[F01/PP]Check

[Oscar 0]

Oscar rarely slept anymore and when he did, it was never for long. It seemed as if whenever he slept for more than a few hours, he had half a dozen fires to go put out. Such was the life of the man waging a war all on his own. Occasionally, however, his mind simply gave out on him and forced him to slumber. Exhaustion was his greatest enemy and it had a tendency to sneak up on him. And so, Oscar awoke from one of those involuntary deep sleeps. And, true to form, he was greeted by a cacophony of chimes as messages hit his conscious inbox the moment he was aware of his surroundings. The staccato chirping immediately had him rubbing his temples with his fingers in a vain effort to combat the headache that had so quickly been delivered to him. After what felt like hours, the sounds ceased, though the throbbing in his head remained. With a loud groan, Oscar peeled himself out of the booth in his shop that served as his bed and swiped open his menu.

A cursory glance over his inbox quickly put the throbbing pain in his head to the back burner. Without even opening them, Oscar dashed out of the building in a hurry. He zipped through the familiar streets of the Town of Beginnings, arriving at the Orphanage in short order. He blew through the front door and stepped into the main hall. Ruined furniture was scattered across the floor, dusted with shards of glass from the windows. There was not a soul to be found, child or caretaker. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fuck."

This was Tyson's next move then. Oscar allies were too strong to face head on, so the boy moved on to the thing Oscar cared the most about. It was one hell of a blow. There was no way he could canvas over two dozen floors all on his own and Oscar didn't really have much faith that Tyson was above slaughtering children. He needed help. So he turned to the only person he could think to ask in a time like this. His menu was open and Oscar was typing before he even really had his bearings on the situation.

 

Quote

To: @Freyd

Floor One. Orphanage. Largest of Emergencies.

No sooner had Oscar hit "send," did he hear the crunching of glass behind him. His sword was in his hand - for what little good it would do in a Safe Zone - in a flash as he turned about. The black blade of the Vampire stopped mere inches from a very familiar face. Oscar clicked his tongue and put away his weapon.

"What do you want? Now's really not a good time, @Lessa," he said quickly.

Spoiler

Oscar,
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 46
HP: 860/860
EN: 118/118

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 147
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 47
Loot Dice: 5
AA
PHASE
REC: 4
V.O.: 141

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/FRZ/FLN/ACC
Armor: <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC
Misc: <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Katana R5
Battle Healing R5
Heavy Armor R5
Searching R5
Energist
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Active Mods:
Impetus

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Stamina
Ferocity
Iron Skin
Precision
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Assault Mode
Survival
Forgotten King's Authority

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor []: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Oscar

[Freyd 0]

Something flashed darkly in the shadowed rafters over the main hall where Oscar stood dismissing the other new arrival.  No one spotted holes in the darkness, which made a properly stylized custom order teleportation crystal so ideal for such uses.  Fortunately, he'd spent years hiding in every back alley, paranoid that Cardinal and its agents were hunting him at every turn.  It didn't take long to figure out which orphanage Oscar's message meant.  Scolding himself for the foolishness of past fears, the Whisper descended from shadows landing silently on booted feet to survey the state of their surroundings.

"So, Tyson finally screwed up," he bluntly declared.  "I'm sure he's smart enough to maintain an untraceable mod for himself, but the kids that should be here wouldn't have access to the same.  Even if he's clever enough to think that far ahead, he'd also assume that we'd assume that we'd be walking into a trap.  This is going to get messy."

Freyd paused, craning his head so far left to see around Oscar's giant frame that he nearly toppled over.

"Oh.  Hi Lessa.  Come to rescue the kids, or kidnap Oscar?  I'm afraid he may not be in much of a mood for the latter."

