With some artful deviations to their path, they eventually lost the kenku who had been tailing them. At long last, Bash was able to disclose his new information regarding Rustler, and Sooka and Aribis expressed their profound relief in having escaped him the night before.
"We could have killed him," Enna said, almost irritated.
And with that prodding, Bash realized how powerful his fear had become. The thought of killing Fake Rustler had occurred to him while they were in that office, but it had been overwhelmingly swept away by his terror of the Ghost.
Since when had he been so afraid of his targets? What had he become?
He shook his head as they continued toward Andelvar's forge. Bash fought to steel himself against the possibility that Andelvar himself could be a doppelganger. And if he was, he could not let his fear overcome their purpose.
Upon their entrance, the attractive young woman from their last visit greeted them, somewhat unsure, and Bash realized that she had only seen him in his disguise and now didn't recognize him. Surprisingly grateful for that, he requested to see Andelvar, and only a minute later, the gnome exited his hovel of a back room, frazzled hair intact, body wholly gnomish to the rogue's eyes. Bash sighed in relief and gave a quick thumbs up to the others.
They were ushered into Andelvar's personal forge room, and after much discussion and banter, they decided on leaving several of their weapons with him so that he could plate them with silver to make them more useful against the doppelgangers. William commissioned some silver knuckles, Sooka handed over two daggers, Enna her scimitar, and Aribis several crossbow bolts. Bash paid with a single platinum piece, and they left with the intent of returning before the Winner's Dinner that evening.
With five hours to spare, they spent some time discussing where to go next, and finally they decided to finish up their shopping and head to the Cabinet of Curiosities. The elf from before was nowhere to be found, but a second glance at the desk within the very small lobby revealed a tiny red creature with wings. It had a foul look, and Bash watched it, mildly entertained, as it addressed them.
"Ah, we got more customers, I see," it said in a gravelly, accented voice. "Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. My master is in the back working. What can I do for you? Anything specific you're looking for?"
"I have two things," said Enna.
"Yes, dearie?"
"I would like to know if you have any scrying orbs—"
"A scrying orb, a fine choice!" interrupted the salesman.
"And also, do you have any of this powder?" She held up the tiny vial of crystal powder that Bash had seen her feed to her pet flail snail.
"Hmm… Interesting," mused the imp. "I've never seen this before. Powdered crystal! I don't know about this. I'd have to ask the boss man. However, a scrying orb I can provide! We have one in stock. It's… actually a mirror." He chuckled. "Silver-backed, polished, and ornate. I'll go tell the master!"
Without waiting for verification on any of this, he flew off toward the back and disappeared. Momentarily, he returned, carrying the owner in tow. The elf grinned widely at them.
"Oh, hello, it is good we see you again here," said Raven in his thick northern accent. Spotting Aribis, he added, "Hello, sir! How's zat little trinket vorking for you? You still vant to sell?" Aribis shook his head and avoided eye contact. "No? Vell, okay zen." He turned his attention to Enna. "You are vanting a mirror of scrying?"
"Yes, I'm looking to buy one," she replied.
"Ve happen to have one in stock! It is zis one." Raven placed a small chest on the counter and withdrew a small, square mirror. It was breathtaking craftsmanship, ornate as the imp had said, opalescent, decorated with lines of gold and studs of gemstones. "Zis one vas acquired very simply. Um, it should do for vat you are vanting, yes? So, ve are charging about fifteen hundred gold pieces. Hopefully zat is in your vheelhouse. …Yes? No?"
Enna's reaction told the full tale of how much was in her wheelhouse. Her expression grew frustrated and stalled, as if she had hit a sudden wall in a heretofore well-executed plan.
Scrying, considered Bash. Probably wanting to look for her mother and brother.
Still, she composed herself quickly and said, "Potentially."
"So ve have zis one. Does anyvone vant anysing else?"
Enna proffered her vial of flail snail food, and Raven expounded his interest in satisfying her need. While he didn't have any of the powder in stock, he explained that he could simply cast a spell for two hundred gold and refill the vial with the substance. When asked if they could simply purchase a scroll for the necessary spell, Raven obliged, but listed a price of two thousand gold. As Enna debated, the group spent some time going back and forth with Raven, inquiring into armor enchantments, rings, potions, and wands. William exchanged his ring of the ram for a ring of protection, and Bash purchased a potion of resistance, but eventually, Raven circled back to Enna's request for an expensive scrying mirror.
