Karri scrambles forward, closer to the ratman. She reaches into her arm and begins chanting, pulling something of Legion from her own flesh.
The rat-man, seeing five heavily-armed people closing in on him and with a gummed-up leg, sputters "Fine! You can have the damn cashbox! We don't need it anymore anyway!"
He drops the cashbox and starts hobbling as fast as he can towards a nearby alley before sharply turning a corner...
...and disappears from sight, into the shadows.
Nalun picks up the cash box with a shrug No need to chase the bastard...
"Indeed. Let him go. We need to get this to Zenderholm."
Ortik comes to a stop with the rest of the group as the wererat retreats around the corner. His face is flushed and he's visibly panting. "We need...to stop...getting into...so many...chases!"
By the time the party returns to the Temple of Abadar, it's officially the dead of night. The judge waits for them with her arms folded into her robes.
"At last--have you retrieved the silvers?"
"Yes, we have." Demitri says looking to Nalun.
Haven't opened it yet ma'am, but it feels mighty light. Someone might have gotten to it. Nalun says as he hands over the item
The judge's expression turns anxious as Nalun hands over the cashbox. "Light...? Oh, no."
She fiddles with the cashbox and opens it, her anxious look turning grim. "Indeed. Someone else got to it first."
She shows the party the contents of the cashbox--nothing but dust... and fur.
"When we got there, a ratfolk had it in his paws. He must have emptied it before he gave it up. We need to track him down again."
Zenobia nods. "Hmm... this is the first I've heard of ratfolk in our city. Still, you've made a great deal of progress in resolving this crisis."
"Not enough though. People are still sick and dying. We still don't have the person responsible or a cure."
"Any reason to think the Ratman was not a local? Maybe we could just offer to buy the coins; our gold for his silver? Just have to figure out how to send a message... and quickly."
The judge gives a very tired sigh. "To be honest, I do not know. I've been run ragged dealing with the sickness here, and I'm overdue for a rest if I'm to pray to Abadar in the morn. I'm surprised the lot of you are still awake, by the way--I thought you'd have called it a night by now."
As if in response to the judge, a sharp *yawn* comes from Lyla's mouth.
"She's got a point, ya know--can't we look for some trace of the rat guy in the morning?" The halfling says while rubbing her eyes.
"Yea, we can sleep on it and try again tommorow."
"I couldn't agree more," Ortik said, stifling a yawn in response to Lyla's. "We can figure out our next move tomorrow over some breakfast."
The night passes as the party returns to Zellara's home to rest...
-----------------
Sunday, 5th of Pharast, 4711 AR
The smell that awakens most of the party is the same one that hangs over the rest of the city--rot and filth. Curiously, Zellara's home is untouched by the plague spreading so quickly through the streets.
When Lyla rolls out of bed, with extracts prepared, she rests her hands on the kitchen table and clears her throat. "Right--lots of things to get done today. That rat-guy ran off with a bunch of silvers we were sent to collect. That, and there's still the shipwreck at the bottom of the harbour that we need to investigate, and who knows what else is going to happen before we get there. So, Chief--" She turns to Demitri and taps her foot. "--where to first?"
Lyla comes down to see Demitri finishing his breakfast and watching little Nadia eat. "There's still some breakfast if you want it. Well chances are, the sharks are still hanging around and we don't have a way of dealing with them so we track down the ratfolk."
Lyla fetches herself some breakfast and starts chowing down. "Right--that we can definitely deal with. I mean, between you and Slim, tracking down where the rats went off to ought to be easy."
She swallows and purses her lips. "Well, easier. And wait--" She looks over at Ortik. "--think you can maybe do something, too? Like, talk to the rats or something?"
Finding people in a city this big...it ain't exactly "easy" short stuff. Nalun says It's doable, but not easy, or quick without a buncha luck.
"Naturally," Ortik replies. "If there are wererats in the city, then the rats will know. I'll ask Korvosa to let me speak with her rats today, and we can try to track them from the toy shop."
Once everyone has had a chance to get ready to face the day, it's time to set out. Nadia gives her father a tight hug before he leaves, and Majenko alights on the breakfast table and waves his claw.
"Please come home safe, Daddy." Is all Nadia says before she lets go.
--------------------
Today, there's an undercurrent of hope in Korvosa's streets. Lines of people stretching throughout Midland and the Heights can be seen near street corners where the dark-robed Physicians are handing out treatments. The carts next to them are filled with jars of pinkish paste, and the smell of vinegar coming from them is strong enough to overpower the odour of disease filling the air.
