Chaz2 Ch.7

“Hey hey! This place is nice. Little corner. Maybe I can make it home”, Fosthar babbled at us. “The old owner didn't really take his stuff away yet. The one who helped him to take away his things never came back. Can't move in until its empty. Would be rude.”

I really had hoped I wouldn't meet the nutjob anytime soon. Yet, there he was – this time his clothes were bright green and blue with red stripes over them. I wondered, if he followed me on purpose or if I just happened on his way. Maybe Derek was right that there was some connection to cultists. Fosthar had, after all, helped Filno's parents to find evidence against the nobles.

I had no idea how he had got into the room with the door closed. I'd think we would at least see the door open before any illusion could affect us. Maybe the illusion affected that too. Maybe he had been there all the time. Sat in the corner. Waiting. Watching. Seeing everything that happened in there.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked him and hoped to get an answer that I could understand.

“I'm looking for a new story”, Fosthar said to me. “Finished the last one. I have already ran out of the jam too. I miss it.”

“I don't care about any jam”, I told him. “Do you know who is behind these murders? I would like to end my business with the midgets as soon as possible.”

“The one who makes red paint?” Fosthar asked me. “Red paint isn't nice. It is hard to get off, if you spill it on yourself.”

“If you mean blood, then yes”, Filno said. “Who makes the red paint?”

“I don't like it”, Fosthar said. “He leaves his paint everywhere. I'm afraid my clothes get dirty from it. I'd like to tell him to stop it.”

“Yes, yes, we don't care about that”, I said to the idiot who just kept telling us about his clothes getting dirty. “Where is he?”

“Where? He is looking for a story too”, Fosthar said. “He is there where the story is. How does one make one come up, if one doesn't want to come up. Maybe it is too bright here. Maybe it hurts their eyes. Eyes? Yes. Maybe they don't have eyes. They can't perhaps come up if they …”

“FUCK! Fosthar you deranged bastard can't you just for once make sense!” I screamed. “Where is the place where the “story” is?”

“Maybe it is under the rocks?” Fosthar told me. “Let of things are under the rocks. If you pick up enough rocks, maybe you...”

At that point Derek and Krasnjar came in and I didn't concentrate enough on Fosthars babbling that was still going on. Something about rocks and things that live under the rocks like bugs and worms.

“What are you shouting about Chaz?” Derek asked. “What? Did you find something?”

“Wha? No... not yet. Until this idiot says something I can understand”, I said.

“Idiot? Who? You aren't meaning Filno, are you?” Krasnjar said.

“Of course not. Are you blind? That deranged bastard there in the corner that keeps still talking nonsense”, I told Krasnjar.

“What are you talking about”, Krasnjar replied.

Silence except Fosthars endless story about how maybe stones were moved on the story or something so it could hide.

“You can't see him?” Filno said finally. “You can't see him there at the corner? You don't hear anything?”

“No, Filno”, Derek said. “I have no idea what you are talking about? You didn't find any mushrooms here did you?”

“Uh, no”, I said. I was rather confused. Though, while Fosthar was around that was quite normal.

“Maybe they have finally gone mad”, Krasnjar said to Derek.

“I don't know”, Derek said.

“No we are not mad”, I interrupted them. “This needs some explaining and don't expect it to make much sense. We don't know that guy much better than you, but around him things don't make sense. I expect he has some reason why he doesn't want you to see him. Thats why you can't see him. He knows us and has no reason to hide from us so we see him.”

“Chaz, that doesn't make much sense”, Derek told me.

“I TOLD YOU IT WOULDN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE!”, I screamed at him. I was really annoyed. “Fuck... listen to me for once, damn it.”

“What Chaz is trying to tell you”, Filno started. “It is simply that this is something we encountered when we went looking for my parents. On the way we saw some...things. Ok so you can't see him, but his name is Fosthar. He is completely mad. I mean completely. There may be shred of intelligence left in there because he was helping in his own way my parents do some things, but he absolutely makes no sense.”

“You are being serious there is someone here?” Krasnjar asked.

