MERC XVII: You Can't Take the Pay From Me

[Reinholdt]

[The Dark Room]

As he goes, he might come across a strange room. The door isn't locked, but as he opens the door the whole room remains in darkness. Not even a light seems to pass through the darkness. Maybe it's one of those special rooms where you need to unlock a special light to get whatever is inside.

[The Dark Room-> Main Room]

Oh man. A dark room. Probably a future optional boss. Not much help right now though. Vincent just takes note of the location and moves on. Unfortunately most of the other rooms seem locked or empty. All that work and he found only a single Antidote. Lame haul today.

So he heads to the Main Room to loiter there.

[Lex-Kat]

{{In and Around MERC...}}

Caroline takes a quick shower, get dressed in a pretty flower print sundress, then begins to look around for Vincent. She starts with the most obvious place, Dipsnig's office. But seeing that he's with Jazirian, she decides not to bother them and looks elsewhere.

She'll eventually find her way back to the main room, taking a different passage. "Vincent, there you are. I was looking everywhere for you." she offers up a Potion of Lotsa Healing. "I found this in my dresser."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Dipsnig's Office]



"That's up to you. Do you think you can handle it on your own? Bringing in backup on infiltration missions is a double-edged sword," Dipsnig says.

[Dipsnig's Office]

"We don't have that many other sneaky-sneaks around, do we?" Asks Jazirian. His memory of people and their skills isn't exactly top notch - assuming that he was even paying attention to start with. "I can do it alone." He says confidently.

[Reinholdt]

Main Room

"Oh sweet, thank you." Vincent says, taking the potion and putting it in the inventory while giving Caroline a charismatic half-elf smile. Because those are the only smiles half-elves are capable of.

"You were asleep for months. I got bored waiting and was just about to go grind xp."

[Zefir]

Main Room

Fade is in the Main Room as well. Not that he has anything to do somewhere else or that he can visit anyone somewhere else. He's just there and maybe many people just don#t recognize that he is there sitting at the hearth, sitting in both armchairs.... wait in both?

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"If you say so," Dipsnig says. "Whether you go alone or not, you need to move quickly. Our employer stressed the urgency of the job."

[Lex-Kat]

{{Main Room}}

"Oh sweet, thank you." Vincent says, taking the potion and putting it in the inventory while giving Caroline a charismatic half-elf smile. Because those are the only smiles half-elves are capable of.

"You were asleep for months. I got bored waiting and was just about to go grind xp."

"Months? I was only asleep for six hours. Sheesh."

Fade is in the Main Room as well. Not that he has anything to do somewhere else or that he can visit anyone somewhere else. He's just there and maybe many people just don#t recognize that he is there sitting at the hearth, sitting in both armchairs.... wait in both?

Melody looks over Vincent's shoulder, noticing Fade. "Hello. Do you know of any quests we can go on? Vincent's gotten bored." So had Caroline, if she was honest. "Or I suppose we could xp grind." Caroline adds, with a roll of her eyes.

[Zefir]

{{Main Room}}



"Months? I was only asleep for six hours. Sheesh."



Melody looks over Vincent's shoulder, noticing Fade. "Hello. Do you know of any quests we can go on? Vincent's gotten bored." So had Caroline, if she was honest. "Or I suppose we could xp grind." Caroline adds, with a roll of her eyes.

Main Room

"Quest?" Fades soundless voice comes back. "The contract board is over ther, but most are taken by someone. If your not one of them, I might have something you could help me with."
Fade neither left his armchair, but the other Fade did. It's simple a shadow version of Fade and it faces the two.

[WarKitty]

Main Room

While the others are talking, a black cat walks into the room and curls up on a pillow by the fire, paying attention. Fade at least should recognize Xun, a long-standing MERC member.

[Reinholdt]

Main Room

"A night only takes a few seconds." Six hours is practically a lifetime!

Vincent's tempted to check the cat's dialogue tree, but seems to already be in one with Fade. "Don't keep us in suspense."

