Chasing the Red Gull

Yola and Li stand at the edge of the pier, watching the Red Gull disappear over the horizon as the sun sets.  "Well, that didn't go as planned," Yola muttered as she threw a pebble into the ocean after the retreating ship.  "What now priest?"

Li Kao rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment, then turned abruptly and grabbed a passing stevedore by the arm, pressing a coin into the man's palm as he did.  "My good man, what was the cargo of that ship?"

The man seemed hesitant, checked the colour of the coin that had appeared in his hand, then responded.  "Passengers mostly - a gruff lot by the looks of em.  And some glass works from that fancy factory up Sandpoint way."

That's all?  People and glass?  Nothing more unusual?"

"Well, there was that crate full of live rats.  Ugly sumbitches too.  All pink and sickly looking."  Li's expression grew cloudy - he released the man's arm and began walking briskly back into the the city.  "Well don't stand around gawking,Yola.  And do try to keep up. "

Yola rolled her eyes and followed Li.

The two headed back to the Starred Buck, where they found a frantic Sasha and confused Xer.

"Li!  Thank Desna your back!" Sasha blurted.  "My new sword, a gift from my brother Joxian, in his note he said it was Aldernian, and Aldern's name was, well, Aldern, and I figure they must be connected right, and..."

Li interrupted her verbal tirade by placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling gently.  My dear, let me see the note.  After reading it, he smiled and looked up at Sasha.  "The sword is an Aldori dueling blade.  Its a fencing school in the nation of Brevoy, quite famous really.  I'm sue there is no connection to the Foxglove family."  His expression grows grave as he continues.  "But Sasha, it does look like your family is mixed up in all of this somehow.  I found proof that your stepfather is the newest member of the Brothers of Seven merchant guild - is he a part of some deeper cult or just an unknowing dupe?  At this point we can't tell.  What we do know is that he sent your brother Joxian off to deliver a shipment of those diseased rats, harvested by Aldern, that we found at the manor."

"To who?"

"We don't know that either.  I think we are dealing with multiple factions here.  Ironbriar runs the Brothers of Seven.  We know the Brothers were blackmailing Aldern Foxglove (They probably found out that he murdered Seoni) and agreed to wipe his debts for the rats.  But we don't know who they sold the rats to.  And there's nothing connecting them to the Sihedron murders per se, and we still don't know who this woman, this "Wanton of Pagan Forms," who taught Aldern the Sihedron ritual is."

Li paused in his summary and glanced around the room.  "Where's Malvick?"

***

As the sun set, Malvick slunk through the streets of Magnimar and into the slums of Underbridge.  Ironbriar was cagy - far more sly than Malvick would have expected from from the stony bureaucrat - and he almost lost him on several occasions.  Eventually his route came to an end, and he watched the Justice disappear inside the door to a sagging and decrepit clock tower.  Malvick has heard of the place before.  It is one of the many failed and unfinished public works programs designed to bring order to Underbridge.  The locals call it the Shadow Clock, and have a running bet as to how many buildings it will crush and how many people it will kill when it comes tumbling down, which from the looks of it, could be at any moment.

Malvick gives Ariva the signal to stay, then with a resigned sigh, trots across the road to get a better look.  The door to the tower is open, and Malvick slips silently inside, nearly invisible in the darkness.  The air inside is dusty and dry.  Swathes of rubble and mounds of plaster lie in heaps on the stone floor, particularly in the southwest corner where a large mound has gathered.  A single wagon sits to the north and six partially collapsed offices line the other walls, their doors hanging askew and their ceilings caved in.  A wooden staircase winds up into the cavernous space above.  Malvick can quickly tell that despite its general appearance of ruin, a fair amount of foot traffic has been through the area.  The floor shows several medium humanoid footprints, and one pair of enormous misshapen prints that defy classification.

As Malvick examines these strange prints, plaster dust from above settles on his shoulder, and every instinct in his body screams at him to MOVE!

He rolls aside as the stone wall behind where his head just was is pulverized by a ropey fist.  Malvick regains his feet and looks up to see a red, rubbery faceless stalker on the stairs above winding up for another swing.  His bow is already in hand, but before he can reach back to grab an arrow, something grabs his hair from behind.  Something big.  Malvick is lifted off his feet and launched across the room.  Pain lances through his body as hits the opposite wall.  He struggles to take a breath and manages to get to one knee.  Then he sees a fist the size of a feast day ham descending and everything after that is black.

*

A woman floats down from the ceiling.  Black hair.  Searching, searing eyes.  Scales, slithering, glittering.

*

A woman's voice:  "You were followed, my love..."

Ironbriar:  "I am sorry mistress.  Let me make amends.  We will take him back to the mill and sacrifice his soul to your master."

Woman:  "Hmmm.... A useless gesture, unless his soul is full of greed.  Do you know him?"

Ironbriar:    "I know of him.  A mercenary.  He hunts men for money."

Woman (lazily):  "That will do.  Very well, remove him.  And don't let this happen again, my pet."

***

"Oy," yelled the bar tender of the Starred Buck, to the table of out of towners.  "One of you lot come and get your mangy dog away from my front door.  He's scaring off the customers."  He didn't care how good their coin was, adventurers always made lousy guests.

The four companions all stood up in alarm.  Yola was across to the door in a heartbeat.  Ariva bounded in, wining and agitated.  Yola knelt and tried to calm the animal.  "How many times I gotta tell you - no pets in the bar!"  bellowed the bar keep.  Yola silenced him with a murderous stare and the fellow disappeared into the kitchen, muttering.

There were no marks or injuries on Ariva, but she would not be consoled, and clearly wanted Yola to follow her.