For those looking at him, Freyd instantly qualified by appearance as one of those things that went bump in the night, or what everyone might assume such things should look like.  No weapon was brandished, yet every inch of him coiled and moved like it could strike at any moment.  Or, maybe he was just wound too tight, especially round that trademark cowl.  Both others in the room knew it could go either way.  Prowling about like some creature out of a Resident Evil game, you'd swear he was about to climb up the walls on all fours, then carry on across the ceiling.  Instead, he wrapped up his automatic survey of the space and simply stuffed his hands into a pair of secretive pockets concealed along with who knows what else in the mess of dark clothes and leathers he always wore.

"So, am I here to shatter him into a million pieces for you, or are we just getting the kids back?"  The nonchalance of his words and his stance did nothing to ease the overall tension of the scene.

***

Freyd | HP: 1040/1040 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 2 | BH: 57 | LD: 5 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8

Consumables:

Freyd offers ACC feast from Gugnir to Lessa and Oscar

Spoiler

Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6)

[others buffs tbd based on whether any combat will be rolled or narrated.]

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 97
HP: 1040/1040
EN: 138/138

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5 (+2)
Evasion: 2
Battle Healing: 57
Loot Dice: 5
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T4 MA | Holy 2 | Fallen 2)
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: Fight O'er Flight (T4 Trinket - ACC 2 | EVA 2)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Hiding R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic WH, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

[Lessa 1]

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, The Violet Guardian Level: 31 Paragon Level: 39 HP: 820/820 EN: 114/114 Stats: Damage: 23 Mitigation: 122 Battle Healing: 41 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 THRNS: 72 LD: 3 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Purple Hair Ribbon (T2 TRINKET - LD3) Skills: Straight Sword R5 Heavy Armor R5 Battle Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit Charge Active Mods: Impetus Emergency Recovery Addons: Iron Skin Ferocity Stamina Active Extra Skills: Parry Housing Buffs: Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down) Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1] Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Guild Hall Buffs: Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]

"I SAID NO."

Oliver shied away from Lessa, his small frame growing even smaller beneath her wrath. A small part of her regretted the way she roared, but the larger part silenced the creeping remorse - the part with concern for his safety. That had to come first. "Your safety matters to me," she told the child. "You matter to me. I know you want to help find your friends, but I can't do anything if I'm worried about you. Do you understand me?"

Fear trembled in the boy's wide eyes, even as he nodded. 

"Good. You need to stay with Olivia, so I can focus on finding - everyone." She tripped over the single word, struggling to force it around the lump in her throat. Just over Oliver's head, Lessa saw the woman rushing toward them. Her brunette waves flared out behind her, flapping like a cape as she swooped in to save the day. A vague message, a plea for help, was all it had taken to get her dear friend here. "Thank you for watching him," Lessa managed as Olivia slowed to a stop beside Oliver. Instinct had Lessa hooking her arm around Oliver's neck, dragging him closer, and planting a hard kiss on the top of his head. "Please be safe." The raw emotion, sharp enough to cut through Lessa's heavy armor, lingered long after the Guardian fled deeper into town.

Oliver's panicked message had interrupted Lessa's morning training session, and she hadn't even read it in its entirety before she took action. Oliver had stopped by the orphanage to visit his friends, only to find the building empty and ransacked. Scared for them, he had reached out to the adult he trusted most. She had shouldered that fear for him. If dozens of orphans could disappear from the center of a safe zone... well, was there really anything worse? Besides, Lessa might be the only Player willing to search for those poor children. Well, aside from-

"Oscar."

Her own blade rose to meet his, the metallic clang humming like static electricity in the still silence. She swatted his weapon away from her face, and when she glared back at him, her blue eyes were as hard as the steel in her sword. "Not a good time?" she echoed. Her voice remained calm, but her body language betrayed her; she clung desperately to fleeting control. She hadn't seen her former guildmate since his path had deviated from hers, in a very big very. He'd added names to the Monument. While there hadn't been bodies to leave behind, he'd scattered friends like corpses in his own personal crusade. She hadn't had the opportunity to understand his plight. He hadn't given her that opportunity.

