Chambawamba swiftly unlocks the outer door and motions for the others to follow as she pads into the room with all the glass.
Swaggy's inquiry is interrupted by Chamba's voice, and he lets out a sigh of relief as his troop begins to fill out into the night and the dark warehouse. "Save for later, gotta go. But I still wanna know!" he tells Batry and follow his brigade.
Batry and Snookums do not come out before they are inside the building. Snookums could not fit through a window and the moment Batry steps out the portable room it will vanish so he stays there a bit longer.
Once inside they step out of it and in no time at all the portal vanishes, spewing forth bits of detritus from the mess a gaggle of goblins tends to make.
Batry gives the environment a good look, inspecting all the glass thingamajigs in hopes of finding something more interesting than an empty bottle.
"Where next? Lady not here, that clear." He then clambers over the counter or table thing and places a massive ear against the door in order to listen for sound on the other side.
Batry hears faint noises from deeper inside the building. It sounds like high-pitched giggles, shrieks, and breaking glass.
As you sneak through the glassy works trying to pinpoint the source of the noises, you find all kinds of rooms. There's closets with brooms, tools for making glass, sleeping areas, and a kitchen. Everything's been wrecked, and there's no more food! You find a broken dogslicer in one of the rooms - which explains a lot.
Finally, you find where everyone is. The giant room where longshanks make the glass. There's big furnaces and lots of glass stuff. Also there are eight goblins busy playing with the bodies of workershanks. They aren't Licktoads, though. Each of the four other tribes are represented. How'd they get into town? And why weren't you invited to the party?
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"Hey you, gobbos, what's the little idea?" 'Wamba shouts. "You not heard? Sandypoints is Licktoad territory now. We big name gobbos who killed those 'venturers! You got to bow to us now!" She poses like the Taldor wrestlers do in the statues where the water comes out of their various body parts and fills up the little lakes that have coins in them.
The goblins screech as you enter. "Licktoads! Bah! Go 'way. You gonna ruin everything. Demon Arm tribe bow to nobody!"
Meanwhile, Swaggy scratches his head, then starts counting his fingers. When he gets to six, he lowers the finger again since Shalelu killed that tribe. One, two, three, four, five, six ... seven?
Hey, wait a minute!
"Demon Arm? That's new. How in the name of the Doggfather and the Mother did you get through? Say when you're doing here or we turn you into thin red smear!"
Swaggy can be truly terrifying when he wants to be. Mainly because he's constantly followed by a small army of well-armed homicidally-loyal backup singers/dancers. "Whah! We not needing to be doing the fightyfighting! You can join our tribe instead! Demon Arm takes anyone. Even some longshanks but they be okay. Chief Ripnugget says so! We be guardin' some singy lady. The jumpy man say she make good sacrifice later but can't kill her yet. Need in-fo-may-shun because Licktoads attack Sandy Point too fast so we not ready. That why you gots ta go 'way if you not wanna join."
"You take anyone? Hm... hold on."
Swaggy looks back to find his entire unit doing various threatening poses with weapons, shields, cheap jewelry and tomatoes.
He nods approvingly, then whispers to Chamba and Barty. "Could pretend to join and go with them? They bring us to Ameiko really fast. Sound like plan? Or could be trap. Demon arm is new and doesn't have a rep."
'Wamba pouts a little, still flexing, but shrugs. "You wanna go with them? That's okayfine for me but don't let's trust them one bit. Be nice to know who we dealing with before we start biting heads," she whispers back.
Batry nods at the infiltration idea but Snookums snorts. "Could work but I think Snookums might end up not so accidentally stepping on toes. She not like them I think."
With neither of his allies very enthusiastic for the idea, Swaggy reconsiders. He had his own doubts, and was smart enough to know it was extremely risky. "Hm... tell me more," he asks the demon arm gob. "Why haven't Licktoads heard of youz before? Who is jumpy longshank? Is that why you came? Does he have name, and coin? Where do we go if we wanna join?"
He makes a handsign behind his back, and all his gobs point to the one who spoke earlier. "Speak, or youz future is bleak!" they all say, as true individials!
"Oh, dats cuz we be new tribe. Demon Arm taking over alla other tribes. Gobs together strong. Dat what Chief Ripnugget say. Jumpyshank is work with us. Be friend. Real name weird like 'sudo kai jutsu' but we say jumpyshanks cuz he like to jump and flip and stuff. Have other shankies too but they be at fort. If you wanna join, can maybe come with when we done here. Gotta take singy lady when jumpyshanks done."
Sing lady? That was their mark! "Singy lady? Could you show us?" Batry then lays a hand on Snookums' flank, trying to help her relax a little. There would be a time to take these dumb gobs down, but not yet. Soon.
At the same time he checks Tiffany with his other hand. This could get out of hand very, very quickly and if it did, none of the gobs could survive and tell their chief.
Swaggy looks at Batry, momentarily a bit confused. Fake Rapper Ameiko obviously wasn't here, or Shalelu wouldn't appear. Ah, wait! So Batry did think his plan was great!? Seemed like the idea was the same, and if it failed he wouldn't take all the blame.