"Would you take a down payment for the mirror?" she asked carefully.
"Hmm… I do see zat you have a very nice staff…" said Raven with a gleam in his eye. Enna pursed her lips. "I vould be villing to trade your staff for zis mirror."
A swirl of thoughts ran through Enna's mind and displayed themselves evidently on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, unsure of what to do. Just as she was about to agree to this atrocious trade, Bash stepped forward.
"Here," he said, opening his pouch and counting out a hundred fifty platinum pieces. "This should cover it."
"Oh, my, big spenders!" exclaimed Raven. "You all should come by more often!"
The wizard chuckled and hummed happily as Bash continued laying out fifteen stacks of ten pieces each, and Bash fought to ignore Enna's eyes that he was sure were threatening to fill with tears. Despite their current difficulties, he knew that she needed to check on her mother. She needed peace, and if he could grant that to her, it was worth far more than a hundred fifty platinum.
"Yes, here is your mirror!" said Raven happily as he handed it to Enna. "And zat is my money." With a snap of his fingers, the entire sum disappeared, transported into some magical vault beyond their vision.
The imp shook his head and said, "I didn't think they'd actually buy that."
As Bash turned around, Enna caught his eye as a single tear fell. "Thank you," she said, her voice almost a whisper.
He gave a half-hearted and awkward smile, trying to avoid those green eyes that had pleaded with him so desperately the night before. Then he turned away and tried to hide behind William.
Thankfully, Raven reclaimed Enna's attention and offered her a special box designed to keep the mirror from breaking, which she accepted gratefully before carefully placing the mirror inside.
"Anysing else?" prodded Raven. "Any magical items you vould like to commission? You seem like zat kind of people."
"Would you be willing to give me a discount on that spell?" she asked, clever to capitalize on his chipper mood that had been brought forth by such a number of platinum pieces. "If you can do that, we might just come and visit again once we win a local tournament."
"Let's see… Two hundred gold? I can probably knock off about twenty, so it vould be about one hundred eighty gold, yes?"
"What about eighty?"
"Eighty gold for ze whole sing? Hmm… Vell… I do like ze look of your face. It is very kind. And he definitely has a lot of money… Right now, I vill let it go for eighty gold. Is zat okay?"
"Yes!" said Enna, grinning as she handed over the money. "It's to feed my snail!" She excitedly pulled out the flail snail for Raven to see.
"Oh, isn't he adorable! Oh, zat is a flail snail…" Raven turned a longing eye to it.
"Yes, it is," hummed Enna. "But Luna is not for sale."
"Are you sure?" asked Raven. "I would be willing to pay quite a bit—"
"This is a gift from an archdruid," said Enna quickly. "I cannot give it up."
"Very vell, but just to put it on the table, I offer you eight thousand gold pieces."
The rest of the party gaped. It was all Bash could do not to urge Enna to take the offer right then and there. He turned to Aribis, who seemed to have the same mindset, but neither of them said anything.
"Sorry." Enna shrugged apologetically.
Bash worked his jaw to fight the irritation that rose within him in response to Enna's aloof attitude toward eight thousand gold pieces. Such a fortune had taken him decades of adept theft and assassinations to collect, and here she was offered it in one moment only to turn it down.
"Just let me know if you change your mind! Now…" He reached out his hand and swirled it dramatically in the air before bringing it down suddenly on the vial, and they all watched in mild amazement as the vial refilled with the same crystal powder as before. With a smile and a "thank you," Enna pocketed it and the flail snail.
With their work done, they left the shop, Raven letting them know more than once that they were always welcome. Aribis rolled his eyes at least three times as they made their exit. Now standing in the street under the high sun, they discussed where to go next, and Enna expressed interest in visiting Lady Hestia in Sunburst Hall. With trepidatious hearts, the group turned toward the Dandelions District.