[Black Socks]

[Base Entrance]

A cloud of dirt is sent into the air as something emerges from underground. It appears to be some sort of robotic mole. The robot then transforms into a humanoid shape, resembling a gnome wearing simple, dirt-stained grey robes. The robot's eyes glow lavender. Its skin is painted tan but the paint is chipped in many places. Despite the robot being completely bald and having a long beard, it speaks in a soft, musical female voice. The voice is slightly distorted, as if talking over the phone.
"Is this the place where one can hire mercenaries?"

[WarKitty]

Base Entrance

Having nothing better to do, the black cat transforms into a panther, summons a force shield up, and answers the door. It is. Can I help you?

[Black Socks]

"Yes. I have a contract that I wish to be carried out. Could you direct me as to where to submit it?"
The robot reaches into the pocket of its robes and waves around a rolled-up scroll.

[WarKitty]

The panther reaches up onto a desk and grabs a form in her teeth. Please fill this form out and I can take it when you're ready. She seems slightly bored.

Spoiler: MERC form

Show

Job Description: Brief description of the job to be performed.
Contract Type: MERC Member Contract or MERC Licensed Contract.
Hired by: Character or group name (Player name).
Target: Character or group name (Player name).
Payment: Approximate or specific where applicable.
Notes: Any additional information.

[Black Socks]

The robot scans the form. A few minutes later, a smaller robo-mole arrives, bearing a completed form.

Job Description: Information-gathering. Examples: Target's home and/or base, locations target frequently visits, allies of the target, etc.
Contract Type: MERC Licensed Contract.
Hired by: Sana Valtoris (Black Socks).
Target: Tier (8BitNinja).
Payment: Gold, precious gems, magic items. Would be willing to use robotics skills to help MERC in some way.
Notes: Target is heavily armed and skilled in combat. Caution is advised.

[WarKitty]

Xun reads over the contract. She puts a pawprint on agreeing to perform it, but waits to see if anyone else wishes to help out.

In the meantime, she begins questioning the robot. Is there any information you can provide about the target's frequented locations, or their allies? Somewhere to start reconnaissance would be helpful.

[Black Socks]

"He frequents Trog's Tavern. He wears green battle-scarred armour and usually carries an assortment of weaponry. As for his allies, I know nothing. He is currently negotiating with an Italian man wearing a formal suit, though."

((The Italian man is played by Green Elf))

[WarKitty]

Xun thanks the robot. We'll have someone right on it.

((Anyone else want in before I send Xun off?))

[Zefir]

Main Room

The Fade in the armchari nods at the black cat. With his soundless voice he speaks to her. "Hello Xun." He doesn't bother that she leaves and stays in his armchair.

The shadow version at that time continues the conversation with Vincent and Caroline. His voice changed slightly as it seems to have added an echo to the soundless voice.
"I lost some part of me a while ago and now they have become independent. In worst case they have caused trouble among the people like going for a rampage near the shopping district or killing people in a side alley. I would ask you to bring them back to me. I don't care how, but they should be alive at best."

[Fenric]

Riverside Office

Electra takes the note, studies it for a moment, then nods, slipping it into her left gauntlet.

"Thanks, Dena. See you tomorrow night."

She picks up the damaged bit of her armor, and saunters out, disappearing in a blue beam of light once she's outside the door.

Dwarves?

A blue beam of light seems to drop down out of the sky at the location provided on Dena's note, spreading and fading with a crackle of electricity, revealing a blonde woman in high-tech armor, though a piece of it is being carried in her right arm, instead of worn. As the last of the light fades, she looks around, hoping to find some indication of where to find the dwarves she was told about.

Electra will find herself in Inside, in the business district. Here, what might pass as a rather substantially over-sturdily built stone cathedral stands proudly, if scaled for people who rarely top 5 feet tall. But rather than gods and saints, the statues all depict smiths going about their business. The grey walls are absolutely massive and the entire structure looks like it would shrug off most anything that came its way. A large sign carved with futhark runes reads rather plainly "Dwarven Smithy of Inside" if one can read such things.

