"Excellent. Hopefully our fortunes do not take a turn for the worse."
getting back up I sure hope not, but at least i was right about the lizard men. Lets see if we can try to find clues as to the why and for what reasons shall we? on himself
Johnathan's eyes go wide when the torrent of water comes over the edge of the building. In a futile effort he tries to scramble down but gets washed off the ladder, landing in a tumble with the wind knocked out of him.
The man's ghost springs to life above his extremely charred corpse. "Oooohhhh I and the rest were tapped last minute by the brothers... Eberardo is very intimidating... with the big great sword, I needed the money for my children... lost my job because of the riots.... easy money."
Johnathan watches with great interest, though he seems to be favoring one leg since his fall.
"OOOOhhhh... In Parity Lake, he knocks on your door when he needs you... yesterday we were to burn down a Danoran named Lebrix' home but was cancelled last minute..." says the ghost becoming weaker you can start to feel him pushing to go to the Bleak Gate.
Johnathan seems chipper, considering. He smiles at Falko, not seeming to notice the distant look on his face, then casually goes corpse to corpse searching them.
Being one of the few lucky ones not to be completely soaking wet, and seeing that the threat of fire is not anymore, Porter takes his time to straighten his suit, recovers all his weapons (his dropped crossbow) and in general makes himself as "presentable" as possible before climbing the ladder down. Threading carefully, sidestepping any puddles of water or ash and soot, he slowly but purposefully approaches Falko. Taking two rather expensive cigarettes made from leaf of Nicodemus from his inner pocket, he proffers one to bug eyed bard before slowly lightning both.
"So, it is obvious where trail leads next. We should track and find this big sword-ed fella, eh? However, I believe that we should warn Lebrix as well, wouldn't you agree?"
You are quite right, he should indeed be warned.
"We saved the day, like heroes, again. And no one died this time," Johnathan pipes in cheerily, turning a corpse over as he continues searching the bodies.
"I thought it'd be me, or Falko, this time."
He finally looks up at the scorched factory wall--only a thin stick of a young man--looking especially young among the bodies and wreckage.
"If we can find this Eberardo, maybe follow him to whoever he works for, maybe interrogate him, that might keep us on the scent."
"since the ACI made it clear I'm not the best investigator, so do we want to dredge up and investigate that carriage and its contents?"
"This time?! Young man, your choice of words would imply that there was a time that someone did die, and may I add it sounds like someone from RHC team? Care to add some more detail to that story maybe?" - Porter turns to Johnatan, with an incredulous look on his face.
Answering Cretien's question, the veteran simply shrugs as he puffs a long smoke: "I'd agree with Falko on this one - not worth the effort in my opinion. Better save our credit for something more tangible. We could put an APB for him in Parity lake through RHC, I'd say that would be a better investment. Ah, but where are my manners - cigarette anyone?" - Porter asks, offering same cigarillos to Angus, Cretien and Johnatan.
Two dalmatians come down the alleyway followed by two more aside a fire department's carriage with a hose pump system and then five firemen dismount their carriage and one comes forward and says, "Sergeant Smithe from the fire brigade, it seems the fire has been put out."
He then whistles slowly and pulls out a clip board making notations of the burned edges of the buildings and says, "You guys are extremely lucky. The acid factory would have torqued but the fire dust plant, well, that would have turned into right disaster probably could have killed thousands and crippled the economy."
Well we are just glad that we could prevent such a horrible disaster.
"yeah, good that such did not occur. Excellent work, all. Particularly Jonathan. I think I could go for a rest, but I think I'll call on Lebrix for a drink, first."
You spend about ten minutes filling out Smithe's fire report and then you grab a carriage that takes about an hour and a half to get from Parity Lake to RHC HQ. You arrive and your 5'o'clock shadows are fully visible and you all smell like fire and acid.
RHC Flint Local Headquarters, Central Quarter Flint, 4th day of Summer 500aov, 8am. hot and damp, with a poisonous sooty smell in the air.
You then fill in Delft about you investigation of the last day, your trip to Cauldron Hill and how you averted a fire.
He then says, "Should we put out an APB on Eberardo and his brother?"
Johnathan looks blankly at Porter for a moment before a sad smile creeps onto his face. "It's a dangerous job, but it's for Risur, it's for everyone."
You get a sense that his heart isn't behind it, just parroting someone else's words. He then looks down at Porter's boots, speaking quietly and earnestly this time.
"I rather liked them."
He doesn't elaborate, and politely shakes his head when offered a cigarette, looking somber. Cretien's praise cheers him up visibly.
Delft grits his teeth and says, "Well good job preventing that fire. I have one more thing for you before you leave"
He hands you each a fairly thick envelope with a deposit slip from the Risuri Consolidated Bank with your pay of 2500 GP on it.
"Oh by the way you have been promoted. If there is any other equipment you would like to requisition, by all means do."
Everyone but Chretien goes home to get some shut eye before they take on the smugglers to get the information where the Doctor is hiding out.
Chretien
Johnathan as you dream
huge and low. Breeze whips the grass across your skin, and a tiger stalks
you, somewhere out in the dark.
A light flares overhead, an old blue star called Mishados, and it begins
to drift downward. Not to the horizon, but toward the earth. Then other
stars rattle, like grains of sand shaken loose from a wet glass, and their
descent turns to a plummet, turns to a streaking rain of light.
They fall in all directions, but you know where Mishados will fall, and
you know you must catch it.
"Oh, just thought I'd swing by, to see if you wanted to have a drink with an old professor," Cretien replies in Danoran. "I heard an interesting bit of news that I felt obligated to pass on to you. Does the name... Eberardo ring a bell?"
Chretien