< The Walker's Pets | Ex Pulplogs | It Might Be Better To Forget >
ST Having settled Carmine and the rest of his group into lodgings recommended by Jasmine Nights, Corve slips out with the excuse to Carmine that he simply wants to take a look around the city. Which, in his defense, he does. Look around the city and find out if his enemy has arrived and where they might confront each other.
ST Corve dresses appropriately, forsaking his distinctive Brumian clothes and dressing down to the typical appearance of a low-end Easterner. Well, mostly. The "seedier parts" of Great Forks aren't hard to find, all you have to do is leave the very obviously "nice" parts, a walk of less then ten minutes from any section of the "nice parts".
ST It is to one of the market districts that Corve's wandering takes him where he finds a tall, heavy-set man with a floppy hat and dirty shirt hawking items he claims to be "saved from Abundance in its last hours!" His cart is full of obviously fake goods, "gold" dishes and "silver" jewelry that probably isnt worth much more then its weight in rice.
Corve raises a brow when he spots the man with the obviously fake Abundance artifacts. He approaches slowly, stopping before the cart, inspecting them calmly, keeping his eyes on the merchandise and not the merchant.
Shady Merchant "You interested, good sir? I tell you what, I'll make you a deal. Three, no Four! solid gold plates right from the office of the Plutarch. I swear on my mother's sister's cousin's grave that these are the real article. Got em right off that floatin' island before it crashed!"
Shady Merchant gives Corve a broad smile, showing several missing and stained teeth.
Corve raises a brow at the merchant. He doesn't look too convinced. "Is your mother's sister's cousin even dead yet?" Then he gives the man a quick grin, chuckling softly before he returns to inspecting the stuff.
Shady Merchant "Why that she surely is!" He hesitates, looking unsure if that was the thing to say. He rescues himself with a "Gods rest her soul, that is."
Corve nods slowly and scratches his chin, picking up one of the plates and flipping it back and forth, looking it over. "Straight from the Plutarch's office, hmm?" he says. After a moment, he puts it down, seemingly uninterested.
Shady Merchant "Indeed they are! But if that doesn't interest you...I may have something else. Special, just for you my friend!" The man leans over, affecting an air of conspiritorial confidence. "Now you see friend, this can't be spread about but my contacts on Brume didn't just get this stuff, oh no. They're better then that. They brought me a real treasure, see, one of the keys to the Underground Vaults!"
Shady Merchant "You know those Brumians, always sticking their valuables underground. Well this here little key opens one of the ancient family tombs on Pelf. And not just any ancient family tomb, the tomb of the family of the man who founded the Guild itself, I tell you honest to all the gods in Heaven."
Shady Merchant "You take this key and get to Pelf and, why, you'll be richer then anyone you ever even thought of meeting!"
Shady Merchant winks at Corve!
Corve gives the man a sigh, indicating that he isn't exactly as stupid as the average idiot on the street. "I doubt that. I've met a lot of people."
Shady Merchant appears flustered for a moment. "Of course you have, you're a city man, always traveling and seeing all sorts of folk. I respect that, I do indeed. Maybe you're interested in something a bit more...interesting? A bit less...common place? Something more...exotic?"
Shady Merchant "Well I've got right here a bit of the ritual statues those Black Viper Cultists put up around the floatin' isle to bring it down. Washed up on the Blessed Isle but you know, they didn't want the thing anywhere near so it made its way to Nexus where my agents picked it up for almost nothing from some granny didnt know what it was."
Shady Merchant "But you sir, you seem an educated man with taste and smarts. You'll see the value in 'er!" The man pulls from under the cart a fragment of dark black stone, offering up not a hint of shine in the noon-day sun. It glistens wetly, though seeming completely dry. And cold, despite the warmth of the day.
Shady Merchant "Yes sir, I can tell that this little beauty was just meant for you."
Corve raises his eyebrows. Now -that,- if it's -true,- might be interesting. He reaches over and plucks one from the man's hands, inspecting it thoroughly. He raises his eyes at the man's last comment, narrowing them. "Can you, now?"
Shady Merchant "I can indeed!"
Corve "And how do you manage that, Mister..?"
Shady Merchant "Ah, folks just call me Sturb. Ain't no Mister involved, friend!"
