Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The route was always the same, go down the alleys hugging the right, avoid the fifth left, keep your head down and your hood up.

Any person who’d lived in The Wharf for long enough would be wise to know rules of travel like those by heart, and Rowan was no different.

The Great King’s Wharf was a disgusting little place that never seemed to change. It was as if the sickly humidity that hung heavy over the city acted as some sort of barrier to stop time itself from marching on.

A dramatic way of thinking, yes. He supposed the utter rot of the port town would never cease to shock him, no matter how long he stayed.

A small, drawn out, exhale escaped the Half-Elf as he adjusted the hood of his old, slightly tattered cloak, taking a sudden right through another back alley hidden behind the various rickety buildings.

He knew it was childish to let himself become so giddy, to indulge in his warming chest, all at just the sight of the rusty, old factory. It was stupid, truthfully, though he supposed there was no point in getting on his own case about feelings he would never voice.

He shook his head, regaining his composure, before swiftly walking across the dirty cobblestone street. Boots dancing to narrowly avoid a few rats as he made his way up the rickety scaffolding, knocking on the window three times in a quick two-tap pattern.

The window opened after a few moments of silence, a warm face welcoming him with a mischievous grin as he was pulled inside. “Well, well, look what the rats dragged in. ‘Bout time you showed back up, Row, I was worried I’d have to get Ugarth to peel you from the floor of the pit again.” A chuckle rang clear in his friend’s words.

Row dramatically rolled his eyes at his friend’s teasing as he stepped into the makeshift home, slipping off his hood to shake out dirty white hair, tail flicking in feigned annoyance. “ Yeah , yeah, shaddup it was one time.”

“Uh-huh, suuure, one time, okay.” He could practically hear the sarcastic eye roll. “I mean, even so, one time is still more than enough.” A roguish tone bit back, the taller Half-Elf closing the window as he turned back to face him, a brow raised.

A small huff of a laugh managed to escape the Magician, raising a brow as he crossed his arms and leaned forward. “Oh yeah? Well then, Sylnan, don’t even let me get started on namin’ all your failed scams then if you wanna try to start with my dumbassery. I’m not the guy who tried to scam an apothecary with ‘Health Water’.” He used a single hand to do air quotes.

A vaguely embarrassed snicker escaped the Rogue as he averted his gaze, waving a hand in a dismissive motion. “Don’t rightly know what you’re talkin’ about.” He led him back to their little living quarters, pushing past the torn tarp covering the doorway.

He huffed another laugh, shaking his head slightly, fond. “Anyways, what’s on the schedule for today? I’m guessin’ the same as usual?” Row asked, back to his normal posture as he tilted his head to the side, following.

The room was a half-circle, probably an office at some point, somewhat small with brick walls and wooden floorboards weathered by time, with layers of heavily worn carpeting the brothers had laid out to avoid splinters.

Farthest from the doorway and soot-covered window were two beds tucked into a corner. The bed frames made out of various pieces of scavenged sturdy wood, various pillows, blankets, and other comfortable things that had been found making up shabby mattresses. There were a few items hung up on the walls such as drawings, pretty cloths, and pieces of sea glass tied by colorful yarn, nothing extravagant, yet it brought more life to the area.

At the other side of the room, closer to the exit, sat four heavily worn, small couches that had blankets covering them, a rickety table sitting between them.

It definitely wasn’t the best, but anything was better than sleeping on the streets or in the back of the pit.

Sylnan nodded, grabbing his own cloak from one of the couches as Hilltree came in from the little closet he’d made himself home in, ducking to avoid the tarp, already dressed. “Aye, gonna stop at the docks though, might be some new marks once the ships come in. Y’know?”

“Right, sounds good to me.” The shred of hope in his friend’s voice went unmentioned by Row, for fear that voicing it would somehow hurt his luck.

The shorter received a warm pat on the shoulder as the three made their way out of the factory.

They walked around to one of the bigger market areas, crowded as it usually was around this time of day. The area was a comfortably familiar sight, rackety market stalls with the occasional shop building and tavern. It was in no way clean, devoid of the lavish façade the noble district held, but it was still a good spot, especially for them to run their scams.

The thieves subtly eyed the various people around, common folk, stall runners, criers. The only thing of note to Row was a stall dressed up with robes to appear as a small stage, a few people milling about to watch a show performed with poorly made puppets. While he couldn’t hear the exact details of the spectacle, it seemed to be something satirizing the king. Clearly someone with a sense of humor, who unfortunately wouldn’t last long knowing how that wretch of a king could be.

His attention was drawn back to Sylnan by a small tongue click, the other Half-Elf nudging his head in a particular direction.

The Magician looked over, quickly spotting the mark.

The Human man was very well-dressed, short clean brown hair swept to the side. He wore a pristine brown cloak with golden details draped over lavish red garments. A noble of some stature, or someone who at least idiotically carried plenty of coin on them out of sheer arrogance.

Row slipped his friend a sly smirk, nodding. “Aye. Missin’ child bit, maybe?”

Sylnan chuckled, quickly nodding. “Aye, I’ll leave it to you then.” With another warm pat on the shoulder, he disappeared into the crowd.

“Alright, Hilltree.” The Magician cracked his back, handing his cloak off to the Goblin who stared up at him. “Missin’ child bit this time.”

“Roight.” The Goblin slipped the cloak on, moving off into the crowd as well, stopping farther away at an empty stall near an alleyway. Once situated, he gave a flick of the ear, ready and in position just in case things went south.

Row quickly started rushing around the market area, managing quite the air of panic as his eyes fell on the target now passing right by him. “Sir, please, have- have you seen my son?!” He pitched his voice up somewhat, managing to sound feminine as he stared up wide-eyed at the man.

The man stopped in his tracks, brows raising. “Your son?”

The Magician frantically nodded, ears pressed against his head. “Yes, my- my son, he ran off, and I haven’t been able to find him anywhere!” He looked around, appearing passably afraid. “He’s- he’s deeply ill, we’d just gotten back from the apothecary! I won’t be able to get him his medicine if I can’t find him!”

“Alright, alright, calm yourself, miss, I’m sure we will be able to find him.” The target rested a hand on his shoulder, staring down, concerned. “What does he look like exactly?”

Bingo.

“Well, he’s only slightly taller than my elbow, and he was wearing my cloak because he was cold.” Row covered his mouth, convincingly pretending to attempt to calm his breathing. “Gods, what if we can’t find him?”

“I’m sure we will be able to find him.” The target kept the hand on his shoulder, leading him forward while walking on his left. “Is there anywhere you think he would go?”

“Well,” The Magician subtly glanced back as they walked, picking Sylnan out of the crowd, giving him a small nod as the Rogue followed behind. He turned his eyes forward, the man none the wiser. “there’s a sweets stall he loves to visit around here, I think it’s near some stalls selling greens and an alleyway.”

“I see.” The man surveyed the area as they walked together at a reasonable pace.

The Half-Elf watched from the corner of his eye as Sylnan passed by, briefly bumping into the man with a small apology as he continued forward, once again disappearing into the crowd.

“Goodness! People these days.” The man grumbled, ignorant to his now missing coin purse.

Row nodded his head at Hilltree once again, the Goblin quickly rushing over to his side.

“Oh, my dear darling boy!” The Magician smiled down warmly, patting the Goblin on the back. He turned a grin up to the man. “Thank you sir for your help, I must be getting this one home to rest now.”

The man smiled proudly, giving a small bow. “Of course, miss, anything to help the common folk.”

The Half-Elf gave a warm smile and a nod, walking off with Hilltree as they disappeared into the crowd, quickly ducking into an alleyway.

“Ugh, what a prick.” Row grumbled, back to his normal tone of voice, leaning against the stonework wall. “Good job there, Hilltree, lucky we didn’t have to fuck him up or anything.”

“Roight.” The Goblin nodded, slipping off the cloak and handing it back over.

“Great job, guys.” Sylnan appeared at the end of the alleyway, walking over as he opened the coin purse, digging around inside, mumbling to himself as he counted.

“Aye, went surprisingly smooth. How much we get?” Row slipped the cloak back on, curiously eyeing the small pouch in his hands.

“Twenty gold all together, more than enough for a nice meal, I’d say.” He grinned, drawing the coin purse closed.

Row whistled, brows raising as he rested his hands on his hips. “Gods damn! Well, I say we get our daily meal then, I think we’ve more than earned it.”

“What’re you thinkin’ we get? I could really go for a good stew right about now, I think.” Sylnan stashed the pouch into his pocket as the trio made their way down the rest of the alleyway, moving out of the busy market space.

Row felt his stomach growl just from the thought of the meal. “Oooh , stew sounds good, nice and fillin’. Might even be able to snatch some bread.”

The Rogue chuckled. “Aye, leave that to me, I can get us some good bread.” He tossed over the coin purse, Row catching it and quickly stashing it away.

The two parted ways, Hilltree staying with Sylnan, as Row made his way to a nearby tavern, ordering a nice pot of stew. Once paid for, the trio met back up, heading to the factory to settle and chat as they had their daily meal.

“So, Ugarth was saying somethin’ about the earnings in the pit bein’ bad lately, aye?” Sylnan asked, raising a brow as he handed out one of the small loaves of fresh bread he’d managed to snag to Hilltree, the Goblin quickly accepting it.

Row threw his head back with an exasperated groan, earning a laugh from his friend. “Aye, aye.” The Magician portioned out the stew they’d paid for, careful to not bump the shabby table they were using too much, as he handed bowls to Sylnan and Hilltree. “I dunno if it’s somethin’ up top, or if it’s just people in the den being stingier, but we’ve been gettin’ a lot less coin from Jacquot lately.”

The Goblin started eating in a quick and disgusting manner. Sylnan spooned some stew onto a piece of bread, quietly listening and nodding as he enjoyed the meal.

The shorter got comfortable on one of the tattered, blanket covered couches, setting his bowl in his lap as he tore off a piece from the loaf he’d been handed. “I mean, I normally wouldn’t care, coin’s coin, but it ain’t worth dealin’ with all the nut jobs down there.” He paused, taking a few bites of his meal. “I’d rather not get paid a silver to get a dagger in the gut because some drunkard got pissed at the boss and decided to make it my problem again.”

The Rogue nodded, glancing down at his bowl as he nudged his food around with a spoon. “Aye, been less jobs as of late too, I think. Hard to find anything for good coin now.”

Row nodded, somewhat solemn, as he glanced over at one of the dirty windows. “Place might actually be dryin’ up finally.”

“Aye.” Sylnan’s own tone was just as solemn. “I’ve thought of just ditchin’, but I dunno, that might cost quite a bit of coin and…” He fell silent, focusing back on his meal.

While the place was absolutely disgusting, it was still their home, far more of a home than Row’s birthplace, and a place that held many, many memories for him. The idea of just up and leaving felt hard to even stomach.

Row nodded, tapping his nail on his own bowl. “Aye…” The shorter kept silent, searching his mind. “Well...Wheidas mentioned in his letters that he’s been stayin’ in Luminesa, so if you do ever wanna leave, there’s that for us.”

The Rogue smiled faintly, nodding. “Aye, might be nice to see one day.”

The sudden laughter and insane ramblings from the Rat King downstairs startled the two.

Sylnan scoffed, staring back at the staircase with a deep-seated disgust. “Fuckin’ Rat King, hate that guy.”

The Magician mumbled a small agreement as the three focused on finishing their meals in an uncomfortable silence, determined to leave the rusty building as quickly as possible.

After eating, the three walked around the town, trying to waste away the hours as they chatted and managed to pick a few more pockets. Eventually they found themselves at one of the taverns for a quick drink, closer to the usual time the ships started coming to port.

Row’s yellow eyes scanned the tavern as he sipped his mead, disinterested as he glanced over the notable regulars, people who would easily discern his and Sylnan’s bluffs. But his gaze stopped, falling on an unfamiliar face.

A balding, ginger Dwarf brooding in the corner, facial scarring mirroring his own, staring down into his drink. The man looked strong, well-traveled and clearly combat adept judging by his build and the chain mail he wore. Possibly a Fighter? He couldn’t entirely be sure from just a glance.

Though, he was clearly a traveler, an easy mark they likely wouldn’t see after the day’s end.

He nudged his friend with his elbow, subtly motioning over towards the Dwarf with his head. Sylnan quickly nodded with a small ‘I got this’ before standing up, drink in hand, and walking over to the other table, Hilltree in tow.

Sylnan approached the table with the Dwarf, confident in his stride as Hilltree lumbered behind him. “Hey-”

“Hey, buddy, we don’t swing that way.” The Dwarf’s gruff voice quickly interrupted him, bringing the Half-Elf’s pace to a screeching halt.

He stared at the man in disbelief, mind struggling to relay a response. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about, I promise. But, uh,” He approached the table the rest of the way, resting a hand on his hip. “you fancy yourself a gambling man?”

The man raised a brow, curious. “Uh, on occasion. Why do you ask?”

“Ah.” The Rogue smiled cheekily, tilting his head to the side. “Well, how would you feel about a game of dice?”

The Dwarf considered it for a moment, before nodding. “Alright.” He took a swig of his tankard.

Sylnan pulled up a seat, sitting across from him, an arm on the table as he rummaged through his bag, Hilltree sitting on the floor. “You ever play craps before?”

“Uh, yeah,” The Dwarf chuckled. “I’ve taken a crap before.”

“I mean…I’d hope so.” Sylnan shook his head, chuckling as he set some dice on the table. “But this is…something completely different.”

The man eyed the dice. “Uhh, no, I haven’t.” He took a sip from his tankard, setting it to the side to clear some space on the table.

Sylnan smiled, pushing over a few of the dice. “Well, how ‘bout I teach you, we’ll play a quick practice game before we get into it.”

“Game.” Hilltree rasped, gaining the Dwarf’s attention.

The Dwarf grimaced as he stared at Hilltree, repulsed as his eyes lingered on the tumor on the Goblin’s head. “Ehhh, might wanna get that checked out.”

Sylnan glanced down at the Goblin, waving a hand dismissively. “Ah, don- don’t worry about him, he’s, uh,” A nervous laugh escaped him. “he’s always been this way.”

Hilltree hacked and retched as he suddenly spewed a bunch of black bile against the side of the table, barely avoiding the men's legs.

The Dwarf stared down in utter disgust. “Yeahh, uhm…I for- I forgot I left, uhhh, I left something outside, I’m just gonna…” He suddenly stood from his seat and quickly rushed out the door.

Sylnan put his head in his hands. “Gods dammit! You ruined it!” He shouted, shooting a glare at the Goblin.

“Ah fuck.” Hilltree rasped, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt as he coughed.

Sylnan put his head in his hands again, sitting at the empty table for a moment longer until he regained his composure, storing his dice back in his bag before he walked back over to Row.

His friend soon made his way back over, dejected. “That coin purse could’a been mine.” He muttered, finishing off his drink.

Row chuckled, giving his friend a sympathetic pat on the arm as he finished his own drink. “Ah, don’t worry, always next time if we see him again today.”

The Rogue stared at him incredulously, lips pursed, before he gave him a shrug. “I guess, doubt it, though.”

The Magician shrugged in return, setting the tankard back on the table. “Hey, you never know. Hell, might see someone else who’s even more loaded.” His ear perked up as the distant bell for the ships coming to port rang clear in the air, standing from his seat. “C’mon, we still gotta go to the docks.”

That easily got things back on track, the three making their way out of the tavern and down to the ocean side.

“The worst thing about all the pit stuff is that, you do all the general work with serving drinks and makin’ sure things don’t get too rowdy. And the bonus shit people ask of you with connections or jobs. And it’s all of that work for only five silver at most. Can you believe that!?” Row scoffed, crossing his arms. “Gods, I swear the people in the den get stingier and stingier as the days pass. I mean, soon enough, they’ll only pay a copper for a job, I bet.” His face scrunched up as he idly glanced around the area, a heavily ingrained precaution.

The place was more of what they were all too used to, dirty cobble streets and dirty shanty houses, all weathered by the air of the sea. Sailors and the occasional travelers bustling around, many arriving from the ships that had just docked.

Sylnan shrugged, following the same precautions. “I can believe it. Don’t rightly know what they think they’re gonna get with a lotta money in a place like this, though.” He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Yeah, doubt even that wretch of a king can get anything good ‘round here with his hoard of wealth, let alone anyone who deals down there.” Row spat, only to halt his pace a few steps further away once he noticed his friend wasn’t by his side. He turned back, brows furrowing. “You alright?”

His brown eyes were wide, brows almost up to his hairline as he stared off somewhere in disbelief. “Row, is that- is that Br’aad over there?”

The shorter looked over in the same direction, squinting as he struggled to pick out distinct faces in the crowd of people leaving the boat.

Sure enough, the younger, blonde Vengolor was standing there clear as day. Engaged in loud conversation with a very tall, reddish-brown Tabaxi man and a short, pink-skinned Tiefling woman who looked like they’d both rather be anywhere else.

The younger Half-Elf looked considerably different compared to when Row had last seen him the year prior. Different clothes, belts holding a large book and many other magically inclined trinkets. Most striking were the bright purple tattoos adorning his arms and snaking up his face, chaotic and clearly arcane in nature.

A chill ran down Row’s spine, shaking his head as he pushed aside the unwanted discomfort.

Probably just an odd coincidence.

“Yeah, that’s definitely him.” He slightly startled as his hand was grabbed, Sylnan pulling him along as he hurriedly walked over to meet his brother.

As they made their way over, Hilltree once again hacked up more of the black bile, startling the other group, who didn’t notice their approach.

“That wasn’t me!” The Tabaxi exclaimed to the Tiefling who stared at him in utter disgust.

As they got closer, he was able to get a better look at the two strangers.

The Tabaxi was quite tall, though not very imposing, as he didn’t seem all that physically strong. He looked to be a Druid of sorts, robes very reminiscent of people he could remember occasionally working with his brother. It was very odd to see a Druid in a place like The Wharf.

“Well, what was it then?” The Tiefling’s quieter voice replied, unsettled.

The Tiefling was shorter than most of them, though strong, judging by the heavy chain mail. She seemed to be a Cleric of some kind, the vestments she wore being a dead giveaway, though he couldn’t be sure exactly what kind of Cleric she was. Then again, he wasn’t one to be well-versed in the divine.

“Br’aad! Is- is that you?” Sylnan exclaimed, letting go of the Magician’s hand as they got close enough to the others, still in disbelief as he stared wide-eyed at his little brother.

Br’aad visibly lit up as he took notice of his older brother, “Oh! Sylnan! Row!” he rushed over wearing a bright grin.

He turned back to face the strangers, motioning from them to Sylnan wildly. “This is my brother, I’ve told you all about him.” He beckoned for the three thieves to join the group, a hand on Sylnan’s shoulder. “Here, come meet my friends! This is Veil and this is Saxi!” He pointed towards the Tiefling and the Tabaxi respectively.

It was a strange sight to see.

While Br’aad had always been a bit…well…eccentric for lack of a better word, he couldn’t recall the Half-Elf being this loud and out there the last time he’d seen him. He’d never been that close to Br’aad, not as close as he was with Sylnan of course, but the younger Vengolor had always been a bit of a challenge to predict. Now, he really couldn’t gauge him that well.