The sun was high in the sky as they approached the hospital, and Bash cringed to see so many black taffy addicts littering the streets. Men, women, and even a few children lay on the street, clawing at passersby and begging for more of the drug to keep them satiated, ignorant to the depth of their own affliction. Bash was disgusted at the sight, the "chewers'" polished white teeth giving them an eerie look, almost ghost-like. He wished that he could help them, but he understood that it was well beyond his purview to cure addiction. All he could do was hunt down the Ghost.
Doing their best to ignore the clambering addicts, the group approached Sunburst Hall, a great, linear building adorned with the shining symbol of Pelor above the main double doors. Heavy and impressive they were, expressive the power of Pelor himself in their mighty resilience. To Bash, the entire premise had felt condescending, and he rarely came by. Because of this, he was thankful that Enna now took the lead, familiar with their route as she was, and without hesitation, she pushed open the heavy door into a small entrance hall. It was decorated just as irritatingly grand as the building's façade, but Enna paid it no mind and led them across and into the main hall.
This extensive room was filled with the sick. Countless people scattered across the floor, far more than Bash had ever seen, at least since the last plague that had spread over Agneward a couple centuries ago. Now, it was a plague of a different kind. Children, elderly, men, women – none were immune to this sickness. Elves, humans, dwarves, halflings – all were spread about them in every direction. Sympathy welled inside Bash, but he knew that it was nothing compared to the pain that now filled Enna's heart, evident as it was on her face. No doubt, she was calculating exactly how much she could help these people when she had time to spare. She took several deep, steady breaths, so tumultuous were her emotions, before plunging into the fray.
As they passed through the hall, Enna found it difficult to focus on the task at hand. She made frequent stops, along with William, each of them tending to sick and wounded with deep care. Meanwhile, Bash scanned the room, eyes bouncing around the diverse heads in search of Lady Hestia. For a moment, his eyes settled on the far end of the room and the wall that served as the face of the cathedral of Pelor. Worked into the great vaulted walls and sweeping arches were multiple expressions of stained glass that told a tale of healing the sick and lighting the world with Pelor's radiance. Light shined through the glass, illuminating the rest of the hall in abundant sunbeams.
Bash's skilled eyes swept the room with precision, and despite the crowds, it was not long before he spotted Lady Hestia. Very nearly prying Enna from a sick child, he pointed out the Guildmaster of Charity, who was still a hundred feet away next to the cathedral and speaking to a sizable group of people.
"Let's get over there," prodded Bash.
"I will catch up in a moment," said William, and Bash turned to see the monk kneeling on the floor by an elf with an odd abrasion on his arm and grinding some kind of poultice out of supplies in his bag.
Nodding, Bash and the others followed Enna toward Lady Hestia. As they got closer, Hestia noticed Enna and held up a finger to instruct them to wait as she continued speaking with an older gentleman with a long, gray beard and a young, blonde woman, all of them showing evident signs of exhaustion. With their next few steps, however, Bash's view changed, and the old man turned into a gray-skinned doppelganger.
Though he had to fight once more to mask his surprise, he was proud to feel an absence of true fear. Whatever purpose this doppelganger served for the Ghost, it was not to be one of the most well-informed entities in Agneward like Fake Rustler. And therefore, its power was virtually nonexistent.
Hestia nodded to the doppelganger and the woman before striding toward Bash and Enna.
"Enna, it's so good to see you!" she gushed as she approached.
Enna cast the slightest glance at Bash, to which he replied with a slight nod and smile. Relief washed into her features, and she greeted Hestia calmly.
"It's good to see you, too," she said.
"And Bash!" said Hestia. "I didn't think I'd ever see you here again."
"It's been a while," he chuckled.
Someone coughed nearby, and Bash jumped slightly. He glanced around the busy room, working to tune out the cacophony of agitated addicts. Within a few moments, he decided that the only doppelganger was the one parading as an old man, and Bash kept an eye on it as it knelt by some afflicted and administered remedies. Bash narrowed his eyes. Why would a doppelganger choose this role?
"We could so use your help," Hestia was saying. "Whatever is going on, we don't know, but there are just so many chewers that we are at our wits' end! We don't even know where the stuff is coming from." She sighed in frustration. "Are you here to help?" Her eyes seemed desperate.
"Do you think we could talk somewhere in private?" asked Enna quietly.
"I, uh… I suppose… Are these your friends?"