Shady Merchant "And I manage it because I, a business man, have to know my customers!"
Shady Merchant winks again
Corve doesn't look very convinced. He looks at the stone again, and taps his finger against his chin. "And how exactly do you know that this stone was used to bring Abundance down, Sturb?"
Shady Merchant gives a deep belly laugh. "Well I can't be tellin all my secrets now can I? But I got assurances not the Empress herself could be refuting! This little black stone was what helped do the deed. You can hold it yourself and feel the truth!"
Shady Merchant offers Corve the stone
Corve takes it, and slides his finger along it, carefully testing the surface. From what (very very) little knowledge he has gained from Myrrh and Xar, and his own talents, he inspects ditufully, to each minute detail; its surface texture, the way the light interacts with it. "Hmm..." He tunes his ears and asks again: "So, you're sure this is what made Abundance fall?"
Shady Merchant "I am indeed!"
Corve pauses for a moment, and then stands a little taller, looking at the man and narrowing his eyes a little, giving him a... friendly, but not so much, rictus. "I would -really- appreciate it, if you would tell me how you can be so sure of something that, from your own retelling, seems like such an obscure piece of information for you to possess..."
Shady Merchant takes his hat off, slowly to give himself time to think. Twisting the foul garment in his hands, he peers up at Corve and stutters. "Well...you see, ah."
Shady Merchant "This isn't quite the best place.."
Shady Merchant shifts his eyes from side to side as if expecting the busy market to suddenly be full of spies or some such thing
Corve smiles at the man and looks around, without so much suspicion, though his eyes are tad more perceptive, probably. "Then I suggest we move to a location more accomodating to that sort of conversation."
Shady Merchant starts walking into the market's crowds, gesturing for Corve to follow.
Corve does follow, calmly pocketing the stone. He won't steal it- not unless it's absolutely necessary- but he the merchant left it in his hands, and he's not going to call attention to it if he can help it.
Shady Merchant lets himself fall a step behind Corve and leans in to whisper in Corve's ear, presumably to give directions
Corve tenses, though he stays somewhat loose.
Shady Merchant "We can talk now, so I'll tell you. I helped plant them on Abundance before it fell, friend, so I know its genuine. You just keep that little reminder, Assessor. Maybe it'll help you see the light one day." The man is already slipping away in the crowd, his grimy clothes acting as camoflauge in this unkempt place packed full of unwashed folk.
Corve growls slightly, turning and searching with his eyes to find the man. He'll follow him, if he can- without being noticed if at all possible!
Corve wraps himself in Essence, channeling it into silence and inconspicuousness as he spots the murderous bastard, ducking into the crowd to follow him as he so often has other criminals.
Shady Merchant moves through the crowd unaware of being followed. Walking rapidly and occasionally glancing around he fails to notice Corve's pursuit at all. But after being followed for several minutes he still appears to have no destination, simply wandering around through various marketplaces. It takes nearly 20 minutes before the man enters a small shop marked "Closed"
Corve stops before the shop and raises a brow. "Closed? Nice try." With as much stealth as he can muster, he searches for any windows.
Shady Merchant has entered a windowless shop!
Corve tries the door, moving the doorknob only enough to know if it's locked, or simply closed.
Corve ponders for a moment, and then pushes the door slowly, trying to enter as stealthly as possible. He's used to this, he should be able to get in there and at least listen to something going on...
Shady Merchant looks up as Corve enters, from fiddling with the floor trying to open a trap door. He looks almost comically surprised before his hand moves toward a flamepiece laying on the table!
Shady Merchant has his weapon up, pointing at Corve in one shaky hand before the Assessor's six-shooter swings into line. "Drop that!" His voice is wavering, obviously very afraid. "Drop it now!"
Corve whips out one of his six-shooters, aiming it straight at the man and raising a brow. "If you touch it, you touch Lethe," he says calmly, pulling the hammer back even as the pistols hovers, aiming straight at the merchant's forehead.
Corve tilts his head a little, looking at the man. "Now why would I want to do -that?-" He doesn't make a move to lower the weapon.
Shady Merchant "I'll shoot if you don't drop that!" He holds the gun, still shaky, on you.
