In reply to Izzick (msg # 74):

Josephine groans in an irritated/irritating manner.  She/it gestures at the prisoners chained to the wall.

"I don't ask the meat their names.  If you want to, be my guest.  Just do it quietly.  I am in the midst of a very delicate procedure."

So saying, she walks to the woman's corpse on the table, picking up a small bottle of a black liquid as she does so.

The prisoners are all staring at you, their eyes open wide, hope lighting them up like bonfires.

While Lucky felt for the people chained he wasn't anyone hero.  Though if they were 'snatched' as the woman had said then how could he not help them?  Lucky looked to Zuni and gave a questioning shrug of his shoulders and mouthed, 'shouldn't we help them?'

Selvin reared back as if slapped, looking a little surprised. "I...Wow. Piece o'work." He shook his head several times, as if clearing it of something.

He turned to the prisoners and then to his allies, dropping his voice very quiet. "Um...so...they're all gonna claim t'be Thaddeus if we ask, right? Whadda we do?

Zuni met Luckys look with a hard one of her own.  Cutting open dead bodies was one thing, but to resign the living to these experiments was another.  Maybe if they had consented to having their life spark snuffed out and their bodies cut open it would be different but Zuni doubted that any of the ones that were chained up were here by choice.

"We get them all out of here." she said in a low growl.  "...and end this Josephine."

Selvin looked a little hesitant. He moved closer to Zuni and lowered his voice more. "You know I'm always down for a party or a fight but..." He gave her a look, "You sure you wanna do this, make enemies o'these necromancers? An'..uh...you remember that very full room we went through, right?" He held up his hands, "Like I said, I'm down if that's the decision, just wanted t'remind you..."

He turned back towards the prisoners, "Thaddeus?"

In reply to Selvin Larst (msg # 79):

There's a brief moment, and then they all start reacting.  Even the women.

You do notice one of the human males seemed to react faster than the others.

Lucky had his blades in his hands in the blink of an eye.  He was ready to defend himself and the others if need be.

What do you mean by reacting?

Zuni reached out to grab Selvins arm with her free hand, gripping it tightly.  There was none of her usual hesitation around Selvin and Zac's mystical pairing, no curious poking at their magicks.  She gripped his arm like it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

"I hate this, Selvin."  She said quietly, trying not to look at the prisoners and failing.  "This is wrong, it's all wrong.  How can we leave these people here at that...things...mercies?  How can we walk the streets above knowing what's going on down here?"

"...but you're right.  We'd probably get this entire place turned against us and get killed.  It's just...I...Cayden but I need a drink."

In reply to Lucky Six-Fingers (msg # 81):

Sorry Lucky.  I should have been more clear.

They all jump up and down and make as much movement as they can, trying to get your attention.  Their bonds and the chains are hampering their efforts.  They are also all gagged.

And let me know if ya'll are just going to try to figure out which one is Thaddeus or if you are going to go on the offensive.

Thanks.

Lucky moves to take the gags off of the people so he can hear what they want to say.

Selvin looked at her, a bit of hesitation and sadness in his eyes. "I know. Believe me, I don't like this either." He opened his mouth again and then closed it. He simply gave one shoulder of hers a reassuring squeeze and nodded.

Finally, he took a deep breath and turned back to the monster at work. "How much for the..." He refused to call them 'the meat'. "the prisonsers? We're taking them one way or another, but I will..." and this sounded painful like it was dragged out of him a little, "compensate you for losing them."

In reply to Selvin Larst (msg # 85):

Lucky, the prisoners all start begging you to save them.  They promise you anything and everything, most of which they obviously don't have.

Josephine stops what's she's doing and studies you Selvin.  She thin points a bony finger at you.  "The symbiote.  I've never studied one.  Give me the symbiote and I'll give you the meat."

Zuni bristled at Josephines words.  The offer was a no go in her eyes and she couldn't imagine Selvin actually going through with such a deal.  She could hear the prisoners when Lucky removed their gags, but they were all speaking at once and words were hard to discern.

