he spoke to, clearing any argument out of their path. The elder held his ground, however.

"I think you will need me along. It's not every day that I find an Aes Sedai and a Ta’veren traveling together, and so far you've done well. But if I can find you, others can."
@Penny

Damned to the Depths

Trumpets greeted them as they landed on the docks. Seagulls glided in the breeze, for once being the most populous thing upon the dockyard now that the normal citizens had been evacuated to make way for Prince Achmed. He did not change from his cleaned but haggard garb, though a servant rushed over to don a pointed sarik upon his noble head. Behind him, guards in lamellar armor with sheathed scimitars stood in line, flanked by dozens upon dozens of what Markus could not tell between servants or slaves.

With a click of his tongue, Achmed gestured for Markus' crew to remain upon the ship, which didn't immediately register with the crew. Once Sketti scoffed, Markus motioned for them to follow what he said and stay with the ship. He gave a subtle wink to the disappointed faces, indicating he'd see them rewarded, and both Calliope and Markus would step off and onto the cleared docks. Even now, the sun baked the rock and timber they stood upon.

Another set of trumpets sounded, and then something bellowed. A bestial sound, though very imitative of the trumpets the slaves used. Markus and Calliope would see a massive beast, twice the height of a man at the shoulder and easily twenty times a man's weight trotting towards them with a resplendent carpet upon its back, and a small hut with two chairs. It almost seemed like it was a beast from another world. It had two massive tusks swirling out of its face, and a trunk that slithered like a snake, as if it had a mind of its own. Markus had heard of the exotic 'Elephant' before, but he had never seen one. Behind were creatures just as strange, though he had seen their like before. Three camels were strutting down the sand infested streets like performers who danced to a very slow, mellow beat.

Two eunuchs in nothing but loin wraps walked the beasts, their sun blackened skin shining in the intense light, their eyes dead and focused, as if they were broken as infants to serve their betters. They approached almost mechanically, and then graciously bowed to the Prince. Or it seemed as if they did, until Achmed stood upon their backs to mount the elephant. Once inside, he waved with boths hands. "Come, come! The Lady Calliope, please join me, yes?" he asked her. One eunuch rose, and took the reins of a camel, the biggest with a golden saddle, bringing it to Markus.

"Well, at least I get an honorable mention," he deadpanned, mounting it and taking the reins. He gained control of it as soon as the Elephant turned, with Soldiers all spinning and beginning to march in unison. Their feet tramped the ground as loudly as the Elephant's, though it would soon be drowned out by the milling throng of commoners in the streets that were kept back by even further guardsmen.

Up close, Markus could see the men and women, exotic and darkened, though obscured in mostly rags, watched in awe at their princes return. Still others seemed better off, in curious looking blue and purple robes, some even having guards of their own. Women stood upon the balconies and rooftops, calling for the Prince's hand in marriage. Some even took off their tops and pressed their breasts together to draw the eye. Kids simply waved, and old men displayed weaves of silk, hoping the Prince or his guests would stop to buy.

Even during such a procession, some entertainers still worked. A man swallowed swords, his body so bony and thin Markus was surprised the swords could even fit within him, but he performed without pause. Another man in a red and white garb of satin played a flute as a voluptuous beauty coiled and uncoiled a massive boa constrictor across her scantily clad form seductively. Markus was both taken aback by the odd culture, yet also painfully aware that a man in his position could benefit greatly for even docking here, much less being a guest of the Sultan's Son.
@Penny

Famous Quotes You Shouldn't Say During Sex

It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters.