Chapter 2: One Bad Apple

Tzal looked around the small town, wondering what befell these people and how they were struggling to keep up with their poor condition. His eyes darted towards the group gathered in front and the elderly lady. He was not going to ask anything, but as soon as the shack door impact could be heard, he walked closer to talk to the woman, "What seems to be the matter here?"

"I could disable him for future inspection." R3N-L3 offered in a monotone, before pausing as he realized how perhaps the offer might be taken, so he clarified. "I do not need to fear infection by any disease or ailment. And it is difficult to harm me. Therefore, I could likely secure him with minimal risk of overall damage to human life."

"Good day to you Elder. I'm sorry to hear of your plight. As our clockwork has said, it's the best course of action for him to take a look at your blacksmith."

More coin? Wolfram would be happy to separate the woman from her coin.

"We will get to the bottom of it, rest assured."

Lauretta followed passively at the back of the group, listening to how they intended to handle the situation. After everything that happened with Aazim, being more tactful was important to her. This group demonstrated what they can achieve while working together, but that wouldn't be possible if they all went their separate ways. Fortunately, those that remained all seemed more amiable in their dealings.

Hearing that the blacksmith had fallen ill in some way, her own worry began to rise. Preventing plague out here in the Borderlands was never easy; she knew firsthand how that could go. The priest placed a gentle hand on R3N-L3's metal shoulder, stepping forward to join them.

"Adventurers is the right of it, ma'am. Offering a helping hand is what we do best, as our bowman here said. Perhaps we don't go starting with the blacksmith first though, Renly? As stalwart as you are, it's not impossible he slips away, right? I'd say we avoid that risk and see if we can't find some other clues as to what's happened to him first. But, Tzal, you're the closest thing we have to a physician. What are your thoughts?"

Tzal scratched his beard with a thoughtful expression. "I am not a trained physician, per say. But I dabble in concoctions and elixirs. It is hard to point out any ailment without exactly looking at the subject. Pale, greenish skin, bloodshot eyes? That doesn't seem to ring any bells. It's certainly a sort of infection because I haven't seen anyone with normal skin becoming green overnight."

He turned to the elderly woman, Myriam, "Did Victor have green skin before? You mentioned that he never drank whiskey, but did he venture out before this happened? Also, you mentioned that he attacked Ruprecht. We can get an idea of how Victor was acting or how he looked better from him. May we talk to him?"

Hearing that Tzal hadn't any knowledge of the blacksmith's symptoms, Lauretta began to consider other possibilities than disease.

"We should question folk around town. See if Victor had any enemies or grudges. No telling if this is an infection yet. Could be a curse or a poison. All kinds of weird things in these lands."

The priest glanced at R3N-L3 as if to prove her point.

"Or if we really think it's a good idea, we can try to restrain the blacksmith. It's risky, especially with how little we know right now. But it's good to assess our strategies."

Tzal eyed the shack and then said, "I think we should investigate this further. I would prefer seeing Victor to ascertain if there is actually an infection, but then again, if he is out of control, it would be a risky affair. I suggest we go and talk to Ruprecht first. Maybe he can give a better, more clear version of what is going on. We can also check on Victor's house. And if we don't find anything even after that, R3N-L3 can help us to check on Victor safely."

"Oh I don't know. We are more than capable of restraining the blacksmith and I think we should. It would have two advantages: stop him from attacking any further, and allow us to question him and observe him. Or we can split up and do both. Someone else can go see Ruprecht."

Tzal gave a questioning look at Wolfram, "What if its a contagious infection and you get infected?"

"That's easy. I'll stare him down with a nocked arrow. We need not get close, just close enough."

"Let's not go drawing any weapons now if we don't need to. All we know right now is that there is a potentially dangerous and unwell man locked in a guarded shack. We don't know what's wrong with him, but the fact that he doesn't look himself means he might not be attacking people just because he's an awful man. So, it would be a damn shame if he ended up dead because we ended up leaping before we looked, right? Unlike what happened at Traveler's Rest, there's no one to save except potentially the man in there. So we don't need to go rushing into things. It would be mighty beneficial to be able to have a look at him. But if things go awry and something bad happens, would we be able to say we did our best to know what we were getting into if we just go and do it now? I don't think so. I'd say Tzal probably has the right of it."

Lauretta spoke calmly and with intention, trying her best to make the smart decision. Standing there, an intrusive thought crawled along her mind. What if the best thing to do for keeping the folk in this village safe is to just burn the damn shack down? Alongside it came the miserable memories of the plague that ran through her own village in her childhood. Clenching her fist, she buried the thought deep down.

"But that's just this priest's opinion. I'm not always going to be right. Those missing folk from Traveler's Rest couldn't be saved after all. What do you have to say, Renly? Maybe a Weird Wizard creation did it?"

The dry attempt at humor didn't feel as funny as it did in her head.

"If they did, then I may need to extinguish all traces of infection. No Wizard Creation which is deviant from its original purpose may live. And no Wizard Creation has remained true to their original purpose." R3N-L3 intoned in his usual monotone without missing a beat. "Reactive protocols will likely ensure the town no longer exists for full confirmation of Wizard-birthed anomaly. As most of my comrades appear to hold value for the continuation of human life, proactive protocols must be arraigned."

He glanced over at the others. "I may either be employed to guard the first known afflicted, or traverse the afflicted's previous known path of movement. I am immune to most diseases, although some do not like to see a war-form automata wandering their town. Which is good, as we were made to kill and conquer only."

Lauretta simply stood in silence, staring dumbfoundedly at the clockwork. Her usual frown that seemed almost set in stone was replaced with a simple, blank expression with her lips slightly parted. The full gravity of what he had said was immense. So immense that Lauretta began to question if he meant what he said exactly as he had said it.

All Wizard Creations being deviant and requiring destruction would include himself and all other clockworks in existence.

Tzal could anticipate that the situation was slowly going out of hand and clearly needed a firm direction. He clasped his hand with a sudden sound and said, "So, let's not waste more time discussing this and move on to investigate the matter. I am going to visit Ruprecht the victim of Victor's assault. Who is coming with me?"

Wolfram frowned, his eyes narrowing as he tried deciphering what the clockwork had just said. He decided he had misinterpreted the gist of what he had said.

Reactive protocols. What even is that?

He was a hunter, not privy to the education of others.

"I'll come with you Tzal. Doesn't look like me threatening the blacksmith is a good idea," Wolfram says, nodding to Lauretta's wise words.

