intro | day 104

[tacosgay]

Listen.

[The voice that comes over the public channel is... odd, and new to most folks here. He pauses for a bit, as if that's the entire thought-- but, sure enough, he follows it with an obviously annoyed question.]

So we're just kind of... here, because they say so? Like... this can't be legal, can it? Has anybody tried talking to the fuckin' police about this?

[As he speaks, he gets increasingly irritated, his voice breaking.]

I'm gonna be real with you guys: I've got half a mind to just kinda magic my way out, except I'm pretty sure the Ringleader or whatever would come after me. Is that a thing?

Comments

[whattaprick]

Why don't you try it and find out?

[ Super helpful, this one. ]

[tacosgay]

See, I don't know if you know this, but dying hurts. I'm not real eager to find out if it actually sticks here or not.

[whattaprick]

Too bad. Was kind of looking forward to seeing how it turned out.

[tacosgay]

Sorry to disappoint, my dude, but hey, look at it this way: you can always give it a shot for yourself, right? Go give that the ol' college try. I'll check in later and see how that went.

[whattaprick]

I would, except I signed up for a proper contract instead of getting stuck with a debt. That's the thing about being somewhere voluntarily: you don't really have a reason to break out.

[tacosgay]

Wait, lemme get this straight... you signed up for this deliberately? Why?

[whattaprick]

Let's put it this way: this definitely isn't the worst job I've ever had.

Besides, the perks aren't bad. You can ask for just about anything for your contract except bringing back the dead.

[tacosgay]

Anything, huh?

[That sure beats the hell out of his current perks from working at the BoB. Pff.]

So what'd you sign a year of your life away for?

[whattaprick]

Revenge.

[ And though they've never met in person, the dark amusement in his voice doesn't make it terribly hard to imagine the smirk on his face. Taako's not going to get more detail than that, though. ]

So, if you're a magician, does that mean you'll be performing in the next show?

[tacosgay]

I'm a wizard. I don't do kids' parties, for fuck's sake.

Revenge, though... that's some heavy shit, my dude.

[He sounds... surprisingly serious about that last bit, at least when compared with his usual tone.]

[whattaprick]

If I'm signing away a year of my life, it better be something worth it.

So what do you do, then?

[tacosgay]

Transmutation is my main wheelhouse. Plus the occasional fireball or black, nasty tentacles, when necessary.

[whattaprick]

Alchemy, shapeshifting, or both?

The tentacles are a new one for me, though.

[tacosgay]

Both. The tentacles are on loan from the other schools of magic, technically, but, you know. It's important to branch out sometimes.

[whattaprick]

Wouldn't know, since I'm not a mage. But I'll take your word for it.

[tacosgay]

Wizard, technically. Though I guess I'm not 100% on what the difference is.

[whattaprick]

More or less means the same thing where I come from.

[tacosgay]

Oh. Welp. Live and learn, I guess.

So what's that make you? A normie?

[whattaprick]

Hah, good one. You really think anyone around here is normal?

I'm a witcher. [ And since that will make absolutely zero sense-- ] Basically a monster hunter for hire. Got promoted to being a supervisor about a month ago.

[tacosgay]

From what I've seen and heard? Yeah, no, good point.

Oh hell yeah, my dude. Sounds kinda like what my flunkies back home and I did. Except, you know, instead of monsters, we hunt... stuff, I guess. Magical stuff!

[whattaprick]

Treasure hunters, then?

[tacosgay]

Wwweeeeelllllllllll... sort of. More like... treasure destroyers? We retrieve these really powerful magic items and bring them back to our moon base to blow them up.

[whattaprick]

[ There's a brief pause. ]

Because they're dangerous, or just for fun?

[tacosgay]

Well... mostly the first one. Also, we get paid to do it, so that's nice.

[whattaprick]

If it was an easy job, people would be taking out their own magical trash. Getting paid just seems fair.