From Out of a Dream [Quest]

[Mushroom King]

Another vote for stealthy investigation, then messy murder. possibly with Nuo if she stops earning punches.

[Erinys]

We're probably stealthier alone without Nuo tailing us. She's unlikely to be able to match our sneakiness-fu.

[Zelbinnean]

(( I'm really confused by all the unfounded (even if likely) assumptions in this thread and whether Nergui would respond that way given past behavior (which I admit is hard to say since we are controlling him but not actually characterizing him since that is largely being done in semicasual 's post). ))

I'm not trying to advocate being a nice guy but I am hoping that this character doesn't devolve into a kneejerk murderhobo. Even if he is a little bit of one anyway.

[wonderandawe]

((Out of character, I'm sure Nergui is planning murder, but something will stay his hand when he arrives at Himitsu's place. ))

(( He's pissed right now, but he isn't an idiot. Nergui will include any new information in his decision making process. ))

(( Also, while Nergui may want to be a murder hobo, he actually isn't. He feels too much to be one. ))

[Erinys]

((I think Nergui wasn't raised to feel a lot of compassion for people outside his society. Since his society is dead and he doesn't want to think about his loved ones, he doesn't feel, or want to feel, much compassion for anybody anywhere. And apparently has some aversion to forming new personal connections to anybody. Ironically if he let Nuo in and got to know her that might change, but she'll have to drag him kicking and screaming, I think.))

[L'het'esh]

Nergui didn't have any problem taking a job to kill a bunch of bandits.

How can he be a murder hobo when he has a place to live for several years and is employed off and on? People pay him to do violence or guard against it; this freebie I am advocating is personal. The unmaking (?) had a large area of effect, and Himetsu/Joy went ahead anyway, careless of who else might be affected. Sloppy work is going to turn out badly for them.

Whether the attack was meant for Ayumu (most likely) or Nergui (less likely but possible), nergy was in the area of effect. Either way, that calls for slapback, and at this level of attack, that means death.

[Mushroom King]

Agreed, death by unmaking of reality plus collateral damage is a serious thing. Killing someone we find to be doing so doesn't necessarily make us an indiscriminate killer.

[semicasual]

“Why do you care? What’s the grand bibimbap to you?” you ask. After coming out of the nightmare, you’re feeling resentful. Part of you wants to hit Nuo, but you fight that urge – you might want her help more.

Nuo looks at you, lets out a breath, and looks away. “My mother was high-born. I was an… illicit child conceived with a god. The priests wouldn’t stand for that, so my family disowned me. I was left to be raised in a servant household. They were… not much concerned with my future, so I had to fend for myself for a while. Then Ayumu scooped me up. He provided a home, training, education...” She puts on a grim smile. “I’m not naïve enough to think he did that out of charity – I think he thought my heritage would make me a good enforcer, and he was right. Even so, I owe him something for giving me a life.” Her expression hardens. “I owe his killer something else for taking that life from me.”

You consider her words in silence. You think about telling her that revenge is useless¹… but no. That’s a lesson she’ll have to learn firsthand. In the meantime hate will give her focus, and that focus is something you can use.

“Good enough,” you finally answer. “You can come, if you never ask about my past again.”

“I don’t remember asking for your permission, but thank you,” she says. “Now, again – we need a plan. I take it you have one?”

“I’d bet money that Himitsu and Joy were trying to kill Ayumu, and maybe me,” you think aloud. “Maybe that was the plan all along, or they knew I would talk to Ayumu and got desperate. Even if he didn’t have anything to do with this, Himitsu is the only one around who studies magic and might know about…” you gesture at the hole in the world. “…this. We should suss him out.”

Nuo nods. “I can ask around, see if anyone has seen him today.”

“Not just today. Look,” you say, pointing in the direction of the sun, covered by rainclouds. “It’s morning now. It was after noon when the explosion happened.”

Her eyes widen. “What?... I didn’t think we were inside that long.”

“Nothing works right in there. I don’t feel it either, but we could have been lost for a night, or a week, or a year.”

She sighs. “So, first we need to find out the date, then where the magus has been.”

“Tonight we can raid his place, see what we can find. Can you handle a knife?”

“Yes, why?”

“I want to get some iron in case Joy is any trouble.”

“I hope you’re not planning to stab first and ask questions later.”

“We don’t always get to choose when or where a fight starts. I aim to be armed if it happens.”

“As you wish. So while I make inquiries, you go shopping?”

“That’s it. One more thing – keep your head down. If they did mean to kill us, we should keep our being alive a surprise.”

“I should keep my head down? I’m not a giant from the steppes, bristling with weapons.” She looks you up and down skeptically.

“I’ll manage. Meet me at Good Fortune when the sun is down.”

¹

You tried revenge, for a while. Killing southerners indiscriminately got you nowhere – looking for their bosses led you to one wall after another. The real ringleaders were long gone by the time you even learned their names, and by then… you had learned enough to understand why the steppe clans were destroyed. It turned out that it wasn’t just that they feared the united clans’ strength and struck first – they feared you, so much that they killed everyone they thought might bear your mark.

So, then, you gave up. What good would it do? Vengeance wouldn’t bring your family and your people back, and all you’d do by trying was prove those bastards were right. And if you died, all of it would be for nothing.

