B A N D I T . T A L I N
Custom Quest Prompt
This Quest is for Talin who is striving to become a Pickpocket.
OOC ||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 2000 word reply (can be more).
||. Respond to the prompt given with an adventure of your own creation as long as it meets the requirements of the specific tasks.
||. NPCs may be used as long as they advance the quest in an interesting manner.
||. You cannot include any playable characters other than the quest taker.
||. Your responses will be graded with a Pass or Fail. Those who fail will have to continue with assistance from the staff.
||. Questions about quests can be asked here.
IC
Talin's group of bandits found their next target easy enough. And with little time they had finished the job and were getting away from their spoils. They had stopped to rest, just a short ways away from their destination when Talin noticed something that didn't belong. A young girl about his age was sifting through the bags of coin and treasure and took off with something in particular that Talin had his eye on.
After a quick chase she was caught, but there was more trouble to be had.
Quest Tasks
||. The quest should start with Talin's group stealing from a caravan and collecting their spoils.
||. Once they've gotten away (killing the original merchants or not), they should stop for a break where they will be looted by a girl pickpocket.
||. Talin should follow and eventually catch her.
||. They will promptly be surrounded by a group of bodyguards sent to catch the thieves that have been looting the area.
||. Talin must decide whether to kill the girl and face them alone, or keep her alive and escape together.
Talin sat hidden in the tall grass of Tale, waiting with endless patience while the two slow overburdened Scorras and the merchant owner wound their way towards him. Behind him was one of the few watering holes out in the winter dry grasslands; they had to come here to rest and refill on water; it was why he and the other two men were waiting here. After returning from his trip to Neued to find his bandit group destroyed, Talin had left Jauhur and gone wandering through Tale, leaving behind the dangerous Alkidikes who took life and possessions too seriously. Now he was out searching for any surviving members that his old crew might have as well as new people to create a new bandit crew. He’d encountered two leaf brothers on his way; in fact they’d tried to rob him! He’d been amused…. after beating them up and teaching them who was boss. What a botch of the ambush they’d done! Talin, a young man who loved being around others, had decided to take the two under his wing… even though they were slightly older than him. Obviously they didn’t have the knowhow on ambushing, thieving, and sneaking; otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to beat them. He did; in fact he specialized in it! Today was the first time he would get to see them in action and see if they’d improved.. if not than he was on hand to insure the Scorra and their alluring burdens didn’t get away. His hands smoothly drew out his throwing knives; eyes narrowing as the Scorra passed nearby without sounding an alert. Good.
Now to see if those brothers are useless or worth keeping around, he thought to himself as he waited for them to make their move. He frowned when the younger brother stumbled as he tried to charge out from the grass; what a bumbling idiot.. that one is only useful for his muscles, he thought with disgust as the merchant pulled out his sword. The elder brother was slightly better; having hidden himself like Talin, he was close enough that he managed to charge in while his brother stumbled over his own feet and grabbed the lead on one Scorra. Talin sighed and passed a hand over his eyes; apparently all the good leaf bandits were in jauhur and not out here!
The Scorra gave a shrill scream and lashed out with its powerful legs, knocking the elder brother back. Its scream was cut off quickly as Talin threw his knife and embedded it in the back of the feathered head. Scorra, he knew, were fiercely protective of their owners, strong runners and able to damage a man with those kicks… idiot number two is just as bad as his brother! He threw two more knives in fast order to wound the other Scorra. Walking with quiet elegance out of the grass he looked at the elder brother clutching his bleeding arm and the other idiot brother standing over the dead merchant.
“Next time, wait till they are at the watering hole and distracted.” He said with a grin as he tossed a knife up in the air and caught it with a cheeky grin. “And try not to trip over your own feet.” This last bit had an edge to it. Bumbling idiots! I will have to find better companions for my own group, he thought privately. Walking over he leaned down to slit the wounded Scorras throat to end its load cries. “At least you managed to not hurt yourself,” he said to the younger brother as he shook his head at the elder. “Help me grab the bags and drag the bodies off into tall grass to hide them. Get that bandaged up… you want to bleed out?”
“Why not just leave em?” Came the sulky comment from the elder.
“Because this is one of the few watering holes about this area! It is often visited… hide the evidence of an attack to ensure more prey comes and is unaware. If we just leave the bodies out then the next group will be alerted to our actions.” Did they not think of the future? Of the next ambush?
He grabbed one Scorra and dragged it off while the clumsy brother grabbed the other two and easily dragged it off. Maybe I will keep him, Talin thought; he’s quiet, willing to obey, and has strength… just needs to work on moving without tripping!
