PATHFINDER: ERA OF THE LOST OMENS

Chapter 7 - Glass and Wrath

oooooooooo

"Join us, Ameiko! Together, we will take revenge on Sandpoint... And then go even further! It is time for us to show what we're all about!"

These were Tsuto's words to her, without a hint of them being a joke or an exaggeration. For Ameiko, it was a true gut punch. Was... was what she was hearing the truth? Tsuto... was he talking about getting revenge on Sandpoint? She knew that her half-brother certainly did not have much love for Sandpoint, what with all the difficulties he had faced there since he was a child. But she thought that the time he had spent away from home in Magnimar, trying to build a new life from himself, had at least calmed his desire for revenge and convinced him to seek another way to redeem himself from his past.

But here was Tsuto, laying bare all the resentment and anger he had accumulated over the years, talking about getting revenge on the entire town. Ameiko realized that something in her half-brother had changed forever-perhaps even before that ill-fated last confrontation where he had struck her in anger...

Ameiko nervously shook her head. "No. Tsuto, you cannot ask me that!" she answered, trying to sound more confident than she actually was.
Tsuto did not seem to immediately grasp what his half-sister had said. That creepily affable smile remained on his face, and the half-elf continued to reach out his hand towards Ameiko. For a few seconds, he did not speak... then, as realization dawned upon him, Tsuto frowned a little. "No? Ameiko, my dear sister... maybe I wasn't clear enough. We now have have our greatest chance to get our well-deserved revenge on Sandpoint! It is thanks to them that my childhood sucked - and they don't even respect you! To them, we were always the Kajitsu, the outsiders! And now that we have the opportunity to get back at them... why should we not take it?"

"No, Tsuto! Whatever you're saying, this is just what you are thinking!" Ameiko exclaimed, hoping to bring her half-brother to his senses. "Yeah, I admit that there have been moments when I resented those people singling us out as different... but it's not true that the people of Sandpoint hate us! I managed to make a life for myself there! Sure, it's not perfect, but what in this world is? I'm sure that if you tried to fit in, you'd end up liking Sandpoint too! "

"What... what are you saying, sister? I... I don't understand!" Tsuto continued. The half-elf outlaw was beginning to lose his temper. "That ridiculous little town means nothing to us! Nualia will offer us so much more! We will become powerful! Everyone will have to fear and respect us! And those fools in Sandpoint will finally pay for everything they have done to us! Why should you care about that miserable jumble of houses?"

"Because Sandpoint is also the town that has learned to accept me for who I am, for better or worse!" Ameiko replied promptly. "And you... you cannot wish for all of Sandpoint to be wiped out... just because you are still angry about what happened so long ago!"

"I can't? You're saying I can't?" Tsuto growled, with such anger that even Ameiko recoiled back a step, intimidated by her half-brother's tune. "So you're saying that you're betraying me too, sister? That you would rather give up and live along with those vermin than get your revenge for the wrongs you have suffered?"

Ameiko regained confidence and angrily fired back at Tsuto. "Get what revenge, Tsuto? And on people who have had nothing to do with what we suffered? I thought you were wiser than that, Tsuto!" she exclaimed. "Can't you see that you're talking about destroying an entire town... just because you can't put the past behind you? All those people who live in Sandpoint and struggle every day to get by... would you really throw all that away just for your petty satisfaction?"

Tsuto looked down at the floor, and a shadow of dark rage crossed his face. "I thought... I thought you would understand, Ameiko. I thought you were on my side. But now I can see that you are like everyone else. And to think I went as far as to ask Nualia to spare you. But if this is what you want... then you leave me no choice."

With a lightning-fast sprint, Tsuto covered the short distance that separated him from his half-sister and tried to strike her with a punch to the solar plexus. But despite his quick and unexpected attack, Ameiko managed to throw herself to the side and avoid the blow, thanks to the experience gained from her time spent as an adventurer. The young woman picked up a stool - the first thing that she could use as a weapon - and used it to defend herself from the next blow, which missed her by a wide margin. But Tsuto, ruled by his anger and desire for revenge, continued his assault and tried to strike his half-sister in the face. Once again, Ameiko reacted promptly and used her stool to parry the blow, but the improvised weapon fell apart under the half-elf's blows. With a swift gesture, Ameiko hurled what was left of the stool at her half-brother, and Tsuto was forced to cover his face, in order to stop the wood splinters from going into his eyes. Now that she finally had some breathing room, Ameiko stepped back and tried to reach the door...