Tzal listened to Ruprecht and nodded, "I am awfully sorry to hear this. So, just to clarify, did you have any dealings with him recently? Like you ordered something from him? When was the last time you interacted with him before yesterday? And you are saying that he just jumped on you out of the blue?"

The sudden clap and declaration from Tzal grabbed Lauretta's attention effectively, but she wasn't going to forget what R3N-L3 said any time soon. It seemed she had a great many more questions about that strange machine than she even initially assumed. With Wolfram's agreement, she slapped him on the shoulder and followed after the mage.

Seeing the broken man called Ruprecht was certainly an eye-opener to the level of violence expected from the trapped blacksmith.

"By Saint Ejada, he bit off your ear? It looks more like you were savaged by a wild animal than a man. Did you know Victor to be a short-tempered man before this? Or whether there was any ill will between folks?"

Tzal nodded to Ruprecht, "This is indeed strange, and I am really sorry for your circumstance. You better take rest. We will be following your suggestion and talking to Pete's sister. Also, can I talk to your wife?"

Wolfram remained quiet but observed Ruprecht and his wife being questioned.

"Shall we be off to visit Megan then?" he asks the group. "Ruprecht, where can we find her? Sometimes, affairs of the heart can undo any man." For a brief moment, Wolfram's attention wandered away. Anyone looking at him might have noticed. Quickly, he snapped back to reality and made for the door.

Tzal took Maybell aside and asked, "After the incident with Victor, has there been any change in Ruprecht that you haven't seen before?"

Once all the questions were answered, Tzal nodded and took his leave with others.

He turned to his companions and said, "Okay, we can talk to Megan, and then I would like to visit Victor's workshop."

On R3N-L3's part, the automaton had slipped off to circle the shack that Victor was contained within, checking that windows were appropriately sealed, there was no way for the infected to dig themselves out, and that the guards were suitably discomfited by a metal giant poking around the place they were guarding.

No history of violence or anger issues. Well-liked. Sounding more and more like our friendly blacksmith ain't himself at all right now. But that doesn't help us get closer to the truth of what's happened.

Lauretta thought to herself as they left the Allson house. Tzal's line of questioning didn't escape her notice. Neither did Wolfram's wistful gaze. One trying to determine if the blacksmith's state is contagious and the other theorizing an agonizing heartbreak. Could be the green-ish skin has nothing to do with this violence, but that'd be a maddening coincidence. And it seems our bowman has finally shown some scars of his own. Now came the time to question the lover.

"So you wouldn't know anything about what he's been getting up to in days leading up to the attack? Anything out of the ordinary? We don't necessarily think his behavior has anything to do with you, Megan. We're just covering our bases and trying to figure out what could have caused this. If you can't think of anything that sticks out, we'd be grateful for any suggestions on who in the village might know or have seen something."

Wolfram's eyebrows arch as a feeling of empathy and regret almost swallows him whole.

"He took his anger out on Ruprecht, no doubt. But why Ruprecht? Would you be willing to share what your argument was about?"

Lauretta snorts, stifling a laugh. Men willing to commit to picking up a blade rather than a woman's hand were always in great supply in her life. Always willing to wrap themselves in their own ambitions and pleasures without a care for another's.

"Well, I don't expect that will change any time soon. That's a problem as old as time, sister. Your retelling of last night's events are very helpful though. It's much appreciated."

The priest cocked an eyebrow with a look to Tzal, expecting more questions or hypotheses after receiving more details about Victor's apparent illness.

Tzal listened to all the conversation with a silent face. This was getting more confusing with each questioning. Was this a curse then, if not an infection? The fact that Victor didn't have any prior record of aggressive behavior definitely meant that he was not in his sane mind. If it was not an infection, was it something magical? His pondering was cut short by the questioning look of Lauretta which brought him back to reality. "Hmm, Ms. Megan, everyone seems to like Victor, and he had no prior record of aggressiveness. Correct? What do you think about him and Ruprecht? Why do you think he took out his anger on him? Do you have any ideas? How often does Two Forks receive visitors from outside? Does Victor generally work for people of Two Forks, or did he ever take any commission from outside travelers?"

"Idea as good as any. If the man who lived next door that he beat th- attacked didn't know anything and his lover didn't either, I'm not sure who will at this point."

Lauretta stumbled slightly, trying to rephrase what she was going to say to be more... formal. It wasn't just sparing Megan's feelings, although it might have looked that way. The priest was far more frank and blunt with her companions due to the closeness of working together. However, it was important to her that she was able to fit the idealized version of herself in her head when it came to strangers. Her imaginings of what the Saints must have been like was similar.

"Unless we can think of other folk to question, we should follow up on Victor's abode and potentially himself if it comes to it."

Tzal nodded to Lauretta, "Yes, I don't think there are any options left. We need to check on his forge and home."

"Let's get to it then. Time's a wasting." Wolfram wanted to solve this mystery quickly and move on.

"Oh hey. Take a look at this."

Wolfram is squatting down in the dirt examining some footprints, tracing them with a finger. "Now this is odd. Child-size prints and whoever they belong to has six toes! Looks like Victor's been gone awhile. Coals are mostly cold."

Tzal scratched his beard and eyed the firepit. He noticed the green coal, which was emitting the faint light, almost separate from the other burnt ones. It was certainly strange to be a coal to burn for that long. Could it be something magical?

Getting closer but still maintaining a distance, he started uttering strange language as his eyes rolled back, showing his white pupil. He then looked at the coal intently.

"A six-toed child? And some lump of coal that burns green, over here. Not sure what any of that means, but it's awful strange. If none of it has anything to do with Victor, then I'm the Prophet Jonsuel. He was going green, so maybe it was this weird coal in his forge."

Lauretta stared at Tzal and the coal warily, uncertain about the safety of being around the thing after what happened with the blacksmith. Casting a glance over at Wolfram and his weird tracks, she felt woefully unprepared to deal with any of this.

"This ain't a matter of normal life, the High One, or war. I don't know how much use I'll be here."

As Tzal's pupil returned to normal position, he turned to Lauretta, "This piece of coal is indeed magical, and I believe it's the source of the curse. How come Victor ended up having a cursed coal in his forge? Did he get it from the coal supplier? And what about this strange, unnatural paw print? Does the village have a mutated child?"

He then turned to Wolfram and said, "Where are the prints? Can you track them, perhaps?"

"Right hrere around the forge. I can see if they lead anywhere." Wolfram stands up and tries to follow the tracks.

"Bah! The prints do not go any further." Turning to Tsal he asks, "Can you find out anything more from the magical coal?"

