Heroica RPG - Quest #139: Around the World

[Purpearljellyblob]

Turning to U'Or, "There are certain things that can be avoided if things are laid out at the start. Not all that hire us know that, and we just want to make it as smooth sailing as. There is no hostility, but we Heroes do not possess abilities to read minds either, well not that I know of anyway."

[Zepher]

"None meant," Hoke says with a smile as he slaps the U'kin on the shoulder. He looks over the railing to see Torc had flown close by, as if she was listening to the conversation the whole time. Hoke shot her a wink and headed over to Captain Elba.

"Captain," Hoke says as the nods in greeting to the man, "Looks like good skies for flying."

"Being above the clouds certainly makes for less stormy weather." Elba pulls his tricorne down as it tries to flutter away. "Though it's a bit windier. Seems you know that though-" he glances at Torc. "That big one your's?" Elba offers a hand, keeping the other locked carefully on the wheel. "Captain Elba, by the by. And you are?"

"Yes, I am ready. Perhaps you should go first, Lady Felix."

"Very well..." Lady Felix bobbles her head back and forth for a short while. "I have never stolen from Gerald Guffington, I was once a warrior a life time ago, and I inherited my trade secrets from my mother." She smiles grandly.

Turning to U'Or, "There are certain things that can be avoided if things are laid out at the start. Not all that hire us know that, and we just want to make it as smooth sailing as. There is no hostility, but we Heroes do not possess abilities to read minds either, well not that I know of anyway."

"I- I, I understand." U'Or bows. "We have had some bad employees in the past just as you've had some bad employers. I guess it makes sense for us both to be careful makes sense." He looks at the horizon. "Have you ever been to Dastan, Lady Purpearl?"

[UsernameMDM]

"Being above the clouds certainly makes for less stormy weather." Elba pulls his tricorne down as it tries to flutter away. "Though it's a bit windier. Seems you know that though-" he glances at Torc. "That big one your's?" Elba offers a hand, keeping the other locked carefully on the wheel. "Captain Elba, by the by. And you are?"

"Hoke Ablesword," Hoke says as he shakes the Captain's hand, "Mine? We are paired together. She is a trusted and fierce ally and a great companion in battle."

[JimBee]

"Very well..." Lady Felix bobbles her head back and forth for a short while. "I have never stolen from Gerald Guffington, I was once a warrior a life time ago, and I inherited my trade secrets from my mother." She smiles grandly.

Hybros thought for a minute. "The third one is a lie." He figured ten gold wasn't worth the risk of accusing her of stealing from her employer.

[Zepher]

Captain Elba, to his credit, seems stricken by his mistake.

"My apologies, Hoke. I've been to my fair share of places, even Dastan a few years ago, but I haven't met a dragon yet." Elba salutes Torc. "I apologize!" he yells to the dragon. "Think she could out do the ship? Want to give it a try? Perhaps a wager? If I lose, you'll have to never mention it to Daneeka. He'll be heart broken. He's been able to build a flying ship, but it's not nearly as fast as the Ji Pei's."

The Race:

The race will play out over 3 turns. Each turn the die will be rolled for both the ship and the dragon to determine wind resistance. At the end of the turn, Hoke/Elba may choose to reroll the die. This will add 1/2/3 to their final wind resistance number (depending on the round). If they choose to not re-roll the die, they will receive the same wind resistance the following round. Whoever has the lowest total wind resistance at the end of 3 rounds is the winner. Ask any questions if the rules are unclear (I hate writing rules).

Felix patiently waits for Arthur's answer.

[Flipz]

OOC: I have a few free minutes right now, so I'll go ahead and whip up a post, but as I mentioned in General Discussion, I'll be gone most of today. Sorry for the inconvenience!

"I'm going to guess the second as a lie--once a fighter, always a fighter, after all, and you seem like you're still a fierce fighter to me."

Edited July 30, 2015 by Flipz

[UsernameMDM]

Captain Elba, to his credit, seems stricken by his mistake.

