Now that she has some time, with the camp being set up and settled down, Miyari tries combinations of keys in the holes as if trying to figure out some sort of puzzle, getting through the six main combinations that she imagines it might be, though should this be ineffective, she quickly gives up and hands it off to Glen for him to figure it out.
After Miyari gives up on the lantern in frustration, Glen studies the item for a bit and sees that beneath the tarnish appears to be markings near the keyholes. While difficult to make out, it's easy enough to surmise they probably correspond to the markings on the key stems, but there still does not appear to be any change regardless of which key is placed where. Hmm, what could possibly be missing?
Seeing the catfolk fiddling with the lantern & key, Ali wonders softly; "Does it have any oil in it? Maybe if it's lit, it may project a map... or t' heat would open a drawer. Of course, a drawer where t' oil is kept would be a good place to hide a note or small trinket."
"East should be fine," Armin agrees indifferently. The way he saw things, it did not particularly matter which direction they went in first. That Miyari had a logical basis for her suggestion was all that mattered to him.
The party wakes to a cloudy day; the sky full of pregnant clouds looking ready to burst at any minute and spill their life giving contents on the heads of every plant, animal, and person as far away as the end of the horizon. Eager to get going, the party makes a quick breakfast of flapjacks and honey with some bitter tea.
The expedition continues most of the day without incident once again mapping the area when they see a hut in the distance. The hut itself doesn't seem all that remarkable...if one ignored all of the various crudely made signposts in a multitude of languages surrounding what appears to be a warzone. The turf is thoroughly scorched and torn up from either a lot of fighting or perhaps explosions(?). Either way, there are at least two signs that everyone can read among the probably over thirty visible.
One says: Welcome to Bokken's Potion Emporium! Customers welcome! It is rather lavish if timeworn and most likely much older than the hastily painted other signs.
The other crudely tacked onto the first says simply: KEEP OUT! It seems fairly obvious all of the other signs in their various languages are simply reiterations of this phrase.
Leading up to the hut, there is a trodden path mostly overgrown, but one could surmise it leads back in the direction of Oleg's Trading Post. Pieces of a sundered crossbow are spread about the trail. A curious magpie swoops out of the sky, trying to steal one of the shinier bits.
Noting Ali's spell attempting to determine if the items are magical Glen remembers a new extract he'd worked out, and yet had a chance to test, he'd prepared it especially to learn more about the crystalline bell he'd taken from the attackers at the inn, but theoretically it should help him to identify any magical auras. The small investigator unstoppers a tiny vial of cloudy liquid and pours the liquid into his mouth. The goblin grimaces as he swallows "Ugh... Glen must remember to improve the taste of these concoctions." With the potion imbibed he focuses on the lantern and keys to see what more he can discover. Hopefully between his knowledge of engineering and his new formula he'll be able to get some useful information.
Moving along the trail Glen peers at the signs "Customer's welcome; Keep out? By the state of the ground it certainly doesn't seem to be a very welcoming place" He grins to himself at the curiosity of the place "Though it could merit investigating Glen is interested to know what has happened here. Should we take a look? He could perhaps sneak in to see if it is safe."
"Sneakin' in sounds reet dangerous, t' owner could be a curmudgeon about it... but since we're 'ere. Although we ain't got much brass t' buy owt." Ali says marking the abode down on the map, with a red dot to indicate that there could be danger here. "Maybe he'd care for a bit of company? Or if you want t' sneak in, well that could annoy him - but..."
"It looks like someone wore out their welcome," Armin remarks, eyeing the scene of apparent conflict.
"Still, this close to Oleg's, it's hard to believe that it's anyone particularly dangerous. Unless they've been living under his nose this whole time. Why don't we just walk up and knock down - ah, I mean knock on - the door?"
Miyari shrugs and says, "If Glen says he can sneak in, I'm sure he can. I used to think I was pretty quiet on my feet, but compared to him..." The catfolk shrugs lightly at the regards the signs with a tilted head. "At least then we'll know if we're facing any danger."
