POOHEAD189

Bodacious Bounties: Bounty Hunter AU

Neil gave a look that seemed both offended and distraught, before he called after her. "Hey! I don't have any friends!"

That was the last time he saw her. At least, before whirring lights and a sense of vertigo, followed by a sudden shuddering of the ship that nearly knocked him off his feet. Neil caught himself, looking around for Jocasta to arrive at any second. But she never did. A great rending of steel could be heard, no, felt, by Neil. It was followed by a grinding sound that Neil could only describe as a can opener mixed with an industrial welder. He downed the last bit of beer and tossed the can, setting his butt down on the only chair in the cage, resting his arms on his knees and waiting.

Minutes passed as lights flickered and ubiquitous bumping and further grinding could be heard. Briefly Neil wondered if Jocasta was ok, but he pushed the thought aside. He didn't owe her anything. Even with everything she did, if he got out of this without being executed he would have to find another home again, far away. Maybe in the cerulean cluster. He had always wanted to go there, actually. Gerumi IV was supposed to have amazing beaches.

As he thought of it, footsteps echoed from the corridor to the right. Neil couldn't see past the wall, but in a few moments three hulking figures strode into view, their eyes scanning the room until they inevitably fell on Neil. The scoundrel grinned and looked up.

"Hey there fellas." He said. Now this was a situation he was comfortable in. Living on the edge, with people he knew hated him. Jocasta had been cool, but then he almost felt like she pitied him, after he was caught. It had almost been awkward, though granted she probably didn't enjoy throwing him to the wolves. Maybe at another point they would have their third, first start.

If she wasn't dead.

For the men in front of him, one was undoubtedly a mutant, his jaw oversized with small tusks jutting up over his top lip, wearing a type of flak armor. One eye was larger than the other, and he had a horn atop his head. The other two were mere humans in varied scraps of armor, though they were scarred and about as large as the mutant. One was slimmer than the other, carrying a Vapodon blaster rifle, one of the new models with the low-yield plasma cartridges. The bigger one placed a rectangular scanning device before Neil, a red light running over Neil's form as the bounty hunter grumbled.

"Neil Edwards. War Criminal. Treason. A dozen minor infractions. 5.4 million credits. Confirmed." The device barked.

"That's him," the hunter remarked, redundantly. His eyes met Neil's and he scowled, taking out a laspistol and stepping back, aiming at the locking mechanism. "Now don't do anything stupid, scum. You're coming with us."

"Well let's be fair." Neil said mockingly. "If I didn't do anything stupid, I wouldn't be here in the first place and you wouldn't have a meal ticket."

Las-shots and cries were head down the narrow build of the Dragonfly. Neil wondered what was happening. At least it seemed like Jocasta was still alive.

Death's Edge: A Warhammer Story

I watched her, equally as distracted by her strange performance as the tileans. Luckily I was able to snap out of it when I took the meaning of her words, and Maximo poked his head out, perplexed.

"What does she do?" He whispered in his native tongue.

"Giving us an opening," I said, gripping the haft of my staff and rising to my full height.

"Hortiman? Why I daresay that's me," The Chamberlain whispered.

When Camilla screamed and pummeled the footman, I yelled in tilean for the Luccini ambassador to move, yanking at good, portly Shultz as I began to run. The three of us sprinted out of cover, and to my supreme relief neither of them dallied or did anything stupid. They merely ran, the Imperial ambassador following the tilean one dutifully. A crouched mercenary turned to look at us, his crossbow still steadied at Camilla. I gripped my staff and swung it in a backhanded arc, clapping against the crossbow to redirect it, my knee crunching into his face not a moment later.

The imperials hesitated only the briefest moment, and then fired into the tileans with a fire and fury that would make Karl Franz's heart swell with pride. Blackpowder weaponry discharged and crossbows loosed while halberdiers and swordsmen charged forward at the confused tilean troop. The hall was soon embroiled in a fierce melee, a sudden shift to the battle of attrition from a scant minute prior. I saw Guy Du Ponce with his crucifix sword running a tilean through under the breastplate, crying out for the lady.

Camilla danced through the ranks, bounding like a deer and even somersaulting in mid-air over a pair of men locked in mortal combat. I always was an agile one, keeping myself fit and lean for escaping trouble if not for aesthetics in my more arrogant moments, but she made me feel quite inadequate. I only saw her for a brief glimpse, however, as a spearman stepped in front of Maximo and Shultz's way, black beard roiling in a scowl as he regarded them. I sprinted at them, jumping in front of the first thrust, my haft battering the spearpoint away.

