Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father. They have many stops along the way, but first they must handle a group of particularly annoying invisible illegal toll takers...
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Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend. He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters. Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does. Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust. Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock. Just received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.
Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout. Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers. Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"
Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable, but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades. Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows.
Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places, and finding it often. He has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair. Recently gave birth to another pile of baby worms.
and two new additions....
Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest.
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The trap had been set....
The "Invisible Air Lords" who had established their illegal toll between Riverbend and Fair-Town in the spring had done little to change or improve their spot for larceny, an odd bend in the road that cut through a berm. A large rock and some sticks... and a old stop sign heading upriver with the "Pay the invisible toll or else" had already seen better days.
Strolling down the road from Riverbend was a certain non-descript 10-foot-tall sunflower, wearing an equally large poncho, attempting to ride a stagon... or at least straddling it. A chest was strapped to the back of the beast. He was... singing... like the gormless trader he was portraying.
I'm in the domars...
I'm in the domars...
Can't wait to sell my wares, and get a whole lot more...
Sonny heard a familiar "Halt!" from the forest.
Sonny: Who? What? Where is that?
You.... you have entered the protective domain of the Air Lords. Please... pay your toll and go on your way.
Sonny was still looking around: Who are you?
It does not pertain who we are, besides we are the Air Lords! Pay the toll and you can go on your way, and you can be completely safe. We promise.
Sonny: Okay, what's the toll
FIVE THOUSAND DOMARS!!! Another voice perked up... "That's too much!"
OKAY, FIFTY DOMARS!
Sonny: Okay, I don't have enough domars, but I have this chest.
Sure!
The sunflower awkwardly dismounted from the stagon, unstrapped the chest and left in out the ground, then continued on his way, unmolested.
The chest sat along the side of the road for awhile, until it just appeared to magically float up the berm. No persons or things can be seen carrying it. The chest came to a rest, barely over the berm....
And nothing else happened for awhile.
Sonny had spent a extra few days to fit his latest invention, Curry in a Hurry, inside the old chest they had. He believed he had it jury-rigged to activate the second it was opened. The true plan? Give the chest to the Air Lords as a toll, and once the invisible creatures opened the lid, *WOOSH* the cloud of curry envelopes the illegal toll-takers and allowing the group to see them.
One thing delayed the inevitable: The thirty domar lock Sonny bought for authenticity.
The Air Lords simply could NOT pick the lock. They ultimately resorted to a large rock and multiple attempts. None of the group could see anything, but everyone heard the repeated thuds, the noises finally terminating into a loud crack. A few seconds later the device triggered and the yellow powder shot out into the air.
The second anything even remotely like a shadow could be seen.... Pete opened fire, a laser bolt streaking through the cloud. Followed by Squiggles' shot, then the young worms charged from their position, Speedy, stopping kneel and shoot his musket. Poppy was dropping prone, the butt of the musket hitting the ground awkwardly enough for it to go off into the air.
The cloud swirled as the invisible bodies moved around. Lathar's shot struck true, the impact visible for a moment as one of the creatures fell down.
Everyone began moving in and firing, even though none of them could get a bead on the swirling and dissipating yellow cloud.
Sonny had tied No Name to a tree and ran back, brandishing two pistols. He ran into the faint yellow outlines of a half-dozen smaller primates, with alternating white and black rings on their long tails.
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| The Invisible Air Lords... barely revealed. |
Surrounded, the sunflower went full "Death Blossom" with his exploding seed mutation, sending all of them reeling further into the forest. The sunflower stood there as his weasel and adult worm allies, charged past them in pursuit of the Air Lords.
They came back later... empty handed, allowing the others enough time to retrieve No Name and find at least a nearby stash
- A compass
- A glowing rod
- A glowing rock
- A box of glowing mushrooms
- a few thousand domars from the tolls.
Maybe they did have a good business model...
Next: #118 - Residual Glows
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