But that wasn’t even acknowledging the chaotic magic Br’aad was teeming with. While Row was used to dealing with the arcane, the Vengolor brothers were two who he’d known to never be very knowledgeable with magic. While they both never seemed very averse towards it, Sylnan at least was one who was wary of it.

And, well, with everything he’d been told about that one night leading to Br’aad leaving…He couldn’t help but feel somewhat wary himself, despite his joy at seeing the younger back home and safe.

“Did you say friends?” The Tabaxi, Saxi, asked, tone quite irritated.

“Yes.” Br’aad replied, a smile on his face.

Row exchanged an unsure look with Sylnan who chuckled. “Well, uh, it’s- it’s a pleasure to meet ya.” He said, reaching out his hand for a handshake with either of them.

Saxi only stared at Sylnan oddly.

Veil politely returned the handshake. “Well, I don’t know if we’re quite friends, but hello.” She spoke very professionally, though quiet in tone.

Row gave the two strangers a greeting nod, still unsure of how to fully respond to the chaos unfolding before him.

“Well.” Br’aad commented, still smiling. “Veil is into dead people and I think I’m absolutely killing it! Right, Saxi?” He joked, nudging Saxi with a wink.

Admittedly, it did get a small chuckle out of Row. Hard to predict or not, the Warlock still had that sense of humor he liked.

“The name’s TAXI, stop calling me Saxi!” Saxi- Taxi?, shouted back. What the hell was this guy’s name?

“And they are- so, one of them is looking for dead dudes, and the other one is looking for a- a populated place.” He motioned towards Veil and Taxi respectively, before holding a hand to his chin as he thought.

A vague sheepishness bled into his expression as he turned back to his brother. “Sylnan, by the way,” A nervous chuckle escaped him, holding his upper arm nervously. “great to see you. I really forgot to say anything to you, even though we haven’t seen each other for a year. How are you doing?”

Sylnan smiled warmly, a happiness that Row hadn’t been fortunate to see in a long time present in his expression. “I’m well.”

“Are you doing whale?” Br’aad snickered.

“How can anybody do well in this place?” Taxi squinted, scoffing.

Row shrugged, crossing his arms. “Eh, I mean, you do what you gotta do.”

Taxi’s gaze quickly snapped to him. “And who might you be?”

He guessed he’d forgotten to introduce himself in the chaos. “Name’s Rowan, go by Row, I’m with this one.” He pointed his thumb over at Sylnan, who jokingly rolled his eyes, a smile still clear on his face.

“It’s a good thing you weren’t also on the boat, Row, or else you would’ve had to have been Rowan.” Br’aad commented, purple eyes gleaming.

Row snickered, slightly covering his mouth. Oh yeah, definitely the Br’aad he knew. “Yeah, that probably would’ve been Br’aad.”

The younger Half-Elf beamed at him, laughing.

Taxi gave Br’aad a long stare, before turning back to Sylnan, despondent. “I’m so sorry, Sylnan.”

It was the taller Half-Elf’s turn to exchange an unsure look with Row before looking back at Taxi. “It’s…It’s quite alright?”

Taxi continued, “It’s very nice to meet you both, but I need to…I need to get somewhere…” he thought for a moment. “where there might be a lot of people. Can you help me?” He grimaced, unsure and wary of asking for help.

“We’ve been super over this.” Br’aad remarked, squinting over at Taxi.

Sylnan looked over at Row, an invitation to tag along with whatever this was. The shorter nodded, not like he had anything better to do.

The Rogue turned back to Taxi with his own nod. “I mean, yeah, we can go out by the castle, lotta people around there usually.”

“Aye.” Row nodded along, also turning to Taxi. “The castle is more where the regular townspeople hang around, since all the bigger, fancier markets and stuff are up there. You’re mostly just gonna get sailors ‘round this particular area, I mean.”

Taxi hummed, somewhat less tense with the agreement to help. “Great, that would really, really, help me out.”

Br’aad’s brows furrowed as he stared at Taxi. “What- what did you say you were looking for? Maybe, because you,” He paused, a straining a smile. “kind of can’t stand me, you’d tell these two.”

Taxi thought for a moment, humming again. “Actually…as ironic as it is, I’m…looking for someone who looks like Veal.”

Br’aad stared at Taxi in complete disbelief. Row couldn’t entirely blame him, he’d only known the guy for maybe a few minutes, and he was being unbelievably vague. “Are you fucking kidding me? You tell them and not me? Okay.” He mumbled, shaking his head. “Well, she’s right here.” He put his hand on the Tiefling’s shoulder.

The Tabaxi shook his head, chuckling. “No- Br’aad, not Veal , I’m looking for somebody who looks like her.”

“Someone who looks like Veal? Veal, who looks like you?” He turned to Veil- Veal? Okay, Taxi was an odd name, but Veal?

She stared at him, unsure. “I’m…not quite sure what you mean by that.”

“Do- do you mean a Tiefling?” Row asked, squinting up at Taxi. He was all too used to people who were intentionally vague.

The Tabaxi quickly nodded in response. “Yes!”

The Magician nodded, following Sylnan who started to lead the group in the direction of the castle, the Rogue clearly more focused on the path than the current conversation. “Alright, well…most of the people here are Human, so it shouldn’t be too hard to spot whoever you’re looking for. Well, at least if they’re just a regular traveler, I mean.”

“No, I might just be able to find my way myself.” Taxi mumbled, glancing over the group, incredulous.

Br’aad shook his head, guiding Taxi forward with an arm around his shoulder, “No, really we- trust me. I’ve lived here, my brother has lived here, we’ve lived here together for our entire lives. Oh, we know the way.” he gave Taxi a sly grin and another wink.

“And I’ve lived here for more than long enough by now, so you have the best guides you could get for a place like this.” Row commented, shrugging. Truthfully, he didn’t care all that much , but Br’aad seemed very intent on finding out whatever this guy’s deal was, and Row was never one to turn down shenanigans with Sylnan.

Veal stared at the group, unsure, as she fidgeted with the rings on her clasped hands. “Also, may I ask why I’m still talking to all of you?”

“No! Come with us.” Br’aad grinned, before turning back to Sylnan. “Sylnan, she seems rad, she was looking off the boat, and she- she looked so cool.”

Sylnan chuckled, a brow raising as he glanced between Br’aad and Veal. “I mean, I believe you, I guess.”

Veal looked over at Sylnan. “Also, I didn’t quite catch your names, uhm, brothers? of-”

“Br’aad.” The Warlock interjected, snickering.

She gave Br’aad a grimace. “No, the- the other- not you.”

“Taxi the Tabaxi, put ‘er there!” Taxi interjected as well, also holding back laughter.

She shook her head, tensing up at the barrage. “No- no-”

Br’aad looked at Taxi excitedly, beaming a grin. “Ah, yes, me, Br’aad!”

The Tiefling shook her head, quickly regaining her composure, as Taxi laughed. “Not you, the other guys.”

Br’aad was only spurred on by the laughter. “Oh, Tax- Saxi?”

“No.” Veal looked incredibly tired.

Sylnan was once again snickering, it was nice to see him laugh so much. “I’m- I’m Sylnan, nice to meet you.”

Row managed to somehow keep his own composure. “Go by Row. I don’t think I fully caught your name?”

“My name’s Velrisa, you may call me Vel, though. You are the…” She squinted at Row quizzically. “...brothers? of this…Br’aad character?” She asked, gesturing towards said Half-Elf.

Sylnan looked back over at Br’aad. “Yep.” He chuckled.

Row shook his head, chuckling. “No, Br’aad’s just some guy I know.”

“Row, you wound me! All these years and I’m just some guy you know?!” The younger Half-Elf exclaimed, feigning a hurt expression.

Row laughed as he shook his head again. “Well, we certainly aren’t related. Would you rather I say Sylnan’s kid brother?”

The younger made some jokingly indignant scoffs.

Velrisa glanced between the two brothers, gaze landing back on Sylnan. “You seem very different than him. Are you sure you’re brothers?”

The two stared at her, baffled.

“We’re like the same person in t- two different bodies.” Br’aad replied, glancing around confused, until his gaze fell on Hilltree. “What the fuck is that, by the way, coughing up b- black bile?!” He exclaimed, pointing at the sickly Goblin as he laughed. “I- how have we not addressed the elephant in the room?”

Hilltree looked up, wiping his mouth with his arm before speaking. “Goblin.”

“Oh!” Br’aad replied, squinting at him quizzically.

Row grimaced at Sylnan as he watched Taxi kneel down, squinting at the Goblin inquisitively. “What an unnatural creature.”

“I wouldn’t get too close, though!” The Warlock advised the Druid.

“I’ll fuckin’ deck ya.” Hilltree replied, causing Taxi to immediately stand back up and jump back slightly towards Velrisa.

Br’aad laughed, startled. “Holy shit!”

“Don’t go near that thing!” He exclaimed fearfully.

Sylnan gave Row a knowing grimace, shaking his head slightly. “Yeah, he’s- he’s pretty standoffish, I wouldn’t get too close.”

The group continued walking the way Sylnan led, the brothers side-by-side catching up with each other, Taxi and Velrisa chatting quietly. Row decided to stay quiet, subtly listening in on the surrounding conversations, curious yet untrusting.

While these strangers seemed alright, he wasn’t about to immediately jump into conversation with them. Sure, it wasn’t a bad thing to casually chat with a stranger from out of town. But he’d rather at the least get some kind of bearing on why they were in The Wharf, of all places, before any conversations happened.

Either they were just regular, unremarkable travelers, or they’d end up being people who intended to deal in the unders of the city. He wasn’t opposed to such activities, of course, he and Sylnan mainly dealt down there for coin. It was more of a general curiosity, he supposed, better to at the least be aware of any new people coming to deal with the den than to be blindsided.

“Vel, I’m- I’m looking for somebody that- I don’t know if you’re going to know her. She’s a Tiefling like you, and uhm…well, her name’s Oriana. Do you know her?” Taxi asked, tone low.

“Well, I can tell you I don’t really know anyone from here. I’ve not gone out much.” Velrisa replied, staring at Taxi questioningly.

“She’s not- she’s not from here. She’s- she’s supposed to be here somewhere, and I figured since you’re coming here too, maybe you’ve met- met her.” Taxi’s tone became much more on-edge, the man was definitely the nervous type despite the confidence he initially displayed.

“Are you saying that because I’m a Tiefling I would know where other Tieflings are?” Velrisa deadpanned, staring up at him, unamused.

He grimaced, tense. “N-No- sorry, never mind. Forget I asked.”

Her faced relaxed back to its normal neutral expression. “Oh, it’s alright.” She replied, shrugging.

Unremarkable travelers. He was surprised to find himself easing up somewhat at the realization.

Row couldn’t recall knowing or seeing anyone like this Oriana person, and he doubted Sylnan would know. He kept quiet, focusing on the brother’s conversation as he idly glanced around.

“Sylnan! This gives us time to catch up.” Br’aad smiled, “Uhm…” he paused, glancing around the passing town as the group walked. “How have you been in the year that I’ve been gone?”

Despite how happy the two were about being together again, there was an awkward tension that hung heavy in their interactions.

Sylnan shrugged, keeping his sight mostly focused ahead. “I mean, nothing ever changes around these parts. Y’know?” Br’aad gave a small, quieter agreement. “Same people in and out, always.”

He finally looked back over at the younger, brows furrowed questioningly. “What happened over- wherever the hell you were?”

Br’aad heavily grimaced, teeth clenched, “Oh, fuck, it was real awkward. I- listen,” he tensed up slightly, nervous and uncomfortable. “all you need to know is if you see- just- a cow, give me a heads-up. If you- if you ever hear something like a cow cover my ears, um…”

Hilltree perked up a bit, mischievously squinting as he hacked. “Moo.”

Br’aad heavily startled, quickly moving to be closer to Sylnan instinctually as he shouted. AAAUGH FUCK- oh shit!” He glanced around somewhat frantically, relaxing somewhat once he realized it was only a trick. “Listen- listen, that shit really fucks with me, dude.”

Sylnan squinted down at Hilltree, a disapproving face that made the Goblin frown. “Ah fuck.”

Br’aad shook his head, a nervous smile on his face. “Listen- no, I have- I have real beef with that, ha!” He gave a faux amused wink, before the oddly jittery desperation quickly returned. “Please don’t ever do it again, though, seriously.” He asked, speaking somewhat quickly.

“Roight.” Hilltree nodded, understanding the urgency but put-off by the strangeness.

Whatever this was about, it was worrying, unsettling even. Row wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the younger brother so distressed at even the mere mention of something before, especially not something so mundane. He could only wonder endlessly about what had even caused this fear, though, none of the options he came upon that seemed in-line with the younger Vengolor made sense.

“Uhm, it- it was tough,” Br’aad calmed somewhat, less frantic now that the previous topic had passed. “I came to terms with- with my issues, uh, and th- then I felt comfortable coming back.” He smiled sheepishly over at his brother, only to glance back at Taxi, mortified at realizing this fear was heard due to his louder tone.

Sylnan was just about as mystified by the odd behavior as Row felt, though he understandably didn’t try to linger on the distressing topic. “I mean, sounds like you had an interestin’ time.”

Br’aad nodded, the nerves creeping back in as he held his upper arm again.  “It was really interesting, but I would like everyone to forget that I ever said that, that would be- that would be great.” He shook his head, pointing at Hilltree. “By the way, where the fuck did this thing come from? Your little- your little Goblin.”

“Oh, uh-” Sylnan paused, glancing back at Row briefly, the shorter raising his hands up in a ‘hey, don’t ask me’ motion.

“Me mum.” Hilltree coughed, squinting up at Br’aad.

Br’aad laughed, crossing his arms as he squinted down at Hilltree quizzically. “Oh! That’s actually a pretty good one for a little- gross stinker like yourself.”

“A wot.” Hilltree stared at Br’aad, confused, Row couldn’t really blame him all that much.

The Warlock shook his head, looking back up at Sylnan, still squinting. “No, but for real, what the fuck, where did he come from?”

Sylnan chuckled at the interaction. “Oh yeah, well, I found this guy, he was being eaten alive by some rats and I chased ‘em off.”

Br’aad wheezed a laugh, not prepared to hear that answer. “That’s- wow. And now you’re cool?” He slightly tilted his head to the side.

“And now he won’t stop following me, to be honest.” The taller Half-Elf replied with a grimace, Row didn’t envy him.

“Oh.” Br’aad pursed his lips, bringing a hand to his chin as he thought. “Well, I mean, is he useful?”

The elder Vengolor gave a small shrug. “I mean, kinda.”

The Warlock perked up at that. “Oh!”

“I mean, I was tryin’ to get some guy this morning with, uh, some dice,” Sylnan took on a mischievous grin, making it clear just what kind of dice he was actually talking about. “and he scared ‘em off.”

“Uh-huh?” The younger pursed his lips again, tilting his head slightly to the side as he clasped his hands. “Well, that doesn’t- actually, that seems like the opposite of useful.”

“Yeah.” Sylnan chuckled, though it was more disheartened than anything actually amused. “Well, y’know, it’s, uh, it kinda sucks.”

“Uhm…what is his name?” Br’aad asked, squinting again.

“Hilltree.” Sylnan replied with a nod.

The mention of his name got said Goblin’s attention.

Br’aad smiled, nodding as he turned to look back down at Hilltree. “Hilltree! You little squire, what do you do? What’s your gig, dog?” He asked with a laugh.

Hilltree was very confused. “Uh, breathe?”

“You breathe?!” Br’aad exclaimed, caught off-guard by the absurdity of the statement.

The Goblin nodded. “Aye.”

“We all do! That’s very good!” He continued, a mystified smile on his face, as Sylnan also laughed.

“I fuck.” Hilltree rasped.

“You fu- oh shit.” Br’aad laughed, putting his arm on Sylnan’s shoulder as he tried to regain his composure, his brother nodding. “Wow!”

“Yeah, he’s, uh… quite the character .” Sylnan snickered.

“I guess.” Br’aad managed to reign himself in, straightening his posture and moving his arm back off of Sylnan. “No, he’s actually- he’s really growing on me like a tumor growing on the head of a fucking Goblin.” The two brothers began laughing again.

“Gods above.” The Rogue commented, breathless from laughing.

“No, I actually-” Br’aad paused to get a breath in, once again attempting to regain his composure. “I like him a lot more than I thought I would, so, no, just carry on.” He gave a small, slightly dismissive wave of the hand, pausing a moment. “Uhm, anything else? Besides this character poppin’ up?”

“Ehh.” Sylnan sighed, thinking for a moment before shrugging. “Nope.”

Br’aad smiled. “Well, that’s- I mean, that’s good. It’s been a long time.”

The group came to a stop at some point, Sylnan and Br’aad sharing a small hug.

“Oi! Are we almost there?” Taxi asked loudly, glancing around frustratedly.

“Well, this is quite lovely.” Velrisa mumbled, squinting tiredly.

“This is, would you like to join in?” Br’aad asked jokingly, standing on his tip-toes to stare at Velrisa over Sylnan’s shoulder.

“Hey, Br’aad!” Taxi shouted, moving forward from the back of the group.

Velrisa grimaced, taking in a sharp breath through her teeth. “Unfortunately, I would not.”

“Are we almost there?” Taxi asked. Row glanced back, startled at just how quietly the Tabaxi managed to move.

“I…” Br’aad paused, thinking as he and his brother let go of each other. “See, I feel like I should know this, and I don’t know.”

“No. No.” Hilltree piped up to answer Taxi’s question.

Br’aad shook his head in a faux solemn gesture. “No, we are not almost there, says the little Goblin, so I assume he’s correct. Uhm, sorry!” He smiled back at Taxi, his brow creasing. “Okay, how are you three holding up back there?” He gave the three of them a cursory glance.

Velrisa gave a small sigh. “Doing just great.”

Row shrugged, casually moving to stand back near Sylnan. “I’m fine, just more excitement for my day.”

Sylnan raised his brows curiously as he stood by his side. The taller Half-Elf slightly nodded his head at the Tabaxi and Tiefling, a question of if the two strangers were people to be wary of. The Magician shook his head, nothing noteworthy so far, at least, they just seemed like two normal people.

“I’m just fine, thank you.” Taxi replied, idly glancing around the area.

“Just fine.” Br’aad repeated.

Taxi shrugged. “I might die by the time I get there, but…”

Br’aad squinted again. “Well that’s, I mean, do you wanna like, sing songs.” He paused, only for his eyes to widen in alarm as he picked up on what Taxi said. “You might DIE?! Well, what’s- you just said you were okay!”

“Vel might be able to help with that.” Taxi joked, glancing over at Velrisa with a small laugh.

“Oh, that’s- wait, what the fuck??” Br’aad paused, trying to process the words before he snapped his fingers, looking back up. “Oh! Yes, I remember, that’s cute, that’s a good one.” He smiled, still unsure. “I think it’s a joke. But should I fear for your life right now?”

“I don’t think you have to worry.” Velrisa commented, resigned to the surrounding chaos.

Taxi gave him a pat on the shoulder, chuckling. “You’re fine, I’m alright.”

The Warlock nodded, relieved. “Okay, he’s okay.” He clasped his hands and smiled. “Well, let me know if you need anything; a drink, some food. I have none of it, but just let me know.”

“Fresh air? Can you produce that?” Taxi asked with a stained voice, grimacing.