“The diggers. They dig, but they don't look under the deepest rocks. They don't make things get up that don't want to get up.”, Fosthar babbled. “It is fine. One shouldn't make things come up that don't want to come up. The story tells how things come up that don't want to come up. What does something do that doesn't want to come up when it comes up even, if it didn't want to come up. Maybe ...”

“For the love of all that is holy, Fosthar!” I said. “Shut up!”

“What?” Derek said. “What is happening? Explain this to us?”

“As Filno said, Fosthar is completely mad”, I said and tried to ignore Fosthar for a moment. “He is annoying. As far as we can tell he is constantly under an extremely powerful illusion. He never stops casting it. It makes things happen for him the way he wants. As I said, if he doesn't for some reason want you to see him, you don't see him. I never could even touch him. If I could I would probably snap his neck and release the bastard from his broken mind.”

“Illusion you say?” Krasnjar said. “Let me try something.”

I'm not entirely certain what Krasnjar tried, but I felt sort of a wave pass trough me. Filno said it was probably attempt to disrupt illusions. Did it work? Not really.

“The digger tries to look!” Fosthar said. “Maybe digger too has been too long under the rock and doesn't see anymore. Digger is already up though and wants to stay up. I wonder what would happen, if the digger went down even, if it didn't want to go down. Digger would...”

“Fosthar, fuck you!” I said. “Just shut up!”

“That was...odd”, Krasnjar said. “I don't see or hear anyone here, but it felt for a moment as, if there was something...as if I for a moment heard something.”

“Let's do it together Krasnjar”, Derek said.

I felt the wave again. Much stronger this time.

“The diggers! They keep looking, but they don't see!” Fosthar said. “The diggers would hide the story. Story about those who don't want to come up, but are made to come up. They would not play with the one who looks for the story about those who don't want to come up, but are made to come up. They...”

“Derek and Krasnjar please tell me you can stop it!” I said. “He is talking constantly about a “story” of things that don't want to come up, but are made to come up. It makes no sense and he keeps going on and on.”

“Boy you sound crazy when you talk about thing like those that don't want to come up but are made to come up”, Fosthar told me.

“Shut up, Fosthar”, I said yet again.

“It think they may be telling the truth”, Derek said to Krasnjar. “I felt something too. I almost think I may have seen a flicker, but I can't pinpoint where it came from. Maybe the other side of the room and not where Chaz keeps shouting at. This is... odd.”

“Our strength combined should have broken any illusion, though”, Kransjar replied. “I'm fairly sure there is something here somewhere, but we were not able to see trough it. It could be anything.”

“You should have seen what he calls his home”, Filno said. “It was as, if we stepped into a distorted world where every direction was up, down, left and right at the same time. Always changing. Hope he doesn't stay here in Syvku too long, since his illusions apparently leak all over. Otherwise you get some pretty trippy places here. You won't need mushrooms for that.”

“... I'm not even going to ask what you mean by that”, Derek said. “That is one strong illusion, if we were not able to break it. That is, if it is an illusion. I have never seen something like this... or at least I'm not aware of it.”

Derek thought things for a moment.

“You mentioned  you went to look for your parents, Filno?” Derek said then. “They were not dead then after all? Any surprises related to them like Chaz's father?”

“Yeah we did find them and not really any big surprises”, Filno said. “Besides, we wouldn't tell you, if there was.”

“Fine... anyway, what did they have to do with this Fosthar you speak of?” Derek continued. “Do they know something about this all?”

“We don't know”, Filno said. “Ok, so to make more sense in this stupid situation I'll tell you that my parents were the ones who found out about those high nobles at Shan'lah. They had troubles finding evindece, though. Then Fosthar suddenly pops up and basically hands them some evidence that they had been looking for quite a while. After that I suppose they worked together more or less. We don't know anything more about it.”

“They do have some ideas about why Fosthar is like this, but they are just good guesses”, I added. “They never got trough his illusion either.”

“Where are they?” Krasnjar asked. “We may have to ask them about this all. They may know something. Besides, I want to meet Filno's parents.”

“Then you should have let us stay at Ponde”, I said. “I won't tell anything else, though. They need to still stay hidden. That one high noble is probably still alive and even, if it is too late for him too, there are sure to be assassins still around. You would endanger their life, if you went looking for them now.”