"My apologies, Hoke. I've been to my fair share of places, even Dastan a few years ago, but I haven't met a dragon yet." Elba salutes Torc. "I apologize!" he yells to the dragon. "Think she could out do the ship? Want to give it a try? Perhaps a wager? If I lose, you'll have to never mention it to Daneeka. He'll be heart broken. He's been able to build a flying ship, but it's not nearly as fast as the Ji Pei's."

"No apologies necessary Captain. I understood what you meant," Hoke says with a mischievous wink,"A wager you say? Sorry, but I would rather not there be a chance for the good doctor's heart to be broken."

As if on cue, Torc blasts ahead of the airship. She bellows out a cloud of fire that she proceeds to fly through, spinning, with her wings tucked tight to her sides. She barrel rolls and twists, wheeling about, and dives at breakneck speed towards the deck of the ship, effortlessly and gracefully coming to rest nose to nose with Captain Elba.

[JimBee]

"I'm going to guess the second as a lie--once a fighter, always a fighter, after all, and you seem like you're still a fierce fighter to me."

"Hm, yes, how could I forget when you fought ag- ehem, alongside me in the Manor, Lady Felix. If you meant that you are no longer a warrior, then your second statement is a lie." Hybros gave a sly grin.

[Flipz]

"Hm, yes, how could I forget when you fought ag- ehem, alongside me in the Manor, Lady Felix. If you meant that you are no longer a warrior, then your second statement is a lie." Hybros gave a sly grin.

Arthur eyes Hybros with mock suspicion. "Perhaps, if you're so eager to jump on the bandwagon, you should go next, hm?" Arthur almost blurts out the phrase 'scum or dumb', but catches himself just in the nick of time. He eyes his empty bottle of Mead suspiciously. "Strange. Usually it's Nostrum that opens up my tongue, makes me talk too damn much--Mead's usually nothing. Something about the altitude, maybe?" The Dragoon gently smacks his temple a few times, then shakes his head in a futile attempt to clear it.

[Purpearljellyblob]

"I- I, I understand." U'Or bows. "We have had some bad employees in the past just as you've had some bad employers. I guess it makes sense for us both to be careful makes sense." He looks at the horizon. "Have you ever been to Dastan, Lady Purpearl?"

"No harm being careful. I am glad we acknowledged that." Purpearl nods at U'Or, "Speaking of Dastan and even Xu, everyone has their first, and I'm no different, if you guess it right. But. When connections and emotions are involved, things might get a little sticky and might not turn out in your favour. I have none of these, and with a clear mind, you can have my trust. And of course, I do have connections with Baltarok, with one of the Clans, but I do not want to put myself in that position, torn between friends and loyalty. Hence I am here." Looking to the horizon as well, "Sure flying through the skies does look and feel different from my first boat ride to Baltarok. Are there any dangers in the skies that we should be aware of? Predators in the sky, perhaps?" Recalling the time where journeying through the high seas was not as smooth sailing as anyone would expect.

"No apologies necessary Captain. I understood what you meant," Hoke says with a mischievous wink,"A wager you say? Sorry, but I would rather not there be a chance for the good doctor's heart to be broken."

As if on cue, Torc blasts ahead of the airship. She bellows out a cloud of fire that she proceeds to fly through, spinning, with her wings tucked tight to her sides. She barrel rolls and twists, wheeling about, and dives at breakneck speed towards the deck of the ship, effortlessly and gracefully coming to rest nose to nose with Captain Elba.

Purpearl watches in admiration as Torc did her swift manoeuvres. "Good to see some healthy competition around, Captain Elba, Hoke."

Edited July 31, 2015 by Purpearljellyblob

[UsernameMDM]

Purpearl watches in admiration as Torc did her swift manoeuvres. "Good to see some healthy competition around, Captain Elba, Hoke."

Hoke smiles at Purpearl, proud of Torc.

[Zepher]

"Perhaps some dicey wording on my part - such is the issue with these games. My first statement was a lie. It's how Gerald and I met, me stealing from him." Guffington raises his glass to her. She sighs. "But you're right, Hybros, I am still a warrior in my own right. Just used to do it a bit more organized. You can keep your gold. We'll call that round a wash. Perhaps one of you can go now?"

