Price Tag for a Princess {Kidnapped Quest}

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Things are progressing quite well on Mandira and the repairs to the outpost are moving along as well, so now it is time for me to stretch my legs a bit and come down to Hejar for one part relaxation and also to see if there are any tasks that I can send the boys out on. I wanted to keep them busy and actively honing their skills and martial prowess, so that in the weeks soon to come, they will be ready for the Unification. Arriving in Hejar in my typical fashion, a teleportation into an abandoned hut. I should really take Malloc up on that offer to just buy a nice room at the Desert Beetle. I figure as often as I visit, it might be a smart investment and I could come and go as I please. Meh, I think I will discuss that with him.

The walk over to the Desert Beetle is casual and leisurely. I engage those familiar with me in passing conversation and send flirtatious glances and comments to some of the maidens. A couple of them caught by their husbands or guards, but it does not matter to me. There is a possibility that I have already had her without their knowledge, so why let it bother me? I come upon the main tavern of the large village and am greeted by a scoundrel being thrown out of the bar. Unfortunately for him, he is thrown directly at me. Sidestepping to the left, I push him with my right hand and the added force of my new wynd boosted telekinetic ability, Fource. Sending him flying towards a cart next to the stables. Now I didn't mean for him to land "there" and definitely not face first, but it would serve as a very good lesson to not repeat whatever action led here. Malloc's bouncer grins at me as we clasp forearms in a manly embrace of mercenary camaraderie. He looks at me and tells me, "You have the most uncanny timing, the Boss has been asking about you today. He is in the back... with company." I smirk and inquire, "The male or female persuasion." The bouncer tells me that he is with a female. Shrugging to him, I respond, "Then I'll see myself in." The bouncer shakes his head and chuckles, but makes no move to stop me.

Coming to the kitchen, I make a pit stop to get two bottles of wine and some light food before heading to the guarded back rooms that lead to Malloc's office area. The guards let me pass and I head to Malloc's office. He listen in and yep, he's enjoying himself. I shimmer into his office and sit down on his couch while he is... preoccupied at his desk. After a minute or two, he realizes that I am here laying down on the couch like a psychiatry patient, I remark playfully, "Oh by all means, don't stop on my account." Malloc grumbles at me. I look over at the woman and smirk as she is the sister of a fair stationed noble here in Hejar. She whispers to him and slips a note into his pocket before looking at me then at Malloc. "No no, you were never here, my lady." She smiles and lifts her hood over her head as she slips out of his office.

Malloc glares at me, "Have I ever told you how horrible your timing is?" I scratch my chin and respond, "And here I thought I had excellent timing since you have been asking for me? Is it about a job? Oh and before I forget, your tastes have improved substantially." I smirk at Malloc and he glances at his whip, which is sitting on his desk. I offer him a bottle of wine as he walks around to his side of his desk and sits in his chair. He begins, "I have a job that might be of interest to you because of the sheer insanity in it. It is no secret that I harbor no love for the Caliph's Captain of the Royal Guard, Fazeem. He has been a constant bane to my operations and he has imprisoned more mercenaries than I find acceptable. So I have discovered the means to finally make a move to weaken his position and influence. That is why she was here... amongst other reasons. (We both chuckle before pouring goblets of wine and taking a sip.) Fazeem's men are directly responsible for the safety and security of the Caliph's heirs. I just managed to secure the guard rotations for the Princess. When she is on her way back to the Palace from a play that she is going to see tomorrow night." I grin at Malloc, "You want to strike the guards to make her appear vulnerable?" Malloc shakes his head and looks at with iron clad resolve, "I want you to use some of your men to kidnap her and sell her to slave traders. That will surely get Fazeem executed."

I sit up and look at him as he puts that request before me. "Malloc, you realize what you are asking, don't you? You want to kidnap a member of Hejar's royal family. You will be interrogated for information about it or worse yet, they will enforce martial law where the military locks down the village and you will have a devil of a time trying to move goods or information. If you wish to do this, I do know someone who can handle such a task. He works for me and rather enjoys getting dirty in his work. What will happen immediately after the discovery of the Princess' abduction?" Malloc responds, "They will lock down the city and start a search inside the city for her. On the following day, to avoid the Caliph's wrath, Fazeem will execute a criminal who is guilty of something else, but innocent of this crime." Nodding to him, I take another sip of my wine before smiling, "And if the Caliph received a witness that knew for a fact that the Princess had been kidnapped and was no longer within the walls of Hejar that would look bad on Fazeem, yes?"

Malloc nod with a smile full of curiosity as to what devious scheming is taking place within my mind. "Then the next move would be simple. I will meet with my operative and the scapegoat team that will be sacrificed in all of this. I will then find a commoner who could use some charity and he will be your witness. I will use my abilities to make the memory of her kidnapping extremely real as if he was right there watching them escape. You will need to find a Captain in the Royal Guard who dislikes Fazeem or merely owes you an enormous favor. They will be the one to present the witness and discredit Fazeem. It will appear as if they upholding the honor of the Royal Guard. The Caliph will be furious with Fazeem and will issue a call to arms to find his daughter and return her. At that point, you will tell them that you know some operatives who specialize in retrieval and rescue. Fazeem will have to turn to you or the Caliph will. Once we have the freedom to move, I will take a team with me and we will rescue the Princess. They get the credit, you gain the Caliph's favor and either Fazeem's or the new Commander of the Royal Guard. I will be able to create a lasting relationship and friendship between Hejar and my island to the north of Mandira. Hopefully in set up trade between our two territories. Most importantly, you will not be suspected b/c you always interact with mercenaries and other such lot and you would merely be protecting your business interests and doin what is necessary for Hejar's royal family."