"Tsuto, I don't... Aaaaargh!" Her words ended in a cry of pain when something sharp pierced her lower back, and the young innkeeper staggered forward and turned sharply to her back. A snickering goblin had popped out of seemingly nowhere, holding a broken bottle whose tips were not dripping with blood - her blood. More goblins were surrounding her, armed with sticks and iron pokers... and Ameiko grit her teeth and grabbed one of the stool legs, hoping to use it as a makeshift stick. "Ugh...dammit, Tsuto... so... it was you... who sent the goblins against Sandpoint, huh? You really decided... to become an enemy of Sandpoint!"

"Sandpoint has been my enemy all along. This is just desserts for what they have done to me." the half-elf coldly replied. "That's just too bad, Ameiko. Believe me, I really wanted you to join us. It was no lie. We would have done great things together. Varisia would have been ours for the taking. But you foolishly chose to stand with those idiots who hated and mocked us. Too bad for you. Nualia will know what to do with you. Go ahead, goblins. Take her... alive, mind you."

"Right away, boss!" the goblin at the head of the group snickered, advancing menacingly toward Ameiko.

"Stop this at once, Tsuto... ugh!" Ameiko exclaimed. One of the goblins lunged at her, trying to overpower her, but the girl defended herself tenaciously, striking the little monster in the face with her improvised club. "It's not yet too late! Surrender and turn yourself in to the authorities! You can still change your ways!"

"No, that's impossible now. I have already decided that I will have my revenge on Sandpoint, and nothing can change that!" Tsuto replied, looking coldly at his goblins rushing Ameiko. The girl managed to defend herself with surprising skill, and the first few goblins were hit and knocked to the ground... but the goblins' numbers were overwhelming, and Ameiko soon found herself overpowered by the snickering little humanoids, who began to club and punch her. "Sorry, Ameiko, but know that you are the one who made me do this."

Ameiko desperately tried to free herself, but her earlier wound and the blows she had taken from the goblins had sapped her strength, and the girl ended up on the ground and unconscious after a few moments of struggle. The goblins, somewhat reluctantly, halted their attack so as not to risk killing her... then, they grabbed a few ropes and began to bind her wrists and ankles, so as to prevent her from moving the moment she woke up.

"We tie her up, boss! We take to white hair pretty lady now?" a blue-skinned goblin wearing a red bandana and a pair of green pants asked.

To the goblins' surprise, Tsuto shook his head. "No, not right away. I'm pretty sure that bunch of oafs defending that cesspool of a town will eventually come and try to rescue my half-sister. We'll take advantage of that and spring a trap on them. Nualia will be very impressed when I bring her their heads!" the outlaw stated, adjusting some arrows in his quiver. "Rather, two of you should go down to the catacombs and convince Erylium to show up. Or, if she really can't do that, ask her to at least send us Koruvus or two of her sinspawn."

"Ko... Koruvus?" one of the goblins murmured fearfully. "Er... yes... yes, of course, boss! We do it now! No punishment, please!"

Two goblins hurried to a nearby room, and Tsuto turned to the rest of the goblins. "And you, go back to your hiding places, and wait for dawn. The workers will arrive in a few hours - and we can start with them."

This was an order that most of the goblins had not the slightest hesitation in complying with, and many of the vile little green creatures hurried to find a new hiding place to await the return of the "longshanks"...

oooooooooo

On that particular morning, the Rusty Dragon Inn felt strangely quiet.

Or at least, that was what Yan thought as he got dressed and went downstairs to reunite with his new traveling companions. As he thought, his friend Reji was already up and dressed, and she was practicing and trying some shadowboxing in the midst of the large dining room. Eli was already up too, sitting at a separate table and studying her spellbook.

"Good morning, girls." the young warrior greeted, before he stretched and ran a hand over his face in order to fully wake up. "Is it just me, or ithe Rusty Dragon feels a little empty?"

