Arc 2 - Heart of a Monster (Completed)

[Rain Yupa]

"We've only just met yesterday," Revenge would correct Shayne from a short distance away.

"Also, please don't call the barbarian names. I am not responsible for the repercussions of poor judgement. That said... Valac, he can have my share. I personally want no part of it, since I'm pretty sure attacking people I meet on the road and then taking their stuff would classify me as a 'bandit'."  

[Noname 51]

"STAY OUT OF THIS, REVENGE!" Keeping his eyes on the Barbarian, "You, and your girl, got your payback from the sleep spell. If the only way, I get to you I am not your enemy is by beating you senseless, dragging your still breathing but bloody body to the wagon, Then I brew a healing potion to heal your body ... But, you aren't stopping me from carrying those crates to the wagon  

[Kowsauni]

Abigail (Abby) Morgan

Revenge does spot a a rather worn looking shovel leaning again the left wall. They probably used it to dig the post holes.

Abby would clear her throat then speak up. "Um. Pease don't speak to my husband like that and I for one do not feel comfortable carrying stolen goods. We should alert the authorities so they can send a patrol to come claim them. Besides...we don't have enough room for all those goods and the rest of you in the wagon. Having everyone walk would significantly slow us down and I wouldn't do that to Petra."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would move towards the shovel, picking it up.

"Bold proclamation for someone who didn't want to travel with us a minute ago," Revenge would say aloud to nobody in particular after Shayne promised to load up those crates onto their wagon.

He would then proceed to head over to the fallen archer, and after laying his halberd against a nearby tree, begin digging in the dirt beside him. "Sorry, Abby, I'll be a few minutes. This is something I have to do."  

[Noname 51]

"Yes, poor horse; are you aware the authorities will only sell, what they can't use, with no real attempt to find the orignal owners? And, Scarface would take the funds and just start over. But, I can create a small disk to carry some of it." Ignoring Revenge's outburst  

[AlphabetFish]

As Twyla returned from the road block, she had a disappointed look on her face.

"Jeez! I turn my back for one minute and you're all bickering again! Why can't we just open it and see what's inside now? We can take what's good and leave what's not! If we wind up lugging around a buncha crates of potatoes, won't we look stupid when we open them later?"

She walked up to the crates and looked carefully at them. She didn't touch them nor did she make any attempt to open them, but she was trying her best to feel if there was anything magical about them.

((Arcana of 29 to detect if the crates or their contents are magical (if I can tell), or if there are any magical traps on them.))  

[Kowsauni]

Abigail (Abby) Morgan

As Twlya attempts to detect magic on the crates she finds no magical resonance in or around them. The crates appear to contain only mundane items.

Abby would nod knowingly at Revenge and let him set of to do his task. However, when spoken to rudely by the wizard they had just rescued she seemed to bristle a bit. "You can come up with whatever excuses you want to justify stealing those goods but I will play no part in transporting them, nor do I think your magical disk can keep up with the speed of my horse. I will also not tolerate you being rude to me or my husband who have done nothing to deserve such disrespect. Once my husband finishes burying the dead we are leaving."  

[Rain Yupa]

"Frankly, you're wrong," Revenge would say between shovels. "The bandits will return for these long before any authorities get to them." Another heap of dirt.

"But how is you utilizing stolen goods for profit..."

"... so both bandits and the law can't utilize them for profit..."

"... at all a justifiable reason for taking them? It's just..."

"... an endless cycle of theft."

Pausing for a few moments, he would weapon the sweat from his brow. He would plunge the shovel into the dirt and lean on it with his left elbow, while gesturing to his right hand.

"Not to mention, there's a very likely possibility you being caught with these items when you try to hock these might very well get you arrested for possessing them. I don't think they'd care if you were the one who originally stole them or not. It's a very dangerous game you wish to play."

He would turn to Abby, calling out to her. "Most of the bandits escaped but... er... am I digging one grave, or two?" He had not had a chance to learn what came of the archer she had led away; just that she disappeared into the brush with him and half a minute later, returned without him. "Gotcha," he would say to whatever response she gave before continuing digging the grave.

He wouldn't say anything for a bit, as he didn't take very long; he was digging the grave fairly shallow, in case the bandits decided to exhume him. Finally, he would say aloud:

"And Petra's not the horse. Maybe..."