---

You do manage, and it isn’t difficult. A hood to cover your head, a sackcloth bundle for your equipment, and walking slowly do a lot to stop attention being drawn to you. Moving unnoticed is even easier than you expected because there is much less traffic on the streets than normal. You make contact with your banker, who has not forgotten you or left you for dead, and get enough money to get a smith and a fletcher to do a rush-job for you. With some new plates and stitching, your armor is repaired. One wrought-iron dagger, three throwing knives, and half a dozen broadheads are added to your arsenal. You also find time for a few drinks – but not too many.

The Good Fortune noodle stop is sadly closed when you arrive. Someone hung a dark sheet from the awning, hiding the interior, along with a sad-looking paper sign that reads “Out of business.”

Nuo doesn’t keep you waiting long. You spot her coming up the street, her courier’s clothes replaced with something a little darker and more form-fitting. She is still wearing that straw hat, however.

“Did you get everything you needed?” she asks when she comes close, her voice just above a whisper.

“Yes. Take this,” you reply, passing her the dagger. She slips it into her shirt. “So, what did you learn?”

“We only lost a few days, but Himitsu has been busy. He’s been around to most of the major houses, having private meetings. A few house heads came to visit him.”

“Hmm. Who did he see? They might be in on it.”

“Aya, Yui, Souta... there’s no way to tell, Nergüi. The Ryuunosuke house was annihilated, and I think everyone is scared they might be next. You may have noticed that a lot of people suddenly found it convenient to leave Eight Roads.”

“What about Joy?”

“She’s never away from the magus’ side.”

“Do you get the sense that people think Himitsu did it?”

“No. No one knows what’s happening.”

“We will, soon. Let’s go. I’ll tell you what I remember about the place while we walk.”

---

Eight Roads is quiet and empty on this night. Everywhere you look, doors are closed, windows are shuttered, and lights are out. The silence feels eerie to someone used to the town’s usual nightlife. The rain has stopped, but no one is about. Clouds cover the moon and stars, leaving the streets in near-total darkness. You and Nuo are the only souls outside, at least until you reach Himitsu’s mansion.

The palatial house is much as it was before. There are four guards around the courtyard, which shows signs of many carts coming and going. From outside, you can see lantern lights illuminating the lowest level, but the upper floors are dark. You stand across the street, looking through the gate in the low wall surrounding the compound, sizing it up.

Nuo purses her lips. “The roof-edge around the first floor looks pretty close to the back wall. I think I could jump from there and get in through a window. Can you…” she trails off, looking at you expectantly.

“I can jump to the top floor,” you answer.

She seems taken aback. “You can’t be serious.”

“I can and am. Just need to make sure no one is looking.”

Nuo still has a look of disbelief. “Even assuming you can… Himitsu won’t be on the top floor. His chambers will be on the first floor.”

“No, but if he wrote anything down, it’ll be in his office, probably in that big desk. I think there should be more guards inside, too, and if they’re not watching the bedroom where else would they be?”

“Do you know how to search an office without leaving traces everywhere?”

“I… no.”²

“Then I don’t suggest you try it without me, and I can’t jump two stories. Besides, one of us should stay out here as a lookout… or a distraction…” she trails off again and gives you a meaningful look.

What do you do?

• Jump to the top. That’s where the magus keeps his records. Besides, it’ll be easier to search the place from the top down.
• Go to the first floor. Himitsu himself is probably there, maybe asleep or maybe not.
• Keep watch. Don’t rush in, yet. Just watch the house, and wait for an opportune moment.
• Be a distraction. Run into the courtyard, make a lot of noise, maybe kill a guard or two.
• Something else?

AND

What should Nuo do?

• Go to the first floor. Alone or with you, she should search the house.
• Keep watch. She should keep back and signal you if something happens.
• Be a distraction. She should keep the guards busy, somehow.
• Something else?

²

This has never been a problem before. Mostly you robbed the dead, who don’t care if you put everything back in order. Every other time, leaving a mess of disturbed belongings and broken furniture was deliberate – alarming people was part of the point.

[WarDragon]

Can we jump to the top floor while carrying Nuo? If so, that would get us both inside in a way they don't expect.

[Zelbinnean]

Can we jump to the top floor while carrying Nuo? If so, that would get us both inside in a way they don't expect.

Was thinking the same thing.

[L'het'esh]

Sounds good. One way or another, search the office. Nuo or you can stand watch from the inside.

[wonderandawe]

So... Himitsu is making some political moves in this emergency situation... Yeah... Head to the first floor and confront the man himself.

Nuo should keep watch and stay out of trouble.

[Erinys]

Carry Nuo and jump to the second storey.

[Caladon]

I don't think we really care about leaving traces in his office. I mean after tonight we'll either find out he's innocent or he'll be dead...at least as far as Nergui is concerned. Despite that starting at the top sounds like a plan and we should probably bring Nuo with us. She might be useful. Jump to the top carrying her. IF she is too heavy to make in a single leap, then jump up one floor at a time while still carrying her.

[Mushroom King]

If it turns out she's too heavy to carry, is she also too heavy to throw?