TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY FOUR
(I/C)
“So, Scriptorium or Butcher’s now?” Wyn asked.
Brendon held up his worn towel. “I’d like to clean this if that’s ok, first.”
“And I wouldn’t mind warming up,” Kovid added.
“I agree, that pool was cold and yucky,” the Scout added. “Let me just wash out my towel for a minute, I can hang it to dry wherever we decide to sleep. THEN, we can go off to the Scriptorium.”
The dwarf continued, “We know it’s pretty quiet down here, other than the woman that ran away.... Think she’s bringing reinforcements? Otherwise we can continue the search for Big Brain Lannis. Maybe he went to The Butcher’s after all.”
Abraxas crossed his arms. “We should find our missing chiquita antes we warm ourselves.”
“Let’s keep searching,” Lyra sighed, giving a little shiver. “We should check both the Butchers and the Scriptorium. I’m fine with drying often after we find him. There’s that... changing room in that area too. He might be hiding in there or something.”
“Eh, it makes more sense to check el Carcinera's.” Abraxas smirked, “After all, there is a bed there que Señor Le'snake can hide under. Plus hay es un puerto with a lock on it. Also comida. Makes the most sense for anyone of us to go to. Scriptamemorium y el Classroom have no real value as Hidey holes, do they?”
“You got a point,” Kovid grunted, “Maybe he went to The Butcher’s after all.”
“Si! It’s estupido to not go there and go to the Scarabinostrum. No food, no obvious place to hide, no locks on the door. Seems a bad place to hide to me. Wouldn't having a Cerebro Grande mean he would know the best place to hide? Seems like El Carcinera's would be that place. I agree con Señor Koalavid."
Wyn nodded, “Put away your towel, Monsiuer Du Lac, for now, and we’ll go look for de wizarding wonder. We have to walk passed the Scriptorium to get to the Butchers’ room. We can cover both in de next 20 minutes. Scriptorium first. Allons-y.”
Leaving the area around the Ishtari Baths behind, the party continued walking through the Catacombs and past the long dead ape and stirges who had gotten rather rank and rotting. “Remember when Big Brain hid in the closet,” Kovid chuckled, “Damn, that feels like 7 months ago.”
“Try 6 days,” Brendon scoffed. “Has anyone noticed how relaxing it is now. Even though we’re being hunted it’s still peaceful. There’s no.... annoying...”
“I hear dat,” Wyn agreed. “But we still gotta find him.”
“If we can’t, can we burn his hat?”
“I’ll bring the marshmallows,” Lyra suggested.
The group walked on in silence to the stairs going up where Kovid sighed, “Big Brain would have had a fat joke after that comment, Lass.”
“I know,” the Cleric frowned, “I noticed that. I miss the scrawny pervert in some way, you know?”
“Let’s go find him and make sure he is bueno!”
The door at the top of the stairs was closed and after the Scout checked it out (no roll needed), he led the party through and then the group continued on their way up the Barracks’ Hallway, the second stairs, and eventually the corner. Listening and peering around with care (WMC: Red/Black 5 – no), Brendon assured the group the coast was clear and the party continued on their way down the Main Hall.
The “T” where the Orcs had been working earlier and ran off was still unmanned, the brutes still gone. They continued on passing the open door to the Classroom and peering in as they made their way to the next North Hall. The room had been hit with a firebomb, everything was burned and smashed, and the opposite door running north was also ajar. (Lannis: >Hear Noise, Pink 11 – no) Not wanting to tarry, the party stayed silent and continued on.
As the next hall they checked it out (no roll needed) and Brendon led the group to the Scriptorium, pushing the door the rest of the way open. Like the Classroom, the chamber had been burned and burned horribly. In addition, the long dormant trap had been sprung in the oil fire blast and the far eastern end of the room about 5’ out from the wall was sitting at a 30 degree angle towards the blasted wall. The room stunk to hell of burnt oil and it was obvious from all the soot coating everything that Lannis was not in here.
But, Kovid and Brendon did note that there was half a horse statue, relatively clean and broken along the mid section of its body, tossed in the center of the chamber. “What the hell is that doing there?” Kovid muttered.
And the group almost jumped when Lannis’ head covered in patchy soot and filth floated up from the open gulf on the far end of the room and the Magic User asked, “Do you have my hat?”
“Thor’s Drunken Fuckfest!” Kovid swore, stepping in with Brendon. “You scared us Big Brain!”
“Eet is good to see you, Monsieur!” Wyn said, following the other two into the room but staying on the safe side of the chamber. “Dat is very disconcerting.”
“Senor, how are you floating there?”
Lannis reached out and grabbed the end of the floor, pulling himself closer and then levitating out of the oil pit. “Spell. I was desperate.”
“So, you figured you’d hide in the middle of a burned out oil pit,” Lyra asked condescendingly.
"If it means anything to you, I was hiding from Hoots and some kind of patrol, and I wasn't exactly going to go wandering off alone looking for you guys."
The party had the chance to look him over. He was filthy with smeared soot and oily greasy residue from his hair down to his feet. His face had a massive welt on the side of his head and had left a bloody crusty trail down to his chin. He seemed tired and his eyes were red and bloodshot, and there was a weariness about him that wasn’t there earlier.
“So why’d you run,” Brendon asked, making sure the door was closed behind us while Wyn and Kovid had the wizard finally standing upright on the safe section of the Scriptorium. “Could have used you. Li’l Man almost died.” He pointed to Lyra. “And she swallowed enough water to float a small schooner.”
"It was a fear spell,” he replied, tilting his waterskin back and taking a long swallow.
“I suspected dat had happened,” Wyn nodded.
Lannis shrugged, “It’s not like I had a choice, not like you guys probably didn’t just assume the worst of me."
“No, we did,” Kovid replied. “So where’s the Owlbear. And here is where you ended up? No place closer or safer?”
"You wouldn't believe me anyway, just go ahead thinking I just ran off to hide in a corner somewhere, that's what Lannis would do.” He crossed his arms and pouted, “Jerks."
“Glad to see he’s back to his normal self,” Brendon shook his head. “Seriously. Hoots? We heard him earlier. Is he close? Where is safe to hide. What can you tell us?”
Throwing his hands up, he barked, “Fine! The spell made me run and I fell down some stairs.”
“Looks like it,” Lyra commented.
“Thankfully I don't think I got a uh...uhm...got aaaaaa. Whatever. I knocked myself out, don’t know how longCONCUSSION!” He exclaimed, looking pleased with himself. “When I came to, I heard a patrol coming up behind me, and when I ran I found Hoots. Used Hoots to drive away the patrol and hid in the pit. There I waited for you and given how long I floated there like a demented balloon, I'm not convinced you actually went looking for me right away.”
“Of course we did, Big Brain!” Kovid assured him. “But this was the third place we looked at.”
“And I have some coins for you, Monsieur,” Wyn remembered, handing Lannis 11 silver and 5 copper. “Your share of de monies we found.”
“Ah! Great! I can retire and leave this glamorous life then,” He took the 16 coins and pocketed them. “So, where are we heading off to because I am the filthier than the underside of Kovid’s beard right now.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at Lyra, “And Horse. Heal me,” he ordered, pointing at his bruised and bloodied face.
Time now is Day 7, 5:02 PM
(OOC)
Kovid, lantern is almost empty. Lannis you have 55 Levitating Minutes left if there is something you want to check out. Party is standing in the Scriptorium, door closed. What’s the plan?
No comments:
Post a Comment