Akimi returns to consciousness and immediately regrets it.
"You catch the aurochs that trampled me?" they groan, gingerly touching the goose egg on their forehead that has already swelled to a frankly alarming size. Seeing Ellen's face, they shrug sheepishly. "Sorry to make you all worry. It looked like Jacques was gonna go down, so I kinda jumped in without thinking."
As per usual, they mentally chastise themself as they pull out their healer's tools, wincing and hissing as they move. They can feel a fracture on one of their ribs, and they probably have a skull fracture as well. They pull out a witch hazel mixture to help reduce the swelling on their noggin, then peel off their chestplate and pull up their shirt to begin wrapping their ribcage. Without asking, they drag the braggart over and begin working on his wounds at the same time.
Akimi patches the braggart up without issue, using an infused salve to hasten the sealing of his more egregious wounds. Unfortunately, by the time they reach their own sutures, blood loss and the concussion cause a tremor in their paws, resulting in them stabbing themself with the needle instead of threading it through the wound on their scalp. They yelp and wince, setting the suture needle aside. "Maybe I should give myself a minute," they mumble. There's a drunken slur to their words that belies the massive concussion still rocking their brainpan.
First Mate Devereaux checks the camp and Orc warband with expert hands and eyes. He finds that they cooked a meal recently, but had the good enough manners to wash the dishes already. They have bedrolls setup in several rooms too.
On their bodies he finds the following items.
26 javelins
3 battle axes
3 breastplates
1 maul
1 hide armor
43 gold
12 silver
He also finds a small journal hidden on the boss lady in a secret pocket.
Akimi pauses to take a breath, then waves Ellen over and starts the process again. This time not only do they properly tend to their patient's wounds, they also manage to not almost kill themself in the process.
After that, it's mostly just rubbing salves on bruises and whatnot, a much easier process.
After Akimi spends ten minutes feeling her up and groping themselves--or, y'know, whatever it is they hope to accomplish with their medical know-how--Ellen smiles and closes her eyes.
Her wounds knit themselves together the rest of the way.
Then she says something filthy and flirty that I can't repeat here, and follows up with, "As long as I'm conscious and able to concentrate, prioritize everyone else's healing after combat, all right?"
She lays a kiss right between Akimi's eyes, then saunters off to Dev.
"Enough good stuff here for a small band of mercs, but yeah. Kind of a shame, honestly, if they'd been wise enough to know when to throw in the towel, I was gonna consider making them an offer."
She jerks her head toward the ship, then notices the journal.
"Hey, speed-reader, either read any juicy bits aloud or budge over so I can peek!"
Akimi pants furiously at the saucy comment. If they could blush, they'd be roughly the color of beets right now. "Y-yeah, you got it. Cap'n. Aye aye. I'll uh... see to that last injury uh. Later. On. I'm. Going over here now."
They then crawl into a fetal position check over the perimeter of the property to see if there are any more surprises waiting for the group.
The horny foxes have a nice little conversation and then Akimi wanders off to the outskirts of the camp and into the woods.
In their current physical shape, this isn't wise at all. But they aren't thinking well and fortunately nothing attacks. They do find quite a few footprints and are easily able to suss where the orc warband came from. It was from the west and appears to be an easily followable trail.
Meanwhile, Ellen has grabbed the journal from Dev and is searching through it. It is moderately simple and short and for some odd reason, written in common instead of orcish. Lucky!
Day One
Traveling day, heading out on our glorious mission! Our leader (who has such pretty eyes) has sent our warband upon the most greatest mission ever. We are to seek out the famed Nightmare Scar Treasure of Mwibah. All we know is it is 'near' the Kortos Mounts in the hilly lands upon a large ridge.
Day Two
Moar Travelin'! Nothing really today, just avoided the main roads to obscure our presence.
Day Three
Ran across an oddity. A centaur statue in the middle of a road. Solid stone but it had large bites out of it. What odd people live in this area to put a statue there. Found some dead kobolds nearby too. Idiot lizards probably tried to attack the statue and died from stupidity.
Day Four
Ran across the outskirts to a local settlement. Scouts determined it was too populated to mess with.
Day Five
Stumbled across an unoccupied fishing camp. No ship nearby so everyone must be out on it. Staying here for now till they come back so we can collect the ship. Getting mobile will help our search and this could be a good base camp.
Akimi returns to the others, jerking a thumb back the way they'd just come. "I found their trail, if we want to follow it. Make sure nobody else is coming to take our stuff. What's everybody looking at?" Their eye still tries to drift on occasion. It will probably require more than a healer's kit to fix a detached retina so they just kind of bop the side of their head in hopes that it stops the rolling.