"Well tha's sure. I'd hate to have t' bloke grumpy w' us." Ali says looking around & checking the sign for the number of languages.
Glen and Ali are able to determine that the lantern itself provides light as the light spell in that the light is magical just by being lit. It will behave as a dancing lantern following whomever lit it. With no key inserted, the lantern will triple the time a single pint of oil will last.
Glen activates sneaky mode and begins to creep up to the house, but as he reaches the edge of the torn turf, a crazed cry erupts from the hut as the door is flung open. Out of the darkness inside, something is lobbed with a hi-ya! in an arc which lands a few feet from the edge of the ring of signs. From Glen's vantage, he can see what is clearly a bomb, its fuse dwindling down rapidly. It then explodes with a boom! causing one of the signs a few feet away to fall over as the torn earth is loosened from the concussion.
An agitated voice from inside the hut yells hoarsely, "You won't take me without a fight, you sneaky tengus! I set up my alarms to watch for you ninjas!"
A few more objects sail from the open portal, most seem to be thin hide pouches which burst on impact spilling various substances over the disturbed grounds. A pit seems to open temporarily on one while another seems to create a pool of acid. At least one of them explodes like the first projectile.
"I don't know how you found me, but you'll never take Bokken the Genius alive!"
"Ahhh!" cries Miyari, putting her hands over her ears at the explosion. Thinking they are discovered, she shouts in return, "We're not tengus! We're just explorers! We come meaning no harm, and found this place as it is. If you calm down and don't throw any more bombs or acid at us, maybe we can help you with something!"
Glen hops back away from the bomb "Please cease your assault. As Miyari says we are certainly not Tengu, and Glen is an investigator not a ninja. He is simply interested in what has happened here, and was coming to see if it was safe." The small goblin looks at the various thrown weapons "Are you an alchemist? Glen does a bit of alchemy as well, perhaps you would be interested in comparing formulae? Glen has not amassed very many, buy would be pleased to discuss them with you."
Pointing towards the signs, and specifically the one that says welcome "You may want to consider removing that sign it is rather contradictory. Also if you are hiding from Tengu and ninja is it wise to have a sign with your name on it out here?"
The barrage of odd alchemical bombs stops for a moment and a scruffy looking man wearing some smudged goggles pokes his head out of the doorframe.
"What do you mean not tengus? How can I be sure? Can you prove it?"
Bokken turns his head to the side slightly and squints. The magnification lens of the goggles make the single eye look enormous.
"You ninjas are tricksy folk, and you could all be ninjas. Or tengus." The odd man pauses as if working out something. "Or tengu ninjas!" he exclaims as if he hadn't just suggested this very thing a mere moment ago.
"Well, I suspect that tengus wouldn't go through the trouble of dressing up as a catfolk if they were going to put on a disguise. Humans are more common and more commonly trusted," reasons Miyari. She looks skywards and muses further, "And my associate here, well, I think that tengus are normally taller, and it would be unwise for a ninja to put so much pressure for so long on their knees. Should they need to spring into action, it would not suit them so well to have their legs tingly and numb."
She nods, very conclusively, "And if you then accept that Glen and I are not tengus, then I hope that you'll accept my vouching for the rest of our number."
Hopefully, she finishes, "But as I said before, perhaps we might be of some kind of assistance to you? If there are tengus in the area, it would be something we're quite interested in documenting."
Ali leans over to Kalica and asks softly; "What's a tengu? Or a ninja? I take it, we ain't them? " Seemingly pronouncing it 'Tan-jue', since neither of them were in his mothers' stories.
Ruffling his hair with a certain reticence at the paranoia of the bomber, but the mention of documentation brings out a smile in the youth.
Bokken looks thoroughly flummoxed by Miyari's odd but possibly logical explanation. After a moment of his mouth working without sound coming out, he suddenly says pointing at Miyari.
"What's this nonsense about cat-folk? Everybody knows that cats aren't folk!" he scoffs. "And folk aren't cats!"