He grabbed one of the heavy bags and smiled when he hefted it. A nice weight! Wonder what he’s got in here? Opening it he saw a rather nice roll of cloth; purple with gold embroidery. I want it. He thought; its mine. There were several small boxes; a scent coming from them told him they were spices or herbs of some sort. His bag contained mostly cloth rolls and those small boxes.
“I have spice boxes and cloth. Whats in your bags?” He asked as he turned to strip the merchant’s body of any items of interest.
“Uhh…. some coins… boxes of smelly things and…..food.” Came the slow response.
“Hmm, I can trade the cloth and spices for items we need…. we can give the coin to your brother since that’s all he likes…” Talin said as he hefted his bag over his shoulder. “What do you want?”
“Um… better clothes…” The man, Lirik, smiled shyly. Talins rather exotic and rich looking clothing had made an impression apparently!
He grinned; “I’ll use some of the cloth here to make you some then!”
“You sew?”
“Sew, cook, clean.” He looked over at Merik, the elder; “Lets get going and move to a safer spot for now. When you live out in the wilderness you need to learn all three.” He returned to his conversation with Lirik.
The man nodded; made sense… they’d been eating better meals than just half burnt meat since Talin joined.
“Thas women’s work.” Merik growled as he held a hand out demandingly for the bag. Talin ignored him and kept on walking.
“And that is why I smelled you coming when you tried to ambush me.”
He sniped back as he headed out into the tall grasses, forcing the others to follow his lead. He knew he’d need to ditch them soon (or at least Merik) because neither knew how to travel without leaving behind traces for hunters to follow. Hunters will be on us soon; these two have bungled attempts before me and I’ve made my own kills about here.
Little did he know just how right that was; the bungled attempts by the brothers had brought to light Talin’s own ambushes and kills. Nearby leaf tribes had all sent out a hunter or two to join in the search for bandits and make their land just that much safer. And bad luck was about to find Talin’s little group for the cries of the wounded Scorra had been loud and shrill.. a sound that carried over the quiet grasslands on the wind to the searching ears of the hunters.
And others too had heard the sound....
Talin, once he got tired of Merik’s complaining, stopped to rest for a bit. Merik immediately began to unpack the bags, much to his displeasure.
“You know that will take forever to repack, right?”
“Shut yer mouth brat!” Merik growled; Talin was beginning to entertain the idea of slitting the jerks throat. An idiot who couldn’t even capture one Scorra (or manage to ambush him) thought he could mouth off to Talin? So he was older… and bigger. That hadn’t stopped me from beating him and Lirik up last time, he thought as the smile left his face and his eyes gleamed with the promise of murder.
Lirik had more brains than his brother… or at least realized that while Talin normally smiled and was cheerful… there was another side to the younger man. One that happily killed things.
“I’ll repack it.” He said softly as he sat down and rested against a tree. “You should rest brother, since you were the one who said you needed it.”
“I git tah see whats in the bags! Ye two didn’t even stop to let me in on the loot!” The brutish earthling growled back as he tossed out all the lovely spice chests and cloth rolls. Talin made sure the few rolls he wanted didn’t touch the ground. The image of the older man bleeding out became ever increasingly more beautiful to him until finally he’d had enough and stepped on Merik’s hand as he grubbed about with the sparkly stones on the ground.
“Enough.” He growled angrily; “You are ruining the goods. Cease your actions before I end your life.” His friendly mask was completely off, now he wore his actual feelings o his face; a cold arrogant sneer and hooded eyes that promised death.
“How dare--” Merik tried to growl but Talin’s boot quickly lifted from the hand and kicked the man in the face.
“I dare because I have strength. You are useless; your brother has worth for all that his is clumsy. You? You are noisy, less strength, less brains, less worth. Lirik, pack it up and keep it away from your brother.” He commanded as he glared down at Merik who now had a bloody nose. I need to kill him quickly, he thought, before the worthless man tried to kill me.
Talin saw all things in terms of him versus others. You were with him or against him… there was no in between. While he’d been raised to be a good boy, his time in Jauhur with the bandit king had permanently twisted him. The strong took what they wanted the weak had to live with being at the bottom of the pack. That was how he saw the world now; that and his paranoia. Someone was always out to get him… and right now it was obviously Merik! So Merik had to die.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. The pile of goods he’d claimed (and caught before they hit the ground from Merik’s unpacking) were being rifled through… his eyes narrowed and his hand dove within his shirt to grab one of his many hidden throwing knives. Someone was taking his stuff. A young girl, poor and probably another thief by the looks of it, was pawing his loot. She looked up and caught his eyes; squeaking she grabbed the bolt of gold embroidered purple cloth and fled, a knife following her.
“Chi blast her…” He growled before glaring once more at Merik before looking at Lirik. “Clean it up while I get my stuff back.” Today was not looking good so far, he thought as he ran off after the thief.
