03-14-2016, 06:29 PM
Ronald’s former partner was dead.
With the Power Sword dripping blood on the ground next to him, Seventeen tilted his head to try and get a better angle at the corpse. Much like the salt merchant, his partner had a similar ‘peasant’-style dress and the appearance of someone who hadn’t bothered to shave or shower in a few weeks.
“Well that guy’s dead,” Joe the Magikoopa remarked as he walked over to the cyborg. The reptile was rubbing a bruise on his head from when he’d been knocked backwards, and aside from some scorching on his plastron, he seemed all right. “How you know it was your guy?”
Seventeen picked up the firearm and turned it around. The heavy metal stock of the firearm was dented and stained with blood and strips of flesh. “Also,” the machine-hybrid remarked, pointing into the makeshift sled that the dead guy was dragging. “Pretty sure if you take that back… you’ll find that they probably belong in those koopas’ mouths.”
Joe frowned as he knelt down and plucked the necklace up out from amid the boxes of salt. About half a dozen bloody teeth were tethered to the rope necklace. “Disgusting,” the reptile scowled as threw the ghoulish jewelry into a nearby pool of magma. The teeth made slight popping noises—far too similar to the sound of popping corn kernels for Seventeen’s taste—before vanishing into the molten rock.
“I’mma take this back… you want to come with me?” Seventeen asked as he grabbed the rope that the dead merchant had used to drag the cart.
“I can’t,” Joe replied after a moment of silent contemplation. “I should report those murders to the tower.”
“Tower?”
“This is Koopa country,” the magically-inclined turtle remarked. “King Bowser’s got eyes and ears in most places.”
Seventeen held up his hands and laughed. “You might as well just be making up names.”
Joe furrowed his brow, but after a moment, he relaxed, certainly recalling the knowledge that his new friend had only been in the Omniverse a short while. “Just head about a half day’s march from the Nexus gate, and you’ll run across a stone tower. That’s one of the outposts, and it’s the one I’m going to. They’re always looking for extra surface eyes, if you want a job.”
The cyborg chuckled. “You need a job in this place?”
“Easy way to make omnilium… you’re gonna need that if you want to be anyone.”
“You got lots of that stuff… the uh?” Seventeen asked before trying to correctly pronounce the word in his head. “Omnilium? Yea, omnilium.”
The koopa shook his head. “I’m a secondary, so I can’t do diddly with it. Since yer a prime, you’ll have more use of it… trust me.”
Seventeen nodded his head. “I do.” The raven-haired fighter paused for a brief moment. “Yea, I guess I’ll be there later today.”
“Sounds good!” Joe declared before twirling his scepter and vanishing in a blast of light.
[center]***[/center]
A few hours later, the cyborg let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Ronald standing in the same spot. When the salt merchant saw friend approaching, he grinned widely and rushed to help Seventeen drag the stolen merchandise the rest of the way to his disheveled cart.
“I can’t believe you got this back for me!” Ronald declared as he hooked a large arm around the cyborg’s scrawny shoulders and squeezed the smaller man against his large girth. “I owe ya!” He added before glancing down to the sled. “What happened to Jack Ass?”
With a smile, Seventeen shared the sad news. “You might say that your old friend found himself in over his head.”
Ronald stared blankly for a few moments too long, but eventually, the salt merchant’s eyes widened and a grin returned to his face. “Serves that bastard right!” He boomed as he hugged the machine-hybrid one more time. When he peeled away, he grinned and clapped a hand down on Seventeen’s right shoulder, eliciting a wince from the smaller man. “Here, you deserve this!”
Before the cyborg could ask any questions, Ronald gave him a small crate. Seventeen looked down at it and stifled a snicker as he turned his gaze back to the smiling visage of the merchant. “Thanks… bud.”
The larger man shrugged his shoulders. “It is some good stuff! You’ll find some value in it! And you can always extract the omnilium from it, if you’d rather do that.” When the machine-hybrid made one of his recently trademarked ‘confused beyond words’ face, Ronald smirked. “Just like summoning… only backwards. I’m sure you’ll figure it out!”
“So what do you do now?” Seventeen asked as he glanced down at the barely operable cart of salt boxes.
“To Camelot,” Ronald remarked. “Remember, I sell out of Minas Tirith. Camelot is a far more pleasant verse than this. If you’re in the area, you should stop by. I’ll give you a discount,” he added with a grin as he waved goodbye and started for the gate.
“Oh hey!” Seventeen shouted after a few moments. Once his new friend paused and glanced back at him, the cyborg continued. “There’s some kind of awkward stand-off at the Fountain thing. I’d avoid that at all costs if I were you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Seventeen!” Ronald replied with a wave as the machine-hybrid turned and started for the interior of the Ashen Steppes.
