“Heh, heh, ha… ahhh, yes.” Karana takes a step back, waves to the zombie with her shield arm, and gladly lets Bea take her other arm outta there!
But when the other zombie speaks, she points out the insignia* she’s wearing and makes a brave(-ish) face. “Tell me where,” she commands.
*(…with her shield arm. She’s scared. Bea’s grip is comforting.)
The talkative undead turns its head eastwards again, staring at the wall.
“I shall go check. Stay,” Karana commands meekly, hoping that that thing will not reply.
Once out of sight and out of mind, Karana says to Bea, “He talked to me!” as if talking about a popular boy her age. But her face is clearly masking mild panic.
The tunnels could have something truly deadly and dangerous inside, but still, she suggests, “Shall we investigate the tunnels, now?”
Bea has seen things through the cracks of reality, heard whispers of things that would drive you mad, all as a simple lab assistant and maid to an evil man. Still the eyes on that creature will haunt her for sometime.
"We... yes. The tunnel sounds like an excellent plan."
Gofran let the girls pass him as they move towards the tunnels. "Those verre vights... poverrful and dangerrous. No matterr vhat vow, they arre a dangerr to Brreachill and ve should destrroy 'em laterr. If they kill someone, the dead vill rrise as anotherr vight and ye can see vherre this could go!"
Back to the tunnel, Gofran takes the lead, scouting ahead in the dark.
Kyrie strides along with Gofran, nodding at his concerns. ”I am glad we agree. I think we are more than capable of handling them now. I worry that if they add to their numbers, that may not be the case.” She glances back towards them. ”I do not think we need to do it right now. I think we can come back after we finish investigating.”
"Oh good. The 'not now' part I mean. Maybe we can get a whole vat of holy water and tip it over like a big wave. Does holy water work on things like that?" Bea promises herself to read up on undead at one point. Creepy things are less creepy once you read about them.
Amaya looks thoughtful at the mention of holy water waves, but follows without comment. Alak adds, "Those runes on the wall, I think that was the necromantic ward. I have no idea how to even begin undoing it, but I think taking care of it would destroy all the undead."
The tunnel is quite spacious, and the regularity of the walls and floor seem to indicate that it was crafted by magic. It winds downwards in wide twists and turns for what feels like forever, all sense of time lost in the unchanging view of the dirt walls and the constant veering from left to right to left to right. The descent is hard on the knees, and especially those burdened by heavy armour need to take frequent breaks and get off their feet for a while.
Finally, after what feels like several hours, the tunnel comes to an end in front of a ladder leading up to a sturdy wooden trapdoor.
"This tunnel is old, so it is prrobably anotherr rroute out o' the citadel, built by the Hellknights." Gofran says as he gets ready to open the trapdoor. "It is also too long to simply be a 'vay out'... perrhapps a secrret passage back to the town, since ve trraveled down most o' the time?"
Once the others are ready, Gofran pushes the trapdoor, trying to open it.
The trapdoor opens after some heaving and determined pushing, showering Gofran and those below with dust. A faint din can be heard above. The room in which the tunnel emerges seems to be a storeroom, with sturdy wooden shelves affixed to the dirt wall, filled with jars upon jars of pickles - cucumbers beets, radishes, onions, cauliflower, chicken's feet, and... pickled pig's ears.
This all looks very familiar to Beatrix, who had been sent down here more than once to retrieve a jar or three.
Beau involuntarily coughs as the dust lands on him and he has to bring his hands up to get it out of his eyes. "H-how long did we walk? This ... this looks to be inhabited!"
"We're..." Bea reaches up and touches one of the jars. The ones that have grossly pink flaps of skin floating in them "... at the Ear? The Pickled Ear! There is a trapdoor from the Ear to the hellknight home?" Bea looks both relieved, disappointed, and angry all at the same time "We need to go talk to Ms. Denn. Now." and with that the gnome woman starts to head for the stairs.
Beau thinks about letting the others go ahead so he can pilfer a jar of pickled pig's ears - the perfect snack for a long night of drinking - but that wouldn't be very heroic of him, now would it? He blinks the thought away and reminds himself that he isn't like that anymore.
Judging by the noise, the evening is just getting underway in the Pickled Ear, as Bea marches through two other store rooms and up the steep narrow stairs into the bar proper. Roxie is behind the bar, hands planted on her hips as she surveys the work of what seems to be a new barmaid.
Bea weaves her way through the crowd with practices ease (helped by her small stature of course). Her focus is on the proprietress not the new barmaid or her sisters if they are there. "Ms. Denn." she says loudly to get her attention.
