Twisted Tidings (Ash City Alts)

It had been a difficult climb out of the infernal pit of a laboratory where Dzara and Mr Pinstripe had been dispatched to retrieve Zanth, but countless small challenges, with a handful of large ones later, things finally seemed to be looking up.



As they entered what appeared to be a warehouse, the golden light trickling unsteadily from a lantern posted near a far wall, it seemed that the only thing separating the trio from freedom was a few careful steps through the shadows and out the back door.

Dzara Kendell paused as she entered the room, unconsciously making room in the doorway for Mr. Pinstripe and Mr. Zanth to enter as well. The motion also kept her back close to a wall instead of towards the open room, a motion she had learned from her time with Mr. Pinstripe was largely useless, but old habits had a way of repeating. Her left hand still held the doomsday device she had picked off of the late doctor's body before they left him to rot, or rust, or whatever it is that cyborgs do after they're dead. Her right hand came up, brushing at the stray lock of hair that had escaped her braid sometime during their adventures, as her dark eyes peered into the shadows.

"Something doesn't feel right about this place," she whispered to Mr. Pinstripe as he entered. "This seems too easy for all the trouble we've had so far."

Zanth looked around, and whispers to Dzara, "I would have to incline to agree with you, for keeping me hostage, they sure didn't leave alot of guards posted around outside the lab."

"I smell blood," was the assassin's single reply.



"Weeeeell," a young man's voice cooed out of a dark corner of the room before its owner - a well dressed blonde with a series of ruby rings on his fingers - stepped out to greet them with a rather large man sporting a strange armor and a sharpened cross on his back just behind him, "Nothing gets past you I see."

"Now then, Mister Pinstripe sir," the man smiled and made a gracious bow, "I'm ready to commence the next stage of the plan as soon as you are."

Dzara froze, recognizing the men, by rumor if nothing else. The blond was Cane Borrite, the husband of the real boss' neice. The fool was in love with the idea of being a Knight. The armored man was Pargo. Rumor has it that he once got hit by a flying carriage, only to get up and rip the driver in half...literally. The fact that they were here, instead of sitting cozy at the meeting point, could only bode ill.

This was not the plan and she tensed at the thought of things not going as planned. The air stirred around her as her instincts caused her pull a bit of psychic engery to her. The thumb of her left hand twitched slightly even as her body eased partially behind Mr. Pinstripe's, but not so far that she couldn't see either of the two men. She silently watched, determined to let them make the first move.

Zanth, seeing Dzara backing up behind Pinstripe, asks him, "Judging by her reaction, I'd say these people have some rumors floating around about them, care to enlighten me?"

"Allow me," the young man took another step forward, his bodyguard well in tow, "Cane Borrite, Knights Of The Omerta. As I'm sure you're aware, the plan was to rescue you from this ...imprisonment that has been forced on you, but our services do not come without a price."

"We'd like you to work for us," Borrite continued, "If you should accept, the rewards will be greater than you can imagine. If you... should fail to acknowledge the obvious value of such a merger and take according advantage of the opportunity presented before you on the other hand..."



"I get to crush tin can man!," the brute behind him flexed his well-armored muscles and grinned menacingly.

Zanth turns and looks at Dzara with an odd look on his face, and says," This was your idea?"

'Oh, hell no,' she thought even as her mind scrabbled for a more appropriate response. If she had her way, she'd be at home pretending to sleep or perhaps studying--definitely not involved with any Omerta business. The fire of her temper hit the facade she wore over her emotions. Her beautiful face harden as she schooled them into nonchalance. She didn't quite stop the slight shake of her head, however.

"This is not our plan, Mr. Zanth," she assured firmly, still watching the two idiots who couldn't wait where they were supposed to for even a half an hour more. "We were sent by the Knights, but the plan was never to...smash you."

Zanth, still looking at Dzara, says with an inquisitive look, " So I'm to understand that in exchange from freeing me from The Church Of Mechanical Transcendence, I'm to be hired to the Knights, as you call yourselves?"

