MERC XVIII: Affordable Misdeeds and Friendly Canines

[Shadowcaller]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Astrana folds her hands behind her back and stands up straight as she addresses Dipsnig. "Electra just passed out after we had been to the moon well after coming in contact with its water. She had a vision telling her that she would be petrified unless we performed a ritual at another moon well. I believe the entity which created that gorgon child is the cause of this, and I also believe that its likely connected to Dena's curse as well. Remember that white snake that just "appeared" in the base? It has just kept growing, soon not even able to fit into its cage so its clearly not a normal snake, most likely yet another creature connected to this entity, just like gorgons are. Therefore, if we start connected the dots, I believe this entity's scope of influence is growing and that these gorgons and snakes are connected to it. The well at VIGIL were infested by snakes but while I haven't been able to tell if they have any unusual quality to them yet the ritual Electra is supposed to perform at the moon well involved one of them." She explains.

[Dena's Office]

Dena shows the flats of her hands. "Not completely opposed, so go on. I'll tell you stop if there is something I can't see working out. The only thing I have to remark on is that is a small time window depending on what you had in mind."

[Deathkeeper]

[An Epic Quest]

Kirk shrugs. "It's not impossible you could avoid either of those options. I'm just pointing out the risks. To be fair to Dena, she's not as familiar with them as I am. She might have been asking a bit more than she realized." Another thought does occur to him. "There could be another option. There's a reason why those trees are so closely protected. They've been stolen from before. Stealing from thieves sounds much more approachable."

[Moonwell Investigation]

Electra nods grimly.

"Yes, this could be a ruse intended to get us to spread its influence for it, but I don't want to take too long in case what I saw is actually true. Dipsnig should probably know either way, though."

[An Epic Quest]

Corvus nods. Yes, that seems a much more reasonable task that both he and Willa can undertake. The bandits might actually be here in the Nexus as well.

"Indeed, and they might even be here in the Nexus, as well. Do you have information on where we might find thieves that sell such things?"

[An Epic Quest]

Willa brightens.
"Well, if I had a piece of something related to the trees I could try to have a spirit track some down. It can work with blood from descendants so I'm sure I can make it work for a tree" She seems fairly confident about that. Plus she could maybe even curse the bandits to give up their goods without a fight! That'd be nice.

[Morty]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Dipsnig listens to it all with an impassive expression, but his eyes narrow and his ears twitch.

"So we are being extorted by a snake-deity. That's certainly new," he says drily. "I don't know how bad spreading its influence would be, but it's certainly preferable to having one of our people turn to stone."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Electra nods slowly, clearly not happy about this development.

"I'm just hoping this is all it wants from us. It's hard to say if this is the only thing it's going to ask for; this is just what we know so far."

[Gullara]

[An Epic Quest]

Kirk raises his eyebrows again. They're very expressive today. Is she some manner of warlock, or are the similarities in terminology just a coincidence. Curious.

Suddenly in the blink of an eye he produces a short blade. It's little more than a thin iron spike with a grip, but at it's pommel is a small ball of charred wood, polished like a gemstone. "You'll do the ritual here and you won't damage this." He explains curtly.

[Zefir]

[Stalking around]

Fade appears to be stalking around the base, mostly going around the more public areas. He is a bit bored so to say and also he tries to keep out an eye for new customers. He has to do something to get that public appereance when there is no job to be done.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Dena's Office]

"You're right, it's not a lot of time. But it's plenty of time for them to make amends for their actions. All they have to do is come talk to me. But we'll see if that happens, hmm?" Affy shrugs, not even trying to put on a poker face - he's clearly not expecting whoever he's talking about to actually show up. "Simply put, this individual is the head of a secretive organisation who decided that the best way to remain a secret was to blow up a cafe in Inside while it was being caught on camera. He routinely leaves himself exposed, driving around in a rather distinctive black car, and of course their uniforms all stand out from a mile away. Regardless of what happens in my negotiations with him, or lack thereof, I would like to arrange to pay you some sort of retainer fee to ensure that, at a moment's notice, members of MERC can move to capture him, and to ensure that he cannot pay to use your services against me."

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena's Office]

What I forgot to mention in the last post...

A lot of Dena's models seem to be simple machines such as a steam train, an old mercedes and a cruise ship. But there are also stranger items such as a series of small rods made out of cooper engrave with a complex series of symbols on it and two helmets which have similar symbols engraved into them.

"I'm with you as far as 'capturing him', but then what? We don't have the faculties to contain someone indefinitely, so I'm assuming we are to hand him over to you once we've subdued him."

[Moonwell Investigation]

"I personally don't like the idea of doing this beings bidding, there is no telling what it could do next if its influence is increased even further. It might have us run other errands if we aren't careful. I will leave the ultimate decision to you however mister Razortooth, which is why I came here in the first place. Should we call its potential bluff or not? Electra have already seen the possible consequences of one action, but we've yet to seen what might happen if we perform this ritual." Astrana argues.