The proprietress of the Pickled Ear crosses her arms and jerks her head towards the back of the bar, where a door leads to several backrooms.
"My office, Ms. Beatrix."
She raises an eyebrow at the band of adventurers tromping out of her basement, but after a sweeping look to ensure that a brief absence on her part would not result in the establishment burning down, she ushers everyone into a small (and rather cramped, with so many people), office, where she leans against a rickety desk piled with dog-eared papers.
"Alright, so what, exactly, were you lot doing in basement, and why do you have a Hellknight with you? And Bea, I'm docking your pay for the days you missed. We had to hire Vladim's niece to cover for you, and that girl can't seem to hold more than three tankards without her arms falling off."
"She needs to learn balance that's all. And he isn't a hellknight, he's almost a hellknight, and... yes, docking my pay is right, and I do apologize for not informing you we were asked to go back to the citadel to figure out why the large lizards were there in the first place... and..." the gnome counts down her fingers going over the list of things to address from her employers comments. "Oh, yes. There is a tunnel under the Ear that leads to the hellknight citadel. A tunnel that has been used recently."
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Karana is not happy to see Bea condescended to in front of her friends.
“Dock. Her. Pay…?!” Karana gestures toward the bloodied outfits of those who, though now healed, were badly wounded in battle, hoping the sight of blood and hacked armor speaks for itself. “You should be thanking Bea. She defeated some very dangerous creatures who had found a way from monster-infested tunnels to your pickle storage area.
“She owes you no apology for coming to you immediately when she realized the potential grave danger. Three tankards of ale cannot remove the arms from a waitress, but the monsters down below were quite capable.”
She crosses her arms indignantly.
“Maybe you can use some of that excess cash in hand you have from pay-docking to hire some skilled laborers to fix the hole in the wall before you or your patrons get killed.”
She stands at Bea’s side as a show of solidarity.
Bea looks up at Karana, her eyes getting wider with each defense. Blinking not once but a half dozen times, she manages to turn back to Roxie, hesitantly agreeing "Sealing the opening on your side... is a good idea. Gideon was trying to join the Call... could she have discovered the opening and tried it?"
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Kyrie thinks deeply on the subject before finally stepping forward. "I would like to say something."
She addresses Bea's boss, trying her best to maintain eye contact or close to it.
"I think that Bea should have told you where she was going. I also think that The Call is an important local institution, and Bea showed a dedication to community by taking part in that. I do not think you should punish Bea for taking a dangerous mission in the name of civic duty."
Beatrix blushed a little at Kyrie's defense. While her civic duty and general desire to help people did exist, her motives also included a healthy dose of rampant curiosity and restless boredom.
Roxie Denn blinks at Karana and Kyrie's defense of Beatrix, uncrossing her arms and waving them in a conciliatory gesture. "Alright, alright, I won't dock your pay. A tunnel, you say? I'll check it out and have it walled off, we can't have monsters wandering in here. Although... you took care of them, didn't you?"
A flush creeps over her neck and face at the mention of her daughter Gideon. "Don't you worry about Gideon, I've sent her to her auntie's farm to work off some of that energy."
"T'is good to hear you don't think of us as monsters." Beau's remark is accompanied by a cheeky smile and is a clear attempt to defuse the situation and guide the conversation back to more pleasant waters. Preferably alcoholic ones.
Karana is even angrier at Roxie when she notices the phony tone.
“You knew.” Karana does not hesitate to make the accusation, nor does she just let it sit. “So why did you not wall it off before? Why feign surprise?
“Answer truthfully. I assure you, you will not appreciate the consequence of lying to me a second time.”
Gofran frowns as he notices the untruth in Roxie's words. He also rests a hand on Karana's shoulder to calm her down a bit. "Lady Rroxie, vhat Karrana is trryin' to say, is that ye should not lie to us, vhile ve arre on a quest forr the town, since this vould be the same as lyin' to the Council itself."
"Ve vill rreporrt everrythin' to the council, since this is ourr duty. Tellin' us the trruth vill be betterr forr yerr business."
Roxie raises an eyebrow at Karana's accusation, but when Gofran steps in she sighs. "You have a lot of nerve, barging into my establishment and tryin' to make a liar outta me. I said I'd deal with the tunnel, what more do you want?"
Gofran shrugs. "Ye arre lyin' on yerr own, girrl. Ve arre not makin' ye do anythin'. Ve know the tunnel has been used rrecently and ve know someone used it to disturrb the dead in the citadel." He explains calmly. "I feel ye arre hidin' somethin', so this makes ye an accomplice."
"I'll fetch the councilorrs." Gofran says and leaves the room.