"...and here you go, sirrah. No charge--your health is reward enough for us. Well, that and your dear Queen's fee, of course. Hee hee hee hee..." One Physician says as he applies the pinkish poultice to the man's sore-riddled neck. "Now, on your way. NEXT!"
---------------------
When the party returns to Lavender's Luxuriant Liniments, the streets are deserted. The shop is in the same condition as you left it--with a great big hole in its front shop window.
"I will sweetheart." Demitri replies returning the hug.
------------------------
Demitri sighs as the 'Physicians' give the poor false hope with their 'remedies'.
Nalun gives it a go also, assisting Demitri when he can.
Think they mighta went this way...
Ortik waits until he and his friends have put some distance between themselves and the Queen's Physicians and their Gray Maiden bodyguards. He then walks in step with Lyla, speaking lowly. "You know, a paranoid sort would wonder what those Physicians are giving the people that come to them. I'm not an herbalist, but if we were to get our hands on a jar of that ointment, I'd feel a lot safer knowing what's in there."
* * *
Once at the perfume shop, Ortik looks around for signs of rat life - hardly a difficult problem, given their tenacious grasp upon Korvosa's streets. Finding a small clutch gathered around a discarded bit of bread, he pulls out a handful of moss from his pouch, tearing off three bits. Two of them are placed into his ears, and the third is smeared onto his tongue. He kneels close by and calls out to them.
"Friend-foragers! I have questions! We big-big folk look for big-big rat-folk, what walk on two hind legs, not all fours like proper rat-folk. Have tasties to share! Where we find these rats?" He withdraws a hunk of stale cheese to share with the rats as they listen to his words.
Lyla wrinkles her nose as she walks with Ortik, ducking behind him when a Grey Maiden glances in her direction. "Yeah--let's see if we can get one once we find out where that rat-guy ran off to."
--------------------
The tracks lead to a manhole that appears to have been recently put back into place.
The rats look up as you approach and speak with them. One of them in particular, a small grey one with red eyes, trots up to you. It has a slip of parchment tied to its back.
"Friend-Of-Rats! Friend-Of-Rats!" It squeaks, and is joined by its brethren.
"A message! A message for the one who speaks!"
"A plea for help, yes yes yes!"
"You seek One-Who-Walks? Mother knows. Mother knows. Under city's ground."
The grey rat looks at the parchment tied to its back before it and the other rats start munching on the cheese you offer.
Ortik smiles as the rats remember him, and he gently picks up the small grey rat, untying the parchment. He gives its belly a quick tickling, chuckling to himself as it squirms in enjoyment. He puts the rat down next to the cheese to help itself as he unfolds the parchment to read.
The parchment appears to have been chewed on in places but the message on it is still legible...
Being the last to leave the kitchen Karri stops for a moment with Nadia. "Your father is very brave. He loves this city only half as much as he loves you. He will return safe, I promise." Karri tries to smile as she leaves, but her exhaustion turns it into something less.
Karri watches with interest as Ortik interrogates? the rats. She smirks, His help is external, and mine is no help at all...
Ortik raises an eyebrow at the note's contents, and hands it over to Karri, given her close proximity. "Looks like we may have an ally in finding the lycan. Which reminds me - did we even stop and get silver weapons?"
"Interesting. No we have yet to get any silver weapons to deal with the lycan. We should though before we go any further."
After a brief detour to purchase silvered weapons from a local blacksmith ("Hunting wererats? Eugh... as if this damnable plague wasn't enough. Aye, I've got the weapons you'll need."), the party returns to the now-abandoned perfume shop. A little grey rat is waiting next to the manhole Demitri & Nalun found, running in circles.
When the rat sees you, it stops and starts squeaking, prodding at the manhole.
Demitri nods to the group as he pulls the manhole up and out. He casts on his shield and starts to climb down.
"Alright, little one," Ortik says to Little Grey. "Lead on to your mistress." He follows Demitri down into the sewers.
Karri hitches up her robes and makes her way down the grime covered rungs - a ladder bolted into the crumbling brick of the sewers. The stink is bad, but not as bad as she could have imagined. Or maybe after the time chasing derro and deals with otyugh some of her dainty sensibilities have worn off. Wouldn't it be nice if that were true. No, I dream worse stinks than this... carrion fields and - She cuts off her unwelcome rumination and draws forth a brilliant part of the Legion and sets it on Ortik's shield, "Now we can all see. Lead on, gentlemen."
