"Eponine!" Sophy runs up the steps. "Are you all right?"
"Nice job, everyone. This place is crawling with demons! What the hell kind of town is Sandpoint anyway?"
As Sophy makes sure Eponine is okay, Victor can't help but respond to Wren's question. "Honestly, Miss Wren, I am no longer sure. I grew up here and did not realize what lies beneath it. It is amazing what you do not realize, when you do not pay attention." He sighs at the realization of it all. "Well, shall we try that door? Miss Eponine?" He looks her over to see if she seems hurt or sick in any way. "Are you ready to continue? If you are not at this time, I would be more than glad to help out until you are." He offers.
I - I'm okay. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. That creature just... Yes, I'm fine.
Eponine shakes off the paralytic effect, and presses on with Kern close behind. She checks and opens the door revealing another short hallway with a five foot rise of stairs that lead up to an open door. Stepping through the doorway carefully she finds it lead to another spiral staircase. This one leading up, but like the other it is blocked by fallen rubble and collapsed damp earth. Wren and Sophy join Victor in the well room, while Belril keeps his sling at the ready.
Sophy finds herself standing far too close to the fallen monster for her own comfort. Shrinking back from the hideous thing at her feet, she asks, "You're sure it's really dead? We thought the other things were dead too until they got back up."
Victor turns to Sophy, then looks down at the dead head, thinks about it a moment, "Hm.", and nods in agreement. He then walks over to it, raises his sword and cleaves it in two. "There you go, Miss Sophy. Hopefully that takes care of that." He smiles at her as he cleans the gore off his blade and then continues to wait for the others.
Sophy turns a little paler as she fails to look away in time to avoid seeing that. "Th...thank you, Victor," she stammers, trying to smile at him.
Eponine turns away after Victor's solution and Sophy's reaction, enjoying the interaction. She moves away, secretly relieved at the confirmation of death herself.
At the blockage, she calls back This way isn't clear, and it looks like some time would be needed to make it clear.
"Ameiko couldn't have come this way, then," Sophy reasons, happy to leave behind the cleaved head. "Is there anyplace left we haven't looked?"
Eponine will lead the group to the smuggler's tunnel. I believe that is the last direction we haven't pursued.
Eponine leads the party back down the stairs and past the statue of Alaznist. Kern goes next followed by Belril. Wren and Sophy follow the warriors and Victor takes up his usual position as rear guard. Each of you is ready and alert for another fight, and keep watch for flying demons and spawning monstrosities. The evil of this place has been weighing upon your souls, and as you exit the ancient ruins by stepping back into the rough cut tunnels under you have a sense that it has been permanently scourged from under Sandpoint.
The tunnel winds back to the main passage where a pile of bricks indicates the spot that this branch had been walled off at some point. You have the choice to turn left or right. Going right will lead you back towards the Glassworks and the other side branch that you bypassed. Going left will lead you further away from the Glassworks under Sandpoint.
"I say we go left, young Eponine, go left!"
Sophy nods in agreement. Better to explore this tunnel now than go past it and have to backtrack.
The group turns to the left and follows along in a lazy Northeastern direction for a good distance until the tunnel dead ends. You easily could have crossed completely underneath Sandpoint from the distance the tunnel reaches from the Glassworks past the branching passages and on to this point.
Kern stares in disbelief at the dead end. "Well this is getting ridiculous," he says. "Are we absolutely sure Ameiko's down here? Could she have been taken somewhere else?"
Victor sighs. "I fear I must agree with Kern. It seems as though are search has been to no avail." He turns and looks back the way they came. "We only have the one way left. I guess we can go that way and see what we find. But I really think it is going to turn up nothing more than our friend the dead end here." He shrugs, ready to give up.
"If she's not here...," Sophy begins in a small voice, shaking her head. "We only know that she was summoned to the Glassworks and no one has seen her since," she admits. "We just assumed she was down here because we didn't find her aboveground. I suppose she could be ... anywhere."