OoC: You can search for the word experience, if you want the exact quote. You may both post one at the same time, too, to speed things up a little for the rest of the party.

"I certainly hope there are no dangers," says the U'Kin, glancing around nervously. "We should be in Dastan in only a day and night. I doubt we will run into anything until then. Besides, who would bother a ship with two dragons?"

"Very well." Elba smiles ferociously at the dragon. "Guess there really isn't a need for a race… and as far as actual maneuvering goes, the ship can't hold a candle to you. No all around turns like that."

OoC: We will move on shortly, once Hybros and Arthur finish up with their game.

[UsernameMDM]

"I certainly hope there are no dangers," says the U'Kin, glancing around nervously. "We should be in Dastan in only a day and night. I doubt we will run into anything until then. Besides, who would bother a ship with two dragons?"

"You hired Heroica and yet expect no danger?" Hoke asks with a chuckle.

"Very well." Elba smiles ferociously at the dragon. "Guess there really isn't a need for a race… and as far as actual maneuvering goes, the ship can't hold a candle to you. No all around turns like that."

Torc 'smiles' back at the Captain. She stalks off, finding a resting spot in the bow of the airship.

[JimBee]

"Heh, I did not know that you were once a thief, Lady Felix. I do not blame you for it, but I did not know, heheh." Hybros looked at Guffington. He was indeed a generous and forgiving man.

"Very well, I will go next. I have stolen from Lady Felix, I have fought a dragon, and there is no one of direct blood relation to me on Olegaia."

[Flipz]

"Heh, I did not know that you were once a thief, Lady Felix. I do not blame you for it, but I did not know, heheh." Hybros looked at Guffington. He was indeed a generous and forgiving man.

"Very well, I will go next. I have stolen from Lady Felix, I have fought a dragon, and there is no one of direct blood relation to me on Olegaia."

"...I'm going to guess the third as a lie." Arthur seems even more disoriented than he was a few moments before, and he seems to struggle to come up with coherent words.

"I suppose I'm up next. I have fought two gods, personally met all the Veterans of Heroica, and am a living weapon of pure Chaos." Arthur seems unusually satisfied with his challenge for the others, if definitely not sober at this point.

[JimBee]

"...I'm going to guess the third as a lie." Arthur seems even more disoriented than he was a few moments before, and he seems to struggle to come up with coherent words.

"Hm, and what say you, Lady Felix, Guffington?"

"I suppose I'm up next. I have fought two gods, personally met all the Veterans of Heroica, and am a living weapon of pure Chaos." Arthur seems unusually satisfied with his challenge for the others, if definitely not sober at this point.

"Two gods, hm? Well you have told me about this chaos that makes up your body, so I suppose something just as crazy could happen, heheh. I think the second one is a lie."

Hybros nudged the Dragoon. "Ehem... you might want to shape up in front of our employer. I do not think the Great Guffington expects anything less than professionals for this job."

[Zepher]

Lady Felix ponders for a few seconds.

"Blood relatives, gods," she says finally.

Guffington scratches his chin.

"I imagine it'd be easier with you, Hybros, given our history... but I can't quite guess. I believe you're people are back, but if you call them blood relations I'm not sure... as for stealing from Lady Felix, I believe that's a little too specific to be the lie, unless you're playing me against myself. So for you, I will guess dragons."

"For the boy... that's more difficult. I will have to guess the second as well - the other two are, again, too specific to be a lie in my mind." He takes a sip of wine. "So, what is it?"

"No dangers in the sky. As I said, once we land in Dastan, it may prove a different story. Though everyone does seem relatively concerned about the sky at this point..."

[JimBee]

Hybros eyes Lady Felix nervously as she gave her answer, but said nothing other than, "Yes, the one about blood relatives is a lie. Not only have my people returned to Olegaia, but there is someone just like me somewhere out there.... eheh. I have fought a dragon before. I hope I will not need that experience for our trip to Dastan." He handed over 10 gold to each Lady Felix and Arthur, and accepted 10 gold from Guffington.