"Wait. Please." Beatrix softly holds on to Gofran's sleeve. "Ms. Denn was good to my sisters and me when we had nothing to show for ourselves except a bad story and the willingness to work hard to put it behind us." turning back to Roxie "And we worked hard here every night with an undead horror waiting on the other end of the basement. Please tell us why, Roxie."
Roxie sighs again, looking away.
"Alright, no need to go runnin' to the council. Yes, I knew about the tunnel, but I swear on my daughter's life, I didn't know anything about monsters or- or undead on the other side." She reaches out a hand to straighten a pile of papers that was threatening to spill off the desk. "Besides, it was makin' me money."
She bites her lower lip, visibly wrestling with a decision. "You keep quiet to the council about this and I promise I'll seal up the tunnel and tell you who's been usin' it."
Beau's ears perk up when Roxie throws them a rather juicy morsel. Since it is Bea doing the talking he has to bite his tongue to keep himself from blurting out "spill the beans, c'mon, tell us!"
Gofran frowns deeply as Roxie asks for his silence. "I had to leave my home town because of how corrrupt the sherriff vas. I'm not like him. Not at all. I'll inforrm the Council as this is my duty..." he then looks to Bea. "Our duty."
"If ye arre tellin' the trruth about ye not knowin' vhat this vas bein' used forr, I'm surre the Council vill underrstand, specially vhen ye prromise them to seal the tunnel and telling who has been usin' it."
Crossing her arms again, Roxie worries at her lower lip as she tries to stare Gofran down - and fails. Throwing up her hands, she huffs. "Fine. Tell them."
She glances at Beatrix, then away. "I never meant to endanger you, or anyone else. I guess... I guess this is on me, for not askin' questions."
Karana says to Gofran, “Please reconsider, Gofran. I have already said my piece, but in Ms. Denn’s defense, she has not lied to me a second time.
“Consider what we would report. She knew of the tunnel and did not take appropriate action. To report her for that, when she has offered to cooperate, makes us guilty of the same. We need not delay; we need not make a corrupt bargain.”
She turns to Roxie.
“Let us not dwell on your mistake regarding the tunnel. Please tell all, and we will take what immediate actions we can. Provided you are wholly truthful, and as you said, had no ill intent… all the council needs to know is you will fund the repair.”
She does not ask if Roxie thinks this is fair. Karana has defended her friend, and now intends to de-escalate and solve the problem.
"I can't rreconsiderr, Karrana, since I'm not a judge, and neitherr arre ye... this attribution perrtains to the council. I fully believe, howeverr, that if Lady Rroxie is indeed innocent, the council vill see it." Gofran explains.
"Ye arre correct, howeverr, that ve need not to delay. As soon as Lady Rroxie tells us who vas usin' the tunnel, ve can be on ourr vay. The council could be inforrmed laterr."
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Kyrie has heard Gofran’s point of view many times during her time in Lastwall and with the Hellknights before. It held a natural appeal to her structured mind, but it always faltered upon rigorous examination. It is a tool, and as it is made by imperfect beings, it will always be imperfect on its own. What is important to remember is the good that law is meant to enable. Her Tenets of Good always come before those of Law, after all. ”I think you are a judge. I think all people are. I think law does not exist without judgments. Even the code passed on to me from Iomedae allows for variance and discourse. I think we all must take responsibility for our judgments. I think Roxie was wrong to hide the passage. I think that it was a much smaller wrong than the harm that may come to pass if we do not learn what she knows. I do not see the salvation in petty justices when they may come at the cost of greater harm. I will not lie for her, as I do not think it is a matter worth lying over, but I am willing to remain silent. I will not force anyone else to be silent, as well. I think that if, during the course of investigation, we discover further wrongdoing or deception, we can reevaluate.”
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Roxie glances between Karana, Gofran, and Kyrie as the arguments fly back and forth, her arms crossed and lips thinned into a line. Finally, she shakes her head. "Do what you will, tell the council or not. But I see now that I may have gotten myself in more trouble than it's worth."
She sighs and taps a foot on the floor. "The tunnel below, I didn't pay it much mind when I found it, I thought it was smugglers and such who'd been usin' it. Then Miss Lirayne started coming by, which I thought strange, she's not the type to frequent my establishment." She raises a hand to her mouth, chewing on the side of her nail. "She paid good money for me to keep quiet about the tunnel - no idea how she knew about it! - and about her comin' and goin' through it." She opens her arm with a gesture of surrender. "That's all I know, take it or leave it."