Tzal shook his head, "No idea. That coal is definitely cursed. Unless we have a coal supplier who could have given such a thing, I don't know how it ended up here. Maybe we can ask around if there is a child with 6 fingers in the village? Or we can ask who supplies Victor with coal."

With the lack of imagination and constant persistence unique to something that did not need to eat, sleep, or suffer the ravages of time, R3N-L3 would begin trooping out across the hard-packed earth in the direction of the tracks, scanning the ground in front of him to see if the tracks picked up on softer ground.

Lauretta's frown deepens as Tzal confirms the accursed nature of the glowing coal. Seeing Wolfram stumped with the tracks wasn't encouraging either.

"Feels like we only found clues that gave us more questions. We'll have to ask around about this six-toed child and the coal source in the hopes somewhat can point us in the right direction."

The stomping thuds of the heavy clockwork passing by caught a curious look from the priest. His unorthodox nature and unique approach to problems certainly kept things interesting, if nothing else.

The clockwork looked down to examine the creatures and chicken feathers thoughtfully for several minutes. You could almost hear his thinking. Chickens usually produced chicken tracks. The tracks he was looking for was not a chicken track. But maybe the thing hunted chickens. After an even longer time, he abruptly bent down to pick up the chicken feathers, gathering them in a pouch. Then he stomped back across the field to the others.

"There is a trail leading into the forest. It is likely a game trail that the prey may have made use of. Difficult to tell. Someone may have hunted a chicken there. Suggestion: Incursion into the forest, after confirmation that the village used to possess chickens that recently went missing."

Lauretta blinks a few times, looking at R3N-L3 quizzically.

"The six-toed child walks the forest and hunts chickens? That sounds more like some kind of gremlin than a child. I don't see much of a point in making sure the villagers actually lost chickens. It's strange regardless. But it's the only lead we have for right now. Good work, Renly. Hopefully it's not just some wild goose chase."

After taking a couple of steps toward the forest, she looks to the others, seeing if they're inclined to follow.

Tzal raised his eyebrows when he heard R3NL3's new findings, "Hmm, this is interesting. Did you say that there is another trail there? It can be a different thing, but worth checking on still."

"I agree. It doesn't matter why the chickens. What's important is that we know something is heading into the woods that has one or more chickens. Let's go look."

Wolfram wastes no time following Lauretta.

Tzal was following others when the new track was found, and he half expected it to get lost in the woods or appear as a normal wild animal. But if it was the particular one they found on the walls of Victor's forge, then it would mean that something else was there and the village was probably not safe. As he heard the shriek, he was taken aback to find the swarm of goblins trying to ambush them. He quickly recovered himself and flicked an acid globule at one that was within his range.

"Great. How do we manage to get in trouble constantly?" he asks no one in particular.

As Tzal fires an acid globule, Wolfram takes advantage of attacking from a distance, nocking an arrow and letting it fly at one of the hideous goblins.

"My apologies. I cannot allow you to strip me for parts until I have exterminated every Wizard Creation which is currently malfunctioning. If you survive this encounter and wait until then, I will give myself over." R3N-L3 intoned calmly, even as he drew his sword and charged headfirst into the swarm of goblins, slashing out with a quick strike.

Squinting at the temple that came into view only brought up the gnawing reminder of the tomb they encountered in the Green Hills the month prior. Before Lauretta could begin to ponder the dangers within or its potential connection to the sickening rock back at the forge, the varied goblins began their ambush. Regardless of their stature or weapons, the fact of the situation was that they were outnumbered 4 to 1. While she was confident in R3N-L3's ability to survive the oncoming volley, she had significantly less confidence for herself or her companions. Being on the other side of a volley of arrows many times already showed her that sometimes it only takes one.

"High One protect us!"

The priest rushed to the middle-ground between her companions, trying to guard them all with the aura of magic she just ushered in. An angelic figure, barely visible, came to hover behind her. One could make out golden skin and beautiful feathered wings. The power around her was palpable, and those within could feel the safety provided by its presence.

Tzal dodged the stones and gritted his teeth from the onslaught. But the appearance of this angelic figure's aura surprised him. He turned to Lauretta and nodded in appreciation and gratefulness. There was no way they would survive the continued attack of so many creatures. He had to cut the head of the snake. Turning to the goblin who was shrieking commands, Tzal pointed his staff and sent a flying jellyfish towards it.

A horde of goblins bearing down on R3N-L3's dense metal form with a clattering barrage of stones and daggers was a scene that inspired awe in Lauretta. The clockwork was already a juggernaut in his own right, but seeing not a single blow make it past with the High One's protection made her wonder just how much the team was capable of. The sound of two thuds that followed behind her helped to ground the priest. Peeking back, she returned Tzal's nod and noticed the familiar formation of water in front of him.

"Bless your magics and strike!"

"This is a di-This is a dilemn-This is unfort-" R3N-L3 tried multiple times to speak over the hailstorm of blows that rained down upon his armored frame, sending sparks flying, not to mention the din of the goblin war cries. Finally, something within the war machine seemed to snap as his tone gained a decidedly annoyed edge, and he turned his head to eye the goblin leader ominously.

"Proposition. Let us see if your blood is blue and will stop the savages from interrupting me." He rumbled, before barging deeper into the horde of goblins, clearly intent on hammering his way to stick his blade into the goblin leader.

Wolfram is again in awe of Lauretta as the priest conjures up an angel. Meanwhile, arrows are bouncing off the charging R3NL3, which would be comical if everyone's lives weren't in danger.

Nocking an arrow, he aims at the goblin that provides the best open shot.

Tzal watched as all the goblins scattered. "Hmm, what are these? A goblin tribe so close to the village? We must warn them once we take care of the mystery. We may have taken care of the leader, but it is still a large group. Wolfram, you seem to have been hit by these nasty goblins. Let me check your injuries."

He brought out two bandages wrapped with odd greenish unguent and a pungent mixture of paste. He started mixing some other oils and fluids, which made it look more questionable. He then cleaned the wound and attached it. "It would take time to work, but you will feel better, and the wound won't fester."

He then stood up and looked around, "I guess we should check to see if we can find the tracks again. Who knows where it will lead us?"

"I estimate chances of 20.7% of failure to exterminate wholly. Should I give chase?" R3N-L3 inquired of the group, ignoring the fact that with the speed of the goblins, he'd be bulldozing through the forest after them until the sun exploded before he ever caught them.

"Oh no you don't!"

Lauretta gives chase to the closest goblin, seizing the eight-pointed star pendant she wears around her neck. The ethereal figure behind leans in, watching intently. A light begins to emanate from her holy symbol.