Malloc looks at me and grins widely. "I'll take care of the scapegoat team, there's a pack of dogs that I would love to see executed for nearly jeopardizing one of my most frequent patrons and providers of goods and services. I can handle the slavers as well. Where do you want to meet them?" I shrug and tell him to pick a location that I have been to before, so I can guide my operative there. He nods and tells me that the old rundown outpost about a quarter day's ride southwest of Hejar that is often used by bandits and slavers. I tell him to pick somewhere outside of the outpost though as extra eyes create more problems. "The cave that is right next to it should be perfect then." We both nod to each other and I tell him that I will need to be visible for most of tomorrow night so that I am not suspected and he tells me that he has just the girl to help cover for me. With everything set, Malloc and I come up with the plan to kidnap the Princess tomorrow night while Malloc sends his agents to contact the necessary sacrifices. Once the plan is set, I vanish from sight in a shimmering column of light to return to Mandira to prepare Valkrist for what is definitely his most dangerous mission.

1635 words

@ Kidnapping - Bad Side

The Royal Guards are quite skilled warriors, so when the mercenaries attack, they would find the skill and caliber of the guards to be quite elevated. The mercs find themselves on the defensive against the guards. The tendrils aren't long enough to reach the guards from the alley, since they can only strike within weapon melee range. One of the sword guards notices the creature lurking in the shadows and calls out to the others, "Demon!" The big mouth merc shows that he has some serious skill as he stabs one of the guards as his armor lifts up when he goes to deliver and overhead chop, then twists the blade in a 180 degree turn and slashes up. Blood and entrails spill onto the pavement as the loud mouth Merc spins to block a death blow to one of his brethren allowing the downed merc to stab him. The guards were dropping, but the mercs lose one of their own when the guard captain nearly cleaves him in half. At the front of the wagon, the driver shows his allegiance when he stabs the archer in the back while he is trying to take a shot at the merc archer. The fiance wanting to defend the Princess and her maiden gets out of the carriage with his sword and joins the fight. He exhibits some formal training as he is able to slash and wound the small cook merc. Before being kicked back several feet. The guard who notices Kadowa squares off against him ready to protect the Princess. Now with more of an advantage, the mercs are able to prevent the guards from sounding their alarm horns. The Merc Leader looks at Kadowa trying to figure out why he has no weapon, while also very curious about what he is.

The Merc Archer notices the approaching guards from the fiance's tribe and signals to the others as he moves forward to try and finish this quickly. The guard captain engages the merc that was saved by the loud mouth, but their fight is interrupted by the loud mouth merc himself. He knew that his brother at arms was no match for the Guard Captain, so he challenges him himself. The Merc Captain calls out, "We need to get moving! Let's go!" The driver grabs the spear out of the wheel and tries to sneak up behind the Guard Captain to stab him.

The left side guards have been killed. There is currently one guard engaging Kadowa, one guard fighting against Merc 4 on the right side of the wagon and the Fiance has been kicked to the ground towards the front of the wagon. The Fiance's guards will be arriving in 2 posts now.

474/9156
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

As the tendrials of the familiar fall short, unable to get the two I wished to attack, I frown faintly under my mask as I begin to think on another spell I could use to deal with the guards though not damage the carrage or the princess. Upon hearing the one speak about about a demon I glance to the one yelling and frown a bit more at the guard that had spotted my familiar in the shadows. " Damn humans.. " I murmur lightly to myself as I call back the two tendrials I had used to try and attack the guards with. This new development only complicated things more since now they knew that something is up. Turning my gaze to the guard that noticed me I glance over him for a moment before stepping back into the alleyway. Realizing how much of a fool I am for leaving my weapon behind I sigh lightly, the news the Merc Capitan has to say doesn't help the situation any either. With out a weapon I knew I had little options in the way of fighting, something I was hoping to avoid though it seemed I would get no such luck, I will need to make sure I always have a weapon in the future. Since they may already know I can call up magical powers I begin to contemplate calling upon them once again to deal with this guard and finish off the rest and be done with the lot so I can get on with the mission.

Post WC: 259

@Kidnapping - Bad Side

The spear wielded by the driver pierces the back of the Guard Captain. The driver's head finds itself moving thru the air as the Captain catches him with spinning back slash. The loud mouth merc uses the pommel of his sword to knock out the distracted Captain and see that the Princess is still inside. The cook manages to stab one of the sword guard wounding him and the archer puts down the other one. The cook is thrown on the front of the wagon and covered as the mercs take off down the road after telling "the useless coward," since he never actually attacked anyone, to hurry up and come on as well. The Merc Captain wanted to berate Kadowa for being dead weight, but for now, they all needed to focus on the mission and escaping from Hejar with the Princess. She is bound and gagged along with her handmaiden. They were fortunate that the shrieks and screams of the two women were not loud enough to alert any of the patrols. Knowing that when the bodies are found, the patrols would alert the nearest gate, the Merc Captain drives the carriage towards a mid range gate. The loud mouth badass speaks to Kadowa, "Useless, sit inside with the women." The gate starts to come into sight, but it is still a good distance and to avoid suspicion or having to stop for inspection, the Merc Captain drives casually towards the gate.

