Mrs Willymott was sitting behind her desk in the main office of the
Mrs Willymott's excelanet Exterminator Agency
She was carefully reading a note, once done she followed it up and placed it back in the envelope it had come in. The Envelope screamed as she did. The envelope being made of human skin and the dammed soul locked with in it, being in so much pain. She paid it no heed and looked across her desk at the Bit-Fiand in a suit.
"And the example?"
She asked him.
He lifted a girl like cage onto the table, with in it was a small fluffy child toy. In the shape of a rabbit. She looked at it and smiled.
"I know just the team to help you with your problem."
She looked over at Bobby her PA,
"Boddy dear, could you ask the "Bog-Cleaners" to come in."
Boddy in a nice blue dress nodded.
Mrs Willymott's sat looking At Lady Luminass in her office.
"I death world you say?"
"Yes and the Devil in question as hidden itself away there, thrugh the gate of 6."
"And the bounty?"
Lady Luminass place a very large bag of magic gems on the tea tabble between them.
Mrs Willymott looked in the bag.
"That will do nicely, I have a number of agents on my book. I will pick 6 for your mission. "
And they went back to drinking tea as they talked over details
Somewhere, a fey creature smiled. And given that he was in Sigil, “somewhere” as a word was doing some heavy lifting. For the City of Doors led to all places just as much as it was a cage. And to Fei Wan, it was the closest place to a home that he had.
Ok players, you find yourselves in the waiting room of Mrs Willymott's excelanet Exterminator Agency.
Where you have been called by a small box one legs that chattered to you in Kant,
"Mrs Willymott's excelanet Exterminator Agency at 8 bells please,"
And then it wobbles away.
When you get there, your shown by her secretary a Dyrid to the waiting room where others are, off to one side is hat drinks, and a small Buffet of finger food.
The secretary says
"Make yourself at home Mrs Willymott's is with a clent at the moment, she will be with you shortly. Please talk announced yourselves and enjy the refreshments. "
Fei Wan strode in. He was a lithe humanoid, his skin was an earthy brown, and his flowing hair was almost blonde to the point of being white. His wings, along with the horns that curled from his head, seemed to be made of wood and vine. As for his eyes? They were translucent, with an inner glow. It was obvious that he was one of the denizens of the First World. Given that this was sigil, he did not stand out.
"Fei Wan." He said, a perpetual smile on his face. For the moment, it was friendly. "Planar explorer extraordinaire." He was already making his way to the food and drinks, inquisitively eying the selection to see if there was anything new.
The next being to enter the room was....well, it was difficult to say. A figure, near two meters tall in his all-enclosing armor of black and white plate, with a large sword and a longbow both strapped to his back. He stops just inside the threshold to survey the room, before moving in and wordlessly taking up a station with a clear view of the entrances, and his back to a wall. For all that he's speaking or moving, he could be a construct.
Coincidence or serendipity? Another little winged fey walks into the room, with an air of relaxed confidence. Spotting Fei Wan, he starts: "Fei... Wan, was it? Well met!
We worked together some years past, didn't we? The Archsorceress of Shadowveil, you helped me take her down. Too bad that goliath who was with us never made it out of the bog. I forget his name."
Niloth, as he introduces himself, wears flowing clothes but no armour; he sports a silvery rapier at his belt. He cranes his neck briefly to look at the silent armoured figure then shrugs and gives up.
Fei’s face positively lit up, a look of unfettered joy upon it. ”The Inexorable Knight! By the unending glades, it is good to see you.” He beamed a smile. ”That was an adventure worthy of the name.” He continued. ”And it was so deliciously sad to lose poor Eglath. He was so desperate to make it home. If only we had more time to get to know him first, then the pain of his loss would have been all the sharper.” He said wistfully. ”But that is neither here nor there. If you have answered the call, then that tells me that this journey will likely be worth remembering.”
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A massive silhouette fills the doorway as Shengo Arashi steps inside. Over eight feet tall and built from dense corded muscle, he looks carved from bronze and old violence, his skin marked with deliberate ritual scars and his face a sculpted ruin of burnt angles and carved lines. Black hair streaked white falls over one shoulder, and molten gold eyes drift lazily over the room with a predator’s quiet interest.
