The Watchman sighs, talks to his other men for a moment. Then he sends one running into the night. He turns to Queshem, his face frowning, 'You stay. He stay. Justice."
The Watchman sighs, talks to his other men for a moment. Then he sends one running into the night. He turns to Queshem, his face frowning, 'You stay. He stay. Justice."
Queshem nods and does her curtsy again. She turns to the sailors. Alright you lot, back to what you were doin' no need to stand around here for the rest o your leave. Behave yourselves like you were here and everything'll be fine.
The men outside reluctantly leave, the sense of revelry and fun gone. Most are probably headed back to the ship. Polos stays by Queshem, his eyes are daggers towards the Tians.
Eventually the Tian sent returns, bowing. behind him is a imposing looking man, with a broad chest, and a long brown beard, well-kept. His robe is of the same white cut as the Watch men. He bows to the leader, then turns to Queshem.
'What is going on here?" His Common is fluent, crisp, with a hint of Chelish accent. 'What is the trouble?" He holds up a hand to the man who attacked Queshem, silencing him instantly.
Queshem repeats her curtsy at the newcomer and says Me and my crew were patronizing this establishment. This man came and started acting aggressive. We sent for help from the guards as soon as they drew weapons. Then he attacked me. Queshem displays her bloody arm. I called on Abadar to try and calm the situation. I don't know if it worked but Thank The Master of the First Vault that the Guard came and kept anyone else from being hurt.
She doesn't try and embellish the story. She just states the facts.
The man nods at this, turns to the Tian's and chatters away. There is no obvious emotion, no waving of arms or shouts. he turns back to Queshem. 'Very well. No crime has actually been broken here. I am glad you did not strike back, that would have been more difficult to manage. Please, leave and attend to your ship." he bows slightly to Queshem.
Apologies sir Queshesm says But is my injury not a crime?
The man looks honestly puzzled, "You failed to make way for a Tian military officer." he gestures to the man who attacked Queshem. he doesn't look smug or gloating though, actually angry at the affair. 'You are not a native or citizen of our city, or even Tian. While custom indicates certain generosity, the law does not. Master Xain was within his technical rights to demand this table, indeed the entire tavern, if he wished. That he did so with force is....unhonorable, but not illegal." He translates the last into Tian and Xain's mouth tightens in fury.
Queshem nods thoughtfully Ah. If Master Xian had made us aware of this and his status then we would not have troubled you so. I must say that the way he acted I would not have thought that he was even a member of the noble Tian military tradition let alone an officer. I thought he was just dressed up in a costume. We thank you fer your attention to the matter sir.
She locks eyes with Xian as she says this with an expression so neutral that it was insolent but then she curtsies to both of them and says to Polos in Polyglot We're done here. Let's get back to the ship and round up the rest of the crew while we're at it. No more shore leave in this town I figger.
The man bows again, letting Queshem's insult slide. The pirate has a feeling the man isn't heart-broken to see someone cut Xian down a peg.
As Queshem leaves the tavern, she feels Xian's eyes on her back, like burning flames. She has made an enemy here.
The rest of the crew is already on board, having sensed the change in feeling after the altercation. Most are happy to see Queshem unchained and unbowed, Polos at her side.
She does have a thought as they start leaving Sir, if you could provide some extra patrols around the docks for tonight we would be very humbly grateful for it. We will be leaving in the morning and will cause you no further trouble.
'Of course." The man says , muttering to the initial Watch man who arrived, with the broken Common. he bows deeply and sets off at a brisk trot. 'You shall have no more problems tonight, Captain."
The next dawns bright and clear, with a stiff breeze out of the south. Parcell squints at the rising sea, 'Bit rough today, Captain. We'll have to be careful." It doesn't look that bad to Queshem.
At the dock a wagon loaded with heavy carts arrives, presumably the oozes. The merchant gets out and calls up, "Ready for cargo?"
Ready as we'll ever be. Bring 'em up to The Second Wind and place 'em in the pan.
Let's take a look at the cargo first though. Just open up the lid of one of 'em and let's have a looksee.