"By the will of the High One, I command you to stop! Renly, seize him!"

"I am a relatively civilized war machine. I will not kill you because comrade Lauretta does not wish me to. I will merely slice off your limbs and cauterize the wounds so you may not escape in any physical form."

Tzal was amazed at the swiftness of R3N-L3 and Lauretta, but he proceeded slowly to approach the captive. He turned to R3N-L3, "My friend, it won't be necessary immediately. We must first ask about their objective here; we will worry about interrogation later."

"Very well." R3N-L3 said, stopping besides the goblin to sheathe his sword and looking down at the diminutive creature. "As you heard from comrade Tzal, limb removal is not yet necessary. However, should you escape, you will once more become an enemy combatant, and for brevity, I will rip your limbs out of their sockets instead."

After a polite silence, R3N-L3 asked, in a polite yet hopeful manner, "Would you like to attempt escape?"

Wolfram can't help but chuckle at R3N's threats while sneering at the cowardly goblin.

"Yes, Tzal, I could use some healing, welcome it in fact." He offers his injured self to Tzal while enthusiastically watching the conversation unfold between the goblin and the clockwork.

Lauretta steps up alongside R3N-L3, placing a hand upon his shoulder.

"I don't think he would. Faeries may be untrustworthy, wicked, and dangerous, but they aren't suicidal. Don't mistake mercy for weakness, goblin! I can simply use the power of the divine to seize you again should you try to escape. There is no hope in avoiding this. You are at our mercy. If I suspect even slightly that the information you share with us is a lie, I will let my injured friend back there get some well-deserved revenge. Now, why were you and your people out here? And what did the lot of you have to do with the neighboring village? Did you put the cursed stone in the blacksmith's forge? Your life depends on providing us with the truth, so think carefully before you answer."

The priest was scowling with contempt at the petty creature. Even as a young girl that worshiped the Old Gods, her family warned her that some faeries, like goblins, were sour creatures. However, the Codex of Illumination condemned the Fair Folk in their entirety. She wasn't entirely without doubts, but for goblins there was little. Glancing back at Wolfram, she was glad to see him get some treatment. That volley of stones had her worried for a moment.

Tzal raised his eyebrows in alarm, "Oh no! What have you done! Is it contagious? How do we get rid of this curse? How do we cure the smith?" He then turned to Lauretta, "We must return and destroy that coal. It was magical, and it has the potential to curse more people."

Walking over to the blue goblin's corpse, R3N-L3 took up a position besides it, before suddenly swinging his blade down cleanly through the goblin leader's forehead, before kneeling to inspect the gory mess of brain matter that came out of his split skull. "Bung does not seem to possess terribly abnormal brain growth compared to the average goblin. The solution is therefore simple. Bung purchased it from someone in the Shadow Market. We must simply go to the Shadow Market and procure a cure. Or kill the seller if you wish, once we find out there is none truly."

Tzal contemplated all the information and then eyed Lauretta, "What do you think? If we don't have a cure and if we can isolate Victor, maybe we can stop the spread? But will you dispose him? One life for the entirety of the village?"

"Either that, or we catch a faerie who might know the cure. But I am not suited to catching faeries. I am, however, suited to executing innocents." He glanced towards Lauretta, silently waiting for her response.

Lauretta stood in pensive silence as she listened to the goblin spill forth words from his mouth and urine from his bladder. Every bias she could have had for faeries was finding sudden reinforcement. An immediate ambush with intent to kill, fleeing like cowards after the death of their leader, begging for their lives, blaming their leader for their actions, and trying to wipe out a whole village of people with some kind of magical plague. Truly, these creatures are despicable.
Although initially bewildered by hearing about things that sounded reminiscent of children's stories, it was replaced by a fervent rage at the thought of this soul sickness claiming Two Forks. The disease being incurable was a notion that left her looking quite grim. Keeping her eyes away from the foul business the clockwork was up to, the priest stared back at Tzal with the urgency of being aware that time was quite limited for Victor and the rest.

"I think this piss-ant, untrustworthy as he is, is probably right. Even if we could get him to lead us to this damnable Shadow Market, he might just lead us around in circles until Two Forks is in ruins. We have to get back. I watched plague claim most of my own village as a young girl... Even if there are survivors, it's the kind of thing that tears folks apart. We have to make sure it doesn't spread any further. If there's no cure, then it's likely an awful choice that'll have to be made. It's not my village, so I can't make it. But if the people of Two Forks want to live, then the plague will have to be culled. If that means someone has to do it, then I'll volunteer so no one else has to do such an awful thing. I'll pray for the souls that got afflicted with this. At that point, praying is about all you can do..."

As the last words escaped her lips, Lauretta felt a terrible guilt consuming her from the inside. She turned away, looking up into the sky as she tried to hide the water dripping from her eye. Three decades later, she finally understood how her father felt. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the Old Faith was a backwards religion, but sometimes all you could do was pray.

"I'm sorry, Pa..."

The words were a whispered mutter under her breath. Her head turned to look back at the trees as she wiped her face.

"Let's go. I say we take the goblin with us. As much as I loathe it, to kill it is a baser impulse. As far as I can tell, it told the truth. It should get to see the suffering its people wrought instead."

"The prospect of killing the innocent blacksmith seems to affect you more than expected. Are you certain you would not rather I dispatch him? I have no compunctions about killing any lifeform, no matter their maturity, criminal background, or moral fiber." R3N-L3 inquired politely.

Tzal nodded to Lauretta, "When we initially came, we heard Victor banging at the door. It is possible that he is in an advanced stage and likely lost all his sanity. Don't feel guilty about taking him down. He has lost himself to it; it will only be a mercy."

He then turned to R3N-L3, "Lets tie him up and return to Two Forks, immediately. Time is of the essence. Hopefully Victor is still locked up."

With a heavy sigh, Lauretta nods to the others.

"We can do it together, Renly. It does affect me deeply, but I feel it a moral obligation to be involved as a priest of the High One. And thanks for the reassurance, Tzal. Kind of you to try to lighten the burden."

Wolfram was about to offer to do the deed to Victor for he thought it might sit better with Lauretta than having the dispassionate clockwork do it, when the nasty yellow-toothed man emerged.

"What is it you wish in return?"

Tzal was probably right. They'd be doing the poor blacksmith a service by putting him out of what surely must be intense misery.

"I am not programmed to recognize suspicious behavior, but this entity is suspicious." R3N-L3 noted, tapping his metal fingers along his sword. "However, I believe I can leverage sufficient force to bypass suspicious activity of this severity. I presume this is now the part where the suspicious entity offers to cure Victor. Proposition: We get payment up front."

