The Worn Out Road.

The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

Mortimer considered the question carefully. Should he lie? Yes, that sounded like a fine idea. Actually, she looked like she'd eat him.

"Well," he said smoothly, "There was, in fact, a deathknight in this town earlier. He tried to kill me, you see, for no readily apparent reason." Kind of true. "Threw a spell at my person. Barely escaped it." Also kind of true.

He pontificated with extravagant hand gestures, mentioning the parts of the story that suited him, leaving out certain parts about tracking spells liberally seeded into the people around him. Including, but not limited to, the deathknight.

Even if that spell was going a bit wonky. Showed general direction, but that was it.

"And that, madam, is what happened." He finished. She didn't look at all convinced so he pointed on finger at her to give her a good talking to about how he was a trustworthy individual, and threw some pepper in her face.

Interesting thing about pepper. It's not magical or a weaponry, so people rarely defend themselves from it.

With the pepper thrown, he took the goateed fellow's and the girl's hands in his and ran quickly in the opposite direction.
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:51 pm

Blinking, Dara wondered exactly what had just happened. Who was the guy with the beard? And the chick with the temper?Was the albino man's (Marty?) story to be trusted? He didn't exactly exude trustworthiness. Or sanity, really.

And now she was being pulled into the direction she'd just come from. It took her another moment to collect herself before she gripped the albino man's arm and pulled him to a stop? "What are you doing?!" she whispered frantically. "Where the hell are you taking us?"

Even trying as hard as she was to be quiet, the bundle jerked before letting loose a loud wail. She froze.
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"You may need to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. By 'devil' I mean robot devil and by 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat."
~Bender from Futurama

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The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

"No time for questions, time for running!" he said.

Then he heard the cry. Time seemed to freeze as images passed through his mind.

The snow. The cries. The blood. My wife, my child, my family.

It passed quickly enough, though he had to hide his face for moment and get control of his voice. "We're going," he said in an utterly sane voice, "To catch up to a certain orc I know who owes me a favor. Also because the lady in armor has marked you with me, and she might ask you pointed questions if you remained. Trust me, you're utterly safe." He looked at her for a moment and the bundle in her arms with a peculiar longing. "Come on."

Malia, I miss you so.
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:16 pm

"We can't run that way," Dara said with conviction. There was absolutely no way that there wouldn't be some sort of law enforcement at the scene of the crime.

Cutting him off before he had a chance to reply, she continued. "I think I saw the orc go off more to the west, anyway. We should go this way." She pulled Marty and the bearded man to the left as she cradled the bundle to her chest. She wasn't giving the baby back. Like hell.
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"You may need to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. By 'devil' I mean robot devil and by 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat."
~Bender from Futurama

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The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

Mortimer followed the girl obediently. She knew more than she was saying, he was experienced enough to know that. But, then again, he didn't really care. What he did care about was getting to the orc.

He took out his mirror and leapt, more or less, to the front of the group, leading them through the twists and turns of the town like he had lived there all his life.

He occasionaly cast what he thought were covert glances over to the girl. She was rather pretty, in a pale scrawny sort of way.

As if he should talk about being pale...

They ran pellmell through the town until they reached a particularly dirty back alley and decided to take a quick break.
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:40 pm

Cassandra had been caught off guard by the pepper, but it didn't keep her from following the bastard who'd thrown it. She was right behind them from the getgo, and followed their winding path through the town. Such was her surprise when she turned the final corner and saw them resting, as if they didn't realize she'd followed.

"Do you know the punishment for assaulting a holy knight?" She shouted.

She pointed her warhammer at the albino and continued.

"You have two choices here, fool. Either give yourself up, or I shall smite you with all the might of the sins you've cast upon the world!"

She didn't bluff anymore. The rage welling up in her was enough to threaten with her mightiest attack. She didn't care who this bastard was, if he thought he would get away with this, he was sorely wrong.

"Funny, I would have let you go, had you not acted as you did!"

The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

Mortimer was surprised. He didn't realize she had followed. "You know," he said slowly. "Most people tend to do a bit of coughing and sneezing when I throw pepper in their faces. And in full platemail too. Curse your superior stamina!"

Mortimer stood up slowly and stretched. He had gotten out of bigger messes.

He just couldn't remember any.