Parcell grunts in disapproval at the suggestion. 'You want to open it? What if it gets out?" Draflo looks excited though and peers close. Magner organizes the block and tackle in the choppy sea.
The merchant bows and cracks the lid of one of the containers. Draflo, Parcell and a few other sailors crane their necks. Inside, it is a sea of greenery and gooey liquid, sloshing around, It is dark and hard to see much.
There is a brief glint of something though, over so quick Queshem doubts she saw it. One of the sailors gapes, 'That was gold, that was!" A brief argument breaks out over it, with some seeing it, others not.
Carefully the merchant closes the lid. 'Satisfied?"
Queshem looks at the others Yellow Ooze? she asks Can you identify the things Daflo?
Then Well bring it up. If you guys are fine with opening the darn thing then we should be okay here. Real careful though. We've got a slow trek coming.
Draflo looks at Queshem, "It looked green to me, like we expected. probably a verdurous ooze, judging by color and consistency. "
A mutter of gold! runs through the ship, from hand to hand. Parcell mutters to himself and keeps a close eye as the crates are heaved up with rope and tackle. The crew works smoothly together and soon all the crates are on deck, tied together.
Magner shouts down, 'Where do you want them, below?"
Yeah, but keep a space around 'em. These things be dangerous. We get them to their place safe and sound and it's a nice easy payday for all of us.
Aye, aye" And the man manhandle the crates into the hold, being careful with them. A number of sailors follow along as if expecting either oozes or gold to pour out, but nothing happens. The merchant hands Queshem her pay, as well as a note for a bank in the capital to pay the rest to her. It is a sizable sum, paid in small diamonds not coins.
Alright keep a sharp eye out when we get underway. These aren't the most friendly seas. Also send a runner to the Port Authority letting 'em know we're heading out.
Queshem instructs Draflo to stay with the new cargo most of the time with a rotating set of guards. She tries to ensure that people she knows are loyal and not overly greedy are a part of the guard and she drops by frequently to make sure it stays safe. She asks Magner to keep an eye out as well. She also asks him if he can calm the waters or make them choppier as a part of his weather magic. She does the same with Draflo.
Everything goes well enough as they leave port. Draflo and Magner both say they can't do much about the ocean waves.
'It's too big." Magner says, as if talking to a child. Draflo though comes up with a slightly better idea and manages to clue the crates to the deck. Nothing short of tearing up the deck (or magic) will release them.
Two days pass uneventfully, with guards being rotated. The rumors of gold and jewels run rampant though and Parcell worries like a mother hen.
It is dusk on the second day and they have made good time, Queshem hopes Cho-Tzu will be in sight tomorrow around noon. She makes her rounds and passes into the dim twilight of the hold. Walking up she sees one of her guards is asleep, while the other (and a few sailors) and prying open one of the crates....
If you back away from the damn crates RIGHT now I won't have all of ye bastards THROWN off my ship. Queshem says in a conversational tone with her arms crossed and tapping feet.
The sailors jump away as if burned. 'Cap'in" they shout, crowbar falling to the deck. None make eye contact with her, hands tucked behind thier back like naughty Nichiren caught opening the cookie jar.
Then the top of the crate cracks as a huge force smashes into it from the inside. The sound of bending metal and cracking wood fills the dark hold, waking up the sleeping sailor who curses loudly. Another smash a second later rocks the crate again, and Queshem can see green ooze seeping out. The lid doesn't quite break but the next blow will smash it open.
SOUND THE ALARM! GET DRAFLO AND MAGNER DOWN HERE RAIGHT NOW. AND BRING FOOD RATIONS TO THROW AT THESE BLASTED THINGS Queshem shouts.
The sailor previously sleeping speeds up the stairs, shouting and rousing the sleeping ship. As he does so the crate bursts open, allowing a shape to flow out and onto the deck. It is a pool of greenish muck, blossoming with weird vegetable-like growths and sap-seeping boils, twitching into unnatural motion as a pseudopods spring outward, dragging the entire grotesque mass forward with an ameboid life.