254/9410
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

The guard before me falls thanks to an attack from one of the other mercenaries and I glance around for a moment, seeing the rest of the guards had been taken care of as well. As the merc makes the comment about being useless I frown beneath my mask and climb onto the wagon before it begins to move. Once on the wagon I glance around once again and sigh softly wondering what Krodha will have to say since I hardly did anything during this little kidnapping job. When I hear one of the mercs speak to me again I glance at him, glaring lightly at him before slipping into the carriage. Once in the carriage I glance at the princess that we came for, looking her over for a moment before glancing at the handmaiden. Taking up the seat on the opposite side of the carriage I face the two and glance between them once again before looking the princess over again. Here sat where my attention was focused, Krodha wanted the princess to remain unharmed and now that we had 'acquired' her, I plan to make sure she remains in good condition. Sitting back in the seat I shift my gaze to the window, glancing out of the carriage for a moment as I begin to reflect on what had just happened, though I had little to do in the processes thus far. Keeping my gaze on the window I watch outside the carriage a moment longer before shifting my gaze back to the princess as I wait to get out of the city with her.

Post WC: 268

The carriage continues its slow pace as they approach the gates and turns down a street as if heading towards the palace. Near the gate another carriage is waiting. The merc team quickly switches carriages and the location of people. The Princess and her maiden are placed on the floor and covered up. The loud mouth tells them that if they move or make a sound then they will both die. They would lay down quietly on the floor. The Princess seems rather compliant with everything. The cook is placed in the carriage with another of the mercs to have his wound tended to while they ride out of the southwest gate towards towards the meet up location. Kadowa would be told to stay with "his own" meaning the women.

Once outside of the gate, the women would be brought up to sit on the bench next to Kadowa. The medic merc seems to have a predatory eye towards the Princess and her handmaiden. The cook looks at Kadowa and speaks, "Don't worry about it. Plenty of mercs have had a mission where they freeze up. We may encounter bandits or have a problem with the slavers, so you need to be ready. Forget about what happened back there and focus on how you prove your worth in the time to come. Tomorrow night, we make the transfer, so you need to get ready and able to fight and quick." The medic tells the cook the rest and relax and not worry about the pretend warrior. It was easy to see... mercenaries are a cutthroat lot!

281/9691

I keep my gaze on the princess as the carriage continues to move. As the carriage comes to a stop and the switch into another carriage begins I move into the new carriage, glancing to where the princess and the handmaid were forced to lay down and remain silent. As one of the mercs tells me to stay with my own I hold back a growl as I take up a seat in the new carriage and get settled in for the rest of the trip. Looking outside the window I remain silent as we make our way out side the city. When the two are allowed to move I shift my gace, glancing to the princess for a moment as she comes to sit next to me. Glancing over her form I frown faintly as thoughts of things to do to her begin to come to mind. Turning my gaze I glance to the medic and notice the gaze in his eyes as he looks at the princess. Upon hearing the voice of the cook I shift my gaze to him and listen as he speaks to me. I keep my attention on what he has to say up until the point he brings up me 'freezing' back there during the fight. Shifting my gaze from him I look back to the medic for a moment, " .. Alright. I'll keep that in mind. " I comment, glancing to the princess and the handmaiden for a moment before closing my eyes as I lower my head some.

Post WC: 258

Now clear out of Hejar, the gags are removed and the Princess looks at the mercenaries and shakes her head, "How hard is it to follow simple instructions?! Kill him and kidnap me? Why is he not dead?! What am I paying you for anyway?" The cook and medic look at one another and chuckle. "Boss, were we supposed to kill the peacock back there? Princess here is mad that we didn't follow her orders and kill him." The Merc Captain laughs and keeps driving the cart. The loud mouth merc sits up front with the Captain while the archer is seated on top of the wagon looking around to help keep watch.

Back in Hejar, the Fiancé's guards come up on his body and they quickly tend to him and check the other bodies to find out that the captain is also still alive. His guards look around as a patrol arrives as well to sound the alarm that guards had been attacked and killed. At this point, everyone is still unaware of the fact that the Princess is missing b/c both the captain and the fiancé are both still unconscious.

The play lets out around this time. The wagon is moving very fast towards the abandoned hut so that they can pick up their gear and lay low for the night. The Badass informs the rest that they would be arriving shortly. The medic chuckles at the cook and tells him that he thinks this handmaiden will be exactly what he needs to lift up his spirits. The bound and gagged maiden looks at the Princess with genuine fear. "You will not touch her unless you wish to die a truly horrible death." He looks at the Princess and tells her, "Our contract doesn't say that you have to be virgin when we sell you off to the slavers. So shut up or I'll put something in your mouth to shut you up."

