plz don't ship me with SQ
the only way I would be ok is if someone finds me a cat, in that case i will be happy
I don't really want to ship anyone if it doesn't happen in the game, and for now all drows, trolls, and the rattusite are just friends. I'm going to resolve this subplot very soon, I promise.
I don't know if we'll be able to buy a cat from our allies, but there's always raiding. Pillaging villages in search of a cat is something I never expected to do in Dwarf Fortress.
Market District, two drows stand outside the only lit up building along the street.
"Why are the lights on?" asked SQ " she really should be sleeping at this time".
"She should, but she isn't. You'll understand once you meet her" Scourge said. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. "Oh, right" Scourge pressed the door handle without hesitation. SQ stopped her for a moment.
"Should we be barging in like that? I mean, this is almost like breaking in"
"SQ, how many times have I come into your room uninvited? Kaos is my friend too."
"It's the middle of the night!"
"And you wanted to go as soon as possible, didn't you? Let's get this over with" Scourge pushed the door open. The small workshop was lit up by an oil lamp instead of faerie fire, there were various items scattered around everywhere: disassembled mechanical toys, damaged metal tools, pieces of wood, components of dvargir guns. There was a counter covered in books and scrolls, which served as a pillow for a plump drow woman, who had probably been reading just a few minutes ago, judging by her spectacles still being sat on her nose.
"Kaos, wake up!" Scourge shouted.
The sleeping drow woke up startled "What... what time is it? I have to finish repairing that music box and then...! Scourge? What are you doing here this late?"
"I should be asking you the same, but I'm actually glad we found you. There's one little thing I'd like to ask you.
"Can't this wait? I have a very intricate toy to fix, then I have to finish the rocking chair for old Vado, and I haven't even started making those knives for Iva's restaurant. On top of that I have a lecture in the morning, and a handbook merchant to catch at noon. Then I guess I'll be looking for an excuse why I haven't paid rent this month. The bitch of a landlady almost doubled my rent because she doesn't like me tinkering with guns. ARGH! When did my life get so complicated?!"
"Makes you want to get away from all of this, right?" Scourge said suggestively.
"Yeah, I'm doing my best not to be just another meaningless and forgotten drone, but the harder I work, the more futile it gets. It feels like some invisible force is working against me at all times. I've ranted enough, what exactly did you want to ask me? If it's about the new lock mechanism Icala ordered for her trappers, tell her to come here herself with money."
SQ was eager to explain "I'm SQ, Scourge's friend, and I'm forming an expedition. You could leave all of this behind and start again in a new place. I know it's a big change, and it's out of nowhere, but I see you're a woman of many talents, and you would be a key member of our party. See, Scourge, I told you I didn't need to rehearse this speech any more."
Darkening Kaos hesitated with answering. She's spent most of her life studying smithing, mechanics and woodworking, and just recently she began listening to lectures and buying expensive learning materials. Was she supposed to leave it all for a slight chance of progress?
"Yes, I'll go with you" she said with determination "I had some tools made for miners and woodcutters, but since I haven't received payment for neither of the overseers, we can just take them. Oh, and my best sword! I wanted to present it to the Mercenary Guild, but I changed my mind. I've bought a few bags of raw flarestone for the forge too."
"Wow, thanks Kaos!" Scourge said happiliy. "We'll come here with our wagon to pack all this stuff. You'll get to meet the guys too"
Outside Darkening Kaos's workshop, six drows sit in the loaded wagon discussing what to do.
"I'll go talk to the official in the morning, I doubt they are open this late at night" suggested SQ. "Scourge, can I sleep in your room tonight?"
"Sure, I almost forgot you were evicted. And you're right, there isn't much to do this night, so let's make plans for tomorrow instead? Some of us..." Scourge looked at SQ and Fred the Mitey "...are wearing literal rags. If there's some kind of goodbye parade for us, we should be looking our best. How about a shopping trip?" she smiled mischievously at Lunardog.
"Should I remind you you still have my money?" the nobleman said, looking at the girl sternly. After a few seconds of intense staring, her smile creeped him out, so he agreed "okay, I'll go with you, but give me my pouch back, I need to rent a room in some inn for Fred and myself. Speaking of Fred, Imic, you take the trolls and go wash that guy. I'll write something so you won't have problems with guards"
"I object to that!" Fred the Mitey shouted.
"I don't" replied Imic with a sinister grin.
"Kaos, you can just rest. You've been overworking yourself" Scourge suggested. Darkening Kaos nodded in agreement.
"I guess I'll guard the wagon" said the rattusite.
