Heroica RPG - Quest #129: Flying the Coop

[JimBee]

Hybros looked at the cat suspiciously, but nodded and started to follow all the same. "Heh, I have seen stranger things in my time than a talking cat. I think we have no choice but to follow it. Omen, lead the way."

[CMP]

"Are you an actual cat?" Hoke asks, still mounted on Torc.

'<Are you an actual Dragoon?>' Omen stretched his legs out, and then starts padding east, away from the docks. '<Are you an actual Knight and Mystic Knight? You were. You could be! But you are not. Not right now.>'

Thalion bows to Hybros and pockets the feathers, then turn and looks at their guide, "Care to share a little bit more information about yourself while on the way?"

'<Heh. You sez that like you don't trust me. Well, I'm a good little kitty cat who likes milk and long naps in the sun. I enjoy sardines with the occasional stir fried tuna fish. I miss my boat and my master and I'd like to get both back. I hope you won't disappoint me,>' he added, turning a corner. <'Heheh, but that's not for me to see. Hurry along now, we're burning moonlight.'>

Hybros looked at the cat suspiciously, but nodded and started to follow all the same. "Heh, I have seen stranger things in my time than a talking cat. I think we have no choice but to follow it. Omen, lead the way."

'<Heh, and I've seen stranger things than one of Azazot's little caged birds playing hero, but we could one-up eachother all night, so maybe we've both seen weird things and we leave it there.>'

[UsernameMDM]

'<Are you an actual Dragoon?>' Omen stretched his legs out, and then starts padding east, away from the docks. '<Are you an actual Knight and Mystic Knight? You were. You could be! But you are not. Not right now.>'

Hoke studies the coy cat.

"You could be a snack," Hoke says with a smirk as he pats Torc's head.

Edited April 2, 2015 by UsernameMDM

[Myrddyn]

Erik takes a seat on a stoney Wight, feeling dizzy from the strain of all the spellcasting. The voice in his head doesn't help. He opens his helmet's visor and wipes some blood from beneath his nose.

"I'm ready to get going whenever you all are."

He thanks Hybros for the loot, but hands over the Crystal Ball, as well as his Gold Statuette, 3 Torches, Chair, Grand Elixir, 4 Tonics, Nostrum, Venom, Ether Core, Remedy, 3 Potions, Health Core, and Shamanic Plate. (+20 items).

"So you can make gold out of stuff, hey? Maybe you can use these to help cover the cost of all the potions you've been using."

He also turns to Thalion. "Mind if I borrow some gems and Alpha and Omega?"

[Emjajoas]

"Aye, lead the way, Omen," Em nods, having caught his breath. He slings his shield onto his back, glancing left.

[JimBee]

'<Heh, and I've seen stranger things than one of Azazot's little caged birds playing hero, but we could one-up eachother all night, so maybe we've both seen weird things and we leave it there.>'

Hybros looked at Omen with bewilderment. "How did you...?" He scowled. "Never mind. I suppose you are one of Azazot's stray cats. Heh!"

"I will say that I have never met a cat with such guff before..." he mumbled under his breath.

He thanks Hybros for the loot, but hands over the Crystal Ball, as well as his Gold Statuette, 3 Torches, Chair, Grand Elixir, 4 Tonics, Nostrum, Venom, Ether Core, Remedy, 3 Potions, Health Core, and Shamanic Plate. (+20 items).

"So you can make gold out of stuff, hey? Maybe you can use these to help cover the cost of all the potions you've been using."

"Thank you, Erik, but these potions pay for themselves in no time. Although I may be needing more soon..." he gives Guts a meaningful look, then turns back to Erik as they walked down the streets of Eubric after the cat. "You can keep the gold I make from your items. Consider it a payment for letting me hold onto them, eheh. Oh, and here." He pulled out his Sapphire. "You will be needing this I think, heh."

[UsernameMDM]

"Here, try this."

Hoke lends the Helm of Prestige to Thalion.

[The Legonater]

I nod to the cat.

Greetings. Thanks for the warning, for all it's worth.

