The thread which needs a title...

[OOC]
Ok, I'll stick to the original plan I had and head for the warehouse in 113 Iron Post Row to meet with my henchmen.
[/OOC]

"I hate this part of town..." I said to myself as I leaned out of the carrage window.
"And how come it always smells like rotten eggs?"
Leopold wasn't listening. He had fallen asleep again. No wonder that maid had been upset...

The carrage finally stopped outside the warehouse. Standing next to the entrance was a dark figure. But I knew who it was.
The figure was the leader of my Tarant henchmen. A sturdy old Half-Orc named Gardok.

Gardok was no stranger to battle. He had many scars to prove it. He was missing an eye and his left hand. He had lost both in a battle with a Lethe Wyvern 12 years ago.

The head of that same Wyvern now hangs over the fireplace in my Caladon estate.

As we stopped next to the warehouse, the figure walked up to the carrage. He opened the carrage door and made a gesture for us to exit.

"Ah, Mr. Boothby. It's been a while since our last encounter. Me and the boys are ready to speak about our upcomming asignment..."

Gardok pointed towards the small door next to the cargo gate.
"This way, Sir."

Leopold and I followed.

Inside we where greeted by around 20 rough looking fellows. Most of them half-orcs, but there where also the occational half-ogre and gnome.
It was dark. In the center of the room was a small desk which had a table lamp. Other then the sky-light, it was the only light source in the entire warehouse.
I pulled out the chair and sat down behind the desk.
It was time to set my next plan in motion...

"Right, Gentlemen. Welcome. I know you're all eager to hear you're next asignment, So I'll keep it short. You see, there's this dwarf in Ashbury that has a new invention for us. While the automobile is profitable, This new device might get us even more money.
I want you to go and...."

[OOC]
I'll be here a while, So if you want to come after me. This might be a good time. But its up to you guys...
[/OOC]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Flink on 2002-03-09 17:19 ]</font>

 

We came to a rusty warehouse. Just as the carriage stopped I rolled in to a dark corner. A half-orc came out to meet the gnome. The gnome and his henchman entered the warehouse. The gnome's bodyguard followed. I quickly stepped to the door and hit the "doorman" in the head but he just swayed, turned at me and hit me in the head with his fist. I fell to the ground. He grabbed his club and wanted to crush my skull. I rolled out of the way of his club pulled out my hushed revolver and shot at him but only hit his arm. He threw his club and knocked out my gun. He pulled out a dagger and jumped on me but I pulled my other silenced revolver, shot him in the gut
and quickly rolled out of his way so he wouldn't ruin my new coat. I took the warehouse keys from him and carefully entered the building. Inside I saw a group of people gathered around a table. There was Boothby, lots of half-orcs and a few gnomes. So I finnaly found the hive. Boothby was scheming another plan. He wanted to steal some dwarf's from Ashbury patent. I found a good hiding place between some boxes and listened to the conversation.

_________________
Ahhhhh...fresh meat...


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Maniac on 2002-03-11 06:56 ]</font>

 

[OOC]That was a bit out of character for your guy, Maniac.

I have a coupla requests for everyone:

- Can we keep a lid on the OOC's? PM's can be used to negotiate stuff less intrusively.
- Can we clear up old OOC's, so the thread reads better? Just edit the dead ones to replace the text with elipses (...)
[/OOC]

 

I followed the human through the window. Why we didn't use the door was beyond me. These humans are always in a hurry. He moved quickly down the streets despite the fact that it was quite dark out. We made our way to a better-lit area of town and stopped in front of a busy tavern.

