NPF Avatars IV, Chapter VI: Imprisoned with the Maniacs

[Skyshot]

Skyshot snuck back around behind Bruticus, sliding out a dagger. If absolutely necessary, he'd backstab the giant, but it seemed like a bad idea.

He would have healed Pyros gleefully with his largely restored mana, but Newb was already on it; he decided not to interfere. Instead, he settled for pickpocketing several things of value off The, along with gathering as much food as he could carry off the table. Supplies were precious, after all.

I would suggest that if you care for the lives of your companions, you convince them to just leave. Quite frankly I'd prefer to avoid cleaning up the mess. Well, avoid ordering minions to clean up the mess. This isn't making me enough money to be worth the headache.

Bruticus tilted his heads towards the thief when he noticed his boss addressing him. His eyes widened.

"How'd ya get over there?"

Busted.

Skyshot didn't want to risk his damage spells on the man, seeing as how any of them would A -- make it perfectly clear who was causing the hurty for Bruticus and B -- invite retaliation. He didn't feel he could compete with a firearm. Which was not to say he couldn't deal with it indirectly.

"Blindness," he called out, and dove in the general direction of the exit.

[Arhra]

What Bruticus did next was rather surprising. His free hand whipped into his jacket, pulled out a second handgun and then, other gun not wavering from pointing at Pyros and Newb, he shot the spell. Fizzling, it fell out of the air a few feet away from Bruticus and evaporated.

If an appropriate bystander had been there, they'd probably have said something along the lines of, "He shot the spell out of midair!? How did he shoot the spell out of midair?!" and been generally freaking out. Unfortunately for this hypothetical bystander, no answer would be immediately forthcoming.

What was probably more pertinent to Skyshot was the fact that Bruticus did not shoot him. Seeing that Skyshot was departing, the man seemed to have decided that was enough given The Capitalist's orders.

Thus who remained seemed to be trying some tallking.

"OW! I was just trying to make his leg work so we could leave!" Newb said as he was shot.

"You can limp." was The Capitalist's lighthearted reply.

Somewhat more diplomatically and more cautious as to avoid the possibility of being shot Steel went with, "I'm... sure... we... can... all... come... to... some... agreement." Bruticus' second gun swung to cover him.

The Capitalist definately seemed more cheerful now. It was probably because of his goon. "Why of course. You can leave immediately and in return I won't have Bruticus shoot you." He was beginning to wonder if he should raise his demands.

* * *

"Arhra, stand back. If you don't hear that, then run. It's gonna get ugly." Garud said, calling up his blade and looking definately on edge.

Arhra focused on him, "I don't know, it looks pretty ugly already. Hear what? What are you planning to fight anyway? The darkness?"

Mauve yelped as a branch dropped on her shoulder and summoning up her magic, lit her hand on fire. Arhra treated both her and Garud with a long look, "I know trees are scary, but I think you're overreacting. Let me guess... they're plotting against you? Or perhaps you can see dead people?" She seemed quite unconvinced of any danger.

[Bailey]

"Fine, fine, we're going. If somebody could hand me a loaf of bread or something I can fix the door as we leave." Syttulg finished up with healing, and then hauled himself to his feet.

[Flarecobra]

I slithred along with Arhra's group, a little ways back, however the voices were starting to get on my nerves. Then I just exploded. "DAMNIT, JUST SO YOU KNOW, I AM STONG WITH FIRE MAGIC SO YOU PLANTS HAD BETTER JUST CUT IT OUT BEFORE I BURN DOWN THIS WHOLE FUCKING FOREST!" I said at the top of my lungs. Panting, I look at the others. "Sorry, those voices are bugging me." I said, a little red-faced.

(I doubt I could actually do that, unless I use something like Firestorm...which I'm quite hesatent to use.)

[Tarrin]

Tarrin was wandering thru the halls roots of the trees grew around him forcing him to back track a few times when he saw it, Well he tought he saw it.

A flash of cloth caught his eye, The brown material hard to see in the dark, It was the shiny metal on it which drew his eye more however, Badges infact, looking closer he could just barely make out what it said.

"Badge for Fire building" the next read "Brownie seller of the year" Horror Crossed Tarrins face, It was the uniform of a...a Girl Guide.