[Scubacarrot]

Guts hands over a belt containing 100 potions to Hybros, and uses a Mead, Smelling Salts and Nostrum himself.

Not overly surprised by anything anymore, he adresses the cat: "I don't suppose you could have warned us about the cultists on the dock."

[CMP]

Hoke studies the coy cat.

"You could be a snack," Hoke says with a smirk as he pats Torc's head.

'<I could be! Heheh. But then you'd be out of a paycheck. I'd also give your lizard terrible indigestion.>'

"Aye, lead the way, Omen," Em nods, having caught his breath. He slings his shield onto his back, glancing left.

'<My pleasure. Heh. Funny. You seem almost as full as darkness as Hrosty over there. Hero, huh? Okay. Mh. I like you guys.>'

Hybros looked at Omen with bewilderment. "How did you...?" He scowled. "Never mind. I suppose you are one of Azazot's stray cats. Heh!"

'<Heheh. That would be the obvious assumption, wouldn't it? Is it right? Are you an Assassin? Is the sun in the sky? Maybe! Not right now.>'

I nod to the cat.

Greetings. Thanks for the warning, for all it's worth.

'<Sarcasm? Hard to say. That'd be a mortal thing I think.>'

Not overly surprised by anything anymore, he adresses the cat: "I don't suppose you could have warned us about the cultists on the dock."

'<Heh, nope, sorry. He was just as interested in me as he was in you. You a threat but only with my information. It's a whole thing. You'll find out soon enough, I think. Heh.>'

Omen leads the party through the nighttime roads of Eubric, the sun long having sunk below the horizon. The old cat shimmies through the bars of the gates to the Hovels, and the heroes have no problem gaining entry to the walled-off poor district that is full of beggars trying to find a comfortable spot out in the street. He slinks into the largest, least ramshackle-looking building other than the Shrine of the Oracle, past a large ogre bouncer who merely nods and waves the group inside.

Lady Luck's Locale was respectable gentlemen's club once, but with the closure of the Hovels the place fell into disrepair and business gradually declined. It seems the Halloween party Mizuki attended was the height of its popularity - only one orcish patron was inside today. The elven woman currently holding the bar looked up at the doorway with eyes bright at the prospect of more business, but then they fell immediately on spotting the group. An the enormous thug slug woman looking over the balcony merely leered at them all the while. Omen darted up the steps and into the back rooms. The thug slug guffawed a bit as the heroes that filed into the place.

"How remarkably unsurprising." The woman pushed her wig upright with one stubby finger. "Heroes in a bar looking for work. Haw. Original."

"Madam Camorea-"

"Quiet, Topaz. I'm just yanking their little daggers around. They aren't here to cause trouble. Intentionally. This time." The propietress jammed a thumb over her shoulder. "You want the third door on your right. Don't keep the Captain waiting, she gets antsy. And I'm through putting up with the cat pawing at the furniture. Those were classy back in the day."

Edited April 3, 2015 by CallMePie

[Scubacarrot]

"Third door on the right it is."

[Myrddyn]

Gontzo? Erik's hand twitches towards his axe as he sees the slug, but he soon realises this is just another member of the same species. He sticks his thumb through his belt, trying to look casual, and follows Guts to the third door on the right.

[UsernameMDM]

"Should anyone follow the cat?"

[Emjajoas]

'<My pleasure. Heh. Funny. You seem almost as full as darkness as Hrosty over there. Hero, huh? Okay. Mh. I like you guys.>'

Mortimer's hand quickly flies to the patch over his left eye. He touches it gingerly. Darkness, huh?

He frowns a little as they enter the gentleman's club, glancing around the establishment. He glances past the occupants of the bar, feeling very out of place. "Let's not keep them waiting."

[JimBee]

Hybros looked with scorn at the Hovel walls as they passed. "Thalion, Erik, Mizuki and Guts... we were all here when these walls were being built." He now vaguely remembered Erik and Mizuki from that time, though there were many heroes in that party and many years since. "It was built by the houses to keep the poor and infirm out of the rest of the city, to stop them from rioting and destroying the city. Heh! I wonder if they realize what side of the cage they are on."