"Hello, Yan..." said Reji, interrupting her exercises. "Nah, it's not just you. I didn't see Ameiko this morning. Maybe she was tired from last night and wanted to rest a little longer."

"Guess we can't really blame her. I mean, being a tavern owner is not the most relaxing job there is," Eli affirmed, diverting her attention from her spellbook for a moment. Then, she went back to her studying, carefully opening her book at the page where she had left at. That See Invisibility spell she was looking at appeared to be very useful.

"Right, right," Yan admitted. "It's just that... well, we haven't been here very long, but I remember Ameiko has always been diligent, and she always got up very early. I hope she is doing okay, that's all."

"Ameiko hasn't gotten up yet?" Shalelu asked, appearing from upstairs with Aldern, Misia and Jolan close nearby. Now that the party had gathered, they thought it would be just a matter of time before the innkeeper arrived, perhaps bringing with her some of her culinary inventions.

"No, she hasn't. And we thought it was a little unusual." Yan replied, sitting down at a table and motioning Reji to sit with him. "I guess she's just sleeping a little late, and she'll be here soon enough."

The elven huntress shook her head. "Hmm... I don't think so, I'm afraid," she said, joining Yan, Reji and Eli in the hall. "She has always been very punctual when it comes to the Rusty Dragon. She always gets up very early to prepare breakfast for her customers and run her inn. That she is still not up and about at this time is... strange, to say the least."

"That is true," Aldern replied. "Miss Ameiko has always been very meticulous is handling her business. I do hope she is doing well."

"Not to sound pessimistic or anything, but... I have this uneasy feeling that something has gone wrong." Jolan continued. "Let's wait for her to arrive for a while... and then, I think we should actually start looking for her."

Already a bit tense for the happenings around Sandpoint, the party sat down at the table and began to wait. Less than a minute later, a short, wizened white-haired figure came briskly by, carrying a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. Reji turned to the newcomer, and immediately recognized her as Bethana, Ameiko's elderly halfling maid.

"Gentlemen?" the elderly woman asked, joining the group at the table and politely raising a hand. "I apologize for the disturbance, but... I found this letter in Miss Ameiko's room, and after reading it... I realized she might have gone off on her own to deal with some personal issues. I'm-I'm afraid she might be in danger, though..."

Shalelu was the first to turn her full attention to Bethana, and could not hide some anxietywhen she spoke . "Oh, it's you, Beth... Indeed, we were wondering where Miss Ameiko was... what happened, where did she go?"

"Why do you think she might be in danger?" Misia asked in genuine concern. "And... what about that letter? What does it say?"

Bethana handed the letter to the young monk. "It's written in the Tian language. And... aside from myself and Miss Ameiko, only Mr. Lonjiku knows this language here in Sandpoint." the old woman answered. "Or rather, there is actually another person... Miss Reji, would you please take a look at this letter and read it?"

"What? Is there anyone else around here who understands Tian?" Reji asked as she received the letter from the halfling maid's hands. The young monk began to carefully read what was written and translate it for the rest of the party...

Hello, sis!
I hope this letter finds you well, and with some free time on your hands, because we've got something of a problem. It's to do with father. Seems that he might have had something to do with Sandpoint's recent troubles with the goblins, and I didn't want to bring the matter to the authorities because we both know he'd just weasel his way out of it. You've got some pull here in town, though. If you can meet me at the Glassworks at midnight tonight, maybe we can figure out how to make sure he faces the punishment he deserves. Knock twice and then three times more and then once more at the delivery entrance and I'll let you in.
In any case, I don't have to impress upon you the delicate nature of this request. If news got out, you know these local rubes would assume that you and I were in on the whole thing too, don't you? They've got no honor at all around these parts. I still don't understand how you can stand to stay here.
Anyway, don't tell anyone about this. There are other complications as well, ones I'd rather talk to you in person about tonight.
Don't be late.
Tsuto

Reji stood stunned for a moment as she finished reading, while Shalelu took an uneasy expression. "What? Ameiko has a brother? I had no idea..." the young monk asked, furrowing her brow.