“Just what kind of people they are?” Derek said and shook his head. “They are doing similar stuff that you two are. What an interesting coincidence. But fine...we will look for them later, if needed. I want to see what kind people produce something like Filno.”

It was annoying. More than annoying. I'm not sure there is a word for it. Since Derek and Krasnjar didn't see or hear Fosthar, but believed he was there and since we could see and hear him, we had to listen to Fosthar's mad ravings and tell about it to them. I really had no idea why Fosthar was only visible to us. No one else seemed to notice him either – just Filno and I. Our best guess after a few questions was that Fosthar thought dwarves would hide whatever we were trying to find, if they found it first. Yet, it didn't make sense since Derek and Krasnjar would likely do it as soon as we found it. I didn't think they would let me or Filno smuggle anything interesting out of their sight.

Regardless we still didn't know who was looking for what. Yet another guess from Fosthar's crazy talk was that maybe there was some information such as some book hidden somewhere. Also the constant babbling about things that don't want to come up. Neither Filno or I had any idea what that could mean, but I was fairly sure Derek and Krasnjar did.

At some point several hours later as we were investigating some stuff Derek and Krasnjar suddenly became a bit... hmm... moody. They were silent and didn't want to tell us anything about it. Fosthar jumping around them and started saying odd stuff about the things that were going to be made come up, but didn't want to. Derek and Krasnjar, of course, didn't notice him at all. We didn't tell them about it since we wanted to know what they had found out. There was a chance that they would distance more from us, if they thought we were about to hear about it. They also still didn't let us go back to Ponde when we asked.

I admit, I would have complained more, if I didn't hope to get to hear about all the information that was possibly available. It was just a too good chance to pass up. We still, of course, complained to keep up the act that we didn't have any plans.

Derek and Krasnjar dragged us to go see some old dwarf. In my opinion he was living at a rather strange place. It was a rather hard to reach place and required us to walk a long path at the higher levels of Syvku just against the cavern walls of the entire city. The path was very narrow and I wondered, if any dwarves had ever tripped and fell down from there. It was a long way down and whoever was down there was going to have a really bad day, if anyone fell. Part of me was hoping Fosthar would fall down while he was for some reason walking on his hands along the edges. I'd watch and laugh. He didn't fall, though, but at least he finally silenced.

Most races have this thing that whoever lives on higher levels of the things they build are more influential, rich or something. Like those jackass mages who for some reason like to build towers. It was pretty much opposite with the dwarves. The rich maybe were not on the exactly lowest levels, but close. Merchants and people that were not beggars were around them, but the most “back alley” style places were right there at the top. I personally liked the lower levels, but I think at Syvku I'd stay at the top too. I would not like to watch dwarf piss slowly pour along the walls to my door.

Anyway, the dwarf we went to see clearly didn't want visitors.

Derek knocked at the door once we arrived.

“Whoever it is at my door, go away!” Shouted a dwarf voice from the small hut. “I have no time for fools now.”

“Open the door Nosran”, Derek shouted. “There are some questions we need to ask you since you are only one who should have the proper knowledge.”

I heard someone run to the door, but it was not opened.

“I have no idea what you are talking about!” Shouted the dwarf, Nosran, from behind the door. “You must be mistaken. Who are you anyway? I want names.”

If the dwarf was going to convince anyone he wasn't the right person, he wasn't doing a good job with it.

“Open the door and I'll answer”, Derek continued. “If you want, I can make this visit official.”

“Official?” Nosran said. “Why would you do that?”

“Because we know what you...dabble in”, Krasnjar said. “Sure, no one could prove it and you didn't lose your head for it, but I'm not interested in that. We have some questions and then we will let you continue with... whatever it is that you do these days.”

“That is unless you are not involved in the things we are looking into”, Derek added.

“I'm not involved in anything!” Nosran shouted. “... err, who is doing what? Just curiosity”

“This is the last time I'm going to say you to open the door”, Derek said. “We will tell you what is necessary, but nothing more. If that isn't enough to sate your curioisty, it is not my problem.”