"Just a reminder that the people we killed had hopes and dreams of their own," Ellen shrugs, holding out the journal. "Wanna see?"
Akimi scans the book in Ellen and Dev's hands, grunting occasionally.
Their ears prick up at the mention of a 'nightmare scar treasure.'
Akimi recalls literally nothing about the topic, but that could easily be the blood loss talking. They do think heading back to town to ask around or do some research at the local library could provide some clues.
Or they all could backtrack the orcs' path to see where they were searching.
Akimi shakes their head. "Never heard of it. I say we check out the library in town and see if we can drudge up anything about this Mwibah or its treasures. But I did find the orcs' footprints, so we can also just follow their trail. I don't think we'd find much, though, seeing as it sounds like they hadn't yet found what they were looking for. We might find more orcs though, which I'm not a fan of."
They glance at the pile of corpses on their front door as their stomach roils slightly. They turn away from the grisly scene and begin tending to their wounds again.
"The Treasure of Mwibah?!? How exciting. Of course we should take it upon ourselves to to claim it! It will be a worthy way of honoring our fallen foes, who fought bravely even if they were destined to perish at our hands."
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So, just so I understand...we just returned to what is, in all intent and purpose, our home to rest after a dangerous trip. Instead of working to establish this place and get a better feel for the area, we almost lose the Kit and are now considering the possibility of going off to who knows where and look for an alleged Orc treasure that may or, most likely, does not exist. That about right?" He rubs the back of his neck, before looking at El. "Your crew, your call boss. I'm with ya no matter what."
Jacques nods his head sagely as the magus speaks. "There ya go Teb, yer gettin' it now! I can't imagine why anyone woulda said ye was on the slow side - seems terribly unfair - an' if'n I meet 'em I'll set 'em straight fer ye, ya kin count on it!"
Akimi blinks and frowns, furry brow furrowed. Did... did he just change accents?
They shake their head as if to clear it before responding to Dev. "For the record I just said I don't want to follow the tracks. That way probably has more orcs. I would like to avoid that. And the whole reason I want to go back to town and see if they have a library is to find out if this treasure exists." Akimi huffs. "I'm not even saying we should go after it. Myths tend to be way more trouble than they're worth. I'm just saying..." They flounder for a moment, trying to find the words. "I mean--haven't you ever wanted to know something just to... y'know... know it? Curiosity?"
Akimi blinks. "It's the public library. It's not going to be any deadlier than anything else we've done. Statistically, it'll be significantly less so. Now following the tracks? That's the kind of curiosity that'll get you killed."
They wipe the blood off their paws from tending everybody's wounds, then stops and adds, "And by the way, the other half of that adage that everybody so conveniently forgets is 'Curiosity killed the cat... but satisfaction brought him back. Knowledge for knowledge's sake is just as worthy a goal as anything else. If I was solely interested in not dying, I wouldn't be here patching up everybody's holes; I'd have stayed in Rordan's s@*@ty restaurant letting him steal all my recipes."
With a huff, they head into the fishery to make sure there aren't any orcs hiding in the oven. Assuming they find the place safe(ish), they get to work making lunch.
The talk of heading to the library gives Jacques a moment of rare pause. "Y'mean we should go where there's lotsa books? Er, y'sure 'bout that plan? I mean, y'know me, I ain't 'fraid of nothin, but still, a whole warehouse o' books? It sounds mighty risky if y'ask me..."
Akimi pauses by the door and blinks in surprise at Jacques. Is he...? Well, they suppose if the braggart is scared of anything it's probably books. Or maybe he's illiterate? Either way, the fox feels a sudden pang of sympathy for Jacques. The idea of being afraid of the most common source of learning... Akimi isn't sure there would be anything worse in the world for them.
"Don't worry, Jacques. As dangerous as books are, you're pretty darn brave. I'm sure you can protect us." Surprisingly, there isn't any sarcasm in their tone.
After another pause, they glance at the group. "I'm making lunch, if anybody's hungry." Their glance lingers slightly on Ellen and they add with a cough, "Could use a hand stirring the pot." They scuttle off inside before hearing anyone's response, their ears flicking back and forth wildly as they hurry inside.
Stirring the pot?! they chastise themself as they run-walk to the kitchen. That is the lamest fricking innuendo in the history of innuendos. What the hells is wrong with you? You can do so much better.
They're still berating themself as they check the kitchen for intruders before beginning a vegetable stew using some of the ingredients they picked up last time they were in town.