Fleeing Tarrin ran in stark terror from the uniform, Hoping beyond all hope that none of the troop that belonged to that piece of cloth were close by.
As he fled Tarrin's mind flashed back
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Several months ago

The young girl stood in the troop her dark raven colored hair pulled back into two piggytalis, The Uniform was a little tight across the shoulders but she had managed to fit into it, The only thing that set this girl apart from the rest, Arat from the mostache, Adams apple and being a 6" tall native american was the fact that she was a he.

Tarrin had enterd the troop undercover to bust the illegal brownie spiking that had been taking place. These nice young girls had been using scotch in their brownie recipies and selling them to people in AA meetings, Knowing that they would become addicted to the smooth smooth taste of that glenfinich.

But the jig was up Tarrin stood in their wearhouse his gun lowered on the culprets, Girls who now were turning on the waterworks, Suddenly Tarrin fell unconsious as one of the girls hitt him from behind with her Badge filled hat, The next few days saw Tarrin tortured in the most hidious of ways...CAMP SONGS.
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Tarrin returned to his modernday flight just intime to see the wall knock him into a deep sleep.

[Toastburner B]

"You know, Arhra," TB said as he scanned the trees for the source of the voices, "Perhaps you should stop talking to Mauve like she's crazy, because it seems like you are the only one not hearing the voices. I know that most of the time the person not hearing the voices is the sane one, but since three of us...and, dare I say, perhaps three of the most mentally stable of this entire group...hear the freakin' voices."

Red lightning began to dance up and down the tattoo on TB's right paw, showing he was ready to blast the first thing to attack him.

[Lumaes]

Lumaes frowned, he was surrounded by a herd of shrieking, violent, deluded paranoia victims and even that somehow wasn't enough to make them interesting to him.
The spectre rolled his eyes at Arhra, indicating the talking cat with one accusing finger,
"What is it with talking animals and a sheer lack of perspective?"

He bent down to stare intently at the feline,
"Why does the addition of a voice make you so much less... lovely? We are currently taking a constitutional stroll through the meandering greenery and you insist on making everything about you. Oh boohoo, I'm hearing voices!"
He windmilled his arms dramatically in mock sorrow.

"I know that when you hear voices that means you're crazy - but I'm hearing the voices so you must be the crazy ones.!"
Lumaes halted the performance, walking on a little further and talking over his shoulder to the forest-tormented critter,
"See any problems with your logic you crazy-cat?"

The spectre sails on uninhindered.

[mauve]

Mauve thought it was rather amusing that Toasty considered her to be mentally stable, but perhaps that was because she was one of the few people who had never killed him. When you're surrounded by people who take joy in seeing you die, over and over, I suppose that anyone who DOES'T write "Kill Toasty in Fun Ways!" on their TO DO list would seem the model of sanity to you.

She would have chuckled at this, if not for the fact that the vines currently tripping her feet were whispering something about how they'd tear out her still-beating heart, or something like that.

"Seriously, Ahrha, how can you NOT hear this?!" Mauve asked uncomfortably, kicking the vines away and slashing at a branch with her knife. "These voices are rather noisy and they're providing some very graphic and detailed verbal imagery."

She stomped her heel down on a gnarled root protruding from the ground.

"Don't even think about it," she growled to the root and surrounding underbrush, replying to some threat they had made. "Or I'll do the same to you. Nevermind that you lack skin and vital organs; I will find a way."

She looked back up at the others.

"Any ideas?" she asked. "Or should we all just either run like mad or start burning things?"

[GARUD]

"Well how about this. We ditch the people who don't hear this and make a break for the border. We can start new lives in Mexico!"

Garud chopped away some vines with his blades and used a chain to pull out some of the roots of a tree which was mysteriously moving.

"Although burning things seems like fun! Of course we are currently without Pyros, so it will probably be slower, and less fun. Still, TO MEXICO!"

[Flarecobra]

"Nah. The mexican police are just as bad. And while the voices are quite annoying, they do have some good ideas for dicesstion......" I said, then mentally slapped myself. "Um, don't mind what I just said. I've still got a bit of ferality in me..."