340/10,031

I manage to get a few moments of relaxation before I hear the voice of the princess and what she has to say isn't something I was expecting to hear come from her mouth since she is the one we were sent here to kidnap. Opening my eyes I glance at the princess for a moment as I think on what she had to say. She.. wanted her feance to be killed back there? What the hell id Krodha get me into this time? Lifting my gaze from my lap I glance at the princess for a moment before looking to the cook, furrowing my brow some as I look at the man. As the cook speaks up about doing things to the handmaiden I glance at the maiden for a moment before returning my gaze to the cook. Krodha didn't say anything about the handmaiden, just the princess. So if they chose to do things to the handmaiden it didn't matter as long as it didn't get in the way of the mission. As the princes speaks up, defending the handmaiden, I glane at the princess for a moment before turning my gaze to the cook as he speaks to her, threatening to do things to her. As the man threatens to do things to the princess I sigh lightly as I bring a hand up, " .. Why don't you cut it out. You can find some company after the job is finished. " I say as I look at the man, my gaze shifting into a glare.

Post WC: 260

The wagon stops at the hut and they pull it around back to keep it out of sight. The mercs unload from the carriage and carry in the small trunk stolen from the Princess' carriage along with the two young maidens. The medic doesn't comment to Kadowa, but he looks at the Princess and licks his lips. The Princess looks at Kadowa and thanks him. She speaks softly before the others return for her and her maiden, "If you help us escape, I will reward you with great riches, mercenary. Please. I don't want those filthy dogs touching me." Her facial expressions show grave concern for her well being and that of her handmaiden. The loud mouth badass walks out and grabs the handmaiden before telling Kadowa to bring the Princess inside. The archer takes off to cover their tracks so that they couldn't be followed. The mercs did not plan on staying long here. They needed to make sure that the cook's wounds were in no danger of getting infected and collecting their goods.

Once everyone is inside, the Merc Captain informs them of the rendezvous location, which is the old outpost deeper to the southwest where they would be holding up until their meeting tomorrow. He tells everyone that they are leaving in 30 minutes, so if they have any business to handle then they should handle it now. The cook's wound is fully cleaned out and patched up before the Medic tells the Handmaiden to come over to him and she cowers away from him. The cook tells him that they can wait til the outpost where they have plenty of wenches and whores. The medic tells him that he wants this one though. "She is so fresh and pure. I want her to scream and bleed." The merc crew's Lieutenant, the Badass Loud Mouth, tells them to hurry up since whoever is not ready to leave is getting left behind and their share is being split by everyone else. The Medic tells him that 30 minutes is plenty of time to make her scream. The medic grabs the handmaiden and throws her on the ground before asking the cook and even Kadowa if they want a turn with her. The Princess silently urges Kadowa to help her. The cook doesn't respond immediately.

407/10,438
Master: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

I keep my gaze on the medic as he makes his way out of the carriage, catching the look he gave the princess I frown faintly coming to the conclusion that he needed to be dealt with for the mission. Turning my gaze to the princess I give a faint nod as she thanks me for what I did. As she speaks to me I keep my attention on her and frown a bit more at the request to save her and her handmaiden. I glance over her face for a moment, catching the expression it holds before turning my gaze away. Things seem to be growing more complicated with each passing moment. When I hear the loudmouth speak to me I glance at him for a moment and give a faint nod before climbing out of the carriage and offering the princess a hand to help her out as well, keeping a mannerism with that of a gentleman. Once she is out of the carriage I take her into the hut before releasing her hand. After releasing her hand I glance around for a moment before moving over to where I had left my sword and pick it up. When I hear the medic speak up again, speaking to the handmaiden I shift my gaze to the man, looking at him for a moment before glancing to the cook. Remaining silent as I listen to them I think over how to proceed with the situation since the medic decided to cause more problems. Shifting my gaze, I glance to the princess for a moment before turning my gaze back to the medic. As I turn my gaze back to the medic I place my free hand onto the hilt of my katana, " .. I'm only going to tell you this once. Get off of her and step back. "

Post WC: 311

The Medic looks back at Kadowa as he pins the handmaiden on the ground. "Now you have found courage or is it simply that you want this one for yourself? I don't mind getting seconds behind you, buddy. Look at how she squirms. I think she'll be a wild one when you take it." The Medic was offering to share and let Kadowa be the first to take the maiden's virtue from her. The cook turns to Kadowa and speaks to the Medic, "He doesn't have it in him." The Princess goes to attack the medic and the cook intercepts her. "You don't want to do that princess. We wouldn't want you to be damaged. Her, on the other hand, she's just a bonus honestly." The Medic looks at Kadowa and grins at him devilishly. "I unno, Cook, that look in his eyes tell me that he may very well want this one."

@5 minutes after decision...
Outside, the archer is reporting to the Lt that the tracks have been covered they can proceed without the guards and search party being able to follow. The Lt nods and tells him to make sure that he is ready to leave within 20 minutes. The archer nods and tells him that he can't wait to reach the outpost so he can get some tail. The Lt tells him that Medic is beating him to it. The archer goes to protest and the Lt tells him, "Not the Princess, fool. If anyone is gonna get her, that would be me! Besides, she's worth more if she's a virgin."