"Yes, I trust them all."
"Then I guess we could all go to my office."
She turned to the doppelganger again and called, "I'll be back!" before guiding them away from the main hall and into an adjacent inpatient wing. Rather than having people scattered all over the floor, this hall contained beds, each of them filled with a sick patient awaiting treatment. Curtains hung around most of them, but they did nothing to muffle the noise of coughing, sputtering, screaming, and flailing. At the far end of the hall, they reached a small door, and Hestia opened it to them and strode in.
William closed the door, and Hestia faced Enna with a mix of kindness and impatience.
"I don't have a lot of time," she said, "There are so many sick. But what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to give you a warning about the black taffy."
"A warning?"
"I told you that we were investigating the black taffy and where it comes from," continued Enna, eyes focused and earnest. "Keep this information to yourself if at all possible, because we don't know who can be trusted. But there is a creature in the city that has created and distributed the drug, and we have seen him turn the chewers into monstrosities that then attacked us blindly."
Irritation turned to panic. "Really?"
"Yes," affirmed Enna. "I don't know how it works, but I know that he can do it. I'm worried for you because of the number of chewers that you have here. If he somehow has a way to do the same thing en masse, it could bring about chaos here."
Hestia paused and then collapsed into her desk chair.
"Well, what are we supposed to do?" She held up her hands in surrender. "We can't just turn them away. We all took an oath."
"I know, and you should keep helping them. But I had to tell you what's going on. Heal as many as you can, but be aware that it could happen at any time."
"You should at least have an escape route," offered Bash.
Hestia sighed and rubbed her temples. "We just don't have the capability to heal them all. Certain spells work if they're strong enough, but we can't cast enough spells to cure all these people. Some herbal remedies can help curb the craving, but it's almost impossible to do any more than that. Their minds fall into madness in their need for the black taffy. It's just… exhausting. So many of my attendants have been assaulted already. You've been investigating… Do you know where it comes from or how it's distributed?"
"It comes from here, actually," said Bash.
"Here?" demanded Hestia. "Sunburst Hall?"
"He makes it in the Well somewhere," said Enna. "It's made with denr resin, which I'm assuming he gets from my brother, but it's being distributed here. Somehow."
This mention wiped away Hestia's panic as she turned pensive. "Denr resin? That's… Come with me."
Standing abruptly, she pushed past them through the door and led them down the hall. A sharp turn left led them to another room held safe with several locks, an impressive show of security, though Bash nearly laughed at the ease of entry. His mind involuntarily made a mental note of this in case he ever needed some healing supplies. Pulling a key from under her shirt, Hestia hurriedly unlocked the door.
"This is the medicine chamber," she explained as she opened the door.
I can think of a couple times I could have used these, thought Bash as he took in the contents of the room. A thousand kinds of medicine lined every inch of the walls on sturdy wooden shelves. A thousand colors glowed around them, and Bash considered the price of the entire collection, which he deemed would have garnered a decent paycheck a few years ago. However, Hestia drew their attention away from all these expensive goodies and pointed to the right wall. Bash followed her gaze to see a line of six small bottles, each containing some kind of clear and colorless liquid.
"This is the denr resin we keep on hand," she explained. "We order it every so often, always through Delthorn Holdings because they're the only ones who refine it into something usable. We've tested the samples before, and it's pure. No tainting, no other ingredients, not even a tiny bit of sugar. Pure denr resin."
She paused to let them consider this.
"We have more of it than anyone else in the city," she continued. "As far as I know, this is the only denr resin in the entire Dandelions district. How could this possibly be used to make black taffy? How else could he make so much of it if this is the only place he can get it?"
"Who else has access to it?" asked Enna.
"Only me and Dr. Heisler."
"And who is that?" inquired Bash.
"You met him, or saw him anyway. I was speaking to him earlier."
"The old man?" asked William.
"An older fellow, yes," nodded Hestia. "He's very kind and brilliant."
"That man is a doppelganger," announced Bash, pleased that his abilities were once again paying off.
"Not here, too," breathed Enna in frustration.
Hestia seemed confused. "What do you mean?"
"He's not the person you think he is," he explained.
"I've known the man for years," protested Hestia. "He's worked here for years."