In the club, he looked around quickly before following the others up the stairs and into the room. He answered to Hoke, "That cat led us here, I am sure it is with our 'missing' captain now."

He thought on the cat. "Strange, I remember a chicken in the Hall with such an attitude...eheh."

[UsernameMDM]

Hoke takes a measured look around the establishment before proceeding.

[The Legonater]

"It was built by the houses to keep the poor and infirm out of the rest of the city, to stop them from rioting and destroying the city. Heh! I wonder if they realize what side of the cage they are on."

They're looking at the opposite of the solution. Segregation will get them nowhere. We need integration, people working together to build this city up. Though I guess when the power is so divided, such teamwork gets swept under the rug.

I keep watch from the back. The place hardly seemed like one to harbour a threat to the heroes, but it didn't hurt to keep an eye out.

[Scubacarrot]

Hybros looked with scorn at the Hovel walls as they passed. "Thalion, Erik, Mizuki and Guts... we were all here when these walls were being built." He now vaguely remembered Erik and Mizuki from that time, though there were many heroes in that party and many years since. "It was built by the houses to keep the poor and infirm out of the rest of the city, to stop them from rioting and destroying the city. Heh! I wonder if they realize what side of the cage they are on."

Guts nods grimly. "I remember, and I remember the mercenaries we slayed that day. And now we should be thinking about renaming this place Wolf-Central."

[-obelix-]

Thalion accepts the helmet from Hoke, and equips it instead of Sterile Gloves.

Hybros looked with scorn at the Hovel walls as they passed. "Thalion, Erik, Mizuki and Guts... we were all here when these walls were being built." He now vaguely remembered Erik and Mizuki from that time, though there were many heroes in that party and many years since. "It was built by the houses to keep the poor and infirm out of the rest of the city, to stop them from rioting and destroying the city. Heh! I wonder if they realize what side of the cage they are on."

Thalion nodded, "Of course I remember. My first quest after coming to Eubric." He frowned, "And my first contact with the Bonapartes..." He looked at Hybros, "I had no idea of what was going on, and I doubt they did as well."

He turned at Erik, "Erik my friend, here, you should be able to use these." Thalion hands Erik Diamond, Aquamarine, Opal, Garnet and Alpha and Omega.

Edited April 3, 2015 by -obelix-

[Myrddyn]

Hybros looked with scorn at the Hovel walls as they passed. "Thalion, Erik, Mizuki and Guts... we were all here when these walls were being built."

Erik had gestured to the Titanic Axe. "Got this from one of the riot leaders. Besides that riot, it was definitely a worthy quest."

He turned at Erik, "Erik my friend, here, you should be able to use these." Thalion hands Erik Diamond, Aquamarine, Opal, Garnet and Alpha and Omega.

"Thanks Thalion." Erik said, accepting the equipment. Edited April 3, 2015 by Myrddyn

[CMP]

"Third door on the right it is."

He sticks his thumb through his belt, trying to look casual, and follows Guts to the third door on the right.

He frowns a little as they enter the gentleman's club, glancing around the establishment. He glances past the occupants of the bar, feeling very out of place. "Let's not keep them waiting."

Hybros looked with scorn at the Hovel walls as they passed. "Thalion, Erik, Mizuki and Guts... we were all here when these walls were being built." He now vaguely remembered Erik and Mizuki from that time, though there were many heroes in that party and many years since. "It was built by the houses to keep the poor and infirm out of the rest of the city, to stop them from rioting and destroying the city. Heh! I wonder if they realize what side of the cage they are on."

They're looking at the opposite of the solution. Segregation will get them nowhere. We need integration, people working together to build this city up. Though I guess when the power is so divided, such teamwork gets swept under the rug.

"Lovely. Rogue with hearts of gold. The original and her cohort wouldn't've let this damn wall happen in the first place...don't know what those Veterans are doing this days..." The madam rolled her bulging eyes and slithered in the opposite direction as the party went up the stairs and to the room Omen had slipped into.