Ellen ponders the options.
"Let's get ourselves situated, then see about a jaunt to the library. We need to mosey into town to pick up supplies anyway, if we're going to properly establish this place."
She watches Akimi go off, then clears her throat.
"I'm the pot."
And then she follows.
The kitchen, as previously mentioned, is still in decent shape. The pots probably should be washed again, just to be sure, but nothing is missing. Jacques and Dev stay outside to deal with all the dead orcs and give some privacy to the chef and their assistant.
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Dev calls after Ellen, and the captain can hear the smile dripping in his voice. "They said they need a hand stirring the pot. But if you're the pot, are one of us supposed to come along? Use a spoon or something? Not sure the kitchen is big enough for that boss." He laughs to himself. He then takes note of Jacques. "I have to go back and secure the boat, which means work. You are welcome to join me...or you can go help with lunch. You heard the Kit, they need assistance. Sounds like either way you're gonna work up an appetite."
Dev walks toward the dock whistling an upbeat shanty.
Jacques stares at Ro uncomprehendingly, all the previous innuendo having thoroughly gone over his head, but he perks up at the thought of working on the boatship. "Of course I'll help you - my children need to learn the ways of sailing if they are to be true pirates!" He whistles for the spiders as they go aboard - "C'mon children, you've got chores to do - listen to Bosun Row here - he'll teach you how to dance a jig and other sailorly tasks!" Jacques gets out a toothpick and leans back against one of the masts, proudly beaming as the swarm of his adopted progeny usher forth to begin their training.
The spiders swarm out of their hidden spots on the ship and begin scurrying all over the place, swinging from ropes, waving sticks in the air, jumping from rigging to rigging, generally being a big nuisance. Unfortunately the ship doesn’t budge. Dev is pretty sure the problem is… the prow being buried deep into the muddy shore.
Probably need high tide and a team of work animals to get the ship free.
Akimi and Ellen do... things. Cooking, obviously. Since lunch comes out a few hours later in the form of some sort of pot based meal.
Dev and Jacques figure the ship is secure enough grounded, so they unload any cargo, get the spiders settled on a watch schedule (of the ship, they don't want to leave it), and then head in for a good meal.
The afternoon is spent cleaning up the battle. Burying or burning (or both) the corpses. Collecting the useful items to keep or sell. Cleaning up camp. Repairing Jacques damage to the ship's steering.
Everyone sleeps well (or at least enjoys themselves) that night and awakens to the smell of breakfast and conversation as to when they should all go to the library. Or maybe just split up to manage daily tasks?
While curious about the treasure, Akimi is in no rush to go galavanting off to find it when they just got home. "Wouldn't mind doing a little work around the kitchen. It's not quite where I want it to be. The supplies I bought help, but I wanna make it..." They furrow their brow, mulling over the right word. "Not 'home,' exactly, but home-y, at least. It's getting there. And I think there's still some stuff to fix around the fishery. I wouldn't mind spending the day here, honestly, and then leaving tomorrow, to check if there's any information to be had in town." They shove an entire slice of bacon into their maw, chewing enthusiastically.
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Absentmindedly sopping up some egg with a biscuit, "Think the word yer lookin' for may be 'haven'. Not home, but a place one can feel safe. In any case, waiting a day to get this place in order ain't a bad idea." And away from those creepy friggen spiders. Can't believe El ain't sayin' nothing about the boat bein' infested.
The silence that follows means everyone probably agrees to take the day to relax and do a couple projects around the home base.
Akimi spends the day fixing the kitchen in a wacky 80's montage.
Akimi cleans and scrubs and fixes the stove vent pipe that was probably leaking fumes. While doing that project though they find a nice patch of thick furry black mold growing behind the sink. After almost retching but holding it down, they figure nothing is really gonna phase their stomach for a bit. They also scrape off and remove the mold.
Ellen, tired of having to re-take their home base, finds a nice, very-conspicuous place to upturn some earth and buries a fake treasure map hinting at "comfortable retirement"-level wealth, with a to-do list on the back--including, unchecked and uncrossed:
Fix Hull Leak Issue (NOT SEAWORTHY UNTIL COMPLETED)
"There. Any adventurer with between half- and three-quarters of a brain will see this and go on a nice wild goose chase to the middle of the sea--and, more importantly, leave our boat the hells alone."
Having a smirk of confidence the rest of the day, Ellen goes to sleep dreaming of clever things.