"Now you better watch your tongue, half-elf. My partner has a really bad attitude and a quick trigger finger," said the human. We stepped into the tavern and the human headed toward the back. Looking in the direction we were heading I noticed a surly looking dwarf sitting by himself, sipping on a large mug of ale. The human walked up and seated himself next to the dwarf. He motioned me to pull up a chair.
"Lendark, you're late," said the dwarf. So Lendark was this human's name.
"Sorry Orin, I got a little tied up," replied Lendark, smiling.
"Who's this?" asked Orin.
"His name is Jobriath. He's CIA," Lendark replied.
"CIA!" exclaimed Orin, reaching below the table.
"Hold on a minute," said Lendark, putting his hand out, "he's here to help us."
The dwarf relaxed a little and stared at me suspiciously. Lendark and I caught Orin up on how we had met. He seemed surprised that I had bested Lendark at hand-to-hand combat. I was quick to point out that it could have easily been the other way around had I not had the advantage of infravision. We discussed Boothby, the challenge of killing him, and our next course of action.
"We need to meet up with a half-ogre friend of mine, Blaggs is his name. He was getting some key information that will make killing Boothby legal," I said.
"This party is getting a little crowded, don't you think?" quipped Lendark.
"Tell you what," I said, "I will go meet with Blaggs by myself. We will meet you at The Roasted Chicken at 10:00 PM. If you don't like the idea of working with the CIA, don't show up. We will each go it on our own. But don't say I didn't warn you about Boothby."
With that I got up and walked out. It was almost time to meet with Blaggs.

 

I just sat at the table for a couple of minutes shaking my head. Working with a half-elf and an animal what next. The money I had picked up off the patent worm was enough for a while and would let me continue my real mission. But I never liked leaving people who had tried to kill me alive. What the hell, it was always good to have a big person in front of you when the shooting started. "Well mate, I can work with them if you can." I say to Lendark and take another swig of ale.

 

The night had gotten unusually cool. I shivered, and pulled the collar of my tan trench-coat further up my neck to protect from the biting teeth of the wind. So far, my preliminary searching and questioning had revealed nothing as to the whereabouts of the missing half-ogre from Dugant's carriage. "Missing" would only apply to the rude "handler" I questioned earlier. Seems he had rounded up all of Dugant's "animals" and was outraged that this one had eluded him. "If I catch him, he's gonna fry," were his exact words.

My thoughts were interrupted by a shout from a night watchman. "Cap'n!!! We gotta intruder over here!" It seems that my wanderings had brought me to the office of Albreck Dugant's... My wanderings or my fate, I noted later. As I sped to the building, I passed a small, dark alleyway that seperated Dugant's office and another building. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I glimpsed some movement. I stopped in my tracks, and moved back to block the entrance of the alleyway with my body. After my eyes adjusted to the much dimmer light in the alley, I noticed a form, a rather large form towards the back.

The form moved it's head, and locked two pale eyes on mine.

I felt my heart lurch in my chest, and climb to my throat, cutting off my vocal cords. It was a half-ogre. This, in my heart I knew, was the intruder.

The night watchman had already disappeared into the building, so I immediately began to make my way down the alley. The half-ogre moved, and began to slink backwards, away from me. I threw my hands up in a gesture of reassurance. You corner one of these beasts, and you're liable to pay for it with a broken neck. My "gesture of reassurance" seemed not to have an effect on the halfie, but by moving my hands swiftly upward, arms outstretched, palms facing forward, allowed me to unbutton my holster. This was hidden by my movement. I needed to be ready if he charged.

"Easy, big boy." Did the nervousness show in my voice? I wasn't sure. "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

I had in the back of my mind, from the moment I saw the big fellow, that this was Dugant's "missing" beast. I didn't know that for a fact, of course, but I needed to get him to trust me, and I needed to do so fast...

I slowly put my hands back down by my sides, but my right hand, ever so slowly, eased between my trench coat and my holster. This movement apparently did not go unnoticed by the halfie.

"Listen, my good fellow," I started. Hell, go with the smooth talk. "I don't want to harm you. I just wanna ask you a few questions. Like what you were doing in this building. And whether or not you know anything about..."

"Not telling you nothing," he replied.