Row cringed in sympathy, he could only imagine how bad the stench of The Wharf was for someone with the sense of smell a Tabaxi would have.

“Fresh air? Oooh, breathe-” Br’aad cut himself off as he fully processed the question. “actually, wait, it sucks here. No, I can’t.”

Row grimaced at the Druid sympathetically, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Sorry, Taxi, might just have to, uh, wait until you’re outta here, or let your nose get used to it.”

“I can.” Hilltree interjected.

The Magician slowly looked over, mystified as he stared at the Goblin. “What.”

The Tabaxi also looked over, just as mystified. “I’m sorry, what? You can produce fresh air?”

“Aye.” The Goblin responded.

“I somehow doubt that.” The Magician responded with a sneer.

Hilltree being able to do magic? Yeah, right, they’d have better luck trying to get a shoe to do magic.

Taxi squinted. “Let me see it then.”

Hilltree farted. Yeah, he wasn’t sure what else he expected.

Row grimaced in disgust as he took a step back.

“Gods damn it!” Taxi also took a step back, disgusted, as Hilltree laughed.

“Oh! I called him a little stinker earlier, really living up to the name!” Br’aad grimaced before turning back to Taxi. “I have a spell, Prestidigitation, I could try and cast it and see if that works?”

He stepped towards him, the Tabaxi giving him an irritated grimace. “Let me- let me put my finger kind of near your nose and I can make it a little better for maybe a second. Just inhale real hard and stop when I say stop!”

Taxi sighed. “I didn’t think it was possible but-”

“No! Right now! Kapow!” Br’aad interrupted, “I know I’m Prestidigitating a little puff of- I- y’know that doesn’t sound good, never mind.” he thought for a moment, looking back up at Taxi. “Saxi, what is your favorite scent?”

There was a moment of silence as Taxi just stared at Br’aad, dumbfounded.

The Half-Elf rocked on the balls of his heels, staring up at the Tabaxi. “I know we just met, but please. It’s only weird if you think about it too hard.”

Taxi took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. “Br’aad.”

“Yes?” Br’aad responded, staring up at Taxi, interested in whatever he had to say.

“Can you- can you hear me right now?” Taxi asked, sternly.

The Half-Elf nodded, squinting at him questioningly. “Yes, absolutely. Why would I not be able to?”

Taxi clasped his hands. “Alright. The name is Taxi.” He heavily emphasized his own name.

The Warlock once again nodded, a blasé gesture. “The name is Saxi, I heard you the first time.” He crossed his arms, leaning forward with a sly grin, tail flicking back and forth. “Please, do you have a favorite smell?”

As The Magician watched the, honestly very strange, interaction, a light snickering made him glance over at Sylnan, the taller covering his mouth slightly to muffle the sound.

The Rogue glanced over, leaning in and speaking in a low tone. “Br’aad isn’t very subtle, I don’t think.”

Row squinted, looking back at the other two, only for something to click.

Oh!

Oh.

Oh, no.

The Magician grimaced, yeah, now that Sylnan had said something, it was very clear that the younger Half-Elf was infatuated with the Tabaxi.

He could only feel pity for Taxi, and even then not that much. “Well, this’ll be interestin’.” He responded, keeping his own tone quiet.

Taxi sighed, giving up on trying to correct the Half-Elf for the moment. He crossed his arms, humming as he thought. “Mmm, y’know, I like the smell of milk.”

“Of milk? Oh, okay, uhm…” Br’aad was somewhat caught off-guard as Taxi answered with that. “Could you remind me-”

“Fresh milk.” Taxi leaned forward slightly himself.

Br’aad nodded, caught up in thought. “Okay, fresh milk comes-” His eyes suddenly widened. “OH FUCK, wait, milk comes from cows!” He shook his hands out, somewhat antsy. “But that’s okay, it’s kind of like an indirect link, so I guess I’m cool with that. I’m- I’m gonna try and cast it-”

“Actually! I can give you fresh milk right now!” Taxi threatened, moving his hands as if he was about to cast a spell, though he clearly wasn't entirely serious in his threat.

Br’aad took a step back, raising his arms up in a shielding motion. “Nooo! I don’t like that, you stop!” He rushed back over to where Sylnan and Row were standing, causing Taxi to laugh as the group started walking again, everyone chuckling.

Their little group eventually made it around the wealthier district near the castle, finding themselves in a market area as they continued walking. There were a few taverns and other places to sit down and eat, some market stalls and a general store, although nothing very eye-catching to him at least.

The area was pretty populated, most of the people around being noble Humans in stiff clothes and powdered wigs who occasionally gave their group side-eyes and nasty glares. Row ignored them, far too used to attitudes like that to pay them any mind.

The streets were still dirty, buildings much more cared-for and relatively uneaten by the salty ocean air. Fancy two-story houses with gates shielding them stood proudly, the lavish taverns and restaurants feeling unwelcoming. As opposed to the squabble area that sat closer to the coast, this area was encroaching on the forest, trees and greenery visible between buildings.

“Hey Sylnan, Row.” Taxi piped up, causing the two thieves to turn back to where he and Velrisa were in the group.

“Aye?” Sylnan responded.

“Could you two come here real quick?” The Tabaxi asked.

The duo glanced at each other, before slowing their paces to walk next to Taxi, Hilltree limping as he followed along with Sylnan.

The group had stopped around the square near the castle, it was mostly still more of the same, with taverns and places to eat. Though there was also a small brig nearby, a few guards milling about.

“Aye? Everythin’ alright, Taxi?” The shorter Half-Elf asked.

“You guys wouldn’t happen to know…” He paused, struggling to word what he wanted to ask. “A person….that..knows everything? Would you?”

The two thieves glanced at each other, a shared confusion clear between the both of them.

“A…person who knows…everything?” Sylnan asked slowly, squinting critically at the Tabaxi.

“You know what I’m talking about!” Taxi exclaimed.

“I am probably the opposite of the person you are looking for.” Br’aad piped up as he laughed

“I mean, uhm.” Sylnan chuckled, though he did try to keep his composure.

“Can’t say that I rightly know what you’re talkin' about, Taxi.” The Magician replied questioningly.

“You know, like uhm…” The Druid trailed off, still struggling to word his request.

“Me, me!” Hilltree interjected.

Taxi looked over at the Goblin, curious. “Uh, you know someone, Goblin?”

“Not- Me. I know everything.” Hilltree responded, sounding confident.

The Druid did a double take, disbelief clear on his face. “Wait, wait, you know everything?” He exclaimed.

Hilltree nodded. “Roight.”

“You found him!” Br’aad commented.

The Magician snickered along with the brothers, oh this was gonna be something alright.

“Do you know every person that lives here?” The Druid asked.

Hilltree nodded once again. “Aye.”

“Alright.” Taxi crouched down, trying not to be heard by everyone else. “Do you know somebody, named Oriana?” He whispered.

“Fuck, don’t rightly know.” The Goblin responded hoarsely.

Taxi only sighed as he stood back up.

Row glanced over at Sylnan to see the Rogue also listening in. He was given a tilt of the head, a question of if he knew anything about this Oriana person himself. The Magician only shook his head and shrugged, it definitely wasn’t a name he’d ever heard around.

“Sylnan, Row, did you guys overhear anything?” Br’aad asked in a lower tone. The Magician turned back, the younger having moved into a slight huddle formation with the both of them.

Sylnan was caught off-guard, chuckling nervously. “What?”

“Did you- okay,” Br’aad crossed his arms, “it’s gonna be like that, okay.” he frowned, disappointed.

Sylnan laughed, squinting at his younger brother. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Well, I was just curious, and he didn’t seem like he wanted to tell me, and so I was hoping, through you two.” He leaned in a bit more, “You’re both a little sneaky.” he leaned back out. “That I could learn.”

The Magician shrugged, “I mean, he’s said he’s lookin’ for an Oriana, but I don’t rightly know anyone by that name, and I assumed you wouldn’t know either, Sylnan.” he glanced over at Sylnan, unsure, being fair he’d only really assumed that Sylnan wouldn’t know this person.

The Rogue shook his head. “No.”

The Warlock’s face lit up in faux recognition, “Oh! Oriana- no, don’t.” he shook his head. His lack of knowledge was no surprise, considering he’d only just returned.

Sylnan turned back, Taxi having already stood back up and starting to head back over to the group. “So you’re lookin’ for an Oriana, ay?” He asked, raising a brow.

Taxi looked over, brow furrowed. “I might be. Do you know anyone like that around here?”

“Ah, ain’t heard of nobody like that around here.” The Rogue squinted as he was spoken over, silent for a moment. “No.”

“Well, you’re no help, are ya!” Taxi replied, exasperated.

Row and Br’aad glanced at each other, snickering.

The Rogue did his best to keep his composure, but was also chuckling as he spoke. “Well, I mean, I don’t rightly know what you’re lookin’ for, really. It’s a pretty big city.” He shrugged, resting his hands on his hips as he stood.

“Ah, fuck.” Hilltree commented.

“Ask the Goblin again, maybe he’ll fart at you.” The Warlock commented with a laugh.

The Druid crossed his arms, bristling. “Just ignore that I said anything.”

The Magician shook his head at the conversation, chuckling. “Well, no point in sayin’ that now, Taxi.”

“So, uh, what kinda person is this Oriana?” Sylnan asked, trying not to let Taxi slink away and drop the topic.

Taxi only sighed angrily, bristling.

“Hey, Sylnan, what do you say we have a go at the good old routine, just for old time’s sake?” Br’aad piped up, glancing around the area, focused on the more posh people milling about.

Sylnan’s attention was quickly focused back on Br’aad, also taking in the rich area around them. He chuckled, shrugging. “I mean, it’s been a while, why not.”

Row’s focus was drawn back to the brothers, ears perking up at the mention of the routine. He wasn’t exactly sure if he’d join in on the act this time, but even so, it was always quite the show to watch.

Br’aad grinned, nodding. “It has been a while, it would really be a great way to start this. Huh?”

Sylnan chuckled as he nodded along. “Uh-huh, absolutely.”

“Alright.” Br’aad looked around again, squinting. “Pick out-”

“Can I help?” Hilltree piped up.

Br’aad looked down, only to quickly grimace. “Uh, wow, probably not, uh.”

“Fuck!” Hilltree exclaimed as Sylnan laughed.

Br’aad turned back to Sylnan as he also laughed. “Pick out someone- pick out whoever you think would be a good call for this.”

The Rogue surveyed the area, eyes glancing over the various people milling about, until his eyes fell on a young boy walking by holding a coin purse. He motioned his head towards the boy.

The younger Half-Elf glanced over, only to once again grimace, his ears slightly pressing against his head. “Oh Gods, did we do this to children?” He mumbled.

Sylnan shrugged. “I mean, all’s fair.”

Br’aad tensed up, visibly uncomfortable as he picked at his nails. “I mean- you know what- uh, to be honest, I’m not sure I’m feeling, like, this right now. Maybe, like, someone a little older than- like- it’s not literally stealing candy from a child over here.”

“Roight, you stand behind him, I’ll shank him.” Hilltree started to reach for a dagger on his side.

“Wha- Hilltree!” Row hissed, clenching his teeth as he glared down at the Goblin, far too used to having to reprimand him by this point.

Br’aad stared down, appalled. “ No, that- no, that’s not good!”

“We can’t- Hilltree!” Sylnan glared down as well, just as frustrated.

The Druid and Cleric stared at the four of them, disgusted.

“I’m sorry, but I actually do not want any part of this!” Taxi exclaimed sternly.

Sylnan quickly shook his head. “We don’t kill people!”

“We don’t kill people, I don’t rightly know what his problem is.” Row insisted, ears pressed against his head. Gods above, never a day without something happening.

Br’aad waved his hands somewhat frantically. “Okay, so- listen, none of us are-”

Velrisa only grimaced. “I’d prefer to stay away if this is what’s happening, I’m going to walk away now.”

Taxi nodded along, warily glancing between the four of them. “I’m also about to leave!”

The younger Half-Elf quickly shook his head. “None of us are about that!” He quickly looked back at his brother, fists balled in front of his chest in a stressed gesture. “Let’s pick a better target, we have to impress them.”

Sylnan had his head in his hands. “Gods above, this is a mess.” He mumbled.

Taxi furrowed his brows, staring at Br’aad frustratedly. “Listen, if you can’t help me, I’m going to split off and find her myself.”

Row sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, let’s- let’s just get on with finding this person.” At this point, he just wanted to get back to the factory and sleep off this mess of a day.

Br’aad shook his head again. “No, we can help you, you just need to watch my fucking magic trick.”

The Druid’s jaw dropped. “Ma- magic trick!?” He shouted with a disbelief only reserved for Br’aad at this point.

The Warlock’s face scrunched up as he nodded. “Yeah, it’s real cool! Uhm.”

“I- I would really prefer not to watch a magic trick.” Velrisa replied, exhausted as she stared at the Half-Elf.

“Who fucking cares about magic!?” Taxi yelled over her, glaring at Br’aad.

Row glanced around the area, uncomfortably rocking in place, noticing people around starting to stare. It was only a matter of time until someone called one of those guards at the brig because of the scene they were causing. He quickly nudged Sylnan’s arm, alerting him to the eyes they had on them.

Br’aad threw up his hands, frustrated. “My Gods, we’ve built it up so much here, and- are you-” He cut himself off as Sylnan grasped his shoulder, nudging his head towards the audience their little group had. He clammed up, smiling awkwardly. “Okay, we should probably not do this anymore, let’s just go ahead.”

Sylnan chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “Let’s just keep movin’.”

“Why am I still here.” Velrisa grumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“I really don’t know what’s going on” Br’aad mumbled, moving back near Sylnan and Row.

Sylnan sent a curious glance Velrisa’s way. “I don’t know what even brings you to The Kings Wharf?”

Taxi turned back to Velrisa, sympathetic. “I’ve started to ask myself the same thing, Vel.”

Row shrugged, stepping forward to obscure Br’aad as the younger recollected himself. “Ay, we all make poor life choices sometimes.” He sent a sly smile towards his friend to accompany the joke, the Rogue chuckling.

The younger Half-Elf stuck close to Sylnan, peering over his shoulder. “You can go with the Goblin, and he can shank people, and you can do your Cleric thing.” He wiggled his fingers to mime casting a spell. “Is that kind of what you do?”

Hilltree gave a raspy laugh as Velrisa only sighed.

Br’aad’s spirits lifted slightly. “Oh, see, one of you likes it.”

The Tiefling turned back to Br’aad, weary. “If- if it makes you stop talking, then yes, that is what I do.”

Br’aad’s ears pressed against his head, expression twisting to that of horror. “Oh Gods! Please don’t, that’s really awful!”

“Fuck.” Hilltree mumbled.

“Gods.” Taxi muttered, glaring off.

The Magician turned to Sylnan, lips pursed, Sylnan sending him the same resignation. Someone had to take action to move things along, Taxi was too vague about what he was looking for, Br’aad was Br’aad, and he didn’t know shit about Velrisa.

Sylnan stepped forward, his arms crossed as he stared sternly at the Tabaxi. “Okay, Taxi. You see anybody who looks like the person you’re lookin’ for here?” He asked, motioning around the town square area they’d stopped in.

The Tabaxi sighed, rubbing his face frustratedly. “Yeah, Vel, I already said that! She looks just like Vel!” He motioned at Velrisa in an annoyed fashion.

The Rogue sputtered a bit. “She’s a Tiefling? Is what you’re saying?”

“Exactly!” Taxi replied, tail flicking in annoyance.

“You- you never told me that!” Sylnan replied, frustrated, his own tail flicking.

Taxi bristled, just as agitated. “I didn’t want to, but I guess I have to!”

The Rogue crossed his arms, brow furrowed. “Well, I don’t know how I’m supposed to look for a person who I don’t know what they look like.”

The Magician nodded, stepping forward to hopefully defuse things, even if only slightly. “Aye, we can’t really help you if you don’t help us with some kinda description, Taxi.” He rested a hand on Sylnan’s shoulder, feeling some of the tension the man held almost immediately diminish.

Taxi seemed to minimally calm. “Well, I see a Tiefling here, she’s the only Tiefling around, so if you see a second one let me know. Until then- I’d really like to get to somewhere, where someone might know.”

Br’aad stepped in, also trying to defuse things. “Listen, guys, why don’t we just check around.”

“Ay. Ay!” Hilltree interjected, trying to get everyone’s attention, everyone turning to him.

“Oh! Yes?” Br’aad replied, caught off guard by the Goblin suddenly piping up.

“Yes, Hilltree?” Sylnan exhaustedly rubbed his face with a hand.

“I seen one!” Hilltree exclaimed

“Oh shit! Okay.” Br’aad commented.

The Druid stared at the Goblin, very skeptical. “You- you’ve seen a Tiefling? Other than Vel, to be clear.”

“Aye, they were dead, but I’ve seen ‘em.” Hilltree replied, far too casual considering the subject of the conversation.

“Dea- dead?!” Taxi shouted, eyes wide with shock.

Hilltree nodded. “Aye.”

His brows furrowed, sending a sharp glare at the Goblin. “Goblin, if you’re fucking with me, there will be grave consequences.”

Sylnan grimaced, “I’m- I’m sure it wasn’t the one you’re looking for.” he replied, trying to de-escalate the situation.

“No, I seen ‘em while I was…” He paused as he grunted, seemingly reluctant to respond. “robbin’ graves.”

Taxi shook out his hands by his sides, antsy. “Alright, can you take me there?”

The Goblin nodded. “Aye, four copper.”

Taxi reached into the coin purse by his side, pulling his hand out to seemingly show nothing. He then did a small movement with his hand, flicking the copper that seemed to randomly appear towards the Goblin, which hit him in the chest before landing on the ground.

He stared smugly at Br’aad. “That’s a magic trick.”

Br’aad only squinted, straining a smile. “That- it wasn’t that cool.”

The Tabaxi huffed, shaking his head. “Well, neither is stealing from people.”

“Well, we didn’t.” The younger Half-Elf shrugged casually.

Sylnan tensed up, laughing nervously. “I dunno what you’re talkin’ about.”

The Magician lightly elbowed his friend in the arm. “We haven’t stolen anything, there’s no need to make accusations .” He chuckled.

Br’aad nodded along, clasping his hands. “That’s true.”

The Rogue stood more casually, still chuckling. “We never stole from anybody.”

The Druid rolled his eyes, turning to Hilltree. “Alright, Goblin, please lead the way.”

Hilltree nodded. “Alright, roight this way.”

The Goblin started on his way forward, Taxi following, only to idle, staring back at Sylnan.

Sylnan rested his hands on his hips, a deep, exasperated sigh escaping him.

Row sympathetically patted his friend’s upper arm, motioning for Br’aad to follow. “Right, c’mon then, I guess. Uh, Velrisa, what about you?”

The Warlock tilted his head at the Cleric. “Vel, are you cool with this? I don’t even remember what you came here to do, to be honest.”

Velrisa clasped her hands, brows furrowed. “Well, I’m not sure why I was dragged with you guys to begin with, anyways.”

Br’aad shrugged. “Well, you might as well keep it goin’.” He smiled. “We’ve got a- I think we’ve really got a good thing goin’ here!”

She sighed, but nodded, resigned to her fate. “Yes, fair enough, I will stay with you guys.”