"Go!" I cried as the spear point reared back like a serpent, snapping forward again. I was nearly split open, but managed to sidestep it, leaving the man open for a counter-blow. Unbeknownst to most, my staff, though long, was very heavy at the top end. All Sigmarites had to carry some form of hammer, and the eight pointed circle ensconcing the heavy bronze skull served the purpose nicely. It struck the top of the man's kettle helm like a falling star, bludgeoning him so hard it dented the helm and he hit the ground soundlessly. I leaped over his form and hurried after the others, and once we passed through our line of soldiers I thanked Sigmar just to be pragmatic in keeping with my luck.

"Chamberlain!" Captain Muller called, running back from the hall, his sword bloodied with a shallow wound in his side. "You're alive!"

"Why yes, and it's been a very trying morning." He said, the fat man drenched in sweat. He wiped his bearded face and smiled. "I have to give credit to our dear priest and his lovely lady friend."

"We can thank everyone later. First let's get out of this city. The wine isn't that good." Muller said, and before the hour was out, the Imperial delegation and guard had made a fighting retreat out of the palace and marched in battle formation until the gate was in sight.

Maverick Malediction

A shrill cry of pain and terror echoed through the dim halls of the Prison of a Thousand Torments. Once a military compound, the name derived from the ancient Sultan Beauteous when he threw his half-brother Selan into its depths to die. The greatest torturers and gaolers in all the realm were invited here to practice their skills on the destitute and downtrodden criminals. Both the oppressed and the truly terrible were sent here to live out their days. Neil knew none of this, but there was something unsettling for a thief like him in this dark place. He knew he could end up here very easily for many of his ideas of fun, and it was only the promise of treasures and Calliope walking in that had him stepping past the arch, following the gate-guard they had coerced with a promise of payment as he led them down into its depths.

Most humble dwellings in Rhagba Shahir were located on the outskirts of the great city, the opulence and wealth closer to its core. The lesser dwellings of lesser men were made of mudbrick or clay, their surfaces usually plastered or covered in painted clay to give it some manner of aesthetic. Doors were often missing, replaced with heavy curtains so there was always air flowing freely, and that a guest may clap twice in order to gain attention for entry. Bricked buildings were considered tacky and uncouth, even for the poor. The prison stood out amongst the peasant quarter, with walls of mortar and stone and a heavy door at its front, not to mention the crimson towers and the archers ready to loose on any fool who wandered too close without clear intent.

The two foreigners and the guard passed through the first floor quietly, keeping themselves away from the bars of the cages. Every cell had a man begging for release or crying out to Hayashim, still holding on to hope for freedom from this hell. They were the new residents, unused to complete despair. They passed down carved steps of stone to the next level down, this level below the sands of the surface, where the prisoners wept or carved the walls with stones to mark the days as they trudged inevitably forward. Sconces and torches were sparse here, but still present.

The guard grabbed a torch and led them down to the third level, the torch flickering feebly in the oppressive dark. Only once did they pass another lit torch in the labyrinthine level, turning this way and that. Some men lay dead in their cells, others hugged their knees and looked vacantly into the hall, unaware of the light or the strangers walking before their very eyes. Still, some seemed damaged, but not yet broken. With sunken eyes and hopelessness cloaked in apathy. It was in a long hall of caged men, where they found one in such a state. An older man, head bald and finger nails unusually long, curled up in the back corner of his cell. Neil thought he was dead at first, until the guard kicked him through the bars and his head raised lazily, like a turtle slowly peeking out of its shell.

"Sukander Besar?" Calliope asked, hands on her hips.

The man said nothing, but there was recognition in his eyes that revealed a familiarity.

"He is who I said he was," the guard said, his hawkish nose drawing a sharp shadow over his mouth. "Now pay me, bitch! And complete your business."

"Very well," Calliope said flippantly, gesturing with her hand lazily as her eyes bored into the elderly prisoner. "Neil, pay this man his due."