Dammit, I thought. So much for the smooth talk. Now, time to get ugly. "Alright, look.. There's a reason I ain't hollered for backup yet. I realize that you could close the gap between me and you in about 2.3 seconds, by which time I may or may not have shot you dead. I also know that, should I miss, I wouldn't have time for a second shot, and you would have your hands around my neck and I would be laying in a pile, right here, victim of a broken neck. HOWEVER, during all of this, which would take all of about 12 seconds, I would have plenty of time to holler for help, needless to say my gunshot would give away our desperate situation here. So, it's up to you, big boy. If you wanna answer me a few questions, I'll think about not turning you in. Your decision."

My fingers crossed behind my back, I quaked at the sound of my own voice. What the hell was I doing, challenging a beast almost twice my size?

He stirred, and begin to speak.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: retard on 2002-03-11 10:11 ]</font>

 

As the man approached, I tried futilely to fade back into the shadowy alley. I caught the glint of brass from his shoulders as a stray beam from the streetlamps found it's way into the gloom. A uniform, then. The watchman's cries had brought a response.

The uniformed stranger started talking. At first, I couldn't hear him, but as he moved closer, I could make out his questions. Not surprisingly, he wanted to know what I'd been doing in the building. I didn't want tell him. I considered constructing a lie, but nothing came to mind.

"Not tellin you nuthin," I said, acting dumb, as usual.

He didn't like this, and kept his hand near his gun as he delivered an ultimatum. It was sugar-coated, but it was still an ultimatum. Either I told him something, or we'd have to fight.

I didn't want to fight. I'm strong, and I generally hit what I aim at, but I knew my lack of speed would prevent me from closing the gap and disabling him before he got off a shot or two. I didn;t relish the thought of bleeding all over the place, and the noise would attract more attention than I could afford.

Still, I wasn't about to tell this policeman anything important; I'd learned long ago that the police in Tarant, and many other places, were not much more than whipping boys for the overlords. I'd just play along for a while and bide my time.

"What you wanna know?" I asked in a surly and grudging tone.

 

A couple of things had been racing around in my mind. Number one, half-ogres don't do this. They don't break into buildings, rob, steal, etc. Not alone, anyway. That's more the lot of half-orcs. Now, granted, there are plenty of half-ogres who break the law, but it is usually at the insistence of their masters. The gnomes, those stinking buggers. No, this large fellow had a reason for breaking into Dugant's office. Number two, it was too strange of a coincidence for Albreck Dugant to bite the bullet, literally, one of his halfies go missing, and now I find a half-ogre who just crawled outta Dugant's office, all in the space of a couple of nights.

Of course, my instincts could be wrong on this. They certainly have been wrong before. What if this is just a rogue halfie who was just looking for a new play-pretty or a little gold? Either way, I couldn't reveal that I was looking for Dugant's missing halfie. If I did, and he was just that, he would assume I wanted to turn him in, which was, of course, the exact opposite of what I wanted. Half-ogres aren't known for their intellectual abilities, and I don't think he would listen to me. Unless he was, as I had suspected, different than your usual half-ogre. Something in his eye when he was standing beside the carriage told me that he was. But again, I was just assuming that he was Dugant's missing halfie.

"What were you doing inside this building, for starters?" I asked. "And secondly, do you know who this building belongs, ahem, belonged to?"

The halfie eyed me suspiciously. His look, though hard, gave me the impression he was turning thoughts over and over in his mind. Maybe he was considering the fact that I hadn't called for backup yet. At any rate, I stooped down to a crouch to make myself less threatening.

"If it means anything," I went on, "I know all about the treatment of half-ogres and their human mothers, and I have taken a personal interest in their inhumane treatment. Although I don't fully expect you to believe that I am not trying to win you over just to bring your guard down...." I cringed inside. Was this too much to be taken seriously? Would he buy it, even though I did mean what I said? Maybe this half-ogre didn't care two pieces of frog-shit about his controversial "breeding". This last sentece I posed to him rested entirely on the thin strand of hope I had that this half-ogre was, indeed, Dugant's missing one.




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: retard on 2002-03-12 09:34 ]</font>

 

I could hardly tell this possibly benign, possibly deceitful rozzer that I was at Dugants to garner evidence of his assassination as part of a plot by Boothby. Even if he was one of the rare straight ones, he'd probably want to take the evidence for himself, thus depriving me of my passport to Jobriath's aid.

