Complete 18+ Private Providence Pursuit in Providence

Chrys · Feb 20, 2023

Chrys sauntered into the tiny and shitty jail looking already extremely bored. He raised an eyebrow at the surprised town guards, shooting them a look of disgust, as they scrambled to make sense of why such a noble man decked in gold had paid them an unannounced visit. Whispers and murmurs abound as their captain was called to meet with Chrys, who just stood there, waiting for their superior to arrive. When the old man did, he squinted at the wealthy man, briefly bowing to him as a greeting. "Good day, sir! Is there a matter that needs to be discussed? Would you like to sit in my office? I have freshly brewed coffee."

Chrys heaved an audible sigh, waving the man's invitation off.

"It was brought to my attention that you accidentally grabbed one of my men. Please surrender him to me. He is vital to my operations."

The captain exchanged glances with the other guards, confused. "Pardon, sir?" One of them, one of the guys @Ling Ying Wei had knocked out earlier, stood his ground, crutches under his arms. "Do you mean the faerin who helped attack an innocent village north of here? He's your man? Do you know what he has done, sir? The crimes he has committed?" He squinted at Chrys before catching sight of Ling Ying Wei and @Arjuni behind him. "That's his accomplice! The girl in purple! She took me and Stevie out, poked his eyes and turned him blind!"

Chrys ignored him, taking out his << Starlight Troupe's Badge >> and showing it to the captain along with his mining permit in Lyrwick.

"I am Chrystopheles Stonecastle, of Lyrwick's Golden God Mining Company, a member of the Starlight Troupe. These people are part of my ongoing experimental traveling play. Unfortunately, they ended up at the wrong village and thought your guards were my actors. Reparations to the townsfolk have already been paid."

Chrys then took out a signed document from the aforementioned village, proving that they're dropping charges on @Alderein after he paid them in full. Not that hefty of a sum for someone like Chrys. The guard captain simply nodded and gestured for the guards to release the faerin despite the protest of the guard on crutches, a protest that fell on deaf ears. Turning around to leave, Chrys turned to Ling Ying Wei and Arjuni with a sinister smile on his face, whispering to them.

"Expect me to call on you for the payment. You're both...welcome."

And with that, he was gone.

Devi · Feb 24, 2023

Calling in the big guns was definitely the smartest thing to do, especially since they were clearly way in over their heads. Getting on the wrong side of the law wasn't something Arjuni wanted to experience, but when @Ling Ying Wei mentioned something about the price for seeking help being high, she realized who she was talking about. Well, she had two guesses, and one of them was absolutely right. "A-Are you sure there's no other way?"

She did try to have her friend reconsider, but truth be told, they had no choice and Arjuni knew it in the back of her head. Her other guess, the female magia, wouldn't be as much help as she'd be an additional obstacle, considering what they needed help with was the local law and she wasn't exactly fond of such laws. There was only one person who could've helped them, and once he did, Arjuni gulped as they said their temporary goodbyes. He'll call on us for the payment?

Arjuni shuddered at the thought of what that payment could be. @Alderein needs us! She distracted her worries by focusing on their fallen friend, rushing past the guards when he was brought out to them, and giving the tiny faerin a tight hug. "Are you all right, Al? Are you hurt? Should we find a doctor or something? Oh, Al, I was so worried! I'm so glad you're safe and sound!"

Aika · Feb 24, 2023

Ling Ying Wei simply shook her head when @Arjuni tried to dissuade her from the path they had to take. There was no other way. At least none she could think of. It was either the God of Rocks, whom they had met with a while back during their trip to Stokbon, or they bust @Alderein out themselves. She could probably take two or four guards at the same time, but she didn't want to risk her friend. It was one of the reasons why she didn't even consider the kindly farmer from Pormont. Their last resort could risk them all.

So, she sent him a quick message detailing their current predicament. She never took her eyes off her inbox while waiting for his response. When he finally did, she heaved a sigh of relief, a smile forming across his lips. Then the realization of the price for his help, a price they might all regret later, dawned on her, and that smile quickly turned to fear. Still, it was better than risking her friends.

