"I would do as the lady says. Unless you wanted to become a pirate."
"I hardly ever see Lamm," Yargin replies. "He stays in his 'playground', under the fishery. I'm sure he's there now, though doubt he'll roll out the welcome mat for you."
"Explain," Absinthe says. "How is the area beneath the fishery a 'playground', and why is he there? Does he have some sort of aversion against daylight?"
Yargin scowls, "He has an aversion against people. I guess he likes to stay out of sight. I don't know what's down there... never been. We drop supplies down the hatch, or the kids if they've got on his bad side."
"How unpleasant," Absinthe murmurs. "And what is the trick to make him come up? One assumes there must be one, in case of emergencies that require his personal attention."
"That makes sense. I guess you would have to be a person to be want to be around them." Demitri seems to seethe at the comment about the children. "How do we get down there, by rope?"
"Heh, good luck with that. You'll have to figure that out for yourselves. Now, I told you where Lamm was... keep up your end of the bargain and let me go." He coughs up speckles of blood.
"Where would you prefer to go? The Abyss of Hell?" Absinthe asks, her voice becoming rather frosty. She draws back her hand as if ready to drive the rapier through Yargin's eye and into his brain. "The trick to bring him out, or else the trick to getting down there. Now. Or you may go and entertain the fiends."
"I don't know if I can stop her. Her reflexes are much quicker than mine are. So you should answer the question."
Yargin flinches, almost impaling himself on the blade. "Look, I don't know! You ain't gonna trick him out, 'cus he never comes out!"
"I believe you. Which means we have to find a way down there."
"Have we searched the rest of this place? What about the boat? I don't want to go down there and have more people attack us from above."
She shudders for a minute. "And where's the--the--oh blast it all." She chews on a finger. "If we find it, I want to the be one who burns it."
"I don't know. The boat sounds like a good idea."
"Are you alright, Mel?"
Sagang gathers up weapons as the conversation with Yargin continues. We really gonna turn that guy loose? Look how he was treating those kids.
"I believe Sister Mel is concerned with the narcotic," Absinthe says. "The ah, 'shiver'?"
She nods to Segang. "We did agree to those terms in return for information. However, one sees no reason not to spread Yargin's name to every guard we can find - and to certain gangs one knows - as an informer."
The tiefling smiles sweetly. "His life will not be worht living. He will have to hide like a cockroach from dusk till dawn and from dawn till dusk, knowing that any moment, someone may step on him."
Absinthe's silvery eyes burn into Yargin's. "For your treatment of these little ones, you are damned. One suggests a change of life, if you have enough of a soul left to make one. And provided you live long enough to do so."
She winks at Segang over her shoulder. "Will that suffice?"
"I was going to set him free to the watch, but I'm strangely comfortable with your plan too."
"You'll be fine. I know it." Demitri reassures Melianthe.
"Let the fool go ... but not until we find Lamm. Can't have him warning him, now."
Absinthe reaches into her backpack and brings out a coil of rope. "Shall we descend?" she suggests.
Seren's curiosity drives a closer look, and you determine there is about a three foot gap between the floor and the water's surface. A cautious glance reveals an open space under the fishery, concealed from the outside. Pylons supporting the main building fill the space, and a patchwork platform of floating boards and panels follows the south wall. A small dinghy is tied up at in the north-east corner.
"Huh, whaddya know .. poorly disguised door over there." Seren points to the southwest corner. "Let's take the rope, uh, on second thought ... big tough guys, you mind heading down first? I hear there be gators." Seren smiles at his sarcasm.
"One sees the door," Absinthe says. She leans forward a little, her eyes narrowing. "One hears bells in the distance," she says. "Our approach has probably been noted. 'Ware the anthropophagous reptile."
The barbarian stows all the loot he has found and looks through the hole.
I don't see nothing. You will have to point it out for me. I recommend we knot a rope if we are going to climb down.
Melianthe binds Yargin's hands. "So he doesn't cut the rope," she explains. "Yes, the detestable drug. Burn it."
"I hear bells, distant ones, as well. I can't tell how far or how many. And that door--let's be ready."
Melianthe descends in the middle of the group, ready to hex.
"Leave it for the moment, burn it on the way out," Rosa says. "We don't want to set the place on fire over our heads."
"Agreed," says Melianthe, her face almost a snarl.
"I don't hear or see anything either." Demitri climbs down the rope, either near or at the front of the group.
"If it helps, I see no reason not to torch the whole place once we are done," Absinthe says. She pats Melianthe's hand. "We would have needed to rid ourselves of Lamm's corpse in a way the Guard could not trace, anyway."
Melianthe starts, then relaxes and looks at Absinthe with eyes that show her age and pain for once. "Fire cleanses. However, it also spreads. Perhaps the sharks can take him, and then he'll be of some use."
"Perhaps. However, one can not recall any instant when a shark did her wrong. One would hate to give one an undeserved belly-ache," Absinthe says with a small, sly smile.
"I'd prefer not to commit arson, though I understand the sentiment. Seems to be a waste of a good fishery."
Seren snorts, "Good? I hope you're being facetious. We'd do the city a favor burning this building down, but Lamm is the objective. The building can rot for all eternity for all I care.
"The city can make it into something useful at least, after we remove Lamm from it."
Seren shrugs, "Sure."
"Recommend we climb down the rope and then swing back and forth, letting go to land on the planks." Seren says looking at Segang. As he appraises the size of the Shoanti, he adds, "Assuming the wood holds."
You go down first Seren, on a knotted rope. I think I can swing you and you look pretty agile too. You secure your end down there and then we follow. I can go second. We can assist from below as people come down.
Seren stares at Segang for a moment and then shakes himself to awarenessof the present, "Uhh, OK ... ahem ... here I go."
"A little guidance, Rosa ... if you don't mind?"
+1 if he gets guidance
to swing over.
- swinging Serin on the rope.
"As one said, beware the reptile," Absinthe says. "Perhaps... Did anyone bring meat?"
You note that, although there is a boat underneath, there's no obvious entrance from the outside. The walls of the building go to the water line.