The guard's eyes bulged, his expectant look turning into horror when Neil's hand pressed against his mouth and the dagger pierced the side of his throat, blood gushing out of the wound onto the dusty stone floor. "Sorry, boss's orders." Neil said, clearly not happy about the murder, but knowing if they let him go without payment, they too would likely be thrown in here. To bring some levity to the situation, he slunk over to Calliope, one arm in his sleeve with a hand hanging out to make it appear as if he was malformed. "The deed is done, dark master." He rasped.

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

Emperor's light.

It was every inquisitor's knowledge that chaos was utterly enthralling if one was to delve too deep into its clutches, but this was another level of coercion entirely. To compel anyone to serve after merely reading from a scroll, it must have been enchanted powerfully. But to what end? There had to be a concrete goal to the heretics, utilizing this compulsion for some aim beyond just spreading corruption. I shook my head, dabbing the blood from Emmaline's lip with a cloth. Her blue eyes were wide, but by the Emperor's Mercy I saw the same woman I loved still in there.

"Hadrian, they can enslave millions of people." She repeated, clearly stating it again so she could also come to terms with the visions that had bombarded her mind. Her slim fingers clutched my jacket.

"Potentially, but even chaos has limits." I said, considering. I looked to the left as I pondered, mind whirring like the cogs in a mechanicus cogitator. "If they could simply read the words and force someone into servitude, they would have done that to you, or worse, they would have tried to broadcast the message across the lower hive. They also cannot print it on any piece of parchment, or it would easily be mass produced. No, there are only a specific number of these scrolls with the spells of compulsion writ upon them."

"So one needs to read it for themselves in order to be influenced," Emmaline remarked, holding her head as she shook off the aftershock of the assault on her mind.

"Which means they cannot enslave the entirety of a hive without special circumstances or equipment." I said.

"Like a holovid?" Emmaline asked, hopeful she was correct but equally yearning to be wrong. "Where would they have access...?"

"We're going to the upper hive." I said.

Death's Edge: A Warhammer Story

There was something in the council room that nagged at my attention. Something...elusive, I couldn't quite pinpoint. Perhaps it was my subconscious or maybe the lord Sigmar was trying to reach me, but whatever it was it stayed just out of arms reach. Oh well, I was not getting paid for this. As long as we survived today, got something to eat, and then had some fun with Camilla I would be happy. This was all far above my station or desire. And I usually followed my desires, at the end of the day.

"As you say," Maximo said in tilean.

"Herr Cran'Darack, I am most tired. Can we go back to our rooms?" The Chamberlain asked me. He knew roughly what was occurring, but he seemed to be too tired to really give it enough thought to add more than his complaint. I could not blame him.

"I concur, let's make our way over to our quarters, shall we? And then find some deadbolts for the doors while we're at it. I don't fancy waking up tomorrow in the manner I had today." I said, and despite my injury and lack of willingness to throw myself into further danger, I found I lead the pack as we exited the room, slipping down the side corridors I had used just yesterday to reach my quarters.

The halls were eerily quiet, blood smearing the walls and the occasional body interrupting what seemed to be a veritably vacated palace. The hallway gave way to a small, open square with four halls around it. A small, enclosed botanical garden to sit and enjoy the fresh air while a fountain babbled with clear water, only now inky and reddened with a body half slumped over the stone pool, the man likely having been forcibly drowned during a rough melee. Even as we passed, two Condottieri traded blows in the garden, steel ringing in a rhythmic clash, shouts and perjoratives streaming from their mustachioed mouths.

Their blades locked, they both stopped for a moment in their combat to the death and looked at us, and we at them.

I cleared my throat. "Pay no attention to us, gentleman. En garde!" I said, and continued on, the others following. As we entered the next gallery, their struggles rose again and the banging of their sideswords continued. Soon, more numerous sounds of combat reached our ears, and we surreptitiously slunk through a lobby of comfortable chairs and a painting of the founding of Remas and crouched by the door.

I peered out slowly, holding my breath as I looked out into the hall. I beheld Marco's men, or what was left of them, in a grueling ranged battle with my own imperial troops who were further down the wide corridor, each man hiding behind pillars and alcoves and large, thick tapestries. Two swordsmen grappled on the floor, but most of the soldiers who held melee weapons were hidden to keep themselves safe from the gunshots and crossbows that ricocheted off the walls. A dead halberdier by the name of Johan lay in the midst of the two forces, his dead eyes staring lifelessly, seemingly right at me. His halberd was blood stained, but a dagger lay in his neck, blood pooling from the wound. I cursed, praying for his soul to find guidance to the afterlife.

