Avatar Legends - The Outlaws' Tale

[jaydude]

It takes the boy a bit of time to understand Zea's Foggy Swamp accent before he gives his reply. "Yeah, pretty much."

Then suddenly a look of alarm appears on his face as something to the left catches his eye. Any of you who look in that direction will see a group of about thirteen people approaching you, most of them armed with hatchets and daggers, all of them unmistakably daofei. The four goons who managed to escape Zea earlier are among them, but far more deserving of your attention are the three at the front.

The one at the trio's centre is unmistakably Shali, judging by the two broadswords sheathed on his back. He's a young man with wisps of black hair peeking out from under an olive green bandana, and he's wearing a sleeveless dark-green jacket with no shirt underneath, exposing some well-toned arm and torso muscles. From this and his face, many would consider him handsome in a roguish kind of way.

The man on his left is brown-skinned and blue-eyed, and he dresses somewhat like Kirima; green clothes typical to the Earth Kingdom, but with accents that mark him as originally being from one of the Water Tribes. In his case, they're a pair of thin fur boots and a pair of waterskins. No doubt he's a Waterbender like Zea.

The man on Shali's right is very much a huge figure, far taller than the average and packing much in the way of muscles. He looks to be in his early twenties, and wears a green robe much like that of a typical Earth Kingdom farmer. Unlike someone in that category though, he's carrying a thick tetsubo; a large double-handed wooden war club with metal studs running along one half of it. Apparently it was once common to the Yokoya region and surrounding areas.

Shali crosses his arms as he looks you over, taking in the four of you as if he were a sabertooth moose-lion sizing up potential rivals. "I hear you attacked my people not long ago."

How do you respond?

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

 

[EbonChevalier]

“Yep. That we did. They tried to make us pay a toll to get here. And with us being good subjects of a great an’ mighty Earth King who pay out tithes we felt we didn’t hafta pay.” He made a dismissive motion with his right hand towards the Daofei he trounced. “So we gave ‘em a little spanking and sent them on their way.”

 

[jaydude]

The daofei in question glower at Zea, but Shali remains composed. He does give a snort and smirk at the swampbender's claim of being a good subject of the Earth King though, as if he's not sure he should buy it.

This last for only a few seconds though, and then he becomes deadly serious. "Let's not beat around the bush. Why did the four of you come here? Are you with the vigilantes? Or are you something else?"

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

 

[Random Word]

Aph Kyang sits on a stool in front of a nearby street vendor's stall, sketching as Zea interrogates the kid. She glances up from her sketchbook as the conversation goes quiet and the vendor wisely ducks into an alley. This isn't ideal. They're on enemy ground, and if their opponents aren't stupid, it's prepared ground. They know next to nothing about their enemies, but at least their enemies seem to know next to nothing about them. Uncle would be unamused. Still, there is no pressing reason to have a street brawl here. More favourable circumstances could still be obtained. Even demonstrating they can come and go from this place as they please is a victory.

"To have lunch, before you interrupted," she tilts her head slightly towards the alleyway, barely needing to feign annoyance, and gives the Lizard Crows a, 'this is your fault, you've violated social norms, and I expect an apology' look. She's not really paying attention to their reply, though. She's running through scenarios in her mind, planning escape routes, and considering how best to disable or disrupt their enemy's ability to pursue. Plan every battle as if you're retreating, and fight like it isn't an option.

They probably aren't stupid enough to seriously hurt her, but to be caught at a disadvantage would be embarrassing.

 

[jaydude]

Looking in-between the ranks of the Lizard Crows surrounding her and her cohorts, Aph Kyang spots an alleyway on the opposite side of the street to her that turns sharply. She recalls from past experience that it leads into a quasi-labyrinth of back alleys and narrow streets; if she and the other three can get through the Lizard Crows and into the alley, they should be able to lose the larger group of daofei in the maze.

As an added bonus, one side of the alleyway is taken up by some wooden scaffolding, which currently accommodates a small group of workmen applying a coat of white paint to the walls of a nearby building. The paint looks like it's being stalled in a number of ceramic pots placed upon the scaffolding. To a creative person looking to humiliate a group of daofei who seem intent on causing her harm, the setup is just begging to be disrupted in a way that drenches the aforementioned group with paint.

