Sathos can tell... this is gonna take a few hours, just chipping away at stone with his weapon.
I ain't about to lie to ya
Gideon says wincing as Sathos chips at the stone.
Yer the only reason I'm getting out! But momma didn't raise a fool, no she didn't. I tell ya what I know now, ya got no reason to finish chipping me out of here and make sure I get home safe. I ain't about to betray you... after all, the snakes left me here to die, that will put a damper on one's loyalty, no matter the gold... but ya won't get a peep from me until I'm safe.
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Hannah flushes a bit at the compliment, but it doesn't seem to throw her off a bit.
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Looking at the wand, Hannah gets a stroke of genius.
"Hey, if any you guys can activate that wand. We could summon one of the elemental thingies and they should be able to burrow him out right? I mean its worth a shot"
It takes a little bit of Pantomiming from Socraties, since he doesn't speak the language of earth, but he eventually gets the idea across, and the little earth elemental reaches down and slowly scoops the stone away from Gideon as if it where mud instead, slowly pulling him out. He gasps and collapses to the floor, coughing and taking deep breaths. You realize that his breathing must have been restricted by the stone, not enough to suffocate him but to make his time in there even worse. He coughs a few times more and slowly stands up, taking any aid if offered.
Thank you... thank you... now... Can we get out of here? Those froggy folk are nasty buggards.... where throwing leeches and snakes on me while i was trapped in there... they ran out just before you showed up... heard the fighting, but there is no telling if more heard it..
He starts to limp towards the door... it's clear that the damage he's suffered has not left him in good shape.
Gideon tries to waggle his finger, but realizes his error quickly and instead groans as he tries to resist the urge to hold his mangled hands.
Home safe first, confession second loves. It may be good for the soul, but I'm interested in the body at the moment... and what's left of mine!
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I understand you trepidations to give us information, but if you can't prove to us you know what we need we can't leave. I don't expect you to give up everything, but give us something, you at least have your Aspis badge to prove who you are, yes? We are here to gather evidence of the Aspis defiling the city to bring back to Senghor. Right now I have no reason to believe you have that information and am inclined to say we need to venture further into Boali to find something to assure success in out mission, which means either you come with us or we leave you to fend for yourself.
As Socraties says all this he looks around to his companions to make sure they also understand his concerns about returning to the port under false pretenses.
Gideon twitches a few times as the magic takes hold of him, attempting to resist and failing. As Socrates questions him, he nods to him, a faint glazed look in his eyes.
Sure love, my badge is in my left breast pocket. I'd grab it, but... uh..
He motions to his mangled hands. It's easy enough to grab and show the shoddily made aspis bronze badge... the badge offered to their lowest agents.
The boss was sent in to Boali to collect some stone tablets with weird looking markings etched into them. I was in the process of procuring one earlier when I was so rudely interrupted by the floor swallowing me up. My ex-mates took it and ran for it, probably to take it back to the boss. If I recall correctly, that going to be the tenth one in Shinri’s set. Once, I overheard her calling them the Twelve Rites during her meditations. She’s begun talking to herself when she thinks no one is listening.
He shakes his head at his old boss.
She's gonna have the other stones we collected in possession I recon, if you want proof of her being up to something.
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Thank you Sir Gideon. I say we get him to our boat, and head back in for theses stones.
Leaning away from Gideon to the others to whisper, though he can likely still hear, We can tie him up on the boat just to be safe, I am sure our navigator can get him a little food and drink while we at gone.
Turning back to Gideon he asks a barrage of questions as they begin to set forth.
Any chance you can tell us exactly where to find your former boss? Or her weeknesses, or of any traps or secret entrances/pathways to her camp, you know anything to give us a leg up on getting those Rites from her? By the way you don't also happen to know what these Twelves Rites do or are for do you, they sound very interesting and I don't believe I have heard of them before.
Gideon twitches once again as the magic convinces him to speak.