Silence lasted for a moment. Then I heard several locks open. Finally the door creaked open just a bit and a dwarf with a long white, but very dirty, beard looked out. It seemed like he had not cut his hair ever. That shaggy hair reached all the way to his feet. It almost looked like he was covered everywhere with either hair or beard.

“Oh, it is you lizards”, Nosran said. “I forgot you still infested Syvku. The elves I don't know. I won't say anything unless I know everyone....... and what is that thing? That human in colorful clothes about to fall down over the ledge.”

Nosran pointed at Fosthar who was leaning really far over the edge. I'm fairly sure only reason he could lean that far was because it was the illusion. I think he could have floated there, if he really wanted it.

“So you see him too”, Derek said. “I was still hoping it was Chaz's and Filno's crazy halucination.”

“I see you have gone mad”, Nosran said. “No wonder you come here to accuse me of things I didn't do. Why wouldn't I see him?”

“So far only a few people we are aware of can see him”, Derek said. “Me and my brother can't and neither does anyone in Syvku so far except you, Chaz and Filno. But I think we should go in. I have a feeling you don't want to talk about the things we are going to ask you about here in the open.”

Nosran almost hissed. He looked behind him at something, but decided to open the door and emoted us in.

The house was dark and had only a few lit candles. I had no problems seeing there, but I just had to mention how cliché the place looked like. It was also smelly and all kinds of books and trinkets were laying on the floor and the tables. Nosran was clearly having some sort of studies over things that you didn't really want anyone to know you were studying.

As soon as we were all in he was going to tell Fosthar too come in quickly, but he was no longer out there and had at some point appeared next to us. Nosran looked it a bit curiously, but then took a quick glance outside and closed the door immediately afterwards. He closed the three locks and a chain that he had on the door and turned around.

“Who is that human?” Nosran demanded to know. “Who are the elves?”

“The human, Fosthar, we really do not know”, Krasnjar said. “It appears he is real, but what you see is likely an extremely strong illusion. If what Chaz and Filno say about him, it would seem you can only see him, if he allows it.”

“Interesting.......interesting”, Nosran said and walked to Fosthar. He tried to touch Fosthar, but he jumped out of the way quickly.

“Don't try to tickle!” Fosthar said. “I don't like being tickled.”

“He is also very mad apparently”, Derek said. “But he seems to know things... such as leads to things that took us here.”

“We did try to dispel the illusion, but that didn't work”, Krasnjar said. “It feels like there is something, but maybe it was something else and this is all some strange figment of Chaz's and Filno's minds. It wouldn't be first time something strange is found about them. You, Nosran, can see it too, though, so perhaps it isn't them after all.”

“The elves”, Nosran said. “Why would you involve those pretentious fools with these things that you ... think I know about? Elves have always done their best to ignore that sort of stuff as, if it all didn't exist.”

“Chaz and Filno have tendency to know things and we first thought they may have been involved”, Krasnjar said. “I'm surprised. I'd have thought you would have known about them. Lot of people in Syvku do from since the battle with the cultists.”

“Bah... I was preparing to escape to pay attention to any minor details”, Nosran said. “Who are they? I want to know, if I'm to say anything.”

“Chaz and Filno are like me and Derek”, Kransjar said. “They just happen to be black dragons.”

Nosran blinked few times and looked at me and Filno.

“I see why you thought they may have been involved”, Nosran said. “Why do you drag them with you? Are you sure they haven't tricked you and wanted to end up just here in my hut to have a look at my things? Not that I'm saying you could find the sort of stuff here that you want to know about, but if you thought that, they would too. I don't think black dragons should learn anything about that even, if they probably have better and more interesting and more accurate sources than … than what you thought I had.”

“Like blood magic you are studying in your kitchen?” Derek said as he quickly looked in the next room. “That looks like a disemboveled rat in a blood circle.”

“It is not illegal!”, Nosran quickly reminded Derek. “I just got curious about the things cultists did with blood. Such an interesting source of power. Hard to handle. Much power in proper quantities. Very interesting...”

I'd like to admit at this point that Nosran was an interesting fellow. Filno told me that we should try to find a way to visit Syvku without anyone knowing and share some knowledge with him in exchange for his knowledge. I agreed.