He brushes a smear of plaster from his knuckles and speaks in a smooth baritone. “Apologies for the delay… a fence in the Clerk’s Ward tried creative pricing… he and the wall disagreed… the wall won.” His gaze moves between the winged fey and the silent armored figure and a slow grin forms. “Well… we are a beautifully strange lineup.” He takes a pastry between fingers large enough to crush bone, bites it thoughtfully, then nods to Fei Wan and Niloth. “You two look like you stepped out of a storybook… probably the kind with teeth on the last page.” His eyes settle on the armored sentinel. “And you… silent and focused… you remind me of someone I knew. His name was The Wall… very supportive fellow.” Leaning back with relaxed confidence he adds, “Name is Shengo… if we are working together excellent, I like variety. If any of you were considering betrayal… also excellent, ambition is healthy. And if any of you plan to die dramatically today… give me a heads-up… I like to be supportive when it counts.”
Fei’s smile did not fade. If anything it grew more predatory. ”I like this one.” He whispered to himself.
The newcomer gets a slow nod from the black and white knight in the corner.
Chamak enters the room. He is average size for a human, but his obvious demonic heritage makes it obvious that he is not an average human. His scaly hide is a reddish-tan color and his thick hair is jet black. His eyes are such a bright red they almost glow, and he has a tail whipping around behind him. He has no armor or visible weapons, but he wears two scabbards on his belt, with no weapon hilt visible.
"Fei? And Niloth? So this job might be interesting. I wasn't aware that you two were still living!" He nods to the two heavily armored.... men? Well, Shengo appeared to be, a large man. The other? Hard to tell. "I'm Chamak. I... do a little magic."
A tiny rodent crawls out of his chest and up on his shoulder. It doesn't appear to have done Chamak any harm. ?? "Oh. And just ignore Rat. He's real, but he's really only in my imagination. He occasionally likes to be seen."
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Shengo’s molten gold eyes shift toward Chamak, taking in the scales, the tail, and the small rodent emerging from his chest. There is no surprise on his scarred face, only the focused interest he usually shows when examining a curious weapon.
“Chamak… good to meet you,” he says in a low, even voice. “Anyone who walks in smiling, with a creature climbing out of their ribs, is already more interesting than half the clients I have worked for.”
He gives the rat a brief nod, as if extending courtesy to a fellow professional.
“Rat… welcome as well,” he adds lightly. “Imaginary or not, at least he seems well-behaved.”
His gaze returns to Chamak, steady and appraising.
“You do a little magic… that should match nicely with the little violence I do.”
Rat stands on his hind legs, leaning against Chamak's head. He squeaks and waves his front paws looking a bit annoyed.
Chamak chuckles, then chirps a couple of things at the rodent and taps him on his head. "Rat says that I should point out that he isn't a rat. The tuft at the end of his tail, along with a couple less obvious clues would tell a person that he is a Jerboa. I told him that he forgot to pull his tail out of me so nobody could see the fluff on the end of it." You see now that he does in fact have a tufted tail that is longer than the rest of his body.
"I suppose we should all provide some basics. Resistances, immunities, and such. I wouldn't want to hit an ally with a fireball unless I knew it couldn't hurt them, or if the enemy was swarming over the ally and doing more damage than the magic would. I once blasted six stirges off of an ally, and he got pissed. I asked if he'd rather that I let them drain him and drop off before I killed them...."
"I have the standard racial resistances from my father, fire, cold and electric attacks. Actually I won't be using any fireballs. Devils and demons usually aren't hurt much by them. Any other arcane casters...." He nods at the Fey. "and I should probably discuss spells so we don't overlap and get in each others way. For example, I wouldn't want someone else adjusting everyone's speed when I cast haste on the group."
"Is anyone immune to haste?"
"Oh, what is the fun in that?" Fei chided. "For what it is worth, I am durable enough to survive wandering the planes. Be it the Plane of Fire, Water, Shadow...I'll survive. And you won't find me doing too much of interest. Just some light necrosis. A sharp thorn or two." He gave a little shrug, his eyes never leaving the Jerboa. The sand colored rodent had made its burrow inside of its master. Something that was so wonderfully unique that he couldn't help but stare.
"I'm here too," Neela chirps from her position near the refreshments table. The little green kobold is dressed like a wizard, with no armor and various expensive-looking magical items on her person. It's possible that she was here since the beginning, but considering her size and demeanor, it would be easy to overlook her entrance. "I don't think I'm immune to haste, but I never cast it, as Fei knows well. It just doesn't, ummm, do much for me? I can take care of the fireballs if you like, that's sort of my specialty. Well, except that they're acid. Maybe we should call them acidballs? Umm, sorry I'm so weird." She shrugs.