After that everyone went their own way - SQ and Scourge to Scourge's room, Lunardog and Fred to look for a room to rent, Imic and Darkening Kaos to their own apartments, the slaves stayed in the wagon. Only MottledPetrel was still missing.
Early morning, Slum District, Scourge's room. *KNOCK KNOCK* someone kept wailing on the door. Scourge got up angrily to check out who it was. She was surprised to see MottledPetrel standing in the door.
"Oh, looks like I've got the right address" said the fisherman, but he wasn't looking Scourge in the eyes.
"Umm...do you have something to say or will you let me get ready for..." Scourge just remembered she was still in her underwear. She slammed the door shut in front of MottledPetrel's face.
"Hey, is SQ in there with you?!" shouted MottledPetrel through the closed door "I gotta tell her something!"
After the women dressed up, they left the room and headed towards the wagon. Scourge was still grumpy about what happened a few minutes ago, but SQ couldn't help but giggle "This might sound wrong, but I like seeing you blushing like that, Scourge. If I was a worse person, I would make fun of you, or making some wild, far-fetched connections"
"I get it! You're still upset about that evening! Sometimes you're just unbearable." Scourge grumbled "Petrel, you had something to say, right? Spit it out!"
"Okay, ma'am. So, I was running after the guys last night, when I saw a merchant packing up his stall."
"And you bought something useful for a good price, right?"
"No, I tried to haggle for a nice glass pitcher, but he didn't like my offers and started throwing bags of sand at me. Then I got lost."
"Did you at least keep the sand?"
"Yeah, I've got it here" MottledPetrel opened up his coat revealing two heavy bags. If someone saw him do it, the city guard would have definitely been alerted.
"Oh... that's what you wanted to tell us?" SQ said disappointed "well, at least we don't have to search for you now. Hey, looks like everyone is ready by the wagon. Everyone knows what to do, we should get right to it."
"I don't know what to do" MottledPetrel reminded.
"Umm... I guess you can stay and keep an eye on the rattusite. He's a thief after all."
"We've got a rattusite? I love those guys, they're great listeners even if you have nothing to say. Not many people have this skill, and I often have nothing to say."
Administration District, Surveying and Settlement Ministry office. SQ was talking to the same official she was talking to the day before.
"I've got six more people, supplies, and a desire to get out of here as soon as possible. Umm... I mean the city, not the office. The office too, but it has nothing to do with you."
"What? It usually takes at least a month..." the man said more to himself than to SQ "Well, if you say you're done, fill those documents. This one is about your friends, this one is about stuff and slaves."
"This is the map, notes about the location, about your neighbors."
"Oh, I see you're stuck on something."
"The name... I haven't thought about it yet"
"This one is my speciality. Let's take this dictionary, mash together two random words... dungeon... evened... Dungeonevened. Wasn't that hard, was it?"
"I'd rather name it something meaningful, maybe... ummm..." SQ was thinking as hard as she could, but nothing came to her mind. She really didn't want to name her colony Dungeonevened "ugh, alright, Dungeonevened it is."
Market district, clothes store, two drows are talkin while looking for new clothes for the expedition members.
"How about this one?" Scourge asked Lunardog, showing him a fancy hat encrusted with rubies.
"No. If you really cared for my opinion, we would have been done long time ago anyway."
"Oh, but I do need your opinion on this" Scourge pulled out an extremely provocative dress "You think SQ would like this?"
"I don't think she would wear something this revealing. You should know better anyway, you've known her since forever.
"I actually wondered if YOU would like to see HER in this dress." Scourge raised her eyebrow waiting for answer.
"What are you talking about? Let's pay and go back to the wagon, you look fine without a hat"
"You're avoiding my question"
"No, I'm ignoring your question"
"Come on, you're no fun at all! I've seen how you look at her, and I've seen how protective you are towards her. Are you telling me that's nothing?"
"Alright, I'll try to explain it to you: she's not my type"
"That explains nothing!"
"I just don't know how to interact with her! She gets upset over the smallest things, cries a lot, I just feel sorry for her. Personally I thought I was a bit too patronizing, but I see you're looking at this situation from a different angle."
"So... you don't really like her?" Scourge felt disappointed, but she wasn't sure why.
"I do like her, but not like that. I know she considers me her friend, but sometimes I feel like her foster father, and this is weird."
Lunardog and Scourge looked at each other in awkward silence for a while.
"You know, I had the same conversation with SQ yesterday" Scourge admitted "I must say you took it much better than she did"
"Go figure"
Lunardog and Scourge rejoined their friends by the wagon. They handed the new clothes to SQ, MottledPetrel and newly-washed Fred the Mitey.