"My brother Rolen isn't Rolen right now, either," said Enna. "Doppelgangers take on someone's appearance and then take their place. They look into the minds of their victims so that they can behave just like them. We've already met three others, and we don't know how many are in the city. This is why I said that you can't trust anyone right now."
Hestia ran an exasperated hand over her face. "He must be the culprit. Nobody else can access the denr resin in quantities more than a single drop at a time. And how could he have taken it without my noticing?"
Going over to the shelf, she plucked a bottle of denr resin, opened it, sniffed it, and tasted it.
"This has been watered down," she whispered. "It's true. Heisler is a fake. I should call the guard. Or maybe not?" She looked to Enna helplessly. "Should I confront him?"
A chorus of no's rang out from the group, and Hestia looked taken aback at their fervor.
"The High Adjudicator knows that we're addressing this problem," began Enna. "We'll do better than any guards at this point. And this enemy that we're facing is extremely powerful. If we're not quick enough, and if we just confront them, the doppelgangers can communicate with him."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Hestia's voice was now high and panicked. "I have sick people to take care of! How am I supposed to work with him knowing what he's done? How do I keep him from the resin? Do I shut down?"
"One second," said Bash, and he turned his back to Hestia and leaned close to Enna so that she alone would be able to hear him. He smiled and waved at William, who remained stoic as ever, eyeing the situation with a critical eye. Choosing to ignore that, he leaned up to Enna's ear. His knuckle brushed her hand for a moment, and she quickly snatched it up and began fidgeting. Trying to ignore their closeness and the scent of fresh pines, he whispered to her.
"What if we got the doppelganger to come in here and just interrogated it?"
"He probably has a sending stone, too, so we'd have to grab that before he can send a message to the Ghost."
"Agreed."
"I don't think we have another choice," she said, peering helplessly into his eyes. He grieved to see her sorrow.
"I'll follow your lead this time," he whispered, curling the edge of his mouth into a small grin that she failed to reciprocate.
He removed himself from her as she explained his idea to Hestia.
"Could you call him back here?" she asked.
"Are you sure?" replied Hestia as her voice wavered.
Enna nodded.
"Are we ready?" prompted Bash. He, for one, was ready and almost excited at the prospect of wrangling another doppelganger, but he glanced around to make sure that the others were thinking the same.
"The last one was easy," shrugged Aribis.
"But if he has a sending stone…" reminded Enna.
"We'll have to grab that quickly," affirmed Aribis.
"Perhaps we should do this in my office," offered Hestia, eyeing the various vials. "There are far less valuable items in there. Go wait there, and I'll go get him. I leave his fate in your hands. I trust your judgment, Enna."
About ten minutes later, Bash, Enna, William, Sooka, Aribis, and Kayl lay in wait in Hestia's office, pressed against the walls so that they would not be seen upon entry. Bash gripped his dagger tight in his hand, running a thumb over the gems embedded in the hilt. Despite everything, he almost felt nervous.
Footsteps and muffled voices approached, and Bash tensed. The doorknob turned, and Hestia pushed the door open and held it, ushering in a grotesque-looking doppelganger. Bash shivered to see the thing, though he was the only one who could see it this way. The others saw nothing but a hunched little old man. Hestia held open the door until the doppelganger was fully in the room. As it beheld them, confusion came over its face, its bug-like eyes narrowing slightly.
"What's all this about?" came an old man's raggedy voice.
A mere second later, Hestia shoved the doppelganger to the floor and slammed the door shut, sealing them in her office with the fiend watching them all in terror.
"What's going on?" it asked helplessly. "Hestia?"
Enna was already on the creature, dagger drawn and pressed against its neck. "Stay still," she growled.
As its left hand darted toward its pocket, Aribis and William rushed in from either side, each of them grabbing an arm and hefting it to its feet, though Enna's dagger followed its throat all the way up. William clamped down on the stray hand and held it far away from the item it wanted so desperately. While the doppelganger didn't resist, it howled in protest, demanding to know what was going on and why they were behaving this way. Meanwhile, Enna patted it down, slipping her hands in and out of pockets with a firm determination.