Jolan rubbed the back of his head in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. He hadn't said anything about that because he knew that this was a fairly sensitive subject for Ameiko... but now the cat was out of the bag. "Yes, she does. Although it would be more accurate to say he is a half-brother," the halfling explained with a sigh. "Tsuto was born about a year before Ameiko... and he was cause for scandal, since he is an half-elf."

"Mr. Lonjiku is certainly not an elf... and neither was his late wife," Bethana continued with a vaguely embarrassed expression. "It was all too obvious from the beginning that Mr. Lonjiku was not the child's father, and his ire over his wife's infidelity became Sandpoint's gossip for several months-and Mrs. Atsuii, Mr. Lonjiku's wife, never revealed who Tsuto's real father was."

"And they stayed married?" asked Yan, both impressed and amazed. "Gee... that Lonjiku guy sure is a stubborn fellow."

"It was mostly because a divorce at that point would have meant dishonor on the family name," Jolan replied with a shrug. "Be that as it may, Tsuto was sent to a private school so that he would grow up away from his stepfather's eyes, and Ameiko only learned of his existence when she turned 10."

"From then on, she began visiting Tsuto at least three times a month, to bring him food and company, and to reassure him that everything would be okay," Bethana continued. "It went on like that for several years, until one day, when Ameiko was seventeen, she and Tsuto had a quarrel. I don't know exactly what happened... but that was when Miss Ameiko decided to become an adventurer and move away from Sandpoint."

This time it was Shalelu's turn to speak. "Ameiko returned to Sandpoint a year later, for her mother's funeral," she continued. "And Tsuto was with her... and he was particularly insistent in asserting that his mother Atsuii had been killed, tossed off a cliff by her husband to avenge the dishonor he had suffered."

Misia shook her head. "I knew that Lonjiku guy was a jerk... but to go that far for some stupid 'honor'?"

"Lonjiku reacted violently and beat Tsuto to near death. Tsuto was saved with healing magics... and as soon as he recovered, he cursed Lonjiku and left Sandpoint." Bethana continued the story. "Miss Ameiko often tried to contact him again, but was never successful... and now, Tsuto shows up here in Sandpoint again? I... I'm afraid he might have something terrible on his mind... and I wouldn't put it past him to turn on Miss Ameiko."

"And Sheriff Hemlock has left for Magnimar," Shalelu stated. "That means we are the only ones here in Sandpoint who can do anything about this."

"In that case... I think the best thing to do is to pay a visit to Mr. Lonjiku's glassworks. That's where Mr. Tsuto established his appointment with Miss Ameiko, after all," Aldern asserted. "However... I regret to inform you that I will not be able to join you. Though I will pray for a positive outcome to this situation, I would be of no help if matters degenerated into violence."

"It's okay, Mr. Aldern. We will take care of this matter." Reji answered with a bright smile. "Eli, you are basically the leader among us. You call the shots here."

Proud to be recognized as the leader of the group, Eli adjusted her glasses and replied without hesitation. "Good. As Lord Foxglove suggested, I think the first thing to do is to go to the glassworks. If nothing else, at least we could find clues and know where to look next. Come on, let's get ready. Every moment we waste here is a moment where Ameiko might be in trouble."

"Right away!" Yan replied promptly, putting his worries completely aside. "Let's go to the glassworks and find out what's going on with Ameiko, as soon as possible!"

Aldern Foxglove watched with some pride as the party gathered their gear and prepared to head to the glassworks, concerned with one of Sandpoint's most popular citizens. They were indeed a close-knit group, even though they had only recently formed, and Aldern had to admit that he felt a certain envy at seeing them so united. If only he had met people like them long ago...

Aldern smiled bitterly to himself. Spending time with them, especially with that young, determined and spirited Tian young woman, had been pleasant. But now that he had enjoyed himself enough, it was time to try and find a solution to his own issues...

Within minutes, Yan and his companions were ready to leave. Reji adjusted her backpack and was about to join the rest of the party outside the inn... when she heard Aldern calling to her.

"Excuse me, Miss Reji... may I have a moment of your time, before you depart? There is something I would very much like you to have. I have no idea when I shall be able to return to this fine little town, so... I believe now might be the only chance in a while."

