Zeltor ponders Manny's "to do" list for a moment - "This missing person looks familiar to me - he seems to bear a resemblance to one of my students, one I haven't seen in a few days... I need to go and find out more about this. Going there to at least understand what is going on, and back should still allow more than enough time to handle the bat incident"
"I definitely think we should deal with what we can here. Might as well help where we can. Sounds like missing students, goats, and bats. Oh my!"
He chuckles and grins.
Manny nods at Zeltor. That sounds reasonable.
He notices the looks thr group is getting. Seems they don't like our sort, so we best wrap things up here.
"That could certainly help with nighttime fights, though. There's always menial jobs to do about, and I would be happy to have you perform in between... as long as it's short and fun to look at. People are there to see people get punched in the face, after all."
Stockhour sighs a little bit and still offers the contract.
"You've still got the guts, and I want to reward that. Even losing pays."
"Ye can still ge' a drink if ye nee' i'," Gutwald announces.
"Jes' odd ta see ya in 'ere, Manny..." He blinks. "And with so many aroun' ye."
Looking at Horfil, the barkeep smiles, a look that says what he isn't (the "I told you so" bit).
"Loo', it's been in a ba' spot for a long time now. Ain' no shame in doin' thins slow an' by the book or givin' up entirely. Some nights you can perform in' ere, if tha' pleases ye."
Horfil signs the contract after skimming it.
--NOW--
"I will get it done it just might take a bit longer than a few days. I think I will take you up on your offer, that is when I'm not preforming at the ring."
Sorval stifles another yawn...What is all this talk about bats anyway? They sound delicious... can I assist in catching them?
Knolly is the name of an enforcer's daughter. They live in a hovel similar to yours.
Gutwald finishes cleaning a section of his barspace and nods to Horfil.
"These your friends, then?" he asks, motioning to Ruul and company.
Sure, she is an enforcer's kid. Lives in a hovel like mine, take you over Manny nods to the barkeep as he heads out.
Knolly's home is about twice the size of Manny's abode, but it's still made from second-rate materials, including older wood and mismatched stone slabs. It still stands, however.
A couple of chickens peck at the weeds of the small yard with gusto, and one can clearly see a tether and a smaller shed where a goat could be kept.
The door is closed, but that is unimportant because the child in question is in the middle of chasing her little brother with a stick. Her brown hair is frayed and everywhere, and she has dirt all over her face and clothes.
"I'm going to slay you, dragon!" she is insisting. Said little brother dashes across the cobbles, hides behind Zeltor (Who recognizes them both as being of the youngest of his crop), then peeks at his sibling and growls menacingly, pointing his hand like a claw.
Marduzi does everything he can not to whistle in amazement that the building is still standing.
"Zuzi!" Knolly calls out as she sees the poster. She puts down the stick, and her brothers puts his claws away. He, too, seems perturbed. More with the missing goat than the minotaur's appearance. Their father works with all kinds.
"Zuzi ran away because we didn't tie her well enough, Dad said!" Knolly starts, lips quivering. "She ran away at night and she hasn't come back!"
"Actually Gutwald I just met these people... To get into the ring I had to show what I could do in a fist fight and got knocked out in one punch by the Minotaur..."
Manny nods. Yep. Gotta tie yer goats up so the goatsuckers don't get them. Manny gestures at the poster. We be willing to look for Zuzi. So is she brown, black or some other color? Any special markings?
"Cannae say I'm surpised, wha' with tha size of 'im. Still, be careful o' tha company you keep, yeah?"
The barkeep looks over the elf's shoulder.
"Looks like they are heading out again."
Oddly enough, yelling at the children to stop crying has the opposite effect.
"Is' not my fault! I TIED HER TIGHT!" aaaand the waterworks start. At least in Knolly's case. Her brother Rorke, however, busies himself with telling Manny about Zuzi's appearance.
"Zuzi is bwown. Bwack, too. She has spots. Wong hair. We made her cowwar, too."