He nods, Satisfied, and waits for the Demon Arm tribesmen to answer. Infiltration it was!
The goblins perk up. "Downstairs! Jumpyshanks be there too. Come on. You can meet him!" They lead you into one of the rooms you haven't explored. There, they reveal a well-made trapdoor. When closed, it blends in almost perfectly, so it would have been very easy to miss - even with a careful search. Downstairs, you find secret halls and rooms! "These be real old! Demon Arm tell us about them and have jumpyshanks and us sneak in through tunnel. Make ready for alla gobs when time be right!"
Up ahead, one of the doors opens, and a human elf longshanks staggers out. In crude but mostly understandable Goblin speech, he slurs, "Wot in a Nine Hell be sound of talk for? Said you not bother to me you until sun come up!" The goblins are quick to placate him. "It be okay, jumpyshanks. Found more gobs for tribe. Dey say be hero gobs killa 'ventures! Wanna join Demon Arm!"
'Wamba watches the jumpyshanks carefully. "Are you Sudoku? What do we have to do to become Demon Legs or whatever?" She grins her big pointy teeth.
Swaggy nods along enthousiastically. "We be recruits with lots of bling! Longshanks, can we'z help you with something?"
"Name be Tsutso. Not sudoku. Tsutso. Why can no alla talk direction-right? Arm Devil tribe want goblin all to be inside. There be lots many of you. Good it. Um. Help watch woman so not will ... um ... go from room. Need sleep me. It arrive-late. Sun come again will go fort home."
On the way downstairs Snookums almost squished one of the demon arms against a wall, the goblin only saved by his physical flexibility. If the big beast could snicker it would have.
With the idiot longshanks starts talking starts complaining Batry is about to interrupt him, but then he mentions the woman. "Show us the woman then. After you can sleep tight."
"Oh, oh! Longshank Tutso, where should we go? Where new fort home? Or is it keep? We also need some place to sleep!" Swaggy enthousiastically adds, nodding along with Batry.
Chambawamba nods along with her compatriots' plans. "Show us lady. We guard good. We good guards! Not eat her, pinky swears."
Sudo points at one of the doors "Sister there. Door open can not so not be worry. Took her ... song ... thing ... make magic her not work. Make sure not break door she. Tomorrow go fort home. Take you. Not be knowing alla words for tell where go. Me sleep now. Punch door if ... bad happen need wake up." Then he goes back into his room and closes the door.
Swaggy waits for a while to go by, then turns to his new 'friends'. "Anyone have drink and for girlshank, and food? Can't have her starving before fort, dudes!"
He walks over to the doos where Ameiko allegedly is behind and casually looks for any way to see inside. If the Demon Arm tribesmen can't recall when Ameiko was last fed, he insists the door is opened so he can feed her rations.
There's no way to see into the room unless the door is open. It's probably normally used for storage or something else lame because there aren't any bars on it. Everyone knows real cells have bars, after all.
The Demon Arms don't remember if singyshanks has eaten or drank anything. They don't really care. Longshank sacrifices don't need to be healthy, after all. Besides, jumpyshanks has the only key, so they wouldn't be able to open the door anyway. Guarding her is much more fun. This way they can freely roam about the Working Glass place and play games and smash pretty fragile things. That's how guarding works, right?
Batry sighs at the answer from the Demonarm goons. At least their dimwittedness could be a boon.
"Ok. We can take over guarding down here. That way you guys have some time to relax upstairs. You have earned it! "
The goblins promptly scurry back upstairs. Standing in front of a door all night is boring. Breaking pretty glass things is much more fun. If you want to be dumb and stay down here by yourselves in the boring basement with nothing to do, it's on you.
Once the other gobbos have left, 'Wamba waggles her eyebrows and draws out her box of nifty tools for delicately breaking stuff. She uses this on the door, though she briefly considers just going and taking the key from Tsundero.
Chamba unlocks the door and finds singyshanks! She's tied up, gagged, and blindfolded. She also looks extremely beat up. Either she fought really hard before getting captured, or someone spent a lot of time hitting her while she was defenseless.
"This singyshanks who was with Shalelu! At least, I thinks. Let's see how she feels after I bring glowy heals."
Swaggy orders his troops to form a wall in the chokepoints to block line of sight of whatever Demon Arm decides to go back down, and sings a song healing. Then, he touches her shoulder.
"Pssst! Rapper Ameiko. Wake up - we gotta go. Just don't make sound, enemies are all around!"
He waits to see if she wakes up, repeats the message if necessary, and only procedes to untie her after getting some signal that she understands.
The singyshanks blinks awake and looks around in confusion.
"What madness is this?"
"Goblin doctor who heals me?"
"I don't understand."
"Ah, Swag heard of this!"
"Haiku is form of Tian-min Diss?"
He pauses a moment, slightly unexperienced with this new rhyming scheme. But fellow rapper had thrown gauntlet, so he was obliged to finish!
"Put face... in Batry's space?" He tries, then looks to his friends for help. Was there a better idea than carrying her out in Batry's extradimensional goblin cheat thingy?
