< Lady In Red | Ex Pulplogs | To The City Below The Ice >
Prisoner glares angrily at Xar and Myrrh, his face red with rage. Apparently he just can't understand how the Solar and the Dragon-King could possibly see the lobster-people as anything but shellfish.
Myrrh "Hmmm...so we have a location and a few names. I'd say we can do this easily. We should make sure the lobsters are able to defend themselves in the meantime though..."
Xar`Rex "Yes, maybe we should leave this one here." He gestures to the prisoner. "He is unreasonable."
Myrrh "Oh and what should we call you in case they care about your imprisoned self?"
Prisoner answers Myrrh's question with a rather rude comment about the sexual habits of Myrrh's mother.
Xar`Rex looks at Myrrh, surprised
Myrrh "Right then, I'll tell them that."
Myrrh "And I think that was an insult Xar, not a statement of fact."
Xar`Rex cocks his head to one side, and frowns. "Ah. I see."
Myrrh "They couldn't go far..."
Myrrh he states as they leave the cell.
ST Outside the cave-cell, Blue-Green-Yellow is waiting for them. The lobsterman looks at the two as they come out and, if they are any judge of alien crustacean expressions, looks anxious. "Did it tell you anything?"
Myrrh "He said something rude about my mother. And that there's quite a few of his fellow "Fishermen."
ST "
ST makes a tired, unhappy, sound. "We know."
Xar`Rex "We will speak with them."
ST "Will they listen to you, mighty ones?" The lobsterman looks uncertain..
Myrrh "They had better if they know what's good for them."
Myrrh ((Just suddenly becoming the social monster of the group, AFK for a moment while I spend XP.)
Myrrh (Back!)
Myrrh "Xar, Do you think you could look particularly threatening if we went back in there again?
ST Obviously, Xar simply looks at Myrrh, who realizes the stupidity of his question. With a puzzled(?) look on his 'face', Blue-Green-Yellow watches as the two re-enter the prisoner's cave. The tattooed Westerner glowers angrily at the return of the lobster-lovers. "What do you want?"
Myrrh "I WANT the location of your base. This nonsense has been going on long enough. These poor lobsters have done nothing wrong! They live quiet lives of trade and YOU keep coming here to kidnap them. And it ends now." Myrrh scowls at the restrained "fisherman" getting into his face, his entire bodylanguage has shifted. Where before he displayed a rather unassuming demeanor Myrrh now looks like an incarnation of Wrath itself, his caste mark blazi
Myrrh his caste mark blazing to life.
Myrrh "Tell me Who you are, who you work for, and where you've taken the lobsters!"
Prisoner cowers back against the rock wall he's bound to, yelling in surprise! It's an evil Anathema! "We sail from Star Island! If you go there, you'll find the others!"
Prisoner gulps a few times. "You won't kill me?"
Myrrh "I don't know Xar, should we?"
Myrrh he glances back at the large indimiating sea lizard.
Prisoner is even more terrified by the fact that Xar does not instantly respond. The poor 'fisherman' spills his guts as fast as he can to avoid having them, well, spilled. His name is Perch, he works for a woman named Lady Bianca, the lobsterfolk they take to the surface are killed and their parts harvested for food, decoration, crafting. Some of the young ones are sold as exotic slaves to rich people in the West and across Creation.
Myrrh "Does anyone else know of the lobster villiagers?"
Prisoner "I don't know, some people tell tales, but I've never seen anyone but us fishing them!"
Xar`Rex grunts, and idly files his claws.
Xar`Rex inspects them, now gleaming even sharper.
Myrrh "Hm. How many of you are there doing this "fishing?"
Prisoner "20, maybe?"
Myrrh "Hm. Let's leave him for awhile Xar. He could be sureful...and if not I suppose you DO need some new hands for your collection."
Xar`Rex peers at the man's hands thoughtfully. "They are a little small, but I think they will do. I like the tattoos."
Prisoner squeaks!!
Myrrh exits the cell to let him stew for awhile.
Myrrh "So Xar, think we can handle a few fishermen?"
