Elyna continues to skeptically eye the prisoner's conversation with Kekkle: "Don't do her any favors. Anything she says she probably wants to use to break out."
Kekkle ignores Elyna and abruptly walks to Ushio.
"We should return the key to the guard and then move on."
Ushio hums rhythmically for a second or two, perhaps it was once a song sang to him by his mother when he was younger... or it was nothing, a tune inspired by whimsical tendencies.
"Hold friend. I may have part in speaking to our lady here. If you would be so kind to wait."
Ushio walks silently, grinning a smirk he had never wore before in friendly company. One wide, and crooked smile. He walks over to Elyna.
"Hold this, if only for a little time."
He paces to the cell door, pausing just before entering. Ushio closes his eyes, and remembers the people he stole from. The people that held the best of their possessions above their own lives. The hours that he had with them, talking. Talking and talking, talking, talking. Sometimes he had to persuade them, get in their head, use something against them, induce pain... through cuts...
Ushio exhales and quietly, under his breath, whispers, "It was all for them... Ritsu... Shiro..."
He opens his eyes. A blank face shudders to life over Ushio's normal one. He roughly estimates the length of the chains binding the woman and crouches just beyond the restraints. He lowers the volume of his voice to try and conceal it from everyone but himself and Dushica. He utters these words while his left-hand lies atop the pommel of The Liars Mail-Breaker :
"Listen closely. I have murdered many in my time. Many of them not for the right reasons, nor good ones. I have taken lives of criminals and of saviors all for what they had in their pocket. And from my ordeals, the length of which no one knows, i have seen your kind many times. I know what they're capable of. I've seen what they can do. But your the most interesting of which. I've seen what you've done; I was lurking in the shadows; I remember seeing the killing so clearly you've made an impression so deep that i cannot forget you. So... Tell me, What are you going to do if i let you out?"
Ushio walks past Kekkle, hands the key to Elyna and enters the cell .
Having heard her answer, Ushio uses his manipulative ability.
"W-what did you try to cast on me?" Dushica raises her voice and then shouts: "Guard! This man is harming me!"
Hearing the shouts of the prisoner, Matt stops his conversation with Ulrich and makes a request for him. "Oh bother. Come on, help me get in the cell so I can see what's happening. Or... just go in yourself and take the situation under control, Private."
Kekkle now follows after Ushio, though stopping at Elyna instead of returning to the cell.
"We should return the key to the guard and move on."
"I would have given the key back without a second thought, until that woman asked you directly to give it back. Right now I'd rather not leave it anywhere near here."
Kekkle shakes his head.
"We should return the key to the guard, then we can move on."
Elyna raises an eyebrow looking at Kekkle: "I think Kekkle is broken. No we're definitely keeping this key until that cell is locked. And then we'll find somewhere to smelt it..."
"I just want to help..." Kekkle drones. With his thinking so addled his most basic impulses are coming to the surface, vying for control.
"...So just give the key to the guard so that we can move on."
Pahleg feels torn as well. "More often than not, people are locked up for a reason. It may not be the right thing to do, but we are ignorant of anything else."
Ulrich marches into the cell, a scowl on his face.
"What's going on in here? Quit your caterwauling, we've got to get a move on. C'mon Ushio, we need to make some progress today."
Ushio looks behind him at Ulrich, his usual expression renewed. "I understand. Just had some questions for the lady was all."
Ushio stands and turns his attention back to the woman. "Don't worry, you'll know what i did in due time. However, its nothing detrimental i assure you." He begins his exit in stride but turns, and as he closes the cell door with Ulrich says. "Though, if you do escape Dushica, Find me. It may prove profitable. No hard feelings." He closes the cell door, and turns to Elyna.
"Ok Elyna, can i have that key back? I wish to leave it. Though her trust isn't assured, as well as any person's that we encounter-", Ushio says as turns and looks at matt. "- I'm still quite in favor of leaving everyone to their own devices." He looks back at elyna. "Who knows, if she escapes, she may become a killer of our enemies for a time and lessen the hurt that we could sustain. It's a useful tactic that i had to use on occa-".Ushio stops talking, the words catching in his throat. Coughing, He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and waits expectantly.