Since we have explored everything else, I saw we go back and finish the tunnels out. If there is a possibility Ameiko is down here, let's keep looking."
"Very well. Let us finish this out, hopefully by some miracle find Ameiko, and get back to the surface where there is a sky. All this underground business is just so....not fun." He steps aside, puts his arm out. "After you, Miss Eponine." As everyone gets back in marching order, Victor takes his spot at the back.
Eponine nods in agreement, and leads them on. In for a copper, in for a gold. she mutters.
Frustrated that this passage suddenly ended, you return the way you came. After passing the once bricked over passage that leads to Erylium's Dungeon on the right, you eventually come to the branch off to the left that you had previously bypassed. Headed east you go about four hundred feet and are forced to stop. The roof of the tunnel has collapsed here long ago, blocking the way forward. Logic says that this smugglers tunnel must have a way out somewhere.
Victor plops down on the ground, landing hard on his rear end. "This is ridiculous. It seems we are beating a dead horse. Now what do we do?"
"Let's check this tunnel for secent doors or passageways. If we don't find anything, I am ready to head back to town and see if anyone else has found any clues about Ameiko."
Victor just looks up at Wren, stares a moment with a look of exhaustion upon his face. Then finally decides to get back up and continue on. "Okay. I am ready. I just needed a moments rest."
Sophy's eyes fill with tears at the group's failure to find Ameiko. "I'll bet she was here, if only we hadn't had to turn back ... if only we had gone the right way first."
"Don't worry, Sophy," Kern says, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "She has to somewhere. We just have to keep looking. Maybe she was taken out of town somewhere."
Sophy doesn't pay much attention to his comforting words. "It's all my fault," she sobs. "I was the one who said to go right. I don't know why ... something told me to go right, and it led us right to that awful little Erylium. If we'd gone the other way, we might have found Ameiko before they moved her; Brock might still be with us...." She shakes her head.
Victor looks hard at Kern as he comforts Sophy. Realizing he is just being kind, it doesn't prevent him from becoming angrier. And when Sophy begins to blame herself and begin sobbing, he can no longer contain himself. "Stop it! Stop it! He explodes as this whole expedition, and everything else, has finally gotten the better of him. "THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT SOPHY, OKAY?!" He begins as he paces, making eye contact with no one. "THIS IS NO ONE'S FAULT! NO MATTER WHICH WAY WE WOULD HAVE GONE, NO MATTER WHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE, THE RESULTS WOULD NOT HAVE CHANGED! OKAY?! AND BROCK LEFT OF HIS OWN ACCORD, OKAY?!" He then moves up to her, and grabs her by the arms, "STOP BLAMING YOURSELF! STOP BLAMING YOURSELF FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO..." As he looks directly into her eyes, all he sees is the pain and the hurt, and the guilt from his past returns tenfold. Stop blaming yourself for what happened to her, Victor. You were just a kid. I know I was just a kid but that doesn't matter. I know I was there and I should've done something. For some reason, I did nothing. If only I could remember it all. It doesn't matter, I know it was my fault. I can't get past it. Not sure if I ever will. I should have done something. I should have done...something. I should have...
Sweat pouring from his face as he snaps out of his reverie. Victor looks around at the others and notices them all staring in shock and disbelief. Then realizing he's still holding on to Sophy, he quickly lets go of her, and attempts to make amends as best he can, knowing that is going to be difficult, if not impossible. "Forgive me, Sophy! I did not mean..., I do not know what came over me! I...I..." As he looks at her face filled with tears and shock, Victor resigns himself to the retalition of her or the others from his terrible actions. "I am sorry, Sophy." He says, quite defeated. Victor then moves into a dark corner and sits down, wishing the demon creature would have just eaten him.