Then again, I didn't want to alienate a potentially handy ally.

What to do?

Maybe I should let Jobriath decide.

"I woz lookin fer sumfin," I finally said, "If you wanna find out wot, you hafta arks da boss." I hoped I wasn't laying it on too thick.

Chancing my arm, I started to move toward the main street end of the alleyway, keeping my eye on the rozzer to guage his reaction.

 

The gang finished making their plans and started speaking about details. I needed to get to the HQ and come back with reenforcement. I tried to silently move away but I moved a box and it fell on the ground making a loud crash. I've been spotted! I threw a stun grenade at them but I missed and it only stunned three half-orcs. I started running with bullets flying around me. I pulled out my revolver and strated shooting without looking back. Judging from the sounds I hit at least one of them.
"Catch him! We can't have any witneses! Quickly!" Boothby was mad, angry but I could also hear fear in his voice. I ran off in to the street. I saw a man walking the street. He looked like a good warrior.
"Help me!I am from the TEA!" I shouted and pulled out my badge. He instantly pulled out a Chakram and threw it at the half-orc between has eyes the chakram swiftly returned to his hand. Guess I wasn't wrong...he was a warrior. I turned at my pursuers while grabbing my other revolver and started shooting. My companion also was making some target practice. We killed all of them.
"ah...ah...thanks" I was still trying to catch some air."I am Richard Denson. An agent of TEA. And who are you?"
"I am Jobriath. CIA. Who were those half-orcs?"
"CIA?! So we are colegues. Hehe. Those halfbreeds were some hired thugs. Their work for Boothby. I am investigating the murder of Dugant and I have all the evidence. But we must act quick! I need to get some reenforcment and go back to that warehouse." As we were running the streets he told me his story. So we had a common enemy. I saw another TEA agent.
"Hey Liz!" I briefly told her everything and went to meet Jobriath's companion leaving Liz the job of going to the warehouse. But Boothby was quick. Then TEA agents came they didn't find anything. Those bastards cleaned up the place quickly.

_________________
"If you think you met the devil wait 'till you meet me."

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Maniac on 2002-03-15 14:39 ]</font>

 

The spy was on the move. I pulled out my derringer pistol and started firing in his direction.
But the darkness made it hard to aim. I tried my best, but he got away.
I dispatched 5 of my hired goons to track him down but I had by doubts about their abillity.

"Drat! double drat! He's probably half way to the captain of the guards right now!"

Filled with rage, I slammed my fist in to the desk.
Gardok, my second in command came out of the shadows where he'd been watching. His metal eye-patch shining in the dim moon rays comming from the sky-light.

"Master. If what you're saying is true then we'll have the law on us before the night is over. Shall i prepare your carrage for a quick escape? We could have you out of Tarant when they come here..."

I turned to the burly old half-orc. My eyes still filled with rage. After all, My plans where in ruin. If the spy got the evidence to a guard station it wouldn't matter where I fled the law would still be hot on my trail. Everything I had worked so hard to get would be lost.

"No! Call every asassin on you're payroll! I want that spy dead before he leaves the warehouse district!"

I slammed my fist on the table ones again, This time even harder.

"And just to make sure, I'll call my strongest allies in this town and make them come down here as fast as they can. We'll show those law-dogs no one! not even Tarants police force messes with William C. Boothby!!!!"

I knew my henchmen, being mostly half-orcs and half-ogres where known for their loyalty to their clan.(In this case the Boothby Industiral empire.) And their love of battle.
They would stand with me here, in this warehouse. Until death came for their souls.

In a spontanius act of blood lust, They all rased their weapons in to the air and let out a joint roar. Knowing that the final battle was looming in the near future...