He could try running again, but she'd just follow him. She had that look. "Okay, say I give myself, what, exactly, does this entail?" He stopped and added reproachfully, "And I wouldn't call pepper in the face assualt. And there was no call calling me a fool. That hurts you know, right in the heart."
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:53 pm

Hmm. For some reason, it didn't sit very well with Dara that Marty here would be killed. Maybe because he'd actually cared enough to take her away from danger? Feh. Who knows.

Thankfully, she had things on hand that were much worse than pepper to have in the eyes.

Silently, she unhooked a vial from her hat, flicked open the sealing magic, and threw it directly in the woman's eyes.
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"You may need to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. By 'devil' I mean robot devil and by 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat."
~Bender from Futurama

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The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

"Goody!" Mortimer said as he ran up, took out a blackjack and belted her once on the back of the head in a professional manner. He then turn, grabbed his companions again, and began to run once more.

"Er, that stuff you threw in her eyes, it isn't like acid or anything, is it?" he asked the girl- what was her name? Opal? Sure, that'd work. "It isn't going to disolve her eyes right out of her skull is it? I'm just saying, the Church would get right pissed if we melted her eyes out of her skull. Just saying."
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:09 pm

"No, that was more of a drugging poison than anything else," Dara replied. She was getting a bit winded; they had been running for a while before and hadn't stopped to rest for long. "The most it should do is knock her out, and that may not last very long."

She'd noticed the piece of glass he kept in his hand. Before, she'd thought about asking, but had decided against it. After all, he'd punched the bearded guy for asking questions. Marty didn't seem to like curiosity when directed toward him.

But now? She noted his stick-like figure and decided she could take him in a fight.

"I see you have some glass in your hand." Always best to start by stating the obvious - it made people feel les threatened for some reason. "Why?"
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"You may need to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. By 'devil' I mean robot devil and by 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat."
~Bender from Futurama

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Last edited by on Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:02 am; edited 1 time in total

The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

"Hmm? This?" Mortimer looked at the mirror in his hand for a moment, as if he had forgotten it. He wasn't feeling winded yet. He'd spent most of his life being run out of towns. "It is a peice of glass in my hand." She glared at him and he decided to continue before she slipped him a roofie or something.

"It's a mirror that doubles as a tracking device. I put a tracking spell on someone, I look in this mirror, I know where they are.

"For example, the paladin is currently in the same place we left her, so we can take a break now. I'll watch the mirror, and if she comes, I'll give you the headsup by running away."
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:33 pm

A tracking device, huh? She wondered who made that sort of thing, how they came up with it. And what he used as a tracker. Did he have her pegged as well? she wondered with a glance at Marty. He seemed to be the type to do that...

"You probably won't need to run," she assured the man. "White magic doesn't really affect it because the poison takes effect immediately after it touches the skin."

She leaned up against the nearest wall and uncovered a part of the bundle. Startlingly blue eyes stared back at her. She'd have to think of a name sometime, when her life wasn't in mortal danger as it seemed to be.
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"You may need to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. By 'devil' I mean robot devil and by 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat."
~Bender from Futurama

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Last edited by on Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:03 am; edited 1 time in total

The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

Mortimer stood on the far end of the alley. He kept on eye on the tracking device, but he also took a look at the baby. It was, in the manner of all babies, adorable. Had anyone been looking at his face, they would have seen it relax out of its habitual fake smile for a moment and into a real one.

It passed quickly enough.

"What's its name?" he asked lightly.
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Subject: Re: The Worn Out Road. Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:59 pm

"Hmm?" Dara looked at Marty, seeing a strange expression on his face as he gazed at the child. It was a look of longing and sorrow. She'd have to bug him about that later.

"No name yet." She began to lightly rock the child until its great blue eyes shut. "Any suggestions?"
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"You may need to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. By 'devil' I mean robot devil and by 'metaphorically' I mean get your coat."
~Bender from Futurama

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The Man Without a Rank Joined : 13 Oct 2007 Posts : 2396

"Alexi." He said without thinking. He looked surprised but then nodded. "Yes, Alexi. A fine name, a strong name for a boy or a girl."

Oh Malia, that's what we were going to name our child, wasn't it?

He shook his head. "Anyway," he began, "We should probably et moving. The orc isn't far."
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