@10 minutes after decision...
Off in the woods at least a good 150 feet from the hut, the Captain is out using the bathroom when I come across him. He turns and draws his sword at me. By the time, he turns around, his body is already pinned to a tree. Wasting no time, I enter his mind forcefully to extract the information that I need. I watch all of the events of tonight unfold from his perspective. I pause for a moment as I hear the comments about Kadowa forgetting his weapon as well as noticing that he didn't actually subdue any of the guards. I shake my head and release the mental invasion. "You are a demon as well... just like Kadowa." My head tilts to the side and I reply, "First off, I am a higher order spirit, not a demon. Second, you are going to have to be neutralized now because I can't have you sensing us." My eyes start to glow and he gasps as this time, I simply ravage his mind. While these mortals are physically stronger, they are not mentally resilient. It does not take long for me to destroy his mind. Once that is taken care, I figure it is time to shut his body down completely. I take his sword and carve into his chest the words "intruders, go away". I needed them to hurry up and escape from here plus I needed them to maintain the confidence that they were not being followed yet. Once I am done, I make some noise in the bushes to get their attention then fly away to take a new vantage point. I hang around for a bit to observe the mercenaries and ensure that they leave quickly.

590/11,028
Master: Psyche - Mind Reaver (-1750)
Master: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

I keep my gaze fixed on the medic as he looks back at me, waiting for his answer which would decide my next coarse of action. I continue to remain silent as he begins to speak. With the mans comment about wanting the female first I hold back a growl. Glancing away from the medic, I look to the cook for a moment and get ready to respond but get cut off by the princess. As she steps forwards and tries to attack the medic I tighten my grip on the hilt of my katana, getting ready to draw it and defend the princess if needed, however the cook intercepts her before she could go any further with her plans. Glancing between the two, I get ready to issue a final warning to the medic but he speaks first, though what he has to say isn't something in my grand scheme of things for the night, unfortunately one might say. As he finishes speaking I finally speak up, " I have no intent on doing anything to the handmaiden and neither will you, or anyone else and that goes for the princess as well. And if you try to do anything with either of them, I will deal with you.. " Shifting my gaze, I glance at the princess for a moment, " We have a mission to complete and such actions only serve to compromise the task at hand. " Once the situation was taken care of and the medic along with the rest knew that the princess and her handmaiden were offlimits I pick a spot close to the princess and her handmaiden and sit down to take a break while waiting on the signal to come for us to move out.

Post WC: 294

The Medic looks at the handmaiden and tells her not to move. He gets up and looks at Kadowa, "Has the little girl finally found her manhood? Deal with me? Hahaha. You think you can take us do you? The Captain could crush you like a bug and the Lt. would carve you up real good. You are little mouse and if you're gonna put your hand on that sword, you better be able to use it!" The medic takes a step towards Kadowa and noticing the looks between the princess and Kadowa, the cook intervenes and tells the Medic to let it go. "She's manipulating him, Medic. You two fight and in the commotion, she and her little handmaiden would escape while you two try to kill each other." The Medic looks down at the handmaiden and grabs her by her hair to pick her up and tosses her off to the side. Looking at Kadowa, he warns, "You and I aren't done. As soon as this job is done, we are gonna finish this." The Medic walks outside with the cook and lean next to the door.

When the noise is heard, the mercs jump to action. The archer and Medic head to investigate while the Lt scans the area and the cook moves back towards the hut to alarm Kadowa to get the princess and handmaiden into the wagon and ready to go. It would only be a matter of minutes before the Captain's body was found and brought back to the Lt. All of the mercs would have a chance to see it. Kadowa would also sense a familiar presence before it vanishes. The Lt. looks around and gives the order to leave. "We're moving out. Leave the body. Hurry up!" The carriage would be leaving quickly.

322/11,350
Master: Psyche - Mind Reaver (-1750)
Master: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

OOC: My next post will bring morning and kick off the "Good Side" of the Quest. I will be speeding thru that section to get us to the confrontation.

Though the medic tosses around insults I restrain my anger and keep it in check, now wasn't the time to mindlessly launch into an attack, not unless it is warranted. When they mistake my desire to keep the mission on track with the doings of the princess I let it slide since the princess had no bearing on the matter at hand. Though I didn't have any plans to fight with the medic since he wasn't going to put the mission in danger I felt I should take him up on his offer to make an example of him that or just for the pure enjoyment of it. While sitting down I begin to sense a familiar presence that only remains in the area for a short time before it fades away. The familiar presneces makes me sigh lightly as I think on who it belongs to and wonder why he is here. When I get the word from the cook to move the princess and handmaiden since something was up outside. Letting out another sigh I climb to my feet and get the princess and handmaiden up before taking them back to the wagon and make sure they get into the wagon. I didn't know exactly what s going on until I am able to see the dead body of the Capitan. Looking at the body I frown lightly as I begin to wonder more as to why I had sensed Krodha here and why this man is now dead. Hearing the orders from the Lt, I lift my gaze and look at him before giving a faint nod and moving back to the wagon before it leaves.

Post WC: 279

My form shimmers back into sight as it makes its return to my room at the Desert Beetle. That would shake things up a bit. I am curious to see how they will do without their leader. I look over at the bed and Tessa is laying there looking so peaceful as her flesh still glistens from our encounter. I must admit that she is quite spirited and enjoys very violent and aggressive foreplay. Holding back is quite different with someone as wild as her. I walk over to the door and open it just enough for me to exit before closing it back.