"Oh... Is... that so?" An unusually nervous Reji stood waiting as Aldern hesitated for a few moments... and finally, after working up some courage, gently placed something in the palm of her hand. The young Tian girl looked at her gift, eyes wide in surprise: a silver brooch, forged in the shape of a five-petaled flower. "Ah... Mr. Aldern, this is..." the girl stammered, clearly impressed and moved by the gift.

"Let us say, this is a little memento for you. After I make my return to Sandpoint, I hope we will get the chance to spend more time together." Aldern replied, smiling nervously. "And I must thank you for all the good memories we were able to make."

Reji smiled joyfully. "And we will make even better memories later, Mr. Aldern, as soon as Sandpoint is safe and we've sent Lamashtu's worshipers packing!" she exclaimed. "For now... we'll go fetch Miss Ameiko and find out how things stand with that half-brother of hers!"

"In that case, I wish you all the best of luck." Aldern replied with a nod. Yan and the rest of the party turned back before leaving the Rusty Dragon and reassured Aldern and Bethana that everything would be alright.

"We will not need luck," Shalelu stated. "We will be able to find Ameiko and return here with her safe and sound."

"Wait for us. Rest assured that we will make it." Yan concluded. "Okay... Jolan, the glassworks is still in the same building, right?"

The halfling guide confirmed with a nod of his head. "Certainly. Follow me, I'll take you there."

oooooooooo

The Sandpoint Glassworks seemed to be working full swing when Yan and his companions got there, judging by the clouds of smoke billowing from the chimneys, which indicated that the furnaces used to blow and shape glass were lit. However, it was plain to the adventuring party that something was out of place: there was a fairly substantial crowd around the gray stone building, whose doors and windows were closed and barred. Some Sandpoint residents were impatiently hovering around the glassworks, talking amongst themselves about what was going on.

"The glassworks... is closed?" Misia asked in obvious suspicion. "I see that people are working inside, though... what's going on here?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. It should be open by now..." Jolan replied, rubbing his chin. The halfling turned to one of the peoople listlessly waiting by the entrance. "Excuse me... do you happen to know what's going on here? I mean, why the glassworks is closed?"

"No, and our patience is wearing thin by now. We saw the workers come in early this morning, but then one of them closed the door behind him, saying that they needed to get everything in place before they opened. But it's been too long since then." the man replied, and then glanced at the clouds of smoke coming from the glassworks' chimneys. "Maybe Mr. Lonjiku wants to surprise us and temporarily had the glassworks closed it so as not to spoil it, but ... I don't know, it seems really strange to me."

"Yes, very strange indeed," Shalelu said. The elven huntress and Yan went ahead of the party, their suspicions growing with every step. Something wasn't right about this, and they wanted to find out what it was - hoping it wasn't too late already. "Sir, have you by any chance seen Miss Ameiko around here? She wasn't at the Rusty Dragon this morning."

A young woman standing nearby blinked in surprise. "What? You say... Miss Ameiko is in there?" she asked. "That's not like her at all! What... what's going on?"

"Probably something you wouldn't like, people..." Yan answered, his bad feeling growing with every passing second. "Listen - my companions and I, along with Miss Shalelu, have reason to believe that something very wrong is going on in the glassworks."

"We would need to go in there and investigate. And that means we would have to enter by picking the lock on the entrance." stated Misia. "I know this is a difficult request, but... we need to ask you to let us in, and check if Miss Ameiko and the workers are in danger."

"What?" one of the people exclaimed, alarmed about the news but still not completely trusting the newcomers. "Hey, wait a minute! What are you trying to pull here? Are you pulling our legas or something? You want to go in there and steal something, don't you?"

"It's a trick, isn't it?" the woman from before continued. Some party members recoiled at the Sandpoint residents getting aggressive, but Misia remained in place and tried to explain their reasoning.

"We're not trying to pull anything, gentlemen. We are really afraid that Miss Ameiko might be in trouble," Misia replied. "I understand that our manners seem suspicious, but we need you to trust us. After all... we did save you from the goblins, right? Besides, we won't be alone - Miss Shalelu will accompany us, in case you need some extra assurance."

Shalelu nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can make sure they don't try anything strange," she affirmed unhesitatingly. "And anyway, there will be no need to be suspicious of them. They are all trustworthy people, and we have evidence that Ameiko might be getting in trouble."