"Let's get changed, guys let's go" Scourge said. The four of rag-clad drows went to look for a place to change
"Do we have to take those trolls and the rat?" Darkening Kaos complained "I don't feel comfortable with those savages around"
"Those trolls are my slaves, I'm not leaving them here because someone can't understand how good it is to have servants" Lunardog answered.
"Well excuse me, your highness, but those monsters eat people down in the caverns. I can't blame you for not knowing that, with you having spent your life surrounded by perfumed monsters that would have ripped you apart if they weren't whipped into submission every morning."
"Cut it out, will you" Imic said from the top of the wagon" If it wasn't for the trolls, Fred would be still crawling with bugs. I tell you, he was struggling like a crundle in a bag"
"That's the point, they're violent, brutish and..."
"Everyone ready? Let's go!" SQ shouted having come back with the rest. "Destination: Dungeonevened!"
Outside of the Great Mithral Gate, the expedition members are rethinking their decision.
"I heard of this whole sun, but I never imagined it would be this horribly bright" SQ complained.
"Remember when you told me I'll be fine without a hat?" Scourge asked Lunardog "Is it too late to go back to get it?"
"Yes it is. Just wrap this scarf of yours around your head, maybe that will help"
"S... stop your whi...ning. It's not that... that ba...ad" Kaos was obviously bluffing, as she was only half-conscious herself.
Fred the mitey couldn't participate in the conversation, because he was busy projectile vomiting over the side of the wagon.
"You okay there, boy?" MottledPetrel asked Imic, who was sitting next to him.
"Just a little dizzy, I've been through worse"
"Good. Kids these days have such weak stomachs, that's why there's so few fish cleaners in the docks lately"
"What do you mean by kids? How old are you?"
"One hundred ninety four long, hard years"
"I guess it's fair then. I'm only one hundred forty eight"
"Y'all old" the rattusite joined the conversation" I'm thirty two, and I don't feel like a pup"
"You think that's old?" MottledPetrel asked "I don't know if it's true, but the female troll is over four hundred years old"
"Which one is it?"
"Beats me"
The wagon continues its travel through the rolling grassland, one of the troll noticed something out of ordinary
"Hey bwoss! There's a bwuncha rothes fwollowing us!" there really were three extra rothes slowly walking behind the wagon "Should I chase them away?"
"Don't you dare!" Shouted Scourge, but then she realized she got worked up over nothing "I mean, rothe are the noblest of animals, they give us wool, milk, meat. If they followed us from the capital, that may be some kind of sign"
"And those spiders hiding under the wagon?" MottledPetrel asked "I guess they're Lolth's holy animals, but they're giving me the creeps"
"Are there any more animals we don't know about?" exclaimed SQ in surprise.
"I've got fleas" the rattusite added.
As the wagon was moving further south, the surrounding was getting more and more dry. Soon the lush green grass was replaced by dried out weeds in various shades of yellow and brown. Darkening Kaos found her old Mazes & Minotaurs manual and dice. She hasn't played in ages, so she was very excited about this. SQ and Scourge joined eagerly, Imic wanted to try too.
"It was a natural twenty, why was it a failure?" SQ moaned.
"We're playing by the actual rules, not your made up ones" Darkening Kaos scolded the expedition leader "If I let you instantly win at everything just because you rolled high, you could just repeat every roll until you get a twenty"
"Everyone plays by the house rules, Kaos, don't tell me you're really that much of a purist" Scourge complained.
"It's in the manual, so that's how it's supposed to be played!"
"Wasn't it supposed to be fun?" Imic asked "we spent most of the time arguing about the rules, when can my Mind Flayer barbarian chokeslam a dragon?"
"You're lucky I let you play as a Mind Flayer barbarian. It's such a bad combination. You should have chosen a psychic or a sorcerer"
"And you wonder why nobody wants to play M&M with you?" said Scourge snarkily. "Reminds me of someone else who hates fun"
"Don't get me into this!" Lunardog protested, correctly guessing that the remark was directed at him "I'm not interrupting your nerd game, so you don't interrupt my nap! We're done with
that topic anyway!"
The wagon stopped suddenly near a narrow river. It was a border between a dusty savanna, and a lush forest of sawwood and mahogany, with an occasional orange tree.
"What happened, why are we stopping?" SQ asked anxiously "Is it bandits? Wild animals?"
"No, we've arrived" MottledPetrel said looking around.
SQ snatched the map out of the fisherman's hand "let me have a look"
"You're right, looks like we're here"
"So... are yo going to say it or..." Fred the Mitey asked with anticipation.
SQ took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said:
"This is the moment we've been waiting for. We won't be any more ready than this.
STRIKE THE EARTH!
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Topic: LCM - Dungeonevened - The End (Read 41242 times)