He walks out into the yard, a vial of some odd purple fluid that seems to swish opposite the way it should clutched forgotten in one hand. He peers at Miyari with his enormous goggled eye but seems less afraid...but doesn't seem any less crazed, sadly.
"Are you sure you're not a tengu? You look kinda furry."
He frowns at Glen. "And that one is kind of wrapped up and has a big hat. That's how ninjas dress! Any minute he's going to pull out one of them pistoles and shoot me like a ninja would! He said he wants to compare formulae...which I kind of like and am interested in, but I don't want to get shot up by ninja guns!"
Miyari blinks slowly and says, under some strained politeness, "I am certain I am not a tengu. Fur should rule that out, in fact. I am a cat-folk, and if you think that catfolk are nonsense, I would ask you to think again. I happen to be an expert of knowing what I am."
She glances over towards Glen and says, "To be honest, I don't even know how ninjas dress, but I don't think they look like Glen. He has an interest in alchemy and solving problems, though. Based on the little that I have learned of you in this short bit of time, I think you would like him if you got to know him."
"Catfolk nonsense?" Glen glowers and crosses his arm "Catfolk are most certainly folk. Sir, you have insulted Miyari, and her people. Glen will not stand by while you do so. Apologize to Miyari immediately!" The little goblin huffs, and his beady eyes stare towards Bokken waiting for the scruffy looking man's apology.
When Miyari glances towards him Glen shifts his eyes towards her and nods once "Glen would be most pleased to discuss alchemy, and formulae, among other things, but cannot do so while his friends are insulted."
He furrows his brow a bit "Ninjas dress in wide brimmed hats as well? And they use pistoles? Glen admits he does not know much about ninja, but he had understood they were well versed in stealth yet a gun is noisy and cumbersome... it seems an odd choice. Anyway Glen will turn out his pockets to show the lack of any firearms if you insist." He holds up his hand "Apologies first though"
Bokken is bewildered by Glen's rebuke. He looks at Miyari confused.
"You say this furry looking female is a catfolk? Ain't never heard of none of that!" Bokken says shaking his head. "But I have heard of tengu! And ninjas! So my deductive reasoning says that makes that more likely."
Looking back at Glen, Bokken points at his hat and coat.
"And ninjas are covered up. That's what I was told! They try and hide in plain sight, and I bet a horse could hide under that brim!"
The fact that an immediate comparison can be made of Kalica's horse Blossom standing behind Glen is apparently entirely lost on the agitated potion-maker.
"Tengu reveal!" Bokken screams and hucks the suddenly remembered vial at Miyari and Glen's feet. A cloud of purple mist smelling of strawberries suddenly erupts around the pair. Other than the sweet fruity smell, no obvious effect occurs.
Bokken blinks.
"Uh...You didn't change," he says blandly, clearly surprised that it's true.
Bokken reaches up and pulls his goggles up to his forehead. His eyes become a normal less unusual size. He approaches and peers at Miyari closely, fascinated by her ears and her tail especially. Then he puts his hands in his trouser pockets and kicks a piece of rubble.
"So...uh, catfolk...right. You're a catfolk. Sorry about all that..." he mutters while waving absently in the direction of the rather devastated landscape. "I can't ever be too careful...you know those tengu ninjas..."
Under his breath he says, "I guess tengu aren't furry after all." Bokken pulls out a ragged looking journal and an ink pen from his coat and begins writing.
After a moment, he looks up at the group and cocks his head. Bokken points to the bigger sign using the pen. "Are you...here to buy potions?" He stops. "I feel like I just sold a bunch to somebody...a soldier, maybe? Huh, usually don't have this many customers in a year."
He stops stopping looking once more at Glen. This time he does a more thorough examination. "Um, and...what about the small guy in the hat? Is he another kind of catfolk? Like a kittenfolk or what?"
He scrunches up his nose. "You don't really look much like this one," Bokken gestures to Miyari. "Are you sure you're a catfolk, too? Maybe you're just a funny looking dwarf."