As much as the adventurers' request sounded suspicious, the people of Sandpoint all respected and trusted Shalelu. After a few moments, the crowd somewhat reluctantly broke up, and Jolan went to examine the lock that blocked the entrance to the glassworks.

After examining the mechanism for several moments, the halfling pulled out a lockpick and similar burglary tools from an inner pocket and set to work, the lock giving out after several seconds spent on it. Carefully, Eli and Misia opened the doors and allowed the party to enter. Shalelu prepared herself, stringing an arrow in her bow. "Okay, peoople - you stay here, and do not come in, under any circumstance. It could be really dangerous."

"Good luck..." Yan heard a whisper from one of those present. The young man smiled and nodded in assent, then followed the rest of the party as they stepped into the glassworks, with Shalelu and Reji leading the way.

And just as the party entered the place, it was plain clear that something was very wrong.

While from the outside it might look like the glasswork was in business, the interior of the building seemed awfully quiet and desolate. And as they progressed, the adventurers began coming across obvious signs of struggle: at first it was overturned tables and shattered glass... but as soon as they reached the innermost rooms, they began to see bloodstains and obvious signs of weapons - bloody daggers abandoned on the floor, shattered sticks, and even a table hacked to pieces...

"What... what the heck happened here?" Eli whispered. She had to hold a hand in front of her mouth when she saw something horrific lying on the floor - a calloused hand, separated from the rest of the body it belonged to, was lying half-eaten in a small pool of congealed blood, a sight that brought all-too-fresh memories back to her mind.

"Eli!" Misia quickly went to assistt her companion as she staggered and laid her back to the nearest wall, her eyes still affixed to the amputated hand.

Reji widened her eyes at that sight as well. "Blackfingers' breath..." she murmured.

"That... that's..." the half-elven wizard stammered, her usually collected demeanor giving way to shock and disgust. "I... I'll be okay, Misia. Let's... let's not waste any more time... we need... we need to get to the bottom of this..."

"Okay, but please don't push yourself." Yan reccomended. He gave the dismembered hand a look, shuddered in horror and began following Shalelu and Reji once again. Soon, as the group reached a long corridor leading to the glass-blowing chamber, they began to hear shouts and high-pitched giggles coming from it - goblins, without a shadow of a doubt.

Shalelu grit her teeth. "That's what happened, Eli." the huntress answered, her bow ready to shoot as Reji flattened herself against a wall to advance stealthily, and Yan silently drew his sword. "There are goblins here. Either Ameiko and Tsuto have been attacked... or worse yet..." she stopped, hinting at the terrifying alternative.

"Tsuto hates Sandpoint, right?" whispered Misia. "You're saying that... he may have been the one who led the goblins here to capture his sister..."

Yan furrowed his brow as the group reached the furnace chamber doors and prepared to barge in. "In fact, that goblin... Tup, was it? He did mention an half-elf among those who command the goblins..." the young man stated, trying not to think about further implications of what Tup had revealed. "It might just be this Tsuto, for what we know..."

"We'll see soon enough..." replied Reji. "Okay, everyone... time to see what's going on. On my mark... one... two... aaaand three!"

After a brief pause, the young monk swiftly kicked the door open, and the party quickly burst into the large furnace room... only to be confronted by a chilling sight!

The glass processing room was occupied by a furnace leaning against the wall to the left of the team, with marble tables placed at regular intervals all around, and wooden tables on which tools, reagents and ingredients had been placed. On the ground lay the mangled bodies of no less than eight men, each missing one or more limbs or body parts - all thanks to a numerous raiding party of goblins who were fiddling with the corpses, amusing themselves by cutting off parts and throwing them into the furnace. Other goblins were sitting around a corpse, horrifically feasting on human flesh... and there was another corpse sitting on a chair, placed in an alcove in the center of the room and covered with dense rivulets of now-hardened glass, like some kind of macabre monument. For a moment, Yan had a chance to get a better look at the body - and realized that it was the lifeless body of Lonjiku Kaijitsu, who had evidently fallen victim to his illegitimate son's vengeance.