Elyna's eyes widen as she lcutches the key tighter and looks over at Ulrich.
"And the first people she'd kill are Ulrich's new colleagues. If we are going to leave this key here we should make sure it is at least always outside of even the field of view of that woman."
After Ushio leaves, Ulrich turns his back on the woman and shuts the door tightly, making sure it is locked.
"What happened in there? What's this all about?", he says, crossing his arms.
Dushica gives no response to the fetchling, instead she looks away and waits for him to leave.
"He... he cast a harmful spell at me," she explains to Ulrich. "I saw his eyes, he's a lunatic! Who else would harm a helpless prisoner?"
She then whispers something that only Ulrich is able to hear, being the only one in the cell.
You feel compelled to follow her suggestion, even though you caught a glimpse of her casting a spell during her whisper.
"Just leave the key with the Corporal already and we can be on our way, maybe the door in the other room holds some promise, the one with the shutter."
Elyna looks suspiciously at Ulrich, then the woman in the cell, then Ushio, then back at Ulrich and says: "I think we should keep it."
"The Corporal is the proper authority to handle this until he is reinforced. If the Corporal refuses custody... well, we'll bring him reinforcements."
Ulrich holds out a hand.
"Please, let me give it to him."
"Now someone's talking some sense! All we have to do is return the key to the guard and we can move on."
"Alright.", Elyna stretches her hand out ready to drop the key into Ulrich's hand but doesn't let it go: "Only one question: What did she say to you just now?"
Ulrich sighs.
"She said Ushio cast a spell on her.... And requested that we please turn the key over to the Corporal. Which seems like the humane and just thing to do- in case of calamity or some other circumstance."
Elyna retracts her hand. "Let's go."
She turns and makes sure the cell is firmly locked. "Corporal Matt, I will see to getting you reinforcement once we find your general. Clearly this woman is dangerous even in her current state."
She turns around and unleashes a wave of heat, then another, she attaches grasps the key in her hand and when she lets go it is engulfed in a flame.
She then sets off, key still firmly clutched in both hands.
Ulrich sputters, following closely after the gnome.
"But! That should go to the Corporal! Elyna, this is madness!"
He turns to Pahleg.
"Pahleg, talk some sense into her! Clearly she no longer trusts my word, for whatever reason.", he mutters darkly.
Pahleg holds up his hands. "Now let's all hold on a minute. I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but however we resolve this issue we will come to it together as a group."
He considers the gnome's words as well as the scenario. Kekkle and Ulrich both acted the same after spending a moment alone with that woman. Something is amiss.
The prison key sets ablaze in Elyna's tight grasp.
There's probably no dishonest forces at play in Kekkle or Ulrich's behavior, although it is strange how they seem to agree with each other on this matter.
Matt chimes in on the conversation. "I don't mind either way. I don't plan on releasing her any time soon, so it'd be the same whether it stays with me or you. And with the newest Private here," he proudly nods at Ulrich, "I know your group will return the key someday. And if you don't think you'll need it, sure."
Pahleg moves his chin in his indecision. Finally he bites the bullet and looks around. "Listen everybody. We cannot force our will on others here. We have no power or sway over those already present in this hellhole. However we also cannot willingly make foolish decisions that would lead to the demise of ourselves or others. And finally, we must be a cohesive unit and work together. That includes not keeping secrets from one another." He frowns at Kekkle and Ulrich. "Ulrich I can understand how you want to serve your new people by adhering to their laws, but Kekkle has no dog in this fight. If there is something you need to tell the group, now is the time." He looks over at Matt. "The good corporal here trusts Ulrich with the key. However he is her jailer, and that makes it his responsibility to keep her safe as well as contain her. We cannot willingly strip you of your charge without a good enough reason."
"So. Kekkle, do you have a motive for doing this that is not one you are sharing? If it puts us in danger we need to know."
Kekkle bites his lip
"I just wanted to...help."
