[OPEN] THE WRITING EMPORIUM (FREE)

This scene occurs in my game Tales of Yuria 2 between one of the main characters, a warlock named Lacillia. She's been tracking down her mentor that was abducted by bandits in an area called Benham's Lake. She's finally caught up with the group, and her mentor is unconscious. The bandits are Elly (leader), Ruby, and Mornam.

RUBY: Wait! Don't hurt us! Our leader wants to talk first.

LACILLIA: I'm willing to settle this peacefully.

The bandit leader approaches the warlock, her eyes fixated on the pulsating scepter Lacillia holds.

ELLY: You know... nobody dares venture into Benham's Lake. Not since we've started occupying it. We finally kidnap someone worth our time, and he has an able-bodied companion to rescue him. Why is this never easy?

LACILLIA: Are you seeking an apology? I'm sorry...? I will need that man back. He's a grandmaster warlock and not someone you want to be trifling with.

Mornam runs up anxiously.

MORNAM: She's a warlock, Elly! That's gotta count for somethin'!

ELLY: I'm quite aware, Mornam. You and Ruby have told me this a dozen times. I'm attempting to strike a bargain with her, alright?

Lacillia takes a step forward. Elly, Mornam, and Ruby quickly move away.

LACILLIA: That's not an option. Either release him... or face your death.

ELLY: Now calm down. I never said you couldn't have him back. We just need some sort of... compensation.

LACILLIA: We're not striking a deal here. You really don't get it, do you?

A defeated look crosses Elly's face. Her lip quivers gently, and she stutters as the first few words leave her mouth.

ELLY: Oh, I get it just fine. You know what I was before I entered this line of work? A merchant. I used to travel all over Ostragen to sell my goods. I had a manor on a hill overlooking this very lake. Then King Darin passed, gods rest his soul, and that vile little serpent inherited the throne. I lost my merchant license, my family, and my manor. All in one day! King Rilyn saw fit to tax the hell out of me, and when I couldn't afford to pay his insane request, he took everything. My husband packed up his belongings and took our children somewhere up north. I haven't seen them since. Went all the way to Yurl, for all I know!

Lacillia stares at the bandit leader for a moment, flicks a piece of dust off her robe, and finally breaks the awkward silence.

LACILLIA: Sorry, I was listening, but I missed the part where you justify kidnapping an old warlock and then pawning his equipment off for some gold dragons.

Ruby steps forward. Lacillia rolls her eyes.

RUBY: I was part of a fishing crew. Made an honest living catching striped bass, salmon, and catfish off the coast of The Narrow Isles. One day our captain noticed a school of deepdwellers. You know how rare those are? How much gold they fetch on the market? We found it proper to catch as many as possible and sell them at our glorious capital. "We'll be as rich as thieves," our captain said. Wasn't lying, but then King Rilyn found out, and apparently, selling deepdwellers was illegal. Some ridiculous foreign import tax! He took all our coins and threw the entire crew into his dungeon. I spent ten years rotting away in that putrid place before I finally escaped.

LACILLIA: OK, story time is over. You're going to give him back, no questions asked. Understand?

Mornam stumbles forward. Lacillia sighs impatiently.

MORNAM: I was a builder!

LACILLIA: Gods help me...

MORNAM: Built the tallest stone towers in all o' the kingdom!

LACILLIA: Uh huh.

MORNAM: And... then a brick hit me. Right in the head. HARD!

LACILLIA: ...

MORNAM: Haven't been right since.

Iylo-tech was a multinational manufacturer and distributor of robotic technology founded in Boston, Massachusettes. It was comprised of four sectors: Iylo Toys, ARENA-bots, Med-tech, and their Home & Family division (Maid-o-matic, TARANA, Nanny-bot). It ranked among Business Elite's most profitable 100 companies as the 12th largest firm in the United States by gross revenue, and that ranking was predicted to increase further. Before the cataclysmic event happened, the company had announced a new division in Robotic Aviation, and rumors began to circulate of Iylo-tech working closely with the U.S. military on a classified project.