“Well, anyway, Chaz and Filno aren't exactly like most of their kind and since you clearly do not have anything illegal here they won't find anything, right? Therefore it is safe to have them here, correct?”

“Yes, of course”, Nosran said slightly nervously. “I wouldn't do that kind of things! I … I just may have heard some rumors and so on. Curious mind you see. I wouldn't of course ever do anything illegal.”

“He hides things! HIDES! Hide?” Fosthar suddenly started yelling and pointing at different locations in the room and running to look at them really closely. “Knows things about things in the deep where the things hide that don't want to come up, but could be made to come with the stories he hides. I think he read the stories and tried it and found the hiding places, but story had a good end and  not a bad end so the things that don't want to come up are still hiding.”

Nosran was sweating and breathing heavily as he watched Fosthar go from place to place babbling his usual craziness. I think he had already found the stuff that Nosran clearly didn't have.

“What is it Nosran?” Krasnjar asked.

“I … err … that human is just doing weird things”, Nosran answered. “Jumping around. Close to my studies. Wherever the real one is, he might break something... yes.. break. Make a mess. Interrupt my careful studies.”

“Don't mind it Krasnjar”, I said. “Fosthar is just being crazy as usual. At least he isn't bothering me anymore. Back to the point... stop beating around the bush. What is this stuff you keep talking about, but never say it directly. Sounds like the sort of things cultists usually mess with with. Some of that is rather interesting.”

“You would have left us somewhere else, if there was something you didn't want us to hear”, Filno said.

I tried to steer the discussion elsewhere than Nosran's personal school works. I wanted him to see me as an ally and maybe I could have a look at that real stuff some day.

Derek and Krasnjar looked at each other.

“Fine, we will tell you and while that Nosran can decide what he knows that could help us”, Derek said.

“Nosran here knows how to ... oh that right, you merely HEARD how to summon the creatures that live deep in the earth. Deeper than anything else.”

“Yesss, I heard about it long ago!” Nosran said. “I was merely curious and everyone thought I was doing it. Dark powerful creatures. Demons...”

“Yeah, sure, you merely heard about it”, Derek said. “You were not the one to build that summoning altar at your old house that exploded when you... err.. someone else messed up the ritual.”

“Of course not!” Nosran kept telling. “I'd have found a better place and properly studies it until trying it, but I didnt do any of that. I didn't know anything about it at all!”

“Anyway, before any living creatures appeared in this world, it was the demons that walked the earth”, Derek told us. “It was a chaotic world back then. Then something happened. Life started spreading and even the demons couldn't do anything about it even, if they absolutely hated it. Eventually they dug their way down to earth all the way down where it is burning hot and nothing else can live there. They seem to be very happy staying there. Lucky that way since even one of them can be a devastating enemy to, for example, a group of dragons.”

“You two do not want to summon one ever, got that?” Krasnjar added. “You might want to know that apparently Krasor once wanted to learn secrets of the demons and went down there. He stayed there only for a short time until he returned half dead and apparently kills everyone who asks him about it. I'm fairly sure that means, it didn't work out too well.”

“What the fuck?” I said.

“*I don't think I want to be around, if cultists try to summon those things*”, Filno told me.

“*Neither do I*”, I replied. “*But this means even, if no one wants to tell us anything about it, we need to find out ourselves. I want to be able to understand and stop it and in worst case scenario how to get the fuck away or perhaps some sort of defenses.*”

“*I agree*”, Filno agreed.

“That is right”, Krasnjar continued. “Telling this to you should make you think a bit before you get any funny ideas. You are here only because we do not want you wandering around in Syvku. There are also open questions about Fosthar and until now you two were only ones who could see him and who somehow knew about these things. We really don't want you to start messing with this stuff for your personal amusement some day.”

“Sounds like summoning one of those things is pretty much a suicide”, Filno said. “I do not plan to commit a suicide.”

“And it should sound like it”, Derek said. “That is why I do not understand why Nosran here...sorry, someone else tried to summon one in Nosran's backyard.”

“That is where your involvement in this begins, Nosran...hopefully”, Kransjar said. “You are curious, right? Surely you know, if someone starts messing with this.”