[OOC]
Alright, I've just let lose a large number of asassins on you guys. So you should see them comming for you soon, especially you Maniac. :smile:Like I stated above, The final battle is looming in the near future. Are you're souls prepared?
[/OOC]

 

My new companion and I made our way to where I was supposed to meet Blaggs. He was not there yet. I decided to get something to eat. As I ate my dinner Richard and I discussed the details of the case. He had enough circumstantial evidence to arrest Boothby, but we would need hard-core proof to convict him. He had half of this city and almost all of Caladon in his back pocket. We needed more evidence. After an hour passed I began to get worried about Blaggs. Where could he be?

 

We were eating in the restaurant. Suddenly a gas grenade flew in trough the window.
"Don't breath!" I shouted to my new companion. I grabbed my guns and jumped out the window, my friend followed. We were greeted by 10 or so half-orcs. We leaped for cover behind a trash container. I threw a stun grenade and took out about half of them. I sidejumped from the left while shooting and Jobriath jumped from the right throwing his chakram. I continued on shooting while Jobriath ran up to them slicing them with his axe (right?). Finnally the battle was over. We both were well.
"Damnit! I guess I really pissed off Boothby. I hope you'll agree with me that we don't have to wait for your friend. Leave him a message and let's go to Boothby's bulb factory. We'll find enough evidence there...I hope. So what do you say?"

[OOC]
Flink, a few TEA agents and a group of city guard should come to the warehouse to investigate.
[OOC]

 

Lethran and I are a couple of block away from the Tavern when it becomes obvious that something is going on. About a dozen Tarantian guards have cordoned off the area and several inspectors are looking at what appears to be a massacre.
I turn to Lethran "and so the body count rises." I get a look from him that says this thing is getting too messey. "We need to finish this," he says.
"Yes and then some time in a non-UK city." I reply. We both know there is only one place left now, 113 Iron Post. As we near the docks I can tell something is about tonight. The usual street trash are nowhere in sight. They can smell trouble coming. I hear the sound of a wagon from behind us and we duck into an alley. The noise grows and we a wagon loaded with ten heavely armed TEA assult agents each armed with fully mechanized guns and pistols. "There is going to be a shit storm of lead. One guess where they are headed." Lendark doesn't want to play the game and we head out following the wagon.

 

After a minute of two I notice that I am walking alone. I turn around and see Lethran just standing in the middle of the street with a vacant look in his eyes. I walk back to him and knock on his forehead, "Hallo, anybody in there?"

 

[OOC]Sorry guys, this computer has been screwed for the past couple of days, so I've been without Internet access. I've got a couple of comments to make:

1. Maniac, I don't think Jobriath has any guns. So how he could shoot the guy is beyond me.

2. I also think that forcing Vlad to join you is bad form, Maniac. What if he didn't want to? Also, why he also have been going through the warehouse district? He had no reason to.

3. It's good to see the thread kept going while I was gone :smile:.

4. Those TEA agents could complicate things (I mean, who wants to keep on making sure they do the right stuff) so I'm going to have to slaughter them... [/OOC]

My eyes slid back into focus as Orin tapped my head.

"Sorry, just looking at the stars," I said. I shook my head. Damn, they were pretty. I'd never noticed it before. Maybe when I retired I could go live someplace where I could look at the stars.

We moved quietly and quickly up the street. The noise of the TEA agents had definitely made our job easier - there was no one on the streets. All the bums had taken cover in their favourite hidey-holes. We got to the warehouse in time to see an explosion.

It was a rather large one too. It appeared that Boothby's half-orc's had been ready. They had almost barricaded the warehouse. Actually, they had. They'd set up their own mechanised rifles, behind some machinery that was useless, or would be once it had taken enough bullets from protecting the orcs. There was no shortage of grenades apparently either - that was what had caused the explosion, and death, of some of the TEA's finest. It's moments like these I was glad I was a freelancer. Those poor bastards probably wanted to do it a different way, but as usual, the higher-ups hadn't thought of it. Too busy at Madam Lil's probably. I shook my head before bowing it for a second. Much as I work against it, I still admire the law, for some strange reason. Maybe professional pride.

