Hail friends,
With Westley's very serious and not funny death threats hanging over my head, I head deep into Ilshenar, attempting to clear my mind. And the mines pull me back in:
(Palvarik? Enervate?)
Not one, but two trespassers!
Palvarik, the local upstart and Enervate, the misguided miner.
Sounds like fun, but I needed to buy some time. My legs can only move so fast.Out of the dugeon, through the twisting canyons of eastern Ilshenar, through Chaos gate, and out at Minoc, I join the others as fast as I can.
--And Sweeney spots the prize.
Legendary detective boots was the prize! A very rare a mysterious Champion Spawn Artifact that only appears randomly (and rarely) while warriors battle the spawns in far off lands. What the boots are doing here? I'll never know.
...And I don't really care.A race among thieves -- nay -- a competition among men!
First Sweeney, then Nightstalker, then me, and then Stabon; A town of thieves decends upon the mines to reclaim what's rightfully ours.
Palvarik has hiding, who knows where Enervate is at, Sweeney is here somewhere, and Nightstalker and Stabon aren't far behind.
The table is set and the game is afoot!Palvarik shows himself only to cast another field and to shoot off his mouth... against what he thinks is one, possibly two intruders.
(It almost doesn't seem fair.)--And Stabon goes down for the count!
Sweeney keeps him busy, Stabon visits the healers, Nightstalker restocks his goods, and I escort Stabon and make sure his emotions are in check.
...
(Okay, I lied.)
(I was hoping Palvarik would go for the rez kill and I'd have front row seats to both the blood bath and his pockets.)
(And... it looks like Nightstalker was thinking the same!)With Palvarik back at the bank, me and Nighstalker close in fast...
...but not fast enough.
Nightstalker: He didn't go through.
Nightstalker: He's hiding.
(I'm thinking the same.)But we were both wrong (again!) and we waste precious seconds and we dive in after the prize.
Stabon catches up, Nightstalker fumbles over me and me over him, and Sweeney... beats us to the punch.
I recieve a message from Sweeney and just like that... it's over.
(You son of a bitch.)
(I guess Sweeney had a better place to perch while the rest of us were chasing our tales.)
Those were my Legendary Detective Boots.
Ah, no matter. The upstart was gone and he doesn't come back. Normally I'd call it a day, but there was one loose end that needed tying. And if you know me with my perversion to loose ends (and I think you do), this one required extra attention and a little finess.With the action all but over, Enervate shows up, begins to mine, and picks up where he left off.
With nothing left to steal, Nightstalker returns with a crafty crafter (slave children) to mine some ore of his own... and I think we have the same idea.Chad Sexington: (Tell him a bunch of thieves tried to make him wear a Jester's Hat.)
--But before Nighstalker could speak, Enervate had a warning of his own.
(Ya don't say?)
(Yeah, Palvarik sure taught him a lesson. ^^)
Chad Sexington: (Ask him if he wants you to make him a hat.)
We all chime in. On this day, Slave Children speaks on behalf of all of Barter Town.
Slave Children: They don't bother me anymore.
Slave Children: I can mine as much as I want.
Slave Children: As long as I wear this hat, they leave me alone.
(But did he bite?)
(Maybe...?)
(Wait for it...)
(BAM!)
(Horray!)
*updates "Mining With Hats" book*
We might be able to celebrate tonight, but how long would it last?
There were no "Westley Sightings" today, but what about tomorrow? How much can you really celebrate when someone with revenge on the brain is just itching to even the score.
This was a very serious (and not funny) situation.
'Til next time!