"Perhaps we can even smuggle something of value on our way out." Bertolt muses with a chuckle.
You return to the smuggler's refuge to find a surly Carman Rajani still brooding in the cave. He gives you a wary look as you approach. "Oh, you're back. What do you want?"
"You're still here! I thought you were going to go back to town. Go back and claim that your theft was an altruistic service to the town, since you go it for us to help save everyone." Zetty waves to Carman. "Changed your mind? What happened to the majorship?"
"I don't know," Carman says. "It sounded like a good idea, but more than likely, Captain Longsaddle would still just throw me in jail. I figured it was best just to keep laying low out here for the time being."
"That's a shame." Zetty shrugs, then tries blindside Carman with such a smooth transition that he'll slip up and tell the truth "So what about the devils you owe? There's got to be a good story there, right? I'd like draw it if you'd tell it."
"Devils? What the hell are you talking about?" Carman asks. "I don't know anything about owing anybody anything. I've certainly never met a devil before!"
Zetty gets the sense that the man is telling the truth.
"Uh oh. Hold on a second." Zetty herds the party back to the cavern entrance and whispers to them.
"So, what do we do? Carman doesn't seem like he knows anything. That's kind of good news, or maybe kind of bad news. The bad news is he can't fill us in on why the devils want to make his acquaintance. The good news is that we don't have to fight him a second time right here and now. Do we just tell him not to leave town, and then go down and talk to the devils to find out what he did and why they want him?"
Bertolt narrows his brows. "Hmm. Either the man is lying, or the devils are. Between the two I know what is more likely, although man is far from angelic. I say we return and press the devils."
"Not necessarily lying. They could just have him on some technicality that he's not aware of. Maybe he gambled away his soul while drunk. There's some stories that go that way, right?" Zetty grins, then whispers "I think you're right though. We need the full story from the devils. I won't be surprised if it turns out Carman did some really bad things that he doesn't realize got him in trouble with devils. I also wouldn't be surprised if its just something foolish. But we won't get it from him, it looks like."
Zetty peeks back into the cave "So! No worries then. We must have heard wrong if you don't know anything about devils. Weird the stories you hear, right?" She shrugs "Of course, maybe just to be safe, you should take shelter in the Library in town, where Vandy can help if something suddenly happens." Then, a thought having occurred to her, she quickly sketches off a picture of Cynemi from memory, then shows it to Carman "Know this person by any chance?"
Carman looks at the sketch, then shakes his head. "No. She's got horns. Is she a devil, too?"
He looks leery about going into town. "How do I know that Captain Longsaddle won't arrest me the second I show my face there?"
"Uh, huh..." Zetty rubs the tip of her nose with an ink-smudged finger. It sure seems odd that Carman doesn't recognize Cynemi. So either he or Cynemi were lying, but Zetty wasn't sharp enough to tell. To Carman she says "We can vouch for you. And even if you get arrested, well, all things considered that might be good for you."
Bella encouraged Carman, "Go to the Library and tell Vandy that Bella Bracegirdle sent you!"
Carman seems to legitimately not recognize Cynemi. Either he is a very good liar, or he's remarkably dense.
The blacksmith finally relents, heaving a heavy sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll go to Vandy. You guys are gonna go take care of the whole devil thing, then, right? Come find me when it's done."
Zetty insists on returning to town with Carman "for his own protection", and explains the whole situation to Vandy, including the part about devils maybe looking for him. She promises to sort out why he's a wanted man, but asks Vandy to make sure he's safe in the meantime.
Once that's done, she regroups with the party "So, I think that means we have to sort out the devils next. Do we need to rest overnight or are you all ready to head back?"
"Let's do it then!" Zetty gathers her things and gets ready for the trek back to the Vaults. She suggests the group descends back down the stairs to the same spot that they first found Cynemi.
You make your way back to the Abomination Vaults, retracing your steps down to the prison corridor where you found Cynemi. You open the double doors at the end of the hallway.
This chamber forms a large octagonal pyramid and has four exits on opposite walls. Bright, blood-red light shines down from the top of the pyramid in a perfect circle on the floor.
Bella identifies the light as part of a magical trap. Anybody passing through the light will trigger it, likely alerting the other denizens of this dungeon level of intruders.
Zetty peers in, sketching the dramatic sight. "Ostentatious, isn't it? They could have made an alarm that doesn't have nearly as much drama." she whispers. "What do you think Bella, is this one going to be easy to muddle up?"