"Any ideas?" I whispered to Camilla from across the door frame. "I'm out of spells and we have two dozen of your countrymen between us and safety."

ChatGPT - The RP

Sorry, you cannot advertise an RP that leads off forum, including discord. You can only use the site to recruit people for an in-forum RP.

Bodacious Bounties: Bounty Hunter AU

Neil laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it," He said, waving his hand to showcase he did not hold a grudge. "I mean, yeah I would rather you be an asshole so I didn't feel bad about escaping, but I know it's not personal either. Though you got to admit, we would have had fun on the date. Maybe if I escape the Terrans and you're like, not on the clock..."

He had a grin on his face until she wiped it away with how much he was worth. His eyes bugged out for a moment, and he whistled appreciatively. "5.4 million, goddamn. That is insane. I guess that is what treason gets you these days." He thought aloud. She was also right, they weren't going to just kill him. They were probably going to parade him around a bit first, do some good old fashioned interrogation on where the remainder of his friends were. The fact he had no idea where anyone from Ferrus was these days wouldn't have mattered. The federals loved torturing rebels. "Hey, how long have I been out?"

"Over a standard day!" Cygi replied, her voice echoing through the junkyard iron helmet she wore.

Neil pondered the revelation for a second. If they were going out of system, they had another day before they were FTL safe. If they were traveling in-system, they had another day or two with the sub-light engines. As Neil began to think, suddenly Cygi popped her head out of the armor, and there was a rapid beeping emitting from the hall. "Whoa, warning!" She cried. The lights began to flash, and the beeping became a small siren.

Neil looked up. "Toilet busted?"

"Heat signatures!" Cygi cried. "Cruise missiles on our tail! 78% likelihood they're aiming for our engines!"

Bodacious Bounties: Bounty Hunter AU

"Well I wasn't worried about the clingy thing," Neil clarified, cracking open the beer and sipping it. He did add the concession of, "though I think even I would consider electrocution and abduction a red flag."

It wasn't the best beer, but it wet the throat and at least he might get a light buzz. Her little partner was still up to her antics, but he found they were up his alley. He took in her words, and he felt something pique his curiosity. Something that was incessantly nagging at his thoughts.

Truthfully, Neil had no idea what to think. He had met Bounty Hunters before. Even a few female ones. They were all tough as iron, and would sooner hit him than look at him, and he did not blame them for it. It's just what one expected. An image of a cyborg hunter he once knew flitted through his mind, with a cybernetic eye and half of his face peeled off to showcase the steel skeleton beneath. He had been partnered with a hulking, multi-limbed Xenos. The pair had nearly thrown Neil into space. But this girl was an enigma. She hadn't told him sorry, which would honestly have been nice. But she had bothered to look into his affairs enough to keep his goldfish alive. If she was telling the truth, but he couldn't really figure why she would lie to him here.

No, this didn't make sense to Neil. He shook his head and stepped away from the bars, turning on her. "No, hold on... clear something up for me. You and a bunch of other hunters wouldn't be after me unless I was worth something big. Something big enough that you felt like buying a Callisto was fine. Apparently worth more alive..." That fact made him almost lose his train of thought. There was a brief glimpse of something else in his eyes, but it passed quickly. "I get the whole, buttering me up and then stunning me. As much as it might hurt my pride, you had a job to do. But why do you give a fuck about my job or my things?" He asked, sounding earnestly confused, even distraught.

"I can handle some asshole grabbing me. That I can fuck with, and even have some fun with. But I don't get you, girly. You wouldn't be in this job if you had the heart to do this with all your targets, so why are you sharing a beer with me and making sure my stuff is taken care of before I get executed? And I know I'm getting executed." The last statement was added with a light chuckle, and it was clear he was speaking more to himself. He had come to terms with it two years ago, if he ever got caught. Neil had spent the last two years running and fighting for every scrap of what he had to his name, finally ending up at Hyperion 3 with an alright job coupled with shit benefits and no respect. And the years before that had been spent fighting a war and losing friends and a lover. The scoundrel was far more used to hostility than kindness. It had gotten almost comfortable.

"I just got to know." He said, and raised his brows, open to her clarification. Neil considered for a moment if this was all an act of some kind. He and the girl were around the same age. He guessed there was a possibility she did find him cute or endearing and wasn't enjoying this, but unless she specified he would be in limbo the whole trip, or at least a little suspicious.