Shinri? Why would you want to go see her? She is the most terrifying person I’ve ever met. She stays at the base in Senghor, a place called Windrell Holdings near the pier. Her office is in the back, but she always has cronies on lookout, usually a pair outside her office and one watching the front desk keeping away the riffraff.”
He shakes his head.
Can't say she HAS any weaknesses. She earned her spot with the Consortium as a Bronze agent by coming up with good plans and cracking any skulls that popped up along the way. I’ve been a part of her crew in Bloodcove for two years, and let me tell you, it’s much better to be standing behind her than in her way. Shinri was born on the streets. She’s a natural fighter, tough as crocodile and furious as a hippo, but lately she’s been even more ‘Shinrey’ than normal. That’s a word we use when we’re safely out of earshot. Over the last few months, she has been meditating for four or five hours at a time, and she’s been using all kinds of strange fighting techniques she never used to, things you
don’t learn on the streets. This might sound strange, but I think she is actually talking to someone when she meditates. Someone, or maybe something?”
He shrugs.
As for the twelve rites, I’m not sure, but they definitely aren’t just some hunks of old stone. When I touched that one earlier, I could feel the magic inside of it— dark magic. It sent chills down my spine worse than when I saw the boss punch that guy in the head so hard, one eye popped clear out of his skull.
Socrates mentally confirms that whatever the twelve rites are, it's an obscure magic that he's not heard of before.
He looks about nervously.
Can we get out of here now? I got the willies...
Gideon shakes his head.
Nah mate, nothing more that I can think of.
Gideon shakes his head.
Well... I mean, it's called the twelve rites, so twelve maybe? Got no clue, just a guess. As for the dig site, this whole city really. We've been hunting up pieces all over the place... we've been avoiding this section cause it's Boggard territory. We haven't met up with the rest of the crew in a few days though... maybe they found the other pieces already?
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"agreed lets take him to the boat and back to shore. We could use his testimony to help us get more favor with the city counsel and possibly remove any aspis influence." Hannah shakes her head at ugly. "I do not think tying him up is necessary. In his current state, I do not think he is capable of any real sabotage or subterfuge. I think the sailor can handle him if he gets squirrely."
The team leaves the building, and as they discuss what to do with Gideon, they hear something. What starts as a distant murmur quickly turns into loud, reverent chanting. Two words repeat over and over, a noticeable excitement building with each syllable:
“Great Queen! Great Queen!” Suddenly, a thunderous crash shakes a nearby structure. As the building begins to crumble, a half dozen Aspis agents rush past the entryway. A roiling torrent of water follows on their heels.
Bursting forth with a spray of water is a massive winged frog like creatures, it's many eyes moving and tracking everyone, both the Aspis and pathfinders alike! It let's out a great croaking roar and waves it's froggy arm forward, and the waves rush forward like a great wall of water!
PATHFINDERS, RUN! THE BOLD MAY ACT!
Hannah and ugly work together with Sathos to keep the others above water, including poor Gideon, as the waves drown several Aspis agents. Socrates simply downs a potion and rides the waves out, letting the magic keep him safe.
Soon enough, the team is able to escape the rushing waves by climbing across one of the buildings. As everyone mounts the walls, the mighty Mobogo lets out a deafening croak that seems to rumble the very stone around you.
The team is blasted with the croak of the great beast, forcing several of you to your knees. Poor gideon falls forward in shock, landing on his crushed hands and screaming in pain, fresh blood coming from his guantlets. Luckily, Ugly and Steinfaust grab people by the collars of their shirts and drag them forward back up onto their feet, and not much time is lost.
As the team leaps down from the rotting building, they find themselves in the middle of a Aspis encampment filled with Aspis agents! Luckily, they are far to busy to pay any attention to the pathfinders. Unluckily, the reason is the giant flying frog dragon that is coming this way!
The team has to make it out of this crowd, and fast!