Zetty peeks her head in and listens carefully, trying to tell if there's the sounds of any creatures from any of the doorways from the octagonal red-light-room. She also looks to see if any of the doorways are labeled in any way. If needed, she sidles her way around the edges of the room to press her ear against each door.
She whispers back to the others afterward "Unless we hear something, do we want to go southish?"
Zetty hears muffled voices beyond the southern doors . There are no sounds beyond either of the other doors.
Bertolt raises his shield with a nod to Zetty, opening the door.
Bella moved up behind Zetty, ready to deal with whatever was beyond the doors.
With Bertolt in the lead, Zetty stands confidently to the side of the door he's opening. She's not entirely sure what the plan is going to be if they find the devils that were hunting Carman. She hopes they're willing to chat when faced with intruders in their home.
This old prison block has been converted into a makeshift barracks with several shoddy cots pushed into the cells and against the walls. The three cell doors have been chained open. Foot lockers sit near each cot.
Four fleshwarps are relaxing in this chamber. Two of them are hulking creatures with hardened mirror-like exoskeletons, while the other two resemble morlocks with metallic spiderlike limbs protruding from their backs! The creatures are momentarily taken aback by your sudden intrusion!
Bertolt's bushy brows wag as his eyes flick about the room. Too spread out. Can't contain them all, can't let them behind me. He raises his hammer, striking it on his shield with an ear-shattering ring. He gives a joyous laugh with his challenge.
Zetty quickly scans the room for people interested in chatting and finds no probable persons "Well, I guess we found where the rest of the fleshwarps went." She tries to catch the eyes of one of them "Hi! You're not somehow reasonable and nice, are you?'
She starts sketching to best prepare Bertolt for the likely battle ahead, drawing out his hammer in glorious detail. She then looks at the fleshwarps and tries to recall if she knows anything about the mirrored ones.
Bella moved into the room beside Bertolt and stdied the creatures, offering advice to her comrades about the best way to fight them.
Bella notices that the bloated fleshwarps appear to be charged with negative energy. She surmises that they would be weak to positive energy wielded against them.
Unfortunately, Zetty is unable to recall much about the fleshwarps. She enhances Bertolt's hammer as the dwarf makes himself ready. Eyenia bolsters Bertolt with a heroism spell.
The morlock-things act first. The nearest one braces itself on all four limbs as its protruding metallic bones whip forward, spraying electrified needles at all of you! The one further back hurls more precise needles at Bertolt, which ping harmlessly off of his siheld.
The larger fleshwarps raise steel shields before moving forward. Bertolt's swing goes wide, but Bella lands a hit. Both fleshwarps then lash out at Bertolt with their fists, but his own shield keeps him safe from harm.
Bertolt lets the spikes shower over him, focusing on blocking the more directed attacks. He returns his own blows, aiming at the same fleshwarp that Bella managed to injure.
Zetty finds the zappy spikes only a minor inconvenience, flicking one off her shoulder with a swing of her inkpen. She follows by swiftly outlining a series of inky black streaks - a barricade to block any further volleys - ending it with a flourish to extend the magical protection. With another separate flourish, she grants herself a burst of luck, then quickly draws and tosses a lesser ghost charge at the red fleshwarp that Bella noted was weak to positive damage.
Bella channelled positive energy to damage the fleshwarps.
One of the fleshwarps resists Bella's channeling, but the other cries out in pain as its impure body is blasted. The healing magic also mends your wounds. Vengis blasts the injured fleshwarp with magic missiles, and Bertolt strikes it with his hammer, shattering its shield! Zetty hits the thing with a ghost charge, enfeebling it and further destabilizing its negative charged body. Then Eyenia hits it with a divine lance to finish it off.
As the fleshwarp dies, though, its mirrored flesh ruptures and explodes, showering Bertolt and Bella with negatively charged viscera!
The other fleshwarp howls and keeps its shield raise as it tries to pummel Bertolt again. The two morlock-things swarm the dwarf, sharing the same space as they claw at him! Once more, the mighty dwarf wards off all of their attacks!
Can't be uninjured for more than a moment can I? He shakes off the worst of the viscera, enough to clear his vision at the very least. Then he continues to deadly beat of combat.
Zetty quickly draws and tosses her remaining ghost charge, lobbing it over Bertolt's head to land on the remaining mirrored fleshwarp. Even while it's still sailing through the air, she's drawing out another spell, this one creating an ominous web of ink that shapes itself shimmering, drow-like figure for a moment. The figure gazes down at the fleshwarps disapprovingly before dissipating.