I head downstairs to meet with the Bouncer and he tells me, "The Boss said that you should go talk to Gulom over there. He said you would know why." I nod to the Bouncer and thank him for relaying the information. Gulom would be the reason that I needed to get to the Merc Captain. Well, to be honest, I didn't need him in particular, but he decided to go take a piss when I arrived. Walking over to Gulom, I sit down with him and order a round of drinks. He looks at me and asks, "Can I help ya, friend?" I smile at him and nod, "Yes, you are going to help me. This is going to feel a little... strange." With my back to everyone, my eyes begin to glow as I invade his mind and seize a hold of the super network of electrical impulses that transmits signals to the rest of the body from the brain in order to keep him calm and from alerting anyone as to what is truly happening. Once I have a good hold, I slowly start transferring the memories from my mind to his. Thankfully, he had spent the mass majority of the night alone, so there wouldn't be anyone to contradict the timeline of his memories. When I feel the barmaid approaching, I grab some coins out of my cloak and set them on the table for her as I close my eyes. I was not about to deal with her spazzing out about my eyes glowing. She comes and leaves without a fuss and I open my eyes again. The transfer of memories runs smoothly and I scan thru his memories to make sure that he "remembers" everything without a hitch and it runs like a streaming movie in his mind. I use the Influence power to push his point of view further out so that he was hiding nearby when it all happened. Now, with that done, I gently put him to sleep so that his mind can process all of it and tell the Bouncer to leave him there for a while. He nods to me and I head back upstairs. Everything is set in place. Now I just have to hope that Valkrist doesn't screw up.

The next morning, everything takes place as planned with Fazeem being blamed and he passes the blame to her guards until her Chief Guardian walks in with a bandage wrapped around his head requesting permission to leave to search for the Princess. The Caliph looks at him and says, "You are in no condition to track her down let alone battle against her captors, old friend. Fazeem, find who took my daughter or I will mount your head on our gates." Fazeem nods to the Caliph, "I have my men out searching everywhere, Majesty, and we have even offered a 2000 Shinny reward for her safe return. I will go and see to that now." Fazeem looks genuinely shaken up by the possibility of being executed for this.

By mid afternoon, Fazeem does as Malloc predicted and has three criminals on the execution block as the culprits who kidnapped the princess, but still no princess, so he informs the crowd that a rescue party is being formed to find their beloved princess. The crowd cheers and Gulom shouts out, "That is not them, Captain." Fazeem looks out at him and tells the guards to seize him and another Captain of the Royal Guard orders his men to protect Gulom and for the other guards to stand down. Fazeem scowls at both Narik, the Guard Captain, and at Malloc, who he notices with a smile on his face as he leans against a nearby wagon. The crowd becomes increasingly interested in what Gulom has to say, so Fazeem, knowing that he needs to maintain control of this situation, quiets the crowd and asks, "And how do you know that these men who confessed are the culprits?" Gulom says, "Because I saw the men that did. The Princess was kidnapped on 3rd Street around the corner from the theater. The peacock with her was wounded and her driver betrayed her and caused the Great Guardian to be wounded as well. I hid in a nearby alley and saw the whole thing. It wasn't until it was too late that I noticed the crest of the Royal House of Hejar on the carriage and on the armor of the Great Guardian." Fazeem asks him why he didn't come forward earlier and Gulom responds telling him that he knows that Fazeem does not care who is guilty of what crime, so long as he catches someone. The crowd grows into an uproar and Narik gets the crowd's attention. "Guards, take those prisoners back to the dungeon. I will not sully the honor of the Royal Guard of Hejar by executing men for crimes they may not have committed. We will speak to Gulom further and inform the Caliph on our findings." Malloc sending this part done leaves and returns to the Desert Beetle.

Gulom goes with Narik and tells him everything that he knows and suspects. Narik sends scouts to confirm everything and once he has confirmations, he thanks Gulom and tells him to go home. He stations some foot soldiers around his house to escort him home and keep him safe as Narik goes to inform the Caliph. He leaves out Fazeem's shady handling of the situation and requests permission to form the rescue party to leave immediately. The Caliph grants the permission and Narik sends his chief lieutenant to recruit some royal military soldiers to help in this mission, while Narik seeks less conventional aid in this matter.

Not even an hour passes before Narik enters the Desert Beetle and speaks with Malloc. While all of this had been going on, I spend most of the morning in my room and on the balcony with Tessa. We had a late breakfast together and just enjoyed looking out at the city after handling the loot first. She would be meeting her client later on tonight, which is perfect b/c I expect to be traveling to go rescue the princess. There is a knock at my door and I rise to get check it. It is one of Malloc's personal assistant type girls. She looks at me and tells me that Malloc wants me to come down to the office. I nod to her and close the door back. I look at Tessa and smile. "Time to get to work." I throw on some clothes since I know that it should be go time and head down to his office. The personal aide is still outside and she leads me back to him.