The rest of the group caught up with Hilltree and Taxi, following the Goblin, who, with the direction of Sylnan, avoided the sketchier back alleys. He led them back to the squabble area of town, back where the factory was, though he wasn’t exactly moving towards the location of the factory.

As they continued on their way, they eventually passed by that Dwarf Sylnan had attempted to scam in the tavern, the man giving them a cursory glance but ultimately paying them all no mind.

The Magician somewhat obscured his face with his cloak, the Rogue grimacing as he did the same with his own.

Br’aad leaned in towards the Rogue. “Sylnan, yes, I think this is the perfect target for our charade.” He kept his tone low, motioning over towards the Dwarf with his eyes.

Hilltree came to an abrupt stop as they were walking, Br’aad bumping into Taxi as Sylnan, Row, and Velrisa managed to halt their paces to avoid crashing into anyone.

“Wait, I have to shite.” With that, the Goblin walked off into a nearby back alley.

“Just-” Br’aad cut himself off as the Goblin walked off. “Wow, I actually honestly expected him to just do it right there.”

“Nah, nah.” Sylnan laughed, shaking his head. “He be-a me kinda fucked up, but he’s a civilized Goblin, I’ll have you know.”

The Warlock snickered wildly. “Well, should we try and do this? I feel like it’s a really great idea.” He grinned, glancing back at the Dwarf.

“Are you two seriously doing this right now?” Taxi squinted at the brothers, arms crossed. “I have somewhere I’m really trying to get to, I’ll have you know.”

Row tilted his head to the side, crossing his arms with a small shrug. “I don’t see why not.”

The Rogue shrugged. “Listen, the Goblin’s takin’ a shite, we have plenty of time to get this done.”

Br’aad nodded enthusiastically. “Listen- yes, exactly. Potty break! Come on.” He grinned at Sylnan.

The Rogue leaned in towards Br’aad and Row, lowering his tone. “And I’m not walkin’ all the way to the wealthy district without coming back with some coin.”

The Magician chuckled as the younger Half-Elf nodded sagely. “This is very fair.”

“Listen, you! Big Man!” Br’aad exclaimed, winking to Sylnan as he moved forward.

Row watched as Sylnan turned from Br’aad back to him, an offer to join in on helping them with ‘The Charade’. He shook his head, waving his friend off with a smile, the two deserved their bonding time after being apart for so long, and he wasn’t going to get in the way of that.

The Magician stayed back with Taxi and Velrisa as the brothers walked off towards the Dwarf, the Druid also watching the scene as Velrisa focused more on readjusting the pouches on her belts.

Br’aad approached the man, a friendly smile on his face, as he touched his shoulder to stop him. “Listen, hey, yes.”

The Dwarf stared up at him, face stern. “Hey, you’re that guy from the tavern, aren’t you?” His brows furrowed.

“Hey!” The Warlock blinked, mystified. “No, actually, I’ve never met you in my life!”

The Dwarf squinted up at his face, staring at his clothes for a moment as his face relaxed to a more neutral gruffness, if somewhat confused. “Alright?”

Br’aad clasped his hands, still smiling. “Listen, sir, what is your name?”

“I go by Mountain.” The man, Mountain, replied.

“You go by Mountain? I go by Br’aad, it’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for a handshake.

The Dwarf only squinted at his hand. “Mmm, wish I could say the same.”

“Ohhh, yes, I do too.” Br’aad pulled his hand away, undeterred, despite the aloofness from Mountain. “Please, I- trust me, uhm, on everything.”

He adjusted his posture, showboating as he held up his hands, illusion magic firing some sparks. “Listen, what I have here in my hand is the most remarkable thing you’ve ever seen.”

Mountain raised a brow, glancing from his empty hands to his face. “Uhhhh, okay?” He replied, unsure.

The Warlock grinned, continuing. “What do you think would be the coolest thing for me to have in my hands right now?”

“Uhmmm…” The Dwarf took a moment to think. “Candy?”

“Candy.” That caught the Half-Elf off-guard, yet he kept on. “Oh, wow, what kind? Do you have a favorite?”

Mountain squinted up at him, picking up on the judgmental tone. “You know what- fuckin’- chocolate, gimmie chocolate.” He huffed.

“Wow, alright!” Br’aad nodded, putting his hands behind his back. Chocolate had always been quite a luxury item to Br’aad, something he’d had, but only very occasionally as birthday gifts or rewards, which made it difficult to imagine.

He cleared his head, drawing up any recent memories of sweets packaging he’d seen in his time away. His mind conjured up brown paper packaging, calligraphy text in blue ink with some red highlights to add more pizzazz. It was a bit of a rush job, but worked perfectly well for a quick charade like this.

“You’re not you when you’re hungry.” The Warlock spoke out to make it look more like a show, before pulling his hands back in front of him, presenting the illusion.

The man’s brows raised as he stared at the candy, surprised. “Alright, Br’aad, I’ll play your game.” He looked back at Br’aad’s face, stern. “But I have one question -”

“You’ll play- This is not a game, this is-” Br’aad squinted at the illusion in his hands, almost bringing it to his face, struggling to make heads or tails of the sloppy calligraphy. “This is a Snockers!”

Mountain briefly paused, shaking his head as he continued speaking. “I have just one question.”

“If you wanted a game, you just needed to ask , but this is what you’re stuck with.” The Half-Elf paused, processing the question as he tilted his head to the side. “What is your question?”

“Is that your friend trying to sneak around behind me?” He asked, making blatant eye contact with Sylnan, his older brother having been surveying the scene, only just approaching.

Br’aad felt sweat run down his neck, but played it off, resting a hand on his hip sassily. “I literally don’t know what you’re talking about. And I don’t even know how you would think I know that man.”

Mountain’s brows furrowed, confused. “I saw you both in the tavern only an hour ago, and he’s right there-”

The younger quickly shook his head, waving the illusionary bar of packaged chocolate around like a pointer. “I was not even here an hour ago! These events never unfolded. And this is a hella tasty lookin’ Snockers in my hand!” He once again presented the treat.

Mountain sighed deeply, but turned back to Br’aad. “Okay, alright. Alright.”

Br’aad grinned, back to his more performative stance. “Listen- I’m going to- what I’m going to do is I’m gonna wave it around real fast, and you have to try and grab it.”

The Dwarf glanced between him and the chocolate, perplexed. “Uhmmm, okay?”

“Now, that’s just cruel!” The voice of Taxi called out from where he and the others stood.

“And, okay-” Br’aad glanced back at the rest of the group, Taxi and Row watching the scene with amused curiosity as Velrisa focused on herself. He grinned, more emboldened to lean into the show of it all. “No, no! But he wants it, and it’s free,” He turned back to Mountain, winking as he held up the candy. “if you catch it!”

Mountain huffed, standing up somewhat straighter as he prepared. “Alright, go ahead, wave that Snockers at me.”

“He can’t even reach!” Taxi shouted back.

Mountain glared back at the Tabaxi, catching the eye of Sylnan again, Br’aad quickly put a hand on the Dwarf’s shoulder. “No! Listen- you’re looking away from me! The Snockers moves when you look away!” He pulled his hand away, motioning for his attention. “You don’t understand, look at the Snockers, look at me, come, come.”

The man squinted up at him, silent for a moment, before letting out another huff, resigned. “Alright, you know, normally, I wouldn’t fall for these tricks, but I’m hungry.”

“Oh, this is one good Snockers! What trick?” The Warlock paused, taking a moment for his mind to fully catch up. “And yo- you know what? You’re not you when you’re hungry. Snockers!” He wheezed a laugh, presenting the chocolate again.

A small chuckle escaped the Dwarf. “You’re not wrong.”

“I’m- I know I’m not, just come grab it.” He grinned, presenting the illusionary treat, before moving it around, just out of reach as the Dwarf tried to swipe it.

Br’aad subtly watched as Sylnan snuck up, managing to snag the coin purse on the man’s belt. His older brother gave him a nod to let him finish up as he disappeared back into the crowd, reappearing back with the rest of the group.

Br’aad smiled, oh, Gods, he’d never been the best with wrapping up the scams. “Uhh, thank you for playing! Uhh, you’ve been Snocked!” He exclaimed, the chocolate evaporating into thin air.

The Druid nudged Velrisa. “Did they really just pull that off?” He asked quietly, staring at the scene in complete disbelief as the Warlock continued talking with the man, wrapping up the charade.

Velrisa glanced over, unimpressed. “I’m not quite sure.” She sighed as she brushed off the front of her cloak, turning back to Taxi. “I really wasn’t paying attention.”

Row chuckled, sending the two a sly grin. “Ay, what can I say, we’re experts in what we do.”

Sylnan emerged from the crowd, joining back up with the group as Hilltree made his way back from the back alley.

Hilltree grunted. “Shite done.”

The Tabaxi nodded, warily glancing back at Br’aad who was starting to make his way back over. “Alright, let’s get going.”

They continued on their path once fully grouped back up, following Hilltree, who eventually dipped down a back alley that led into the woods far behind one of the many overcrowded cemeteries. They were led around the gate, walking up the dirt path for a while until they came upon the back of a building, a shabby, yet still somewhat well taken care of, funeral home.

Hilltree guided them to a small shack behind it, rickety wooden stairs leading down to a small, freezing cold, cellar, the faint scent of death covered by the combined fragrances of many flowers and herbs. There were metal tables with wheels strewn around the area in a sort of organized chaos, several holding bodies covered by curtains.

“Here.” Hilltree stopped in the middle of the room, turning back to Taxi.

Taxi glanced around uneasily, eyes lingering on the covered bodies. “Where is here?” His tone was nervous.

“Uh, dead…” The Goblin glanced around as well. “place?”

Taxi took in a shaken breath, ears pressing against his head. “...Good.” He glanced around once again, tense as he eyed the covered bodies, gaze lingering on the heads. “Can you show me…which- uh, can you lead me to where the Tiefling was?”

“She was here.” He moved towards one of the empty tables, racking his finger against the metal. “On this one.”

“The empty one?” Taxi hesitantly moved a few steps forward, light on his feet, observing the table nervously.

“Aye.” The Goblin nodded.

Row scanned the area, taking stock of the state of everybody else. The brothers were as quiet and uneasy as himself, Br’aad staring worriedly at Taxi as Sylnan occasionally glanced back at the stairs. Velrisa was calm, noticeably unphased, and unbothered by the heavy environment. He supposed all the talk around her and death wasn’t just talk.

“So, what you’re telling me is she’s not here anymore?” The Druid’s brows furrowed, still tense.

Hilltree shrugged. “Well, she was. Dead.”

Taxi brought a hand to his chin, thinking. “So, if she’s not here now, where would she go? If she was dead.”

“Uh.” The Goblin glanced from the table back to Taxi. “In the fockin’ ground? I dunno.”

The Tabaxi took a deep breath, shaking out his hands to ease himself. “Alright, where do the- do they bury nearby?”

Hilltree nodded. “Aye.”

Taxi slowly nodded, glancing back at the stairs. “That- does every dead person here get a gravestone?”

“No.” Hilltree responded.

Taxi gave a shaky sigh, attempting to stay calm. “This is really fucking terrible, isn’t it, then!?” He exclaimed stressfully.

“We do get a lot of dead, from what I’ve seen.” Row mumbled, sticking close to the Rogue.

Br’aad stepped forward, cautiously glancing around. “This is really bad. Does anyone have anything to track people?” He turned back to the thieves and Velrisa. “Like, does anyone have the ability to see where the fuck this person…went?”

Row thought for a moment, only to shake his head, nothing he had would be quick or reliable enough.

Sylnan and Velrisa shook their heads as well.

Br’aad pursed his lips, brows furrowing. “Oh, this is a resounding silence. Uhm, well-”

The younger Half-Elf cut himself off as the creaking of the stairs rang out. The entire group turned to watch the entrance, on high-alert, the thieves hands lingering near their daggers.

An older Human man made his way down into the room, eyeing their small group. He was clean and very well-kept, well, at least compared to people like Row and Sylnan, brown hair graying with a nicely groomed thick beard. He wore dark, black stitched robes, small ovular glasses fashioned out of brass balanced on a prominent nose.

“It’s her!” Br’aad exclaimed jokingly.

The two thieves laughed, more at ease with the lack of an actual threat.

The Warlock continued. “Sir, what are you doing here?”

“That’s the question I was about to ask you.” The man replied, an air of exhausted apathy surrounding him.

The younger Half-Elf grinned, “Well,” he brought a hand to his chest. “I asked it first, and I-”

“Actually!” Br’aad was cut off as Taxi rushed forward. “Br’aad, shut up.” He huffed.

“That’s fair!” Br’aad shrugged, snickering.

Taxi turned back to the man. “Do you run this place, my good man?” His tone was more even and calm.

The man turned to the Druid as he nodded. “Aye, they call me the Embalmer.”

Taxi tilted his head to the side. “What does that mean?”

“I embalm people.” The Embalmer explained.

“Alright?” Taxi wasn’t any less confused. “My-”

“The unborner?” Br’aad commented, holding back laughter. “Do you stuff the kids back in?”

The Embalmer stared at Br’aad, brows furrowed as he grimaced. “No.” He sighed. “That’s- I- I am an embalmer, embalm.”

“It- it means he preserves and treats dead bodies.” Velrisa piped up, the man nodding at her.

“Huh, didn’t realize there was a proper term for that.” Row mumbled, brows raised.

“Oh!” Br’aad glanced from the Embalmer to Velrisa. “I’ve never had that happen before.” He turned back to the man. “I guess I just heard you wrong.”

“I wonder why!” Taxi replied sarcastically.

Br’aad waved a hand dismissively. “Continue, Saxi.”

Taxi turned back to the Embalmer with a sigh. “Actually, we’re- we’re down here to look for someone. My Goblin friend,” He motioned towards Hilltree. “said that there was a… deceased…Tiefling here.”

The Human’s gaze followed Taxi’s hand, his irritation turning to disgust and rage as he noticed Hilltree. “You’re fucking here again!?” He looked back up at the rest of their group, exasperated. “Does this- does this fucking thing belong to one of you?”

Sylnan and Row grimaced, avoiding the man’s gaze.

The Tabaxi tensed up, holding up his hands. “Not me! Absolutely not!” He exclaimed.

“I just caught him here last night trying to fuck the dead bodies!” The Embalmer shouted.

Row put his head in his hands as Sylnan groaned in deep despair.

Taxi looked down at Hilltree, horrified, the Goblin shrinking under his gaze. “Wait, so you were trying to fuck the dead Tiefling!?”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

“Wait, hang on.” Br’aad blinked, clearly zoning back in on the conversation. “I don’t know if I skipped a beat there, but what the fuck?”

“Eh- no.” The Goblin practically squeaked, tense from all the eyes on him.

Taxi squinted, “Alright, got my eye on you.” he turned back to the Human, regaining his composure. “Listen here, sir, I’m- I was told there was a deceased Tiefling here, and now she’s not here, and I’m sort of looking for a Tiefling that should be around these parts. Do you know any…” He hesitated, grimacing. “thing…about…y’know?”

The Embalmer nodded, more at ease with Taxi’s comment about keeping an eye on Hilltree. “Aye, I finished up the process last night, she’s already been buried.”

“Alright, can- c-” The Druid brought a hand to his chin as he thought for a moment. “How many Tieflings have been here?”

The Man gave a winded breath. “It’s the first I’ve ever buried one, actually.”

“Listen,” Br’aad stayed by Taxi’s side, his tone softer. “this is a moment of clarity for me, but maybe you should just go ahead and check the body? And make sure it’s…” He trailed off, voice growing quiet.

Sylnan stepped forward. “Do- do you know the name of the Tiefling by chance?”

“Uhm…” The man squinted, bringing up a hand to smooth his graying beard. “One of her friends…said her name was…L-...Lina?” He quickly nodded, clasping his hands in front of him. “Lina, aye, Lina.

“...We found her.” The Warlock joked, once again trying to defuse the tension. “Pack it up, boys!”

The Druid rubbed his face, easing up now that the body didn’t belong to whoever he was looking for. “No, no, Br’aad. That’s not her name.”

“But she’s not the only Tiefling I’ve ever seen, first one I’ve ever buried, but the others were alive. They were- they were looking for someone as well. A- uh-” He squinted again, snapping his fingers as he thought. “Uh- Orina? Orona?”

Taxi lit up, his ears perking up. “Yes! Yes!” He brought a hand to his chest, relieved. “Yes.” He breathed.

“Who the fuck is that?” Br’aad mumbled, tilting his head to the side.

“That’s who I’m looking for!” Taxi exclaimed, resting his hands on his hips, much more determined than he had been. “How ‘bout that!”

“Oh!” The Warlock replied, brows raised.

The Druid turned back to the Embalmer. “So she’s not dead?”

The Human shook his head. “No, they said they were looking for her. She apparently was taken by somebody, she was-” Taxi quickly interrupted him.

“Taken by someone?” His ears pressed against his head, his tone quieter.

The Embalmer nodded, unphased by the interruption. “Yeah, aye, she was kidnapped in one of the taverns downtown.”

“Alright, which- which tavern is this?” The Tabaxi asked, uneasy as he shifted his weight from leg to leg.

“Uhh,” The Human paused, smoothing out his beard as he thought. “I don’t rightly remember what they said. Uh, I could direct you towards them, you could ask them yourselves. I think they’re still in town.”

Taxi slowly nodded, letting out a steadying breath. “Yeah, that would be absolutely wonderful, my good sir. We’ll get right out of here promptly.”

“Yeah, you better with that fockin’ thang near ya.” He scoffed, glaring at the small Goblin.

A strained smile formed on Taxi’s face, the Tabaxi looking exhausted. “I would love to get away from him, but it appears I’m stuck with him.” He sighed tiredly. “Now, where do I go?”

“They’re staying up near the castle, there’s a tavern, uhh, ‘bout…” The Embalmer thought for a moment, squinting. “I’d say three minutes south-east of the castle. ‘S called The Slaughtered Ox.”

“Perfect, thank you.” Taxi nodded, only to pause. “Uh, what- what- what’s your name? I- my name’s Taxi.” He held out his hand for a handshake.

The Human obliged. “They call me Anders.”

Taxi bowed his head respectfully, releasing his hand. “Well, nice to meet you, Anders. We’ll, uh- we’ll get going now, thank you very much.”

“Yes, and keep that…infernal thing away from me, please.” Anders shot Hilltree another glare.

“I don’t quite appreciate that.” Velrisa dryly joked.

He sighed, shaking his head. “Not you.” Anders folded his hands, standing straighter, giving the group another once-over. “Anyway, I have work I need to attend to, so if you guys could please, uhh, cease my- tr- trespassing?” He squinted, weary. “And, if you ever want to come back again, please request it, or at least knock on my door.”

Taxi nodded, “Alright, thank you, sir.” he moved back over to the rest of the group, an exhausted breath escaping him.

Sylnan shrugged. “Alright”

“Don’t think we’re plannin’ on coming back anyways, but alright.” Row glanced back over at the Rogue, his friend shaking his head.

“Okie-dokie. Thank you!” Br’aad smiled.

The man moved farther in the room, ignoring the group as he started gathering vials of unknown fluids and various sweet smelling herbs and flowers.

Taxi turned to Hilltree. “Lead the way, Goblin.”

