Luca nodded quietly as Tyrus answered. All right, so she probably couldn't have her minions carry this being out in bags... "Well... um... I guess the s-stone men could probably transport a few hundred pounds of seawater into her cave each day. I-if that would be enough to help, I'll ask them to do it." she suggested timidly. "Unfortunately, I d-don't think anything I can summon can easily dig in a way that lets others follow... though th-that thing can still pull aruff out of the tunnels so others can keep digging." she added, indicating her Eidolon.
It yawned widely and scratched behind one of its ears, looking bored with the whole matter. It didn't seem like it was going to object, though. Even as it moved, though, a strange chill went through Luca's body - and with a jolt of nervous surprise, she realized that the Void was interested in this being Tyrus was talking about. It was curious... and... and maybe just a bit hungry.
...That probably wasn't a good sign.
"We don't need to follow. We just need a guide and to get some water flowing I believe. At least that is what it sounds like."
"But I will have conditions for him and Norren."
"May I ask what they are?"
"Unfortunately, I d-don't think anything I can summon can easily dig in a way that lets others follow... though th-that thing can still pull aruff out of the tunnels so others can keep digging."
"Ah. That's a pity. Still, worth investigation, though."
Dante gives Tyrus a curious look. "No more slavery. No more lies. His men do some damn work. No more letting us fend for ourselves on the other side of that wall. Do you seriously need to ask?" he asks incredulous, angry. He turns away, a little unwilling to admit the next part. "Norren...Norren's goal is...noble. His means are just...evil."
Luca looked between the two older men as they talked, nervously drumming her fingers against her side as she thought about what else she could do. One part of her wanted to help Tyrus and Dante as much as she could - the other was afraid of what might happen if the Void got too close to this... Lianna. What most people didn't realize was that she had essentially no actual control over the Void or any of its minions. They had their own ideas about what to do, and she didn't want to give them the opportunity to make everything worse.
Unfortunately, that feeling was based on the idea that there was anything she could do about it. Still, you couldn't accomplish anything at all if you just huddled down because you were scared of the consequences, right? Tyrus had come to her because he thought she could help... and that being the case, she was going to do everything she could to see that he accomplished his goal.
Tyrus seems taken aback when Dante turns his anger on him
"I was just checking." he asks, defensively
"Sigh We still have day light and spells. Let's try the fort. Going to be difficult without Logan. He stayed to help the defenders," he says using Logan as a distraction. He wasn't sorry for what he said but a little about how he said it. But it should have been obvious. These people didn't deserve their lot and likely wouldn't stick around.
"Well..." Tyrus is hesitant "If you're sure. I think we should get some guards detailed to come with us. I suppose my patients can cope a few days without me."
"Days? How long do you think it will take to get through there? Their shouldn't even be anyone there right now. And I'd rather keep the guards out of this. What about Yllain's bodyguard? Think she would lend us a hand?"
"But what if we got attacked again on the way? We lost people coming back from there - remember?" there is fear in Tyrus' voice as he remembers the brutal, terrifying attack.
"I mean, I know you got them back, but being captured by Bugbears..."
"I don't think we should go there with a small group. With more people they're more likely to leave us alone."
Tyrus' voice has almost dropped into a whine by the end. His language dropped in complexity and it is obvious there is fear in his face.
Luca quietly reached over and tugged on Tyrus' sleeve. "Don't worry. I'll protect you, M-mister Tyrus." she said, sounding far more nervous than her words deserved. She was still worried about the goblins, of course, but unless they attacked in overwhelming numbers, she was fairly certain that the three of them could handle it... and if they did swarm, there wasn't much she could do anyway.
"Its been taken care of. Like I said, there is some...contention within the goblins. Not sure what but Norren stayed behind to mop up the rest. We have light and if that is the lab of the same dwarf then it is the fastest way to find out what he did. Right? Besides, we agreed when we found the place we wouldn't tell the others about it. I am not about to place my faith in pirates now even if they did risk their lives to save some prisoners. Their own were included. That room we were in alone might hold more then we thought. If you have a better idea I am all ears."
Luca quietly reached over and tugged on Tyrus' sleeve. "Don't worry. I'll protect you, M-mister Tyrus." she said, sounding far more nervous than her words deserved.
Tyrus stiffens momentarily as Luca tugs his sleeve, then softens as he looks down at her.
