Anna glances down the corridor. "I know I kind of thought we should check out all this place, but now? After the brain room? Screw this. I want to be someplace sane and dry."
Sonny pauses at the corridor, "We need to check it out. If you don't want to go down there, I don't blame you. I need to see if there is anyone I can help there though."
Anna takes a long look at Sonny while she weighs the likelihood of being dragged into a futile fight. She finally sighs audibly.
"All right; look. I've got another charge left on my ring. Let me go check it out. I promise, if there's someone that needs rescuing, I'll come back and let you know. Okay?"
She commands her ring to activate, rendering her invisible.
Andjela stays fast enough behind to not threaten the rogue's silent advance yet, close enough to reach her should threats arise.
Danica nods in agreement to continue the search. "Let's be prepared. What are our offense capabilities? I can cast Searing Light a couple of times and some minor spells. Let's not forget I still have my trusty temple sword. Tolvan, Sonny... How do you guys fair on spells, offensive and healing? I don't want to start anything if we can't control."
Sonny says, "I may not be able to do much damage in a fight but I have plenty of healing available and can boost a little."
Anna silently moves ahead of the group. The tunnel opens up to a room with damp walls. The walls of this dark cavern display a bewildering variety of obscure and esoteric symbols painted in bright, clashing
colors and pigments. In the cavern, she sees a weird plant creature. Before she can react, a voice enter her mind. "How do crustaceans propagate with barns?" Before she can make sense of it, another question pops into her mind. "Why are three ears better than seven?" She doesn't feel like the voice is threatening, but more like it has a curious expression to it.
"I dunno," she answers verbally, loud enough for the others to hear. "How many boards can a goblin hoard, if a goblin horde got bored?"
The creature takes a few steps towards you, and you feel excitement in the voice. "Jentacular?" A second after, the creature ask you another question. "What is the orbital declension of the Lilac Star when sea snails cry beryllium tears?"
Hearing Anna's voice Tolvan begins to grow concerned. Anna, get out of there. he calls in an almost shout as he heads towards her.
Anna starts backing away. "That's an excellent question. How about I get back with you on that?"
The creature stands still while Anna takes the first few steps back. but when it become clear that she is about to leave, it rushes toward her like a puppy that doesn't want its owner to leave. "If the sky runs over the mountain, what is the vaquita eating at night?"
"Um, that's a toughie. I'm gonna say, peanut brittle and ice cubes. Here's one: If nine is more than ten, what does red smell like?"
The nonsense is sort of amusing, but Anna doesn't trust this critter. She tries to get a sense of whether it's likely to attack.
Anna backpedals away to make sure there's some distance between her and the plant. "Wow, you're eager. Can you talk out loud? I don't like things in my head."
Tovan continues to close the distance between him and Anna. When he sees the creature he tries to identify it.
Anna glances over at Tolvan when he arrives. She doesn't turn visible, so all he can hear is her voice when she says to him, "Hey, Tolvan. Check out the talking plant. It doesn't seem hostile, but it's batsh** crazy."
Tolvan as no idea what the creature is, just that it look like a plant-based creature. As the creature sees the rest of the group, it slows down a bit. It seems unsure of what is going on. The voice once again appears in Anna's mind. "The seven mountains scamper in the pale gaseous chicken of fire?"
This one is outside my experience or research. Petty sure its not from this world. And no, I do not care if it did follow you, you may not take it home. Tolvan motions for the group to try to leave the creature behind by backtracking towards the exit.
"Andjela, Danica, either of you detect any evil in this thing?" Anna asks before she gets a new voice of crazy from the plant.
She turns to look at it. "The chains of grain reign mainly on the vein."
Danica does her detection moves. (Detect Evil, Good, Law & Chaos)
"Why does the creature only communicates with Anna? Must be because she was the first to enter the room. Maybe, much like when I baby open their eyes and attaches itself to the first thing the baby sees."
Danica continues to think but nothing comes to mind. "Congratulations Anna.... you are a proud momma of a .... 'talking plant thingie'." Danica look over at her friends and shrugs her shoulders.