But there was no time to be shocked. Shalelu acted with incredible swiftness and fired an arrow from her bow, piercing a goblin as the latter stood up in alarm and brandished his dogslicer. Another goblin screeched with hatred and picked up pieces of shattered glass, then hurled them at the elf, who defended herself by stepping back, then shooting another arrow that went through the green runt's throat.

"There they are! That's why we saw all that smoke! Those little bastards are burning the corpses!" Reji exclaimed.

Bursting in a cacophony of hysterical shrieks, the goblins gathered their weapons and leapt forward to attack... and the young monk immediately had to deal with one of them trying to pierce her heart with his serrated dagger. Reji reacted swiftly and avoided the blade, which nevertheless carved a shallow wound in her left arm... then, she struck the goblin's neck with a roundabout kick, snapping it like a dry branch! Another goblin lunged at Yan, who defended himself using his shield... then sprinted forward and pushed the goblin toward the furnace!

"You goblins like fire, don't you?" Yan growled. "Take your damn fill!"

The fighter delivered a powerful kick to the goblin, lifting the green creature off the ground and sending him straight into the furnace, where he screeched as his flesh burned. Eli and Misia joined in the battle, each of them shooting a quarrel from their crossbows, while Jolan unsheathed one of his daggers and threw it at a goblin who was trying to blindside Reji, striking him with pinpoint accuracy.

"Aaaaah! They be longshanks from before!" A seemingly-smarter goblin suddenly screeched. "Run away! Call boss!"

Yan grit his teeth and parried a slash from another goblin's horsechopper, then retaliated with a top-down slash that dropped the goblin. For a moment, he was tempted to chase after the fleeing goblin and skewer him as well... but then, he thought that perhaps it would be better to confront the "boss" in a place like that room, which offered greater mobility, and he retreated to protect his comrades. Shalelu shot another arrow, nailing another goblin before it could stab Jolan in the side... and Reji delivered a powerful top-down kick to another goblin who seemed to be about to stab her. There was a sickening crack as the goblin's skull gave, and the green menace fell, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.

The other goblins had already left the fight and were running away to get their leader...

oooooooooo

Tsuto took a deep swig from his flask of liquor and carelessly tossed the now-empty container into a as he began hearing numeroud high-pitched voices, all of them with a distinctly perceptible accent of panic, calling to him. Just a few seconds later, his goblins burst into the room, the door thrown open with a dull thud, and the half-elf outlaw grunted and ran a hand over his face, getting up from his table.

"Boss! Booooooss!" the goblin leading the group screeched. "They be here! Longshanks who were in Sandpoint!"

"Yes, yes... it's all just as I predicted, so stop shrieking like an eagle." Tsuto replied. With a boldness born partly of fatalism, the half-elf picked up his bow, checked the arrows in his quiver, and nodded to someone standing at the side of the table. "Okay, the time has come. Come on, you two. There's finally some blood to be shed."

The puzzled goblins looked to where Tsuto had turned... and soon after, they were stunned to see the two creatures standing at their boss' side, both of them humanoid in features but utterly inhuman in appearance! Two terrifying monsters, just a few inches taller than a human, with slender but muscular limbs, covered in a waxy, sickening whitish skin, razor-sharp claws on their hands and feet, and dressed in stinking rags - but the most horrifying part was undoubtedly their head, from which two round red eyes glared with hatred at the world around them. A nightmarish mouth yawned open in their faces, the lower jaw further splitting into two smaller jaws, all armed with sharp, yellowish teeth, and a hideous, muscular tongue darting greedily in and out. All in all, it made their mouths look like some sort of obscene red flower.

"Graaaaaah, at last! We want to feel the blood splashing all over us!" the first of the two monstrosities growled, eyeing the goblins eagerly as if it was planning to slake its bloodlust on them. Its voice was just as terrifying as his appearance, for it sounded as if something was constantly scratching at the walls of its throat, giving it a harsh, menacing sound. Tsuto, however, was unfazed by either the creature's voice and its hideous appearance, and merely sneered sinisterly.