 

I was sitting at my desk inside the warehouse. Trying to figure out exactly what I should do about my legal situation, When all of a sudden I heard gun-fire and something that sounded like a large explotion.
I went up the ladder to the second floor where two of my henchmen where barricaded with gattling guns.

"What just happend!?"
I said as I grabbed my old binoculars.

One of the half-orcs turned around, He looked very proud of himself.
"Me kill cart with law-men!"

He was right. The carrage that had been carring at least 10 of Tarants finest had been completely destroyed by the large calliber machine gun.

"What a shame... But they only have themselves to blame..."

As I scanned the streets around the warehouse with my binoculars I saw something. it was the same young halfling that had delivied the message about Dugnats death my first night in town. He was comming towards the warehouse, and it looked like he was carring a message.

I ordered my half-orcs to hold their fire as he came closer.
The halfling knew his way around the neighborhood and had soon made his way to the back door of the warehouse.

Gardok grabbed his battle-axe and looked out the peep-hole in the back door.
"What do you want!?"
He growled. Gradok disliked halflings with a passion. I had heard him say on more then one occation that the only good halfling was a deep-fried halfling.

"Telegram for Mr. Willaim C. Boothby."
The boy whispered. Something I'd taught him only two days ago. I saw what happened at the first floor throuh a big loading shaft in the floor.

Gradok's first plan was to open the door and cleave the halfling in two. But I ordered him to let the boy in, So he did.

"Well well, We meet again my boy. What is it you want?"
I thought it best to keep a civil tone, the boy looked frightened enough as it is.

"Hello again, Sah. I have this telegram for ya. It's from the Industrial Council!"

The halflining showed Gardok a small brown envalope. The half-orc grabbed it and quickly proceeded to throw the little pip-squeak out the door, slamming it shut and securing the locks.
He then made his way up the ladder, and handed me the envalope...

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Flink on 2002-03-14 17:22 ]</font>

 

The half-ogre stood, and began walking past me. Damn, did he not fear my gun? Obviously not.

"Look, you just can't stroll out like that. There are all kinds of guards out there. Let me take a look see and I'll tell ya when the coast is clear."

Rushing to the end of the alleyway, where it opened out onto the street, I glanced up and down the cobblestone path. No-one in sight. I heard murmered voices from inside Dugant's office, probably the guards wondering where the hell I was at. I would have to tell them I was, ahem, persuing the intruder, which is why I didn't go inside and take a look around. The halfie, upon learning from me that the coast was clear, brushed past me and began moving down the street ducking in and out of the shadows. I followed. He moved surprisingly quick, for his breed, and he seemed to know the value at staying hidden. Smart? Maybe. Hell, even a rat knows to keep hidden. Still, something about the halfie intrigued me. If he hadda been just a burglar, he wouldn't have even paused to hear me speak. Also, I may not have been left breathing.

The halfie stopped at an intersection, looked, and quickly hurried across, intent on heading to his "boss".

 

[OOC}is it too late to join in, i have read the entire thing. This rocks. It reminds me of the days when I played REAL RPG's with the guys. If not, I will join the nest one. Thanks
Just incase you want to know.
Name: Orlon KA-Lor
Age:37
Type:Battel mage(nature, bow, basics

Origin: Quit strong(ig you'll forgive the term)Ranger. Neither Accepted nor hated by any race. Has a dark black leather glove on right hand with a weird blue glow coming from the wrist opening. Only one other ALIVE knows of its tale

If this is wrong, just delete it. I wont mind
[/OOC]

 

[OOC]
What the hell you have against me Jar?!
I admit that I made amistake with the gun so I'll edit it. But Vlad offered me to join up forces. You know the function of PM right? Also I hate that you kill everyone that is as powerful as you (I don't give a *** that you created this thread).
And I don't think orcs would have killed TEA agents so easily, I'll consider they killed some simple Tarantian guards.
[OOC]

We came up to the ex-bulb factory.
"Alright. You have any sugestions about a plan?"

_________________
"If you think you met the devil wait 'till you meet me."

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Oyarsa on 2002-03-15 11:10 ]</font>