As the party steps into the foul-smelling sewers (which somehow smell only marginally worse than the air outside), the little grey rat looks back at the party and squeaks. With light from two sources brightening the path, the rat skitters off into the sewers, leading the party onward.
After venturing into the city's maze of passages, passing refuse, discarded clothes and gods above only know what else, the rat stops at a curious ajar stone door. A dim glow, presumably from a torch, is coming from within. The smell coming from the door is more palatable than the odour outside--it smells of tree bark and early morning rain. The grey rat squeaks again, and scampers inside.
A minute passes before a *shuffling* is heard from beyond the door. The stone door opens, and in it stands someone who looks like a large grey-furred, dark-eyed mouse, walking on two legs and dressed in dirt-laden hides. The mouse's pink nose and whiskers twitch as she looks you over, tapping a gnarled oaken staff against the sewer floor.
"Ooh... visitors." The mouse-lady says, *tap-tap-tapping* her staff on the floor again. "And the Old Man's student with them, no less." Her nose twitches again. "I was hoping we could speak before too long."
"You know us enough to want to speak with us?" Demitri asks perplexed.
The mouse-lady nods. "Your names are well-known above the ground. Made the streets safer for your kind, you have. My children see much, and hear much more."
The grey rat scampers up to her shoulder and squeaks. "Kit thanks you for coming, as do I. We know you seek the tainted silver."
She steps aside and holds her arm out. "Would you like to come in?" She beckons to the open stone door. "Much more hospitable than this place."
"Thank you." Demitri replies as he takes the invitation walking in.
Nalun looks around expecting a trap.
Yeah. Sure... and he follows Demitri hesitantly
As the mouse-lady greets them, Ortik removes his fur cap and holds it to his chest with both hands. "Thank you for the warm greeting today, miss. And pass along my thanks to little Kit for bringing us to you. I'm sure we have much to discuss, Miss...?" Ortik watches the mouse-woman's face for some sort of tell - this may be an ambush, after all, and he would hate for his friends to walk into it.
Trusting Demitri's instincts, Karri follows into the mouse woman's lair.
"Raksi. This one is named Raksi, Friend-Of-Rats." The ratfolk chitters before ushering the party inside.
Raksi's home is small (perhaps as expected for a ratfolk), but quite warm and tidy. Glowing balls of green light flicker on the walls of her common room. An archway with a ragged curtain drawn over it leads deeper into her home. She sits in a small, creaky rocking chair and beckons the party to have a seat. Some of the chairs here would be an adequate size for stools, but not proper chairs.
"Now, the silver from beyond the walls--a tragedy, truly it is." Raksi leans forward in her rocking chair. "But there is still more to do before it ends. You and the Guard have done well in taking much of the tainted silvers off the streets, and all who dwell above are thankful for it." The ratfolk's eyes twinkle.
"But... I wish I could say the same for those who dwell below." Raksi sighs, tapping a small claw against her chair's armrest. "Not many above know this, but many things have happened these past weeks down here. I was the spiritual leader of my warren, aiding my brothers and sisters in surviving where the humans dare not go. Not all were content with staying in the dark, but it was safer than the light."
"Their ears heard the words of the cursed one who calls himself 'the One-Who-Walks'. He was neither kin, nor human any longer, and he brought with him a family of sorts who spoke words of rebellion against those above. Many of my flock felt his words echoed more strongly with them than mine." Raksi taps her staff on the floor, her nose twitching again. "I, and those who followed me, were cast out. Exiled."
"The One-Who-Walks has made his nest under the market, and is the one who absconded with the silvers you seek. I wish for you to find him, and stop him if you can."
"I see. So this "One-Who-Walks" wants a war with the surface. This keeps getting more complicated. We also want to find him and to stop him. Do you know where under the marker his nest is?"
Or, you want us to kill your enemies so you don't have blood on your hands. No matter. We need to track the silver, and- "Thank you. We need strong allies, above as well as below." But, it would be so much nicer to make her beg for death for thinking she can manipulate you so easily!
"The nest lies to the northwest of the Old King's square." Raksi nods.
"And when you do stop him, I have something more for you." The ratfolk gets up from her rocking chair. "It is not only the silvers you seek, but the vessel they arrived in, no? I can assist you in reaching the ship that has been claimed by the waters."