Lessa's eyes never left Oscar, even as Freyd materialized from the shadows. The only indication that she noticed his sudden arrival was the tightening of her hand around her hilt. "And I'm not in the mood for witty banter," she replied simply. Only then did the man's words catch up with her.

"Who is Tyson?" Finally, her gaze shifted to flick between the two men. "What don't I know?"

[Oscar 0]

"Who is Tyson? What don't I know?"

"Several things," Oscar said quickly, his eyes flashing gold as he activated his Searching skill. He wouldn't put it past Tyson to leave a couple of bodies to keep tabs on Oscar, even if the tactic had failed so gloriously before. He quickly swept the room behind Lessa and paused to respond. "I don't have time to go into it all. Long and short of it is that I've got an entire guild of Player Killers gunning for me at the behest of a real-life associate. I'm surprised Bahr didn't tell you about it." He started to turn to face Freyd, but stopped himself. "Gunning for me and everyone in my immediate vicinity. " Oscar repeated  the same precaution behind the man.

"I'm sure he's smart enough to maintain an untraceable mod for himself, but the kids that should be here wouldn't have access to the same.  Even if he's clever enough to think that far ahead, he'd also assume that we'd assume that we'd be walking into a trap.  This is going to get messy."

Content that they were alone, Oscar finally lowered his guard a bit. Cracking a smile at the Whisper in the Shadows. "For Tyson, maybe. I wouldn't count the children out. Especially after I took the time to max out their Sneak skills."

The Orphanage was a prime target. An easy way to get under Oscar's skin if hit; truly too good a target to pass up. The children would be bait to draw Oscar in to wherever Tyson was in the most advantageous position possible. Smart money was on wherever the kid set up shop with his inner circle. "I expected something like this to happen at some point," Oscar said. "So I made a point to insure that the kids and caretakers weren't entirely defenseless. I think that, by now, Tyson will have realized he got more than he bargained for."

After all, the only thing worse than a bunch of hyperactive tykes was a bunch of invisible hyperactive tykes.

"And before either of you come at me with some 'child soldier' shit, take a minute and consider the alternative was them probably dying the minute we showed up to get them," Oscar quickly added.

"So, am I here to shatter him into a million pieces for you, or are we just getting the kids back?"

Rather than answer Freyd, Oscar turned back to face Lessa. "I want to be perfectly clear. We're moving out to kill a man today. Probably several. If you want to come along to make sure the children are safe, I know better than to try to stop you. But do so without letting your bleeding heart drip all over our shoes."

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's face remained unchanged, despite the fact that the room's other occupants seemed to have donned their cranky pants this morning.  They may have had legitimate cause.  Whoever had kidnapped the kids from this place had also put theirs on inside out, because no one should be stupid enough to try pulling a stunt like this.  Making an enemy of Oscar was tantamount to mistakenly signing your own death certificate while thinking it was an organ donor card. It wouldn't end well.

"I keep forgetting that everyone around here already knows everyone," Freyd added, speaking to no one as his eyes already scouring the broken remnants of the hall and improvised living quarters.  Oscar's child soldier reference might have effectively hand-waved away any protest, but the notion of a gaggle of stealth kids wandering around the game immediately brought up the trouble they could get into and the likelihood that one or more of them might end up with an orange marker for innocently pocketing a slice of cheese.  Cardinal's adherence to set punishments for such things was absolute... usually.  He'd heard tell that @Celesteand a bunch of other hooligans were causing all manner of mischief in Ladonia during the raid.  Somehow, it didn't surprise him that @Liumgot mixed up in it too.  Word among the brokers was that they'd somehow dodged the usual threshold for minor misdemeanors only to get slapped orange by pushing their luck.  It became just another thing to look into at some later date.  They'd take care of each other, even if it meant that the guild was now on the hook for dealing with the consequences of their shiny new orange tags.