Karana’s eyes widen. “Miss… L-Lirayne. You mean Voz, owner of the bookstore?” Karana is hurt by this… because she is as certain as she can be that Ms. Denn is being truthful. “Thank you, Ms. Denn, for informing us of this.”
She turns to the others. “I love Ms. Lirayne’s bookstore, and she is among my favorite people in town. That said, I must put my personal feeling aside and ask her about… this.”
"All you did was keep a secret, without any knowledge of it being a danger." the violet-eyed gnome says firmly, as she slides even more to the side of defending her employer. "The council should know about it. Even bricked up it could be something of a danger given the various characteristics of undead, pseudo-dragons, and other unspeakable horrors. But maybe that would be best to come from you?" she suggests to Roxie. "Sooner or later it will come out, unless Ms. Lirayne has already fled."
The revelation of the bookstore owner being the one using the tunnel makes a bit of sense to Bea. To Karana's hurt, she pats the elf's hand, "Could just be rampant Curiosity? It is a common trend to the avid reader, in my limited experience at least."
Karana perks up a little at Bea’s words and her touch. “I think Bea is correct that you had no malicious intent, and had Ms. Lirayne paid me to keep a secret, I would have counter-offered to keep if for free. If you go to the council, let them know we have informed you of the grave danger, and of your wish to wall it off now that you know. They are likely to assist with the funding and organization, which will be less hassle for you.”
Karana’s tone is as if she never had a problem with Ms. Denn.
“We will seek out Ms. Lirayne… and you may be correct, Bea. We cannot know her intent without an honest conversation. I will ignore any preconceived notions, and my heart to the extent that is possible.”
Bea's suggestion that she be the one to tell the council about the tunnel has Roxie nodding in agreement as she squeezes the gnome's shoulder briefly. "That's a good idea, thanks dear. I will speak to them in the morning. Now, the rest of you, what say to some supper and a round of drinks, on the house?"
Karana is not about to refuse hospitality… but still, the people here were not stranded on an island of animals for eighteen summers and winters. A display of gratitude and an apology takes little effort.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Denn… umm… I am sorry you saw my… protective side.”
Most of society might have used a different adjective, but hers is the accurate one.
Beau puts a hand on Karana's shoulder to show his support. He gives her a gentle squeeze. "I won't say no to that, Roxie. You must understand, we encountered more than just cobwebs and rats in the citadel, and understandably we are a little on edge."
In reality, he agrees with Karana, but now that the genie is out of the bottle, they might as well put in an effort to keep Roxie on their good side. After all, only the Gods know what Lirayne is up to. Could it be that they'll need all the friends they can get? Or is Lirayne's secret a harmless one?
Something nags at Beau in the back of his head that the latter is very unlikely.
"Vith no disrrespect to yerr offerr, Miss Denn, but I believe ve should speak vith this Miss Lirayne rright now. Ve have no idea about vhat she is up to, so ve can't have the luxurry to vait." Gofran suggests. "Also, vas not Calmont herr employee? This could be connected somehow."
His movements are tainted by frustration as he shrugs and raises a hand as if to say 'whatcha gonna do?', but Beau knows the drinks will have to wait and that's the last of his complaining. "To Lirayne we go, but don't worry, I'll be back for that drink."
Roxie shrugs. "Alright. I'd better get back to my customers then, and good luck. Bea, show them out through the back door, if you please."
Outside, the sky is not yet fully dark, and the heat is just beginning to ease a little. Amaya excuses herself, too tired to continue. "Find me at the Great Dreamhouse tomorrow," she says before taking her leave.
A relatively short walk later, the group finds themselves again in front of the Reliant Book Company, its windows dark.
Karana looks for a space her tiniest pest form could get her through. She will of course communicate with the others before actually slipping into the building, if that’s possible.
Karana knows that she can slip under the door in insect form, like she did before.
Karana says, “Shall I work my magic and crawl under the door?”
While awaiting permission to B&E, she contemplates several forms that fit under the door. Sadly, butterfly is not one of them.
Ant? Ughhh… Tick? Bleah… Wooly Aphid? Squeee…!
"Ve should look forr a backdoorr. Rrememberr that vhile this Miss Lyrraine is a suspect, ve have no harrd evidence o' herr doin' anythin' crriminous. Ve should trry to knock on the doorr, but also not allow herr to flee if she trries to do so." Gofran explains to Karana. "If she does not ansverr, I believe ve should surround the place and go look forr one o' the councilorrs."
A quick circuit of the building reveals that there does not appear to be a back door. Now and then, people pass by - a townsguard carrying a lantern, a young couple strolling with their arms around each other, a craftsman trudging behind a wheelbarrow.