He followed her through the grasses, grabbing his fallen knife, its edge slightly bloodied, as he did so. She was by far better than the brothers; he could tell right off the bat. A bit stupid still, to so blatantly go through his stuff… but she left a far less noticeable trail… and the blood splatters stopped quickly. She had bandaged on the run. She better not have bloodied my cloth! He thought to himself as he silently chased. For him battle was about silence. Hunting was silent… noise was for those who had stuff to prove. He just wanted to kill and get his loot. The more silent you were, the closer you could get, the less chance your prey had.
After a good few minutes chase he heard the ragged breathing of the girl. He was an adult, well fed and strong. Used to the thinner air in the tall hills and mountains of Sauti, he could run forever on the thick air of Tale and Jauhur. She was ill fed, young, and not as athletic; he grinned. All tired out by the run she won’t be able to fight back.. all the better, he thought with a smirk. He readied his knives as he crept up on her, silent as a shadow. The girl paused and listened for a bit; he paused as well, no movement or sound to give him away. She sighed with relief and slumped down to look at the cloth and box she’d picked up. Talin’s knife came whistling out of the shadows; the smallest of sounds that alerted her just in time to dodge. It hit her in the shoulder instead of the neck, much to his displeasure.
Her cry of pain alerted the hunters nearby; for little had Talin noticed, but they’d run directly towards the location of this afternoons ambush. Nearby the body of two Scorra’s and the merchant were being examined by angry warriors. The waste of the Scorra (meat and feathers) as well as the banditry and causal death just adding to their rage.
Her cry summoned them, and Talin found himself and the girl surrounded.
He pulled out more knives, ready to fight. These were strong warriors, with swords, bows, and spears. His knives would have a hard time against them, that he was certain of. The girl looked at him and saw the knives.
“I’ll.. I’ll give it back… and help in the fight.. just don’t kill me!” She whispered a plea. Talin looked at the skinny body, the bleeding wound, and her small knives like his with a cruel lack of pity or any emotion in his eyes.
“Then you shouldn’t have taken from my share...” He said flippantly with a callus grin, his knife coming down just as the hunters got close. She managed to get her knife up in time to block the first one.. but not the second that slashed out in his off hand. she’d been more fleet of foot and stealthy than the brothers…. But she’d taken his stuff. That had decided her fate. If she’d taken the unclaimed items.. he would have considered her offer, might have tried to get her to join his crew… but not now. Talin was obsessive over his stuff. Sure he was a thief… that meant he was better, stronger, faster than the others… If someone took his items? That meant they were superior to him; something he hated to happen.
“Come out and surrender if you want to live.” He heard the hunters call out; they were closing in, getting too close. But they were coming in slowly, which gave him a bit of leeway. They could see a vague shape in the tall grasses. What was in there they didn’t know; how many? How well armed? They were unsure and that made them wary.
Talin quickly slid his scarf up to cover his lower face; he didn’t want any of them to get a good look at his features and try to track him down later. The body of the girl would just make them all the more persistent, he thought with a bit of regret. Maybe I should have let her live.. but she’s wounded and I wouldn’t be able to escape with a wounded person…
Shrugging, he grabbed the box and cloth and stashed them in his sash as he considered his options. He could see vague outlines; there were a good handful of them he could see. Most had poses of those holding melee weapons… those he was wary of but knew he could outrun. It was the one with the different outline; the outline that gave away the bow held at ready. That was a danger: archers could shoot him from far away, especially as he ran away.
So he focused in on it; preparing a plan even as he readied his body. He grinned; his blood pumping as adrenaline filled him. Danger.. danger he craved and loved. Risk of death? Bring it on! It’d been too quiet after the Alkdikes had destroyed his old crew. He’d played it safe. Never realized I like suicidal situations, he thought with a smirk as he made his move.
He rushed the archer, aiming directly at the man. As expected, the archer immediately gave a cry of warning and loosed his knocked arrow. Talin, expecting this, side stepped even as he kept running forward. He reached the man just as a second arrow was knocked. With his left hand he threw a knife at the nearest hunter charging in as the other sliced the string even as he crashed into the slightly taller man. He went into a controlled tumble and quickly flipped himself back to his feet. Always moving forward, never looking back. To look back was to slow down. Heran off into the grass; not taking the time to kill the archer… much as he wanted to. But it would take a precious second.. one in which the other fighters could close in on him and engage. Which would mean his death or capture.. neither of which Talin wanted!
He took off at full speed, getting some distance between him and the chasing hunters before he stopped, took a breath and began to creep back to camp… where he would deal with Merik. And Lirik if the man decided blood was more important….
((2874 words-- Special: may count towards his Solo reqs.))
