"There were two Johns coming out of the rift, anyway, so part of that is not good. The copies could be the reason it cannot closer the rift..."
'Two? Ha, I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. Such a thing is impossible.'
Shawe looks decidedly uncomfortable at the thought.
The Hawcroft representative speaks up.
'Actually, he speaks the truth. There is a second John, still held aboard the Beguiling Wolf, at anchor in Koltsvin bay. I can fetch him if you wish.'
Shawe nods distractedly and the large man, slowly pulling his shirt and jacket over the welts and wounds that criss-crosas his torso, slips back out into the streets and out of sight.
You throw theories around for a few minutes as Shawe continues to search for something through his many desks and shelves. One of the dogs tires of the fire and pads over to Miria, nuzzling her hand affectionately. After a short time a loud, deep voice cuts across your discussion.
'Brother John is correct. They could live,' Tarun rumbles, holding up a hand to ensure that he is listened to, 'But for how long? I remember the night I was taken - the almost orc, Roger, he and I were alone for days before you found us. And yet for you it was but a handful of moments. We have been away from them for more than a day. What guarantee do we have that they are any more than dust?'
Before anybody else can say anything Yvenor returns. There is a man walking behind him, hesitantly, a man that bears a striking resemblance to Judge John of the Wains. His clothing is a little more tattered and he has some bandages hiding what appear to be nasty wounds running along his arms, and he lacks the torc around his neck that your own Judge John received from the night market. Apart from these few differences in clothing, however, they look to be identical - down to the hairline, the old healed scars, even the grafted eyes.
This new John look around the room with obvious discomfort, refusing to meet your gaze. Shawe's mouth falls open in shock as he looks between the two men - he seems lost for words.
Jack slams his hand down on the furniture
he stops, starts again
Shawe's term antibody seems to have latched into Jack's vocabulary.
If he allows we are not simply templates then Shawe must realise the number of people he killed is hundreds of times larger than he thought. I doubt he can let himself accept that.
All of this talk is going straight over Miria's head. She furrows her brows and ruffles her short hair in frustration. Her hands come down and flutter with words, trying to make sense of this situation, and assuming Jack will translate.
"Baldwin is tougher than some may give him credit, and I believe that he will survive until we can release him from the belly of the beast. What I need to know is how to kill this beast and keep my charges safe. That is my job after all." She knows that everyone is trying to make heads or tails of this situation, but sitting here blathering isn't going to save poor Baldwin.
"I dunno what you're talking about. I didn't see multiple me's in there. Just the one me. or multiple Tarun's either. Then again, we weren't stupid enough to wander around and start shouting things." Roger looks pointedly at John when he makes the last comment.
He turns to Sallrana.
'And Lady, with a beast such as this very little is certain. Perhaps you are more than a copy. I would not speculate on such a matter.'
'Two? Ha, I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. Such a thing is impossible.'
Shawe looks decidedly uncomfortable at the thought.
She looks at Rickonni, nods, than back at Tarkin Shawe.
"Not want to speculate or not wish to speculate Tarkin?, because of fear of where it may lead your thoughts"
This new John look around the room with obvious discomfort, refusing to meet your gaze. Shawe's mouth falls open in shock as he looks between the two men - he seems lost for words.
"And there your thoughts go, to the place you did not wish them to."
she says to Tarkin, to the new John she says.[/b]"Other plane John, if you don't mine me calling you that. Do not be bear affront I am the same, with time on the ship and as you looked around here, is the the world you are from?"[/b]
After Sallrana is finished Rick goes back to the subject.
"Tarun, Roger, how did you know several days passed? As much as I know a person cannot spend too much time without food, and just a couple of days without water. How did you survive several days in there? What did you eat? And how did you know what was day and night if you couldn't see the sun and its light?"
"Also, there's the possibility that, with the rift, if there is really a time difference, it normalizes, running equally in both places."
'We made camp twice, and slept. Roger found you as we were making camp for a third time. Our times may not be accurate... but our stay could not be counted easily in seconds.' Tarun steps back after delivering this piece of information, sitting again on the large plush couch that creaked under his weight.
The latest addition to the room clears his throat.
This new John, the bandaged one, speaks in much the same voice as the man you've been traveling with. Much the same, but not exactly so - the firmness, the stoicism that is present in John's tone is absent from this newcomer. He still resolutely refuses to meet your eyes.
'I do not know what you are, or where I am. All i know is that I failed. I watched you die. All of you. If this is my punishment, to be tormented by the faces of those I failed to protect... ah, perhaps it is a just one.'
'When we left the beast, no copies came with us - and there were many that could have, if they had so wished. We assumed it was impossible for them to exist outside of the creature at the same time as another one of us - for two duplicates to survive, or a duplicate and the master it was made from. I knew-'
Shawe cuts himself short, as if afraid of what he is going to say, and then abruptly changes tack.
'And yes, Jack... poison, fire, made strong enough... these could act as distractions, allow you time to reach the heart. But what is more important - to burn the beast itself, or to burn the antibodies that help it to feed? if you clear them then you'll be far safer once you are inside the stomach - although the beast does have other methods of defending itself - and your path to your comrade, if he still lives, will be made all the safer.
