Chapter 32: Nobody Expects the Hiwardian Inquisition AGAIN!

Chapter 32: Nobody Expects the Hiwardian Inquisition AGAIN!

[What would you do with fruit?]

[The fruit is unimportant. Our future subjects should endeavor to provide tribute whenever they are allowed to bask in our presence.]

I sighed and looked around the room again. What the hell was I supposed to do in this situation?

[If this were Earth, my first move would be to tie Glow up, call the cops, and try to keep Sleepy from dying, assuming he’s still alive.]

[Glow? Sleepy?]

[I don’t know their names, man.]

[You could ask.]

[What? I was a little busy.]

I went over to Glow and knelt beside her.

“Hey,” I said. She had her arms up, covering her head while she wept, but peeked out at me with one terrified eye. “What’s your name?”

She shook as her brain processed the question.

“Mishala,” she croaked.

“Ok, Mishala. What about him?” I pointed at the unmoving man missing his legs from the thigh down. He wasn’t bleeding, which was not a great sign.

“Jayko.”

“Cool. Thanks.” I stood and went to check Jayko, feeling for a pulse. Amazingly, he was still alive. I inspected his legs and saw that the wounds had been partially healed, the stumps covered in thick scabs. Maybe some sort of healing ability, I’d have to check the spell list later.

I went to the other three, finding them decidedly deceased.

“We got any rope?” I said.

Turns out, we did have rope. Some of Grotto’s supplies had come bundled together with thick cord and I spent a few minutes binding Mishala’s wrists and ankles. She was well-muscled, so I used three times the rope that I figured a normal person would take to keep tied up. She’d obviously invested in Strength.

“Alright, Mishala, I’ve got a few choices to make here, so I’ll need you to help me make them. Sound good?”

She nodded, still pale, but it looked like the effects of Grotto’s command were starting to wear off.

“First, why were you and your crew here?”

“We were hired to bring you to see our client.”

“I gathered that much. Who’s your client?”

“I don’t know. Artemix dealt with the business side of things.”

I glanced over at the bisected man. That was unfortunate.

“Ok, any hints or ideas? Anything at all?”

She licked her lips.

“Probably a noble. Most our jobs come from nobles.”

“What did they want me for?”

“I don’t know. Artemix... he might have. We don’t ask a lot of questions.”

“Earlier you said that I was supposed to be a mage. Where’d you get that idea?”

As far as I knew, there weren’t a lot of people privy to my powerset.

“It was in the dossier.”

“Ok. Where’s the dossier?”

“Artemix burns it after we memorize it.”

“Great.” I took a deep breath. “Where were you supposed to take me?”

“South. To the mountains north of Ravvenblaq.”

That was curious. Did Varrin’s family have something to do with this? It could be a coincidence, since they controlled a huge swath of the country, but Mishala did say a noble likely hired them. Maybe his parents weren’t as enamored with me as Varrin thought. But why would they want to kidnap me? It didn’t make sense, so I discarded the theory for now.

“What are you going to do with me?” she asked.

“I haven’t decided.”

“If you don’t let me go, they’re going to kill me. If that’s your plan, you might as well do it yourself.”

“That’s a bit of an escalation, don’t you think?”

“Are you done with your questions?” A hint of anger had entered her voice. She was shaking off most of the effects of Grotto’s intimidation, and my own.

Maybe my soft-handed approach to interrogation was doing me a disservice, but it was hard for me to be rough with someone who was helpless. She hadn’t even been trying to kill me. I mean, she might have been trying to deliver me to my death, or endless torture and confinement for all she knew, but it’s not like she killed my dog. If she’d killed my dog this conversation would be going very differently.

Not that I had a dog. Did they even have dogs here?

I opened my mouth to reply, but she interrupted me.

“Wh-what is that thing doing to Drake?”

I turned to see Grotto dragging Warhammer, whose name was Drake, apparently, across the ground toward the obelisk. His tentacles were wrapped around the man’s ankles, and the display of strength from his tiny form was impressive.