Slipping a boot tip under the lip of some broken furniture, Freyd flipped the wood upward to reveal a small makeshift doll.  A ragged, splintered edge had torn the thing's features, ripping off one of its button eyes and leaving a nasty gash on the side of its head where the stuffing was coming out.  Taking a knee, he lifted the small toy with surprising tenderness, his ever-scowling eyes wincing as its head flopped limply backward.  Few soft spots marred the Whispers hardened shell, but kids has always proven a challenge.  The name printed on the doll's back caught his eye: Sakura.

Shit.

"I don't have a problem with that," he replied coldly to Oscar, pocketing the doll into his inventory as he stood and turned to face his fellow players.  "Just point at the bad guys.  I'll do my part.  And... we'll get those kids back safe and sound."  That he would even bother to mention it as a goal was telling.  Freyd made no bones about being an ends-justified-the-means type of person, and readily admitted as much to those at their campfire chat before the raid.  @Baldur, @Kogaand @Hirruhad their own takes on things.  He respected that they knew themselves well enough to admit them, and were willing to face the risks of their own warts or idealism.  That's what makes people join the front lines, and the two players with him in this room were no less notable.

Turning his head to the deepest, darkest shadows in the room, Freyd peered into the void as if it held no secrets.  His eyes faded from view beneath his cowl, along with much of his face.  A moment later, it tilted sideways in the manner of a curious hound.

"I have something."

[Lessa 1]

I'm surprised Bahr didn't tell you about it.

Despite the situation, Lessa's stomach rolled at the off-handed comment. "No," she replied flatly, before she might feel inclined to say more. Her relationship drama had absolutely no place in an abandoned orphanage. Hell, even if she and Oscar chatted over burgers at some inn, she wasn't sure she would tell him. Lessa wasn't sure what Oscar was to her anymore, but confiding in him did not appeal to her. She drew in a sharp breath. "He didn't tell me."

Oscar's explanation left her with more questions than answers, but some of the pieces did begin to fall into place. Why had the man she had once considered a friend slaughtered in cold blood? Why had he abandoned the guild, and severed ties with everyone he knew? Well, except for Freyd, apparently. Lessa's gaze flicked between the two, puzzlement swimming behind her stony façade. She hardly knew the Whisper in Shadows, but she figured something in his personality made him a suitable companion for Oscar. He likely wouldn't have known about Tyson otherwise.

When Oscar mentioned maxing out the orphans' sneak skill, that façade crumbled. "You figured Tyson would come for them," she stammered, horror and fury warring for control in her voice and on her face. Like a rider atop a spooked horse, Lessa dragged at the reins, willing logic to take over before she gave in to emotion. There was truth in Oscar's words - had he not prepared them, they would certainly be dead. But the mere concept of leaving children in a place where they might be targeted... Bile rose in Lessa's throat, but she swallowed it down again. "Is he the type who would find the kids, no matter where you moved them?" She didn't need to hear the answer. She could see it on Oscar's face, and feel it in the tension that hummed through the air like electricity.

"Anyone fucked up enough to target orphans deserves to die."

The words were out of her mouth before she could fully process them. In fact, they sounded foreign to her own ears, as if someone else spoke them. But when her brain finally caught up, Lessa realized that she meant every single word. She wholeheartedly supported the death of another person. In fact, were he standing before her, she might feel compelled to deal the final blow herself. Further time to dwell on the issue might bring about a different reaction, of course.

She just wouldn't give herself time to change her mind.

"Don't worry about my heart," she replied coolly. "It'll hold up just fine."

[Oscar 0]

It was a shocking turn of events. Oscar had expected this to happen any day now and he was still reeling. He'd held out some glimmer of hope that Tyson wouldn't go that far. That at least some level of restraint remained in the kid. 

He hates me, but there's no way he'd go after some grade-schoolers right?

Tyson isn't much older than they are.

He can't be that stupid.

But he did, it didn't matter, and yes, he is that stupid.