"I'm sure you would, Luca. But you shouldn't have to. Someone your age shouldn't have to be ordering monsters to slaughter other monsters. You should be safe, and secure. Worrying about your hair and boys. Studying how to control your gift at a decent university. Not.. here. Doing this.""Its been taken care of. Like I said, there is some...contention within the goblins. Not sure what but Norren stayed behind to mop up the rest. We have light and if that is the lab of the same dwarf then it is the fastest way to find out what he did. Right? Besides, we agreed when we found the place we wouldn't tell the others about it. I am not about to place my faith in pirates now even if they did risk their lives to save some prisoners. Their own were included. That room we were in alone might hold more then we thought. If you have a better idea I am all ears."
Obviously still concerned, as the two youngsters argue with him Tyrus slowly comes round.
"Alright. we go tomorrow morning. We'll have more daylight hours in case something goes wrong, and I can prepare appropriate spells. In the meantime I want to try to distil some of Torble's acid so I have a ranged weapon. You two - and Torble of course - can help."
"Um... a-acid?" Luca squeaked nervously. Well... okay, then. Her hands had gotten bloody enough when healing others - this couldn't be too much worse as long as she followed Tyrus' instructions, and her unwanted companion could probably carry things around to speed it up and make it easier for them. She was a bit worried, but she'd do what she could to help.
"Yeah, well, Norren didn't exactly give her a choice," he says. He quickly bites down on anything else he might say on the matter. He was trying to give the man the benefit of the doubt. He should try harder. "We can leave tomorrow then. And stocking up on supplies might not be a bad idea. They don't appear to have any magical or alchemical supplies here so I guess we have to make do with what we can make ourselves. Do you trust Kris enough to tell him about the place? We probably could use some more muscle if there is any left in the village here."
"I thought you were saying we didn't need people?"
Tyrus thinks for a moment
"No. Not for this. I don't trust anyone. Whatever this dwarf was doing... we need to keep it close. This is not some simple conjurer, or even a trained magician... this is a Wizard playing with the fundamental forces of reality. Who knows what his grimoires might say. We need to see them first. Then we can decide what can be released."
"Besides, we've already kept things from him. This is one of them. Revealing it now could be problematic. The healing there could have saved lives, if we'd mentioned it earlier. Pointing out we had no reason to trust them until it was too late is logical, but still..."
Tyrus trails off.
Enlisting the help of his young friends around the lab, Tyrus distils three vials of corrosive liquid. The group is bunked down at the "common house" again with a variety of other island denizens, who all seem warmly disposed to the group now that news of Tyrus' medical skills and Dante and Luca's battle prowess has spread throughout the town.
-Posted with Wayfinder
To Tyrus: "Does Yllaine and Lara know about the naiad?" he asks on the way to see the two. He approaches the two with a bow and a smile first addressing Lara who he remembers takes her job very seriously.
"Good day to you ladies. We are back from the front lines. The goblins shouldn't bother us for a while. And the good doctor here has updated us on recent events." Its at this point he lets Tyrus explain what is going on if he hasn't already. "Tyrus thought it might be better to have some back up if you'd be willing to come tomorrow. Its the fastest way to figure out what is going on with her if what we found was the old dwarf's lab."
Luca waved shyly as Dante greeted the ladies, hiding behind Tyrus to conceal most of her body. She wasn't sure how much the women had heard about the goblin attack, but most people tended to react with fear and hate when they realized what sort of monsters she was capable of calling forth. It was hard to let her guard down around people, even when she knew them - there was no telling when they'd suddenly snap and push her away. Even hope was hard, though given that both Dante and Tyrus seemed to accept her, she could at least keep a little of that alive.
"Good Gods no! We're supposed to keep this under wraps! I am happy to give them a share of what we found, but they cannot have the notes."
"Good day to you ladies. We are back from the front lines. The goblins shouldn't bother us for a while. And the good doctor here has updated us on recent events." Its at this point he lets Tyrus explain what is going on if he hasn't already. "Tyrus thought it might be better to have some back up if you'd be willing to come tomorrow. Its the fastest way to figure out what is going on with her if what we found was the old dwarf's lab."
Tyrus is caught by surprise as he struggles to explain without breaking confidence
"Er, there are things we need from that, er, cave. We need to get what we stored there and keep exploring. Um, I've found out there was a dwarven wizard here before. A long time ago. I, uh, want his notes. The alchemy paraphernalia suggest that was his, er, or her I suppose, lab.""Look, you don't need that stuff, I know. But you're due a share. Good chance it'd pay your way out of here and back home."