Staring wide-eyed at Victor after his outburst, Sophy swallows her sobs with a hiccup. Look what you're doing, Sophy, she chides herself. You're upsetting everyone. Brock left because you couldn't control your emotions. If you drive everyone else away too.... She blinks a few more tears out of her eyes as she contemplates everyone giving up and leaving town, just to get away from her. "No, I'm sorry," she says meekly. "It doesn't help anyone to just give up. I'll go wherever the rest of you think we should. But," she shrugs helplessly, "I'm out of ideas." Which is probably just as well, considering what good my ideas have done so far, she concludes silently.
"Okay, we are all tired, beat up, and frustrated. Let's hold it together for just a bit more, then we can go get some rest," Wren grumbled, too tired even for scolding. And hopefully not have to see each other for a few days.
Victor mentally agrees with Wren as he then looks to Belril when he speaks. I cannot argue with that. He thinks to himself as he drags his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes in the process.
Eponine turns awkwardly from the discussion. She makes herself busy helping Belril, following after him, double checking and helping reach anything questionable that he has trouble with.
Aid another on Perception . That should take him up to a 31 on his check.
Time drags on as Belril and Eponine work their way back through the rough dug tunnels looking for any other ways out. When you return to the dead end, the area farthest north away from the Glassworks, Belril finds something. A section of stones stacked together on a hidden frame and a pivot that swings to allow passage on either side into a cave beyond.
As you step into the thirty foot diameter cave you notice the crude collection of goblin beds and remnants of meals strewn about. The cave is on the side of the cliff overlooking the Varisian Bay. The cave mouth slopes down to a narrow beach where many of you used to play as children. From the looks of it, these beds haven't been used for days and the remains of food are defiantly not fresh.
Victor looks around at the place. "Well, at least it is something. Far better than the dead ends we have come across. And there is outside." He sounds a bit relieved at the fact.
"But no Ameiko," Sophy notes sadly.
Sophy looks around the cave for any sign anyone other than goblins have passed through.
Eponine scans the scene, trying to determine where the goblins may have gone. Were these ones waiting to attack Sandpoint, perhaps? Looking through the refuse, are there any clues as to where they may have come from?
Survival
Perception
Victor helps Sophy in an attempt to locate any tracks.
Each of you scatter about the cavern looking for clues as to who may have been through here recently. You can hear the waves of the bay crashing onto the beach and from the amount of light shining in, and the pangs in your bellies, you know it must be near the dinner hour.
With a deep sigh, Eponine stands and says Yes, I'm only seeing goblin tracks over here. Based on the numbers and age of them, I'm thinking these are the ones we fought in the Glassworks. So far, its looking like a deadend to me. Belril, are you having any better luck? Anyone?
Sophy turns around from near the secret door, her face stricken and a long red ribbon held out in her hand. "Isn't this...? It looks like what Ameiko was wearing in her hair the other night," she whispers.
|
Belril nods approvingly but, a little drunk on his success thus far, continues with his slightly condescending, patriarchal way of talking.
Very good, Eponine. I too have made out goblin tracks here but my keen eyes have spotted something you clearly missed- look right here, almost obscured by the undergrowth. A footprint that not only fails to match the size of the others, but is also far fresher.
Turning to the group as a whole, Belril reveals what he has found with a smugness to his tone, but also genuine relief.
A single set of tracks left by a humanoid, wearing boots, leaving the cave. One to two days old these tracks are, no more. Judging from the deep indent the tracks left, the size of the quarry's footprint and a half-broken branch high above it... he says excitedly, pointing to a low hanging branch and gesturing wildly to emphasise his findings. I can say with a degree of confidence that not only was this humanoid tall, he or she was also carrying a heavy burden- perhaps Ameiko was here, but some ruffian has made off with her- this is my theory.
How did they ever manage without me?
In a mercurial flash, Eponine's face lights up. So, she was here. And recently! Our first good evidence! Amazing, Belril. How we have managed without you and Kern I cannot imagine!