Grand Line Adventures IC - Part 2

"Think I'll just go with deep breathing as if I'm out of breath and maybe trip..." Boomer shurgs not really caring that much into how to do this act of being "sick". "And that act is more likely to get you shot then anything else."

"...Perhaps some subtlety might be better for your..."performance", 62," Torque said as they made their way over to Carat's hiding place. "Hello, Carat. Let me fill you in on what happened. When boarding Kukris's ship, we came across an iron chest. Unfortunately, it turned out to release some toxins, with Kukris having the only antidote. Fortunately, Tortoise inhaled most of it, and we were able to cure it (although it was by no means a simple endeavor). However, Kukris currently has our captain as a hostage, so we'll need to get inside."

"The plan at this point is for the rest of us to act sick and "surrender". Kukris will open the doors, and then we'll try and find an appropriate time and place to strike. Since you weren't there when the chest was opened, you don't have to act sick, just look defeated and stay alert."

"Any questions?"

"Considering it is likely that I will be separated from you guys soon after entering, unless we 'strike' before then, then I at least am able to contact most of you, with about a minute of leisure, in the same way I sent that message to Shallow." She sighs and grows to her normal size, luster returning to her body. "They have only ever seen me at my normal size, as far as I know, so my ability to change size should be unknown to them. Unless... did something happen while I was asleep last? I know I fell asleep on our ship, then woke up on theirs, but I had assumed it was Tusken. Was it not? How much did they see?"

"That is a good idea too, though whose mane should I hide in?"

(OOC: does anypony have ability Inkbound Item?)

"Mine's cut short," said Sixty-Two, flipping through his Spellbook. "But on the other hoof I have an entire alternate dimension you could hide in if you wished."

He took in a short breath. "Fractal Fractacus," he said, reading the words from the page. (Not that he needed to, but best to always be safe.) A small portal leading into a swirling mass of...darkness?...appeared next to his head...and then a book fell out. "Huh. What's that?"

Spoiler:

Carat looks at it skeptically, but still gets small. "Would I still be able to communicate with you? I know that I could always send you more short messages, but how could you talk to me without having to open that? How would I be able to know what is happening outside?"

"It may be more of a "don't call us, we'll call you" sort of thing. 62 will summon you, with probably a shout to grow big or a whisper to be stealthy or something."

"Alright, everypony, we're going in. Once they take us inside, it might be prudent to let them guide us to the holding cells, both to get a bit of bearings on the base and to figure out where our captain is. Since Carat is our "wild card", we have a few more options. Now, remember: we are sick, tired, and defeated."

Torque mentally prepared himself, then stepped out from behind the rock. He wobbled a bit, his face trying to hold some degree of dignity despite his condition. "Please, don't fire! We are surrender*cough cough*...surrendering! Kukris, I am Torque Szarnowski of the Bright Eyes Pirates. As we haven't blown ourselves to bits, you have probably already figured out that we ran afoul *COUGH wheeze* of your toxin trap. You have our exit blocked, you have our captain, and *hack cough cough* you have our only hope for surviving the next few hours."

A coughing fit brought Torque down to his knees, and he tried to recompose himself, but gave a clear look of defeat. "The day is yours, Kukris!" he yelled desperately.
Roll Persuasion...10 (1d20) + 11 = 21

Carat sighs and quickly jumps into the portal so that 62 can shut it and follow Torque.

Lyntermas wrote:
Torque mentally prepared himself, then stepped out from behind the rock. He wobbled a bit, his face trying to hold some degree of dignity despite his condition. "Please, don't fire! We are surrender*cough cough*...surrendering! Kukris, I am Torque Szarnowski of the Bright Eyes Pirates. As we haven't blown ourselves to bits, you have probably already figured out that we ran afoul *COUGH wheeze* of your toxin trap. You have our exit blocked, you have our captain, and *hack cough cough* you have our only hope for surviving the next few hours."

A coughing fit brought Torque down to his knees, and he tried to recompose himself, but gave a clear look of defeat. "The day is yours, Kukris!" he yelled desperately.
Roll Persuasion...10 (1d20) + 11 = 21

A few moments pass before the gate to the fort opens up. Out comes a group of about ten marines almost all of them are focusing guns on the crew. Then leader of the group ,a scarred Pegasus mare, shouts "On the ground all of you!" At the same time a pony at the rear of the group readies enough chains to bind together all of the crew.

"Not the trusting sort, are they?" Torque got down on the ground, but kept his eyes wide open. If they were going to take them inside the base, he wanted to make sure he got as much detail as he could: guard placement, room layout, the works.

Rolling Perception...14 (1d20) + 8 + 3(Sharp Eyes) = 25

Shallow hung his head low, lacking his usual display of energy, silent, and submissive. "Wat' becomes of us, den?", he asked.

Perception:

Boomer acts as if she's out of it and trips on her feet when commanded to get down... And she keeps to breathing deep as if she was out of breath.

Sixty-Two hides his face quickly as he gets on the ground...

Spoiler:

Lyntermas wrote:"Not the trusting sort, are they?" Torque got down on the ground, but kept his eyes wide open. If they were going to take them inside the base, he wanted to make sure he got as much detail as he could: guard placement, room layout, the works.