With the Power Sword dripping blood on the ground next to him, Seventeen tilted his head to try and get a better angle at the corpse. Much like the salt merchant, his partner had a similar ‘peasant’-style dress and the appearance of someone who hadn’t bothered to shave or shower in a few weeks.
“Well that guy’s dead,” Joe the Magikoopa remarked as he walked over to the cyborg. The reptile was rubbing a bruise on his head from when he’d been knocked backwards, and aside from some scorching on his plastron, he seemed all right. “How you know it was your guy?”
Seventeen picked up the firearm and turned it around. The heavy metal stock of the firearm was dented and stained with blood and strips of flesh. “Also,” the machine-hybrid remarked, pointing into the makeshift sled that the dead guy was dragging. “Pretty sure if you take that back… you’ll find that they probably belong in those koopas’ mouths.”
Joe frowned as he knelt down and plucked the necklace up out from amid the boxes of salt. About half a dozen bloody teeth were tethered to the rope necklace. “Disgusting,” the reptile scowled as threw the ghoulish jewelry into a nearby pool of magma. The teeth made slight popping noises—far too similar to the sound of popping corn kernels for Seventeen’s taste—before vanishing into the molten rock.
“I’mma take this back… you want to come with me?” Seventeen asked as he grabbed the rope that the dead merchant had used to drag the cart.
“I can’t,” Joe replied after a moment of silent contemplation. “I should report those murders to the tower.”
“Tower?”
“This is Koopa country,” the magically-inclined turtle remarked. “King Bowser’s got eyes and ears in most places.”
Seventeen held up his hands and laughed. “You might as well just be making up names.”
Joe furrowed his brow, but after a moment, he relaxed, certainly recalling the knowledge that his new friend had only been in the Omniverse a short while. “Just head about a half day’s march from the Nexus gate, and you’ll run across a stone tower. That’s one of the outposts, and it’s the one I’m going to. They’re always looking for extra surface eyes, if you want a job.”
The cyborg chuckled. “You need a job in this place?”
“Easy way to make omnilium… you’re gonna need that if you want to be anyone.”
“You got lots of that stuff… the uh?” Seventeen asked before trying to correctly pronounce the word in his head. “Omnilium? Yea, omnilium.”
The koopa shook his head. “I’m a secondary, so I can’t do diddly with it. Since yer a prime, you’ll have more use of it… trust me.”
Seventeen nodded his head. “I do.” The raven-haired fighter paused for a brief moment. “Yea, I guess I’ll be there later today.”
“Sounds good!” Joe declared before twirling his scepter and vanishing in a blast of light.
[center]***[/center]
A few hours later, the cyborg let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Ronald standing in the same spot. When the salt merchant saw friend approaching, he grinned widely and rushed to help Seventeen drag the stolen merchandise the rest of the way to his disheveled cart.
“I can’t believe you got this back for me!” Ronald declared as he hooked a large arm around the cyborg’s scrawny shoulders and squeezed the smaller man against his large girth. “I owe ya!” He added before glancing down to the sled. “What happened to Jack Ass?”
With a smile, Seventeen shared the sad news. “You might say that your old friend found himself in over his head.”
Ronald stared blankly for a few moments too long, but eventually, the salt merchant’s eyes widened and a grin returned to his face. “Serves that bastard right!” He boomed as he hugged the machine-hybrid one more time. When he peeled away, he grinned and clapped a hand down on Seventeen’s right shoulder, eliciting a wince from the smaller man. “Here, you deserve this!”
Before the cyborg could ask any questions, Ronald gave him a small crate. Seventeen looked down at it and stifled a snicker as he turned his gaze back to the smiling visage of the merchant. “Thanks… bud.”
The larger man shrugged his shoulders. “It is some good stuff! You’ll find some value in it! And you can always extract the omnilium from it, if you’d rather do that.” When the machine-hybrid made one of his recently trademarked ‘confused beyond words’ face, Ronald smirked. “Just like summoning… only backwards. I’m sure you’ll figure it out!”
“So what do you do now?” Seventeen asked as he glanced down at the barely operable cart of salt boxes.
“To Camelot,” Ronald remarked. “Remember, I sell out of Minas Tirith. Camelot is a far more pleasant verse than this. If you’re in the area, you should stop by. I’ll give you a discount,” he added with a grin as he waved goodbye and started for the gate.
“Oh hey!” Seventeen shouted after a few moments. Once his new friend paused and glanced back at him, the cyborg continued. “There’s some kind of awkward stand-off at the Fountain thing. I’d avoid that at all costs if I were you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Seventeen!” Ronald replied with a wave as the machine-hybrid turned and started for the interior of the Ashen Steppes.