Hilltree hacked. “Roight.” He rasped, moving forward and making his way up the stairs, only for him to abruptly stop. “Wait! Trap!” He shouted, swiftly moving back down to the group, who hadn’t even gotten the chance to move.

“Well, is that all?” Br’aad asked, sassy, as he rested his hands on his hips.

The Goblin nervously glanced back at the stairs, ears pressed against his head. “Someone put a trap up there.”

Taxi tilted his head to the side, squinting. “You said…”

The Warlock nodded. “And yes, I heard that, but like do you- like…” He paused, glancing from the stairs back to Hilltree. “should we just go around it? Are we cool?”

Hilltree immediately shook his head. “Sharp.”

“There’s just a trap up there? For us?” The Magician’s brows furrowed.

Br’aad hummed, snapping as he grinned. “Okay, wait, I have a plan, which is really-” Taxi cut him off.

“Goblin, this is a really weird question, but do your legs grow back?” The Druid stared down at Hilltree, very casual as he spoke.

The Goblin slowly looked up at Taxi, visibly alarmed. “...No?”

Taxi shrugged. “Well, that’s unfortunate, isn’t it?”

Br’aad crossed his arms, discouraged. “Well, there goes my plan.”

Row pursed his lips, squinting at the Tabaxi and younger Half-Elf. “That’s- that’s kinda fucked, if I’m gonna be honest, guys.”

Sylnan stepped forward, much to the relief of the Magician. “Listen, guys, I got this.” He made his way forward towards the stairs, the rest of the group hesitantly following.

Br’aad shook his head. “Guys, I literally have a better plan than all of you.” He insisted, tone quieter.

“Nah, nah! I got this!” Sylnan dismissively waved a hand, leading the group up the stairs. “This is gonna be super cool.” He laughed.

Br’aad dramatically threw up his hands with a laugh. “Okay! Let him do this.”

The group quickly reached the top of the stairs, a bear trap sitting clear as day in front of the door, ready to go off. While it wouldn’t be too hard to avoid, there was definitely still the risk of getting caught if one didn’t pay enough attention. Disarming it was the best bet, as nerve-racking as that was.

As Sylnan moved forward, Br’aad gave him a pat on the upper arm, sparks of pink and purple magic following and lingering around the Rogue.

“Careful there.” The Magician mumbled, tense, as Sylnan crouched by the bear trap.

“Always.” The man spoke confidently, eyeing the trap. After observing it for a moment, he reached forward, lightly putting his fingers on the pressure plate of the trap before quickly pulling his arm away. Just in time for the trap to snap closed, no harm coming to his arm.

He stood, turning back to their group and giving a small bow.

The Magician snickered, giving a few small claps.

“That-” Br’aad tilted his head to the side, lips pursed as his brows furrowed. “is that really how you professionally disarm things?”

Sylnan turned to Br’aad, walking back over to join the rest of the group. “A bear trap? Yeah, absolutely.”

The younger only became more concerned, glancing briefly at his brother’s arm. “That seems super dangerous.”

Suddenly the door burst open, the Dwarf from earlier rushing in brandishing a pike while yelling angrily.

“GODS!” Row shouted, reflexively grabbing the Rogue’s arm to pull him away.

“Ohhh, my Gods!” Br’aad exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Go- Gods, fucking-” Sylnan shouted, stepping back. “Ah! Alright! Here you go!” He frantically reached into his pocket, tossing the coin purse to the Dwarf.

The Dwarf quickly stopped, squinting up at the Rogue. “Pussy.” He spoke gruffly, putting away his pike and picking up the coin purse, looking through it before putting it back on his belt.

“Got ‘em!” Br’aad joked in another attempt to quell the tension.

The Rogue only scoffed and avoided his eyes.

“No, I’m the pussy!” Taxi rushed forward, bristling. “Why did you run at us like that!?” He shouted, glaring down at the man.

Row abruptly laughed in disbelief, promptly covering his mouth to not draw misdirected ire from the Tabaxi or the Dwarf.

“That was really good.” Br’aad mumbled, snickering.

“This man stole my coin purse!” The Fighter shouted back, pointing at Sylnan.

The Rogue laughed nervously, backing away. “Don’t rightly know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout!”

“You shouldn- you didn’t have to set a bear trap!” Taxi yelled, his fur standing on end. “You cou- you could’ve killed me!”

The man only glared up at Taxi, undeterred. “Well, how else am I gonna get my coin back!?”

“I mean-” Sylnan was quickly cut off by the Druid.

Taxi only got louder. “What if I had gone up there first!? I didn’t touch your coin purse!”

“Ah, fuck, plan C!” With that, Hilltree threw down a smoke bomb, most of the group shouting as a thick cloud of smoke encompassed the area, blurring the group’s vision.

“Ah, Gods!” Sylnan shouted, Row feeling the Rogue’s hand reflexively grab his right arm.

“Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with that thing?!” Mountain shouted.

“I just don’t know.” Br’aad murmured.

Row spoke up, already drained from the day’s events. “Alright! Alright, follow me, let’s get out of here.”

Running his hand along the wall, he walked forward, grumbling to himself as he stumbled slightly, deliberately forcing his boots against the ground with stomps to amplify his steps. He quickly found the door, leading the group outside.

As the smoke inside cleared, Hilltree was nowhere to be found, with no sign of him outside.

“Gods,” Sylnan massaged his temples, “better not be fucking corpses!” he grumbled angrily.

The Magician sighed exhaustedly, patting his friend on the back.

“That’s one,” Taxi wheezed, staring back at the small empty shack where the Goblin was nowhere to be seen. “crafty old Goblin.”

“So, I’m really sorry that wasn’t a real Snockers earlier.” Br’aad rocked on the balls of his heels, hands clasped in front of him.

The Fighter shrugged, huffing. “Hey, I’ve got my coin back, no hard feelings.”

The younger Half-Elf nodded. “Yeah, I guess you can go buy your own now. I mean, like,” He idly tilted his head from side to side. “I really wish I did have a real one though, they do sound tasty.”

“Hey, Vel, have you ever had a ‘Snockers’ before?” Row looked over to see the Tabaxi had moved to stand back over near the Tiefling, glancing from the Fighter and Warlock back to her.

The Cleric shook her head. “I have not, I’ve not even heard of one.”

 Taxi nodded along with what she said. “Yeah, me neither.” He paused, humming thoughtfully, only to shake his head. “No, it’s my first time.”

The Dwarf’s gruff voice spoke up, “Why do you accompany these thieves?” he asked, staring sternly at the three Half-Elves.

Velrisa sighed exhaustedly. “I’m not quite sure myself.”

“They’re trying to- yeah, I- I- I, uh-” Taxi sputtered, glancing from the Dwarf back to the Half-Elves.

Br’aad shrugged, fidgeting with his hands. “Well, I didn’t steal anything.”

The Rogue tensed, crossing his arms. “Don’t rightly know what you’re talkin’ about!” He insisted.

The Magician shrugged, casually leaning an arm on the Rogue’s shoulder. “I haven’t stolen anything, no need for that.”

Taxi quickly regained his composure, squinting down at the Dwarf. “What’s your name, little man?”

The Dwarf’s gaze slowly moved over to Taxi, glaring up at him. “Did you just call me a little man?”

Taxi crossed his arms, brazen, as he continued to stare down at him. “I might’ve, what about it?”

Br’aad stepped forward, arms raised as he tried to defuse the tension. “Massive man! What is your name-” The Fighter quickly cut him off.

“My name is Mountain.” He completely ignored Br’aad, still glaring up at the Tabaxi.

The Druid abruptly laughed. “That’s a weird name, isn’t it?! Ha-ha! He said his name was Mountain!”

Mountain scoffed, unwavering in his glare. “Yeah, this coming from the cat.”

Taxi suddenly held his hand out for a handshake. “The name’s Taxi!” He leaned down to be closer to Mountain’s face, squinting at him. “Put ‘er there.”

Br’aad stepped forward, putting a hand on Taxi’s shoulder with a grin. “Mountain, this is Saxi!” He jovially exclaimed.

Mountain smirked, the anger from him all but dissipating, “Alright, nice to meet you, Saxi.”

“GODSSSS!” Taxi stood back up straight with a loud groan, most of the group laughing as he squinted back at Br’aad.

“Mountain, at least your name is a good one!” He joked, patting the Tabaxi on the shoulder and laughing.

“Br’aad!” Taxi shouted, gaining the Warlock’s attention. “The name! Is! T-axi!” He heavily emphasized the T, staring sternly at the blonde.

“T-axi!” Br’aad repeated.

“Yes” Taxi replied, exasperated.

“I don’t understand- yea- that’s too difficult, I’m sticking with Saxi! Saxi, my name is Br’aad.” The shorter held out his hand for a shake, grinning as he clearly held back laughter.

Taxi put his head in one of his hands but accepted the shake. “I know what your name is.” He replied through laughter, exasperated.

The Fighter stared at the two quizzically. “Alright-”

“Oh, I know too!” He released Taxi’s hand, clasping his hands again as he turned back to Mountain, still grinning. “We’re done with this.”

Mountain crossed his arms, staring at Taxi. “I don’t know whether you’re called Taxi or Saxi, I’m just gonna call you cat, you’re just gonna have to live with that.” He smirked up at the Tabaxi.

Taxi immediately gave him a glare at that.

Br’aad shifted his weight from side to side. “That actually seems worse than even me. That seems a little derogatory.”

Sylnan nodded, chuckling nervously. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda fucked up.” Row nodded as well.

“Well, you’re gonna call me cat, then I get to call you Gnome!” Taxi shouted back, still glaring down at Mountain.

Mountain only blankly stared back up at him. “I’m a Dwarf.”

“Exactly!” Taxi shouted, bristling.

“Damn!” Br’aad exclaimed.

Mountain shook his head, annoyed. “Whatever, alright. What brings you out here?”

“Call me Br’aad!” The Warlock continued, holding back laughter

“Shut up, Br’aad.” The Dwarf grumbled, squinting at the younger Half-Elf.

“Guys! Guys!” Hilltree frantically ran over, heaving breaths as he came to a stop, resting his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. He held up a finger. “Hold on- hold on-” The Goblin cut himself off as he coughed up more of that black bile on to the dirt path.

Mountain reflexively stepped back, repulsed. “Seriously, whose Goblin is that?”

Taxi took a breath, shaking his head. “That- Mountain, these thieves are helping me find a Tiefling. And now-”

Sylnan only laughed nervously. “Thieves? What do you-”

They were both quickly cut off by Hilltree. “GUYS! I-” He devolved into a coughing fit, still gasping for breath. “Oh, running hurts, I- I saw Tiefling.”

“Oh!” Br’aad gasped. “Listen- hey, Saxi, I say I hop on your back, and you fuckin’ blast it!” The Warlock shouted enthusiastically, beaming a grin at him.

The Druid turned back to him, alarmed. “Wh- what!?” He shouted, glancing frantically between the Warlock and the Goblin, frazzled.

“Yes!” Br’aad shouted, eagerly nodding his head as his tail flicked excitedly.

“Guys,” Hilltree continued hacking, wheezing haggardly. “Tiefling.” He fell to the ground, laying somewhat limp on his side as he wheezed, struggling to breathe.

“Alright!” Taxi shouted, turning back to Hilltree only to tense at the sight of the Goblin collapsed on the ground. “G- Goblin?” He rushed over, checking over him to make sure he was still alive.

“I guess he died in the right place!” The Warlock wheezed a laugh, covering his mouth to quiet himself.

Taxi quickly stood, turning to Sylnan. “Sylnan! Pick up your Goblin and we’ll run that direction!” He shouted, pointing at Hilltree.

Sylnan stepped back, heavily grimacing. “Ah- I don’t really know if, uh, we’re at that point in our relationship yet.”

“This thing is yours!?” Br’aad exclaimed, laughing.

“Grossss, that’s yours?!” Row shouted, squinting mischievously at the Rogue as he laughed.

Sylnan laughed nervously, hands raised defensively. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“So that’s your Goblin?!” Mountain suddenly shouted.

“I need to run.” The Tabaxi spoke up, interrupting before they could continue pestering Sylnan about Hilltree.

“Let’s go!” The younger Half-Elf exclaimed enthusiastically.

Taxi crouched down next to the Goblin on the ground. “Goblin, Goblin! Which way?” He asked desperately.

“Ah- ah- there-” With a shaking hand, Hilltree pointed back down the dirt path they had come from, leading to a road back into the main city. “There!”

As soon as the direction was pointed out, the Druid scrambled back up and ran off. Before he made it too far, Br’aad gave him a quick pat on the shoulder, the pink, and purple sparks of magic following him as he sped away.

The Warlock glanced from the Goblin, to the path Taxi took, back to the rest of their group, lips pursed as he pointed down at Hilltree. “Should someone deal with that? Like-”

As Sylnan gave a resigned groan of despair, Velrisa stepped forward, kneeling down next to the incapacitated Goblin. A warm purple light glowed from her palms as she snapped her fingers, maneuvering the light around his body. “Alright, I’ve got this, the rest of you keep an eye on him.” She called back, focused on channeling her magic.

“Well, that takes care of that, then.” Row nodded, before rushing off after Taxi, the other three following behind.

The group quickly lost sight of the tall Tabaxi, his speed quickening as the sound of a blood-curdling scream rang out.

The three Half-Elves and Mountain slowed their pace momentarily, frantically glancing around for their companion, only to be back on his trail as he screamed for a doctor.

It didn’t take too long to find him. The Druid was in an alleyway, sitting on the ground as he desperately worked to heal a Tiefling woman, fresh blood everywhere. The woman had light pink skin and bright blonde hair with horns that rose straight from her head, sitting tall and proud.

She was conscious for a moment, though clearly in shock, as Taxi tried to get her to speak, losing consciousness as the group arrived.

Taxi wildly looked up at the group, holding the unconscious woman close. “Sylnan! Row! Is there a doctor somewhere in this city?! I need somebody professionally that can-”

They didn’t get a chance to answer as Velrisa quickly rushed forward, falling to her knees by Taxi.“I- I could try to help.” She started examining the other Tiefling, grabbing bandages from a pouch in her bag. “What- what exactly happened here?”

“V- Vel.” The Tabaxi was heavily trembling, visibly on the verge of tears.

Velrisa glanced up at him, only to grimace. “Oh, it’s alright, don’t cry.” Her voice was sympathetic despite the clear discomfort, sparing him a pat on the shoulder as she worked.

“She- she- she’s lost a lot- she’s- she-” He took a deep breath, struggling to regain his composure. “She’s lost a lot of blood, Vel.”

Velrisa nodded, listening, despite her focus on helping the woman. “Is this recent? Was this right now?”

Taxi slowly nodded, kneading the fabric of his pants, still shaking. “I heard the- I heard the scream.”

She paused, brows furrowed. “Oh, was that what that was?”

“I was- Is there anything-” Taxi cut himself off, rubbing his face as a few stray sniffles escaped him.

Velrisa glanced at him from the corner of her eye, pulling out more bandages as she wrapped them around the area of the wound. “Alright, y- I will- I can try to help.” She reassured, despite her visible discomfort.

The Magician shifted in place uncomfortably as he looked away, opting to investigate the alleyway as opposed to observing Taxi and the scene taking place.

“Huh, peculiar.” His attention was drawn to Sylnan, the Rogue crouched, examining something on the ground around the end of the alleyway.

The Magician glanced over at Br’aad, the two making their way over to Sylnan.

“So, what’s going on?” The younger asked, tone quieter.

Sylnan pointed out scuffs leading from the blood puddle to the wall. “I think there’s something with the wall.” He stood, turning to them.

“Huh.” Row mumbled, squinting.

Br’aad brought a hand to his chin, letting out a long, drawn-out hum. “Well….” His brows furrowed. “I feel like I’m not gonna be super helpful here, so I’ll- I’ll kinda cast my Guidance on you to just sorta help out, Sylnan.” With that, he gave the older a pat on the shoulder, the sparks of pink and purple magic once again surrounding Sylnan.

Sylnan walked over to the wall, squinting as he examined it. After a moment or two, he turned back to the two of them, pointing out more scuff marks travelling up the wall. “Hey, yeah.”

Br’aad pursed his lips. “That is certainly wacky.”

The Rogue glanced back up at the wall, squinting. “Hm, I could try to climb it, see if anything’s up there.”

“That might be our best bet.” Row glanced from the wall to Sylnan. “Just try not to get shanked or somethin’.” He chuckled.

The taller casually shrugged. “Eh, dealt with worse. What’s a little shanking once or twice?” He joked, squinting down at the shorter with a cheeky grin.

“Dumbass.” The Magician rolled his eyes, lightly shoving his friend’s arm with a laugh.

“Wait, wait.” The two turned to Br’aad, the younger waving his hands to get their attention. “Alright, here’s my shitty plan, uhm, with my- with my Eldritch Blast I can knock something ten feet away, so I could-” He laughed nervously as the two raised their brows at him, glancing from the wall back to them.

The Warlock hesitated for a moment, folding his hands and pointing at his older brother. “Uhh, Sylnan, listen, that’ll shoot you about ten feet up in the air, do you think maybe you could just, like,” He squinted back up at the wall, searching for any clear hand-holds. “grab onto something once you’re that high? That’s kind of our best bet right now.”

The two thieves grimaced, Sylnan chuckling nervously. “I really dis- I- I really dislike this idea. It’s- I’m just gonna-”

The Warlock tilted his head from side to side, clearly hesitant to commit to his own plan. “Okay, well it’s really the only one I’ve got, so you can- I mean I can…” He hummed, shaking out his hands.

“It might be better to avoid anything that could get any of us hurt, hm…” Row furrowed a brow, hands resting on his hips as he hummed indecisively. “...Sylnan how much can you carry?”

His friend turned to him, still laughing as he tilted his head to the side. “I- I mean, I’m strong, but I’m not that strong. Why?”

The shorter glanced between the brothers and the wall. “Well, I mean, the only idea I had other than climbing was that you could pick up Br’aad, and he could pick me up to get a better vantage.”

Sylnan chuckled nervously, shaking his head. “That sounds….almost as bad as Br’aad’s plan.” He looked back up at the top of the wall. “I don’t think that’d even get you high enough to climb up there.”

“Well, they can’t all be winners.” Row threw up his hands, overdramatizing his resignation. “I’m not the numbers guy, but I think it’d be fine.” He snickered as the taller squinted at him.

Br’aad stepped forward, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. “No, guys! I literally have a better plan than all of you, I got this.”

The Rogue shook his head, moving Br’aad’s hand off his shoulder. “I’m just gonna go for the climb.”

“What’s going on over there?” The trio turned back to see Taxi staring at them incredulously.

“Aye, somebody ran up this wall!” Sylnan hollered, pointing towards the scuffs on the wall.

“I was about to ass-blast my brother!” The Warlock shouted back.

The Fighter slowly turned to Br’aad, bewildered. “What???”

The Magician broke into laughter, holding his stomach as Sylnan leaned on him, also laughing.

Taxi made his way over, observing the wall. “You said somebody ran up this wall?”

“Saxi.” Br’aad glanced back. “Yeah, you think you can scale this bad boy?” He gave the wall a forceless slap. “Listen, I have a plan.”

“Absolutely.” He exhaled, hyping himself up as green magic swirled at his fingers. “Stand back.”