Few positively seemed with delight when he saw Neela come in. Without a second thought he fluttered over to the little green kobold and embraced her in as big of a hug as he could manage. Then thrusting a drink into her hand he turned to look to the others, eager to see what they had to say.
Niloth's face turns sour as Shengo explains his philosophy. "I wouldn't associate betrayal with ambition, personally. I'm ambitious but have never betrayed anyone."
As Chamak comes in and introduces himself, Niloth grins and shoots back: "A 'little' magic? You sell yourself short, from what I remember.
I myself... do a little a magic too?" And because deeds are worth a thousand words, he summons a humming blade of force to his hand and with the other commands motes of earth and roots to fly away from his person, to amalgamate into a protective wall nearby, then he calls them back to him and dismisses the weapon. "I'm a servant of the Magdh, Eldest of Fate, and am tasked with ensuring that nobody messes too much time with timelines. I am very serious about it. So much so that they call me the Inexorable Knight." Though small, he briefly seems to emanate an impressive amount of power, then the sensation subsides. "Haste is fine, if you don't use it to impure ends."
Then, to lighten the mood: "Chamak, your flirting hasn't improved at all! You don't court people by telling them you'll throw fireballs at them!"
Just then two imps open the rooms doors and in comes you employer.
Mrs Willymott and the owner of the excelanet Exterminator Agency
Mrs Willymott is what you get if you have a Greater Devil and a Gold Dragon for Parents. Standing some 12' the roof of the room seems to rise as she walks in v the door.
"Well help there newly formed team. I have a nice job for you. A simple recall job, Find the husband of our lienet and bring him back. The thing is he is a Devil. Nothing to high ranking, a clark in fact but our client misses him greatly so she would like him located and brught back alive."
She gets her self a coffee and then sits.
"He was last seen with fave others heading to the 6x6 ^th Gate. So I sugest you start looking past that gate. For this you will be paid, 1 Millon gold each, and a share of the 10millon gold price for brging him back alive. So then Any Questions.
"Pleasure as always to see you, Mrs Willymott.
What's the name of the devil? What kind of devil and what do they look like? Any obvious way to differentiate them from myriads other devils we might encounter?
Also, if they don't want to come back, are we to use force even if we risk scratching their pretty red skin?" He typically wouldn't force anyone, in such situation, but it will tell him something about their client.
Neela's eyes flick back and forth between the others. She seems like she might have a question, but is reluctant to call attention to herself and waiting to see if someone else asks first.
Chamak laughs at Niloth's 'flirting' comment. "I wasn't offering to throw fireballs at anyone. I was asking if anyone could just ignore if I accidentally caught them in one. It only happened once and I didn't kill him! I thought I saved him!"
He waits for Niloth's comments and question to Mrs. Willymott before adding the obvious one. "If he resists.... a lot? What is the penalty for bringing back a corpse? I mean, could he be raised? Obviously we'd have to cover that cost."
Seeing the little green kobold looking anxious Chamak winks at her.
"Weird? Look around. None of us would be described as normal. So speak up if you've got anything to say. And what's your name? I don't want to have to say 'Hey little green kobold' to get your attention. Especially if I need you to duck!" He grins thinking about having to tell one of the little folk to 'duck'....
"Alive" the armored form in the corner says, with a quick nod. "Noted. he cracks his knuckles, first one armored in unpainted adamantine, then the other, enameled white, and says "Weal and Woe for him in equal measures, then."
Neela blinks. "Neela," she says, indicating herself. To Mrs. Willymott she asks (after taking a deep breath and apparently clearing her throat): "Mrs. Willymott? Umm, where does the 6x6 ^th gate go?"
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Mrs Willymott, sitting now cross-legged and sipping her coffee, stops, puts the cup down and snaps her fingers, then points at Neela.
"That is the right question, Neela, as always, you get the crux of it, The 6x6 gate leads to a Mythical Death World, known for being one of the most dangerous and deadly echo systems in the planes. Many a Druid, adventurer and hunter has passed through that 6th gate and never been seen again."
She calls out
"Ruttle! Where is that dosiay!"
And old Elf, Bent with age, shuffles in through the door. He is dressed as a scribe-munk; the Glasses look at you as he gets to Mrs Willymott and holds up a brown folder, which looks modern, before turning and shuffling his old body back out again. As he does, she opens the folder and looks inside.
"The Devil goes by the name, Oricktus, not its real name of course. He has also used in the past the name, The Charmer. As for what he looks like."