“I don't know any names”, Nosran said. “I have heard only rumors. Someone is looking for the proper equipment. Summoning a demon isn't and easy thing to do. I … err, whoever tried to do it that one time surely learned that lesson.”

“Then what sort of things one would need?” Krasnjar asked.

“Hmmm, I'd assume for a proper attempt one would need a better energy source than the one that was used in the attempt that was for some reason at my backyard. For a correct summoning altar, you need to know specifics rituals that are different depending on your location and to find out that one would need a book about it or spend lengthy time measuring it yourself... if I was doing this sort of illegal thing, I'd go for the book.”

“Is that all?” Derek asked.

“You would need a sacrifice too. The greater demon the bigger sacrifice. This may be one or more people for higher quality or animals for lesser. Basically the stronger sacrifice the better. What I know about the cultists, sacrifices won't be a problem. Other than that some specific ritual energy balancing focus is required. I had an extremely good one - obviously for other purposes than demon summoning – but during the cultist attack they stole it.”

“How did they do that?” Derek asked curiously. “They never got this far. They were interested in completely other things.”

“Was this related to your escape attempt?” Krasnjar said knowingly.

“Oh, I didn't give it to them willingly, of course!” Nosran said quickly. “As I was trying to escape they noticed me and I had to throw my things at them to escape!”

“They liked your gift!” Fosthar said happily and clapped his hands together and took a few crude dance steps. “Opened the way for you from under the rock. You were happy. They were happy. They didn't paint you red. They liked your gift so much they asked for more, but thats rude. Gifts are given, not asked for. You still agreed because you are so nice. You have interesting stories here. I like them. I want to read the story about things that are made to come up, but don't want to come up! You have many stories about them. Good thing you didn't give those as gifts. They would have been painted red. Lots of red. I don't like red that much.”

Nosran was again feeling quite uneasy, but this time Derek and Krasnjar didn't say anything. I'm fairly sure they noticed it, though.

“What was this item?”, I asked. “Maybe they already absorbed whatever power was in it when Zariath damned himself to eat dirt for all eternity.”

“I found it when I went deeper caves to find some gems and ores for my studies”, Nosran said. “I happened to find a hidden stash of things while at it. The focus was only thing worth in there...”

“Like the story books too that you found!” Fosthar shouted in between. “The ones that told about the things in the deep!”

“... as I was saying”, Nosran continued trying to ignore Fosthar. “It was a scepter with gems embedded in it and had some golden glyphs on the handle and the tip completely made out of it. That is what I remember. I never thought to make proper description of it.”

“I'm surprised you didn't sell it”, Derek said. “With that sort of description it was clearly valluable.”

“Knowledge is worth more than gold”, Nosran said. “The stash had been there clearly for a long time and no one had come for it so I decided to take it and study it. Just curiosity.”

Then about at that point we got extremely lucky.

Suddenly we heard knocks on the door. We all turned around. More knocks.

“Who is it!” Nosran quickly shouted. “I don't have time now! Go away!”

“We didn't expect anyone”, Krasnjar whispered.

Louder knocks on the door.

“It is the story reader! The one who paints walls red!” Fosthar started suddenly screaming. It actually looked like he shimmered a bit and became harder to see. “I don't want get red!”

“Let me handle this”, I said and disguised myself as Nosran.

“What is it Chaz?” Derek said. “Don't be hasty it could be anyone. Nosran tends to have visitors that request his more creative magics.”

“Fosthar says otherwise”, I said. “Ungh... I have never disguised myself as dwarf before. I feel dirty. I need to wash myself afterwards.”

Nosran was making his way into the room next to us and was apparently trying to get some hidden door open. Derek and Krasnjar stopped him, but decided to protect him instead. They nodded me to do my thing.

“Coming”, I shouted and pretended to be Nosran. “Don't break my door.”

The beating on the door stopped and I walked to the door, unlocked its many locks and opened it. It was a hooded human waiting behind the door. I wondered how he had been able to do all the things he had done without being found. Such knowledge would help Red Hand infiltrate our own people in Syvku. My thought process was interrupted quite soon, though. The human lunged forwards and punched my face... or at least tried. I think Nosran would have gone down, but I just took the punch that didn't even hurt at all and grabbed the hand. I then threw the man in middle of the room and transformed back to elf form.