"So, Guffington, do you think you can fool me? Heheh I do know a bit about your past."

[Flipz]

Arthur slides Hybros' gold back, and slid 10 of his own gold to Guffington before accepting 10 from Zora. "Only managed to meet four of the Veterans so far, though I somewhat doubt I'll be meeting the others any time soon." Something in Hybros' words seems to soothe Arthur somewhat, and the Dragoon leans back in his chair, holding his palm upward and allowing an inky black halberd with a twisting handle to rise from its surface before grabbing it and letting it solidify. "Of course, none of this leaves this room, right?" Arthur asks searchingly.

Edited August 1, 2015 by Flipz

[JimBee]

Something in Hybros' words seems to soothe Arthur somewhat, and the Dragoon leans back in his chair, holding his palm upward and allowing an inky black halberd with a twisting handle to rise from its surface before grabbing it and letting it solidify. "Of course, none of this leaves this room, right?" Arthur asks searchingly.

Hybros shrugs. "I do not see how you are a different person despite that. My own fragment of Zoot is a separate being, but I feel like it is a... friend, or partner, that has been with me since I got it." He shook his head suddenly. "Ehehm, if that makes any sense. I am not too sure what I meant by that myself..."

[Flipz]

Hybros shrugs. "I do not see how you are a different person despite that. My own fragment of Zoot is a separate being, but I feel like it is a... friend, or partner, that has been with me since I got it." He shook his head suddenly. "Ehehm, if that makes any sense. I am not too sure what I meant by that myself..."

"Let's just say that the halberd is a truer form than my humanoid appearance. When the transformation first occurred, I had some difficulty maintaining this appearance. It's gotten easier over time, but I still can't exactly call myself human anymore."

[JimBee]

"Let's just say that the halberd is a truer form than my humanoid appearance. When the transformation first occurred, I had some difficulty maintaining this appearance. It's gotten easier over time, but I still can't exactly call myself human anymore."

"Well you seem human enough to me." Hybros poked Arthur in the chest to see what it would feel like. "What is the difference if what you are made of if you are the same person?"

[UsernameMDM]

Hoke stands at the bow of the ship close to Torc, simply enjoying the sound of the wind and gentle sway of the airship.

It was nice for a peaceful journey for once.

[Flipz]

"Well you seem human enough to me." Hybros poked Arthur in the chest to see what it would feel like. "What is the difference if what you are made of if you are the same person?"

Arthur allows his chest to revert to its unsolid state, the ink rippling and bubbling as Hybros' hand reaches clear through his "body". Uncomfortable, Arthur brushes the hand away and focuses on repairing his solid state. "It's more a reflection of what I wish I could be, rather than what I am. Perhaps in some ways I am the same, but many would call me a monster or a demon. Come to think of it, by nomenclature perhaps there is some truth to the latter--Chaos is and always has been associated with the Void." Arthur sighs, wondering why he'd even brought up the subject. No more drinking games for you, he mentally chides himself. "Regardless, I lost something in the transformation--a...oneness, or commonality with others that I did not recognize until I had given it up. I am...different from humanity, and perhaps not in a good way. One day, I'd like to regain that sense of personhood--or at the very least, come to terms with its loss. I try not to let it affect me as much as it once did, but on some level it's always there--a quiet, nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something's not right, and that something is me."

Arthur shrugs and adjusts his hair, his measured exp<b></b>ression belying his discontent. "But I didn't come here to mope, and the three of you didn't come here to hear me do so. As I recall, we're here to play a game--and I do believe it's your turn, Master Guffington." Arthur's tone and poise were more formal than they'd been all night--a transparent but usually accepted ploy he often used to distract others from his own discomfort.

Edited August 2, 2015 by Flipz

[Purpearljellyblob]

Besides, who would bother a ship with two dragons?"

"No dangers in the sky. As I said, once we land in Dastan, it may prove a different story. Though everyone does seem relatively concerned about the sky at this point..."

Purpearl leans on the mast and enjoys the peace while she can, "Perhaps you are right, U'Or."