Tzal nodded at R3N-L3 and then turned to the suspicious newcomer, "Greetings...Mr. Lemon. You seem to be aware of our predicament, but what interests you regarding us? It would be interesting to know what you are seeking before we agree to your wish. May I humbly inquire what it is that you seek?" This is definitely a fey creature, Tzal thought to himself. We have to tread their bargain carefully.

As if Lauretta weren't bewildered enough by what the goblin had to say, the appearance of this 'Salty Lemon' had her gesture to forest around them in confusion. R3N-L3's statement would have amused her if she weren't so confused.

"Barely seen a damned faerie all my life and suddenly you all start crawling out of the woods all at once. Strangest day, I swear. Normally, I'd never consider bargaining with one of you, but you're probably aware we need the help. I echo the sentiment of my friends here. We want to know what you want and we want to make sure we're gonna get what we bargain for."

"Proposition: It benefits you if the village of humans remain human. Therefore, cure them first. Then we will provide you the jewel. You can always turn them back later if we go back on our word. Meanwhile, we have no recourse other than limb-ripping if you go back on yours."

"Proposition: The priest was not evil if he was buried in a temple. Therefore, you would be the malign entity in that story. What is the jewel usable for? After all, I could trip and fall and crush the gem." R3N-L3 intoned in his usual matter-of-fact voice, although a decidedly sneaky light had entered his eyes.

A thousand years ago? How long has this wretched thing been alive? Damned faeries.

A huff of air rushes out Lauretta's nose. Trusting this thing was out of the question, but she didn't see much alternative other than returning to the village to put sick folk down like rabid animals. What infuriated her more than anything was the creature's unwillingness to offer any sort of guarantee that the party wouldn't be risking their lives for nothing. R3N-L3's sudden questioning of intent dragged her away from her inner thoughts. Not evil because the priest was buried in a temple? Does he actually believe that or is he gettin' at something? Either way, she had to press her own concern.

"If I'm gonna have to risk my life for your gem, the only condition I have is that I want some kind of certainty that Two Forks isn't going to overcome by that plague if we all happen to die in this temple. As it stands, there is some merit to the idea of us heading back to Two Forks right now and culling the plague the only way we know how. It wouldn't risk everyone in this region being endangered by our potential failure to get your damned gem back. If you can take that risk away, then you won't hear any more arguments from me."

Tzal eyed the fey creature and then listened to what others had to say. All of them were making valid arguments and demands, so he asked about his, "I would be willing to help you recover the gem, but what guarantee do you give that you are going to keep your side of the bargain? Can you write it down somewhere, or are you taking an oath?" Aren't oaths something the fey creatures are bound by? He won't be able to go back if he took a oath.

"You could just cure them yourself, but you want to ensure we're going in with knowledge that their lives are still on the line, is that it? About what I'd expect from a faerie. But fine, that sounds agreeable to me. Failure is still terrible, but agreeable. What about the rest of you? If you are satisfied with the Salty Lemon, we should steel ourselves and head inside. As for you, goblin, guide us in the temple safely and I will let you go free."

Lauretta wasn't at all happy with leaving the fate of Two Forks in the hands of the grotesque faerie, but she'd bargained for about the best she could given the circumstances. Grasping the eight-pointed star pendent around her neck, she offered prayers to the High One, hoping for protection on their mission.

"You said before that a village of orcs would be troublesome. But you also profess to hate humans. Which do you hate more?"

Wolfram listened in silence while his rage against the faerie simmered. He didn't trust the fey creature even a tiny bit and wasn't comfortable with the bargain. But he would go along for lack of a satisfactory alternative and because his friends wanted it so.

He nodded begrudgingly when Salt asked if they were satisfied, but he didn't hide the mistrust and hate in his eyes.

"Why did you simply not impose requests upon them?" R3N-L3 inquired of the faerie, appearing to not know otherwise. "These organics are remarkably easy to kill, you see, and not resistant to the elements like myself. You are, presumably, more potent than a villager. Hopefully you are also wiser, being more long-lived. Ask of them to only collect dead wood, and provide unto them some alternative material with which to build shelters more suitable to your taste. Or is that something you cannot do?"

Because faeries are wicked bastards that only care 'bout themselves. Bet he thinks he personally owns every tree in this forest.

Lauretta thought to herself, not bothering to engage with Salty Lemon any longer. It would be a lesson that she left for R3N-L3 to discover himself. Instead, she merely continued her prayer, wielding the eight-pointed star with intent. Slim threads of golden light began to weave through the air around her as she incanted.

"I suppose the fae here do not know or are unwilling to guide humans to any suitable quarries." R3N-L3 said after a second, looking at the fae. Then he turned to the group. "The safest option, is of course, to execute the first patient and then any who are suspected of coming into contact with the smoke. They do not strike me as a charitable being, so any deal would be risky."

Tzal sighed and said, "Lets go and find that blasted gem. Also, who knows if that's also a cursed one?"

Rather than move forward with the others, Lauretta continued her prayers, briefly gesturing to the others for a pause. The threads of light closed in around her, coalescing into a solid shroud before condensing further. Finally, the glowing mass wrapped tightly around her form. A bright tabard bearing the red comet, a symbol of the High One, now protected her.

"Alright, I'm ready. I'm sure he's a right bastard, Renly, but it's the only choice we've got if we're trying to save their lives. If the worst should come, then we'll do what must be done."

"Unfortunately, yes, Tzal," Wolfram remarks as he watches a glowing veil surround the priest.

"I am ready to get that blasted gem. I'm sure we can deal with it if it is cursed."

After inspecting the hole for a few seconds, then looking at his bulky frame, R3N-L3 considered the impediment for another second, before suddenly lunging towards the hole, drawing back his fist to piston it into the dirt around it, trying to widen it forcibly.

To say Wolfram wrinkled his nose in disgust would be putting it mildly. The moment he leaned over the sinkhole, the stench hit him like a physical blow so foul he nearly vomited on the spot. Gagging, he staggered back in alarm, his boot catching on a root, and he nearly lost his balance.

Could he muster the gumption to ascend? He wasn't sure.

Tzal felt disgusted to climb down through a sewage well, but he tried to keep his calm and kept himself from breathing the foul air. Holding his breath, he started his climb to get into the particular cavity.

Lauretta joins Wolfram in looking around the stinking, smoke-stained temple hall with disgust. Finding the goblin treasure sack, she would divvy up the silver to the group and take a closer look at the strange thing found inside.

