As you can see, I also helped with NPC's in this one. I quite like doing it. It's fun to use one shot or even reoccurring background characters.

And without further ado, we will see what Sir Fumblies is up to.

 
Fumblies had been captured by the Philler Gang and taken to an unknown underground complex. Yet it wasn't all bad as he suspected he could get access to the Knobs and Brutes that had been captured with him. Moreover, that wasn't all that he had discovered he had access to. It seemed that the Philler Gang had been capturing people for weeks and had amassed over three dozen prisoners who represented half a dozen of Honorburg's active gangs and even a few of the cities lesser heroes.

He had been in captivity for thirty-six hours and had seen several fights resulting in a few broken bones and some blood shed. But other than that nothing had really happened other than the rest of those captured in the battle had been taken to other cells. Fumblies was tired of being imprisoned and had been watching the guards to see how often the came by to see him. As he sits there waiting for the guards pass by, he falls asleep.

When Fumblies wakes up he looks around the cell and sees that another fight had broken out after the guards had passed by. Doing a quick count of the situation Fumblies realizes that there forty-five captives in this one cell. Standing up he moves to the center of the room and nods to the others. Taking a deep breath he looks around the room before starting to speak.

"My fellow captives, I have noticed that we are all in the same boat here. All of us have been captured by the Philler Gang for an unknown reason. How many of you are willing to get out of here?" Fumblies waits for a reaction as the others look around uneasily. "There are forty-five of us in here and if we work together we will be able to get out. And as we go we can free more and more from the other cells."

"And just who would be in charge of this escape plan?" This question is asked snidely from a tattooed green mohawk wearing punk.

"Well I was thinking that would be since it is my idea."

This comment is greeted by six rather angry responses.

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard," says an elderly white haired old wisp of a man. "On the other hand, I'm sick of these improv dances constantly breaking out, so I vote we do it."

"Any other comments before I tell you my plan?" asks Fumblies.

A low brow mouth breather with big muscles tentatively holds up his hand.

"Yes?"

"Huh?!" The oddity takes a second to remember his question. "Oh, me remember. Am you part Trollz or some'in? Trollz rool!"

"Half-orc. Now what does that have to do with us getting out here?"

"Trollz rool! Half-orc rulez too!" The Trollz beats his chest repeatedly.

The others just stare.

"I think he's short on his drug," someone else says. "So what's your plan? Maybe we'll like it, and maybe we won't."

"We lure a handful of the guard in and put them out of commission. Now once the guards are out of the way we take their keys and weapons then make our way to the next cells to free any others. Any guards we meet we take out as we look for a way out."

"We tried that mate," says another one with a Really Faraway Land accent in answer to Sir Fumblies. "But trickin' these blokes ain't easy."

"Well what did you try to distract them with?" Fumblies asks in a manner that speaks of the importance of getting all the information out on the table quickly.

"First I tried tellin them there was this smokin hot babe in here that wanted to see 'em," some punk kid says, with wraparound sunglasses and mutant powers which seemed to be oppressed by some device around his neck. "Then Greg the Trollz started yellin' that he'd lost his voice. But the old man had the best ideas.. he said someone was sick.. but that didn't work, even. Then he had us act like we were gonna riot, but no one came in to break it up.. then we almost rioted for real." The punk kid shook his head. "Sad times, man. Sad times."

"I see - have you ever seen what four Knob Goblin Brutes can do in combat?" Fumblies thinks for a minute. "Hell, have any of you ever seen a Knob Goblin Brute in the first place?" As he talks he starts to wave his arms in exasperation but is stopped short by the sudden painful reminder that his arm had been shattered in several places just before he had been captured.

The others collectively shake their head no, and Greg the Trollz asks, "Knob Goblin Brutes rule, too?"

Then the teenager points to the other cell where four Knob Goblin Brutes are sitting on the floor huddled in a group.

Fumblies looks over and smirks in amusement. "Yes Greg. Knob Goblin Brutes rule too." He points to the two Knobs in the cell that are under his command then back at the four Brutes. "Well trust me if they get restless they can break out their cell with ease. Plus I have noticed that the Philler Gang seems to be a bit cocky. So I am going to get their attention and lure a few in here."

"Should we do anything?" someone with a bright blue bandanna asked. "Dance? Play injured?"

"Use your imaginations." Fumblies comments and goes to pound on the door to get the guards attention.

"I pretty princess!" Greg the Troll says, but one of the others elbowed him in the ribs and said softly, "Not like that."

Fumblies turns and chuckles. "Any of you ever been in a bar fight?"

All of them raise their hands except Greg who's head hangs sadly. "Greg no allowed in bars."

Wait, one other kept his hand down. "We're employees of the city council. Of course we've never.. why are you two raising your hands?!" He turns to stare at the others, who have matching white and red outfits on.

"Oh grow up, Timmy," one of the two says.

"Ahh good. I need you to pretend you are in a bar and a fight has just broke out."

Greg scratches his head and Timmy protests meekly as the others start breaking out into a fight.

"No fair, can't use my powers!" the teenage punk complains.

A bunch of guards start pounding on the energy cell door. "Keep it down in there! We ain't gonna put up with this racket anymore!"

"What racket? The folks are just getting to know each other." Fumblies yells back as he keeps pounding on the doors.

"We've taken a vote and we don't believe that!" the head guard yells a few seconds later. "And why are you looking at us like that? Stop it this instant!"

"Well you see those four big guys behind you?" Fumblies points to the cell behind them where the Brutes where. The Brutes hearing the fighting had gotten up and started to get riled up in their cell.

The guards panic, turn, and start smashing their fists on the brutes' cell, yelling for them to stop rioting, and yelling obscene threats at them, but that turned out to be a mistake. This only serves to piss the Brutes off as three grab the fourth and toss him into the energy cell. It isn't a very comfortable ride for the brute as he's hurled through the energy walls and lands on the other guards, but it does an adequate job. The brutes immediately start beating up the Philler guards with, well, brutal efficiency.

This Brute who had been sent through the energy wall is pissed and starts tossing a few of the guards into the cell where the mock bar fight takes care of them. "Okay guys we got the guards out of the way now to get out of here."

"I'm pretty sure you can all stop fighting now!" The elderly one from earlier suggests loudly, bringing a sad end to the faux-fight. The old guy points to Fumblies. "Okay, everyone follow this guy!"

Fumblies points to the guards then the cell wall then pantomimes throwing something. His plan is to uses the guards as ramps over the energy to allow the prisoners to escape. No sooner has Fumblies formulated the plan when several loud and obnoxious alarms go off, and Philler guards start pouring down either side of the hallway attacking!

Figures.

I guess that turned out pretty well. The NPC's, I mean. Anyway, Fumblies has escaped and the alarms have gone off, setting up the Finale. But there's still one last player to bring into the story- "The Dashing Rogue" himself.
    Then- Finale time!