[Morty]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Dipsnig closes his eyes, resting his forehead on his fingers. Finally, he speaks.

"I don't like calling bluffs if they involve the lives of my people. But empowering this 'deity' doesn't sound like a smart plan either. Maybe we can play along for a while and then turn the tables on it, but I'm damned if I know how."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Dena's Office]

"That would be the idea, yes. Subdue him and pass him onto me. In an ideal world, your involvement would never even be known about. But that, of course, is subject to the performance of the people in your employment." Affy's eyes scan over the collection of models with interest as he talks. Those helmets are quite curious, aren't they?

Ah, but he's here to talk, not to be nosy. He deliberately didn't give himself a bunch of fancy sensors for this, to try and keep himself from getting too curious.

Even so... "Please forgive my distraction, but are these a hobby of yours?" He asks, gesturing towards the models, "I like them. It gives your office a definite sort of personality to it."

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena's Office]

Dena makes some notes in her notebook as he talks, and then glances up at the shelf above her head. She slides back across the desk and lands in her chair, now able to properly look upwards. "Oh, thank you, sir." She replies with a grin. "I was a engraver back home, so its a bit more than a hobby actually. Comes to use in my current profession a lot, so I never stopped." She gestures dismissively. "But I got everything you asked and it looks in order."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[An Epic Quest]

Corvus eyes Kirk for a moment before standing aside. It is Willa's quest, after all; he's just there to help. He looks to her quizzically.

"You can do it here, right?"

[Moonwell Investigation]

Electra eyes Dipsnig for a moment, her expression unreadable, before shrugging.

"The only two people who might know that would be Shanti, and maybe Anika. Shanti is unlikely to be helpful in any manner, and Anika may or may not have any ideas. However there's something else, too. The dream was a bit vague as to how much time I have before the effect starts. In the dream, we teleported to the other moonwell as soon as I could again. I don't think we have a lot of time to try and find a way to subvert this."

[Shadowcaller]

[Moonwell Investigation]

"Shanti serves it directly, she was the one that 'infected' the moonwell at VIGIL." Astrana points out. "As for Anika, she didn't seem to know a lot about this entity so I'm not sure the effort to contact her would be worth it. Indeed, she would likely be against this moon well ritual considering how you told me she reacted at what Shanti had done. So it looks like we are have to choose between a claw and a tooth here as I'm not sure how any suggestion to get out of this mess would work."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Dena's Office]

"Hmm. So you're confident it's a request that MERC can deliver on then? Well, should the need arise anyway." Seems almost a little too easy, but then if they are a proper mercenary company, it shouldn't be anything unreasonable to ask of them. "The other little niggle to this, of course, is that while I have ample descriptions of their vehicles, their uniform, the appearance of the target, I'm a bit more limited in my ability to provide names and locations. They've been plenty active in Inside, but they're very secretive...or at least they think they are, anyway. I'm sure their actual base of operations will have all the defenses a paranoid mind could come up with."

[Hattish Thing]

[Door]

Visible through the camera posted outside of the entrance to MERC, an imposing and unusually dressed individual can be seen.

The stranger stares ahead from beneath a tall, wide-brimmed leather hat, his sunken eyes of burning coal shielded by a pair of black shades as he looks into the camera. The barest hint of the stranger's scarred and weathered face can be seen from certain angles, despite the fact that a majority of the man's maimed and half-melted face remains hidden behind a dusty, black bandanna and a tall, blood-spattered leather collar. His skin is flaky and burnt, dotted with liver spots inflicted by dozens of years spent laboring under the hot sun. Scars of all shapes and sizes race across his leathery flesh, the wounds never fully having healed due to poor self-stitching, giving him a rather imposing appearance. Many of the scars appear as deep lines in the flesh, which split and spread into smaller branches of painful scar tissue, the result of seemingly supernatural injuries.

An impressively large, crooked nose with a shape that suggests it having been broken several times hooks over the bandanna that the stranger wears to hide his lower face.

The nearly seven-foot-tall stranger is clad in a long, threadbare leather greatcoat lined with accents of faded silver, worn over a thick breastplate inscribed with silver runes. The stranger wears a dented, well-worn skymetal gauntlet on his left hand, decorated with bones and runes similar to his armor, while the other appears to be a particularly bulky cybernetic limb, each industrial-sized metal finger as thick as a lesser being’s wrist, pipes and pistons visible beneath heavy, spiked plating meant to crush, and grind, and utterly pulverize with brutal efficiency. Dozens of blood-stained bandages cover the prosthesis and bones taken as trophies from successful ventures now decorate the arm, giving it a frightening, claw-like look. A cracked metal lantern decorated with flecks of gold and silver hangs from his belt alongside a trio of sentient severed heads attached to blackened chains, while a sharp, angular collar rests upon the man's broad shoulders, wrapping about his neck, where it attaches to an enormous black cloak.