"Found some coin here. Something else too. I remember the days I'd be more excited about finding a haul like this. Seems harder to get excited now when I'm trying to save lives rather than make a living."

Joining the others at the sinkhole, the priest scowled before quickly pinching her nostrils shut and waving her hand about in front of her face. She stood to the side, watching the clockwork smash his way through the crevice. With the way opened up, she followed behind the others.

"Great work. Consider yourself lucky to not have to smell this, Renly."

Done with distributing the coin, Lauretta reaches back into the burlap sack for the oddity she felt earlier. Her eyes light up as the sash slowly unfurls out from the bag.

"This looks like well-made finery. Where on Erth did goblins find this?"

The item was quickly wrapped around her waist next to the white banner she normally wore. A smile warmly grew on her face thanks to the simple pleasure.

---

Having made their way through the opening and into the next chamber, Lauretta eyed the eyes around the room. The axe at her back made its way into her hands.

"Between the tomb of spiders and now this, I have to say that I'd be quite glad to not have to look at anything with more than two eyes for the rest of my life. Not seeing a way forward though."

Tzal managed to enter the cavity on the wall by dangling and getting bumps and bruises. He grimaced and then entered the strange room filled with eyes. It was a strange, surreal but interesting sight, and he walked close to inspect the giant eye with the black membrane. He also noticed Lauretta's new sash and looked at her warily, "Be careful about whatever you take from this damned hole. I hope these don't turn out to be cursed again."

"It suits you, Lauretta! Wolfram remarks. "Certainly far better than it would have suited me. And that's a good question. Where indeed? But for now, we should devote our energy to figuring out about these grotesque eyes. They are everywhere and watching our every move too, it seems. But to what purpose exactly?"

Faced with a giant staring eye, R3N-L3 did as his programming demanded. "Are you a Wizard Creation?" R3N-L3 greeted the eye cordially, drawing his sword out from his scabbard.

R3N-L3 seems sad to be ignored by the eye.

Tzal looked at the eye and scratched his beard, "Why does it feel like I need to touch the eye, but I don't want to? It also feels like somehow, I have to remove this black membrane. Do all the eyes seem to have a black membrane? Check all the eyes and tell me if you see one with a black membrane?"

"Hey, what's with that one eye that doesn't move like the others? It's not watching. Maybe it's a button?"

Wolfram, while keeping an eye (pun intended) on all the other eyes, takes tentative steps toward the stationary eye.

"Something tells me the goblins wouldn't have held on to it if it was also cursed. Probably would have left in the town. But maybe I'm just trying to convince myself."

Lauretta smirks and glides her freehand across the sash contentedly after hearing Wolfram's compliment. Years as a gritty mercenary made little pieces of finery such as this into rare treasures that could offer some small comfort. However, life was different now. The sash may have still been a small luxury, but the priest merely hoped it helped to convey the grander image of the holy figure she strove to be.

"I'm not sure if we should touch anything in this unholy place, but I'm also unsure of how else we can move forward. This is far from my area of expertise, so I'll leave this to you and Tzal to figure out."

Tzal scratched his beard in irritation. He obviously was confused and didn't want anything bad to happen to his friends. It felt awkward as Lauretta told him to figure it out when in most cases she took the lead. But she was doing the right thing to let him understand the mystery, as he was technically more learned regarding magical contraptions.

He sighed and said, "Honestly, I am confused. But I think apart from all the eyes that have different colored eyelids, the one with black and the one without the eyelids interest me most. I have a theory that they compliment each other, as one is the closing eye and the other one is the awake one. So...I guess we should touch both the eyes at the same time."

Interpreting it as a command, the clockwork promptly stuck his gauntleted metal digits into the open eye.

Seeing R3N-L3 move to press into the eye, Lauretta followed Tzal's instruction to press the other as he did.

Taking a couple steps back, Lauretta gripped her axe and watched the clattering chaos of stone eyes open a way forward. As the cacophony settled and ceased, the tension in her dropped somewhat. It may not have been a trap, but that said nothing for the danger inherent to simply being in this temple.

"Well, it looks like we've opened up a couple different ways forward, Tzal. I'd say that's good work. Now... which way should we go? This way leads a fair bit down."

Tzal looked even more confused when two pathways opened. "Well, I wasn't expecting that. I thought both mechanisms needed to operate the pathway. We should probably explore both."

"I do not possess vital organs. Therefore, I should be of the vanguard." R3N-L3 said, before appearing to decide to head down the passage he'd opened due to simply being closer to it.

"I agree. We should explore both, but one at a time. I say we start with the rolling eye passage first, and I agree that the clockwork goes first."

The clockwork eyed the chariot for a few unspoken seconds, before shaking his head and moving on to doing a basic, workman-like search of the room, opening chests, checking contents, and making sure that any traps were triggered by him before the team could suffer from them.

Tzal went inside the room after R3N-L3 and looked at all the eyes in the wall. He was surprised to see a chariot in the room. "How did this thing even come here? Strange room, I must admit." He tapped the chest with his staff, wondering whether they were real or not.

Laurreta flinched at the crash of the portcullis. Hastily pushing past Wolfram, she ran over to the large eye's passage that was now sealed.

"You've gone and done it now, Renly! Seems like whoever built this temple kept intruders in mind. Gonna have to get this thing open quick. Last thing we need is something bad happening while we're separated. Stand back!"

Thumping the haft of her axe against her hand, the priest considered the best approach. A shrug and a moment later, the head of the axe slammed into the obstacle.

Tzal is surprised when the portcullis comes down from nowhere. "Oh no! We are trapped on this side! There is surely going to be somekind of mechanism to operate this." He started checking and tapping the eyes on the walls of the room.

"Don't worry, I've got it."

A few more pieces of the portcullis are kicked out of the way as Lauretta makes her way through to the other side. Looking around the room has the priest in awe.

"Never seen a hoard like this before. I'm guessin' it's fake? Glad it seems like that gate was the worst of it. I don't think they considered would-be thieves had brought an axe."

Stepping around the room, she taps various things with her axe, curious if there was anything at all real in the room.

"Well, I think it's safe to say everything here is some kind of illusion. Not much point in lingering. Come on, we've still gotta find this damn gem. Sooner the better."

Lauretta moves ahead to the stone door, opening it by the handle and seeing what's ahead.

Wolfram follows Lauretta through the portcullis.

"Shame the treasure is fake, eh?" As he looks around at the various doorways and passages, he notes the guards.

"We should probably avoid those skeleton warriors. Shall we head south?" he asks, eyeing the skeletons.

