There's Always a Price... a mission ft. jerusalem

”I doubt they’re spending their savings for anything benign,” she started, appearing to have been observing the interaction from several metres away. Standing there with a blunt wedged between her lips, she inhaled and caused the tip of what once was an illicit substance to burn as bright as her igneous Magic was known for. Taking the smoke into her lungs, she exhaled through her nose after a few moments.

”They just want it for recreation—most settlements aren’t fortunate enough to have savings in the first place. This place enjoys a lucrative bounty of different livestock, and often benefits from trade with communities lacking in the exact same thing. In short—though I doubt I need to state the obvious,” she continued, her lips curling into an evident sneer while she looked onward.

”They’re shit.”

As if she needed to state the obvious at all. Accustomed to seeing this, she took another hit of the one thing that kept her sane—a lack of sobriety.

---

Notorious B.I.G. | Post 1

A nod followed his inquiry of whether they met before. In fact, she might not have been privy to his movement should that factor been excluded. Had she set her eyes on the situation, she might have spoken anyway, though. There was an additional air of familiarity when it came to the raccoon man before her.

”That’s right. I’m Jerusalem Godfrey, from the guild,” she started in response. It felt refreshing to talk to someone of similar mind for once. Often surrounded by idealists and crusaders, it she incurred the sensation of finding another person who did not give a simple shit anymore. She knew the feeling.

”And you’re Bandit, right? Same guild, Southern Wolves. I only joined the band recently, though.”

Now she felt more in her element. As though the wool had been lifted over her eyes, the encounter already reminded her of the core values she harboured within. Authenticity claimed her words—she really only joined the guild a couple months ago at most.

---

Notorious B.I.G. | Post 2

Jerusalem occupied the short lull in conversation with more smoking. Sucking on the proper end of the paper-wrapped funny leaves, she produced more smoke from both nose and mouth and encouraged her brain to be more receptive to the bullshit of others. For this circumstance, she was almost at a loss for how unnecessary it seemed to be, however.

”Sure. I’m probably thinking too optimistically, but electricity powers and water might give me an advantage when it comes to frying whatever freakshow grew too big for the pond,” she started, and advanced with him in the direction of the river. Jerusalem had no idea what was in store, but word-of-mouth educated her on the contract they established. Take out the pest, get the money. And money served her obsessions well.

She sneered. ”Even if we’re too fast with this, I’m sure there’s nothing we can’t coerce out of them by twisting a few arms in the wrong direction.”

---

Notorious B.I.G. | Post 3

”I do that a lot. I have two types of Magic – one of them being Napalm, and the other being Lightning – the latter runs its course through the body fast before grounding itself. Unless I keep pumping it into them. Still, it’s good for warning shots, a little tease, before I just set them on fire and watch. I’d like to show you how soothing watching things burn can be,” she elaborated, unable to resist talking about her favourite thing.

The part of her that ended up causing her own alienation and frustration over the years – damned because she could not call herself a boring Stepford Smiler with a tendency to bend over at every opportunity for others to prove superiority for validation.

With an eye fixed on the rushing waters ahead, Jerusalem continued to speak in response to Bandit. A rare commodity for her, dry laughter emanated from her when she heard about the ill-fates of the people who failed to pay up.

”I’ll make it faster. A few shocks or fireworks go a long way. It’ll keep them paying up on time in the future, too.”

---

Notorious B.I.G. | Post 4

It was not often people told her that they enjoyed the idea of watching a man or woman burn alive. Lips curling into a sneer of her own at the prospect, she thought that their partnership would be a fascinating one. Most people turned the other way or subjected her to endless amounts of emotional abuse when she grew up. Nowadays, the cowards tended to avoid her or face the consequences of becoming eligible to roast marshmallows on. In contrast, Bandit took interest in the idea of her morbid obsession.

”Oh, these days barely even scratch the surface. When I was just a brat, I hard trouble controlling it. Combined with the pyromania, we had to leave many communities out of fear of them trying to burn me at the stake,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she directed her attention aimlessly ahead. ”Rumours kept spreading though. It was a game of figuring out the place most tolerant.”

A momentary pause as she glanced towards her hand. Opening it and closing it, she stared at her palm as though reading its lines for her fate.

”Thankfully, I burned all their faces and names into memory.”

---

Notorious B.I.G. | Post 5

The river ran deep. Its center possessed a deep, dark blue, effortlessly obscuring what lurked within. A presence approached with frightening swiftness, submerged all within an atmosphere that threatened to suffocate with ceaseless blood-thirst, ferocity and hunger.

A snake-like creature erupted from the water with a demonic screech, echoing throughout the shivering woodlands. It bore more than one pair of fangs, a maw born from nightmares made manifest, and its body was alight with arcs of electricity.

Already, it had a taste for the one standing before it around the shallow portion of the river. It did not delay in snapping towards him, attempting to seize him in its mouth and swallow the creature whole.

HP: 150/150 | MP: 114/120

SPOILER: Click to show

ATK: 15+5
DEF: 13
AC: 23
HEAL: 00
STAM: 15
Level: 05

OFFENSIVE.

Defense
Attack 1. Hit or miss.
Attack 2. Hit or miss.
Damage received: ??
Conditions: ??

Offense
Standard Action. Magic Attack+ Notorious B.I.G.
— Attack Roll: FVx|J4o0 +20
— Condition Roll:
Bonus Action.
— Effect: ??
Potential damage: 40

MP used: 10
MP regenerated: 06

Inventory
Stuff goes here.

“Understandable. Pants are dumb,” he replied. It was his final comment before his focus was forced towards the gaping, elongated maw that was the creature terrorizing the river.

“...Holy Zeus level of FUCK--” And then the beast swept by where Bandit once stood in an instant. It reeled its head up to allow gravity to do most of the swallowing for it, but meet the heel of Bandit instead. Its head was forced into whatever semblance of neck it may or may not have had. How and when Bandit got above it to deliver some variety of axe kick was difficult to tell.

It roared and with its fangs bared, Bandit took hold of them on the way down and broke them off. “Gimmie those,” he spat as he landed back in the water. His form distorted and blurred from where he landed to about four yards back. He eyed the fangs quickly pushed them into the bag at his back.

“Gonna be usin' those!” he exclaimed.

HP: 200/200 | MP: 116/120

SPOILER: Click to show

ATK: 00
DEF: 31
AC: 41
HEAL: 00
STAM: 10
Level: 04

MAGIC.

Defense
Attack 1. miss.
Attack 2. Hit or miss.
Damage received: ??
Conditions: ??

Offense
Standard Action. Counter
— Attack Roll:
— Condition Roll:
Bonus Action.
— Effect: ??
Potential damage: 40

MP used: 10
MP regenerated: 06

Inventory
Tier 1 Weapon.

7