GM: Prestant, a few hours of perusing and asking around the underground market have lead you to a small isolated alchemist stall in the back. Various consignments in bottles, jars, and vials are all labelled and spread out in the front of the stall. The back of the stall is covered in beakers, test tubes, and various decanting devices. Black and purple ooze drips slowly from one of them. The man behind the counter looks a sickly green, but as you look closer, you realise he is not an orc, or even a goblin, he is an oozeling. His body is viscous and semi-transparent. You are not sure how his white ruffled shirt is staying dry.
"Can I help you? Or did you just come to gawk at me?" he says with a bubbling stream.
Prestant: "Didn't mean to stare, I was just told you were the one to talk to if I wanted to get my…" I try to think of a good lie, "woman in line."
GM: "You a guard?"
Prestant: "What? No."
GM: "Cause you know you gotta tell me if your a guard. That's like the law."
Prestant: "No, it isn't… But that doesn't matter because I am not a guard."
GM: "Alright. I got ten capsules of Haze." he places a small pouch on the table, it looks exactly like the one that you took it off of Zep. "One hundred gold pieces."
Prestant: "I was hoping for a bit more than that. More like a few hundred capsules." I bluff, hoping a big number will get him to direct me higher up.
GM: "Gods man, what is your woman an elder dragon? What could you possibly need with that many capsules?"
Prestant: "You got me." I raise my hands disarmingly. "Its not for my woman, it is for my business. We deal in lost women." I use the euphemism for slaves.
[Prestant rolls an Influence (+3) check and gets a 6.]
GM: "I don't care if you work for the First Shaman himself, you ain't getting that sort of product. Now, do you want the ten Haze or not?"
Prestant: "I'll be back." I walk off.
GM: "Sure you will…" you hear him bubble under his breath. The oozeling's stall gurgles behind you as the market swallows you again.
Prestant: I pinch the bridge of my nose as I know I failed but at least I have the seller now, I can follow him later, follow him back to the supplier.
GM: A hand catches your sleeve. Small. Perfumed with cheap spice and sweeter underneath.
"Looking for a good time, baby?" The woman is short and stacked, curves tied into a dress two sizes too brave. Painted lips. A fake mole. Big eyes that drink you in. "I've got a private nook. Won't cost much."
Prestant: "No, thank you." I glance past her, looking for Sundae. "Not tonight."
GM: She pouts, then smiles slowly. "Hard day? I do discounts for heroes."
Prestant: "I'm engaged."
GM: She tuts. "She doesn't need to know."
Prestant: "I said no. Kindly."
GM: Her mouth quirks. Her shoulders roll. Her hair brightens to white, lengthens. The fake mole vanishes. Ears unfurl and flop into place. The dress melts into leather straps and buckles that hug a familiar body. The perfume becomes Sundae's usual scent.
Sundae: "Good boy."
Prestant: "Sundae?" I'm surprised, but then it comes to me. "What's with the False Face spell?"
Sundae: I wiggle my cottontail, then tap my lips with a finger. "I was bored. Though you passed the test. Said no to a sexy lady like a saint. Proud of you."
Prestant: "I'm not a saint, I'm busy." I angle my head toward the stall. "Found a Haze pusher. He wouldn't bite on bulk. We need to wait for his courier and follow."
Sundae: "Smart. You looked a bit grumpy, though. Thought I'd cheer you up."
Prestant: "By propositioning me for sex?"
Sundae: "Works on nine out of ten grumps. You're the tenth. Which is why you're adorable."
Prestant: "So why are you actually disguised?"
Sundae: "To keep myself safe." I pout.
Prestant: I pinch the bridge of my nose harder. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"
Sundae: "Just a wee tiny itty bitty bit of debt to the Silver Fangs."
Prestant: "For the gods sake Sundae, the Silver Fangs? As if we didn't have enough on our plate already."
Sundae: "Sorry Pressy, we don't have to worry about them for at least a week so try not to think about it."
Prestant: I just blink at Sundae a few times, take a deep breath and exhale. I find it extremely hard to stay mad at Sundae, I always have. "Its ok. How do you feel about tailing this guy?"
Sundae: "I'm a bunnykin, I love tailing."
GM: You both settle into the shadows near the oozeling's stall, tucked behind a stack of crates that reek of fermented fish. You watch the vendor peddle his wares to the occasional customer, small vials changing hands for coin. Hours crawl past. Finally, the oozeling begins packing up. He seals his bottles, loads them into a leather satchel.
Sundae: I nudge Prestant. "He's moving."
Prestant: "Keep back."
Sundae: "This isn't my first rodeo." I wink and then follow.
GM: The oozeling oozes through the thinning crowd. You follow at a distance, weaving through the crowds. He climbs the spiral staircase back to street level, emerging from the clocktower into Dilmer's evening gloom.
[Sundae rolls a Stealth (+5) check and gets a 21.]
You remain undetected as you follow the oozeling. His path takes you deeper into a lower-class quarter where buildings lean against each other like drunks. Cracked cobblestones. Washing lines strung between balconies. The smell of cheap cooking oil and unwashed bodies. He stops at a narrow apartment building, its façade stained with soot. Without ceremony, he slips through the front door.
Sundae: I slump. "That's it? He just went home?"
Prestant: "That's good. Now we know where he lives. We can come back, lean on him when there is less people around."
Sundae: "I was hoping for a dramatic confrontation with the Red Chief or something."
Prestant: "Life's rarely that convenient. Come on, let's meet the others."
GM: You turn to leave and find your path blocked. Two orcs step from an alleyway, big and rough. Leather armour. Crude weapons. Their eyes fix on Sundae with unmistakable intent.
"Well, well," the first one leers. "Look what we got here. A hoe bunny all ripe for the picking."
Sundae: My ears flatten. "We don't want trouble."
GM: "Neither do we, sweet thing." The second orc grins, showing yellowed tusks. "Just want to show you a real good time. Get you on some big green cock."
Prestant: I step between them and Sundae. "Walk away. Now."
GM: "Fuck off, human. This ain't your business."
Prestant: Sparks flicker across my eyes. "I won't ask again."
GM: The first orc draws a club. "I said fuck off!"
Roll initiative at disadvantage as these are a group of orcs.
[Prestant rolls Initiative (+0) and gets a 12. Sundae rolls Initiative (+3) and gets a 6, she uses her Cheat class ability to raise it to 10.]
GM: You both get two actions. The orcs lumber forward, weapons raised. What do you do?
Prestant: I want to end this fast so I point at both of them, my fingers in the shape of guns. Fire swirls around my arms and shoots out towards each of them.
[Prestant echo casts Flame Dart and deals 28 damage to the first orc and 27 to the other.]
GM: Both orcs go flying back and smash into the wall behind them covered in flames. They are both knocked out by the attack and heavily burnt.
Sundae: "Damn boy, that was kinda hot." I look at both of the defeated orcs. "Very hot… you roasted them."
Prestant: "We best leave before we draw any more attention to ourselves."