Tzal eyed the skeletal warriors in the east room, "That is a strange room. Why is it painted so dark? Looks like those skeletal guardians are placed as if they are guarding something. Are they really awake, or are they decorative? We can try to test it from this distance." He turned to Wolfram and said, "You can shoot an arrow at them and check if it's just a decorative thing or if it's animated."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. I mean why wake them if they are asleep, and in the meantime, we can explore other unguarded areas and then come back here."

"That portcullis trap was meant to keep thieves in. If I was still a betting woman, I'd bet money that those skeletons can swing those axes just fine. I can feel them staring at me. Firing on them from here is the smart choice if we have to fight them to pass, but Wolfram's right. No point running into danger if it's not the only way forward for now."

Lauretta gives Tzal and Wolfram a quick slap on the shoulder to get their attention before motioning the group to turn back.

Tzal sighed, "Fine! You have a point. Let's explore the other areas and hope they don't flank us. I can see a hole on the opposite wall, and it probably leads to somewhere. But, we can explore that later."

Pausing, R3N-L3 examined the skeletons silently for a few seconds. Then, abruptly, he inclined his head in their direction. "Good bye, cousins. I will free you shortly." However, he would return with the group to explore the other places that didn't have likely animate skeletons with axes. Even if they were allegedly kin in some manner.

Tzal scratched his beard and looked at the grotesque idol, "Weird and dangerous things! What was this place even for? Whatever religion this priest practiced, I don't think it was a glorious one." He turned and eyed the mural on the wall that depicted razed cities, "Lauretta, what do you make of prayer rugs on the wall? Is this a pagan religion?"

"I don't like this. Feels wrong," Wolfram remarks as he waits for Lauretta's answer. Perhaps if they knew more about the religion or lack thereof it would help with their strategy.

Walking back the way they came, Lauretta pondered the implications of R3N-L3's comment. She came to the conclusion that all Wizard Creations being dead might be for the best after all. Killing them could be considered the noble thing to do if their bodies are a prison.
The room they entered after the landing left a strong enough impression that the whole train of thought had vanished. She wasn't sure if she found the mural or the idol more repulsive.

"I don't want to give whatever this is the dignity of calling it a religion. When I was a young girl, I believed the Old Faith was a backwards, barbaric religion. This disgusting thing puts that rebelliousness to shame. I'd say there's a good reason why it's all sitting in a hole in the ground that some monsters carved out a thousand years ago. I'd say we don't touch any of it lest we be the victims of some ancient curse, as you warned earlier, Tzal."

The priest averts her eyes, moving on to the next stairwell.

"Gods do not exist in a relevant form compared to what the Wizard wrought." R3N-L3 put in obscurely as his two cents about religion. He didn't appear to recognize or linger on the strange mural, merely passing it by as if the wall was blank.

Tzal looked at the sarcophagus curiously, "Well, well, now this is something. Who knows what we will find underneath? This sarcophagus seems quite sturdy." He tapped the eyes on the hand gently with the end of his staff.

"I'd say it looks like a fancy coffin that a gem-stealing cultist could be buried in. Renly, come help me open the damned thing."

Lauretta scowls at the sarcophagus and approaches it. Putting her axe away, her hands move to the lid as she puts her body weight into pushing it off.

After a second of watching, R3N-L3 moved in to help as well, allowing the lid to begin moving off. "As this is the place of the deceased, is grave robbery not considered to be against your religious tenets?" The clockwork questioned in his usual monotone.

"Once we pick it up, something bad will happen." R3N-L3 announced. He wasn't a prophet by any means, but he knew what happened to grave robbers. He reached out with one metal gauntlet, pausing with his hand inches away from the agate to look at the others. "Do you wish for it to commence?"

"By all means," Wolfram replies, while stepping back a few paces and drawing his dagger. He tried hard to ignore the myriad of eyes staring at him and everywhere else. It certainly was a common theme in this place.

The clockwork's question of her faith's principles elicited a snort of dry amusement.

"To be frank, it hadn't really occurred to me. The eight virtues of the High One don't condemn specific sins, such as graverobbing. They're a guideline that is more broad. If we were graverobbing in a different circumstance, I'd say there are at least two virtues it would betray. Taking what one has not earned and committing an unnatural act. But I believe the High One could make an exception considering our circumstances. This place is foul and shouldn't be protected. The gem is to save lives."

Lauretta looked over the remains unhappily. While there was relief that they had found what they were looking for, the fact remained that she believed R3N-L3 was right about the repercussions.

"Aye, something awful will happen, but there's no time to waste."

The priest brandished her axe.

Tzal tore several pages from his blank books and made a makeshift wrap, giving it to R3N-L3. "You know, I have seen you are resistant to magic, and hopefully with the wrap you can take out the gem without any problems."

Tzal was taken aback but he quickly pointed his staff and created a jellyfish out of water, sending it to the undead corpse, "Stand back! It is animated from it's cursed sleep!"

Even though R3N-L3 expected it, the fear of a corpse suddenly awakening still existed even when bound into a living suit of armor, and the clockwork paused for a few seconds, before jabbing tentatively at it like someone dropping a napkin over a cockroach to squish it without seeing the mess of innards.

Lauretta flinched as the wretched shriek of the rising dead pierced her resolve. Her years of trained battle instinct clashed with the fear that the skeletal horror commanded. The power provided by her faith soon arrived as reinforcements.

"We are agents of the one true God! Perish, demon!"

The familiar golden aura of the heavens fell upon the room, wreathing the priest and her allies in its power. A godly influence flowed into them, silencing all fear.

Wolfram tries to break the skeletal bones by hurling his dagger at it.

Tzal screamed in pain as he stumbled backwards from the evil magic striking him. However, he rested his weight on his staff and conjured another jellyfish to send towards this unholy creature.

Some of R3N-L3's armor turned to pitted and rusted scrap at the touch of the dark energy, revealing grinding gears and intricate machinery. The clockwork didn't make any noise of pain, however, simply shrugging the blow off.

Shimmering in golden light of her heavenly raiment and the High One's blessing, the priest takes a willful step toward the unholy enemy before her. In a fluid and powerful motion, she rears the axe back and hefts it with her full might at the undead.

Tzal panted heavily, but as the skeleton got shattered, he felt relieved. "A powerful undead spellcaster with dangerous magics and magical resistance! What else is there waiting?" He started tearing up book pages to collect the papyrus scroll and offered them to others who wanted to collect the other weapons.

He sat down on the tomb floor and started unpacking the healer's kit. After sorting the necessary ingredients and bandages, he started treating the wounds. He then tended to R3N-L3 trying to fill the areas that had rusted away with bandages and sticks. He wondered whether it was really helping the clockwork. He remembered that there were orders who practiced clockwork technology and crafted curious innovations. Maybe they would have done a better job here.