Once the deal was done, and the tall man left the premises, Ling Ying Wei joined Arjuni in rushing toward Alderein, though she stopped when the other girl hugged the faerin. She didn't want to hug the boy as well, thinking she had caused all this. Plus, it would be very awkward between them. Instead, she just nodded at him when their eyes met. "Ready to go home, Tiny Tim?"

Alderein · Mar 10, 2023

When he heard the steel bars of his jail cell clang and open, Alderein slowly stirred. His eyelids were heavy from the rightful beating he was given but he managed to open them despite the pain. An angry guard stomped his way inside, approaching him with a daggers-like stare, a glare of cold hard steel, as if the guard was furious that the tiny faerin even had to exist in the first place. Oh, gods, here comes more beating. Town guard brutality at its finest.

Alderein cringed and cowered against the cold stab of the concrete upon which his body lay broken. He was wrong. Thank the gods he was wrong. The guard, furious as he was, didn't give him more beatings. Instead, the man simply grabbed him by the arm, which by no means was any less painful, and dragged him back out into the virtuous freedom of his dreams. The sun stung his swollen eyes but he could make out the form of a massive man decked in gold and brown and yellow. Before he could thank him, he was gone.

The faerin was then pushed out into the unforgiving light. He heard familiar voices of worry and concern. Alderein smiled, though he winced not long after, @Arjuni's tight hug breaking more of his already broken bones. Yet he felt better. Even with @Ling Ying Wei remaining distant, he felt much better than before. His bones didn't but his soul was relieved that she was okay, that he was okay, that they were all okay. "I'm fine. I'm glad you're both safe and sound. Who was that man?"

Devi · Mar 11, 2023

Arjuni couldn't help but smile when @Alderein assured her that he was fine. He didn't look like it, but it was nothing a long good rest wouldn't fix. At least she hoped. At his question, however, her smile turned into a frown and she let him go, turning to @Ling Ying Wei to exchange knowing glances with her. The answer was simple but at the same time dreadful. The man in question had been quite helpful but that help felt eerily similar to a devil's bargain. "Oh, well, that man... He calls himself Chrystopheles. He owns the tavern in Stokbon. Remember the one with the, uhh, funeral parlor attached to it?"

Arjuni didn't add in the fact that his help came with a caveat. Something about him calling on them for the payment. She didn't quite understand what that meant, only that it could be the worst gamble of their lives. Then again, Alderein's safety was well worth their lives. If not for him, they would had suffered worst at the hands of the villagers. Maybe they should start expanding their network, too. Gods know that man's theater troupe helped them more than just the man. "In any case, we should go, get you something warm to eat, maybe a cozier room to sleep in?"

Aika · Mar 17, 2023

"Yeah, don't worry about that guy," Ling Ying Wei feigned a cough, unable to look @Alderein in his tiny faerin eyes. Instead, she scratched her arm, looking away. "I'll handle him."

Could she? Probably not. That Chrystopheles guy was stronger and more influential than her, and them signing his contract for a future favor in order to save Al's life was no small thing. When that day comes, when he calls for them, she doubts it would be an easy favor. Hell, she wouldn't waste such a payment on easy favors, to be perfectly honest.

"Let's go. I'm hungry," she turned around, a serious demeanor masking her vulnerability, her concerns, her worry, and led their trio out of the precinct and somewhere else.

The food was warm when it was served to them. Even though Ling Ying Wei didn't want to stay a second longer in this town, in Providence, she knew Alderein deserved a warm meal. It was @Arjuni's idea, but she'd be lying if she didn't admit to having thought about it as well. If she had been in his shoes, she would want a warm meal and a warm bed. It was a first step to regaining decency. All this drama for a damn VR game! She stared at her food, annoyed, though mostly at herself, not even touching it.