Br’aad shook his head, grabbing taxi’s arm briefly to stop him. “Listen, if you just let me…blast ya!” He crossed his arms, hesitant as he brought a hand to his mouth. “...Yeah.”

The Druid bristled, glaring at Br’aad. “Br’aad! This is not a time for plans!”

The Warlock squinted, incredulous as he stared up at the Tabaxi. “No- what? That’s really dumb, actually.”

“Br’aad, it might just be better to let Taxi do his-” Seemingly, as Row blinked, Br’aad appeared in a different spot, chills running down his arms at a strange shift in the air. “...thing?”

He did a double-take at the younger Half-Elf, baffled as he watched Br’aad gesture wildly.

“Guys! I just tripped the fuck out!” The Warlock exclaimed, his hands zipping about energetically.

“This is not-” Taxi frantically glanced around, eyes falling on where Br’aad now stood as his rage twisted into confusion. “Wha- wh-” He sputtered, unable to form a full sentence.

The Magician turned to the Rogue, confused, though Sylnan only grimaced to himself.

“No, listen!” Br’aad shook his hand, cutting off Taxi as he waved a hand dismissively. “I swear to the Gods when you met me, you thought I was drugged, but you should’a seen me then! Wowie! I had a good time!” The younger paced around as he spoke, still flicking out his hands, pink and purple sparks flying from them.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks with a clap. “Listen! There’s this barber, and he got eaten by a turtle, and that is really all you gotta know!”

Mountain turned to Sylnan, his brows furrowed. “Where did you find this guy?” He asked incredulously.

“Ah, he’s-” Sylnan regained some sense of composure, smiling stressfully. “He’s my brother.”

Br’aad laughed. “Yes.”

“Is he always-” Taxi was quickly cut off by Mountain.

“Oh, so this runs in your family?” The Dwarf raised a brow judgmentally.

“I don’t-” The Rogue chuckled uncomfortably, squinting at the other man. “I don’t quite understand what you’re talkin’ about.”

Mountain only grimaced sympathetically. “I am so sorry.”

“Hey.” The Magician squinted at the Fighter, annoyed.

“Listen-” The Warlock cut himself off, tilting his head at Mountain’s comment. “Genius runs in my fre-” He was cut off by Taxi.

“This is not the time! Br’aad!” The Tabaxi rubbed his brow exhaustedly.

“This is the time! In fact, speaking of time- hoooly fuck! That was crazy!” The Warlock paced around, moving his arms around wildly as he spoke. “Listen!” He stopped in place, clapping once again as he faced Taxi, keeping his hands pressed together. “Barber.” He pointed his hands at Taxi. “Buzz cut.”

The Druid only bristled, glaring sternly at the Half-Elf. “I don’t want to hear anything!”

“Yes, you do!” Br’aad suddenly leaned forward, face serious as he stared up at Taxi. “I know the man who did this.”

The Tabaxi stared back at him, still clearly confused and skeptical. “How?”

“Well, kind of. A little bit. Listen-” Br’aad readjusted back to his normal posture, laughing nervously.

“How?” Taxi repeated, only growing more frustrated.

Br’aad’s eyes fell to the ground, still chuckling nervously as he fidgeted with the tattoos around his hands. “I just tripped balls, it’s a really long story, but basically-” Taxi quickly interrupted him.

“You’re telling me you’re not on drugs, but you tripped balls!?” The Druid shouted, bristling as he glared down at the Half-Elf.

“Yes! Listen,” The Warlock waved his hands around, trying to speak without being interrupted again. “balls being…” He brought a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment. “I guess kind of metaphorical, if they wer- if the balls were like a kind of an eldritch…” He went back to fidgeting with his hands, rubbing at his wrists. “he’s a little bit of a dick. But he shows up, and he kinda- he has a- a few goofs and, uhh, it’s kind of hard to explain, but he really fucks with me. And this time he told me that, uhh, there wa-” Br’aad quickly shook his head, shaking out his hands along with it. “listen. The guy who did this, he was a barber.”

Taxi rubbed his face with a sigh.

Br’aad grimaced. “I know, I should probably just- I should probably get to the point.”

“Sylnan, does your brother ever make sense?” The Druid looked over at the thieves.

The three Half-Elves gave various confused responses, all equally caught off-guard by Taxi’s question.

The Tabaxi bristled. “Sylnan, does your brother ever make sense!?” He repeated, clearly agitated.

Sylnan quickly nodded, crossing his arms. “Oh, no, this is actually completely normal and true.”

Row nodded along. “Aye, no reason for him to make up stuff right now, not with what just happened.” The Magician’s face screwed up, shaking his head slightly at his mind’s mixed up wording. Common mixing with Elvish phrasing, a still somewhat prominent issue despite his years speaking Common first and foremost. “What I mean to say is, he’s not making shit up.”

“This is super coherent right now! Listen- and you just haven’t let me tell the part that makes a lot of sense. Is that the guy who did this-” Br’aad frantically shook his head, pulling at the long strands of hair hanging in front of his ears, frustrated. “let’s cut to the chase! The guy who did this is a barber with a buzz cut, and I think he died, but now he’s back, and he’s targeting Tieflings.” He released his hair to clap again, grinning. “That was- oh, man! That was cohesive! Did you like that?”

Mountain suddenly spoke up. “Wait, wait, wait. I have one question.”

“No!” The younger exclaimed, jokingly squinting at the man. “I- I have-”

Taxi interrupted him, a hand on his hip as he stared critically at the Warlock. “Yeah, I have a lot of questions for you right now.”

“Okay.” Br’aad rubbed his upper arm nervously.

“Hold on, are you telling me that a barber …had a buzz cut?” The Fighter asked, raising a brow

Row and Sylnan snickered.

“Yes. Yea- I know! It’s” He laughed. “really fucking weird, right? Like, you’d think that he would have somethin’ cooler than that, but no, he really had a buzz cut.” The younger shrugged, grinning.

Mountain shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t fucking wrap my head around this.”

“Br’aad. Br’aad!” Taxi piped up.

Br’aad shook his head. “No, listen, I’m dealing with important shit.”

“Br’aad!” Taxi snapped, quickly gaining the Warlock’s attention.

“Yes? Yes?” The Warlock turned back to Taxi, giving him his full attention.

The Druid took a steadying breath, folding his hands as his brows furrowed. “Now, are you going to explain how it is you got this information?”

The Warlock’s brows furrowed, fidgeting with his hands as his gaze wandered to the stonework ground. “I lit- I tried to explain, but, I like…”

“Try again.” Taxi kept a calm tone, as opposed to how frustrated he’d been earlier.

Br’aad grimaced, taking in a deep breath as he nodded. “Okay. Hear me out on this.”

The Tabaxi slowly nodded. “Alright.”

“You see this eldritch symbol on my cheek that definitely doesn’t vaguely look like a dick?” He slightly turned and tilted his head, allowing the tattoo trailing up his neck to his left cheek to be more visible. 

The tattoo was a purple arrow pointing upward with a tail, swirls trailing down his neck covered by his scarf and the rest of his clothes. While it could be argued to be vaguely phallic looking, the younger definitely wasn’t doing himself any favors by voicing it outright.

Br’aad cleared his throat. “Listen, uh- my- my brother and I, the three of us,” He motioned to himself and the other two Half-Elves. “had this real- real thing goin’, and I’ve told you about this a little. But we tried to scam people, I would distract…they would kind of take their things a little bit.”

“Just like me.” Mountain grumbled, shooting Sylnan an unimpressed squint as he crossed his arms.

Sylnan chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t- don’t rightly know what you’re talkin’ about!”

Br’aad waved his hands frantically. “Okay, listen- that never happened! That aside-”

“Gods, I can’t believe we’re talking about this to…eh, non-thieves” The Magician mumbled to Sylnan who nodded, warily eyeing the rest of the group.

The Warlock continued. “That aside, a little- This is just gonna be kind of a fuckin’ splash of-” Br’aad frantically shook his head, flicking his wrists as he got himself back on track. He folded his hands, donning a more serious expression as he stared at Taxi. “This is my life. I tried to make a pact with a- literally a God, which is kind of how I’m a Warlock, and he turned out- he’s a little bit of a goober. He’s not really the one I wanted, uhm,” His gaze wandered, the younger idly rubbing the tattoos that circled his wrists, starting to pace around the area again.

“and so- like, if you want me to be straight with you. He came in here, he froze time,” As he spoke he motioned with his hands, pointing at the ground before idly turning his wrist in a circular pattern. He then pointed at Taxi. “he sat on your arm, which was a little awkward. I actually told him to stop, so plus one to me for that, and- and he made me play a game, and I won, and then he told me all these things.”

He grimaced a smile as he turned back to the party, hopeful yet nervous. “And so I really hope you believe that bullshit story.”

Sylnan gave a startled laugh. “Why are you calling it bullshit?” He asked, furrowing his brows as he squinted at his brother.

The younger crossed his arms, smiling nervously. “I don’t- cause it soun- saying it now, even me, it sounds pretty fuckin’ coo-coo.” He wheezed a laugh.

“That’s one thing you’re right about.” Mountain commented, staring judgmentally at Br’aad.

Taxi stayed staring at Br’aad, silent for a moment, before he shook his head. “Alright, just- just- just stand back, I’m gonna try and climb this wall.” He pushed past the Warlock as he made his way to the wall.

The younger Half-Elf frowned, arms still crossed as he watched Taxi. “Okay, well- okay, just like- but, believe me, though.”

“Yeah, whatever.” The Druid mumbled dismissively.

Green magic twirled its way up Taxi’s fingers as he mumbled under his breath, touching his chest to allow the magic to flow through the rest of his body. He then ran forward, jumping onto the stonework wall and effortlessly running up the side.

“Be careful of the ghost barber!” Br’aad called up after Taxi as the Tabaxi disappeared from sight.

Mountain turned to him, brows furrowed. “So he’s a ghost?”

Br’aad looked over with a shrug, chuckling. “I don’t know, but that seems right!”

There was silence, no reply from Taxi, the rest of the group glanced around at each other.

Br’aad nervously shifted his weight from leg to leg. “I also get really nervous goin’ in for that haircut, li- it’s totally The Barber. Do you see anyone up there?” He called up.

“I don’t.” Taxi called back, voice noticeably tense.

The Warlock worriedly looked back at the rest of them. “Okay, is that-”

“But, it feels awfully… worse.” The Druid spoke again, still tense.

“What in the hell is he talking about.” Row mumbled, only receiving a few shrugs in response.

“What does that mean, actually?” The Warlock asked, just as unamused as the Magician.

“I’m coming down, give me a sec.” He called back, followed by more silence.

“Okay, are you sure? Do you see anything up there?” The Warlock continued, worriedly glancing at the rest of the group with the lack of a response.

Suddenly, Taxi dropped from the roof, landing with a hard smack and a loud grunt, though he quickly stood, brushing himself off as if nothing happened.

“Alright.” He looked back up at the group, who stared at him in disbelief. “I didn’t see anything- didn’t see anything, I didn’t hear anything. But, if-” The Druid paused, brows furrowing as his ears pressed back against his head. “I can’t describe it, but there’s a dark feeling up there.” He looked over at the Warlock begrudgingly. “Br’aad, after being up there and feeling how dark it felt, dark as in evil, absolutely terrifying, I might actually believe you, and everything you’re saying.”

The Warlock blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Believe wh- what did I say?”

“You know, about the God and” Taxi raised his hands, wiggling his fingers in a mock dramatic way. “The Barber, and- from the- from the dead.”

Br’aad perked up at that. “Oh, The Barber! The Ba- by the way! The murderer is the barber with a buzz cut.”

“With a buzz cut!” Mountain commented, barely hiding an amused smile.

Sylnan chuckled. “With a buzz cut!”

The Warlock nodded. “With a buzz cut! Which is the most- eh- that’s like his distinguishing feature right now, besides the fact I think he’s dead.”

Row smiled, snickering. “Shitty barber if he himself has a buzz cut.”

“Careful, Row, he might get ya if you insult him like that.” The Rogue smirked, raising his hands in a faux threatening manner, his voice also taking up a dramatic menacing tone.

A loud laugh abruptly escaped the Magician, the shorter giving his friend’s arm a small shove as he laughed. “Oh please, I could take on any shitty buzz cut barber!” He declared, cheekily grinning at the Rogue who snickered.

They were interrupted as the very familiar sounds of coughing and hacking approached.

“Goblin!” The Druid exclaimed.

“You’re really ruining the moment.” Br’aad commented dryly, squinting at Taxi.

A small chuckle managed to escape Taxi as he glanced back over at the Warlock. “He’s back.” The Druid pointed to Hilltree.

“Oh, he’s-” The Warlock turned back to Hilltree, genuinely surprised to see him. “Oh, you’re back! I almost had to do something, I think, to you.”

“Aye. Hello.” The Goblin walked the rest of the way over, clearing his throat, he looked somewhat less sickly than he had before Velrisa had helped him.

“Hey, I’m glad you’re good.” The Warlock smiled.

Taxi cleared his throat. “Goblin.”

“Yes.” Hilltree turned to Taxi, staring up at him.

“This guy, Br’aad,” He motioned towards Br’aad briefly, glancing at the Half-Elf from the corner of his eye as he clasped his hands. “says there’s a- there’s a barber ghost killer, and he seems to have killed…uhm, my…friend.”

“With a buzz cut.” Mountain whispered humorously.

The Druid nodded at Mountain, turning back to Hilltree. “With a buzz cut. Do you know of a barber?”

“Oh, he knows of the buzz cut.” The Warlock snickered, looking over at Mountain.

Mountain nodded, chuckling. “The buzz cut barber.”

Hilltree hummed as he thought. “Hmmm, barber…”

Taxi slowly nodded. “Yeah, do you know of this barber that he speaks of?”

“Let- hmmm.” He squinted, bat-like ears twitching as he clearly struggled to think. “Aye.”

The Warlock laughed. “Well, we’ve hit a real dead end here!”

“Alright, is-” Taxi sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Do you know who this barber used to be or maybe would be?”

The Goblin shook his head. “Eh, I don’t, but I know who does.”

Taxi begrudgingly nodded. “First things first, I need somewhere to take the-” He motioned towards his unconscious friend. “...Oriana. Is there anywhere I can take her, safely?”

“I mean…” Row glanced at Sylnan hesitant. “We could go to a tavern or something, but we also do have lodging.”

“Who is the most trustworthy here?” Br’aad joked, clasping his hands.

“Not you.” Mountain grunted.

The three Half-Elves laughed, the Dwarf cracking a small smile as he chuckled as well.

The Tabaxi wearily eyed the four of them. “Really, I trust the Goblin more than any of you.”

Their laughter cut off as the trio of Half-Elves all stared at him in utter disbelief.

“I- how?” Br’aad grimaced, glancing at Hilltree.

“Why.” Sylnan squinted at him judgmentally.

“And you act like we’re the insane ones.” Row scoffed.

Taxi crossed his arms, squinting at them. “He’s the only one that gives me a straight answer.”

Hilltree nodded. “Roight.”

“He’s gonna cough on her and make her gross.” The Warlock’s nose scrunched up in disgust as he shook out his hands.

The Druid shook his head. “Despite the fact that he fucks dead people, I don’t-” Br’aad quickly cut him off.

The Warlock snapped his fingers. “Yeah, that should be a big red flag for you,” He squinted, crossing his arms as he leaned towards Taxi. “I question your morals.”

The Goblin frantically shook his head. “No, lie, no, no, no!” He shouted.

“Okay, no?” The Warlock tilted his head to the side.

The Druid sighed, nodding. “Alright, he doesn’t fuck dead people.”

Br’aad nodded along. “No, he doesn’t fuck dead people.”

Hilltree nodded. “Yeah, aye.”

“Gods above.” The Magician grumbled, massaging his temples.

“But, frankly, he’s the only one that’s led me this far. So, Goblin, will you please.” The Druid faced Hilltree, hesitant yet determined. “I need somewhere to take…my…” Taxi paused, glancing over at his unconscious companion. “friend,” He turned back to Hilltree. “and then I need you to lead me to the person who has information on the barber.”

Hilltree nodded. “He’s not far, talk to the Rat King.”

“The Rat-” The Druid’s eyes widened in disbelief, voice pitching up. “the Rat- there’s a rat king?!” He exclaimed.

“The ffffffuckin’ Rat King?” The Rogue practically spat, grimacing.

Row groaned, rubbing his face. “Gods, the Rat King, are you fuckin’ kidding me?! Ugh.”

Hilltree nodded solemnly. “Aye.”

“Gods dammit.” Sylnan muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Taxi stared at the thieves questioningly. “You know this Rat King?”

“Aye.” Hilltree said with a nod.

Mountain grimaced. “Is he big? I don’t like rats.”

Sylnan grit his teeth. “I live with him.”

The Warlock smiled stiffly, patting his older brother on the back. “Oh, that guy is wack.”

A laugh escaped the Rogue. “He’s pretty fuckin’ wacky.”

“He’s pretty fuckin’ wacky. He’s our roommate.” The Warlock wheezed a laugh

“Wacky is puttin’ it lightly.” The Magician gave a groan. “He’s on the first floor of the factory.”

“Alright. Where- where’s-” Taxi took a breath, regaining his composure, before turning to Sylnan. “okay, Sylnan, where’s your Rat King?”

Br’aad leaned over Sylnan’s shoulder. “Well, he’s not my Rat King, do I look like a rat to you?” He snickered.

The Rogue laughed. “He’s not mine, yeah.”

“He’s talkin’ to rats.” The Goblin despaired.

“We’d be some big-ass rats if he was.” The Magician joked.

Taxi sighed, but nodded. “Alright, where is the Rat King?”

Sylnan crossed his arms, nodding. “I mean, yeah, here, follow me to my humble abode, uh, I guess I can show you.”

The Druid squinted, hesitant. “Alright, is your humble abode safe?”

“I mean, I- I’d say so, besides all the rats.” Sylnan chuckled, idly tilting his head from side to side. “We’re also on the second floor.”

The Magician casually leaned against his friend with a shrug. “I mean, it’s better than most places I’ve stayed here.”

“If I’m being totally honest, on a scale of one to-” Br’aad thought for a moment, humming. “one to ten, I’d give it like a three.”

Taxi’s ears pressed against his head, clearly hesitant. “Well, i-”

Hilltree cut him off. “Better than zero.”

The Warlock nodded sagely. “It’s better than zero, Goblin.”

“Aye.” Hilltree replied.

The Rogue laughed a bit. “It’s also free.”

“That as well.” Row nodded along.

The Druid sighed, hesitating for a moment, before walking back over to Velrisa, crouching down. “Velrisa, is she hanging on?”

The Cleric looked up, humming as she glanced back down at the other Tiefling. “She’s doing the best she can.”

Taxi nodded, carefully picking his friend up, before walking back over to the rest of them, Velrisa following.

He huffed a breath, determined, as he stared at them. “Sylnan, uh, Hilltree, respectfully, please take me to your humble abode, I need to speak to this Rat King.”

“Aye.” Hilltree nodded.

“Aye.” The Rogue shrugged, chuckling as he started leading their group out of the alleyway. “I mean, alright. Dunno why you’d ever wanna talk to that nut job, but alright.”

The rest of the group started following.

“He eats rats.” Hilltree grumbled, giving everyone pause.