The man walks confidently towards the door before knocking as gently as possible with his cybernetic arm, leaning in far too close into the camera. After several seconds, he chuckles darkly to himself before speaking, the sound of his voice similar to the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

"Anybody home? Cold out here, aheh."

---

Spoiler: Reference Picture:

Show

[Zefir]

[Door]

The door swings open as it is pruposed to be. now that i write it I guess this door isn't shut down after all since there are NPC clients and mechenaries coming in and out most of the time.

Behin the door stands a tall man. His clothing is less exquisit then the newcomeers. the man in front has short cut dark hairs and his face is covered by a scarv like the bandana from the newcomer does, just also covering his nose. His shiny yellow eyes stare at the man. there seems to be no reaction at the mans appereance. Other then that Fade wears something that looks like several layers of rags covering his upper body down to the knees. Some weapon hide in it, but Fade doesn't appear to be hostile at all. The last thing that might catch the eye is the fact that fade's shadow doesn't seem to ben for the laws of physik.

"Good day. I'm Fade a member of MERC. How can i help you?" his soundless voice replies to the man.

[Hattish Thing]

[Door -> Main Room]

The enormous man ducks into the main room, offering an enthusiastic wave with his oversized cybernetic hand as he glances about the room, taking in the sights. He clasps his hands together greedily after a moment, an especially noisy gesture which causes one of the three severed heads worn at his belt to grumble angrily to itself.

He speaks again, seemingly impressed.

"Lookin' fer work, hear this is the place."

--

The man reaches for his back, retrieving a sack before setting it down carelessly.

"Brought a resume."

"Heh."

[Zefir]

[Main Room]

Fade just looks at the man as he speaks. his expression remains the same like his voice is without emphasis.

"I assume your not just going for a licence then?" Fade asks then looks at the bag.
"What is it you got in this bag as your resume? "

[Deathkeeper]

An Epic Quest

Willa takes the knife with a solemn nod.
”Yes, Sir. I can do it here. I need a big space to move though. I can’t help the size of my rear end. It’s a shame; Astrana had a good setup but it was too snug in there for me. What’s your biggest space I can use? Otherwise I can just do it outside.”

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena's Office]

"Trying to grab him while inside his own base seem a good deal more difficult than while out in the open. I mean, the major players in the nexus might employ clones, illusions, robotic doppelgangers..." She makes a circular motion with her hand. "I should clarify that my understanding of the deal is that MERC moves in to capture him at some public meeting place you've decided on if he's actually there. To capture him on his secret home turf would be a completely different deal as it would require far more resources on our part. Not that I think this would be all that easy either if he's really as paranoid as you describe him."

[Morty]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Dipsnig shakes his head and sighs. One Below.

"Between those two options, I'll take the one that doesn't result in one of our people becoming a lawn ornament," he says. "We probably don't have a lot of time to try and trick this... 'deity', so let's play along for now."

[Hattish Thing]

[Main Room]

Fade just looks at the man as he speaks. his expression remains the same like his voice is without emphasis.

"I assume your not just going for a licence then?" Fade asks then looks at the bag.
"What is it you got in this bag as your resume? "

The enormous man laughs enthusiastically at this point, the jovial sound echoing throughout the base. The noise, unimaginable loud as it is, startles several of the sentient heads awake, which continue to grumble and whisper in strange languages to one another, clearly disturbed by the sound. "License? Hah!"

"What a time we live in, eh?"

--

At that, he grunts a tad, kicking over the sack, which causes a number of severed heads to roll out onto the floor, numbers inscribed upon their foreheads in orange marker.

"Uhh, call 'em "references", I guess, while we're being corporate and such."

"So, am I to expect a heaping helping of paperwork, or?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Electra nods. Something has been bothering her about the second part of the dream, perhaps Dipsnig might have an answer, though.

"Sir, are there any mountains around here that might be noted for their magic properties? The moonwell that was shown in the dream was on a mountain top; it showed us teleporting there, but I don't know of any other moonwells other than the one at VIGIL, and I can't teleport somewhere I don't have the co-ordinates for."

[Gullara]

[An Epic Quest]

Corvus eyes Kirk for a moment before standing aside. It is Willa's quest, after all; he's just there to help. He looks to her quizzically.

"You can do it here, right?"

An Epic Quest

Willa takes the knife with a solemn nod.
”Yes, Sir. I can do it here. I need a big space to move though. I can’t help the size of my rear end. It’s a shame; Astrana had a good setup but it was too snug in there for me. What’s your biggest space I can use? Otherwise I can just do it outside.”