Shali notices the way that Aph Kyang glances at the alleyway, and from the slight widening of his eyes, that bit of increased scrutiny is enough for him to recognize her.

"What's a member of the Xīnsùèr Clan doing slumming it down here?" he asks, now sounding a little wary. "Don't you have a fancy estate in the Upper Ring you can crash at? Or did you get kicked out?"

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

 

[EbonChevalier]

The daofei in question glower at Zea, but Shali remains composed. He does give a snort and smirk at the swampbender's claim of being a good subject of the Earth King though, as if he's not sure he should buy it.

This last for only a few seconds though, and then he becomes deadly serious. "Let's not beat around the bush. Why did the four of you come here? Are you with the vigilantes? Or are you something else?"

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

"We're with the flying opera company and our big sis told us there was some bottom feeders in this area shaking folk down for money. As usual she's right. So you Gecko Ravens or whatever got two options. Leave the easy way on your feet or the hard way on your bellies. Either way's fine with me but the choice's y'all's."

 

[jaydude]

The claim that you belong to the Flying Opera Company, on top of having a member of the Xīnsùèr Clan in your group, seems to make Shali and the rest of the Lizard Crows a bit more hesitant to pick a fight with you. The big Yokoyan in particular becomes nervous, as if there's a very unpleasant association he has with the Flying Opera Company that he'd rather not see bring up.

Shali meanwhile appears thoughtful, scratching his chin as gears turn within his head. Whatever he's trying to figure out, he eventually succeeds, for he opens his mouth and speaks again.

"Okay, you know what? We'll leave...in exchange for a favour from you guys." he says, causing his own gang to look at him in mild surprise. "See, we were hired by some rich Middle Ring type to drive out the residents here. Offered us quite a lot of money, in fact. Apparently he wants control of the block for some big construction project. You pay us more than what he's offering, and as much as I don't like the abiders here, we'll leave them alone. Of course, to even match what we're getting paid, you'd have to break into somewhere in the Middle Ring, but that shouldn't be a problem if you really are Flying Opera Company. I've heard of some of the stuff your group's done in the past..."

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

 

[EbonChevalier]

"Sis. This seems like a good deal. How are you feeling about it?" Random Word

 

[Random Word]

"That, brother, is because you were raised in a swamp," replies Aph Kyang, softly enough it doesn't carry, casually raising her sketchbook in thoughtful examination to block her lips. "Our honourable brother has offered to pay you ten yuan to steal him fifty. Does that sound like a good deal to you?" she asks, dryly. "They're being paid a lot more to encourage the locals to vacate this place than we are to dissuade them. If we were going to steal more than we're being paid for this job, we would just keep it. Even if we were being paid more, and could afford to buy them off, and they were stupid enough to accept, we would merely be left in a bidding war with some aspiring property magnate who doesn't have to run little errands like this just to afford paper. You don't have those in swamps, but I assure you they would hire another gang before sundown, and bury the Lizard Crows for their insolence."

She lowers her sketchbook, seemingly satisfied, before glancing up at Shali as an afterthought, and sighing with resignation. "Very well. Name your price. We will need three days to plan and execute the theft, and will accept on the condition you clear out until we have your payment, and provide the name of your employer. I suppose I can suffer this small indignity. Father says I'm to try not to kill anyone while I'm down here, and this way no one present has to die a slow agonising death."

She had been looking forward to seeing them walk home covered in paint, but Zea's ploy had revealed information that dramatically changed the nature of the job, and may yet buy them valuable time. Of course they wouldn't be stealing anything, and if they did they certainly wouldn't be giving it away, but the meeting to make the 'payment' could serve any number of uses, if they hadn't ambushed the Lizard Crows before then. If they were foolish - and greedy - enough to accept, perhaps they could even be upsold into a 'joint job' that goes tragically wrong.