Arielle emits a laugh. The outburst is brief, and almost over as soon as it begins. However, the high-pitched and girlish sound is unmistakeable. Afterwards, the typically melancholy girl seems to shrink back against Kalica embarrassed. She whispers to her teddy bear, "Bubbles...he said Glen was a kittenfolk. That's so silly."
Armin blinks, the strangeness of their situation not at all lost on him. Hardly a worldly person, most of Bokken's ramblings go right over the android's head. He did not have the faintest clue about what "tengu" and "ninja" were, but judging by the alchemists' claims, they were either very elusive or very imaginary. Looking down at Arielle, he smiles, being about as amused as she is.
"How many customers do you usually have?" Armin decides to ask, in lieu of clarifying what his feared assailants were. "This place seems... out of the way."
The man spins around in a complete circle in shock until he identifies the tall and brawny looking Armin is the speaker.
"Well, aren't you the large one!" Bokken blurts out. " Uh, how many...customers," he fumbles as if unfamiliar with the word he himself just used. He looks up at his own sign without comprehension for a moment before suddenly snapping his fingers and swinging back to Armin.
"Oh, yeah! So there's my protectors...that soldier...the Stag Lord—but just once, thank the gods!—that sick elf lady...hmm, some strange cultists, and, well, of course Oleg."
He nods to himself. "That's got to be about it since I got here!"
He looks at everyone standing around. "Soooo...we should probably get out of the open since those horned and scaly tengus ninjas might be anywhere."
Bokken glances around fearfully and begins to scurry into his hut.
Roswitha gently pounds the heel of one hand against the side of her head, trying to figure out what the demented hermit is saying.
"Do they have beaks?" Tengu have beaks, right? She's not sure anymore.
"Tengu ninjas have scales? Then... why did you even suspect me of that in the first place?" huffs Miyari a bit indignantly. She follows Bokken inside. "Anyways... Glen is not a kittenfolk. He is not a catfolk at all. Only I am, out of our group here."
She pauses a moment and then asks, "The Stag Lord? Who is that?"
"Do they have beaks?"
Bokken looks at the woman. "Do they have beaks? Um..." His eyes shift from side-to-side, and he appears flustered. He's saved from answering when Miyari changes the subject.
"Tengu ninjas have scales? Then... why did you even suspect me of that in the first place?" huffs Miyari a bit indignantly.
"Yes...uh, yes. They do have scales. You're right. I should have known." Bokken nods vigorously even while speaking in an over exaggerated tone like someone trying to cover up ignorance. He pulls out his journal and inkpen again...in a manner that looks like it was supposed to be secretive but fails. He doesn't seem to realize everyone sees him.
"Tengus...have...scales. Theory confirmed."
Inside the hut, the light of day is almost nowhere to be seen. If there are windows, they are hidden behinds the heaps of notes and drawings pinned to the walls, the several mismatched bookcases and shelving filled with jars, flasks, bins full of ingredients, and various tools scattered throughout the room. Aside from that there are other furniture filling the spaces in between: a single messy cot, a couple of locked trunks, and a small table and stool. It is nearly impossible to ignore the rather magnificent alchemy workstation with gilded tubing and pristinely clean glass components taking up a large portion of the single room. The smell is sweet, antiseptic, sour, oily, chemical...all at the same time.
"Anyways... Glen is not a kittenfolk. He is not a catfolk at all. Only I am, out of our group here."
"Huh, well then, I'm guess the catnip bomb I was thinking about wouldn't work after all..." Bokken strokes his stubbly chin while eyeing Glen suspiciously.
"The Stag Lord? Who is that?"
The alchemist turns white. He looks around carefully then holds a hand up to the side of his mouth. He licks his lips and whispers loudly as if sharing a conspiratorial secret. "He's the one who controls the ninjas, kittyfolk lady." He nods as if agreeing with himself, looking relieved as if he had finally told something that had been burdening him for sometime.