He takes the "halfling" by the hand and leads him over to the tether.
"Sweep here when there is no wain."
The rope on the tether is new.
There is some stressing on the wooden crossbar, like something was really fighting against the tether.
"Don't worry little one I'm sure that we will find it."
--Now--
Sorval follows the "Halfling" while he is being dragged.
Well...that's not expected.
Hmm.. Rope on tether is brand new. Manny looks around the yard. Anyone not like Zuzi? Might of stole her. maybee someone who picks on you.
Knolly seems to make an honest effort to stop crying, but it's proving difficult to stop.
"I d-didn't-s' not my fault!" she continues to assert.
She was probably punished severely for this failure, and the girl is quite adamant at believing this wasn't her fault.
"A buwwy?" young Rorke asks, proving his fledgeling intelligence.
"My fwends awe nice."
He thinks, sucking on his pinky fingertip as he does so.
"Keewen?"
Keelen is the son of a grocer in town. He's about Knolly's age.
Keelen is another student of yours who isn't much older than Knolly. He probably has a crush on her, and would do just about anything for attention. However, his lack of wisdom would not lead him to replace the rope.
Looks like something was fighting against the tether. Maybe Zuzi ran away from something
Keewen? That a friend
Horfil says nothing and just looks on with an unease on his face.
Sorval gingerly walks up to Knolly and gives her a hug.
There...there... I know it's not your fault that the goat got away...but we need you to tell us exactly what happened the last time Zuzi was tethered...okay?
There isn't much to work with. However, you notice that there is a lot of panicked hoof mark remnants near the tether... but not further away. Either the goat's prints further out have been washed away... or something strange is going on here. There are more recent footprints of an adult male, but that could just be these childrens' dad.
Rorke shakes his head.
"Keewen is mean to Knowwy. He puwes her ha-ya." he says, as if it is a revelation for the ages.
Sorval's hug works wonders on Knolly, but it still takes her a little while to calm down.
"No rainclouds meant... I-I tied her up before bed outside. So I did. I pulled the rope really hard on both sides until my hands hurt because my hands hurt when I do it right! I gave her a bowl of water -hic- and I put a blanket on her, too."
"I woke up and there was thunder and it was loud so I went outside to put Zuzi in her house and she was goooone!" Knolly sniffles.
"And her blanket was on the ground and there was no rope, and she was gone!"
"Zuzi is my pet, Dad says. He just comes out to milk her every day."
The little girl pulls her arm apart and moves around with gestures to aid her to reveal what would probably be the average size for a domestic goat.
Then she looks at the footprint.
"Those aren't Dad's shoes. Too big."
"Keelen. My brother says it wrong." She shoots Rorke a look. "Keelen is seven but he's big, like he's eight. And he has a baby sister, not a brother!"
She blinks, amazed that Ruul doesn't know what she knows like only a child can be.
"Keelen's papa died last winter. He got stuck in some snow and everyone looked for him and he died..."
"I dunno." the little girl answers honestly, her frame shaking a little from the earlier crying.
"I dunno at all."
After some thought, Rorke whispers something to Manny.
"I heard a big bird. A biiig bird, and Zuzi was woud, but sissy didn't wake up tiw it was gone. I was scaaared."
You heard a big bird? Hey! That might be connected to the big bat that were were told about. It might of carried Zuzi away.
Rorke puts a hand on his mouth as Knolly turns around and shoots him a basilisk glare.
"You have to tell me thiiings, Ror!"
"Bats don't wear boots! You're being silly, Mister!" Knolly points out helpfully.
Crap...I hope that goat is still okay... but this may prove convi- wait...where's dad?
Hey- where are your pa and ma?Sorval asks the children; her voice cracking at the end.
Who hasn't heard a story about a werewolf or two? But... can there be people-bats?
"Mama is travelling. She only comes home in the winter." Knolly proffers.
"Dad's at work!" Rorke points out.