How do I explain it might stop her getting bled to a husk
Tyrus and his erstwhile assistants stumble in to the common house subtly smelling of an acrid acid scent, and Tyrus makes directly for bed.
Still, he is unable to sleep. He lies there, eyes closed, unmoving, trying to force his mind not to dwell on the dangers of tomorrow.
Around him the other island inhabitants talk, making sleep even harder.
The wizard finds himself listening in as they describe him, first with friendship - rare enough for the old wizard - and then with respect.
When one of them mentions concern for a comrade in the infirmary and is answered with "Don't worry, the old man's got it" his eyes start to tear up and it is all he can do not to sob.
Dante holds out a hand to stop Tyrus before they get to the girls and looks at him oddly. "You said you used Yllaine's blood to help it right? And you didn't bother to mention why? What for?"
"Well, firstly because I didn't know at the time. It's a difficult procedure, I thought it was being used to test my skills and her heritage at the same time. Now I am reluctant to break the Captain's confidence, both for reasons of honour and practicality. Lastly because that bodyguard is going to work out the only way to distill the blood is with a trained alchemist, and then ensure there's no threat - by removing the alchemist!"
"I've dealt with nobles before, until they realised I wouldn't brew them poisons. Don't trust them, Dante. Any of them. You don't keep power without a ruthlessness that makes the Captain look like a saint*!"
Luca gave Tyrus a slightly odd look as they approached the ladies... but seemed either unable or unwilling to disagree with his assessment of nobility. They'd always been very quick to judge her, and only pure fear had kept them from moving against her earlier on.
Dante opened his mouth to argue but found he couldn't. Tyrus' words reminded him of his own family and his own misconceptions about them. They may not have liked him but he never would have guessed they'd stoop to assassination. Even still, they had helped the first time they went through that hidden door. That warranted some trust right?
Tyrus is caught by surprise as he struggles to explain without breaking confidence
"Er, there are things we need from that, er, cave. We need to get what we stored there and keep exploring. Um, I've found out there was a dwarven wizard here before. A long time ago. I, uh, want his notes. The alchemy paraphernalia suggest that was his, er, or her I suppose, lab."
"Look, you don't need that stuff, I know. But you're due a share. Good chance it'd pay your way out of here and back home."
"Besides, Norren is going to be away for a while. Best chance we have at getting back there," he adds to help cover Tyrus' nervousness. This didn't feel right but he couldn't shake the paranoia.
Lara: "We heard about your feats during the battle, sure. Impressive... and I won't say I'm not curious about what's in those tunnels -"
Yllaine interrupts her. "You bled me, Tyrus. I don't know what you or they are up to, but what makes you think I'd help either one of you? I have every intention of waiting here with Lara until my family sends the ransom."
"I didn't bleed you! Kris did!" cries Tyrus self-righteously "I simply distilled what he took - there was no one waiting to pay my ransom!"
Finding himself angry to be arguing the woman into coming, and unprepared to break confidence, he let's that anger spill out into conversation.
"I don't much fancy being asked to do it again, you fool girl! Oh, it's all very well for me to declare I won't, but if they come asking 'with a pie-cake and a pig-sticker'" Tyrus quotes an old proverb "I don't doubt my reticence will evaporate. Get the damned money your damned self and call the Captain's bluff before he decides he wants some more Oil-of-Yllaine!"
"Yes, you distrust me. I suppose I can't really blame you. But ask young Dante here what he thinks. He's been trying to talk me into taking you, and he's always treated you like a princess."
Luca darted backwards as the yelling started, and her Eidolon moved completely in front of her, opening its mouth to reveal quite a lot of sharp teeth. She didn't really understand the specifics of distilling blood or whatever they were arguing about - she just knew that when adults yelled, nothing good came out of it.
"P-please... stop fighting..." she whispered... but frightened as she was, it seemed unlikely anyone would be listening to her.
Finally. The old man shows some backbone, Dante thinks. Too bad his ire is aimed at the wrong person.
"Just tell them the truth Tyrus. I am sure they would be more willing if they knew what was going on. Besides, if we find something that helps they probably won't have to bleed you again and we can avoid future confrontation."
"I will not break confidentiality. They can trust us, or not!"