"You will get your chance right now. We've going to tear apart those worms that turned my sister against me."

oooooooooo

"Look out! Two more up there!" Shalelu exclaimed as she saw something moving on a small walkway at the top of the furnace hall. Two goblins had made it that far, and one of them had immediately hurled an empty bottle at the group, which Eli managed to avoid by just a few inches by jumping to the side. The bottle shattered on the floor, and its pieces scattered all around as the young wizard raised her crossbow and fired a quarrel at the offending goblin. The green-skinned humanoid deftly dodged the projectile, which embedded itself in the wall behind him, and climbed onto the railing to sneer at the party.

"Hahaha! Longshank aim like crap!" he snickered, then pulled out a knife and threw it at the wizard. The other goblin grabbed a toolbox and hurled it at the party, but Eli managed to avoid the attack by quickly jumping back.

"Yeah, well, you could stand to aim better, too!" the half-elven young woman exclaimed. Shalelu deftly responded with an arrow that pierced the first goblin's left arm, causing him to shriek and flee in pain.

Reji grabbed a leather sling from her belt, placed a bullet in it and hurled it at the other goblin, striking him in the side. It was not a lethal blow, but certainly a painful one, and the startled goblins retreated, just as Yan became aware of something coming in from the direction in which the other goblins had fled.

"Okay, I think the big boss is coming!" the young man exclaimed. A sense of foreboding warned him of impending danger... and the boy raised his shield out of instinct, which saved his life when an arrow flew into the room from the hallway and plunged with a loud clang into his protection! It had enough force behind it to force Yan to take two steps back. "Ugh... boy, talk about coming in with a bang!"

"Welcome to the glassworks, you bunch of suckers." the clear, sarcastic voice of Tsuto Kaijitsu greeted them. The half-elf appeared on the threshold and entered the room, his bow in his hands and already pointed at the adventuring party. Behind him, there were still a few snickering goblins... but what surprised and alarmed the adventuring party most of all were those two disgusting humanoids with whitish skin and hideous multi-jawed mouths trudging ravenously behind the half-elf, staring at Yan and his friends as if they couldn't wait to leap at the adventurers and tear their flesh off! "So you are the ones who stopped my goblins at Sandpoint. Oh, and you brought my sister's little elven friend with you, too. How nice of you." He nodded to Shalelu , and the elven huntress frowned in obvious disgust.

Yan, for his part, was too focused on those two obscene creatures accompanying Tsuto. The young man had already seen a variety of monsters in his travels... but those were the most disgusting and disturbing creatures he had ever laid eyes upon! The whitish skin, the monstrous mouth with that long slimy tongue, the glowing red eyes that seemed to burn with bloodlust... there was something strange and frightening about those two... things. Something the goblins didn't have. Maybe goblins could be repulsive in appearance, but they still felt like natural creatures. Those two monstrosities standing on their hind legs, scratching the ground with their claws and grinning from overly long jaws... they looked totally out of place, things that should never have existed!

"What... what the Hell are... those... those things?" Yan muttered in disgust. One of the two creatures glanced back at him and snickered cruelly, clearly eager to spill his blood. "You... you are Tsuto, aren't you? Tsuto Kaijitsu?"

None of them were as shocked as Misia and Eli, who were staring at the two monsters accompanying Tsuto as if they had seen a ghost - and in some ways, they really had! "Desna weeps, that's not possible..." Misia gasped. "Those... those are... sinspawn!"

"What? Sinpawn?" Yan exclaimed.

"And what on Golarion are they? I've never heard of them!" Reji replied, already on her guard.

Unfortunately, Tsuto did not seem in the mood to explain. "You recognized them, huh? Sadly, those who are about to die don't need answers." he replied with an arrogant grin. He pointed to the adventuring party, and nodded to those hideous parodies of humanity. "Tear them to pieces. But make sure to keep two of them alive. We will take them to our lady for them to be sacrificed to Lamashtu!"

"Sacrificed to Lamashtu, huh? So it was true - there are demonic cults around here!" Jolan exclaimed. "Besides, who is this leader of yours?"

Tsuto shrugged. "As I have already said, this information will be of no use to you in the afterlife," he affirmed. "Come on, sinspawn... make short work of them!"

The two humanoid monsters opened their monstrous mouths in an atrocious cry of jubilation, and leapt to attack with cruel enthusiasm as the party prepared to respond...

oooooooooo

TO BE CONTINUED...