"... you should go meet her, she can leave quite an impression." Revenge would let out a chuckle that sounded both sinister and exhausted.  

[Noname 51]

"Shortstack; You make it sound, like gnomes doesn't.like to partake of the good potato." Shayne laughed silghty, following Tywla's abrupt incertion into the comversation.

Both were being hard headed, he never wanted the crates. One of the good churches could put the ill-gotten goods to better use than them, corrupt guardsmen and bandits. But as he hinted at earlier, during the whole arrow in the back, it was an unknown what was in those crates. That was a scratch he wanted to itch... And lastly, with his bounty it wouldn't matter, if Shayne was caught he would be arrested, stolen goods or no...

Frustrated, Shayne started to walk down the road(direction the horse was facing)  

[Mongooseh]

Valac was grimacing throughout the entire back and forth between everyone and Shayne as he was wondering whether he would force Revenge to dig a second grave but finally Shayne dropped the issue and walked away.

Valac grabbed his full blade and smashed the crates to see if any had gold in it if they are full of mundane goods he would leave them.

"If there's gold then that's not trackable."  

[AlphabetFish]

"Pfft! Potatoes are heavy and we gnomes are little. I like a good parsnip myself." She watched him leave, and shouted after him, "Don't get too far ahead! We'll be right there!" It would take more than that for him to get out of being friends with her.

She leaned forward as Valac smashed the crate. "There's nothing magical at all about these things," she said, "but you're right about the gold. Of course," she added, "I'd pay it back to the rightful owner! You know, if we find them." But her eyes were big and curious as she looked to see what was inside the crates.  

[PupSage]

Kuori would shout, "Shut up and get off your high horse Revenge. Your wife killed one, I killed one. And gold stolen off bodies got you to your wife, restocked our gear, and got you a hotel room in town. Its not honorable, but we can worry about honor when Aria is just a blurb in the history books that nobody remembers." She began to mosey out from behind the wagon. "Meanwhile, that guy has our names and knows our faces, and he is walking away. Not to mention his lust for coin, which Aria has in spades. We can't let him walk. Abby, can you do that thing you did earlier long enough for us to tie him up?"  

[Kowsauni]

Abigail (Abby) Morgan

As Valac smashes the crates, the distinct sound of ceramic pottery breaking can be heard as well as the sound of other objects being broken as they either fall to the ground or are cleaved by the fullblade. The crates contain various mundane crafted goods as well as raw materials, but after the destructive way in which they were opened, there is little value left to them. No gold can be seen among the wreckage.

Abby would sigh and shake her head in response to Kuori's request. "I did not kill anyone, and sorry, but I will not use my powers to seize control of his mind. I don't think it is the right thing to do. He has committed no crime against us and we won't be able to enter a noble's manor with a captive. Please, everyone get back on board. Once my husband is done, we will continue down the road. If we hurry, we just might reach the manor before nightfall."  

[Mongooseh]

Valac grimaced in disappointment at the lack of gold in the crates, he looked at Shayne striding off and finally decided to get on the cart.  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge goes back to finishing the grave for the person, pausing when insulted by Kuori. But rather than say anything, he chose to ignore her. As much as she needed a philosophical rundown on morality, it was not the time for it.

He would drag the body of the man Kuori shot down into the shallow grave, kneeling to offer a brief prayer to the gods for him.

"I'm sorry this is the best I can do for you, Darren," Revenge would say as he proceeded to reapply the dirt atop the body. "I don't know when, or if, your comrades will return for you, and I won't have you desecrated by scavengers. Rest now, and I hope your loved ones will one day come to terms with this senseless loss." As he would finish with the burial, he would say one last thing. "Sorry I couldn't save you. No one deserves this."

Planting the blade of the shovel into the loose earth at the head of the grave as a marker, he laments not having opportunity to pick up some symbols of Sehanine back in Gladesdale to leave behind. Looking at the stray arrows, looking at the shattered crates, looking at Shayne walking off on his own... he would have to get some for the fallen, wouldn't he?

He would, without any more words, pick up his halberd walk to and board the wagon, next to Abby. He wouldn't respond to her if she tried to talk to him, simply staring off until the exhaustion of the battle would catch up to him. He would drift off to sleep, finally benefiting from that short rest he called earlier.