Rough Times

[MrEdwardNigma]

"Oh, nothing. He saved our lives once. But he never managed to pay our wages. When he went to prison, it turned out the bastard had hidden all the loot we'd gathered, together. We figure that with the interest that's gathered over the years, he owes us about the entire stash"
Fats backed up onto the stairs, still waving his sabre at X.
"C'mon, Croomey, stop stalling, we need to move" Slim said, running up.

[Innis Cabal]

X just scowls deeper. They were armed, he only had an empty hand cross bow...he was out numbered and out armed

"Were are there more people?"

[MrEdwardNigma]

((He doesn't in fact have an empty crossbow. He only has the items he got from the first post. Ernman did have a loaded handcrossbow, but that was to make sure X didn't try anything on him, as he was an old man and wanted to defend himself))

The men ignored his comment and ran up the stairs. Fats backed up for a while and when he was sure the boy wasn't following any more he turned around and ran too.

[Innis Cabal]

(Oh, opps disregard that. He's more out armed then before)

X sadly couldn't do much. He made his way back to the fire and his blanket. He could only wait for day break to get a better view of the land around him.

[MrEdwardNigma]

With the help of the blanket, X managed to get back to sleep, allowing him to wake up refreshed but hungry the next morning. The beach was fully visible now. There were the remains of the fire with the rock and the overturned dinghy, the cliff wall with the stairs up, which seemed to lead to a small white house, some driftwood and a bottle which had washed up on the beach and some pointy rocks nearer the water sticking out of the ground. The left side of the beach (regarded from the water) had smooth rocks as a floor with broad gaps in them, filled with water. To the right side the beach simply ended. It was a quite sunny day, but still reasonably chilly.

[Innis Cabal]

The house was the only sign of life...but the men had gone up that way. He walked slowly to the beach, looking through the dingy and the bottle that had washed up on the shore.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The bottle looked familiar. It was the one Slim had thrown out into the sea the previous night, or at least one exactly like it. X overturned the dinghy and looked through it, finding a net. He also found two corks lying around in the sand.

[Innis Cabal]

Nothing. Well, at the very least the bottle was "clean". He backed his things in the blanket and slung it over his shoulder, returning to the cliff he had been at the night before.

[MrEdwardNigma]

((His things being what exactly?))

X arrived at the stairs. They looked much less dangerous in daylight, and surely, there was a small white house at the top of them. It was still quite the walk up though.

[Innis Cabal]

((The bottle...and the blanket and the letter plus seal))

X sighed, climbing slowly up the stairs to the house. He scanned around the area, trying to listen for the two men...or anything.

[MrEdwardNigma]

After a long climb X reached the top of the stairs. The house was right there, but from close-up it looked abandoned. Most of the windows downstairs were boarded up, and those upstairs simply didn't have any glass in them at all. All of the walls were white, except where a now dead plant had crept up them. There was a barrel outside with a broken drainpipe leading up to it. The barrel was filled with a murky water.

Around the house there wasn't much to see. There was a dusty path leading to a forest further ahead, while a second path followed along the cliff to the left. All that was growing on these plains before the forest was long dry grass.

((This seems a good time to mention that you will have to eat and drink and sleep in this game, something which is forgotten way too often in RPGs. Also, I've compiled your inventory:
Green Pants
Belt
Thick Brown Blanket:
(Empty Bottle
Blank Piece of Paper
Empty Envelope with Broken Seal
Bent Fork) ))

[Innis Cabal]

X muttered softly, staring at the forest. It was either more water...or the woods. He chose the woods.

He followed the path as long as it would take him.


(Figured about the eating. Though it was an understood ;D)

[MrEdwardNigma]

As X arrived at the edge of the woods, a horse erupted from it, stopping next to him. It's rider tipped his hat at the young boy. He was dressed rather elegantly with a silken shirt with lots of frilly bits, a broad rimmed hat with a fuzzy white feather on it, long riding boots with golden bits of decoration and a long scarlet cape. His horse was as white as the foam on the waves and whinnied as it stopped.
"Hello there, young fellow, you wouldn't by any chance know where the prison is, would you? I've heard quite concerning news a friend of mine has died over there recently"

The man smiled charmingly. He had a thin curled up moustache and a small goatee and managed to be quite handsome despite his somewhat largish nose. The man's eyes were a delightful green, and his hair a deep black.