"We've only been here for three days and look whats become of us! So many have died already and each that does only empowers us further. The Labryinth is turning us into something and I hate it!"
"So, this time, I wanted to try and do something good, to break the cycle of bloodshed and sorrow. For the sake of Rilian, Moritat, Goramar."
Elyna turns without stopping, she walks backwards slowly while talking to Pahleg "We cannot force our will on others, but I got a feeling she can. She did something to Kekkle, Ulrich and probably Ushio. They'll snap out of it eventually, I'm sure. But if she can do something to their heads, she can do it to Matt's, or any other guard's so let's keep this key out of the reach of anyone who can hear her. And you heard the Corporal, he's fine with it. Now let's go, daylight may not be wasting in this place but I want to be out of here before she's in my head too." She then looks at the other three "One way or another If you want to get the key to Matt you'll have to follow me and take it.", with that Elyna turns back around and continues walking forward.
Ulrich makes a frustrated grunt, looking between Pahleg, Elyna and Corporal Matt before following after Elyna.
"Well-", Ushio says, "-Things could have went smoother than that." He pivots and begins walking in the direction of Elyna, adding, "Not that I helped it much anyway. Hey, Elyna, wait up. So we keep the key then. Not a big deal. Where to now?"
Keeping the key with them, the group inspects the nearby room before making a decision where to go.
The room seems to have served as guard post. Left to the door is a desk and behind it next to the wall a wooden bed with no bed pad, only a thin blanket. Next to the bed is a weapon rack which seems to contain some weapons that haven't seen much use.
Gazing past the guard post you see the passage forward is a lengthy one.
Kekkle takes a few cautious steps forward. The tunnel is dark, and the others seem reluctant to follow this path, so Kekkle advances only a little.
There seem to be multiple, nay, numerous small cells on the left side of the passage. The cells seem to be numbered: the first two Kekkle sees are numbered "1" and "2", both of which appear empty.
The passage goes on.
Ulrich continues forward after Kekkle, holding his light enhanced sword up for a better view.
"Hmm. I suppose you're right Kekkle; it's a good idea to do a final round before we move on and make sure nothing's amiss here... let's continue."
Kekkle follows along, letting Ulrich take the lead.
Pahleg follow along, spear in hand as he watches the back.
The group travels forward in the passage, keeping an eye out on the bypassing cells. The cells continue their numbering: "3", "4"... and then "5". The group experiences a collective, mild scare as something in cell 5 suddenly screams.
"GHAHA! Kill you, kill you! Always, rounding! Gya-haha!"
Inside the cell is a male halfling. The thin and pale halfling is locked safely behind the bars which he shakes furiously. He seems unarmed, and is wearing little more than tattered rags.
"Lemme out, don't come in! Miracle to end all war! Always, I say!"
Aside from the raving prisoner, cell number 5 seems empty.
Pahleg shakes his head at the halfling. "That poor soul. I only wish I had the power to heal him. Friend, can we do anything to help you? We would gladly trade some help in trade for information of the area."
"You think he's lucid enough to tell us anything worthwhile?"
Pahleg whispers aside. "No idea, but worst case scenario is we get nothing and move on."
Sense Motive:
Ulrich is unmoved by the halfling.
"Let's move on, this bastard's done."
Ulrich will continue on to check the rest of the cells, regardless of whether the rest are with him.
Elyna will wait and see if any reaction comes form the halfling, and then leave with Ulrich as soon as he is finished inspecting the other cells.
The raving halfling barely acknowledges Pahleg when asked a question. "It's the illusion, kills us more! Marching back and forth. Killers all gone!"
Ulrich, soon followed by the others, ignores the lunatic and marches forward, past the empty cell number 6. The next cell, #7, holds a captive inside. This prisoner, a fox-like humanoid, rests against the prison wall. He appears to be sleeping: either that or dead.
The group finds itself at a crossing. The passage seems to take a turn to left, where the rows of prison cells continue. The way forward, however, seems to lead to a new chamber.
For whatever reason, the air here is warmer than in the previous tunnels which were all relatively chilly.