Miyari gives Bokken a bit of an incredulous look when he speaks, but does not comment on it, simply deciding that he does not know what he is talking about at all.
When she walks into the hut, she makes a hissing sound and covers her mouth and nose, "That smell is a bit overwhelming... I guess that is alchemy, though." She looks to Glen for confirmation that alchemy is just naturally smelly, since he dabbles in the craft far more than she does.
"How do you know the stag lord controls the ninjas?" says Miyari, "What are these ninjas doing to you?"
Bokken looks at Miyari like she suddenly started growing a third ear.
"I know because...because...I just do!" the scruffy hermit says defensively. "He said 'tengu' to me right before he left the one time he was here.. I've heard all the rumors and stories about him in the Greenbelt. Him and his crony Kressle who wanders around stirring up trouble. Good thing I have my protectors!"
The man suddenly pulls out a key and unlocks one of the big trunks. As he opens it, several shelves lift up with the lid in a staggered tiering system. An array of mini-water skins line the shelves. The occasional glass vial appears here and there, but mostly tiny skins fill the racks. He drops the front panel of the trunk and drawers also loaded in similar fashion can be pulled forward.
"Well? You buyin'?"
"Not me, I'm afraid. Not-so-fresh out of coin. But my friends likely have something left over," says Miyari politely at being asked if there is anything they'd like to buy. "What did the Stag Lord and this Kressle person look like? I want to make sure we can keep an eye out for anyone who might stir up trouble for us in particular."
Following into the hut Glen removes his hat and wrinkles his nose, this smell was much stronger then any the little goblin had witness with his alchemy, if it was this strong for him it must be downright painful for Miyari's strong sniffer. "Well alchemy creates quite a number of different odours, but this is much stronger than Glen is used to.... this lab could use better ventilation..."
The short ugly lump looks towards the trunk as it's opened to display a number of different potions "Hmmm... your potions seem very well made, and are certainly useful... but Glen is more interested in information. We are just heading out into the Greenbelt this Stag lord, and Kressle, sound like they are important to the area. Glen would like to hear about them, perhaps you would be good enough to indulge him with some of the stories you've heard." As almost an after though he takes out his small book of alchemy formulae "Ah also if you are interested Glen could share some of his alchemical formulae he is self taught and hasn't accumulated very many, but is happy to show his discoveries."
As Miyari and Glen ask about the other customers, Bokken looks increasingly nervous and begins to look sidelong at every shadow and flicker of the flame of the two oil lamps shedding light in the interior.
"Well then, if you're not buying I suggest you get on your way. I have more bombs to make since you guys wasted most of mine by not being tengus or ninjas," the alchemist says not answering any of the catfolk or goblin's other questions. He snaps his fingers.
"Or being tengu ninjas!"
Bokken suddenly jumps as if he heard something then shakes his head muttering incomprehensible things to himself. He begins busying himself with making something at his alchemy station. Again he jumps. Then he looks at Glen suspiciously.
"You have formulae?" He glances at a stack of books nearby. He pauses to ponder them. "Hmm, hmm...they don't like to be examined until after dinner. Come back later!"
Something on the table pops and a rush of acrid smoke begins to fill the room.
"Ack!" Bokken squawks and rushes over to it. Whatever he is now trying to do is lost in the smoke.
Armin looks at the alchemist's selection of potions with some interest. The ones that were bottled in skins rather than vials were oddly appealing to him. Perhaps they seemed more pragmatic? Unfortunately, the android was rather light on coin himself.
"I think it is for the best that we leave," Armin suggests lightly, growing increasingly aware of the possibility that Bokken might in fact, be insane. "But should we come across more gold in our travels, we might well return. Is there any way we might approach without you lobbing more bombs at us? Perhaps a passphrase, of some sort?"
Bokken's face pops out of the smoke his mouth wide. He then begins to cough as he inhales quite a bit of it. Once he recovers, he says, "A passphrase? Not bad, not bad..."