Corve smiles a little. "Your hand's shaking, which is a serious indicator that you don't really think you can hit me. You sure you want to take your chances at missing?"
Shady Merchant "I just had a message to give! If you don't leave, I'll shoot!"
Corve just keeps his smile on his face, attempting to make the man even more unsure, simply by showing the man the gun isn't scaring -him.- "And you'll miss- and then I'll blow your hand off. You -are- aware what happened to the last mortal that tried to capture me, right? Was the captain a friend of yours?"
Shady Merchant reaches behind him with the other hand and fumbles at the trap door, getting it open. "Don't move!"
Corve chuckles softly. "You really don't want to do that. See... if you drop the gun and don't make me fight you... and then simply talk to me a little... you'll be fine." He pauses. "If not, I'll kill you. I don't lie, you know."
Shady Merchant shakes his head. "I heard how you 'talk' to people. You stay there!"
Shady Merchant attempts to get himself into the trap door without taking the gun off you, not an easy thing.
Shady Merchant manages to get his feet in the door and on to the ladder or stairs or whatever else is used to go down the door.
Corve lifts his gun at the man. He can't let him get away. No fucking way. His finger on the trigger, he aims for the man's gun hand.
Shady Merchant squawks loudly and fires at Corve wildly as he dives into the cover and escape of the trap door
Corve tries to disarm the man, but can't. He curses, and then rushes after him, pulling the trap door open and aiming down to see if he can spot the man!
Shady Merchant is hustling away down a narrow dirt passage, just leaving view!
Corve lifts the gun and aims for the man's achilles' tendon. He fires, sending the shot flaming through the air, a barely viewable trace of essence flickering behind it.
Shady Merchant stumbles and falls to the ground, his foot a bleeding, mostly missing mess that completely incapacitates him.
Shady Merchant is out cold, bleeding onto the dirt floor of his escape tunnel.
Corve rushes into the tunnel, following the man and skidding to a stop next to him, kicking the man's gun hand and pinning it to the ground, his gun aimed at the man's forehead. "Let it go."
Shady Merchant is unresponsive due to being knocked out and bleeding.
Corve rolls his eyes. "Dammit." He picks the gun up and shakes his head. "Damn damn damn." Ripping off a piece of the man's pant-leg, he wraps it around the wound, trying to recall some of what Carmine's done in the past to see if he can keep the man from bleeding to death.
Corve stops the bleeding and sighs, shaking his head. "Damn idiots, always running away." He drags the man to a wall and props him up, slapping him in the face lightly. "Wake up."
Shady Merchant does not awaken.
Corve sighs and rolls his eyes. "Why do you people always make it so hard to just do one's job?" He grabs the man by the shoulders and begins to drag him back towards the trap door.
Shady Merchant is so dragged
Corve pulls him back into the 'store,' and leaves him on the floor, investigating the place for some water.
ST The small store is shabby and full of the same type of worthless junk the man had on his stall in the marketplace. Nothing seems to be worth anything and while there's a small cabinet of drinks there is no water faucet or any other supply of actual water.
Corve sighs and walks towards the man, shoving him slightly with his foot. "Well, I guess you're out for the count..." He shrugs and looks into the trap door. "Not with you still around," he mutters, and goes looking for some rope.
ST Rope there is, in the back of the store. Not a lot, but several feet of thin rope suitable for tying packages shut or together.
Corve ties the man up, not really caring if it hurts him more. He put those stones around Abundance... this is more than he deserves.
ST The man is now tied up on the floor of his shop with a closed sign hanging on the door.
Corve uses a chair to hold the door closed and then proceeds to move into the trap door, following the tunnel to see where it leads.
ST The tunnel simply leads to an alleyway a few blocks to the southwest, coming up through a false paving stone.
Corve mutters, sliding out. He takes a moment to memorize the spot, and then returns via the tunnel.
ST When Corve returns the man is still tied up and still unmoving. Nothing in the store has changed.
Corve ponders for a moment. Then he begins to look for a key. Any key that might lock the door to the store.
ST After inspecting the keyhole on the door, Corve locates a key that seems to match on the merchant's belt.