“Well, he’s a shitty king, I guess.” Br’aad shrugged, pursing his lips.

Sylnan laughed in disbelief. “Wow, he eats his people!”

“Alright.” Taxi mumbled, once again sticking close to Velrisa.

“He sounds pretty damn crazy.” Mountain grunted.

The Warlock nodded. “Yeah, I mean, we have a king, but I don’t think he eats dudes.”

The Rogue gave a so-so motion with his hand, looking around. “I mean, y’know he’s-”

“He eats a lot, though.” Hilltree interrupted.

The Rogue chuckled, nodding. “He’s pretty fat.”

“He’s a big boy.” Br’aad mumbled.

Row snickered, nudging Sylnan’s arm with his elbow. “Hey, maybe that’s how executions work here, he just eats ‘em.” He joked.

Sylnan laughed, nudging the Magician back. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He joked back, before seemingly figuring out which way he wanted to go. The Rogue motioned for the group to follow. “Alright, well, I guess let’s get going.”

After a minute or two of walking, the group made it back to the run-down, rusty factory, the trio leading them up the rickety scaffolding into their main little home area on the second floor.

As they made their way up, the mad cackles of the elderly man rang out.

“There he goes again.” Br’aad mused, unstartled by the noise.

Sylnan chuckled. “Good Ol’ Rat King.”

They made it up to the second floor without trouble. The room was large and basically empty, the only contents being the support beams littered about. The Magician walked forward, leading them to the little room the brothers had claimed.

“Here we are.” Row pushed the tarp out of the way, beckoning Taxi into the room. “Put her on one of the beds over there, they’re cleaner than the couches.”

Taxi stepped in, warily looking around the small room as he walked over to the beds, laying her on the most comfortable one. “Uhm, nice…place? It’s cleaner than I thought it’d be when you said rats.”

“Nah, nah.” Sylnan piped up, leaning against the doorway, Mountain and Velrisa glancing around as Br’aad got comfortable on one of the couches. “That’s the first floor, we try to keep it clean up here.”

“Be sure to put her on her back” Hilltree commented.

The group fell silent, everyone turning to Hilltree, confused.

“Why?” Taxi asked after a moment.

“The- yeah?” Br’aad tilted his head to the side.

Mountain raised a brow. “Yeah, I was also gonna…”

Hiltree grunted, clearly reluctant to respond. “She got big tits.”

“Nope! That’s not where I wanted that to go!” Br’aad laughed nervously.

Mountain stared sternly at the Goblin. “Keep an eye on the Goblin.”

Taxi shifted in place from side to side, visibly antsy. “Velrisa, I really appreciate your help, could you please, uh, protect Oriana from the- the Goblin?”

Velrisa sighed wearily, but nodded, moving to sit next to her on the bed. “I’ll try my best.”

Row smacked Hilltree on the back of the head, the Goblin shouting in response. “Don’t worry, nothin’ bad will happen to her. Right?” He gave Hilltree a stern glare.

“Aye.” The Goblin grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

The Magician sighed, looking back up at Taxi tiredly. “Go do your thing, she’ll be alright.”

Taxi gave a small nod, looking somewhat more at ease. He gave Oriana one last glance before moving out of the room and down the stairway. The brothers followed, lingering by the top of the stairs as they watched him.

Row fondly shook his head at the brothers watching down the stairway, Br’aad occasionally shouting down to Taxi on the first floor of the factory.

He idly glanced around the room. It still felt unnatural to have so many strangers in their little makeshift home, though he supposed he couldn’t be too opposed to the company, anything to distract from the Rat King was a blessing.

The Magician made his way over to Velrisa, the Cleric sitting by the resting body of Taxi’s companion. “Needin’ anything? We don’t really have much, but I don’t mind getting supplies if you need anything to help her.” He rested his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side.

“Oh, no.” Velrisa glanced from him back to the other Tiefling, briefly re-examining the bandages. “All that can be done for her has been done, the only thing we can do now is wait and see if she’ll pull through the night.” She looked back up at him, giving an appreciative nod. “But thank you.”

He nodded, concerned as he glanced over at the unconscious woman. “Aye, here’s hopin’ she makes it, always worrying to see someone receive a wound as bad as that.”

She hummed, nodding. “She’s fighting as hard as she can, so I hold a strong hope that she’ll recover from this.”

“I see.” Row wasn’t entirely familiar with Abjuration magic. His magic was more destructive if anything, unable to get a full grasp of anything that actually helped people. He supposed he would just have to trust her word on it, despite his lack of understanding.

With that, he made his way over to Mountain, the Fighter cleaning the blades of his pike with a rag. “Ay, you needin’ anything at all? Don’t have much here, but I don’t mind making a supply run.”

“Nah, I’m good.” The Dwarf replied gruffly, clearing his throat as he briefly looked up at the Magician from where he sat. He gave a huff, “I’m surprised you stick with those two.” Mountain’s eyes glanced back at the other two Half-Elves, Br’aad still shouting down to Taxi on the first floor. “You don’t seem…as stupid as them.”

The Magician shrugged, also looking over at the brothers momentarily. “Our history goes way back, so I don’t mind the chaos, and where Sylnan goes I go, so.” He shrugged once again, tail flicking idly.

Mountain only grunted in response, he supposed he wouldn’t be getting much chit-chat from the Dwarf any time soon.

Row’s thoughts were cut off as Taxi trudged back up the stairs, sluggishly sitting next to Oriana and Velrisa on the bed, putting his head in his hands with an exhausted sigh.

“I mean, how helpful was that?” Br’aad followed, sitting next to him as he observed his exhausted state.

The Magician made his way over, eyeing the Tabaxi curiously. “How’d it go? What’d you get?”

Sylnan followed but stayed standing, arms crossed. “I mean, yeah, did-” Taxi cut him off.

“Well, I think your city has a ghost.” Taxi replied, exhausted, sitting back up and pulling his hands off his head as he kept his eyes on the ground.

Br’aad worriedly glanced from the thieves back to Taxi, putting a hand on his shoulder. “What about a ghost?”

Taxi didn’t seem too bothered, slightly leaning into the contact if anything. “Uhm, I think there’s a- a serial killer.”

Br’aad slowly nodded. “Yeah?” His tone was considerably softer.

“An- and y- you can’t really see him.” The Druid fidgeted with his hands, ears still pressed against his head.

Sylnan glanced at Row, incredulous. “Can’t really see him?”

“And he tried-” Taxi was quickly interrupted by Br’aad.

“A wha- okay, wait, wait, wait,” Br’aad quickly waved his free hand. “what do you know? What did the- what did the wacky dude tell you?”

Once again, the laughter of the Rat King rang out.

The younger Half-Elf squinted, glancing back at the stairwell. “Is that him laughing right now? He really- I’m gonna be honest with you, he rubs me the wrong way, I don’t know what it is.” He looked over at Sylnan. “I’m sure he’s cool, and you hang out with him, but.”

Sylnan frantically shook his head. “Oh, he is absolutely not, I got pretty lonely this last year, and, uh,” He clicked his tongue, grimacing. “not a good time.”

Br’aad slowly nodded, grimacing as he turned back to Taxi. “So, I mean, just tell me. What did you see?”

“What- what did he- yeah, what did you see?” Sylnan raised a brow at Taxi.

“What did he- Where did he touch you?” The Warlock laughed nervously, worriedly eyeing the Druid. “Is probably a better question.”

Sylnan laughed, nodding along with his younger brother. “Yeah. No, I mean, I saw that out of the whole thing.”

“You let him touch you!?” The Magician abruptly shouted, quickly covering his mouth. “That’s horrible, why would you do that.” He squinted at the Tabaxi, voice muffled as he kept his mouth covered.

“Use this doll and point to where he touched you.” Mountain joked, not looking up from cleaning his pike.

“Quiet.” Taxi put his head in his hands again, fingers running through his fur as he sighed heavily. “Please stop talking.”

The Rogue rested his hands on his hips, staring at Taxi sternly. “What did you find out? This is important.”

“Just give me a moment. This is a lot to take in.” Taxi kept his head in his hands, presumably some sort of self comfort for the man.

“One.” Br’aad mumbled, rubbing his shoulder slightly.

Row glanced over at Sylnan and shrugged, the Rogue looking back at the rats lingering around the stairwell, seemingly watching their little group.

“Your Rat King.” Taxi spoke up, regaining the attention of the thieves.

The Warlock shook his head. “No, not my- he’s just the Rat King.”

The Druid took his head out of his hands, squinting questioningly at Br’aad for a moment, before massaging his temples. “Why do they even call him that.”

Br’aad shrugged. “Something about rats, I’m not really sure, he doesn’t give me that vibe at all.” He wheezed a small laugh.

“He, uh, he sort of commands the rats, I d- I guess,” Sylnan gave a shrug, tilting his head slightly. “I dunno I’ve never seen him really do anything with the rats before, besides laugh insanely.”

“He has some kinda connection with ‘em.” The Magician glanced over at the stairwell, squinting at the beady yellow eyes still watching. “Well, that or they at least seem to like him.”

“I think I’ve seen him with a rat or two.” Br’aad shrugged.

“Oh, he commands those rats, there’s something real special about that man.” Taxi rubbed his face, before sitting back up with a sigh.

Br’aad grinned mischievously. “That’s crazy, I never knew that, way to rat him out.”

The Magician snickered as Sylnan and Mountain chuckled.

“Gods above.” He shook his head, smiling. “I’m gonna die.” He joked.

“Oh my Gods.” The Fighter groaned.

“He put his hand-” Taxi was quickly cut off by Br’aad.

“I never would’ve believed it, he looks pretty ratty.” The younger Half-Elf grinned more, only emboldened to make more puns by the reactions.

“Holy shit.” Row laughed, leaning against Sylnan as he wiped his eyes.

“Gods above.” He attempted to regain his composure, turning back to Taxi. “Okay, go ahead.”

“I guess I was wrong, and you’re rat.”

“Oh my Gods, stop.” Mountain bemoaned, still laughing as he put his head in his hands. “Make it stop, I’m gonna die.”

“Gods.” Row mumbled, struggling to catch his breath, his friend patting him on the back.

“Don’t like it.” Hilltree grumbled.

“The puns.” Mountain mumbled.

Br’aad turned back to Taxi with a smile. “Anyway, please continue.”

“Puns hurt.” The Fighter mumbled again, struggling to regain his composure.

Taxi sighed, beginning to speak again. “He showed me an alleyway. It wasn’t the same- ehh-” He paused, thinking for a moment. “It was a different alleyway than wher- where we saw, it was a large man, he was about…maybe a bit bigger than I am…and he- just like you said, Br’aad, he did have a barber’s knife.”

“Yes.” Br’aad nodded along as he listened, only for his brows to raise at the mention of the knife. “He had a knife?”

“It was a barber's blade.” The Druid shrugged, his eyes falling to the ground. “Y’know, they’re used to cut hair.”

Br’aad slowly nodded. “Okay. That’s great, uhm. Di-” He was cut off by Mountain.

“This had to have been the same barber that he saw.” The Fighter motioned towards Br’aad. “With the buzz cut.”

“Well, I guess there’s more than one barber, but did it- did it seem like it was the same barber I was describing to you? He- I mean, he did die in the ocean.” The Warlock gave a nervous smile, fidgeting with his hair. “I don’t know if I mentioned that.”

Taxi bristled slightly, giving a frustrated huff. “The Rat King explained him just like you did.” He massaged his temples, bros furrowed. “Died in the ocean. He’s killing-” The Druid looked over at Velrisa, sighing. “He’s killing Tieflings.”

The group fell into an uncomfortable silence for a moment, minds heavy with how bizarre the whole situation was.

“Okay, so, where-” The Warlock shook his head slightly, looking back up at the rest of the group. “what’s our lead?”

Taxi turned back to Br’aad, exhausted. “Br’aad, do you ever stop talking?”

Br’aad’s ears perked down slightly, the Half-Elf still fidgeting with his hair. “I d- li- I really just kind of wanna know what we’re goin’ off of right now.”

“I have a question.” Mountain suddenly piped up, staring at Taxi.

The Druid blinked, visibly worn out. “Yes, Mountain?”

“This woman,” He nodded his head at Oriana. “who is she to you?”

The Druid tensed up. “Uh-” He sighed heavily, hanging his head.

“She’s got nice tits.” Hilltree said.

“Stop that.” Row shot a glare at the Goblin, the shorter grumbling.

“It’s not normal, but she’s my lover.” Taxi kept his eyes on the ground, shoulders slumped, he looked absolutely exhausted.

“Fuck.” Hilltree muttered.

Taxi raised his head slightly, lazily looking over to Hilltree. “Yeah, sorry, Goblin. Those tits are mine.” He joked, very faintly chuckling, his face soon fell again, looking back at his unconscious companion. “Or, they were.”

“I mean, she seems…” Row glanced over at Br’aad, the Warlock’s brows were furrowed, appearing somewhat disappointed yet clearly trying to hide it. “s- seems okay.”

Taxi kept his gaze on Oriana, exhausted, yet caring, he lightly brushed some of her blonde hair out of her face. “Lovely, isn’t she?”

Velrisa spoke up, glancing from Oriana to Taxi. “I mean, what’s- what’s not- what’s not normal about that? Is sheee….”

Taxi quickly looked back up at Velrisa, gawking at her. “Do you- do you see me?” He motioned towards his person, ears pressed against his head.

The Cleric slowly nodded. “Yes.”

“It’s not normal that a Tiefling falls in love with a Tabaxi.” The Druid turned down his gaze, glaring down at his hands resting in his lap.

“Yeah.” Mountain mumbled awkwardly.

Velrisa shrugged. “I mean, love is love.”

Taxi sighed. “Well, I’m glad somebody understands that.” He shot Mountain a small glare.

The Dwarf glared back, huffing, only to raise his hands slightly in a mock surrender. “Ay, look, do what you do, I’m not gonna judge you.” He crossed his arms.

Sylnan huffed a laugh. “I guess that’s an improvement.”

Row shook his head, chuckling. “Taxi, you do what you want, it’s not other’s place to judge if it doesn’t hurt anyone.”

The Warlock smiled, his ears perking back up as he clasped his hands. “I’m glad we have such an open-minded group of people here.”

Taxi nodded, visibly more at ease. “Alright, I appreciate that.”

“Me too.” The Warlock beamed.

The Druid turned his gaze back to Oriana, worried. “I don’t even know if she’s gonna make it, truth be told.”

Mountain seemed to consider something, glancing down at a locket he wore, before he eventually gave a heavy breath. “I can’t know if she’s gonna make it, but I’ll help you find this man.” He looked back up at Taxi, determined.

The Druid nodded, sighing exhaustedly. “Speaking of that man…the Rat King showed him to me…Uh, it’s kinda hard to understand what the Rat King says, but he said basically everything that Br’aad did in the alleyway.” He nodded his head towards the younger Half-Elf. “Same story, same man with the same haircut…and then he put his hand on my head, and he showed him to me. In a different alleyway, it’s a large man in a- in a black trench coat, some kinda stupid hat on, I don’t even fucking know.”

The Warlock looked over at the Fighter with wide eyes. “To hide the buzz cut.” He murmured.

“All I know is that he’s supposed to be dead, but he’s out here stabbing Tieflings, and people that aren’t normal!” Taxi put his head in his hands again, shoulders shaking. “That almost killed her.”

Velrisa’s brows furrowed. “I mean, wha- what would anybody have against Tieflings in particular?”

Taxi kept his head in his hands, sniffling. “I don’t know about these parts, but there’s a lot of things that people might have against Tieflings.” He said quietly.

The Rogue shrugged. “I mean, y’know, racism, it exists.”

The Cleric glanced at the ground, humming. “I mean, I have been gettin’ some funny looks, but I’ve just turned my head to it.”

“Guys, I don’t know why I didn’t mention this sooner, but like people here are a little…” Br’aad grimaced, fidgeting with the fabric of his scarf. “they aren’t big fans of- of…anything besides Human, and I guess Half-Elf.”

Row made a so-so motion with his hand. “Eh, even us Half-Elves are on a fine line and barely okay.” A humorless chuckle escaped him as he glanced over at his new companions, grimacing apologetically at them. “Sorry to say, but you guys picked a real shitty place to visit.”

“Yeah, you’re not wrong.” Mountain crossed his arms. “Since I’ve been here, people have really been lookin’ down on me.”

“Well-” Br’aad cut himself off with laughter.

Sylnan laughed as well. “I mean-”

A sudden chuckle escaped Taxi, the Druid looking back up, a smile working its way on his face. “Sorry about that, Mountain.”

Br’aad laughed, grinning. “I don’t- I don’t know how to break this to you.” He wheezed a laugh.

The Druid laughed, smiling. “I don’t think that they can help it, my friend.”

Br’aad waved his hands, struggling to regain his composure. “Okay, you- alright, you’re a big man, you’re right. Let’s keep goin’.”

“Thank you!” Mountain huffed, yet despite his apparent frustration, he was clearly struggling to fight back a smile.

“Yes.” Br’aad nodded, chuckling.

The Dwarf took in a breath, steeling himself. “But who goes on a murdering spree just out of racism? Seems like a lot to go through.”

“A lot of people.” Taxi mumbled.

“I mean…” The Magician shared a brief grimace with the Rogue, shifting uncomfortably in place. “I’ve encountered a number of people here who do worse for less.”

“Someone who’s not alive.” Hilltree piped up from where he was sitting on the ground, squinting nowhere in particular. “Got no soul.” 

Row nodded at the Goblin. “Aye, that too.”

“I guess.” Br’aad shrugged.

Taxi slowly nodded. “Yeah, the Goblin’s got a point.” He huffed, fidgeting with the fabric of his pants. “I don’t understand how somebody can be here right now and not be alive.”

The Goblin hummed, still squinting. “Somethin’ else is fuelin’ him.”

“It’s unnatural! Doesn’t make any fucking sense to me!” The Tabaxi shouted, bristling as he struggled to calm himself.

“I think I get it.” Hilltree coughed a bit, clearing his throat as he looked up.

Mountain raised a brow as he stared at him. “Would you care to explain?”

Taxi took a deep breath, seemingly managing to reel himself back in. “What do you have to say, Goblin?”

“Somethin’ else, is in him.” His ears flicked, the Goblin once again squinting, clearly struggling to think. “He ain’t got no soul.”

The Warlock tilted his head to the side, staring at Hilltree. “Is this just like a shot in the dark? This seems like a really good guess.”

“Yeah,” An uneasy chuckle escaped the Dwarf. “seems like a very good guess.”

The Magician shrugged. “It’s as good a guess as any.”

“Ah, yeah, you- nice work, Goblin.” Sylnan chuckled, questioningly staring at Hilltree.

“Go- Goblin, you worry me just a tad.” Br’aad wheezed a small laugh.

Hilltree only shrugged and looked back down again, picking at the rug. “Ah, fuck, don’t rightly know.”

Mountain squinted, standing up from where he sat. “Goblin, I’m starting to think that you have something to do with this.”

The Warlock nodded, glancing from Hilltree to Mountain. “Yeah, I, really- this Goblin’s kinda freaking me out.”

Hilltree fearfully stared up at Mountain with wide eyes. “I gotta go.” With that, he abruptly stood, speedily walking towards the doorway.