Rolling Perception...14 (1d20) + 8 + 3(Sharp Eyes) = 25

As the crew is lead through the base manages to memorize the path back out of the base also he notices that most of the marines are posted closer to the perimeter and he gets a decent idea of the few interior patrolling guards routes.

Zarhon wrote:Shallow hung his head low, lacking his usual display of energy, silent, and submissive. "Wat' becomes of us, den?", he asked.

Perception:

Most of the marines that Shallow sees are relatively calm outwardly but fearful inside, in decent moral, most are Earth ponies with Pegasi coming in a distant second. Shallow oddly enough doesn't see any magic at all...

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:Sixty-Two hides his face quickly as he gets on the ground...

Spoiler:

No one appears to recognize 62... but one of the marines does wink at the crew as it passes.

After a few minutes of walking the crew is lead into Kukris's office. The room is dominated by a full sized wrestling ring and several thousand pounds worth of weight lifting equipment. Sitting at a desk in the center of the ring is Kukris flashing a toothy grin at all of you as you enter.

Boomer couldn't help herself but chuckle at amusement when she saw wrestling ring. "Wow... Really? This is how you decorate your own office? I like you..."

"A strange pon', yah' be, Kukris. Yah' obviously respect power and vigor of body, yet yah' employ toxins dat' cripple and steal away da' same?", Shallow asked with a frown.

"I must say this is the most...interesting Marine office I've been to." Torque looked over at Kukris. "I must confess you got us with your double-trapped chest. However, if your plan has pirates blowing up and trapping your ship as step 1, then either the chest is a last-chance fallback, or you have a ridiculously high budget allotted for repairs to your ship."

"But down to matters at hand. Where is our captain, where is the antidote, and what do you have planned for us?"

Xel Unknown wrote:Boomer couldn't help herself but chuckle at amusement when she saw wrestling ring. "Wow... Really? This is how you decorate your own office? I like you..."

The masked pony gives a quick nod of thanks.

Zarhon wrote:"A strange pon', yah' be, Kukris. Yah' obviously respect power and vigor of body, yet yah' employ toxins dat' cripple and steal away da' same?", Shallow asked with a frown.

"It works" Kukris rumbles out.

Lyntermas wrote:"I must say this is the most...interesting Marine office I've been to." Torque looked over at Kukris. "I must confess you got us with your double-trapped chest. However, if your plan has pirates blowing up and trapping your ship as step 1, then either the chest is a last-chance fallback, or you have a ridiculously high budget allotted for repairs to your ship."

"But down to matters at hand. Where is our captain, where is the antidote, and what do you have planned for us?"

"HHHAHHHAHHHA you are correct on the first." Kukris's grin then fades away. "Regrettably your Captain has already been sent away attached to my own personal Rock Gull.  Some up and coming officer offered twenty times the listed bounty for him to be delivered alive and well to her. I am of the thought that she is either his wife or his sister given that the family names were the same and the lengths she went to." Kukris then breaks out into an even larger grin. "My gut is telling me that you are bluffing," Kurkis briefly shrugs "don't worry though if I'm wrong I'll just give you the cure as soon as you hit the second stage. Now what to do what to do... I could put all of you into solitary confinement but who am I to deny a pony the right to fight for their life? I will give you a choice you can try to fight me and then try to escape or you can be sent to solitary where there is no hope for escape."

Kukris wrote: Kukris's grin then fades away. "Regrettably your Captain has already been sent away attached to my own personal Rock Gull.  Some up and coming officer offered twenty times the listed bounty for him to be delivered alive and well to her. I am of the thought that she is either his wife or his sister given that the family names were the same and the lengths she went to."

"Confound it all!" Torque stamped on the ground. It seemed there wasn't anything they could do for Captain Gearspin. Still, if he had been sent to family (Marine or otherwise), he shouldn't have it that bad. At least, up until they could rescue him. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us where he was sent, would you?"

Kukris wrote:"Now what to do what to do... I could put all of you into solitary confinement but who am I to deny a pony the right to fight for their life? I will give you a choice you can try to fight me and then try to escape or you can be sent to solitary where there is no hope for escape."

"...Something tells me that isn't standard Marine procedure. Still, your crew does allow pirates to pass in exchange for tolls, and I can't imagine there's much else entertainment in this remote area. So, would the fight be one on one, or our whole team against you? I...don't think I'd last very long with the first option, given your impressive display earlier."

"Regrettably your Captain has already been sent away attached to my own personal Rock Gull.  Some up and coming officer offered twenty times the listed bounty for him to be delivered alive and well to her. I am of the thought that she is either his wife or his sister given that the family names were the same and the lengths she went to."

"Yahahahah, yah' can't argue wit' family, I suppose. Shame he didn't mention dem' to us."

"I could put all of you into solitary confinement but who am I to deny a pony the right to fight for their life? I will give you a choice you can try to fight me and then try to escape or you can be sent to solitary where there is no hope for escape."

Fight for our lives, yah' say - yah' got an execution planned for us already? And if we are tah' choose tah fight yah' and later evade yah' Marines, are we tah' do dis' both restrained and disadvantaged?", Shallow points out, nodding to their chains. "Looks a bit stacked in yah' favor, pon."

"What is life other than freedom? Yes, all of you against me that is the only decent way. I will give you the key as soon as you step into the ring."

"I think I'd be up for a match if the rest of you are." Torque smirked. "Besides, it's not every day you get a Marine willing to give you a fair fight."