When I walk into the office, I find an officer of the Hejar Royal Guard and I look at Malloc. "Who is he and what is the job?" Malloc chuckles, "Straight to the point like I told you. Krodha, this is Narik, he is a Captain of the Royal Guard. It would appear that Narik would like to hire some operatives to go out and try to find the Princess who has been kidnapped. My obvious suggestion was for you to go." I look at the Captain, "Didn't your leader try to frame some other criminals for this after he tortured and/or threatened them into confession? Why should I even bother helping you?" Malloc looks at me in shock and Narik speaks up, "It's alright, Malloc. I do not share the same tactics and strategy as Fazeem. That seems to be his way, but my way is that I will use all resources available even if they are coin driven. My only concern is the safe return of the Princess and the satisfaction of knowing that her captors are dead or set for execution. Malloc speaks highly of you, so I am offering 1000 Shinny to you personally if you can get her back unharmed." I look over at Malloc who nods, so I nod to Narik as well. "Fine. Gives me something to do before I return home. I'll leave at once." Narik speaks, "You won't be able to leave just yet. There is someone that will wish to meet you first." I raise an eyebrow at him and nod.

About thirty minutes later, I find myself meeting with the Caliph. Thankfully, all he wanted was to thank me for aiding in the search for his daughter and I tell him that Hejar has always been a second home for me, so I will be glad to help out. He tells me that he does not accept failures and I tell him that on Mandira, I do not accept failure either. We nod to one another and I am given a token of the Royal Court to allow me passage out of Hejar and back in after successfully rescuing the Princess. Once I receive this, I am dismissed to begin. I tell Malloc that I will take the boy, Rei, with me and he nods. Wasting no time, Rei and I leave separate from the Military's Rescue Party. There are a couple of other operatives with us to keep up appearances, but I knew what this young man was and while I could not pinpoint the exact type of half breed he was, I knew that he was one. Setting out in the later afternoon, I lead our party on the hunt. Kadowa... do not fail me.

1776/13,126
Perfect: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Master: Psyche - Mind Reaver (-1750)
Master: Psyche - Mind Reaver (-1750)
Master: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

~ At the Outpost ~

The mercs would arrive at the outpost in the morning and move into their rooms looking around with some manner of persistent paranoia. The princess is kept in a room with the Lt. and Kadowa is told to choose between staying with the princess or the handmaiden. The Princess looks at Kadowa and tries to get Kadowa to stay with the handmaiden and protect her, but Kadowa remembers his orders and knows that he must stay with the princess. The look on the face of both the handmaiden and the princess show the fate that he had condemned the handmaiden to, but his own fate would be in peril if the Lt. chose to violate the Princess and he wasn't there to stop it.

The Lt. & Princess spend some time talking to make casual conversation. Their interactions start off cordial and abrupt, but slowly they start to discuss interests and politics and he tells her tales of his jobs and some of the mishaps and glorious deeds performed. Their time becomes much more amiable until a scream is heard from the next room followed by a crash. Kadowa frowns deeply as their room goes quiet. The feminine screams and male laughter and vulgar boasting continue for quite some time. The Princess looks at the Lt. then at Kadowa before the Lieutenant tells Kadowa to stay with the Princess while he goes to handle things over in the other room.

Kadowa nods to the Lt before he exits the room. Once the Lt is gone, the Princess looks at Kadowa and asks him why he did nothing to help her maiden. Kadowa responds, "I have no interest in protecting her. My orders are to ensure that you are kept safe until the transaction is complete. Your handmaiden wasn't even part of the job. Be happy that you have not been ravaged." The Princess falls silent. There is ruckus and commotion heard coming from the next room as the Lt seems to be somewhat pissed off. The door closes behind him and he brings the handmaiden into the room. He lays her on the bed and she is badly beaten and cut with her gown basically in tatters and soaked in blood. The Lt. tells Kadowa to get a medic or doctor from the outpost infirmary and bring him here. Kadowa nods and hurries off. The Lt. removes the tattered, bloody gown from the handmaiden who is still faintly crying and barely breathing. He binds the Princess to her chair while he focuses on keeping the handmaiden alive.

Retrieving a medic doesn't take long for Kadowa and the doctor looks at the handmaiden's body in a manner of expected disgust and disapproval. The doctor works on her wounds and gives her an elixir to treat any internal wounds. He drugs her to sleep so that he can work on the more painful procedures. He confides in the Lt. that it is also so that should she die from her injuries, she will not die in pain.

530 words

~ On the Trail ~

Once we are on the trail, Rei and I finally get an opportunity to speak to one another. I keep it simple with guy talk about last night and he tells me that nothing happened between them and I tell him, "That's too bad. I think you might have enjoyed it." I lead them back to the original hideout where I search the inside and let the others search around to find the tracks leading in away from the abandoned hut. Inside, Rei and I would look around before I tell him, "I have a feeling, I know where they are right now. We can travel faster if we don't have them with us." Rei looks at me and I nod to him. We both teleport out of the hut and over one of the sand dunes. I tell him to follow me and we take off moving at our more enhanced speeds. While we are moving, I tell him that there is an old outpost that some of the more shady mercenaries and such congregate at. It is also a haven of the sex and slave trade. He understands our sense of urgency in the matter at this point. Since I know of the time table that needs to be kept. I get us to outpost slower than we could have arrived. I tell him that we should gain more favor if we can ensure that the Princess is unharmed but also find the individuals that were responsible for her kidnapping, which would be the slavers that come to buy her. Rei and I blend in at the outpost's main tavern.