It was because of this, Oscar let the silence drag to allow the gravity of the situation to really sink in. What had happened and what needed to be done. He didn't doubt that Freyd would come to terms with it all in fairly short order. Lessa, on the other hand, was a different story. The blonde warrior was the personification of why Oscar broke ties. Some people don't need to be in situations like this. They deserve to be able to keep their hands clean. To do otherwise would destroy them. All of Tarot - with the exception of his former brother-in-arms - were such people. Oscar operated the way he did so that they didn't have to. Oscar was content being the only one torn apart by this. And so, after being confronted with the fact that this impromptu posse existed solely to kill, Oscar expected Lessa to balk, turn a blind eye, and do her best to come to terms with the fact that she chose not to act and allow lives to be snuffed out.

"Anyone fucked up enough to target orphans deserves to die."

What.

"Hold up," Oscar said. Without breaking his gaze from Lessa's, Oscar opened up his menu. A few quick presses and a pair of shades appeared in the air. He plucked them from the air and slapped them on his face. Then, in an exaggerated fashion, he leaned forward and lowered the shades down the bridge of his nose. "You're serious?" He paused, examining the steadfast resolve that had crept across her features. "Damn, you're serious." He tossed the sunglasses away and shrugged. "Okay. Wasn't expecting that."

The only problem that remained was finding them. It was all good and well that Lessa was ready to snatch some weaves on behalf of the kids, but it didn't mean a thing if they weren't able to find the people who needed swords buried in their chests. It was as if the universe had green-lit their hunt because no sooner had Oscar set himself to trying to figure that puzzle out, Freyd spoke up.

"I have something."

Turning on his heels, Oscar crossed the room calmly. He peered over Freyd's shoulder, craning his neck in an attempt to see what he'd found. He noticed Freyd was locked onto something across the room. His eyes flicked in that direction, then back to his friend.

"Whatcha got?"

Edited February 13, 2022 by Oscar

[Freyd 0]

Lifting the battered doll, Freyd showed the name written on it, proceeding to explain.  

"Those kids are smart.  Hiding is a choice, and worthless once you've already been caught.  Sakura had the good sense to disable the mod, giving us a chance to find their position.  They're on floor 15, not far out from Lhasri and heading west towards Palden Glacier.  Revenge is best served cold?  Dude might be taking things a little too literally.  But they seem to still be on the move, so we may have time, and also be in luck.  If Tyson had half a brain, he'd have already brought them to a dungeon or some other location beyond the reach of scans or corridor crystals.  I haven't spent much time on fifteen, but I can close the gap if we move quickly."

Stone ground slickly against stone as the Whisper held up his hand, three teleport crystals splayed at the ready.  In the heat of the moment, Freyd was all business, focused on counting seconds and being ruthlessly efficient.

"You two can hash out any moral qualms on the way.  It needs to be now, or we'll lose them and any chance we have of breaking down their advantage."

He clacked the crystals together for effect.

"Chop, chop.  It's gotta be now."

[Lessa 1]

"No moral qualms to be hashed," she replied simply, lifting a gauntleted hand as if to flick away even the notion. Her expression, as cold as the ice in her eyes, didn't even register Oscar's little sunglasses trick. "I'm just here to get the kids. If you two didn't take them, then we can work together to get them back. Their safety is my number one priority, and ranks way above whatever bad blood exists between Oscar and my ex-boyfriend." She moved past them in a swirl of blue fabric, her cape skimming her heels as she strode toward the door.

She had nearly made it to the teleportation plaza before she spoke again. "I'm going to grab a horse," she called over her shoulder, not bother to check if the pair trailed her or not. "It'll be a lot faster. If either of you don't feel comfortable riding, you can ride with me. If you both don't feel comfortable riding..."

