The Quandry Chronicles, Session 2: Tatsu and Mainwaring
Image by Kassi Q
The Quandry Chronicles Book One: The Lost Scarab of the Aethernauts! is an illustrated pulp adventure inspired by the tabletop gaming system Space: 1889 and shot in Second Life. Narrated in sessions like a tabletop campaign, QC will post weekly on Fridays, unless I get a bit ahead of myself 🙂 This week’s a two-parter, so we’re starting a day early!
Tatsu had decided that of their group, the soldier – who had mentioned a brother in the Foreign Office – was more likely to reveal something interesting than the two shy scientists.
She had been staking out his club since dawn. She needn’t have bothered: clearly the good Major kept posh-drunk, not good-soldier, hours.
Finally he emerged. Halfway down the steps he was set upon by a gang of – not ruffians, military haircuts and clean dark suits belied that. The Major roared and swung his huge fists, clearing two from the stairs. He waded in to engage the third – but Tatsu could see he hadn’t noticed the fourth falling back and reaching into the pocket of his coat.
Gun!
Tatsu whipped her Hand Cannon from the folds of her dress, braced herself against the curb, and fired all six barrels at once. The noise was deafening in the small square.
Her shots hit! The fourth attacker exploded into chunks and mist!
Mainwaring quickly dispatched the other three and strode across the square to her, suit and face splashed with gore. She made the gun disappear as he approached.
“Miss Tatsu – my thanks, but – aren’t you some sort of art appraiser?”
She raised a sharp eyebrow and slowly looked him over, toes to top hat. “In need of quite a bit of restoration work,” she said, “but could be worth a tidy sum in the right hands.” She rose and smirked back over her shoulder at him as she walked off.