She flops onto the table in front of her, for you all to see a photograph
" As for alive or dead, Alive please, I really do not want to upset my
client by finding out the hard way her husband could not come back from unalived. As to what we know about Oricktus the Charmer, this is all I have."
She smiles and says in the mimicry of her client's voice.
"He is a supremely Charming, manipulative, Solipsistic, Deviant, cunning, wondering, romantic, sexy, untrustworthy piece of ^%(^*)_, and of course I fell for him the 1st time we met."
Mrs Willymott looked at another part of the paper she was reading from, which seemed to be her notes from her meetings with the Client.
" O and she added, [i]If the ^&%() is there, I can guarantee he is up to something, if he is with another floozy, I want her ended with extreme prejudice[i] So and extermination job after all as you can see."
She looks back at you.
"What do you think? sounds fun right"
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Shengo studies the photograph with a flat, unimpressed stare, his molten gold eyes flicking over every detail before he lets out a low, humorless breath that might pass for amusement.
“Charming, manipulative, wandering, romantic, untrustworthy,” he says, tilting his head slightly. “So he behaves exactly like a devil, which is very generous of him.”
He taps the photo once with a thick knuckle.
“Alive is fine, I can manage that, unless he puts effort into convincing me otherwise.”
When Mrs Willymott mentions the floozy, the grin that forms on his scarred face is slow and sharp.
“Now, the floozy,” he says, the word rolling off his tongue with interest. “Just to be perfectly clear, she is not required to return alive, or whole, or recognizable, yes.”
He nods as if confirming an inventory list.
“Excellent, I can work with that.”
Chamak asks about resistance and corpses, and Shengo lifts one hand in a lazy gesture.
“If he resists a little, we coax. If he resists a lot, someone else can coax. My version tends to escalate.”
He listens as Niloth and Neela ask their questions, then glances back at Mrs Willymott when she explains the nature of the 6x6 Gate.
“A mythical death world, lethal, unpredictable, happily murderous,” he says with a quiet laugh. “Good, it has been some time since a landscape sincerely tried to kill me.”
Pushing off the wall, he rolls one shoulder, entirely too relaxed.
“One million gold each, a bonus for returning a seductive bureaucrat alive, and a free extermination target on the side,” he says. “Mrs Willymott, you do know how to motivate a team.”
He inclines his head in mock politeness.
“No further questions, only a courtesy. When we eliminate the floozy, would you prefer subtle, or spectacular. I am capable of both, though spectacular is more satisfying.”
The grin returns, bright and dangerous.
“Just say the word.”
"Motivated, motived, downright motivated." Fei Wan cooed. Charming, manipulative, wandering, romantic, untrustworthy. He liked the idea of meeting a kindred soul, especially with such an eclectic company and in such a dangerous area. The gold was of little importance compared to the experience that this promised. Not that he would turn it down. That would be just rude, and it would spoil the fun.
”If there is a floozy, is there a bonus for killing her?”
"It was a request from me, I will compensate you suitably"
She looked at each of you.
"I picked you, because I feel you six could not resist this kind of challenge, o one last thing"
She takes out an Amber stone and places this on the table in front of you.
"The only known way in and out of the 6th gate world is the gate itself. But this is a pass to the nine Hells. Once you have the subject, take him to any port of entry to the Nine Hells and resent it. You will have safe passage to the Client. Have no fear, she has signed a contract, which is in the gem. So you are safe.'
Chamak looks at the picture and says, "Dad?" Then holds up a hand with a smile. "Just kidding. I don't know my father, but I'm pretty sure it ain't him!"
"Anyway.... Sounds like fun!"
"I do not care how you unalive whoever he is with, just bring back evidence you ended them. On another note, this client is very powerful in her realm; this Devil became her husband. I suggest you do not underestimate him."
She places 6 gold cards from the folder on the table.
"These will let you pass to the 6th gate, it's located in the Guildhall Ward, inside the Hall of Gates."
You got drunk with a ranger once / read a book once / were talking with someone once. Who talks/said that the world behind the 6th gate is not natural? It is a tainted world by Magi-science that made every form of life deadly. From the sickness in the air to the water itself.
You knew that there is a very bounty beyond the 6th gate, but not for what; now you do. You also know that others have been talking about this bounty. In fact, you know others have headed past the 6th gate to hunt the bounty. But you know of none who have come back.
