POOHEAD189

There's Always a Price: Sci Fi Bounty Hunters

"Nice rig."

He hadn't known if he was required to leave his VEC on the baking dirt, but his new partner had thought ahead and opened up the cargo hold to her Dragonfly. He had seen a few ships like it before. It was an A-Class Ebon Variant Corvette, the swiss army knife of any fleet worth its salt in any interplanetary conflict. This one looked custom-made. If he had to guess it had two backup engines, likely fission. He'd look at the specs more closely once they were inside, so he kicked the acceleration down and let the VEC slide the last two kilometers until they reached the ship properly. Impressively, Dirk didn't fully stop before the ship, gliding up the opened ramp at a speed that felt like it was going to slam into the back wall, until he bumped the breaks and the vehicle leaped a few feet into the air before powering down, sinking onto the steel floor of the ship.

He flipped the switch that opened up the turret pod, giving Jocasta room to hop off the platform. He stepped off as well, hands on the hilts of his heavy blasters just in case she thought to take this bounty herself now that they were in her ship. Like as not she likely had the suspicion in her mind that he was planning on taking the ship himself. But the seconds passed and neither made a move on the other. She wouldn't be able to see, but Dirk smiled ironically inside his helmet.

"We better get off the ground before those skiffs find us." He told her, turning his back on her as an evident sign of trust. "Not sure how fast this thing flies, but Neo-Mecca isn't far."

"I'll get us there. Make yourself comfortable." She said, having noticed he was still encased in his helmet and armored plate.

"I'll be comfortable when I...we get the bounty."

Illustrious Illustrations by Poo

Apparently I'm on a drawing kick

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

Neil blinked, nearly dropping his pistol in the dark for a second at the sudden use of magic. He opened his mouth to speak, and then decided it was no time for arguing. In fact, he was pleased. He had been right about this girl, at least in some capacity. He grabbed her free hand and nodded. "Ok, we better hurry. That light will probably be noticed if we stay here," he reasoned, and the two ran off into the twisting caverns. The rocks were overbearing and jagged, stabbing upwards and downwards, difficult to see even with the light she had produced. At one point, Neil and the woman nearly stumbled over a sheer cliff. She bumped into him from behind and his foot dangled over the side.

"Back, back!" He whispered, and she pulled him back from the cliff, pebbles falling into the endless dark below.

The next hour (or four) they continued through the maze, finding their breath harder and harder to come by until the sudden whiff of fresh air hit them in the face. Neil had never smelled anything sweeter, and precious light touched their feet. The two of them shared a relieved smile, and they started forward again in one last burst of energy, realizing just how lucky they had been from surviving this utter shitshow of a day trip. As they ran, one of them, neither knew which one, kicked a relatively hefty stone. It skidded across the ground and smacked into one of the support beams.

At first, nothing happened. They kept running and laughing, until the stones around them began to reverberate; the mountains around them grumbling awake like an ancient, summoned god from the Chaos Wastes. A small rock hit Neil in the head, but it startled him more than hurt.

"Go faster! GO FASTER!" She cried, very unlady like. Neil didn't have to be told twice, all but leaping out of the cavern just as the crescendo of its collapsed erupted all around them, rocks cracking and wood splintering. With a last cry they flew out of the cavern and into the ruins of the abandoned entrance, dust flying and a deep sprinting off from the commotion as the two of them hit the grass heavily, the sun now high in the sky, slightly skirting to the east. Neil rolled over onto his back, staring at the sky and clearing his throat.

"Ranald's balls, that was..." He started, unable to find the words. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and groaned. "Are you ok?"

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"The mine!? That's where they live!" He cried, but ran that way regardless, helping the lady Marguerite up the hill in her dress as the battle raged behind them. Keeping her steady, they made it up in good time and found the opening of the mine. Neil held his nose and told her to do the same as they rushed in, light becoming impenetrable darkness suddenly as they charged in recklessly. Neil could reload his pistol in the dark, having perfected the technique many times, but anything else short of pissing he would be useless, even with his good night vision.

Still, for a time they stumbled and ran. Neil nearly fell over when his foot bumping into something vaguely corpse-like. Thanks to her dress, the lady would have fell head first had Neil not caught her and scooped her up. The pillars of the mine were merely silhouettes now, the floor a sea of night. In the distance, another WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH was heard, hopefully not in victory or they would have to truly travel far within the depths of the mine. Luckily there was some good news and bad news. The good news was that they could keep going, regardless. Neil was so glad he had looked at the old map in preparation for this little trip.

"I have a confession to make," He told her once they were around fifty paces in and catching their breath, realizing he was still holding her. He set her down on her feet politely, making sure she was steady before he began. As she dusted herself, he resumed his thought. "The mine has another way out, but...it's not stable from what I can tell. So we might want to keep moving. The problem is we can't see."