Hoke takes a measured look around the establishment before proceeding.

The place appeared to have been a rather high-end place once, but those days looked like they were long past, with peeling wallpaper and cracked wood and stone walls stood in the background. The air was thick and warm, and oddly comforting to the heroes who at this point had reached the door, which was cracked open slightly. Their eyes fell upon a strange sight as they stepped inside.

The room was small, cozy and obviously meant for uses other than what was currently going on in it., A single candle lit the area, beside a large bed on which a Bonaparte soldier who just looked like he'd been mugged was chained. A wererabbit, assumedly one of the working girls as the establishment sat at the foot, stroking a content-looking Omen, and the 'Captain' the heroes were looking for stood in the middle, looking quite pleased to see them but also looking more stressed than she ever had before, standing amidst a pile of maps and other documents. Upon seeing them, the Bonaparte cadet wriggled fruitlessly in his binds.

"Gods, please, get me out of here, these people are insane!!"

"They're with me, idiot." The woman walked around the party and closed the door. "Excellent. It's good to see at least one risk pay off. I knew they'd have people waiting at the dock...though certainly not a necromancer...but I had to get you all over here." She looked around between each hero. "The job has changed."

"My name is Illdria, and I'm the captain of the ship you were intended to protect, the Magpie. In case it wasn't entirely clear, my ship was attacked. The Bonapartes have been hounding me and my crew for years now. We're an independent shipping vessel, and not everything we do measures up with the regulations and taxes they continuously try and push on us all. I think a few of you have seen the worst of it, but I hardly anticipated an attack on this scale. They didn't even pull the 'warrant for our arrest' nonsense before they started shooting. Long story short, they overwhelmed us. They have the entire rest of my crew, along with my ship."

"I don't think they were looking to take me alive and I was the last one left, so I had to escape. Later I found our ship's cat, who's been...surprisingly useful. I took up refuge here and for the past three days I've been devising a plan to get back what they stole from me. This squealer here has been highly cooperative." Illdria raised a gloved hands towards the Bonaparte cadet. "It seems the one who gave the order to take my ship was one Rear Admiral Herman Melville. I pulled some favors and located his base, and I've also obtained the blueprints to the place. Have you heard of Fort Hemlock? Not likely, seeing as how it's been the Bonies' big military secret for the past three years, but perhaps you may know it as Jolly Roger's Grotto." The captain picked up two of the documents and scanned over them briefly before looking back up at the party. "It was once the lair of a pirate lord Heroica put out of business. The Bonapartes claimed ownership of the isle...ironic considering the recent doubts about Jolly's identity....and it seems that Melville's been using it as his base of operations. That's where my crew is being held, and that's the place we're infiltrating. Tonight."

Illdria set the maps down. There was a silence for a short while.

"This place is ten times the size of Fort Bonaparte and I can just about guarantee it's going to get messy. Heroica is about the only group I can trust to make the right call. I'm not leaving my crew, or my ship, to rot in some prison. I'm getting them back, or dying trying. Are you in?"

[Emjajoas]

Em nods solemnly, his thoughts wandering back to his storming of the Reaper's Citadel. Time travel, monsters, Seerus... Could the Bonapartes' fort possibly be worse?

"What's the plan?" he asks, cutting straight to the chase.

[CMP]

"What's the plan?" he asks, cutting straight to the chase.

"We go in by air, land right on top of the bastard's house, kill everything between us and my crew, and escape with my ship."

[Scubacarrot]

The alchemist fumed with rage at what he heard. "The Bonapartes go too far. Whatever else you are, Captain, you are a valuable ally to Heroica. Mark my words, the Bonapartes will answer for this, after we get your ship and crew back." Guts crossed his arms: "There is one thing I don't understand. Do you have any idea why Helvetian Zealots would have a problem with you or us?"

Edited April 3, 2015 by Scubacarrot

[-obelix-]

"Say no more captain, I am in!"