He strokes his stubbly chin. Well it used to be stubbly. The little hairs look a tad more tentacle-y now, and are those gills...? Breathing that smoke may not be a very good idea.
"Yeah, let's go with fangberries. And you know what? I need some. Fangberries that is. I use 'em to make a lot of my potions. You bring me a few bushels, and I'll make you some potions. I think I saw some southwest of here, maybe 50 or so miles. I was looking for my brother."
Bokken shakes his head. The tiny tentacles on his face wriggle back and forth. "My brother...he's a might crazy, I'll warn you now. You let me know if you ever run across him. He and I have a need to settle some things. He was last heard of somewhere down south."
Quest: Deliver a fair amount of fangberries to Bokken.
- Fangberry thicket 50 miles or so to the southwest of Bokken's hut.
Quest: Locate Bokken's "crazy" brother.
As you can see, definitive clues and uncertain clues shall be listed as black and light blue respectively. Once you're certain of a clue,
tell me, and I will update the color.
Ali lets the knowledgeable investigators question the crazed alchemist, but on the mention of Kessel & the Stag Lord he moves forwards. "Fangberries, I know what they are. A might bitter, ain't they - you say they are used for potions, do you cut them with honey or summat to sweeten them?"
"You say your brother is a trifle...mad?" Ali adds softly not wanting to set him off; "How best may we approach him so he doesn't need restraining....?"
'Cause it ain't like Kalica's t' model of restraint' the though comes unbidden accompanied by a wry smile.
Bokken's guffaw is tinged with contempt. And rage.
"Oh, restraining him is absolutely necessary. If you ever see him and can tell me where he is, I'll sort him out. And if that don't work...he won't need restraining," the alchemist finishes cryptically.
"You're probably thinkin' of a different berry. Or mebbe the ones you tried weren't ripe. These are vine fruit like the blackberry and raspberry, so most people think they are best in the summer. It's true they get big and plump in the summer months, but the fangberries are always best before the spiders start hatching." Bokken says sagely.
"Well, we'll keep that in mind," says Miyari absently, before a realization crosses her face, "Do you happen to have a journal that I could buy from you? In fact, it might help me to keep it in my memory that you have some need from us. I tend to be, hm, a bit absentminded, and I'm afraid that I have nothing to write on anymore. I would really appreciate it, perhaps if I could have a journal on an IOU basis? To make sure that we remember that you want fangberries, and to keep notes on your brother's appearance so that we will recognize him when we run across him. All I can spare right now for it is..." Miyari rifles through her bag, and then says in a discouraged tone, "Soap? Otherwise, we'll need to set off on our way."
Ali rubs the roughly cut hair in slight embarrassment at their financial position, certainly the experiences in the city hadn't made a fortune for any of them. After awaiting the response to Miyari's request, Ali softly mumbles; "Oh, you call those fangberries - Da used to call them farkleberries."
"And about your brother, we ain't to approach him - just tell thee where he is? What's he look like?" Ali wonders.
"Short cropped brown hair, some acne, the first signs of peach fuzz on his upper lip. My brother is all gangly and awkward. Especially when his voice cracks." Bokken chuckles and shakes his head clearly lost in his memories. Suddenly he scowls, "Aye, if you find him, either bring him here, or bring me to him. That's all."
Something on the alchemy station suddenly begins to ooze out of it's flask. Bokken doesn't notice.
"A journal? Uh, yeah sure." The alchemist turns to the other locked trunk and opens it. The lid blocks the view of its contents as he fishes something from within its depths. The oozing material lifts up a pseudopod and seems to test the air. Bokken pops back up holding a simple journal with some surprisingly clean pages.
"No need to worry about cost. I don't sell journals, I sell potions! I'll let you have it to make up for not believing in catfolk nons—er, I mean, catfolk. Just catfolk. Not catfolk nonse—ahhh."
Bokken looks rather embarrassed and holds out the journal to Miyari looking everywhere else but at her. Behind him the oozing thing(?) begins to drip onto the floor and steadily move in Bokken's direction.
