Chapter 5: The Fabricator of Planes

[onlyme]

Whitsell laughs it off,
You're correct as usual. Capt'n? what did you do to us?

[Rukellian]

Captain Hal catches on to the dodging taking place and is less then thrilled, even if he smiles in response. He says through gritted teeth, "You guys seriously going to do this to me?" Hal laughs nervously as well as he rubs the back of his neck and tries to come up with something to tell the guards, and perhaps everyone else. He turns to the guards and holds up a finger, asking for a little more time as he returns to the group.

"Magic phobic people indeed!" He rasps in a harsh whisper. "I was just like them before I joined the guard, still sort of am if you catch my drift. Now how do you expect me to convince them all that they will need to leave a magical dimension they are in before it collapses, never mind the fact that we just looked like a bunch of ghosts zipping through those stones behind us!?"

Hal rubs his hands on his face and massages his brows as he takes a deep breath. "Look, I may be good at being a captain, upholding the law and fighting evil creatures, but lying, that ain't something that comes easy to me. If any one of us tries to tell them all what Matkinsai told us, they'd think us crazy at best and ignore our warnings, or at worst become hostile, thinking that we are a bunch of magic users ourselves!"

Sunshine speaks up after a moment of awkward silence. "We don't really need to warn them about anything, not our problem. You heard that sorcerer, they will be ejected out of this place, just like us. So what if they don't get enough time to wrap up their pretty dishes and prepare a picnic basket? We don't need to tell them nothing. Just find this shadowy warrior and get the hell out of here, yeah?" You cannot help but notice that there was a lot of venom seeping out of his voice as he mentioned the sorcerer. "Those guards over there, I'd sooner knock them out and tell them they just dreamt up everything they saw, then blabber on about traversing planes."

[tooleychris]

"Well, I suppose... " starts Flynn hesitantly, "This whole world is magical by nature. Behold the ever present sun. Telling people we may know a way out...back to the real world..." he shakes his head.
"I'm with you captain. I don't trust Magic but it does have it's uses. These men are still under your command. Tell them we were pursuing a witch and she escaped. Now we need to seek those she was in league with in town."

[onlyme]

Whitsell replies,

True, they probably realize the constant sun is not normal... simply telling them we may know a way out should suffice.

[Rukellian]

Hal nods his head in understanding. "The answer is simpler than I thought. Thank you, you two, for helping me see this." The former captain shoots a glare at Sunshine. "We shall do no such thing, elf. You will attack when I say so, and ONLY when I say so. If you act on your own, I cannot promise your safety, from my blade or someone elses..."

Sunshine frowns and folds his arms, looking away avoiding eye contact. "Fine, understood, sir."

Hal walks over to the guards and explains the situation, mentioning the witch hunt and possibly a way out. The guards are very receptive of this information and set out back to town at once. Hal returns to the group and says simply, "It is done. We have our mission and we should meet no resistance while inside the town's borders."

We can assume from this point that the group arrives back at town safely. You may pick up from there or continue this conversation before returning to town.

[tooleychris]

is amber waiting with legs...er, ARMS open?

[onlyme]

Whitsell says,

Good, we could use a nice meal after the day we had.

[Rukellian]

The group enters town and is welcomed by many. Lump, and the sellswords who helped in taking out the bandits, greets everyone at the front gate. Lump raises a fist to his chest and beams a wide grin, Hal returning the man's salute. "Cap'n, the mayor and his guards won't be buggin' yah no more! My friends and I took care of em'. Oh! Don't worry bout the mayor, he ain't dead, just mighty sore is all." Lump laughs as he says this, slapping his thigh.

"So, uh... you guys take care of that thief, and maybe find that feller' you were searchin' for?"

-----

In addition to Lump greeting the group, Amberlynn can be found rushing to Flynn's arms. "My hero! You've returned! Oh..." She buries her tear-filled eyes into Flynn's chest as she grips his shirt fiercely. With a gentle sniffle and wiping of the eyes, she looks up into the swashbuckler's eyes. "I was afraid that you fell in battle and when I heard you went chasing after a thief, well... I didn't quite know what to do with myself. But your back, and that's all that matters!"

-----

The inn/tavern is open and when you all enter it for a well-deserved meal and rest, you are greeted by a huge group of people, all of them cheering and shouting praise.

"There he is! THE DEMONSLAYER!!"

"Those men are bloody heroes!"

"Hurrah! Drinks on the house for everyone! Bring out the roast, tis a time to celebrate!"

The townsfolk flock towards the group, Whitsell in particular, and tries to shake his hands, the ladies touching his plate mail armor in awe. The barkeep, once the group reaches him, smiles and explains all the excitement. Amberlynn, having joined the group's descent in and out of the mountain, told stories of the group's heroic feats, including Whitsell having dealt the finishing blow to the Demon that would have ravaged their town! The feast that is provided is grand and very filling, but Flynn's appetite was yet to be satisfied. The barkeep notices this and winks, nodding his head to the empty rooms upstairs. "Everyone, enjoy yourselves, completely."

Amberlynn looks at Flynn and gives him, for the first time, a very naughty smile, gently tugging his shirt towards the stairs.

-----

The Captain remains silent throughout these events, and only gives Lump a basic response, saying that they were unable to bring the thief back with them. He does not explain why, leaving some of the sellswords with raised eyebrows. Hal does not attend the feast prepared for the group, but instead heads into the town to start his search of the shadowy warrior that Matkinsai spoke of. He brings Sunshine along with him, not trusting to let his eyes off of the elf.

[onlyme]

Whitsell eats and drinks his fill, and then quietly walks around town attempting to also look for creatures of interest.