[Hey, Grotto, what’re you doing?]

[Continue your interrogation. I am merely making use of these new resources.]

[Wait, resources?]

Grotto dropped Drake next to the base of the obelisk, and tendrils of energy began to stream from the corpse. Drake’s body shriveled as the tendrils turned to thick columns, power pouring out of the body.

“Stop, dear,” said Myria. Mishala looked up at her and froze. Myria smiled down at her warmly.

“Please tell me your name.”

There was a weight behind Myria’s words and Mishala’s expression went from fear to serenity.

You have observed the spell Suggestion.

Suggestion

School: Physical/Spiritual

Duration: 10 minutes

Cost: Variable (Dependant on the strength of the desired effect and the target’s mental state)

Cooldown: One session per target per day.

Requirement: 20 Charisma

You make a request of a sentient entity who, if affected, will do their best to comply with the request. Once the target is affected, additional requests may be made for the spell’s duration. The target is more likely to resist if the request is complex, or is likely to result in immediate physical or emotional harm to the target. The target must be able to understand your request and the effect will end if the target is subjected to a sudden shock, such as taking damage or hearing a loud and unexpected noise. While affected by this spell the target enters into a state of extreme relaxation, but will otherwise act normally.

“I’m Mishala Houndel.”

“Nice to meet you, Mishala. I’m Myria. Could you answer some questions for me?”

“Of course.”

“That’s great! First of all, why did you come here?”

“I am part of a Delver party known as the Artemix group. Our party was hired by a client to locate and retrieve the Delver known as Esquire Arlo.”

Myria waited for a moment before continuing.

“Who hired you?”

“I do not know the name of the client. We were contacted by a broker known under the pseudonym ‘Typhoon’, who provided us with a dossier that included details of the assignment and known information on Esquire Arlo.”

Lito grunted when he heard the name, but said nothing.

“Please tell us about Typhoon.”

“Typhoon is an information broker and fixer agent here in Foundation. I can’t tell you what he looks like because I’m under the effects of an Oath spell that will kill me if I do. What I can say is that he’s got a lot of non-Delver thugs employed that handle the normal stuff–intimidation, collections, enforcement–but he’s also known to hire Delvers on occasion for jobs. The rewards for the jobs are usually something better than notes.”

“Where do you meet with Typhoon?”

“We receive orders through dead-drops. Dead-drop locations are also part of the Oath spell.”

“Who administered the oath?”

“I don’t know their name.”

“What do they look like?”

“They look like an oath that will kill me.”

Myria sighed.

“I hate oaths. Ok, different angle. What does the client want with Esquire Arlo?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where were you supposed to take Arlo?”

“South. To the mountains in the north of Ravvenblaq. There’s a cave with an old Delve inside. Artemix has a ring with the location inscribed on it.”

Lito turned to the bodies and I pointed out Artemix’s bisected corpse. After a brief search through the man’s pockets, Lito produced a simple copper ring. I inspected it.

Ring of Calvani

This ring grants access to Delve 0102: Calvani Caverns. The coordinates for the Delve are engraved on the inside of the band.

“That’s interesting,” I said.

Lito tucked it into a pouch at his waist.

“What’s your favorite type of cheese?”

“Bleu.”

“Really?” said Lito.

“What?” said Myria. “It’s a lovely cheese.”

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Anything you’d like to ask?” she said.

“Why are you risking your status as a Delver by becoming a criminal? You could be stripped of your titles; have your access to the Delve portals revoked.”

“Please answer Guardian Lito’s questions.”

“I don’t have a status,” said Mishala, an edge creeping into her otherwise sedate voice. “I hold no titles. I already can’t use the regular Delve portals. I’m not and never was a noble.”

“Ok. So how did you sneak into the Creation Delve to become a Delver in the first place?”

“I didn’t,” said Mishala. “I never went through the Creation Delve.”

“What?” said Myria. “Then how are you a level ten Delver?”

“The Creation Delve... isn’t the only way to become a Delver.”