Alderein · Mar 22, 2023

Chrystopheles? A tavern in Stokbon? Attached to a funeral parlor? What the f— Alderein was just about to cuss in his head when the memory suddenly made itself known to him. He had met the guy, the weirdo. Seemed like a cool dude at first, but he sounded a little weird when he started yapping like a madman. How long ago was their first meeting? When they first arrived at Stokbon to tour the capital? That was...one of the experiences.

The smol faerin simply nodded, absentmindedly agreeing to @Arjuni's suggestion. He was hungry, and he did feel like he needed a warm bed to sleep on. Being made to rest on a thick and cold slab of steel while in pain from all the bruises and wounds, souvenirs of the townsfolks' beating, was not a good way to rest and relax.

When @Ling Ying Wei advised he leave the man to her, Alderein could simply nod again, unsure whether the same man was even worth their fury. Or whatever else Ling Ying Wei had in mind for him. Seemed to the faerin that it was all she could muster for anyone, really, anyone that wasn't her. Or maybe even including her.

Regardless, he followed his friends out of there and into a nearby tavern, gulping the warm soup like there was no tomorrow, like it was his last meal. Not that far off, to be honest. He didn't even notice Ling Ying Wei's aversion to it. All Alderein was focused on was his healing, and for the next few weeks, months even, that may be the only thing on his mind.

"Thanks, girls," he smiled as he made his way to his room, before he closed the door on them. "I appreciate the food and getting me out of there. It's good to have friends like you two."

Devi · Mar 23, 2023

"It's the least we could do for you saving us back there in that village," Arjuni's usually warm smile was weaker at this moment in time, weakened by the guilt of having been too helpless to do anything to save a friend. @Alderein had sacrificed himself for them, once the butt of @Ling Ying Wei's jokes turned into the only person that stood between them and the punishment that they should have deserved. "Sleep well, brave one."

As the faerin dragged himself into bed, closing the door behind him, Arjuni turned to her purple-haired friend, not sure what else to say. She was curious, yes, mostly about what had happened back there, what had happened with her, why she decided to go all out on those innocent villagers, why couldn't she step back and stop herself from raging, but decided it was too soon to add salt to a still-open wound. Instead, she placed a hand on her arm, another weak smile on her face. "You should get some rest, too, Ling. We'll talk things through in the morning."

Aika · Mar 23, 2023

Ling Ying Wei clenched her jaw when @Alderein thanked her. Why the fuck did he do that? She caused all of this! She hurt him, she hurt @Arjuni, she hurt herself. And now they're bound to that massive mountain man who hasn't even made up his mind regarding their debt. Did the faerin not know how much shit they're in right now? More than knees' deep that's how much! No... He does know...

The painful realization dawned on her not a minute longer. She almost broke down, then and there, as Arjuni turned to her and touched her. Ling could feel the guilt rise up from within, almost spilling out in the open as tears and sobs and wailing. But she could not let that happen. She could not have her friends think her weak or vulnerable or whatever. Especially not after what she's done. "I...need to go."

And just like that, she logged out.

Alderein · Mar 26, 2023

Alderein wasn't privy to what just happened between his two friends. He was too battered and bruised, too exhausted, to listen in on them or even just hear that conversation. The faerin had already slithered in his comfy bed, groaning as his bones creaked and his sore muscles gave in to all the pain that he had suffered for his friends. He chuckled as he wrapped the blanket on top of him, savoring the warmth and comfort that it gave him. Alderein didn't even know he had it in him to make the sacrifice play. He was just a struggling actor, a dumb fool, but he never saw himself as a would-be hero. Maybe he was still just playing at one.

I'll be fine. They'll be fine. We'll all be fine. His lips curled into a wide smile as he closed his eyes, already excited at the morning to come, their more peaceful future adventuring together. The faerin was not aware of the changes to come, the fact that he may soon be left to travel and play in this world alone. But such is fate, right? Stories end, new ones begin. It's all just words and memories, tales to astonish. Life goes on, often more different than anyone would have expected. Still, it's life, and it's all most of us get. Tomorrow will be a great day for the three of us.

Complete 18+ Private Providence Pursuit in Providence

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