Mountain quickly rushed over, standing in front of the doorway, blocking it off. “Oh- No. No, you’re not goin’ anywhere. It’s not happening.” He sternly glanced around the rest of the group. “I say we waterboard the Goblin.”

“Okay, well-” The younger Vengolor laughed. “Is this- is this a smoke bomb about to happen again?”

With a bit of panic, Hilltree managed to slip past Mountain, ducking between one of his arms and the door frame as he rushed towards the window.

“Oh, there he goes.” Br’aad shook his head, laughing. “I- I honestly- I say we let him go.”

The Rogue blinked, scratching his head as he watched the whole fiasco, sharing a glance with Row. “Well.”

As the group watched Hilltree quickly make his way towards the window to leave, the Magician heard Velrisa mumble something under her breath, the window suddenly slamming shut, causing the glass to bash the Goblin in the face. He fell backwards, holding his head as he cursed repeatedly.

“High winds today, be safe!” Br’aad joked.

Taxi stood from where he sat, the rest of the group following as he walked over to where Hilltree laid on the ground, the Goblin still cradling his head. “Alright. What do you know, Goblin?” He asked sternly, crossing his arms as he stared down at the thief. “You’ve been talking a lot like you know stuff. You wanna spit it out?”

Hilltree took in a sharp breath, still holding his head. “Ah, ah, fuck.”

“Not literally, though, you’ve done that before, and it’s really gross.” Br’aad grimaced, shaking out his hands in disgust.

“I think he’s stuck in a loop.” The Rogue chuckled.

Mountain grabbed Hilltree by the cloak, lifting him up slightly. “Listen, say what you know, or I’ll sp- wait, or I’ll torture it outta you! Whatever, what do you know?”

“Aye,” Hilltree cleared his throat, staring up at Taxi and Mountain fearfully. “I’ve seen him.”

Mountain faltered slightly, pursing his lips. “You couldn’t have said that like two hours ago?”

“I just thought he was a fish man.” The Goblin turned his head, coughing slightly.

Taxi slowly nodded. “Alright, you’re- you’re saying you’ve seen him like recently?”

Hilltree quickly shook his head. “No.”

“Oh, okay.” Taxi gave Mountain a small pat on the shoulder, the Dwarf letting go of Hilltree, much to the Goblin’s relief.

Hilltree adjusted his cloak as he caught his breath, still clearing his throat. “Saw him kill,” He grunted, seemingly reluctant to respond. “kill a Dwarf, weeks ago.”

Taxi’s brows furrowed. “And you thought a simple fisherman killed a Dwarf?”

The Goblin looked up at Taxi, tilting his head to the side. “A- yeah?”

“Bein’ fair, Taxi, people die here all the time, a fisherman killing a Dwarf isn’t anything remarkable.” The Magician glanced up at Taxi, grimacing slightly. “I mean, feels shitty to say but…y’know.”

Taxi only sighed, rubbing his face, before he walked back into the main room.

The Warlock hummed, pursing his lips as he watched Taxi leave. “Well, uhm, I don’t think he knows much more.”

The rest of the group followed Taxi, Velrisa sitting next to Taxi who had his head in his hands sitting next to Oriana as the trio of Half-Elves and Mountain took the couches. Hilltree sat on the ground next to Sylnan, pointedly avoiding Mountain and Taxi.

Mountain huffed. “Well, there’s gotta be another way to figure this out.”

Sylnan shrugged, his arms crossed as he glanced out the only window in the room. “I mean, we’re talkin’ about somethin’ pretty unnatural here.” 

“Don’t- don’t remind me.” The Druid grumbled, his head still in his hands.

“Is there a- is there a pattern? I mean, is ther- it seems like alleys? Are fair game.” The Warlock spoke very hesitantly, glancing at the others, unsure.

“I mean…” Sylnan hummed, scratching at the scruff on his chin. “There’s been a lot of rumors lately.”

Hilltree quickly perked up, his ears flicking as he quickly spoke up. “Have you heard the rumors? Yeah. Cultists, sewers, aye.” He nodded.

“Like the- in the sewers, yeah.” Sylnan nodded at Hilltree. “Maybe, uh- they’re not just rumors.”

“Perhaps he’s a devil.” The Goblin squinted again.

Row’s brows raised, his mouth forming an O-shape. “Oh, yeahhh, Gods, I forgot about those rumors bein’ a thing.”

Taxi took his head out of his hands, slowly nodding. “Alright, that’s some base to reason what’s going on.”

“Perhaps they’re not just rumors!” Br’aad wheezed a laugh.

“He’s a- he’s a-” Hilltree grunted, snapping his fingers as he clearly struggled to think. “he’s a- he’s a- he’s a- he’s a fish devil!”

“A fish devil!?” Taxi exclaimed.

Hilltree nodded, rubbing his head. “Aye.”

“Like deviled eggs.” Mountain mumbled.

The Goblin squinted over at Mountain judgmentally. “No.”

“Yes, like deviled eggs!” The Warlock wheezed a laugh. “I can see how you would draw that conclusion!”

Hilltree shook his head. “Like fish.”

The Warlock nodded, smiling. “Like fish.”

Taxi turned to the two thieves, brows furrowed. “Alright, Sylnan, Row.”

The duo gave him their attention. “Yes.” Sylnan responded.

“You two know what he’s talking about?” He slightly tilted his head to the side.

“Well,” Sylnan drummed his fingers on his arm, thinking. “th- there’s been…a lot of…rumors, at least I’ve always assumed they were just old wives’ tales. But there’s been talk of cultists in the sewers, who apparently worship some kind of sea God or somethin’.”

“Fish people.” Hilltree piped up.

Sylnan quickly nodded. “Ye- yeah, fish people or some- some whatnot, crazy stuff, but, I mean, it could be a lead.”

Row nodded along. “Aye, uh, it’s mainly somethin’ I remember from when we were younger back in the, uh, the- the den. Younger people around our age tryin’ to scare each other with stories. This jackass did that to me when we were kids.” He chuckled, lightly elbowing Sylnan in the arm.

Sylnan rolled his eyes, chuckling as he lightly smacked his arm. “Ay, it was hazing, you gotta do it.”

Row rolled his own eyes, before his face fell to a more neutral expression again as he rubbed the back of his neck, turning back to Taxi. “But, I mean, I assumed they were just, y’know, stories, like the kind parents use to keep their kids from leavin’ bed at night.” He shrugged. “Still might be worth investigating, though, just in case it’s a lead.”

Hilltree cleared his throat again, shifting in place. “Ask the Rat King.”

Taxi heavily grimaced. “I don’t wanna ask the Rat King again, I’m just gonna be honest.”

The Goblin’s ear flicked. “He could search the sewers.”

Taxi sighed, looking over the group. “Who- who’s turn is it to ask the Rat King?”

Hilltree quickly backed away, frantically shaking his head. “I don’t wanna go down there.”

“Not it.” Sylnan laughed.

“Also not it.” Row crossed his arms, leaning back into the couch.

Br’aad shook his head. “It’s no one’s, he sucks.”

“Not it. Not it. I’m-” Mountain grimaced. “I’m good.”

“They’ll try to eat me again! THEY’LL TRY TO EAT ME AGAIN!” Hilltree shouted.

“Ay, nose- nose game!” Br’aad exclaimed, laughing as he put a finger on his nose.

“Nose game!” Sylnan laughed, also putting a finger on his nose, followed by Row, who also laughed.

“Yeahhh. I’ll go if I can go on somebody’s shoulders.” Mountain sarcastically joked.

“No, they’re gonna eat me again.” Hilltree frantically shook his head.

Taxi looked over at the Goblin, raising a brow as he chuckled. “Who’s gonna eat you again?”

“The rats.” Hilltree said with a nervous laugh.

Taxi squinted. “Well…”

The group fell silent for a moment, this lead was the best thing they had, yet talking to the Rat King was more of a daunting task in comparison to just fucking around in the sewers.

Br’aad hummed, clasping his hands. “Uhm, I feel like the best call is the sewers actually in this case.”

“Alright, so you’re-” Taxi turned to the Warlock. “you’re telling me, that we’re going to the sewers?”

The Warlock gave an exasperated shrug. “That seems like really the only thi- I mean, like we could check every alley.”

The Fighter grimaced. “Yeahhh.”

“Listen, I’m not goin’ down without confir-” Sylnan shook his head, squinting at the rest of the group. “somebody’s talkin’ to the Rat King again.”

“What-” The Druid sighed, rubbing his face exhaustedly. “alright, alright, alright.” He took a deep breath, looking back up at The Rogue. “Now, what do I need to ask the Rat King?”

“Jus- get-” The Rogue flicked his wrist, waving a hand around in vague motions. “get him to search the sewers with his rat- all-seeing rats, or whatever.”

Taxi raised a brow at him questioningly. “Ar- are you sure?”

The Rogue shrugged, crossing his arms. “I mean, I’m pretty sure there are rats in the sewers.”

“No!” Br’aad joked.

“What other leads do we have?” The Fighter piped up.

Br’aad shrugged. “That’s really about it.”

The Magician nodded solemnly. “Aye, don’t really got much else.”

“There’s a horse in the tavern.” The Goblin suddenly spoke up, everyone turning to look at him in utter confusion.

“There’s a what?” The Fighter asked.

The Warlock shook his head. “I think that was a bit of a non sequitur, listen,” He laughed a bit. “Sa- Saxi, I have no fucking clue what he’s talking about, and I really never understand anything. But I do feel like you should go confirm with the Rat King, and like, this is a stinky place anyway, the sewers probably won’t be much worse.”

“Roight.” Hilltree responded.

The younger Half-Elf looked over, blinking. “Not you.”

“Oh.” The Goblin frowned, looking saddened.

Taxi rubbed his face, nodding as he cleared his throat. “Alright, alright. I’ll go talk to the Rat King.”

“What about the horse?” The Goblin asked.

The Fighter squinted. “What fu- what fuckin’ horse?”

“A-” The Druid massaged his temples. “do I need to talk to the horse or the rat?”

“Talk to the-” Br’aad tilted his head to the side, glancing between Taxi and the Goblin. “Where did this horse even co- when did this horse even come into the equation?”

The rest of the group laughed, baffled by the mention of a random horse.

“Alright, alright,” Taxi wheezed a laugh. “Goblin, do I need to speak to the horse? Or the Rat King?”

Hilltree picked at some of the torn cloth on his cloak. “I don’t rightly know.”

“Make an educated guess!” The Warlock exclaimed.

“Wh-” Taxi tilted his head to the side, baffled as he stared at the thief. “why’d you bring up the horse, then?”

“It’s pretty.” The Goblin mumbled.

The three Half-Elves snickered.

The Druid rolled his eyes. “Yeah, alright, that’s great, that’s great that the horse is pretty, but you know what else is pretty? Oriana, who might not be alive tomorrow.”

“Hold on,” The rest of the group gave Mountain their attention. “we’re looking for a murderer who kills Tiefling women, and we have one of those right here.”

The Druid quickly shook his head, staring at Mountain sternly. “No. Shut up, yo- we’re not doing that.”

The Rogue raised a brow at Mountain. “You- are you suggesting…bait?”

“I mean, we’re not about to send-” Taxi stopped himself, dragging a hand down his face with a groan.

“What are you implying.” Velrisa squinted at Mountain.

The Druid heavily bristled. “We don’t even really know Velrisa that well! We can’t ask her to go and try and find him.”

Row shook his head. “Bad idea, planting bait only rarely works, and this guy has killed how many people?” He raised a brow at the Fighter.

Mountain glared defensively. “It’s the only way we can really find this guy.”

Sylnan abruptly stood and threw up his hands dramatically. “Okay, fuck it, I’m going to the Rat King! Gods.” He walked out of the room, shaking his head.

The Warlock and Magician shared a glance, the Magician following Sylnan.

Br’aad stood with a shrug, following as well. “Yeah, seriously, I’m okay with just anything happening at this point.”

“Well, nobody’s doing anything else!” Mountain shouted as they made their way into the stairwell.

Row lingered by the top of the stairs as Sylnan made his way down to the first floor, watching warily as he listened in.

He’d never liked that Rat King, the man was already unsettling to just hear during his stay at the factory. But having to rely on him while traversing the Underdark? That just felt like they were begging to be led to their deaths.

With an exhausted sigh, he flanked the Rogue, Br’aad following along behind the two of them.

Sylnan and Row trudged through the thick carpet of rats up to the wretched old man, Br’aad sticking close behind them, frequently earning ear-piercing squeaks from stepped on tails.

“Hey, what’s-” Sylnan stopped, just out of reach of the old man, crossing his arms as he stared down at the Rat King. “What’s goin’ on in the sewers?”

The man giggled, dull yellow eyes staring up at the Rogue from the usual crate he sat on. “Oh, lots.”

“Lots? Is there,” Sylnan chuckled nervously, glancing back at the other two Half-Elves. “like, cultists? Fish people?”

“Oh, oh,” The old man nodded, still grinning. “there’s people down there, yes. I’ve seen ‘em.”

“‘Kay.” Sylnan slowly nodded, unsure, as he chuckled nervously.

“What kinda things are goin’ on down there?” Row asked, wary, hoping that the sensation of his skin crawling was just from his nerves.

Br’aad grabbed the duo’s forearms, frantic as he quickly shook his head. “We could call it here, you don’t have to like,” His eyes briefly glanced at the hands of the Rat King, disgusted. “let him touch you, honestly, guys, I think that’s like a pretty good lead already.”

Sylnan glanced between Br’aad and the Rat King. “I mean-” he was quickly cut off by the Human.

“They got- they got books. They got s-” He cut himself off with laughter. “They got sacrifices.”

Br’aad only shook his head again, managing a strained smile. “No, we’re good. We’re okay.”

The old man only continued. “I’ve seen ‘em luring people in. Deeeeep inside. Oh, so deep.”

Br’aad’s face twisted into disgust as he shook out his hands. “That is really not anything I wanted to ever hear you say in my life.” He laughed uncomfortably, turning to Sylnan and Row. “Let’s go!”

Sylnan pursed his lips. “Well,” He chuckled, unsettled. “I’m pretty uncomfortable right now.”

Chills ran down Row’s spine, the shorter inching closer towards Sylnan as he grimaced. “Maybe I should’a stayed in the pit.” He mumbled, warily eyeing the Rat King.

The old man once again only laughed.

“Oh, so you think that was funny?” Br’aad turned back to the older two. “Why! Let’s leave, guys.”

“Yes.” The Rat King cackled. “Oh, I can show you where. You can follow the rats, they know the way.”

“Yikes!” Br’aad practically squeaked, sticking close to the other two.

Row held out his hand for Br’aad to take as an offer for comfort, the younger quickly accepting. While the Magician would’ve absolutely loved to just go back upstairs, it unfortunately was a necessity to have some method of guidance in the Underdark, even if it was from…rats of all things.

“As long as you don’t have to touch me, I think, uh,” Sylnan sighed, nodding begrudgingly. “yeah, I’ll- I’ll- let’s- let’s do that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the Rat King still laughing. “But, yeah, if- if you could show me the way, it would be, uh,” He chuckled nervously. “appreciated.”

“I can show you the way,” The old man smiled, head tilting downward. “tomorrow.”

Sylnan raised a brow. “Tomorrow?”

The Rat King nodded, a chuckle escaping him. “Ah, sleepy.”

The Rogue sighed. “Fine.”

The trio looked back to the stairwell at the sounds of someone making their way down, watching as Taxi appeared, lingering by the stairs, reluctant to step foot in the carpet of vermin. “Is the Rat King-” He was cut off by Br’aad.

“Yeah, no, I think he’s tuckered out.” The younger glanced back as the old man laughed again, grimacing. “Okay.” He turned back to the Rat King. “Listen, buddy. You rest up.” He slightly reached out his hand, only to quickly hesitate and pull it back.

The Human giggled. “Oh, the rats make a bed.”

Sylnan grit his teeth, nodding. “That’s great, I’m gonna go.” He backed away, making his way back over to the stairway, Row in tow, stopping at the foot of the stairs to wait for Br’aad.

Br’aad backed away, nodding with a strained smile. “And that i- that really is great for you. Goodbye!”

The Rat King’s head nodded. “Oh, I’ll wake you tomorrow.”

The Warlock heavily tensed. “No, actually, you- you can sleep in, uh, we’ll set an alarm. Un- no- no rats.” He nervously wheezed a laugh. “Thank you.”

“Br’aad!” Row whispered urgently.

“Alright.” The Rat King mumbled, laughing again.

“Alright.” Br’aad nodded, more at ease as he backed away to the stairwell. “Good night. We’re’ll- we’ll be upstairs, if you need anything.”

The man gave a crooked grin. “Oh, I need lots.”

“Ooookay, no, you don’t. I actually- we won’t be upstairs, and don’t check!” Once Br’aad was close enough, the Magician and the Rogue quickly grabbed his arms, pulling him back. “Good night!”

With that, the four scurried back up the stairs, the wretched old man laughing as they did.

After taking a small moment to catch their breaths and glance around at each other. They made their way back into the room, Velrisa and Mountain looking back over at them.

Sylnan crossed his arms with an exhausted breath, addressing the group. “Well, we’re not gettin’ anything from him today. He said he’ll…lead the way in the sewers, there’s people down there. But, uh, apparently he’s too tired to do that right now.”

Taxi nodded along. “Alright. Let’s talk about what happens when we get there.”

“Uh, y- y’know.” Sylnan scratched at the scruff on his chin, glancing over at Row and Br’aad.

“Well-” Br’aad was quickly cut off by Taxi.

Taxi turned to Hilltree. “Goblin, what do you know about this, uh, these- these cultists and how it relates to this- this fish demon, and why it’s killing people and how we stop it. Do you have any idea?”

Hilltree only stared up at him with wide eyes. “Wot?”

The Warlock stepped forward, waving his hands to get Taxi’s attention as he shook his head. “Listen- listen, listen, I’m gonna be totally honest. I think instead of having a plan….we should just roll with it.” He suggested, shrugging casually.

“Sounds good.” Mountain replied sarcastically.

Taxi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, alright, just roll with it.” He said, just as sarcastically.

Row sighed tiredly, resting his hands on his hips as he stared at the rest of the group. “Listen, at this point, it’s been a long day for everyone involved, I say we just rest for the night and tomorrow we can think of a more fleshed-out plan on fresh minds. Never smart to plan on a tired mind.”

Sylnan nodded along. “Aye, as much as I’d like to think of plans, it is getting quite late, and there’s not much we can do outside of plannin’ for right now.”

The rest of the group nodded along with various agreements. Even without all the Rat King bullshit, it had been a very long day, and some much-needed rest was very welcome.

With very little fanfare, the group decided to settle down for the night, occupying couches or laying out bedrolls on the floor.

Row took one of the couches, curling up as small as possible as he got comfortable.

The whole situation was strange, the Magician wasn’t even sure what exactly he’d gotten himself into. Still, Sylnan seemed pretty content to go along with it, especially after Taxi’s girlfriend nearly got murdered. Maybe his friend had too much of a bleeding heart, it was a sweet quality, until it led to situations like this. Then again, Row supposed he also wasn’t one to turn away someone who needed help in a strange situation like this.

The whirlwind of thoughts and questions slowed as sleep dug its claws into his mind and body.

Oh well, he mused, as per usual he guessed he would just have to roll with it.