[Rukellian]

As Whitsell, Hal, and Sunshine goes through the town, they encounter many shady figures. The business district of town being a hot spot for such peoples, Whitsell sees many candidates for the title of 'shadow warrior'. Being a master of disguise though, the honest warrior does not know what it is he is exactly looking for. The flower lady arranging a bouquet to his left, the handful of farm hands to his right, the boy who helps carry stacks of books for the local general store, it could be any one of them....

Hal is even more troubled about this for he knows that many, if not all of the people here are former criminals to begin with, people who worked in the shadows for a living. But their numbers are limited, and with careful questioning, he may be able to deduce who the shadow warrior might be. Sunshine offers no help in this search, just merely sticks close to the Captain with his bow unslinged and an arrow notched, almost as if he is expecting someone to jump them.

It is safe to say that after some time, Whitsell comes across the other two in the streets.

[onlyme]

Whitsell asks Capt'n Hall quietly,

Any luck? I sure couldn't discern anything definitive. Maybe we should get a good night's sleep and try again in the morn. We may not get a restful break for some time.

[Rukellian]

Whitsell asks Capt'n Hall quietly,

Any luck? I sure couldn't discern anything definitive. Maybe we should get a good night's sleep and try again in the morn. We may not get a restful break for some time.

Looking at Hal, you can tell that he is way past his limit. His eyes have dark purple bags underneath, his back hunches over under the weight of his armor, and his growing silence speaks of a tiredness where casual talk might have taken its place. He but only nods at Whitsell's suggestion as they make their way back to the inn. The town isn't going anywhere, yet.

[onlyme]

Whitsell will retire to his room, say a few prayers, check the lock, and hopefully sleep for enough hours to recharge his soul.

If nothing disturbs him, he will seek out Flynn at breakfast.

[tooleychris]

Flynn enters the dining room the next morning stretching, with a big smile and sparkle in his eye.
"Blessed morning, Whitsell. I see the sun's still up."" he winks.
"Seen Deicedon this morn? I'm sure curious and anxious to have words. "
He eyes the food prepared and says "Gods but I knew I smelled roast pork. My kingdom for that slab of bacon yonder!"
"And my kingdom for some juice!" laughs Amberlynne, walking (trying to walk) into the room . " Don't know WHY I feel so... dehydrated. Feels like we slept for days.""

[onlyme]

Assuming the night passed with no interruption...Ruke, please correct if this is not the case...

Whitsell replies to Amberlynn, Ya know, I paid you to heal our folks, not to, well..
He turns toward Flynn...and says loud enough to be overheard without sounding purposefully yelling.

Good morn to you. Say, you didn't tell anyone about that strange, magical device we found yesterday did you? I would hate to fend off curious thieves who think they can enrich their coffers by selling it to the highest bidder. Anyway, let's eat.

And with that, he carefully and casually looks about the room, hoping to see if anyone takes the bait to call out to one who they were searching for last night and have them show themselves instead.

[tooleychris]

Flynn catches on and responds in a loud hissing mock whisper "Quiet, man! he looks around.
"Gods know what such an item is capable of in the wrong hands."
He squeezes Ambers hands to just play along.

[Rukellian]

The room falls silent as Whitsell and Flynn both exchange words, but only for a moment as conversations quickly pick up again. Laywin walks up to the two and nods towards Amberlynn politely before joining in their talk. "My friend, did I hear you right?" The young man says to Whitsell as he takes a seat nearby. "A magical device... if that be true, things are becoming much more interesting around here. Is it dangerous?" The young man named Laywin, the one that helped you clear the bandit camp earlier with his family plate mail, has a certain look in his eyes as he asks, a look that every young adventurer has when he hears tales and rumors of riches to be made and monsters to be slain.

Some others in the room start looking over at your table as well, half-interested in what's going on.

Amberlynn blushes in embarassment as Whitsell points out her activities. Cupping a hand to her mouth, she diverts her eyes to the floor and says in a soft voice, "my apologies Whitsell. I admit, I got caught up in the moment and..." Her face turns a crimson red as she giggles nervously. She looks up to Flynn and says in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry love, but I have to tend to the others; it's my job after all!" she ends in a smile and gives the swashbuckler a quick kiss before resuming her medical rounds.

[Rukellian]

Traveling back to the town, after spending some time in Matkinsai's pocket dimension, Elithil, Deceidon, and Rand find themselves in the farm fields just outside the town gates. The last time Rand was here, he was being chased by an angry mob of citizens. The last time Elithil was here, the town guard was on his tail along side Hal and Sunshine's. Deceidon is probably the only one amongst the three who has not drawn the ire of the town.

In the distance, you spot Lump standing outside, talking to a few other guards. You notice Kitra, the archer for hire who helped with the bandit threat earlier, standing along side Lump. Her eyes fall upon you three almost instantly after you exit the forest, but does not say or do anything in response, just watches closely.

[onlyme]

Whitsell hushes Laywin
.Man, pipe down. I dont know if it is dangerous or not. I only know the evil of it. He looks around to see what ears may perk up.

We secured it just up the road a bit, to protect it, and ourselves. I dont know enough about it to tell you what it does or doesnt do. And certainly no one would be foolish enough to volunteer to test it out.

[Grognardsw]

In the distance, you spot Lump standing outside, talking to a few other guards. You notice Kitra, the archer for hire who helped with the bandit threat earlier, standing along side Lump. Her eyes fall upon you three almost instantly after you exit the forest, but does not say or do anything in response, just watches closely.

"Where is Sunshine?" asks Deceidon.