POOHEAD189

Scum & Villainy: Black Market Runners

@Lauder Might I trouble thee for a post?

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

20 minutes later...

"This is insane." Taya said to the other two, now sitting underground in Magdalena's "home" with the others. "You can't possibly be suggesting what I think you are." The girl looked at Neil to see if he would be any voice of reason, but one look showed if it wasn't his idea, he still thought it was hilarious. "You need to at least WARN Saxon before you have a hundred people trying to go and kill him!"

"Look, of course we're going to warn him." Neil said, though he had this smile on his face that spoke volumes on the mental image he had in his head. Which for the record, was Saxon being assailed on all sides by men, left alone on this planet as Neil flew the Highlander away. He looked like he had to snap himself out of it. "In fact, he'll be elated. I bet he hasn't killed something in far too long. His bloodlust will be up and ready."

Sayeeda cleared her throat loudly, drawing Taya's and more importantly Neil's attention to Magdalena, her squeamish husband, and her multiple wide-eyed children staring at them. Neil took a sip of the water they had served them, nonchalantly drinking it as if he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. Sayeeda turned to the family, arms crossed under her chest. "You might want to send your children in the next room. We're about to speak business, after all."

The husband decided to usher the kids into the room, and in his no doubt infinite wisdom, decided to join them. Junebug tossed Neil his sidearm, having just cleaned it while Neil and Taya were talking. The Captain had her rump planted on the table, one knee up and foot on the back of a chair. "So, Magdalena. We've been thinking... We've been needing some money recently, as we're a bit dry. Luckily, we're not dry on ordinances and blood to sweat. So here's the deal." Neil watched Magdalena, guaging her reaction to Junebug. "You pay us 20 Terran Imperial credits and make us another meal, and we'll solve your problem."

"My...'problem'?" She asked, not understanding.

Neil grinned. "We'll kill the Scorpions and the Spiders. Sounds good?"
@Penny

The Blackwood

@Jb You're up, my boy

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

The flash bang lit Neil's eyes up like someone had brained him and he saw the white flash of death. He had managed to close his eyes just after it exploded, and he was wearing his shades, so while he didn't get the extreme brunt of the weapon's explosion, he did experience some real bad disorientation and a very picturesque image in his head of Junebug's stance and the surprised mercs. An image that was very much now outdated as Junebug had likely moved and the men had probably fallen over in surprise. Neil crouched down and closed his eyes, moving to the right where he recalled one of the ramshackle sheds stood.

He heard four rounds pop off to his left, and he recognized it as Junebug's rifle. A curse sounded from past Neil's position, and he heard three heavy thumps. They were likely falling bodies.

"Do you feel like killing someone Neil?" He said in a faux-Sayeeda tone, sarcasm dripping out of his lips. "You don't mind if I throw a flashbang do you? Nyeh nyeh nyeh."

Truth be told he was just being dumb. He actually preferred this all happen rather than letting the kid's mother die in front of his eyes. That and Junebug throwing her weight around was sexy as fuck. As long as they killed all these men and didn't let it get leaked back to Stinger, they would still have employment and make a mother and her kid very happy. He opened his eyes and saw his vision was more or less back, and he theorized he had about another four seconds before the merc's eyes came back to full capacity too, so he took the best of it and flipped the safety off his autogun.

Rather than join the captain, he went the opposite way to flank the mercenaries, raising the gun to his eyeline to aim with his ironsights. Crack, crack, crack! Three head shots, the bullets punching through scarfs and skulls. He switched to burst fire and started to fire once more, taking men in the heads, chests, arms, and lower backs. Dust kicked up and people began to scream as the mercs started firing back wildly. Neil cursed and rolled, taking a small hit in the lower leg. He stopped and saw blood streaked behind him but he checked and it had only been a glancing shot.

He turned his gun to full auto, 15 shots left and all of them were sprayed in two passes through the shed he hid behind, knowing the mercs were just on the otherside. Following the shots from Junebug and the wild ones from the mercs, Neil knew there was pretty much none of them left by the time he had expended his clip. Hastily shouldering the weapon along its strap, he took out his sidearm and aimed it ahead, stepping out to see Junebug rising from her position, seemingly satsified. Taya, for what training she had, was still crouched behind the little trench.

Rodrigo and his mother clutched one another, too shaken to really appreciate the moment just yet. Neil turned to see about a dozen dead bodies, punctured and ripped to shreds by all the gunfire. Miguel's head was bloated like a blood gorged tick, shattered teeth splattered across the ground.

"Man," Neil said. "That was some attack by the Spiders. Better go tell Stinger, eh?"
@Penny

The Blackwood

Sylvaine sat down next to the Dwarf, who seems particularly downtrodden. In fact he looked like a particularly sullen bulldog that somehow learned to drink alcohol with the best of them. Judging by the empty mugs beside him and that an alcoholic haze surrounded his beard. He didn't seem to notice Sylvaine at first, finishing his fifth mug, emptying half of its contents by what looked to be a pure opening of his throat. It was almost fascinating to watch. Once the mug was down, however, he gave Sylvaine the stink eye. Though she seemed to be just charming enough to at least warrant some answers from him.

"Day? Aye you could say that. More like a bloody week." He regurgitated, calling another drink.