"Do not lump me in with them," Dzara bit out before she could stop herself. She could feel her temper melting her icy control. Her eyes cut away from the menacing pair still partially in the shadows to look at Zanth. "I am not a part of their organization. I was sent by them to rescue you, true, but I am not a Knight."

"This is the truth," Borrite waved a hand dismissively, "She is but the widowed whore of a man who himself happened to be a Knight, but ...this is beside the point. Our offer stands, Mr. Zanth. Will you join us, get fabulously wealthy, and finally be a business partner instead of a slave, or does your vision fail to see beyond this room?"

As Zanth is about to answer the men, he sees that something the man said had definantlly rubbed Dzara the wrong way, amd says, "Well, I believe that she has something to say first, and it's rude to keep a lady waiting." Zanth then back off about two steps back.

Dzara stiffened at the idiot's comment, the scar on her right shoulder tightening at the mere mention of her late husband. Any sorrow she might have been reminded of was buried beneath her fiery rage. 'How dare he insult Jacob by calling me such a thing? Mentally, she counted to ten in Latin to take the edge off before replying.

"If I'm a whore, what does that make your own wife? A slut?" Her dark eyes stared at Mr. Borrite, scanning him from top to bottom and back again. Her lips twisted into a sneer. "Without standards?"

Raising one corner of his mouth in a subtly mocking smile that barely restrained his anger, Borrite raised one hand, sharply snapping his fingers, "I do believe it's time to commence that next step I mentioned, Pargo ...unless, of course, you wished to do the honors as planned, Mr Pinstripe?"



Pinstripe remained silent and still. Eerily so.

"Mr. Pinstripe?" she questioned, suddenly unsure, going back over the plan in her head. The plan was to get into the lab, find out any information they had, and retrieve the experiment intact. After retrieving the experiment, they were supposed to bring it to the meeting point. There was no mention of destruction, of Mr. Pinstripe doing the destruction, she was sure of it. Any residual rage disappeared as she felt that something was about to shift. "What does he mean, Mr. Pinstripe?"

"She really doesn't get it yet," Borrite was sneering with confidence now, "I know it's mostly for decoration, but use your head lady. Did you really think the Omerta was going to let you walk away with Jacob Kendell's entire fortune? That money is ours, and so are all of you, but you forget that and so you have become ...a loose end that must be tied up. Mr Pinstripe sir, would you kindly shut this bitch up?"



Again, Pinstripe remained silent, not moving an inch.

"No?," Boritte tilted his head, "A'ight then, Pargo, he's elected to leave this to us so why don't you show... the lady a good time?"



"I'll be real gentle when I break you," Pargo grinned great big as he lurched forward.

~~~~~~~
Pargo rolls Swiftness
~ 13 + Swiftness 4 + God Speed 2 = 19 total
~~~~~~~

The member 'Narrator' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 13

"I'm sure you would be, if you were successful," Dzara replied, readying an attack of her own.

~~~~~~~~~~
13 + 4 swiftness + 5 God Speed = 22
~~~~~~~~~~

The member 'Dzara' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 13

Zanth sighs and thinks to himself, 'I suppose it was inevitable.'


Zanth Rolls Swiftness

9 + 4 God Speed + 2 Swiftness = 15 Total

The member 'Zanth' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 9

As the others readied for a battle, Pinstripe remained motionless, waiting ...but for what?

~~~~~~~
Turn Order
22 - Dzara
19 - Pargo
15 - Zanth
~~~~~~~

Dzara backed away from the brute coming towards her, knowing that she has no physical defenses. Memories struggled to play in her head. Her icy control froze them. She didn't spare the time to change her expression before launching her attack. A stray breeze played with the loose strand of hair, whipping it out in front of her.

~~~~~~~~
Dzara activates Enhance Magic.

Dzara uses Psychic Attack.
9 +16 Magic+8 Psychic Attack, +4 Psychic, +4 Enhance Magic = 41
~~~~~~~~

The member 'Dzara' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 9