 

[EbonChevalier]

Zea look aghast at her reply. “No more sis! You made your point!” He clutched his cheats as if they were pierced by arrows. “I see your wisdom! Have mercy!”

 

[jaydude]

Shali takes a few seconds to think about Aph Kyang's counteroffer, then nods his head. "Okay, you got yourself a deal. The merchant who hired us is Lang Ching. He used a go-between of course, but I was smart enough to have that go-between tailed after he met with me. Followed him all the way back to Lang's townhouse in the Middle Ring."

He gestures for his group to leave, but turns around to address the four of you one last time. "Remember, three days. Otherwise we're coming back here."

With that, the Lizard Crows disperse. Shali, the Waterbender and the Yokoyan head off together, but the rest depart either on their own, or in smaller groups of two and three. Apparently they're convinced that the danger's over, and the Flying Opera Company aren't suddenly going to strike any of them in the back. But it occurs to the four of you that if you wanted, you could follow one of the Lizard Crows into a deserted part of the city, grab him, then take him back to Chiabai Theatre and needle him for more information,

What do you want to do now?

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [X][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

 

[Random Word]

Aph Kyang goes back to sketching with a small smile of satisfaction, "You learn quickly, brother. For someone raised in a swamp. That was nicely done. What few wits they had between them fled in terror before you. Do you think perhaps you might be able to terrify something more valuable than their meagre wits out of one of them if given the opportunity for a friendly chat?"

 

[jaydude]

Isolating a member of the Lizard Crows doesn't take much. A bit of stalking into an isolated street with a conveniently-enough placed vine, some more of Zea's plantbending to yank away and disorient the victim, and finally a blow to the head with just enough force to knock him out. From there, it's a simple matter of taking the poor sap back to Chiabai Theatre.

===

"So you managed to figure out what's going on, and trick the Lizard Crows in a way that gets them to leave Gisho alone for a few days, while also buying us some time to find a way of dealing with them." Kirima says once she's been updated on what's happened, sounding impressed.

"Of course, even if we deal with the Lizard Crows, there's still the matter of Lang Ching." she then says, as if it's a reminder of something you should have already figured out. "My guess is that once he finds out Shali's no longer playing ball, he'll just try and hire another gang to pick up where the Lizard Crows left off. We're going to have to deal with him at some point."

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [X][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

 

[EbonChevalier]

Isolating a member of the Lizard Crows doesn't take much. A bit of stalking into an isolated street with a conveniently-enough placed vine, some more of Zea's plantbending to yank away and disorient the victim, and finally a blow to the head with just enough force to knock him out. From there, it's a simple matter of taking the poor sap back to Chiabai Theatre.

===

"So you managed to figure out what's going on, and trick the Lizard Crows in a way that gets them to leave Gisho alone for a few days, while also buying us some time to find a way of dealing with them." Kirima says once she's been updated on what's happened, sounding impressed.

"Of course, even if we deal with the Lizard Crows, there's still the matter of Lang Ching." she then says, as if it's a reminder of something you should have already figured out. "My guess is that once he finds out Shali's no longer playing ball, he'll just try and hire another gang to pick up where the Lizard Crows left off. We're going to have to deal with him at some point."

Spoiler: Group Stats

Zea​

Fatigue: [X][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Excellence - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Community

Aph Kyang​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Tradition - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Progress

Song​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Friendship - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Survival

Taosei​

Fatigue: [_][_][_][_][_]
Conditions:
Afraid [_]
Angry [_]
Guilty [_]
Insecure [_]
Troubled [_]
Balance: Forgiveness - (_)-(_)-(_)-{B}-(_)-(_)-(_) - Action

Zea leaned against a wall. "Think we can hit 'em in finances before he backs off? A little theft and sabotage."

 

[jaydude]

Zea leaned against a wall. "Think we can hit 'em in finances before he backs off? A little theft and sabotage."

"That could indeed work. Hurt him hard enough, and Lang Ching will be in no position to continue his little scheme." Kirima admits with a nod of her head. "I'll go ahead and make the arrangements to get you some passes into the Middle Ring. In the meantime, what are you planning to do about the Lizard Crow you bought here?"