3. Janika Cars - bragging rights

Janika Cars - bragging rights


  • I love the way that whilst grinding up the perilously steep path to Level 2 with a fragile little rogue you can take all the cash you've scrimped and saved from Beating debts out of Barle and Wald, fending off the toothy advances of rats in the barn, occasionally being kissed by that weird chick in the yellow frock. Yup you can take that cash and throw it away for the sake of greed.
    So, a Tale of Woe that serves as good an introduction story as any…

    Birth of a Bandit
    S'funny, the way things turn. Guess my folks would've said I'd turn out bad from lack of doin' chores and the like. Still, you play what you're dealt and make the best of it. Business was good since moving back to Norwick. Not some bumbling farmgirl now, oh no. Put my skills learned on the road to good use. Fine needed some collections made, and Wald was such a good payer, reg'lar like. Barle too, especially when reminded of the little extra needed not to mention anything else to Fine. Yeah, business was good. I'd kept a key to Walds barn after helping clear it one day so there was always somewhere to sleep. I'd saved a fair bit, watched the new guards get settled in. Nice to see more disciplined reg'lar folk. Predictable ones.

    Then this girl wanders by, redhead, chatty sort. Watches me, watches her, watches me watch the barracks. She wanders off. Last thing I need is some slip of a girl in shorts hanging around. The guards change again, right on schedule. Great, lads. Jus' great. Job done, for now I head to the fire. Shorts is there too, and one of the Sterr lads. Henh, we're all bored and say as much. Shorts has some armour though. Wants to sell it, she does. Looks shiftily at the guards before getting it out. Nice suit of halfplate, some of the Eastlander Officer gear, enchanted too, she says. Cheap too, I can owe her the rest. Or not. Helluva good bargain, 250 and the manky scale I cheated some hin out'f the other day. An investment even. I could recoup that in tolls sweetly, and I'd look like an Eastlander while I did it. Nice. Maybe she's a good sort, 'f she just finds gear like that about. Wrapped it up nice in a sack for later. Not something to wear around town…

    Tch. Dopey Halforc and a mate walk by. Bet they couldn't find the gate without a map. Might as well send runners into the woods announcing they're coming and how fat and tasty they'll be. Shorts and Sterr watch 'em too. We look at each other. 'Bored, ye say?'
    Shorts reckons they'll be dead soon enough. Might be worth a look. So we suit up and roll out West. No sign of Dopey and his mate. Definite sign of some goblins though, unfriendly too. Sterr starts off runnin' round this tree, never seen that before, with tis daft gobber chasin' him. Shorts is dropping arrows into the gob, I'm throwin' my darts fast as I can. I hate darts. Don' half hurt when they hit, but I couldn't hit Walds barn from the inside on a bad day...

    It dies. Sterr breathes heavy, Shorts starts picking all the crud off their nasty green lil bodies. Good plan. We advance, carefully, Sterr leadin' Shorts ... maybe too carefully behind me... naah. Not that worrying. More goblins fell, I got clipped by a rock, but nothin' serious. Then a bigger one notices me. Fark. One blow near kills me, the next ... well, that grass and leafy stuff under the trees ain't as soft as you think when it slaps you upside the head. Farkin' goblin kicked me as well, before runnin' off after Sterr.

    Hells. Felt, more'n saw Shorts pad up, cut the straps holdin' the plate to my pack and run off. Smelt like her. Come on, girl, come on...

    And I'm gone. Or the woods are gone... Wounds're gone too so it ain't all bad. S'red and dusty and cold... Nah, not cold... just odd. Does my God think it's funny that I'm stood here, holding a flimsy robe in... The Fugue plane. There's a bloody sign sayin' it's the Fugue plane. Well, I'm not waitin' for Mask to come claim me. He's probly laughin' like hell if he even noticed... No, I don't want justice, I want to get back what's mine. Hells, I bet that bitch in the shorts had that planned. Nice plan, but they picked the wrong girl. Oh yeah. How to get out'f here first? Sign says a bit of haggling is in order, need to find the boss. Get it sorted.
    Come on, girl. Got to be an opportunity... Not gonna scare that skeleton guy. HE ain't the boss. Jus' keep lookin'... Oh yeah, I'm comin' back. That smirking redhead'll get what's comin, Hells yeah. I'll give her a face that folks'll want to pay her to cover up 'fore I'm done. And get my money back. Thieves... Never go out with thieves... I'm gonna find you, then you'll pay. How you'll pay...

    Must be her. Wings, toned, goat's feet. More like a succubus than old bony for sure. Lookin at me like I'm dirt. Bitch.
    'Oi! Send me back, I got things to do. Whaddya mean my soul's worthless?'
    Fark. I am dirt... not going back... not beating that smirk of Shorts' face... not chasing that bloody Sterr lad round a tree til he tires. Hells. Henh. Maybe Hells for sure!
    'Is there... anythin'?' Can't believe I'm askin' a succubus if there's anythin' I can do. Not much chance of owing her the rest with Lil Miss goat-feet here. This'll never end well. Still, ain't over 'til you give up. I look where the Succubus is pointing, my necklace, a shiny gem. Amazing I hadn't noticed it was on me still.
    'An' you'll send me back, just for that? Done and Done!' Yes! I'm goin' back and I'm going to rip that bitch a new one! Hell yeah! Gonna show her...

    ...

    Something's wrong. Barle's lookin' at me funny... M'head hurts... I stumble out'f the Borashead and into the rain. Norwick. Why'd I come back here to this rainy pisshole. What the hells am I doing wearing rags, a few coins at my belt... I had... Hells. Gone again. Something's wrong... maybe nothing's wrong. I am home. Sleepy Norwick. Bet the fields'll need doing soon. Not yet time to shake Wald down again for the fireproofing on the barn.

    Stumbling out to the fire, folks smiling, nodding... Weak farkers. Some sneering ponce and his girl, chirpy redhead in shorts lookin' at me funny.
    'The hells d'you want? I know you, lady?' Yeah, look at your boyfriend... You never seen a rude, ugly woman before? They walk on, grinning at some private joke, muttering about memories. Lovers? Freaks...

    No-one at the fire, cold here. These rags, not much better than rags... Sure I used to... Naah. Need something though, clothes, food or a big stick... Which first? Heh! No contest, girl. One'll get both the others. Praeth's normally got a few. Yeah. A stick, and the rest'll come.

    Ponce and his girl are in Praeth's. Talking by the door as I shoulder past 'em. Flipping through ths tuff in the racks, hefting it. Girl creeps up to my shoulder, tellin' me I died. Freak... That's why I can't remember...? Hells! That's why m'head hurts...
    Still, least she's nice enough to give my stuff back. Seein' as it's mine. Stick feels good, some hides, some Ale. Nice. Redhead looks hesitant, looks at Praeth, before offering a heavy sack to me... I look in, see the familiar blue and red chainmail of the Eastlanders and grin back at the helpful redhead.

    'Hells, I am a bad girl...'

    [OOC] Thanks to Arran Sterr and Rhiannon Shar for what all of a sudden made a coherent background story and fun evening's escapade for my baby thug. The fact that I'm multiple hundred gold down, and minus the officer plate without even remembering I'm missing it is all part of the merry fun
    [/OOC]