Pausing, the woman climbed the steps to the teleport gate, and demanded, "Lhasri!" When she rematerialized, the startling change in air temperature took her breath away. Composing herself quickly, she continued her earlier statement the moment Freyd and Oscar joined her. "... then we'll have to take a cart. I'd prefer we ride, as it'll be faster, and easier to navigate the mountain passes." She was already moving again, gaze scanning the city streets for familiar features. "I've ridden on this floor before, but not on the glaciers themselves, because that would be suicide." Her lips drew into a thin, tight line as she spotted the western entrance, and slipped into a jog. "I'll risk it if it saves us some time. But we'll need to be careful."

Lessa only glanced back at her companions as they approached the stable. Sturdy horses with shaggy winter coats milled about in a small pasture, while a handful stood tacked and at the ready. "So what'll it be? Ride, or cart?"

[Freyd 0]

"Couldn't we just shoot ourselves out of a cannon, or something, for old times sake?"  He glanced at Oscar quizzically, bordering on wistfully.  "The thought of placing some Cardinal-controlled critter between my legs and hoping everything will be 'just fine' isn't wholly inspiring."

He groaned, suddenly realizing that if he chose the cart option instead, it would surely be filled with hot dogs and inevitably prove to be the least subtle or effective mode of transport ever devised.  His giant friend was in a right state, meaning even the usual level of absurdity was an exceptionally low bar.  They were surely headed for Spaceballs levels of ludicrous speed, paired with a Clint Eastwood worthy eye squinting and some sort of standoff that would be worthy of someone's history books - well, maybe colouring books?

"Fine.  Fine! We'll go with the horses, but if the damned beast ends up tossing me off a glacier, I'm coming back to haunt both your asses."  Somewhere nearby, a pair of donkeys brayed in protest and indignation.  

"Don't you have anything in black?"  Freyd protested, haggling with the stable master like he was some sort of used horse salesman.  "Honestly.  I just want the model T version.  No bells and whistles, and I'd even skip the moon roof."  He paused again, mid-rant, his voice dropping low to avoid being heard undermining his own arguments.   "But does it come with cup holders?  It's a bit of a long ways, and we may need something to help cut the tension."  He nudged the man's gaze back to his companions standing behind him while mouthing the word 'backstory' and making clandestine air quotes.

[Oscar 0]

"We've got a heading then," Oscar said with some measure of excitement as he clapped his hands together. "Less information than I would have liked. Can't expect a solid tactical work-up from a bunch of scared kids, I suppose. Let's ride."

One quick jaunt to Lhasri later and Oscar stared up into the dark eyes of his chosen mount with trepidation. The color had all but drained from his cheeks. "Y'know. When I said 'let's ride,' I meant it metaphorically." Flashing back to his days mucking out stalls and shoveling manure, beads of sweat began to form on his brow. "I agree with the merits of the plan, but let it be known I go along with it under extreme duress." He took a steadying breath and - before he could talk himself out of it - clambered into the saddle. His shoulder throbbed as if it had just been struck - an echo from the first time he'd attempted to ride one of these beasts.

He took to being in the saddle like oil to water. Every synapse was screaming at him to abandon ship and his mind raced with every justification to go on foot instead. Oscar clamped his eyes shut, his fingers tightening around the horn of the saddle as he willed the intrusive thoughts silent. As the calm descended, he opened his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He made no effort to apologize for his setback. Instead, he waited patiently for his two companions to mount up.

Together the three of them made for the nearest gate out of town. As they did, Oscar urged his mount to match the speed of Lessa's. "Ex-boyfriend?" Oscar asked. "That's rough. Sorry to hear." The conversation was doing some good. It was helping to keep Oscar from emptying the contents of his stomach over the side of his leg. Some people just didn't belong in certain places. Oscar simply did not belong in a saddle. Neither did Lessa belong in this posse. "I don't want you killing anyone unless absolutely necessary," Oscar said suddenly. "You're here. You care about the kids. I'm not going to turn you away. Freyd and I have more than enough bloodthirst to go around. You're not a monster so let's keep it that way. "