The Dwarf sighed, letting out a small belch. "Me cousin got himself lost in the Blackwood a few days ago. Ambushed by Orcs, you see. No, he's not dead. I know what yer thinking." He declared. "He's far too tough to let a little thing like violent orcs kill him off. No, he got himself lost and I hadn't the supplies or time to find him. I should go back out there, but I wouldn't even begin to know where to look."

Meanwhile, Cillian found himself at a table alone. Though he had no one to speak to, it gave him a very good chance to listen. A low murmur of the crowd reverberated constantly in the background, but thankfully that didn't drown out the conversations of the closer or more prominent and interesting people.

Most notably, the Skayeleigh woman that had stalked past them at the beginning seemed to know the Elven maiden and Gnome sitting with her, but it appeared they were simply there for a business transaction. A business of information, in fact. It was hard to tell exactly what they were discussing, but the mentioning of secrets and the very real bag of coin being slid across the table was something to take note of. It made sense, the city being very much a place of trade and tourism. It was logical to think someone would make it their business to know who was where and what was happening.
@Duck@Romero

The Blackwood

The mage seemed to try and absorb the information. Clearly he was intelligent simply based on the look in his eye, but that didn't mean he wasn't useful. His gaze turned to the doorway, where one could see the vine covered wall of the inner tower that led down to the ground floor, and then he looked to the book cases with a monumental pile of books. It looked like he had been just as surprised to see Kyiriniae'aea as she, him.

At her admittance to her plight, he almost seemed to stumble on himself. "Sure," He said, but then caught himself like someone had whipped him. "I mean- Yes, of course." He bowed and took her hand, giving it a light kiss. His voice was strong, and it had gained a bit of professionalism. "My apologies, I'm simply a little overwhelmed. I was fully expecting to fight someone to the death, not meet a lovely woman- er, Elven maiden such as yourself."

He finally moved to the chair she had presented him, setting down and placing his knife in the sheath on his hip. He scratched his scalp, just below his thick mane of black hair. "Forgive me, I haven't explained much of anything, have I?" He asked. He spoke to scold himself just as much as to apologize to her. "As I said, I am Alcander. I'm an adept and mage of the Mythrin Tethir. Your portal... it was within the tower I had been given by my master, north of Greybridge city. Minutes ago I saw it come to life and I couldn't get a reading in my Crystal Sphere. It's dangerous magic to handle, though I'm certain you know that."

It was clear he was used to speaking to other mages, but he was less used to speaking to elves or beautiful women and he tried to pass it off as if it were nothing. He also clearly seemed to think Kyra was far more knowledgable than he likely was, considering how old she could potentially be.

"If we're in the Blackwood, then this very well might be in a Mythal Itha." He remarked, then he stood up slowly and decided to make his way over to the third bookshelf on the right, running his fingers over the spines of the books. Finally, after it looked as if he was going to take a book out and begin reading, he instead turned empty-handed. "I have so many questions but, tell me of this warlock?" Alcander placed his arm across his chest, in the same manner a man might hook his arm around a lady's, only before him rather than at his side. He bowed again.

"I'll help you, if I can, Lady Kyra."
@Penny

The Blackwood

@Duck@Romero Sorry for the wait. You'll be getting a post tonight. Yours takes slightly more thought to post, which is why it is taking me a hot minute to reply.

The Blackwood

@Tortoise I'll need some time to think, but I probably could. I'll get back to you with some edits in a day or two.

The Blackwood

The mad, squealing bray of the beast behind him was almost more haunting than it's very real charge not a minute earlier. Torsten's side bit at him with a stabbing pain that simultaneously ached like he had not felt in months. But it was nothing he couldn't handle, as long as he kept his posture at a certain level. Luckily for him, the forest allowed him to move hidden behind brush and gloom. Unfortunately, it also allowed other creatures to potentially do the same.

The forests of Norgard were primordial and vast, and Torsten would not feel so unused to such thick woodland. The very roots of the towering trees ripped and shaped the very earth beneath his feet, making much of the ground uneven and misshapen, and the rest would be covered in bushes or thick grass that quieted the footsteps of whatever walked upon them. What was strange wasn't the thickness of the forest, but the dim lighting. Even a forest as great as this with such a large canopy above would have more sunlight cutting into the darkness.

Doing his best not to stumble, Torsten would almost not see the sudden drop in the underbrush before it reached the front half of his leading foot. Likely to his surprise and horror, he would notice the drop was actually a footprint. A footprint as large as his torso and very humanoid in shape. Small roots and vines jutted out of the now softened earth below, as if gasping for air from whence they were pressed.

Luckily (in a fashion), the accompanying war cry Torsten heard next didn't sound like it came from whatever Jotun or strange forest creature. It was a piercing scream that carried bloodlust wherever it echoed, spreading across what bits of the foliage it could. Judging by the echo, it likely came from the south. The birds springing to life and fluttering away mostly came from that direction as well. When the forest spoke, one need only listen.
@Gunther

The Blackwood

@Gunther You did very well performing and writing our your rolls.

Ulf Gunnerson and Njal Osborne are on the same trail. How about they run into Torsten and join him on his quest for adventure?

@Gunther

Sounds good to me.