"I have a better offer." she said, stepping in front of Selvin.  Zuni was trying to keep her voice steady.  Rather than deal with Josephine, she wanted to run her sword through her instead, but starting a fight so deep within this tomb would not be healthy.  From one of her pouches, she pulled out a small vial filled with black liquid.  "What about this?  This vial contains a black goo that we found within the stomach of a giant worm that we encountered in the Cinderlands.  There can't be too much of this stuff floating around."

In reply to Zuni Runesong (msg # 87):

Hmmmm....

"Hmmm..." hmmms Josephine.  She holds out her boney hand.  "Let me see it.  I can't tell if it's worth a trade from here."

Selvin opened his mouth and flatly said, "No deal." almost instantly, but then Zuni began talking over him to the woman. He glanced at her and nodded, but then waited to see what would happen, getting ready for a fight but hoping not.

Zuni handed the vial over to Josephine, sizing the other woman up.  How easy would it be to toss the vial into Josephines face and then chop into her with the sword?  As much as Zuni wanted to painfully extract the life from Josephine, Selvin was right and there could be a lot of trouble coming their way if that happened.  Better to try and deal their way out of this, and buy the prisoners safety.

Zuni crossed her arms and nodded back at Selvin.  "The glowing Half-Elf is nothing special, lots of them around.  Throw a rock in Kintargo and you could hit a some creature with arcane blood...or horns...whatever.  But this stuff, well I could go into the gory details of how we acquired it, but that would probably bore you.  So...the vial for your prisoners...all of them.  What do you say?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:08, Wed 20 Oct 2021.

In reply to Zuni Runesong (msg # 90):

Josephine studies the vial carefully.  Finally she sets it on the table.

"It is quite the find.  But...not worth all this meat.

"I'll give you half of them for it."

An evil-looking smile slowly slid across Selvin's face at Josephine's reply. "Oh, I don't think you understand. The prisoners are leaving with us regardless, we just thought we'd give you some compensation."

Then he straightened. "Tell you what. I'll give you...two hours to inspect - without harming, permanently altering, etc. - my symbiote in exchange for the rest. I will truthfully answer any questions you have that I can as well as part of that."

"Selvin you can't be serious," Izzick said, eyes going wide. He wasn't disagreeing. If they were standing to saving all the prisoners, he wasn't backing down from that either. But letting one of their own take their place? Izzick didn't want to know what in the Hells she'd be doing with two hours time. "Let's take the deal for the black goo. We're not about to save everyone but you." Izzick kept one eye on the necromancer in question and turned back to his friends. "We can figure something else out."

Zuni was more than ready to argue the value of the deal that she had proposed but she was not expecting Selvin to offer up Zac in trade.  She would much rather start a fight than have Josephine poking at Selvins symbiote.

"...Selvin...." she said in a low warning tone.  Hopefully Selvin knew what he was doing.

Lucky was already working the manacles that held the prisoners.  One way or another they were all coming.

In reply to Selvin Larst (msg # 92):

Josephine laughs.  "Two hours?  I want to see what it takes to kill one and what it would be like to bring it back to life.  I would need more than two hours."

The hood glances Lucky's way.  "I've given you my offer.  Unless you have something comparable to this..." She hefts up the vial of black goo.  "I'm not willing to part with half my crop."

There's a slight pause.  "Though...if you were willing to do a small favor for me.  I would be willing to call it even.

"There's a rather troublesome snake down here in the tunnels.  It bothers our research from time to time.  Bring me it's head and you can have the other half of the meat.

"That should be fair.  And it will keep us from coming to blows.  Eh?"

Selvin bristled at her comments. "HELL no." But she paid him no mind and continued on. Then she made a counter-offer as he calmed down. He eyed her a moment and then looked at his allies.

He gave a shrug. "Don't bother me."

"I am good with that deal.  One other measure is the prisoner must be freed but can stay here and not be touched or harmed in any further way.  We will deal with the snake and come back  to free them."  lucky added to Joesphine.

Zuni eyed Josephine with a steely gaze.  "I'm fine with the killing." she said, though who or what she was referring to could be anyones guess.