Lauretta cranes her head to the side and spits on the floor of the tomb before giving a satisfied smirk. More bark than bite, huh? Where's your false god now? She turned away from it to look over her companions with a particular focus on R3N-L3.

"Didn't seem too powerful to me, but I guess I wasn't the one who took the brunt of that blast, huh? We did good though. And Renly's got the gem, so let's not take too much time getting it to that damned faerie. Victor needs that cure as quick as we can get it."

Eyeing the treasure left behind by the skeletal mage, the priest warily watched Tzal take the scroll. The dagger found its way into her hand, looking it over with slowly raising eyebrows. After a minute, she'd offer it to the others.

"Be careful with that paper, Indigo. Don't know what kind unholy knowledge or magic that thing may have left behind. I'd burn it. This blade though... This is something real special. Masterful workmanship. It feels real good to wield. Too small for how I fight, but I'd be hard-pressed to say you'll find a better dagger than this."

Tzal wrapped the scroll inside his backpack, "I agree with you that it can have unholy magic inside, but I simply can't burn all this arcane lore without knowing what it speaks of. If I find something unearthly and blasphemous, I will personally take it to you so that you can burn it down."

"I am still combat operational. Relatively optimal." R3N-L3 announced. The bandages didn't appear to have much effect, rust spilling from the cloth, and R3N-L3 unwound the dressing to hand back to Tzal. "I am somewhat more difficult to kill than a living being, so I would recommend making haste back to the suspicious fairy, so he may enact out his scheme and then I may rip off his limbs for the betrayal." R3N-L3 didn't sound particularly emotional about any of it, almost like he was simply reading out the docket for their day's schedule.

"What else is waiting, Tzal? Hopefully nothing. If you hold onto that paper, though, it could go badly for us. Are you sure you want to keep the scroll? If you find it contains the stuff of evil, it might be too late to do anything about it."

Tzal grumbled dismissively, "Nothing will happen to you all. You are not handling these arcane matters. It is simply an academic pursuit, and I can't accept that I go around destroying arcane scrolls while you get to keep your fancy weapons of war. I have to at least see what these scrolls say, and like I said, if I find them abhorrent, I will give them to Lauretta, and she can burn them."

Lauretta struggles to keep a straight face after Tzal's "fancy weapons of war" comment. However, a part of her still struggled to completely trust the mage with the scroll. After all, what drives a mage to become like Pyram Peek or this foul priest? A lack of morality or the corrupting nature of these powers? Either way, she kept her internal questioning to herself. R3N-L3's commentary had her too focused on the task at hand to draw any further away from it.

---

The meeting with Salty Lemon elicited even more bewilderment from Lauretta, but she was glad that the creature at least upheld its end of the bargain. It made sense why orc plague could be such an issue still if the ingredients for its cure were so rare. After returning the village, the priest was immensely relieved to find that not only did the cure work, but they were able to save Victor after all. The competency and success of her band of adventurers was starting to instill notions that the ragtag group might be able to do more good in the long-term. Traveler's Rest and Two Forks exist as proof of that. She graciously accepted the Elder's payment and began to look to the future.

---

Lauretta received back word from the holy order of Templars. Acceptance. Why was it now that she doubted joining? Was protecting the people and the faithful not what she wanted? No, that wasn't it. Thinking back on the challenges she faced, she wondered what would have been different if she was stronger? If she was a better protector? It seemed nothing. The evil that stalked people in this land could be stopped with force, but force could only help so much. Whether it was trying to figure out what happened to the missing in Traveler's Rest or the orc plague upon Victor, it was a matter of finding clues and asking the right questions. Lauretta couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated at how little help she was when they had to confront the puzzles of that foul temple.

It didn't matter how strong or good of a protector you were. Evil hides in the darkness. Pyram Peek hid it within his heart. The treacherous faeries hid in the forest. Even now, a part of her wondered if Tzal would carry it in the scroll he took. A shield could prevent a blow, but only one it could see coming. A light to illuminate the darkness would have been able to uproot these evils before they claimed others. Lauretta put down the letter, realizing that it wouldn't have made a difference. Instead, a new piece of parchment made its way into her hands. The words scrawled did not address the Templars, but a different order.

The Hammers of the High One. The Preceptors. Inquisitors.

Their reputation was unlike that of the holy figures she admired, but that merely meant she would have to carve her own path than follow in the footsteps of others. The evil in the Borderlands would no longer be allowed to hide.

Whisperthorn is a slender dagger with a blade forged from smoky, translucent steel that catches and twists light in unsettling ways, almost like rippling mist trapped in metal. Its hilt is wrapped in faded violet silk, and the crossguard is carved with writhing serpents. When drawn, the dagger hums softly, almost like the last breath of a forgotten song.

Centuries ago, a secretive sect of artisans took it upon themselves to craft instruments of resistance. Not brute weapons, but elegant tools.
Over the centuries, it had been lost and found, always appearing when it felt it was needed. Now it has found the priest and, in turn, Wolfram.

Tzal knew it in his mind. The accusatory gaze of Lauretta and Wolfram. They won't understand that burning all these arcane spells of powers was such a waste of potential. Nothing good will come out of an undead priest's tomb sarcophagus, but he needed to see it. For once atleast. Once he returned to his place of staying, he pored over the papyrus. He was versed in arcane script, and he spent hours trying to decipher the contents of the spells. What he came to know was damning. The spells belonged to the almost chthonic forbidden powers of the cosmos. Something that defies the natural order and twists it from any meaning. One of the spells gives an unholy, malign sentience to the reciever's limb, and the other one summoned blasphemous vermin to drive the mind of the insane and feed on them. These arcane spells were powerful, but it was really damnable. His hands were shaking from all the realization and findings. He took a long, hard look at the papyrus and then wrapped it up.

He proceeded to find Lauretta and when he finally saw the crusader, he approached her. "You are right, these spells are dangerous and distort the reality in a blasphemous way. Take it and burn them. I needed to know, and I have known it enough to destroy such damnable spells."

Seeing Tzal bring her the profane scroll helped alleviate her concern for him. She was still waiting for induction into the Hammers of the High One when he found her.

"Thank you for bringing this to me. I'm glad to see you choose to separate your power over the arcane from these unhallowed writings. May they never escape the flames again."

With a secure bonfire, Lauretta tosses in the scroll and watches over its destruction. She wishes her friend well before they once again go there separate ways.