"It didn't see me! I was invisible!" Anna waves her hands.
"It's babbling nonsense straight into my brain. That's something that's going to get old really fast. What do we do about this thing?"
Will wonders never cease...
I recommend we try to leave it here. I vote back to the fish ship.
With Anna's new companion in tow, you make your way to the submersible. When you get to the door the plant creature stops. Once again, Anna hears its voice in her mind. "The obstreperous amberjack finagled the fur off the pulchrous potoo." Once the group is past the magical door, you notice that the creature stayed on the other side and show no sign of following.
You make your way to the ship and slowly make your way to the surface. The travel is uneventful and rather long. Once the ship is at the surface, you are more than happy to open the hatch and breathe the fresh air. The old inventor throw a line to you so that you can latch the two ships together. "So, how was it? What did you see? Tell me everything?"
It is quite a tale to be told. But not here. It will need hot tea, or something stronger. And solid ground under our feet as well I think. But we we do not need to go to any specific town in unless I miss my mark we are soon to be off to Caliphas.
"Yes, that place was nuts!" Anna shakes her hair out. "I agree. I want to be dry. I want to be warm."
She starts to smile with anticipation about going to Caliphas, but then her expression sours when she remembers the next foe in their vision: a vampire.
"Yes, yes. Dry land it is. If you will, assist me to maneuver the ship to the docks and we will see about the warm beverage." While none of you are experience sailor, you still manage to get the ship to the dock in good time. Horace Croon turns to you. "So, we can either heads to my house, but I'm not sure I have much in the hot beverage department, or there is the inn. Your call."
As long as we can keep away from eavesdroppers I think we deserve an inn for both the mean and the bed. Tolvan voices and looks to his companions for concurrence. He already knows how Anna will vote.
"And a bath!" Anna exclaims, glancing over to Danica who sifted through the blood and guts more than she did, but she still feels gross.
Sonny nods to the the others, "A warm meal and some hot coffee would be great. The Inn sounds great. It will feel good to take off all this and wash up and feel normal for a little while."
Peace... Physical battle is one thing, that was different. Our minds, our... Exhausting.
You make your way to the inn. You get a few raised eyebrows when the few people you pass notice you with Croon. At the inn, you get a slightly better welcome than the first time you were there. There are few enough patrons that you are able to find a quiet spot. Once the orders for drinks and meal, if any, are taken and delivered, Horace turns to you. "So? Don't leave an old man waiting. What happened down there?"
It was bad. I fear our minds will be scarred for the rest of our lives, and potentially beyond that. It seems people of the swamps have been giving their daughters to Skum for a very long time. I think it was the only way they could reproduce. But then something "else" came and took over these Skum. And this "else" was from, well, elsewhere. They were strange plant creatures with minds so foreign that their actions made little sense. Their technology was advances to be incomprehensible to us. I think they were studying us and were trying to bring more of their kind in from wherever they came, including one of their gods. I'd rather not go into more detail.
"Tentacles. Lots of tentacles," Anna adds.
That coincide with any local rumors or... legends?
Sonny listens to the tales and adds in "These things from beyond were keeping some of the local skum and human brains in contraptions. They also had some sort of room of their own, maybe a vehicle. I wouldn't head down there though. We left a plant creature alive down there that didn't attack us but I can't say it won't attack anyone else that comes there."
"That's... humm... That's way more then I was anticipating. I... I don't know what to say. I just wanted to explore the bottom of the lake, not getting involve in this... In this... Well, whatever this is." Horace seems really distraught by what you told him. The colors literally drained from his face and you are unsure if the man isn't having a panic attack.
As you are about to decide what to do next, the door of the inn opens and a large figure enter followed by a rather small one. "There you are, you go exploring and don't even tell us that you are back!" You recognise the voice of Kimberly, making the large figure in the doorway Ananias. As she gets closer, Kimberly notices how weary you look. "Oh my, this won't do, you have to come to the temple so that I can properly take care of you."
Well there was a giant squid that attacked your ship. But I fear even it was tainted by the presence of the Skum. We drove it off, but did not kill it. Perhaps something for you to hunt?