After a couple of hours, I reach out telepathically to Kadowa. He reports to me what has happened and much to his surprise, I tell him that he did exactly what I would have hoped he did, which is leave the handmaiden to her fate. I tell him to keep everything moving on schedule. We remain in communication until they leave for the meet. I open my eyes and look at Rei. "Time for us to go. They are moving her." I reach out to the Princess' mind and speak to her telepathically as well. "Princess, do not be frightened. I am close by and am coming to rescue you. I need you to look at the men who kidnapped you and get an image of each in your mind." I wait for a moment and I am able to pick up on the mercs. I continue with her as Rei and I make our way outside, "Good work, Princess. I need you to be prepared to get out of harm's way as soon as the fighting starts. I'm close, but I can't reveal myself to you yet. You will be back in the Palace in Hejar soon enough tho. That much I assure you."

511 words

~ The Rendezvous ~

The mercs arrive with the Princess and handmaiden at the meeting location and after a couple minutes, a carriage pulls up and the slavers exit the carriage. Rei and I remain hidden nearby watching the whole thing. I look over at Rei and tell him that things are about to get... messy. He nods and we split apart. I tell him that I will deal with the mercs and he should kill the slavers and rescue the Princess. We wait until the transaction is complete and the slavers take possession of the Princess. I emerge from the shadows first and look at them. "My employer doesn't like the way you treated his cousin a couple nights ago at the Desert Beetle. He also doesn't like how much money you cost him with one of your recent jobs. Your existences are no longer necessary." The slavers back away slowly but when they turn around the carriage is dead and the Princess and handmaiden are both missing and Rei is standing in between the three slavers and escape. He is holding two blades in his hands and looks at the slavers with a dark grin on his face.

The mercs look at me and I dash at the Archer first. Before he even notices what happens, blood splashes out from his throat and his flesh looks like it's been ripped out. The Cook's torso opens up from behind as my tail appears thru it and hurls his body at the Medic. He would be next. Kadowa and the Lt. are telekinetically pushed backwards. The Medic is forced endured one of the most vicious mental assaults that I have ever inflicted upon someone as I hold nothing back and he is forced to spend his last moments vividly experiencing himself being captured, raped, and fed upon by demons. While it only lasts for maybe a minute or two in real time, he experiences several hours in his mind. It is amazing what the mind can create. Even better is the fact that his body replicates what he feels.

I look over at Rei and he has dispatched the slavers already. What I did not expect was Kadowa rush Rei and attack him. What the hell is he doing?! Before I have time to stop him, the Lt is attacking and... well he tries to attack but his body just stops in place. I turn and approach him. "My employer sends his regards. Also, your boss was pretty easy to kill. I guess they just don't make mercenaries and scapegoat pawns like they used to. Oh and Kadowa... he works for me." The Lt.'s eyes widen as I tell him that he was set up from the beginning. Unfortunately, he is unable to speak as his larynx is being telekinetically crushed. The look of horror on his face is even more astounding to tell the truth. He is truly afraid to die. I almost laugh at the site, but I shrug and attack his mind to complete scramble his brain just in case an enemy is able to bring him back. That would be most unacceptable. His death comes with that and his body is discarded. Rei slashes at Kadowa who deflects the attack with one of his familiars before I telekinetically yank him away. I speak out loud, "I banish you back to the Netherworld, demon!" For theatrical purposes, I point to the sky before the column of light surrounds him and with a passionate "Begone!", Kadowa would find himself back on Mandira with minor injuries from Rei and a few extra from me slamming.

I use spiritual fire to dispose of the mercenaries' bodies while the heads are collected into one of their packs. As Rei sees to the Princess and her handmaiden, I retrieve and bag the heads of the slavers as well. I collect the money and teleport it to Malloc's office. All is well and as planned, Rei gets to be the Princess' actual savior. I nod to him and walk over to the handmaiden. I place my hand on her head and enter her mind slowly. I decide to remove the entire rape from her mind and place my hands on her forehead and abdomen. My body glows and I speak telepathically to the Handmaiden, "Let time rewind and heal your pains." With that incantation, the handmaiden passes out. I enter the Princess' mind as well and purge the memory out of her mind as well. It never happened. I tell Rei to take the ladies back to the Palace while I report our success to Malloc. He nods and I point to the carriage. Might as well relax after the amount of running we've been doing.



839/1756/15,006
Train: Time - Rewinding Restores (-1750)
Unlock: Time - Rewinding Restores (-1000)
Perfect: Void - Teleport (-1750)
Perfect: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Perfect: Psyche - Mind Reaver (-1750)
Master: Psyche - Mind Reaver (-1750)
Master: Sensing - Tracking (-1750)
Master: Void - Teleport (-1750)

PWC (Lord) = +15006
EXP (Mukhya) = 756
EXP to Rei = +1000

Shinny
Mukhya = 2000 to Mandira Funds
Rei = 1000
Valkrist = 1000

Diplomacy
Amiable Relations with Hejar for Mandira & Domenance

Updated - Mukhya