With ease it smashes down one of the awestruck sailors, killing her instantly.
Double move you bastards! Out of here! Queshem yells to the others. For herself she moves to 45 feet away from the ooze unable to look away from what the ooze does to the dead body of the recently alive sailor.
The other sailors bolt for the ladder up out of the hold. They scream, and Queshem can hear the ship waking up above her. Queshem herself retreats as she watches the ooze cover, smother and then absorb the fallen sailor. Hardly pausing it heads for the ladder itself, a pulsing mass of green goo. While much slower, it comes on implacably.
Above her on the ladder Polos is there, cutlass in hand. 'What is going on? Something get loose?"
Farther above, out of sight, she hears Magner cursing someone or something loudly.
Green ooze. Verdurous! Acid! For Abadar's sake keep away from the damn thing. Don't attack it till we know what the hell it's capable of. Let it move around until Magner or Draflo tell us what it can do! Throw food close to it to distract it! Stay more than twenty five feet away!
Queshem calls out her orders loudly and tracks the ooze closing distance to 30 feet from the thing.
The ooze hesitates on the stairs, as if conflicted. "Captain, we aren't leaving you down there!" Polos says, jumping down past the ooze and into the hold. The sailor is blinded for a moment by the dim light and the ooze lashes out at him from the lowest stair.
The ooze grabs the brave sailor and he shouts with pain as acid burns his skin.
From above Queshem can hear Dralfo's voice, 'What is going on?" then, 'Stop pushing me!"
Polos! I told ye to STAY AWAY from the thing. It's SLOW. Ye Geese for Brains! She moves in to heal the dumb lunk.
.
Don't attack the thing until we know what every bleedin thing about it! Just break free and MOVE BACK Polos. Draflo! Magner! Get to the top steps and help Polos get out of this damn thing's grasp with yer spells! Then tell me everything ye know about Verdurous Oozes!
Queshem's healing removes the acid burns and other damage from the oozes attacks, and he struggles to free himself, cursing.
Draflo stops him though, taking a step down the stairs, "Wait a moment, Polos!" She stretches out her hands and mutters a spell.
Polos is suddenly coated in a slimy layer of grease.
Polos slips out of the ooze's clutches and runs toward Queshem, standing by her. 'Sorry, Captain."
The ooze advances on them, following it's prey. Draflo, behind it on the stairs says, "Not sure if I have enough spells to kill it on my own!"
Then, out of nowhere, the ship leans crazily to the right. She doesn't h ear the ship hit anything, or feel the rudder move. Some kind of rouge wave or wind?
Even Queshem, who has had sea legs from a child, staggers a bit int he unexpected roll of the ship. So does Polos.
Draflo actually falls off the ladder and hits the floor of the hold, hard. Above her the hatch clangs shut, apparently knocked closed. Muffled shouts of alarm from the deck above filter down.
GET THAT HOLD DOOR OPEN RIGHT NOW! Queshem shouts as she glances at Polos and Draflo to see if they're conscious.
Vault preserve us. LISTEN to me this time Polos. You got the spell on ya so get up and protect Draflo from that thing and don't hit it Ya lunk. DRAFLO! Wake up Darn it. Ooze! Information! I'll not have this thing multiplying on my ship
Queshem moves with Polos around the ooze to try and avoid attacks of opportunity. The aim is to end up with Polos one step west of the ooze while Drafo is right behind him one step south of Draflo.
Since that's one move Queshem tries to Aid Another Polos' AC.
From above, she hears cursing as the sailors try to open the hatch and apparently fail.
"It's jammed!" they shout down, obviously pulling on it strongly.
Well. UNJAM it then. Queshem roars up at them.
Queshem and Polos round the ooze carefully, Queshem nimbly dodging one clumsy lunge.
It rears and tries to attack Polos again, standing right next to it.
It hits him and leaves some fresh burn marks. The sailor, still covered in grease, slips the new attempt to grab him.
It takes a moment but Draflo comes around, obviously woozy. "What..what happened?"
From above the hatch doesn't open. 'Something is jamming it!"