He began to reload his pistol, hoping beyond hope he wasn't going to need to use it again. As he poured the gunpowder and took out the pin, he realized just how right Master Gunter's fears had been when he had spoken of the mine the past night. Neil hadn't paid attention, and truthfully Gunter didn't think much of the rumors. But the scoundrel should have known, rumors always have specks of warning in them.

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

As the patrolmen went about their public service of setting up a picnic rather than watch the perimeter, Neil pulled himself up and smoothed his shirt and hair as best he could, trying to keep himself from giving a quip Otto Von Branstuf's way. He vaulted over the side nimbly as Otto helped the lady down from the front. If all they needed was Neil to go in alone with no guard, he didn't know why they even came along other than to have a picnic. He mumbled what curses he felt like giving the Graf as he hiked his way up the short incline to the base of the mineshaft. For the first time taking an air of professionalism, gingerly approaching to feel his hand along the wooden supports of the cavern's gaping maw. It would be a bit more complicated inside, but as it stood they needed to know if the opening wasn't going to shatter at the slightest tremor.

As he began his work, Neil caught a strange stench. Not unlike some of the more pungent and less pleasant odors he had to work with, so while he wasn't inclined to wretch, it was definitely curious. Was there methane in this cavern? He stopped inspecting the wood and stepped one good step into the darkness, eyes peeled as he sniffed again. The stench grew stronger, and now he almost felt like wretching. Something must have died in there, he thought. Until he saw two eyes gleaming in the dark, staring right back at him. They were yellow and piggish, with an intelligence he found unnerving. What's more, they eyes suddenly lifted and floated nearly two feet above his own.

"I'm afraid you're on private property." Neil said, though there was little weight behind the words. Stepping back into the light, he saw four more sets of eyes appear, followed by grunts and snorts only a bear could make.

Suddenly, just as Neil made it to the decline to yell out a warning, a bestial, terrible howl erupted from within the mineshaft as booted feet crashed into the dirt behind Neil. With a cry of "Oh fuck!" he turned and saw a group of Orcs, broad shoulders and green like swamp water charging at him with the intent to kill. One, more impatient than the rest, tossed its cleaver at Neil. Luckily Neil dodged it as if he was used to such a situation, but rather than stick around Neil sprinted down the hill towards the less than prepared guard, all bent over to place down a blanket for the lord and lady.

"Sigmar's hammer!" One of them yelled, and Otto balked at the sudden appearance of the Greenskins cresting the hill. Just two dozen feet ahead of the host, Neil made it to level ground and spun back, reaching behind his back to grab the hilt of his pistol. With a swift, practiced motion, he whipped the gun out and placed his forearm along his free arm to steady his shot, taking less than a second to aim and fire. The pistol erupted in smoke, the head Orc stumbling and tumbling down the dirt with a ruined forehead, tripping up its allies as they tried to pass its flailing corpse.

It helped the guardsmen prepare, but Neil wasn't going to stick around unless they had an extra halberd and two years training lying around. Otto rummaged in the back of the wagon, leaving the lady to herself until Neil sped over to her, offering a hand. "I think we should have taken my boat idea, yeah?"

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

There was no innuendo in her voice, but her breathless whimsies caused her great chest to heave, and Neil couldn't stop staring for a good, long moment. Like a trance he had to pull himself out of it with a will. "Yeah there's a lot of heavy iron there." He said, and his love of all things mechanical began to override his thought process. "But you'll need to visit in the summer time. That's when we practice and use our ordinance. You haven't lived until you've shot a sixteen pounder into a three foot thick wall." He said, as wide eyed as she was. "The ball just splatters into a thousand thousand pieces after two feet in. But-" He leaned in to speak to her, placing his arms just on the wooden rim beside her. "What's even more impressive is, we've discovered a way certain layering of wood can cause cannon balls to bounce off harmlessly, so what we're trying to do is to reshape the balls with a certai-"

Otto cleared his throat, and the two of them turned to see him staring daggers at both. At Neil for the most part, of course, but Emmaline for indulging in the 'nonsense.' "You're polite to humor him, my lady. But this vagabond has been given his station at the Gunnery School out of the good will of our Master Gunter. He's a lowlife scum that has never known any of the finer things in life. He is not like you or I," He declared, placing the horsewhip on Neil and pushing him back suddenly and unexpectedly, sending him into the back of the wagon. He nearly hit his head, but he caught himself.

"_{Big words for someone whose mine I could fail}." Neil muttered, but the Graf did not hear him. He was a bit too busy turning back to keep control of the horses, who began to whinny and stamp their feet as the path grew more rocky, the trees dispersing and growing less crowded around them. The chirps of the birds and scuttling of the squirrels had noticeably disappeared, but Neil chalked it up to the thinning of the woodlands.

"Here we are, my dear. Just up the road here. I've been around here before you know, when I was with my father hunting quail. Before I joined the Metallurgists Society. It was just over there I nabbed the biggest one out of my hunting party. How it squirmed." He reminisced, fanciful memories of days long past ignored by Neil and likely Emmaline, as the mine shaft up ahead looked ominous enough to grab their attention.