'Wamba rolls her eyes at the impromptu poetry battle. "That elf hunter lady Shalalalu made us come and rescue you. We from different tribe. Pseudo longshanks is asleep, other goblins upstairs. I'm 'Wamba. Swaggy here is suggesting that you get into Batry's, um, sort of magic doorway? Like a magic bag of hauling? That's Batry. And that's Snookums." She looks away and sniffs, as if she is above all of this, but she's also keeping an ear out for trouble.
"That can works. Yous do know I need to be inside of it too? And Snookums too, she can't go through window." He then starts fidgeting with the rings/cogs on his fingers in preparation for casting, "Oh, and we's need a plank or board or something to carry the gate on."
Singyshanks takes a few seconds to process what you're telling her.
"I trust Shalelu."
"There is one thing before we go."
"Tsuto has my lute."
"Swaggy thought Haiku,
Had seven Syllables, right?
So he just beat you!"
He fistbumps in the air as his flock gives a polite single clap.
But then he sees Chamba's disapproving look.
"Right, enough is enough, true. Why's this lute so important to you? We'd risk a huge fight if we get it tonight. Could get really hurt, and I don't want to tell the elf you flirt."
Still, he looks at Tsuto's door. If they we're going to do this, they'd have to sneaky sneak inside and quietly grab it. Who could do that best?
He turns to Chamba and silently asks her opinion.
"My apologies."
"I am still recovering."
"Yes, you are correct."
"Listening to the sounds that arise from the plucking of its strings"
"Unlocks the powerful music of the spheres."
"Together with my voice, magic springs forth into being."
"Ephemera made permanent - until the melody has ceased."
She pauses. "Also, it was my mother's."
'Wamba shrugs, and then cracks her knuckles with a big grin. "Let's take goodo care of Sudo then," she cackles.
She creeps back out to Tsuto's door, and she proceeds to perform the same intricate measures there with her tools on the lock.
Swaggy's ears drop a bit when hearing Singyshanks' story, he looks down a bit sadly at the Doggfather's cane. No way he'd ever part with this, too.
He nods to himself then gives her his best smile, displaying a strange lack of goblin monstrousity. "Don't worry, fellow rapper! Swaggy's very dapper. Just bahave - behind me's safe. Protect you since he's hero brave! Kill child-eating 'venturer like Tsutso, I will, and get back lute - can't refute!"
He grabs his cain and moves it to his mouth, then signals his troop to block off the entrance to the basement. Surely just the three of them and Snookums were enough to deal with bad grammar Longshank?
"Utter selflessness."
"Goblins can become noble."
"I'm truly grateful."
Chamba's picks quickly unlock the door, revealing an office. Tsuto is sitting in a chair, snoring loudly. On the floor next to him is an open leather journal. There's a crude map of Sandy Points drawn on it - along with some arrows and a bunch of writing. Singyshank's lute has been carelessly tossed in a corner. One of its strings has snapped.
Batry follows Chamba, Tiffany in hand. Should the smelly guy pose a problem he'd turn him into a pincushion.
'Wamba goes over to Tsuto and stands menacingly within melee range. She grins at the others, like she is just waiting for Tsuto to wake up so she can bite his face off.
True to his word, Swaggy sneaky-sneaks inside and attempts to locate and grab Singyshanks' lute without Spankyshanks noticing!
He gives a big thumbs up to Chamba and Batry as he moves forward on the very tips of his toes.
The lute is lightly lifted from where it lies. Lucky! Your larceny lets you land some loot!
The real question is whether or not you wish to push your luck before leaving....
When he makes it back, he hands the lute back to Singyshanks with his best smile, strangely devoid of monstrousity - for a goblin.
"All right, what now? Kill spankyshanks? Steal something from room? Check other doors?" he whispers to his friends, then looks to see if there even is something else to grab in Tutso's bedroom.
Chambawamba watches incredulously as Swaggy leaves the room, and she gestures to the sleeping Tsuto and makes a violent biting motion with both hands.
Swaggy blushes, then grabs his cane. He gestures an 'after you' motion towards her with his arm and puts the head of the cane to his mouth, ready to start singing. He knew better than to get between Chamba and her meal, or to at the very least have her get the first lick in!
'Wamba opens wide and chomps down on the sleeping man with gusto!
Biting people is really messy when you start with the throat. Blood sprays everywhere! Good thing you waited for Swaggy to take away the lute before you started. It's really pretty, but deep red would clash hideously with the light beechwood. Blood did get all over the journal, though. A few pages are salvageable if anyone's so inclined, but the rest is pretty much ruined.
Loot
425gp in a small coin pouch
"A ha! Great success, though kind of a mess. Let's see what Spankyshanks kept on his dress!"
Swaggy walks forward and high-fives Chamba, while trying not to get hit by the blood fountain, and salvages what he could of the loot and the journal. He looks around the room too, and barring something hidden or elsewise interesting he simply leaves.
Hmmm... did this book contain some clues as to what was going on? Who were the demon arm tribe and where was this fort they kept talking about? Could Batry with his tricky magic perhaps fix the journal?