Yllaine looks like she is about to respond angrily again when Lara pulls her aside. They speak in hurried, hushed whispers for a few moments, with many glances back at Tyrus and the group. Finally, they return and speak again - Lara prodding Yllaine along.
"I... I apologize, Tyrus," she says. "I'm sure you were acting... under duress."
Though her overt anger is much assuaged, Yllaine certainly has not completely forgiven Tyrus yet - it seems she thinks he should have protected her.
"Anyway - what is in these tunnels that we're after? And you can bet Norren will claim anything we find is his anyway."
"So we hide it," suggest Lara. "We were allowed to keep our bags. If we find anything valuable and small enough, we can smuggle it off the island. At least it will make up for some of the ransom."
This was getting out of hand again. Yllaine was getting upset and it was only because Lara seemed to be on their side that this didn't become worse. They thought they were after an item or two and not saving a life. Why didn't Tyrus just tell them the truth?
The more he watched the older man, the more he understood. Tyrus was working himself into a panic over this. He could see his pupils dilating and sweat building up on his brow. He was scared of what Norren and maybe even Kris might do if they found out he was telling them of the naiad.
"I think we can safely say it could save someone's life, what we find in there, without breaking confidentiality. Right?" he says providing a way out that might keep them on their side.
Tyrus blinks as Yllaine backs down. Deprived of someone to rail against he finds himself a little ashamed of his behaviour.
"I'm sorry Luca. I know that you don't like it when we fight."
Turning back to the noble he explains
"It was a... transfusion, of sorts. We need to find a... cure. I think I can say that."
"I'd stand up to Norren over goods and taxes. But I'm not going to cross him when there's a life on the line. I know it seems strange that a wizard is such a coward - I cannot just fight him. The stories about the mages cracking city walls like eggs, and enslaving whole towns... they're true, but I am not anywhere near that power." He looks bitter "I can't even stop a woman from dying. One day, I will"
"You've stopped plenty from dying so far. Don't worry. We'll stop her from dying too. But we should probably figure out what happened first and for that we need to head back through that fort. Can you help us with that?" he asks turning back to Lara and Yllaine. He was getting dangerously close to the truth and likely making Tyrus more nervous but their trust was important if they were trying to get them to help.
"T-Tyrus has already done a lot." Luca said, trying to support the older wizard. "I t-think you can trust him, especially when he's trying to help save someone." He certainly seemed to take failures quite personally... and at the very least, she didn't want people he'd helped to think ill of him.
After another private conference, Luca and Yllaine both agree to accompany the group back to the tunnels.
"When do we go back?" asks Lara. "And will Norren know about it?"
"Tomorrow morning. First thing. Goblins hate the light, hopefully we can get there and back in one day."
Tyrus groans aloud just thinking about the walking involved, then adds
"or camp the night, come back tomorrow."
"As for Norren, we're going to have to tell him, I think. I'll take responsibility. We don't need to explain details, though."
Lara nods, clearly taking the lead for the pair on this. "Fine. Come and get us when you're ready to go then. We don't stray too far from our wonderful abode here," she gestures to the common house. "It'll be helpful if you can get my weapons back as well."
Luca nodded slightly, though she wasn't sure how well that would work. Well... Tyrus would probably have a plan for that. She glanced at her Eidolon, but it simply yawned widely and began circling around her. "Um... I-I'll be ready to go whenever you two are." she said quietly, looking at her companions.
Tyrus goes to Kris with his requests. The man scrutinizes Tyrus for a moment, then shrugs. "No harm in handing back a dagger or two. I hope you find something."
In the morning, the group collects Lara and Yllaine, handing back Lara's weapons - a shortsword and a dagger. She nods in appreciation as she sheathes them once again at her belt.
The walk back along the dirt path to their former prison takes over an hour, with Tyrus huffing and puffing along and the others tactfully waiting for him each time he falls a bit behind. It is still early morning by the time they reach the gates, now as abandoned as the ruined little fort they once called home.
Dante finds the hidden release for the secret door, and once again the tunnel opens. The supplies they had found before lie in a neat pile just inside.
"G-go look for anything useful." Luca told her Eidolon, pointing towards the storeroom. It tilted its head as it looked at her, then padded over to the area and began peering and sniffing, occasionally bumping something with its head as it looked around and sought anything that could be used to help protect the group or otherwise accomplish their goals.