"And his name?" Ali asks realising that maybe the description might be decades old.
"Name?" Bokken responds looking puzzled. He looks around and his eyes go wide when he sees the oozing gel that has almost reached his ragged boot.
"Herbert!" he barks with a furious expression. "How many times do I have to tell you not when I have customers?"
He sighs and looks sheepishly at the explorers. "My apologies. Herbert always gets so excited when new folks come by," Bokken sighs. "Of course, that's no consolation when he's melted skin to the bone trying to say hello. Oozes communicate be exchanging fluids after all. Sadly, we have a hard time doing the same."
The alchemist pulls a pair of thick gloves out of his pocket and puts them on before scooping up "Herbert" and placing it back on the alchemy table to slither back into the beaker it was in before.
Turning back to Ali. "What were you asking again, miss?" Bokken blinks again and looks at Ali closer. "Er, sorry. I mean mister. You...your features are soft, ah...that is—youthful."
He once again looks embarrassed and laughs nervously. "Well, you ain't no tengu at least."
Glen watches curiously as the ooze is scooped up and stuck back on the table. "Herbert does not bother any of your potions or experiments being right there among them?"
When it's asked for Ali to repeat the question Glen offers "Ali was asking the name of your brother, it may be easier to find him if we know whom we're looking for."
"Ah, thank you for the journal," says Miyari. She seems quite pleased by the gift and forgets all about the catfolk doubting incident. She immediately starts working on some notes.
"Well now that you mention it...I think Herbert does occasionally consume a bomb or tincture I have prepared," Bokken says stroking his once-again-normal-whiskers. Bokken glances at the pseudopod that innocently pokes out of the beaker with a frown. "Hmmm..."
The substance in the beaker changes color from clear to a saffron yellow.
"Name!" Bokken suddenly bursts out snapping his fingers. "I finally remembered!"
He chortles quite pleased with himself and turns back to the table and starts mixing some ingredients and sets it to boil after lighting a small clay oven. He whips his head around and a puzzled look appears on his face when he sees the party standing there.
"What are you all still doing here? Weren't you off to find Fredren?"
He then deliberately turns his back on the party with a scowl. "Just rude, I tell you, Herbert. People just barging into a man's home. No respect I say."
"Fangberries," Armin repeats, committing the errand-slash-passphrase to memory. It seemed simple enough. The android budges slightly, as though eager to leave, but the discussion with the mad alchemist seems to continue. Quite honestly, he found it difficult to believe that Bokken's brother was even more unhinged. He stares at the strange ooze, as though its very existence proved his point.
Eventually, Bokken makes it clear that they have outworn their welcome. Armin sighs with relief and looks to the others.
"Let's be on our way before he starts throwing bombs at us again."
It does not take Miyari much convincing to leave the smelly hut, and she starts out as soon as Bokken indicates wanting them gone. "Yes indeed, let's. Why don't we take a look for those fangberries? We've got to chart down that way anyhow, and," she looks over towards Glen, "Maybe you'll be able to find a use for them as well? Who knows."
With a slight frown at Bokken and his misunderstandings, Ali smiles at Glen for his understanding and correction to the madman. "Fredren?" he ponders.
Nodding in agreement with Armin, Ali steps backways with small steps whilst focussing on the hut and receding form of Bokken. Then in a soft voice; "So this Stag Lord moves around t' land - wonder what 'e wants?"
As the party exits Bokken's hut, the swollen clouds finally determine they have had enough and begin to sprinkle their contents down on the travelers. It's light and almost refreshing if very cool and the slight breeze roused by the precipitation gives the air a chill.
Across the fields to the south, something appears on the horizon heading in the direction of the blasted landscape surrounding Bokken's hut.
Arielle looks up at the sky as the light sprinkle begins. She shudders slightly, and Kalica draws the girl's hood up over her brown hair and pulls her closer while they stand next to Blossom having chosen to wait outside for the others.