[Nexus] Outside XXXI

[5a Violista]

A Popular Mountainside Village

A woman dressed in dark adventuring clothes walks up the hill to said village. She has a black hooded cloak which conceals most of her face, and she has an old, unused sword hanging across her back.

In this village, there are 15 houses; a couple of farmers, the mayor, a small-time cleric, a few level 1 soldiers, a staying-place for travelers, and a trader, whose name is Marcos. The city wouldn't be very big, if it weren't strategically situated in a valley between two mountain ranges, and travel forced adventurers to go through this village.

Marcos has become popular because his house is the only place to restock on supplies in a day's journey. Many adventurers have passed through this house on their way to Inside, or from Inside to many caves in the mountain. In fact, sometimes this city is often used as a resting-spot for dungeon divers.

Unknown to most adventurers, Marcos also deals with secret items from all across Nexus. In fact, he's an honorary member of Nexus's Black Society, which deals in powerful artifacts and trades them through an elaborate network which leaves all of them completely anonymous to the buyers.

This woman walks up to the Marcos's house, and closes the door.

Inside the house, she gets in an intimidating stance. "You know what I want," she says to Marcos, to which he feigns ignorance.

She steps forward, and grabs a katana hanging on a swordrack, and points it at him. "Give it to me!"

Backing up, he presses a secretly-hidden button under a desk, which alerts the guards of the village.

((Anyone want to fight a villain or something? Just post and make up a pretext for him/her to come to this village!))

[Devixer]

[Sznovf - Wizard's Tower]

Cass looks around for a few seconds before settling on the child. She has a look of vague anger on her face before she calls out, "Hey, kid. Who put you there?"

[A Popular Mountainside Village]

When he had arrived a few days ago, some of the villagers were intimidated by his white trenchcoat and the rags around his face. Most ignored him, however, as he explored the village with some unknowable purpose to his steps. He did not speak to anyone, nor did anyone speak to him, even to ask how he could see with his covered eyes.

When the dark-clothed woman entered the shop, the man followed, stopping just short of the door. Once the yelling starts, he pulls a revolver from a hidden holster and checks its cylinder. Then he steps inside, staring at the woman despite the rags over his face.

[5a Violista]

A Popular Mountainside Village
Inside the Trader's House

The woman's hood has fallen down while she has been threatening the trader. Should the White Trenchcoatman see her face, he'll see a scar running from her left eyebrow down her cheekbone.

Interesting that she grabbed a katana, and not the sheathed sword across her back...maybe it was just easier?

She doesn't notice the man who entered, as her back is to the front door.
Harley, which is the name of the woman, steps forwards towards Marcos once again. "Give me the book. I know you have it!"

"I...I...don't know w-w-what..." he stammers out.

"Liar!" she yells, before making a lunch at Marcos.

If she went straight to the lunge, the White Trenchcoated Man wouldn't have time to stop her, barring superhuman speed. However, thanks to the threatening and intimidating that she did, he has as much time as he needs.


Ouside
The few soldiers that they have gather together as fast as they can at such a short notice. "It's probably just another thief trying to get a bargain off of Marcos," they suppose. That's why they don't hurry more - recently, they've only have thieves.

[Devixer]

[A Popular Mountainside Village]

Just before Harley lunges at the trader, she may feel her arm being grabbed. If this is successful, the unnamed man tries to put the barrel of his revolver against her head. "Cease your attempt at extortion," he says as he pulls back the hammer of his pistol.

[5a Violista]

A Popular Mountainside Village
Her arm being grabbed, she halts the lunge.
Hearing the familiar sound of a gun getting ready to fire, Harley doesn't fight back. In fact, she stops dead still. After all, getting shot in the head is a terrible setback.

Marcos takes advantage of the situation and pulls down a book from the bookshelf behind him, triggering a secret passageway which he starts to go down.

Speaking of Bookshelves, I realized that I forgot to give a description of the room. The front room, which they are in, has a desk, several bookcases, and it's a rather large room. It has supplies, weapons, potions, and basically everything needed for passing adventurers. Obviously, from what just happened, there are also emergency exit secret passageways, as well.

Anyway, back to Harley. "Why does someone always have to show up...?" she mutters, before asking, "What's this conman's life worth to you?"


Outside the building
The soldiers are still several minutes away from being completely prepared, but one is in front of the building, waiting for the other 2 to get their weaponry and armor.

[Devixer]

[A Popular Mountainside Village]

"The conman is mine," he says, averting his covered eyes toward Marco leaving down the passageway. "My prey will not be taken from me by a common thief." Once Marco disappears, he tries to spin Harley around so that he can look at her face. She'll see his, for what that's worth. His head is completely wrapped in various types of rags and bandages, all white in color. "What did you come here for?"

[5a Violista]

A Popular Mountainside Village

Harley is spun around! Now she can properly see the man, and his gun. With the gun now in sight, she starts to formulate a plan to get away alive and get the book. Getting away alive won't be much of a problem, she figures, but she needs to find out what Marcos did with the book that she wishes to steal. Even if she dies, that'll just be a minor setback, but the book getting away equates a lot of research wasted, and she doesn't know if she'll have another chance to get this item.

(Just OoC note: The book wasn't destined for her. A client of the Black Society ordered this ancient Holy Book, and Marcos sent a crew of adventurers on a dungeon crawl to dig it out of a faraway dungeon, and it eventually got delivered to him before he would send it to another middleman tomorrow morning.)

Harley smiles, as an idea comes to her head. "Wow. At least I'll be able to tell others that my captor was handsome," she says in a playful voice, changing her tactics from Intimidation all the way to appearing like a helpless young lady.

Harley isn't as pretty as most PCs, by the way. Despite being a shapeshifter, she makes herself intentionally normal-looking. The scar, though, kinda ruins the normal-looking look. "Maybe we could strike a deal? I came here for a book, which should be rightfully mine."

((Edit! Hey! Who's going to make the new Thread?))

[Devixer]

New Thread!