'And as for why it did not duplicate you, or maybe did but simply not to the extent that it duplicated others...' he turns to Roger, 'Is a mystery to me, although one that I would very much like to solve.'
Miria's eyes narrow at Shawe. Her hands move quickly as she speaks, once again trusting that Jack will translate.
"There is something you are not telling us, and while you might not find it relevant, it may just keep all of us alive when we try to kill this beast and save Mr. Vanchester. From my knowledge we have been open and honest with you, and reciprocating is vital for survival. So spill."
All tact is gone from her words, she's tired of this evasive song and dance. The group needs information, and they're going to get it one way or another.
'How uncomfortably perceptive you are, young lady. Herne. Leave us.'
She shoots him a look but does as he asks, shutting the door behind her.
'Five.' he pauses for a moment, as if at a loss for words, but Miria's words, even through translation, brooked no argument.'Five came back. Not four. And... One of them wore my face. We believed that only... Well. I did what I had to.'
'I made sure that only one of us left the ruins of Yatavas that day. There is little more to be said on the subject, and much else that is more pressing. I, as well as many others, I am sure, will examine my guilt at a later date.'
"Sounds like what we really need is a distraction. Someone needs to run in, make a bunch of noise, and then lead the monsters on a fun chase: A couple someones, actually. They would need to be able to handle themselves in a fight, and be fast. Then, the rest of us will be all sneaky sneak and go kill the heart thingie."
"Well, I'm pretty fast for a halfling. If we're talking about dodging and tumbling I'm your guy, but it would be wise to slow the creature down if we could, just to make sure. Magical enhancements would be awesome, if you have any, but I know that kind of stuff is rare."
"Anyway, I know Shawe does not want to know the truth, but it is definitely necessary for us to understand it. So, Johns, why don't you share some stories, how was your life prior to the Schultenbrack, how did you get in it and what you did inside. Understand that nothing will be done to you, in case you're a copy, other plane John. There's enough room in this world for every one of us. So, be honest and get to a conclusion, telling us definitely if you're a copy or someone from a different plane. Don't forget the left-for-dead-in-the-desert guy."
Sallrana seems intent on what Tarkin is saying, she keep quiet wile the others pull the full story from him.
As Rickonni pumps the others for information is his rapid fire way, Sallrana moves slowly behind Tarkin, and saying in a low voice to him.
"Killing the other you Tarkin, was it fear that moved your hand, fear you where a copy and it the original?"
She looks into his eyes to see his response.
HexQin listens to what the others say.
Jack is stunned by these revelations into speechlessness, simply acting as a translator for Miria.
He considers - he wishes to discuss his plans for incendiary devices, ask about the entropic effect on arcane energy... but this seems more personal.
We know that Shawe would murder Shawe. That says much about his character, if the one who knows him best would kill him.
This new John tells his story, as best he can, and you can find no differences save for two - he had no clear memory of the thug that assaulted your John the previous night, and when in the schultenbrak he watched the rest of you die.
"So we should probably get going, before that shutingbug eats anyone else. I still think we should be sneaky and have a distraction or two."
"I told you, I'm a debt collector, not a thug. It's all legal and official and everything."
"I have things to pick up. And time to wait after that. The faster I get them, the faster I can be many making."
Sallrana is lost in thought for a moment then says
"It feeds on energy, fire, light sound, so where not going to use any of that. Where going to use chemical warfare on it. Chemical bombs to Chemically burn and hurt its flesh. If its living it has cells, we poison them with heavy metals. Like a toxin we will eat out way to its hart. Tarkin there is a kind of metal, one that has to be encased in lead because it sickens and kills flesh that comes near it. We need some, where going to take it in there and ram it into that things hart."
She looks over the room to Jack,
"Jack there was a research centrer that I got into once, it made a gas, a gas that melts flesh. Sulfur mustard they called it, horrific stuff, I have in my head the recipe, I don't know what it it means, but i was paid to get it not use it."
She takes out a note pad and pen and writes out a formula.
8 S2Cl2 + 16 C2H4 → 8 (Cl-CH2CH2)2S + S8
"Any use to you Jack?, If Jack can make it we can use it on any flesh thing attacking us, Bad news is we will need outfits to stop it from melting us. Masks, and all over clothing, it will make it hard to move but the alternative. Also we have got to be careful not to use it close to the ones we seek to save or..."
Her clothing changes to an all over basic Haszmat suit with mask
"Clothing like this" comes a muffled voice.
Miria watches the proceedings with critical eyes, and frowns at Sallrana's clothing.
"I don't know how useful your suggestion will be if we cannot move. We do not want to be eaten by the cleaning things inside the creature." (Since she uses Hunter's cant, there isn't a symbol for antibodies.)
"ummm...how are you gonna poison something that eats cities?"
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It likes heat, hit it with cold. Alchemical ice? Some powerfull spell effects can cause cold. Or maybe a large cart of black powder and metal pieces. That would do a lot of damage...heat though, scrap that. John looks at Tarkin
You said you attacked its heart. Exactly what happened there? Was it an actual heart? How did you harm it? How did the orcs deal with it? If it was a nuisance not a threat to them, that implies they could drive it off.
"Exploding it I can see, but poisoning it? Besides, metal isn't poisonous."
"What about salty water?"