While the others are working on whatever it is they are doing, Jacques is delighted to finally have a chance to work on his memoirs. He immediately begins to dictate the rather lengthy tale of his accomplishments to his trusty scribe, Finley, pausing only from time to make sure that the poor ghost sword has not fallen asleep (he has).
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After assuring the rest of camp is in shape enough, Dev takes the time to clean and organize his small cabin. As he wipes down the shelf, he takes down some of his old tomes. He flips through a few of the pages... I haven't looked at these in ages. He sits on the rickety chair, leans over the book on his desk, and spends the next few hours reading through the small pile of arcane texts.
Jacques manages to put his mind to work, writing down some of his many incredible exploits. With them fresh in his mind he feels quite confident anyone he talks to will be awed.
Dev, thanking whoever he worships or just himself, finally gets some damn peace and quiet! He uses it to functionally recenter himself.
The next day, breakfast is a quick affair and lunches are made for the road. The foxes (and Dev, who totally isn't a fox at all, probably. I honestly don't even know).
It is a warm six hour trek back to town. The first half hour is moderately rough, having to work through an overgrown path to a main road. But after that it is just a normal muddy wagon trail. Arriving in town it is easy to discern the location of the library.
The front doors open directly into the temple’s (it's called the Dawnflower Library, you can guess the deity) central, domed area built in the Qadiran style. Past a small desk, tall bookshelves fill the space, leaving several feet between their tops and the dome’s apex. Stained-glass windows in the dome depict the Dawnflower healing the wounded and illuminating dark, monster-filled caverns. The light from the morning sun causes these depictions to serenely glow, warmly illuminating much of the library below.
A thin, blond halfling woman emerges from behind the desk, smiling widely. Her boots click softly as she crosses the marble floor. “Hello, hello!” she chirps. “I’m Vandy Banderdash, the head librarian and priestess of Sarenrae. Please, how can I help today?"
"Hi," Akimi pipes up from the back. "Er, we're hoping to find some information on a rumor we heard. Have you ever heard of a place called 'Mwibah'? Or it could be a person. We're not entirely sure."
The color drains from her formerly cheerful face. She twists her head side to side, ”No, I won’t let more people die seeking that treasure. Some good friends…”
"And while you are checking for that, would you mind also looking for any new books you have about me? It's 'Jacques Renard,' with a 'J' - I like to keep up with what my biographers are saying about me..."
She looks at the braggart and freezes for a few moments before her eyes turn cold, ”Oh. I see. Well then. My mistake. You said Mwibah? I thought you said Mufasa. Of course I can help with the former. It should hold no dangers to one of… such a repute as Jacques Renard, with a J.”
She heads into the library, motioning for you all to follow.
Akimi blinks in surprise at her reaction. So the braggart actually does have a reputation. And it's clearly in line with what they thought it would be. They do their best to keep a straight face while following the librarian.
Seems rude to disregard all our lives just because she hates Jacques, but whatever. It got us into the library.
They do not, however, like the part about people dying seeking this treasure is... disheartening. But curiosity drives them onward anyway. It will probably be some ridiculous claim of, like, endless riches or something boring. They don't really care much about money. It will take more than that to convince them to go off on a deadly treasure hunt. Now if that trove has a rare recipe for truffle sauce, that'd be a different story...
Ellen can't help but snort herself into a giggle.
"Sorry, uh... book title... over... there-ish," she says, gesturing in one of many bookshelf-ward directions.
The librarian's heels click against the tile floor as she walks back into the library and up a small set of winding stairs. Unlocking the door at the top she leads the way into a small study. There are only two chairs available but still enough space for the other two adventuring pirates to squeeze in standing.
You see a tea set and tray of covered lemon cookies on a side table. None is offered to the group.
She pulls out a blue leather bound book and opens it onto the desk, "I have some notes in my journal about the Treasure of Mwibah. Mwibah is actually a leader of a cult to Lamashtu, hidden in the 'Scar'. A champion of the Dawnflower, Thida Aubade was last seen entering the area to investigate this cult. It is widely rumored that the cult has collected a great deal of wealth, in both valuables, magical artifacts and knowledge.
The champion was hoping to at least determine what goals the cult had, and stop them if the town was in danger. She and her two companions did not return. I have the details as to where the 'Scar' is located, but nothing else about what might be inside. There was only something a captured kobold said about it. He said, 'only those blessed with three-eyed sight can pass safely' and then mentioned something about 'laws of the five beasts'."
She sighs, "I have done some research on those laws, but I'm sure that ones of your magnificent stature surely know all about them already and can easily pass any sort of test or task you might face."