Rise to The Top: Medieval Intrigue RP

Galt sighed.

He knew Silke so well now, he could predict when she would protest and when she would acquiesce almost to a T. He could understand her, to a point. A thief's life was a lonely one as well. Partners were few and far between and for the safety of everyone involved, they would scatter after a job to make certain the group as a whole was safer from the law and reprisals. Hell, half the time Galt had worked with other theives, they had not used their real names. Only Stendan had been a recurring partner, and he could justify that in that both of them were so low in the totem pole no one would miss them if both were snuffed out at once.

He wished Silke would let her guard down, but one step at a time, he thought. Her agreement to marry was already huge, he needed to give her some time to get used to the role. He wondered how well he would do if she took all responsibilities, however. "I'll have to insist I help some, Silke. I'll let you decide how, but I do need to be able to help for something. It wouldn't look right if I was just watching from the sidelines, even for a wedding."

She felt wholly warm. A bit too warm. He reached over for some cushions and placed some behind her lower back so she could lean against them, granting a soft buffer between her and an old chair that stood behind her. "Do you think I'll make a good husband?" Galt asked suddenly.

Weird. He felt himself ask the question even when it hadn't been in his mind a moment before, as if someone else had been speaking. Now that it was out there, though, he was anxious about the answer. He loved Silke and they worked well together, and not in a million years would he back out of the marriage, but would she be disappointed in him after spending years and years together? For once his surpreme confidence was waning.

Galt leaned back against the same chair, looking into the fire. His arm lightly pressing against hers, they sat so close. He felt the heat of the flames, the light dancing across his handsome visage, igniting his dark hair and eyes into a rich, almost gold coloration. He glanced at his wife-to-be, waiting for her answer patiently.

Bodacious Bounties: Bounty Hunter AU

Neil rubbed his eyes, sitting up. His head was killing him, and his chest felt constricted. The movement of merely sitting up caused his arm to twitch, which brought back the memory of the mystery girl electrocuting him mid-introduction. Well, maybe it wasn't the worst thing to happen to him when he was flirting, but it wasn't the average. Now he was in some prison cell, likely military, he realized. He groggily got to his feet, before he saw the AI marching back and forth, and lo and behold the hot girl sliding down in a porcelain uniform to greet him.

Jocasta was her name, right. He rubbed his head, thinking he might have hit it. No, no bumps, not that it was easy to tell. Even cut short, his dark hair was thick. His mouth was dry too, now that he thought about it. At least she was cool enough to offer some snacks and a beer. He had a feeling she was cool.

"Yeah...yeah I'm a little thir- wait a second!" Neil barked, leaping back with a sudden clarity. He looked left and right, and then at the girl with an accusatory glance, which was quickly replaced by confusion. His heart began to race a beat quicker as he began to ask his questions. "We're not on Hyperion 3 anymore? What the hell did you do? Wait wait wait..."

The Callisto, the chase, the stun tube sending him to the ground. Oh fuck, he was probably fired now! There would be cameras that saw him take the girl out and everything, and then he disappears like that! Fuuuuck, he thought. What about his apartment? His goldfish? How long had he been out? He felt anger flare up in him for a moment, but Neil was good at keeping that part of him under control. He cleared his head for a second, thinking aloud. "Ok so, you're either a cop, a bounty hunter, or you got some kind of clingy thing going on." He supposed none of those options were ideal, but it really depended on how he would handle the situation.

Cygi, the little AI, whirred and transformed into a severe looking blouse and pencil skirt, hair tied in a bun with a switch in her hands, taking the form of a sexy school instructor. A traffic light popped into existed beside her with A, B, and C on the three vertical lights. B flared brightly and she indicated it with her switch, adjusting her glasses. Ok so, Bounty Hunter. He must have gotten lazy, he hadn't expected there to be a bounty on him so far into the core worlds. That also explained the chase.

Well, Neil was nothing if not resilient. He could take even the worst circumstances in stride. He gave a salute to the little AI, not surprised such a funny and sexy girl would have an AI that was extremely similar in those regards. Now that he had the situation figured out a bit, he switched gears. He smoothed his hair to make sure no cowlicks were strewn around, and then languidly leaned against the bars of the cell with a sly grin, looking for all the world like she was the prisoner and not him.

"So uh, is there a mister bounty hunter?"