Niloth takes a good look picture then states, quite seriously: "a handsome devil". He is alarmed by the bloodthirst of his putative companions, but decides not to show it too much. He was set on his path by his goddess, Magdh, and surely she has the foresight ot ensure they won't cause him to betray his oaths as a Knight of Time. As long as they focus on killing devils and demons, creatures of pure evil, he won't have any objection.
He also wonders dimly if Mrs Willymott herself is not the client, hiding behind a veil to get her revenge, then decides it's none of his business.
He chuckles at Chamak's joke. Then chuckles again, knowing that Fate has a tendency to make such jokes reality.
"I came prepared to leave straight away. Let us depart?"
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Shengo takes one of the gold cards and rolls it between his fingers, eyeing the sheen with mild curiosity before slipping it away. Mrs Willymott’s clarification draws a slow nod from him.
“Unalive whoever he is with, bring proof, do not underestimate the husband,” he says. “Very clear, very doable.”
Niloth calls the devil handsome, and Shengo lets out a quiet laugh, the sound low and sharp.
“A handsome devil,” he repeats. “Those are always the worst kind. The ugly ones try to kill you… the handsome ones succeed.”
He taps the edge of the photograph once, almost thoughtfully.
“Good. I prefer a quarry with teeth.”
The giant straightens from the wall, stretching his shoulders with lazy confidence. His molten eyes shift toward the door.
“Guildhall Ward, Hall of Gates, sixth gate,” he says. “A pleasant route for the beginning of a difficult day.”
Niloth suggests departing, and Shengo gives him a faint, almost polite nod.
“I am ready,” he replies. “Lead if you wish… just keep the pace lively. Death worlds are much more entertaining when approached with enthusiasm.”
Chamak picks up the gold card for himself. "So quick to be heading to a Death World. Personally I prefer the higher planes, except when I encounter the narrow-minded that think all spawn are as evil as their sperm donor!"
He goes quiet for most of the walk to the 6th gate. Shortly before the arrive he steps in front of the group and holds up a hand. "Before we go through the gate, well, I need to tell you all something. But, I'd like to step out of anyone's way. It' kind of personal, or private. And it's important. Maybe over there?"
He points off to a visible corner/quiet area and waits for agreement of negation.
The armored warrior takes a card and departs with the others, moving swifter than a man in plate has any right to.
When Chamak holds the group up, he moves to the indicated corner, leans against a wall, crosses his arms and cocks his head, but remains silent.
Fei gladly took a card. Seeing the others depart, he gave their patron a bow and spun on his heel as he headed for the door.
----
"Oh?" He said to Chamak. "This should be good." He said, with interest, as he followed the tieflings.
Neela looks surprised that everyone is off so quickly. "Umm, are you sure you don't want to make some preparations first? From what I know about our destination, well, everything is going to be trying to kill us. It's not natural, it's... it's magic-science." She puffs a little, hustling to keep up with her larger companions after accepting a card from their employer. "Plus I don't think we're the first to go in looking for this bounty, and none of the other groups have come back. It might be smart to take some precautions before we charge in...?"
Niloth often has to resort to flying for short bits to keep up with the faster members of the group; he doesn't show off his energy tether just yet. The gold card is tucked away safely; no one knows when weird Sigil berks could try to mug you.
After Neela's remark, he stops and thinks. "That seems very sensible, indeed. However, since nobody has come back recently, and we don't know where the devil is on that world, how do we know what to prepare for?"
He is otherwise ready to listen to Chamak's important piece of information.
Once the group gets off to the side Chamak steps opposite of them. "I figured we should all be aware of this, and it's more than a bit embarrassing for me since I have to tell a bit of my history that I don't normally tell to anyone."
"I've mentioned to lots of people that my mother is a waste of skin that consorted with a demon that got her pregnant. He disappeared once she was knocked-up and she hated him for it, and me by proxy. Birthing me didn't kill her, but I guess the horns really hurt. Anyway, since I didn't really have a mother I wanted to know more about my father. I was young and stupid, had barely started studying magic and I was offered a deal. The short of it was that I got everything that I wanted to know about my father, he's dead, and a contract devil.... well, you know the rest."
"Well, I was contacted before we even got here. I was given a lot of interesting details. Oricktus the Charmer isn't a simple bureaucrat. He ran the department of souls that holds checks and allocations for punishment and training in the Blood War. This gave him real power, choosing and allotting souls to powerful Devils. The system was set up to stop fighting between Devils so the Hells can concentrate on fighting Demons."