The thick steel double-doors in front are open, and if the visual appearance left any doubt: the steady ringing of hammers, the whoosh of furnaces, and the heat flowing freely from inside all indicate that one has come to a dwarven smithy in all it's functional glory.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Dwarves?


Electra makes her way cautiously inside, looking for someone who might be the foreman or some sort of office where those needing to have something made or fixed might go to negotiate with the smiths inside. She moves carefully, partly due to being a bit larger than the architecture is really designed for, and partly because she's trying to stay out of the busy smiths' way. Hopefully the skilled craftsmen here can help her.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Dipsnig's Office]

"If you say so," Dipsnig says. "Whether you go alone or not, you need to move quickly. Our employer stressed the urgency of the job."

[Dipsnig's Office]

"Alright. I'll get to it."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Office]

With that, Jazirian is free to go.

[Lex-Kat]

{{Main Room}}

"A night only takes a few seconds." Six hours is practically a lifetime!

Vincent's tempted to check the cat's dialogue tree, but seems to already be in one with Fade. "Don't keep us in suspense."

The shadow version at that time continues the conversation with Vincent and Caroline. His voice changed slightly as it seems to have added an echo to the soundless voice.
"I lost some part of me a while ago and now they have become independent. In worst case they have caused trouble among the people like going for a rampage near the shopping district or killing people in a side alley. I would ask you to bring them back to me. I don't care how, but they should be alive at best."

Caroline chooses to ignore Vincent's sleep schedule comment. This is the part that rarely worked for them.

"Do you know where this other self of you is currently, or where it was last seen?" Caroline asks, sitting down on the couch. "And you can depend on Vincent and I. We're the best!" she gives a knowing smile to Vincent.

[Reinholdt]

[Main Room]

Vincent gives a smile back. "The best... for a price of course. What do we get for this quest?" There's gotta be loot to make quests worthwhile or they might as well just kill random encounter monsters.

[Zefir]

[Main Room]

"I can feel them so I could mark the area where you can find them." his soundless voice says. "There are four left right now. I would go myself, but they can feel me as I can feel them."
Fade keeps a straith face, even if they guarantee to be the best.
"I can offer you.[More then you get from random Encounter] or if Money is not what you seek I can see through my stuff or I could return the favor at a different time."

[Green Elf]

ase Entrance]

A man in a black and dark gray full bodysuit with what seems like some sort of steel plating walks up to the entrance. No skin is shown and his helmet covers his entire face. Kind of like one of those sci-fi stalker suits. He has a high-tech SMG, dual handguns at his side, and on his back a staff and a sniper rifle. "I believe this is the location of MERC." He says in a half robotic voice, "Where's your boss? If I'm correct I should be able to join." He says it very loudly but calmly as he assumes someone is waiting.

[Morty]

[Mountain Base Entrance]

The door will open quietly for the newcomer, letting the cold mountain air in. It reveals a round entrance hall, with a fireplace, chairs and desks. One of the chairs is occupied by a short, brown-skinned goblin with long ears and red eyes.

"The boss would be me. The one and only Dipsnig Razortooth. Welcome to MERC. Take a seat and tell me why we'd want you aboard."

[Green Elf]

[Mountain Base Entrance]

The door will open quietly for the newcomer, letting the cold mountain air in. It reveals a round entrance hall, with a fireplace, chairs and desks. One of the chairs is occupied by a short, brown-skinned goblin with long ears and red eyes.

"The boss would be me. The one and only Dipsnig Razortooth. Welcome to MERC. Take a seat and tell me why we'd want you aboard."

The man walks in towards the goblin.
"I don't believe I need to explain. I will be completely loyal to MERC and will carry out orders. One more thing, I hate AMEN." Says the man with confidence.

[Lex-Kat]

{{Main Room}}

Caroline looks to Vincent, wondering if that'll be enough to grab his attention. "If Vincent agrees, where should we go to find the first one?"