Xar`Rex If they are like him, yes."
Myrrh turns to Blue-Green-Yellow. "We should be able to take care of this easily. Although you might want to ensure your people avoid some of the more open areas until we come back."
ST "I will do this!"
ST With the very willingly given directions from Perch, Xar and Myrrh are able to make their way to Star Island in only a few hours. It turns out to be only a few miles from the underwater village of the lobster people. The people on the island seem to be normal villages and fishers, of fish, not lobsters.
ST As Xar and Myrrh land at the only fair-sized town on the island, which is, interestingly enough, not at all star-shaped. It is instead shaped like a butt.
ST The village is fairly large, with maybe 40 families living in it, trading with nearby islands. They have enough arable land that some farm while the majority harvest fish and pearls
Myrrh "Alright now we just need to find "Lady" Bianca."
Xar`Rex nods, and looks around curiously. "Maybe you should ask."
Myrrh starts looking for a merchant, maybe this lady is with the guild.
ST As Myrrh wanders around the marketplace, he finds no one who knows anything about Lady Bianca. No one at all.
Xar`Rex looks to see if anyone is selling 'lobster delicacies
ST No, no lobster bits. At least, none from lobsters of unusual size.
ST Something that Perch said gives Myrrh an idea. He said Lady Bianca lives
ST "in" the harbor.
Myrrh "Let's see what we can find in the water, eh Xar?"
Xar`Rex "In the water? Why?"
Myrrh "Well if they can all live underwater...and he said that they live IN the harbor. It's worth a shot."
Xar`Rex "Hmm I see." He nods, "Yes, good idea." They proceed to the harbor, and under!
ST Within minutes of diving into the harbor, Myrrh and Xar are surrounded by a group of 7 men covered in the same types of tattoos as Perch. And equally as lacking in clothing and hair.
Xar`Rex "Hello."
ST "What are you doing here, lizard?"
Xar`Rex "We have come about the lobster-people."
Leader swims forward, the smallest and most heavily scarred of the "fishers", with the most intricate tattoos. "What about the lobsters?"
Xar`Rex "They ask that you not harm them anymore."
Leader laughs, elbowing the others. The rest join him, laughing heartily. "Lizard, best you hurry along before we decide to get the best price for your hide."
Xar`Rex snorts, sending bubbles floating to the surface. "They are people, as you are. They have homes, and art, and children. You must stop eating them."
Myrrh stands silently by Xar, letting him do the talking for the moment. Better to build up tension that way!
Leader "Damn lizard, you think we care? They're just lobsters. Of course they have children and homes. Doesn't mean they're people. Don't have two arms and two legs? Ten fingers and toes? Don't have mouthes! Don't even have cocks! All they got is shells and claws."
Xar`Rex "They have more dignity than you."
Myrrh "They're also less likely to get the sin beaten out of them. Where's you boss?"
Leader "You've not business with her. You best be on your way now."
Xar`Rex growls, "Why are all your kind so stupid?"
Myrrh "I'm not sure Xar. Thankfuly these twenty are going to be learning their lessons."
Leader "We ain't got no lesson to learn from you, little man."
Leader brandishes his heavy harpoon, as the others do shortly after him.
Myrrh "I'm giving you one last chance to change your ways! You could try trading with the lobsters, negotiating! They have fish enough."
Leader "I won't be ordered about by some lobster-loving fool!" The leader hurls his harpoon at Myrrh!!
Myrrh "If you'll continue your beligerent ways I see no reason to hide my nature!" Myrrh watches the harpoon come towards them and then with a gesture, a living flame errupts at his side! Even under water the flame guardian protects it's master! It burns away the harpoon leaving nothing but soaked but chared bits of wood in a cloud of bubbles.
Leader gapes and...starts to flee! Along with the others, the leader swims as fast as he can towards the bottom of the harbor
Xar`Rex dives after them, folding his wings tightly against his body to streamline his form, offering his tail to Myrrh to pull him along
Myrrh grabs onto Xar's tail and follow sthose dirty fisherkidnappermurderes
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