"Rosa Luminass married Oricktus to gain power over him. She heads up the Hounds of Hell, the Department that goes to the other planes and brings back souls that have sold themselves to the Hells, and don't want to end up as fodder for the Blood War."
"Another devil called Milalla The Arch Devil, has gained power within the system for fighting the Blood War. Milalla is a particularly vicious Devil known for wiping out opposition. His faction in the Hells wants to do away with the whole sharing of Souls. Rosa's Faction is fighting them, wanting the working order to be maintained. So, Milalla wants Oricktus to gain power over Rosa."
"A lot of details I know, and it boils down to this. I was offered a chance to possibly wipe out the contract on my soul. While I do seek a way out of it since a worshiper of Korada won't do particularly well in Hell, or the BloodWar. But I couldn't accept the terms. I won't get involved in the issues between Rosa and Milalla, and I won't be a traitor to this group or this contract."
"My ultimate concern is this. Who can we trust? I know that I won't betray you, but what can I offer to any of you to accept that? And, how do we know that someone else wasn't offered a similar deal and whether or not they accepted? Trust but verify is always best, but how do we verify? You can choose to reject me from this team, and I will reluctantly accept the decision. But with or without me this team needs to be watchful of each other!"
Fei's perpetual happiness did not diminish at this news. "A soul bound for the Hells. Politics among devils. The potential for betrayal? Isn't this just delightful." He said with relish. "Why would we reject you? Anyone could turn traitor when devils are involved. Only a fool would play with the Hells and not account for that." If the concept of walking into a world of death with possible traitors in the midst gave the fey pause, he certainly didn't show it.
Neela grimaces. "Everything," she mutters. "Everything living will be trying to kill us-- sickness in the air, malevolent water. I'd guess that poison will be everywhere."
She looks anxiously at the others when Chamak suggests that some of them might be working against the group. "Umm, yeah, bounty aside, I don't really want to go to a death world with people who are trying to kill me when my guard is down."
Fei threw an arm around Neela's shoulder. With a smile he said "And if anything tries to hurt my favorite kobold, then I will gladly fight and die alongside you."
The armored knight shrugs. ”Powerful enemies, and we also have to watch our allies? Can’t trust anyone? Standard operating procedure, then. I never fully trust those I haven’t worked with before anyway.” he pauses, looking around. ”no offense.”
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Shengo listens to Chamak’s confession without moving, molten gold eyes fixed on him the entire time. When the tiefling finishes, Shengo exhales slowly, the faint metallic hiss that always seems to follow him.
“So,” he says, voice low, “your father was a demon, your mother despised you, a contract devil owns your soul, and now the Hells want to use you for politics.” He gives a slow, measured nod. “That tells me something important. You will do everything in your power to avoid being controlled again. People who refuse to be owned tend to fight harder to keep their freedom.” There is no mockery in his tone, only a very precise understanding “That makes you useful to this team.”
His gaze shifts to Neela, catching her unease with a flicker of amused interest. “And you, little kobold…” He tilts his head slightly. “If you worry about being killed with your guard down… the answer is simple.”A quiet pause, then the line lands light and sharp.
“Do not let your guard down.” A faint smile touches his scarred face. “And stay alive. It keeps the mission clean.”
He looks between them, his expression calm. “Betrayal is always possible when devils are involved. That is the nature of the work.” Then, with dry humor, he continues: “If someone does turn traitor, We handle it. I do not enjoy sorting bodies while the landscape is also trying to eat us.”
He gestures toward the direction of the gate. “So, Chamak stays. Neela stays alert. Everyone else keeps their intentions obvious enough that no one does anything clever at the wrong time.”
With that, the giant starts to walk, slow and deliberate. “Now let us move. The death world is waiting, and I would prefer to arrive before it gets bored.” A final hint of amusement enters his voice.
“And I do like to make a strong first impression.”
Chamak releases a very obvious sigh of relief. "Thank you. And know that I will also be watching all of you."
"Stay alert and let's go!"
"I judge deeds, not appearance nor ancestry. We worked well enough the last time around, and a traitor wouldn't put into our minds the idea of treachery in the first place - well, unless they were fey, but my people love wonderful dissonance - so I don't see anything to hold against you in what you told us."
"As for getting 'involved in the issues between Rosa and Milalla', it seems we are headed there whether we intend to or not. From what you said Milalla has a stake in preventing us from finding and bringing back Oricktus.
As for himself, he's more worried about failure in his overall mission than he is about dying. If his time comes, then so be it.