Corve locks the door and pockets the key, taking the chair away and stuffing a gag into the man's mouth, tying it around his head. "Can't risk you making a ruckus before we get back," he says, and then drops back into the trap door, heading for the alleyway.
ST It doesn't take much time for Carmine to be found and returned via the secret passage to the shop where the two Solars stand over the man who still lays unmoving.
Carmine "... What did you do to him?"
Corve scratches his head. "Shot him in the foot." He points at the hasty and rather badly done bandaging around the man's foot.
Carmine shakes her head and kneels, undoing the bandage "...shot his foot /off/ more like."
Corve winces. "Well... you know how it is. Weak bone structure... and... uh... mortals..." he smiles at her innocently.
ST moans weakly as Carmine prods at his former foot.
Carmine scowls at him, then prods some more at the foot, before concentrating on the injury. "..I can heal it, though."
Corve smiles at her as he crouches down by her and the man. "Good," he says, sighing. "I didn't mean to blow his foot off, you know... it would be so much easier if they didn't run."
Carmine "But it will take me time ... and my very fullest concentration."
Corve "How much time?"
Corve "I just want him conscious, really..."
Carmine "An hour, maybe more." she says, studying the foot.
Corve nods a little. "I think he knows at least some more than what he's telling me... maybe even where our one-eyed buddy's staying... but if you don't want to, we can just go," he says.
Corve "But he is one of the ones that put the stones around Abundance to make it fall..."
Carmine narrows her eyes at the man, and then says up to corve "Don't disturb me, please."
Corve nods and steps away, taking a chair and sitting down to wait, gun in hand in case anyone tries to walk into the store.
Shady Merchant wakes up slowly over the course of an hour as his foot, painfully regrows itself. He whimpers during the process, muttering things that aren't actual words, just noises. When his eyes finally focus on the world around him, he looks too pained to be anything but weary and hurt.
Corve looks at Carmine and raises a brow, waiting for her go-ahead. She's the one with the healing powers.
Carmine "Well, he's not going to pass out anytime soon. Unless you make him."
Corve grins at her. "As long as he doesn't try anything," he says, standing up and kissing her softly. "Thanks, love." He turns to the man and raises a brow, tapping his gun against the side of his leg. He's already removed the gag. "So- do you think we can continue the conversation we were having before you decided shooting at me would be a good idea?"
Shady Merchant shakes his head slowly.
Corve "Oh, why not?"
Shady Merchant mumbles "Can't talk."
Corve "Then how did you just do that?"
Shady Merchant "Can't talk about what you want."
Corve "I've heard that one before."
Shady Merchant makes no reply
Corve sighs a little. "Why can't you talk about it?"
Shady Merchant "Can't. Curse."
Corve "So what are the terms of the curse?"
Shady Merchant "Can't talk, just give the message."
Corve "Your message sucked, and it's rather redundant."
Corve "Where's Falling Darkness?"
Shady Merchant shakes his head
Corve pulls out a cigarette and offers it. "Want a smoke?"
Shady Merchant "No."
Corve grins. "Smart boy. Now, just tell me everything you can... and make it quick." He lights the cigarette and then taps the gun on his knee. "Because this is really beginning to grate on my nerves."
Shady Merchant "Just told to...give you that message."
Corve "Who told you to give it to me?"
Shady Merchant "They did."
Corve "Don't play fucking games with me. They -who?-?"
Shady Merchant shakes his head, unwilling to answer. "They did."
Corve "Look. I don't -want- to hur- no, that's not true. I do. I really, really want to hurt you. However, if you tell me something useful, I'll rethink my position."
Shady Merchant shakes his head. "I can't."
Corve shrugs. "Fine. Then I'm sending you to Brume to be executed for killing thousands of people."
Shady Merchant nods silently.
Corve nods back a little and then sighs, rising. "But, until I have more time and resources, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here, buddy." He ties the man up tighter, and then proceeds to gag him once more. "Be good, y'hear? 'Cause if you're not, I'll hunt you down."
Corve brings the barrel of his gun to the back of the man's head to knock him out again, and then shoves him into the trap door, leaving it slightly open so the man has air. "Pray I don't forget about you before I leave the city," he mutters, and then leaves the store, locking the door from the outside to make it harder to get in.
Shady Merchant is now knocked out inside his secret passage.
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