MERC XVI: Morality is Relative; Professional Standards Aren't!

[Ashen Lilies]

[Merc Base]

Grace sits in the chair as mentioned, clasping her hands on her lap.
"I'm seeking information on the whereabouts of powerful magical items. I am willing to pay MERC to scout out potential rumors and locations."

[Murkus]

[Dena's Room]

"You want them to spit?" Tina asks, sticking her tongue out at Dena. "Oh, whatever. Tell you what. If I can't help with complex surgery, I know what can!" Tina's voice turns sing-song. "Copious amounts of alcohoool!"

Tina stands up and slings her purse over her shoulder again. "You two almost made me forget what I actually came by for. Which was you two. C'mon. I don't know if those little guys can spit but I bet they can get drunk."

[Morty]

[Merc Base]

Dipsnig nods. Sounds straightforward enough.

"We should be able to handle that. Do you have any locations you want us to start with?"

[Ashen Lilies]

[Merc Base]

Dipsnig nods. Sounds straightforward enough.

"We should be able to handle that. Do you have any locations you want us to start with?"

[Merc Base]

"No." Says Grace. "Cast your net as wide as you wish, though of course artifacts belonging to other major organizations may be more trouble than they are worth. If your search comes up with any artifacts that suits my purposes, I'm also willing to negotiate a price for retrieval - on a case by case basis, of course.

[Morty]

[Merc Base]

"Alright, let's write up a contract, then. Once it's signed, I think I have a location that might hold items that you."

Provided Grace has nothing to add, Dipsnig quickly produces a written contract:

Job Description: Search and possible retrieval of notable magic items.
Contract Type: -
Hired by: Grace (Kris on a Stick).
Target: -
Payment: Upon finding/retrieving.
Notes: -

"Do you want it to be a commonly available job, or member-only?"

[Gullara]

[Dena's Room]

"You want them to spit?" Tina asks, sticking her tongue out at Dena. "Oh, whatever. Tell you what. If I can't help with complex surgery, I know what can!" Tina's voice turns sing-song. "Copious amounts of alcohoool!"

Tina stands up and slings her purse over her shoulder again. "You two almost made me forget what I actually came by for. Which was you two. C'mon. I don't know if those little guys can spit but I bet they can get drunk."

Kirk glances at Dena. Is she up for that now? In any case, he shrugs. "I could use a drink right now." After this mess, who couldn't?

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena's Room]

"Don't tell me you wouldn't like hair that could spit poison at command." Dena jokes, her smile fades as Tina mentions drinking though and she meets Kirk's gaze. But then again, just as Kirk said, why not? It had been a while since had gotten thoroughly drunk. So she slaps the neon-girl on the back. "So you wanna see drunk snakes, eh? You're a braver woman than I thought, little one."

[Murkus]

[Dena's Room]

"I try not to show it too much," Tina says, rolling her tiny little shoulders and keeping most of the grin off her face. She grabs both the drow and shoos them toward the door.

If she can start walking them out to her car, she'll talk as they go. "So if, say, the snakes were to drink... where would it, like, go?"

Tina frowns in thought. So weird.

[Gullara]

[Dena's Room]

"Maybe right to her head. That'd be a quick way to get drunk." Kirk smirks and pushes away from the wall. "So where're we going? The Den?" That's Kirk's favourite drinking hole after all. It's not so noisy as Trog's.

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena's Room]

"Straight to the membrane." Dena agrees with a knock on her own head. "Though honestly I refuse to think they can drink at all. The fact I gotta have them around in public like this is hard enough to consider."

[Murkus]

[Dena's Room --> Out]

"It's, like, a place a friend showed me," Tina answers Kirk, not elaborating further unless pressed. "But we can always hit the Den afterwards. And that, Dena..." She starts, putting an arm around the gorgon, "Is a theory we'll have to test."

They make their way out toward the main entrance and beyond, where a small, sleek hovercar slowly collects MERC's snowfall. It's solid black, like a monolith, and nearly as featureless. At the front, part of a huge engine turbine (nearly a third of the bullet-car's length) can be seen roiling and turning, oozing a firey orange light. It waits in ominous, patient silence, not even a typical hovercar thrum to mark its passing.

As the party approaches, the car's surface turns from salt-and-pepper to jet black again, the small collection of flakes suddenly melting into nothing. Whether Tina indicated their approach with one of her implants or the vehicle detected them with its own minimal intellect, one can't quite be certain.

[Zefir]

[Training Center -> Away]

At this point, Fade is done with his training. Since nothing intressting happens, which he could look over, he dress himself and heads out of the base.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Merc Base]

"Alright, let's write up a contract, then. Once it's signed, I think I have a location that might hold items that you."

Provided Grace has nothing to add, Dipsnig quickly produces a written contract:



"Do you want it to be a commonly available job, or member-only?"

[Merc Base]

"Whatever you think is best."

[Morty]

[Merc Base]

"Best to make it open for licensees, then," Dipsnig says. "Cast as wide a net as possible." He makes the necessary adjustments to the contract. "Now, I do have some information about a recently-discovered tomb. A warlike ruler was interred there, and the burial custom demanded that their tomb include a good portion of their considerable wealth... to make sure they rest easy, it seems. Either way, there's quite a lot of magic to be found there, after navigating whatever nasty obstacles the designers put there."

[Ashen Lilies]

Merc Base]

"Interesting." Says Grace. "Were you planning on sending some of your members there? To retrieve some of that wealth?" I mean... what good is it, sitting under all that ground?