“Now what do we have here”, I said and stepped quite hard on the mans leg and crushed the bone in it. The human did have some discipline as he didn't scream. “You seem to be involved in some rather interesting stuff. I don't know, if you are some sort of cultist, but trust me I have made cultists talk before.”

After saying that I gave the man a wide smile. While this Filno came to the opposite side of me and casually broke the mans arm just like I had done to the leg. It is a good way to incapacitate humans to break their limbs. The human was still being silent, but seemed like he was weighing his options. He didn't seem like a crazy cultist, but someone who planned things. We had not been in his plans.

“Derek, would you let us handle this”, Filno said. “We'll make him talk quicker than you can. Surely you don't mind after what he has done around here in Syvku. Cultist or not.”

“Yeah, I can keep him alive as we flay him or something”, I added. “We get what we want and what you want quickly and then you can hand him over to whatever interrogators you dwarves have who can then pull rest of it out while we continue following the leads.”

“Chaz, I'd take that as last option”, Krasnjar said. “I'm sure you don't agree, but torturing doesn't always give the most accurate information.”

“Surely you are joking, but regardless, all we need to know who he works for”, I told Krasnjar. “We don't need specifics.”

I pulled my personal knife out and Filno prepared some interesting spells. Before we had time to do anything the human actually broke the silence. He had probably connected my name to the rest of the stuff about me.

“You... you are the prophet of blasphemy!” Babbled the human at me. “The one the heretics call Lifebringer! BLOOD IS STRONGER!”

At that point he pulled something out of his pocket with his other arm that was not crushed. I don't know what it was, but I wasn't going to find out. I quickly grabbed whatever it was and tore it from his hands and threw away trough the door outside. Soon after explosion shook the house and blast knocked Filno and me off our feet. Derek and Krasnjar had been hiding further away and I don't think they would have been even fazed by it had they been closer.

“Fuck, that does it!” I shouted and broke the other arm too and the other leg too. “You won't run away anymore and can't pop those things anymore from your pockets.”

“I WON'T TALK!” The cultist screamed.

Filno was quicker than me and quickly punched him right in the face and took off most of the cultists teeth. The crazy fuck had almost bitten off his tongue. Without teeth, he wasn't going to do it anymore.

“I hate cultists”, Filno muttered. “Weren't they all killed already, damn it?”

Just as I was about to start torturing that bastard Derek and Krasnjar came to ruin all the fun.

“I told you Chaz”, Derek said. “We are going to handle this. You have been asking to get away from here all the time and, you know what, you can go now. This is starting to be the sort of stuff we don't want you to get involved with. You probably have lot of business at Ponde and some elves at Shan'lah that you haven't conned yet.”

“Fuck you Derek”, I told him angrily. “First you drag us here. We ask you to let us go. Then you find out it wasn't us. We ask again for you to let us go. Then you drag us here, because you didn't believe us or something? Now that things get interesting, you want us to go?”

“We are sure now that you were not involved initially”, Krasnjar said. “We would like to end your involvement here. Consider that this was a mission and we were your employers. Well, the mission ended and we are satisfied.”

“Fuck you too Krasnjar”, I said.

“*I think they are going to make us leave, if we don't do so ourselves*”, Filno said. “*We know enough. Maybe we can find information about these demons and demon summoning at Ponde, if we can dodge Thobias. Maybe even find something in Shan'lah.*”

“*Also maybe, if it is just dwarves*”, I added. “*I doubt it, but maybe they let us have some basic information at Crystalfire. The vault surely has knowledge about this stuff, but they won't let us see that, but maybe since we have reason to prevent cultists doing it, they may let us see some minor things about it.*”

“*We can always try, though I don't want to have Quantras mess with us again*”, Filno added. “*If we come telling them these things, they will at least get interested about it and we may be able to learn just  by observing that.*”

“Fine, you dirjuys can go fuck yourselves”, I said and turned around.

I did get punched for that, but it so was worth it.