[Innis Cabal]

Some strange beast had lept from the forest, and another person on its back. Even if X had known what a hose is, the fact for the first time he had seen one was now. Hungry, cold and used...it did not bode well. X run back, crouching down as if expecting to be struck by the man or beast at any second. He stared intently at the man, waiting.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The white horse stood still as the man looked at the boy.
"What are you doing? I won't hurt you" he said, and then swung his leg across the horse, getting down. As he let go of the horse's reigns it walked off the path and started chewing the grass a few feet away.
"I just want to know where the prison is, kid" the man said, approaching.

[Innis Cabal]

X stayed in the crouching position as the man steps toward him

"Stay back."

He then points to the ocean

"There."

[MrEdwardNigma]

The man raised the rim of his hat somewhat and looked at the boy. His green eyes gleamed in the sunlight.
"Look, you don't look like your interested, but could you lend me a hand down there?"
He stroked his goatee, imagining it more of a beard than it was.
"To my experience it's money that makes the world go round. Tell you what, if you help me, I'll pay you five nice shiny copperpieces"

[Innis Cabal]

X raised an eyebrow, keeping distance from the man

"Told ya where it was...what moew do ya want.."

[MrEdwardNigma]

"I need to make a trip out there. Pick up some stuff"
He smiled, showing his gleaming white teeth.
"Don't worry, we won't go to the actual prison"

[Innis Cabal]

X stands slightly, dispite his distrust of the man, going to a place such as the prison perked his curiosity

"S'bad place...what do ya need there?"

[MrEdwardNigma]

"Oh, you'll see. I just hope you're not afraid to get wet"
The man walked back to his horse and mounted it.
"Show me the way, boy"

[Innis Cabal]

X stood his ground. The previous nights occurance was only to fresh in his mind. He was only limited by his imagination as to what this man could possibly want to do with him after he had no more reason to keep him around.

"No. Answer the question. Can' swim anyway."

[MrEdwardNigma]

The man sighed.
"Okay then, suit yourself"
He kicked his horse in the side gently, and the beast galloped off.

The boy was left alone at the edge of the forest, the path getting darker as soon as it passed the first trees.

[Innis Cabal]

X walked into the woods after the man left.

[MrEdwardNigma]

The woods soon got darker as X walked into them. The only sounds breaking the silence were his rumbling stomach and the sound of rustling leaves. The forest was alive. The trees were green and wherever X went something seemed to be scurrying away. He'd seen a small rat run across the path earlier.

Eventually he got to a fork in the road. The forest was getting dark here but it seemed to be getting lighter to the left side of the road, with shafts of light piercing through the foliage, while the right side simply continued in relative darkness. There was a signpost pointing both ways, but X couldn't read what it said.

[Innis Cabal]

X walked down the path towards the more lit region.

[MrEdwardNigma]

X arrived at a clearing. There was some spring green grass, and at the centre stood a large obelisk with mysterious drawings on it. There were also some bushes with purple berries nearby, somewhat off the path. X's stomach was really grumbling now. He wondered if he should risk it.

There were two ways out, one leading to the left and the other straight ahead.

[Innis Cabal]

X walked up to the obilisk, running hand over it. The drawings were strange, but in the fading light, he wanted to inspect them. His stomach growled louder as he eyed the berries. He took a few off the bush, sniffing at them

[MrEdwardNigma]

Most of the drawings on the obelisk seemed to be simple squiggly lines in complicated patterns, but on the side facing the darker part of the forest there was a crude drawing of a man holding a sword above his head with both hands in a heroic pose. X couldn't make out much more since a lot of the details had faded.

He picked some berries and smelled them, detecting that they smelled very sour.

[Innis Cabal]

X placed one of the berries in his mouth, chewing it for a moment before swallow