This isn't working out: Part 3

@Penny Damn, I knew I missed something!

Just cleverly segue into something off-topic and add "It belongs in a museum" during date one and see what they do. If they don't notice? *thumbs down*

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

Neil might be in the wagon, but he wasn't going to interrupt this brilliant theater. Whether she was lying or not, it amused him seeing Otto trying to bag a woman. So out of Neil's experience of the disapproving, ambitious man. For Neil's part, he laid back on some of the bagged material, hands behind his head. He let the sun keep him warm and the short walls of the wagon keep the wind off of him. One look his way and it just screamed 'laziness' to someone like Otto. He kept his ears perked and his eyes on them, however. When Emmaline caught his eye and winked, it was unexpectedly thrilling. He gave a grin and winked back, thinking the trip might be a bit more fun than he originally planned.

"So..." Neil said, settling his crossed arms on the rim just behind them and right between them. Otto scowled and Emmaline stifled a giggle. Neil wasn't a hunk, but the sun in his eyes made him fairly picturesque, even with his messy hair. They were headed east, but the road had to curve which set them just before the western sun. "It's Silver that we're looking for, yeah? Or, that I'm looking for-"

"You are looking for nothing, young man." Otto growled, keeping his voice down so as not to startle his fair guest. "Save to see if the mine is running. I will have you know it would be my right to strip you of your apprenticeship if I see fit, boy. Now go sit back down!"

"Ok, but I just wanted to ask about, boundaries." He explained, clearly ignoring the last order. He gave a vague gesture as if trying to teach a layman his invention for his 'dissertation.' "So what if I'm in there and I happen on some silver, like a nugget of the stuff. Finders keepers, right?" Otto's face turning red and Neil's lip buttoning looked out of an Altdorf Press Comic.

"Absolutely not!" He cried at Neil.

"Well, what if I was to give it to the lady?" He asked, indicating her with his hands, wiggling his brow for a moment.

Illustrious Illustrations by Poo

Matchmade in Mischief (Neil & Emmaline)

Hider

I also made a different version of it. Neil here looks a fair bit like my other character Beren, so I changed a few key details to make him like that. And why not have a jacketless Emmaline?

Hider

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

Neil smiled slyly at the twinkle in her eyes, but she didn't bite. Not immediately at least. Ranald saw fit to throw him a tails, because his boss came out and found him right there in the street. He could feel his progress skid to a stop with her. Which wasn't the worst of it, of course. He could feel the weight of Master Gunter's gaze on him, the implication he likely had to look for him out back first before realizing he jumped the wall wasn't lost on him. He would pay for it tonight, but the order had him perking up. He supposed he was qualified...

"Uh, sure. I mean, yes Master," Neil said, bowing to him. He glanced at Otto, who looked at him past his pudgy nose. Neil tried not to notice.

"Good, you leave tomorrow."

---

The next morning.

The South Gate was one the eastern part of the river, and luckily for Neil it was just beside the Industrial Sector, which surrounded the Gunnery School like a protective wall of commerce. Even early in the morn, smoke and steam wafted into the sky and guards were posted, wielding the famous Wissenland Halberds that gleamed in the rising sun. If Neil worked anywhere other than the Gunnery School, he would have been late. The scoundrel had spent all night on his autonomous cannon, and he hadn't even had the time to test it yet. The last few hours of darkness he had some meager sleep, and he popped up just in time for the early morning bell. Usually it was an annoyance, but it served him well today.

Neil walked into view of the small convoy with just his linen shirt and his breeches, along with a small sack which had a blanket he could use if needed. That, and his custom flintlock pistol he had made himself, neatly tucked into the back of his trousers. Carefully he had hid a knife in his sock as well. It always paid to be careful, even for someone as reckless as Neil the Marienburger. Marguerite von Vissenbach had kept his jacket at his offer, telling her she could give it back when she didn't need it anymore. As much to irk Otto and to keep her warm than any kind of flirtation on his part. A dog ran out in front of Neil, looked at him curiously, then scampered off into the next alleyway. Neil smiled at the pup and waved, and kept moving. People walked past him, some even bumping into him and telling him things like "shove off!" or "watch it, herr idiot!" but he paid them no mind.

Turning the corner, he saw the two wagons Otto had procured for their expedition, the Metallurgist and his 'date' sitting at the helm of one of them. Unlike yesterday, there were armed men about with them, though all worked for the city it seemed. Nuln's golden and black colors on their plumed hats and tabards would stand out amongst the brush, but at least they were armored with brigandines. Curious how the lady did not provide her own household guard again.

"Morning!" He announced simply, having slipped up to them without much notice until he leaped onto the siderail of the cart. Otto gasped and squealed like a pig at the sudden appearance of Neil's smiling face right beside his.

"You! Where the hells have you been, boy!? We've been waiting!" He scolded, taking a horse whip and trying to thwap at the engineer, who promptly and easily dodged and leaped off the cart to his feet on the stone street.

"You said sunrise, so here I am." Neil replied, shrugging.