15th Day of Goodmonth, 565 CY
The Dockyards, Willip, Furyondy
Aslan continued to ponder as he walked through the early morning streets alongside LaSalle Main, the Lord Mayor of Willip.
I hope coming here was a good idea.
It certainly hadn't been planned. After leaving Tojo with an acolyte of the Valorous Church in Chendl, Aslan had retired to the guest quarters in the Royal Palace that had been prepared for him. Just as he had finished undressing, the paladin had been startled by the sudden sound of Monsrek's thoughts intruding onto his own.
Aslan- Chic captured. Being held in Willip pending interrogation. Wainold assisted; he and allies here at Brass Dragon. Caroline is well. Any questions or instructions?
Unprepared for the sending, Aslan had mentally stammered back that all was well, adding proceed as you think best. Afterwards, he had slowly sorted out what this meant.
Many events over these past months, the paladin considered, all seemed to bear the mark of relation, but these connections were nebulous. It had started off with Chic's reappearance, this time in conjunction with Atlanter. Although the latter, now exiled from Furyondy, was no longer an immediate threat, Chic had remained in the area.
Nodyath soon emerged as their new primary nemesis, and having allied with the Emerald Serpent, soon pulled them into the mix. The Serpent in turn had allied with Chic as well, who had no doubt been the group's source of information about the Chams clothing; the whereabouts of which were still in question.
Sbalt and his fellow outlaws had attacked the Brass Dragon on orders from the Serpent. They were also very aware of who Nodyath was- Aslan still remembered the way Sbalt had stared at him from his cage being pulled through the streets of Willip.
Not far from where he was right now.
It was like a spider web with the center missing, the paladin mused. Nodyath continued to elude capture; the Emerald Serpent couldn't even be identified, much less apprehended, and Sbalt and his brigand band were still hiding out somewhere on the plains of southeast Furyondy.
But, Aslan realized with a start, we've got Chic.
And it was this last thought that caused the paladin to teleport himself to Willip after leaving a message for Tojo. Traveling back to Chendl was going to leave Aslan all but drained of his Talent; he was going to have to mindrest for a longer than originally anticipated. It was an acceptable change of plan because his friends down in The Pomarj were in no immediate danger.
Still, he'd feel better once he and Tojo were back with them.
The sun was just peeking over the dark blue waters of the Nyr Dyv when Aslan and the Lord Mayor arrived at the building the latter had indicated. It was a small, nondescript warehouse marked Chartrain Shipping. The paladin and the aristocrat glanced at each other at the intermittent thuds and accompanying splashing sounds that were coming from within the open doorway.
Sir Charlt, standing guard just outside, greeted the arriving pair somberly.
"Forgive me, your Honor, but I must say this abomination should be destroyed at once."
The elderly man smiled benignly at the knight in return. "And so it will be, Sir Charlt. First though, we must amass whatever information we can obtain from it. It is important not only to Aslan here, but to the safety of our fair city, as well. This fiend may well be the link to the Emerald Serpent we have long been searching for."
Sir Charlt gave a nod that smacked of little more than obedience. Another dull thud, splashing and now the sound of men yelling came from within. The knight gave a doleful glance that way, and then cautioned the newcomers.
"It is not being very cooperative."
"I'd be surprised if it was," Aslan muttered as the two entered.
The scene within was chaotic. A large container, composed of what seemed to be sheets of glass fitted into metal grooves stood within a space that had been cleared for it by piling wooden boxes up against the walls. The box was about twenty feet in length, and ten in both height and depth. A ladder was leaned up against one end, and a guardsman in soaked leather armor was standing on the top rung, dropping what seemed to be dead fish into one of several holes in the top glass panel and shouting at Chic to be quiet. In response, the entire makeshift aquarium suddenly shuddered again, and water came shooting up out of the top holes, drenching the unfortunate guardsman again.
"You can starve then! To the Abyss with you!" he shouted, climbing back down and joining half a dozen compatriots who commiserated with their companion.
Chic was not visible. All that could be seen beyond the glass was brown water, with an occasional flash of darker brown whipping by. The creature had completely filled the enclosure with its own filth, and Aslan's nose gave him confirmation of that fact when he took a few steps closer. His sympathy increased for these poor guardsmen, one of whom turned to the arriving Mayor.
"Your Honor," he began, his voice visibly trembling with anger. "This- this thing reads our thoughts and mocks not only us, but our families as well! It sends messages of the utmost perversity into our heads- is there no way of blocking it out?"
Lasalle Main's face showed his sympathy, but his expression remained resolute. "Sadly, no- not according to what I have been told. You are on shortened shifts because of this- I can do no better at this time but to remind you of your sworn duties. Rest assured, this creature will pay the price for its blasphemies."
The box shook again. More water sloshed out.
"I trust this container is secure?" Main turned back to Sir Charlt.
The knight nodded in reply. "So say the wizards who built it. I have not the experience to say otherwise, but this fiend seems determined to test its limits."
"Cygnus mentioned that he had seen this cage under construction," Aslan mentioned. "I'd say that if-"
Aslan?
The paladin suddenly stiffened up.
My good friend has come to visit? Come closer.
Slowly, Aslan approached the box. The others, sensing that he was now in telepathic communicationwith their prisoner, followed several feet behind. More than one soaked leather glove clenched a sword hilt.
Aslan continued to approach. As an experienced paladin he was immune to fear itself but he could feel the tension build inside and further, he knew that Chic could sense that as well.
And then the brown face materialized out of the cloud of filth. Chic's closed eyes opened, and the red glow from those eyes illuminated the feces and fish skeletons in the water nearby. Its mouth opened briefly, displaying longer and sharper teeth than should have been possible in its relatively small maw.
The two stared at each other.
Your doom is nigh, paladin.
Aslan allowed himself a wry smile as he folded his arms across his chest. "That's very impressive, Chic. Did you rehearse that?"
The fiendish creature allowed his otter-like body to stretch out. Such bravery! It could only be the arrogance of the righteous! More pompous than any yugoloth, you mortals be.
"Ironic you'd mention such masters of treachery, Chic. Did it ever occur to you that the Emerald Serpent has betrayed you, and that's why you were captured?"
My deliverer draws nearer even as we speak, paladin. My knowledge in these matters greatly exceeds yours. Are you still trying to place the spider in your web?
Aslan frowned. Chic was probing him even now. It belatedly occurred to the paladin that he might be giving up more than he was getting out of this exchange. He decided to try another track.
"Since everything is apparently going according to your plan, perhaps you'd care to humor your 'good friend Aslan,' and impress him with your superior knowledge?"
Chic seemed to consider that; or at least to consider something, as the creature vanished into the murky waters for a few seconds before reappearing and smiling its toothy grin again.
You and yours will be caught unawares, paladin. The strands have been gathering around you for months- and all from a spider you thought long since squashed.
"Name this spider." Aslan spoke with as much ruthlessness as he could put into his voice.
And spoil the surprise? I'd never do that to my good friend. Go back to The Pomarj, paladin. Triumph gloriously- and then come back and be destroyed.
Chic vanished into the depths again. This time, he did not reappear.
Aslan thanked the Lord Mayor and departed.
That netted me little, the paladin cursed himself. I pray upon Asgard that nothing goes wrong with his execution. I was a fool to think I could intimidate a telepath. I can only hope that whatever magical means they have planned to extract information out of him will yield some fruit.
He wasted little time in finding an unobserved spot in which to teleport away.