Osiris Open 2017 Round 1: Josette vs Zelrius

"The Iron Cemetary was where all the ghosts of Ettermire took residence. Twisting towers of scrap metal climbed high into the sky, emalgamating with piled high rusty pipes and clay debris from discarded kilns. Sometimes the homeless used the corroding metal girders as bunk beds while the rain railed against the cracked glass and failed metal work of the Dark Elves. In winter they would set a fire made from rubber and watch the thick black smoke disappear into the bitter air. They would cook fish stolen from the harbour nets and share apples poached from the commercial orchards on the hill. When a new waste dump from Ettermire's factories came, the pecking order decided who got to move in. First dibs went to the stronger kids. Sometimes the lower ranks got mixed up with who was the boss of who and there'd be a punch up, especially if some kid had shot up a few inches and put on some muscle.

The Iron Cemetary was a graveyard for Ettermire's cast offs, but to some, it was home."

Brotherhood report #010

Ettermire was a city of life and light. The towers that reached toward the star-specked sky glowed with a variety of different electric bulbs, each in different states of experiment and production. Their various hues, some a brilliant white, others a softer yellow, were dimmed only slightly by the heavy smog that curtained the area. To a distant traveler, it merely looked like a thick fog had enveloped the buildings, the streets, the lights. Still, the latter glowed on, beckoning to that lone traveler like a siren to a sailor.

If Ettermire was a city of life and light, its massive junkyard promised only death and darkness. Though these towers rivaled their more lively cousins in height, they cast dark shadows rather than warm light. As such, the small fires that dotted the miles of dumping ground stood in sharp contrast. She was too far away to see them, but Josette Hawkes knew that the hunched figures of Alerar's less fortunate crowded close to those flames that reeked of oil and rubber. Earlier that evening, the knight had stopped to speak with one of these small communities, and though she had been quite clear in her request, they had simply stared back at her with sunken eyes and slack expressions. Nearly all had been elderly, she had noted immediately, as if the weakest had been culled from the herd and left to rot with the rest of the outdated equipment. No, Josette had decided as she made a hasty retreat, these people had not seen a short brunette walk by. She wondered if they saw much of anything anymore.

So the woman in the iron armor continued her search for Rayleigh Aston entirely unaided, preferring to avoid further interactions with the Iron Cemetery's residents. She had battled honest-to-goodness undead in the past, and these men and women demonstrated more similarities than differences. As such, while her right hand clutched the swinging lantern, the left remained perched atop the hilt of her sword.

While she walked, Josette watched for the missing mechanic, her eyes glued to where her ring of light was finally consumed by darkness. Initially, she had been annoyed upon realizing that she needed the woman's help; constructing a trap large enough to capture one of Althanas' most cunning creatures was far outside of the knight's realm of knowledge. Since then, however, the annoyance had morphed to hot frustration from not being able to locate her. The tavern keepers provided no aid, though a few recognized her from the description, leading Josette to wonder how much time Rayleigh spent atop a bar stool. Most mechanics she encountered knew the mousy woman by name, but none could offer any insight as to where she was. It was not until a few hours ago, as dusk had settled, that Josette finally decided to return to the place where she first met the woman. Odds were likely that the mechanic was indulging in her favorite unlawful pastime - stealing from the city's massive junkyard. To make matters worse, Josette and Rayleigh had nearly been killed by one of the Cemetery's beast the last time they had been there.

It was because of this frustration, still crackling hotly in Josette's veins, that there was an edge to the woman's tone when she finally spotted her target. Rayleigh was bent beneath a cloak of darkness, tugging at a pipe that protruded like a sturdy tree limb, and failed to notice as the knight moved up behind her. "You just never learn, do you?"

Round 1 is over! Josette wins by default!

Josette receives 95 EXP and 15 GP!