The Found Arcana – Chapter 5 [IC]
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The Found Arcana – Chapter 5 [IC]
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>> Would you recognize his icon? I’ll spoof him a message from one of the other leaders, and add Priest as the middle name.
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Conveniently, the Khan is led by at that moment. He’s bringing up the real of the delegation because it’s quite clear that his BTL trip has not fully worn off. He’s led on unsteady feet by two other trolls who look equally muddle-minded, to the point where it’s almost the blind leading the blind.
“My time is not up!” the Khan declares to nobody in particular, although his voice is somewhat less booming than it was before. “My rivals will not pull me down! Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest…”
He trails off, his mind obviously not in sync with the physical world just yet.
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AM quickly hacks Chan’s link and sends him a message “Nightmare is the Priest” deleting the message after he saw it but before he could respond to it. AM can feel Iktomi’s smile as she tries her might with subliminal messages. Yet, she is uncertain if the trickster is approving her attempt or mocking it.
Spoiler:some rolls:
Hacking: 17d6t5 3 if she fail she’ll try again, ignoring the mark for a brief moment.
Hacking: 17d6t5 6
Before the message:
Then text message:
Then after he saw it eliminate the message.
Edit file: 15d6t5 3
edit file: 15d6t5 6
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<<I’d say we get out of here and get into position. We fulfilled our bargain with the Yakuza – no disturbance of the party – and to the mayor. Now all we need to do is break up the CC with the Weeners with a bit of fire. After that I can concentrate on surviving the next few days.>>
Bobby answered
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>> I agree, just let me finish my worshipping beforehand. Messing with the Khan for Jawsey, and Iktomi.
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AM slices through the idiot troll’s commlink as if it were a non-dairy butter substitute made from vegetable oils. She plants her message and then waits for the Read flag to be triggered. It goes from Unread to Read just as the Khan enters the board room. She can distinctly hear him say, “Wot?” as the heavy doors close behind him.
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[Color green]<<We do still have coins top spend…. No, let’s get going before our various sins catch up with us.>>[/color]
Jawsey really had been tempted to dump the rest of his coins for food, liquor, and drugs. But then his words to Urubia came back to him. How could he become that person who helps others if he just dissipated his energies on pleasures?
He starts working his way towards the elevator, while looking for someone to gift with his coins. Might as well make someone else’s night.someone who looks like their night isn’t going well, and who looks like they have some chance of remembering a face in the morning.
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AM says >> I think we can still try to get the Death Hands out.
As it is too late to establish their chance, she texts Chaz >> Hi Chaz, accidentally overheard some of your conversation with the boss. It really is none of my business but if you are looking for allies I’d go with The Death Heads as they would never deal with the Ancients.
To the team, she texts >> and Thank Blood of the Buffalo for his wisdom. I suggested to Chaz that he ask Death Hands for an alliance as they dislike the Ancients, and it would feel more reliable coming from CC. Not sure it would work, but little else we can do this late. As for partying, it is not that I enjoy being the buzz-kill because I really like virtual reality, hot simulations, and BTL dreams. However, the dragon’s generosity may end when things do not go as planned. Iktomi teaches us that when a deal which is too good to be true – like get anything you desire for free – it is actually a bad deal. There is always a catch. Trickery blinds people with their desires to rob them.
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<<We could spend the remaining coins on some more expensive consumables like ciggares and drugs – could come in handy if we need to bribe someone in the future. Waste not want not.
AM, I hope you know what you are doing – shit like that is traceable. But it’s done now, so lets spend the remaining coins and get out before we can’t anymore.>>
Bobby replied, not burdened by any coins and their enticements anymore.
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>> If it is about the Khan he barely has a firewall and I deleted the message right after he got it. Who knows, it might even work subliminal messages were a thing before you could just brainwash people with magic.
Tradeables are also fine. I was too chickenshit on buying their software security-wise though I really wanted some new matrix games. I think consumables would be safe, so no worries.
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“[Color red]Drugs then. Portable, no spyware, and can probably use them as currency with the gangs. Deepweed is the most expensive per dose of common drugs, but I don’t know how interested gangs are in it. Psyche is next, I already picked up a bit at a dose per coin. But again may not be the most in demand, although useful for all three of us. Most expensive common gang drug is probably kamikaze, then Jazz. Not sure what you get for a coin on those.[/color]“
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Chaz replies: <<It might be too late. We sent the old man in there. Who knows what he’s going to say. But I’ll see if they’re hanging out in the auto parts store.>>
It sounds a little odd, but – sure enough – part of the party/bazaar is dedicated to custom helmets, leathers, air filters, alternators & charging systems, battery boxes, brake calipers, brake pads, carburetors, clutches, drive chains, engine gaskets and seals, exhaust tips, fenders, footpegs, fork oil, fuel filters, gearbox oil, handlebar hardware, ignition switches, batteries, grips, pipe nipples, rocker box components, seat springs, tachometer cables, tank sealants, tubes and rim strips, wheel bearings, and every other thing that could be customized on a motorcycle. In truth, this is one of the happiest, most convivial rooms of the Funhouse, where aficionados talk shop, swap stories and pics, and generally dream big about customizing their babies. Dreams that Urubia helps make come true.