[An Epic Quest]

It's possible that Willa may be aware that the knife she now holds is certainly more than just a knife. If she has a way of picking up on such things, there's a presence about it.

They're currently standing in the biggest room in the base, but there's the next best option. "We have a training area that can be cleared out. Give me five minutes." He steps just far enough away to make a couple calls. One to get some people to push varying pieces of training equipment to the side of the room, and the other to extend an invitation to Astrana to observe. Not that he thinks her presence is required.

Once that's done, he'll lead the way to the space. It's purpose requires a lot of room, and with no obstacles in the way Willa should have plenty of room to move around. "I can have any materials you need brought here." He may not know much about this stuff, but he knows materials are often used. He even anticipated the need for some means of writing, so a box of chalk is waiting for her.

[Zefir]

The enormous man laughs enthusiastically at this point, the jovial sound echoing throughout the base. The noise, unimaginable loud as it is, startles several of the sentient heads awake, which continue to grumble and whisper in strange languages to one another, clearly disturbed by the sound. "License? Hah!"

"What a time we live in, eh?"

--

At that, he grunts a tad, kicking over the sack, which causes a number of severed heads to roll out onto the floor, numbers inscribed upon their foreheads in orange marker.

"Uhh, call 'em "references", I guess, while we're being corporate and such."

"So, am I to expect a heaping helping of paperwork, or?"

[Main Room]

Fade looks at the heads unimpressed. Well Fade shows no emotions at all and in this case he guesses it's best. He tries to remember if he saw any of those faces befor, maybe on a wanted poster or so?

"Please put those back into the bag. Mr....?" Fade asks giving the man his time to introduce himself.
After that fade speaks up again.
"I'm sorry, but your resume does not suit our terms. Merc is not a groupe of murderer. If your still wiling to join you will need to proove yourself in another way."

[Hattish Thing]

[Main Room]

A vast majority of the heads are easily recognizable from wanted posters across the Nexus, while others are somewhat harder to identify due to the damage done. The enormous man reaches for the sack, heaving it up effortlessly before glancing down towards the smaller individual, his expression difficult to read beneath the face-cloth.

He snorts somewhat at the man's "murder" comment, raising an eyebrow.

"Really now? Not what I hear."

"I wouldn't be too concerned though, people talk; I hear all kinds of things."

--

The man rubs his hands together before continuing.

"Arbrim'll do."

[Zefir]

[Main Room]

"People speak of many things and they are easy to manipulate." Fade replies. He then goes to a desk and grabs a form out of it.

"Write down your data and your contact informations. I will send it to a senior to look over it. You should be informed soon after. Also write down the names of thoses bounties. just in case."

Name:
Race:
Profession:

[Hattish Thing]

[Main Room]

Arbrim, seemingly rather bewildered by the situation, accepts the form and begins to fill it out.

Once he's finished, he passes it along before finding a nearby chair to rest upon.

--

Name: Arbrim Tatch.
Race: Humanoid, Formerly.
Profession: Bounty Hunter.

[Shadowcaller]

[Moonwell Investigation]

Electra nods. Something has been bothering her about the second part of the dream, perhaps Dipsnig might have an answer, though.

"Sir, are there any mountains around here that might be noted for their magic properties? The moonwell that was shown in the dream was on a mountain top; it showed us teleporting there, but I don't know of any other moonwells other than the one at VIGIL, and I can't teleport somewhere I don't have the co-ordinates for."

[Moonwell Investigation]

Dipsnig shakes his head and sighs. One Below.

"Between those two options, I'll take the one that doesn't result in one of our people becoming a lawn ornament," he says. "We probably don't have a lot of time to try and trick this... 'deity', so let's play along for now."

[Moonwell Investigation]

"Maybe you should ask the entity for them." Astrana remarks dryly. "But in all honesty, if you focus on the vision perhaps you can see what coordinates the other you typed in? Even if its only in your mind thoughts with yourself could be shared in visions."

[An Epic Quest]

Astrana will come if called, but she will explain that her own summoning circle might interfere with their ritual if they don't align it with it. That's why she has a hastily written note with the circumference of her summoning circle on it and a ruler with her. "An established summoning circle within a building can interfere with other circles unless they are twins, so you need to make sure you get the proportions right." The warlock says as she hands Willa the items.
She also had chalk with her, but it appears like Kirk already have taken care of that.

[Zefir]

[Main Room]

Arbrim, seemingly rather bewildered by the situation, accepts the form and begins to fill it out.

Once he's finished, he passes it along before finding a nearby chair to rest upon.

[Main Room]

Fade will go to a desk and write the informations into a PC (guess Hatter will add them later)
He will add the following line as a note for the Seniors:
Appeared with a bag full of choped of bouinty heads as a resume.