[Morty]

[Merc Base]

"I was keeping it in my notes for the right opportunity. Like just now. I could send people to retrieve something, or have them accompany you," Dipsnig says.

[Gullara]

[Dena's Room]

"Straight to the membrane." Dena agrees with a knock on her own head. "Though honestly I refuse to think they can drink at all. The fact I gotta have them around in public like this is hard enough to consider."

[Dena's Room --> Out]

"It's, like, a place a friend showed me," Tina answers Kirk, not elaborating further unless pressed. "But we can always hit the Den afterwards. And that, Dena..." She starts, putting an arm around the gorgon, "Is a theory we'll have to test."

They make their way out toward the main entrance and beyond, where a small, sleek hovercar slowly collects MERC's snowfall. It's solid black, like a monolith, and nearly as featureless. At the front, part of a huge engine turbine (nearly a third of the bullet-car's length) can be seen roiling and turning, oozing a firey orange light. It waits in ominous, patient silence, not even a typical hovercar thrum to mark its passing.

As the party approaches, the car's surface turns from salt-and-pepper to jet black again, the small collection of flakes suddenly melting into nothing. Whether Tina indicated their approach with one of her implants or the vehicle detected them with its own minimal intellect, one can't quite be certain.

[Dena's Room => Out]

Kirk gives their ride a once over. "What sort of vehicle is this supposed to be?" Ah the strange things you find in the Nexus. Maybe not to his style, but interesting none the less.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Merc Base]

"I was keeping it in my notes for the right opportunity. Like just now. I could send people to retrieve something, or have them accompany you," Dipsnig says.

[Merc Base]

"If I were to accompany your retrieval team to this tomb, I do have some level of magical expertise and capability which could prove useful." Says the hooded figure. "Of course, I would like to keep the most powerful magical artifacts for my research, but I have little need for any material valuables or lesser magical items which would be of more practical use to your organization. Does this sound like a fair deal?" She asks.

[Morty]

[Merc Base]

"Those terms are acceptable," Dipsnig says. "Let me check if I can reach an available member..." He presses a crystal on his bracer.

[Deathkeeper]

Dipsnig's Bracer

Krayger is around for active duty, currently at the workshop sharpening his axe.

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Bracer]

Dipsnig will send Krayger a quick message.

We've got a dungeon-delving job. Some straight-up looting, nothing complicated. But the security there will be tight. Are you in?

[Zefir]

Dipsnig's Bracer

Fade would be available as well. He just leaks the ability to identify magical items.

[Deathkeeper]

Dipsnig's Bracer

Almost immediately,

Absolutely. Do you want me in now?

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena's Room --> Out]

"It's, like, a place a friend showed me," Tina answers Kirk, not elaborating further unless pressed. "But we can always hit the Den afterwards. And that, Dena..." She starts, putting an arm around the gorgon, "Is a theory we'll have to test."

They make their way out toward the main entrance and beyond, where a small, sleek hovercar slowly collects MERC's snowfall. It's solid black, like a monolith, and nearly as featureless. At the front, part of a huge engine turbine (nearly a third of the bullet-car's length) can be seen roiling and turning, oozing a firey orange light. It waits in ominous, patient silence, not even a typical hovercar thrum to mark its passing.

As the party approaches, the car's surface turns from salt-and-pepper to jet black again, the small collection of flakes suddenly melting into nothing. Whether Tina indicated their approach with one of her implants or the vehicle detected them with its own minimal intellect, one can't quite be certain.

[Dena's Room => Out]

Kirk gives their ride a once over. "What sort of vehicle is this supposed to be?" Ah the strange things you find in the Nexus. Maybe not to his style, but interesting none the less.

[Out - To what thread?]

"Ya' gonna offer my snakes alcohol?" Dena asks in a amused tone, not even asking about the vehicle in front of them. "But really, what's this place? If I know you, it's gonna' be dangerous. That's why you're so fascinated with gorgons all of sudden."

[Morty]

[Dipsnig's Bracer]

Yes. Come to the main room.

[Deathkeeper]

MERC Base- Main Room

Krayger will turn up after a few minutes in his usual uniform. That is, his pants and holster. Never was partial to wearing anything above that when not in the field. He smells a little bit of grease, having been in the workshop, but at least he didn't work up much of a sweat. He gives a standard salute as he enters.
"Reporting, sir."

[Morty]

[MERC Base - Main Room]

"Good. Here's our customer, Grace," Dipsnig says, nodding at the woman. "She contracted us to find and retrieve magic items for her. And as it happens, I have the location of a tomb filled with such, that you'll accompany her to. She reserves the right to claim the most powerful magic items, and our payment will be any other loot you acquire."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Merc Base - Main Room]

Grace nods towards Krayger. All wrapped up as she is, there's little emotion or thought that can be gleaned from her reaction to Krayger's entrance, though at least she's polite.
"Hello."

[Deathkeeper]

MERC base- main room

Krayger gives an appropriately polite nod to Grace. "Ma'am."

"Understood, sir. When do we leave and how much info do we have on this place?" he asks simply.

[Morty]

[Merc Base - Main Room]

"You can leave as soon as you and our employer are ready," Dipsnig says. "The place you'll be searching is the tomb of a martial ruler from millennia ago. They were killed by treachery, it seems, and buried with considerable riches to appease their ghost. There's a lot of value to be found there, but the obstacles will be dangerous."