You see Chaz wandering that direction, but he looks a little dejected, forlorn.
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“Alright. Let’s get as much medical grade Psyche as we can get. That stuff isn’t restricted and worth the most, well except for Deepweed and the awakened drek.
I don’t want to be busted after we leave here. That would cut into our margin.”
Bobby replied and followed his companions to the bazar.
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AM responds >>I may see you there, I was looking to buy a toolkit. Handy to have one in the car.
AM says “I’ll grab a toolkit for the cars, we would need one, eventually” she walks to the Bazar looking for one, and on the way says “Hi” to Chaz.
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Chaz seems surprised (again) that AM continues to speak to him. He breaks off his conversation (in hushed tones) with a Death Head to return an awkward, uncertain, “Hi” back to AM.
The bazaar is doing booming business, with overflowing stalls that are more bountiful than a Stuffer Shack. It’s obvious that for all of the pleasures of the flesh available at the Funhouse, there are plenty of Barrens kids who were raised in deprivation and the chance to get their hands on some wiz consumer goods is a dream come true for a lot of them. They look spellbound. Panem et circenses, that’s the truth, and it seems to be working as well for Urubia as it did for the Roman emperors.
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The realization that AM may be working for the wrong sides begins to surface. If Urubia would be able to curve something useful out of Redmond, then the mayor may just be worried about becoming irrelevant. On the other hand, she has her debts, and moral issues of what is best for Redmond are a bit over her head right now.
She does not disturb Chaz’s conversation. Man is clearly busy, instead, she gets a wiz toolkit for the cars. Syncing with the rest to progress on the wishlist.
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After doing your shopping at the bazaar, you take your leave. The Crimson Guard give you looks that are hard to interpret. On one hand, they seem glad that you’re leaving, especially Jawsey. On the other hand, the party is still going! Who leaves the Funhouse while the fun is in full swing?! It suggests a certain discipline that one wouldn’t expect of Redmond residents.
You get back into the garage underneath the apartment tower. You find your car apparently unmolested. All the Crimson Crush motorcycles are also in the garage, under the watchful eye of various Crimson Guardsmen, plus various watchers and spirits on patrol. You’re the only party-goers in the garage so Guard have undivided attention to watch you and make sure that you’re not drunk and about to plow your car into other vehicles as you leave. Doing anything here covertly would be almost impossible.
Outside of the garage, the Crimson Guard control the three surrounding apartment buildings, but once you get more than a block or two away then you’re in the middle of the Redmond Barrens and all that implies.
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<div>On their way to buy drugs they’d seen a table of electronics, including a camera that would do credit to a news crew. The price had been steep, but by pooling their coins they’d been able to afford it, and still have enough left over to pick up some more psyche.</div><div>
Jawsey was still buzzing from the shopping, and thinking about Urubia, as they left. It was hard to focus his thoughts on anything other than the dragon and the choices she had put upon him. As such, it took a bit for him to realize how the Crimson Guard were glaring at him.
He quietly commented to the other two “I’d love to come back here another time, but I get the feeling it wouldn’t exactly be safe. For that matter, not safe anywhere that the Crimson Guard hang out.”
He waits until they have driven out of the garage before he brings up the topic of a spirit; he hadn’t even wanted to think of such things inside in case it somehow led to more problems. “Did you want me to bring up a spirit to take those things?” he nodded at the bottles. It will stand out to any sort of magical search, but can hopefully hide itself to anything else.”
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“The Crimsons aren’t exactly a Wizgang. It should be fine. Just have it ignite the fuse and throw it in the general direction of the leader. That should be enough to sour things further.” Bobby replied. He was well aware that only a full blown gang war would be enough distraction to get away with the insults he had traded with the Weeners.
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Jawsey summons a spirit and provides it with instructions, plus the two bottles. The team returns to its dark, cold headquarters and waits.
And waits. The Spyders leave first. They don’t match the description so the spirit refrains from attacking.
The Rusted Stilettos leave next in scattered disarray. That’s probably around 5 in the morning.
Then nobody else leaves for a long time. In fact, the spirit informs Jawsey that it must depart with the sunrise. It leaves the bottles behind, tucked into the corner of a roof for easy retrieval should Jawsey send another spirit to continue the instructions.
It seems like it was a big party, and a lot of gangers decided to sleep it off somewhere in the Funhouse.
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