Tolvan smiles wide when he sees little Kimberly and rises to embrace her. You two are indeed a welcome sight. We could use your healing attentions my young friend for both our bodies and our minds. We have faced much and have come our victorious, though at a cost. Join us while we eat and let us fill each other in on what has been happening.
"Hey, Sparkles," Anna greets Kimberly with a tired but welcoming smile. "We were gonna see you," she says in between bites and gulps of warm mead, "but food first."
Danica rises to embrace her two friends but then stops as she realizes that she has not taken a bath, dried monster blood and guts still remains. "You missed all the fun guys. Big giant tentacle monster was hard to kill. We could of used you down there. Anyways, are we planning to stay here and relax or are we heading to the temple with Kimberly and Ananias. I'd like to take a bath and change into a clean outfit."
Kimberly looks at Danica from head to toe. "Yes, bath. Definitely a bath. What did you..." She takes a sniff and then a step back. "You know what, I don't want to know." Turning back to the rest of the group. "Well, while you were fighting creepy monsters from the deep, we were cleaning out the temple. All the icky evil stuff are out. Even that big old mean statue at the entrance is gone." She smiles at Ananias as she says that last part.
The big man nods. "I wanted to see it I had any talent as a sculptor." He smirks. "It would seem I do not." Grabbing two chairs nearby, he places one for Kimberly and sits on the other. "So, what else did you get down there. Are the whisperers still a step or two ahead of us?"
Anna leans back and lets her eyes survey the inn's few other patrons besides them, watching for anyone paying too much attention to their conversation.
If she doesn't spot anyone eyeing them, that look that Anna gets when she's got a really good scam going appears as she leans in to the group. "We might be a step ahead of them," she says conspiratorially. [b]"We know where they're going next, and we've got something that's on their shopping list."
Tolvan only nods, unwilling to say more in this setting.
Kimberly, Dear... in a more appropriate setting, do you think you could... fix me?
Yes, it was aweful. A bath sounds better than usual.
The group finish eating with Kimberly, Ananias and Horace joining them. The subjects for the rest of the meal are lighter and more pleasant. Once the meal is done, baths are drawn for those that want one. Horace excuse himself to go studies Tolvan's note of how the submersible test went and if there is place for some improvement. Kimberly and Ananias invite the group to join them at the temple once they are ready.
Refreshed and in some clean clothes, the group cross the town square and make their way to the temple. There, Kimberly is able to heal everyone from their physical wounds. The mental one's however might require years of therapy. Looking at the temple, you find no trace of your previous fights there and of any symbols from the previous occupant. For now it is bare, but you are sure that Kimberly will be able to turn it into a proper temple to Pharasma.
Free from any prying ears, you are able to plan your next move.
Sonny approaches Tolvan and says "I am no expert in magical items but if you need any assistance I will give you what I can. My knowledge isn't great but there is a small chance I might know something you don't especially if it is of a religious nature and I can cast a spell that will help you some."
Feeling much better after a meal and hot bath, Anna puts her feet up on the table while sipping a glass of wine. Her mind starts spinning about what their next move is, and what to do about the mace in their possession.
"All right. We've got something valuable that A.A. wants. Way I see it, we treat this like a successful heist, but we got something that's too hot to just fence. We usually have two options: We hide the thing, or we keep the thing and hide ourselves.
"The advantage of hiding it is, that even if A.A. figures out where we are, he's not going to be able to slip in and steal it from us. (I'm going to leave out the part where it also prevents one of our crew from taking it and bailing.) The problem is, it's not with us anymore. If A.A.'s got some serious magic that lets him figure out where it is or if he's smart enough to guess where we hid it, he can go get it and we can't stop him."
She empties her glass and pours herself another. "A variant of that is giving it to someone else for safekeeping. We don't have it, and it's better protected than if it's just hidden somewhere. Same problem, though, is that if he finds out where it is, our friends are in danger.
"The other option is to hang on to it and lay low. We go someplace far away -- probably outside Ustilav, and... pretty much that's it. Wait until the heat's off." She frowns as she thinks about that more. "No idea how long that'll take, though."