In the end, she found her prize, a gray sending stone. She cast the doppelganger a foul glance before setting it aside and going back to discover a handful of gold, which she pocketed, and a tiny vial of clear liquid.
"What are you doing?" demanded the doppelganger. "We can work this out!"
"Just like how you worked out a poison for all those people out there?" asked William.
"I—I'm not sure what you're referring to," it replied.
"You know exactly what I'm referring to," warned William, a dark edge seeping into his voice for a moment.
"Look, look," pleaded the doppelganger, shifting its weight. "None of you understand what you're doing here. This is not—you're making a huge mistake!"
"What's your name?" asked Bash.
"Heisler," it replied quickly.
"What's your real name?"
"I have two brothers and one sister," said Sooka. Bash nearly shivered to hear the voice of the Urgok'nir's doppelganger, Aunn.
"Your name isn't Heisler. We know about your family," warned Enna.
The doppelganger hesitated. "If I tell you my name… Wait. Did you hurt my brother?"
Bash swallowed and looked down to the floor. The thought occurred to him that a living Aunn could have garnered good will with his siblings. Guilt writhed within him. He didn't want to answer this pressing question. How long would he be plagued by his mistakes? He didn't dare look at Enna.
"How can I help?" said Sooka, again in Aunn's voice.
"Where is he?" asked the doppelganger eagerly. "If you've treated him poorly, I… Listen…" It sighed, clearly flustered beyond ability to speak.
"The Ghost promised us wealth and power if we helped him," mimicked Sooka one more time.
"Aunn revealed himself?"
"More like we found him out," reasoned Aribis.
"How did you know what he was?" asked the doppelganger.
"That doesn't matter," dismissed Enna. "What is your goal here? Are you distributing the black taffy to those people out there?"
Fear was written all over the creature's face, and it held its hands out in surrender. "All I do is just… bring him the denr resin. That's it! I don't hurt people. As a matter of fact, I help people! I help these people! You can ask Hestia! She knows, she knows I help people, that I don't hurt anyone. Just let me go! We can pretend this never happened! I won't say anything." Its breathing was quick and urgent, and it wiggled about uncomfortably.
"What's your name?" asked Sooka in Enna's voice.
"Ourt," it replied.
The sister, recalled Bash.
"Just drop the disguise," said Enna. "We know who you are. There's no use in hiding anymore."
"I don't know how that will help, but… okay…"
The doppelganger focused for a second, and Enna's and Williams' disgusted reactions indicated to Bash that it had reverted to its normal form.
"There you go," it said. "Please let me go. I won't say anything to anyone!"
William released one arm.
"Aunn said you were the kind one," he explained. "You're safe with us here, but you cannot leave."
"If you make any wrong moves," warned Enna, "we will kill you." She applied pressure to its neck.
"I believe you!" cried Ourt.
Lowering her dagger, Enna took several steps back.
"So, I can go?"
"We need information first," said Bash.
"What information?" said Ourt. "I haven't hurt anyone! I was just here for my brother."
"First, where's the doctor?" asked William.
"He… died… a while ago."
"How?"
"He was old and sickly!"
"Did you torture him like your brothers do to their hosts?" pressed Enna.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Bash peered at the doppelganger. Something wasn't right.
"I think you're lying," he accused.
"I don't have any problems with you," insisted Ourt. "I don't want to hurt anyone. If you let me go, I will go, and you'll never see me again. I will leave, and whatever hairbrained scheme this Ghost has, I will no longer be a part of it. You have my word! You just… you have to let me go!"
"We never mentioned the Ghost," William pointed out.
Ourt's determination was impressive, but Bash had had enough of this. Irritation mounting, Bash tossed out his hand, and a rippling wave of deep purple and black energy shot toward the doppelganger, narrowly missing its ear and hitting the wall beyond with a loud crash.
"Okay, okay, okay!" cried Ourt, panicking. "I'm sorry! Yes, Dr. Heisler really did die! He died! I wasn't the one who hurt him, okay? I couldn't hurt anyone. I'm not like that. What else do you want to know?"
"Enna, could I see that vial?" asked Aribis. She happily handed it over, and he popped open the top and dipped his finger in before placing a drop on his tongue. "Alright," he mused. "That's what that is." He threw back his shoulders as if preparing to speak in a lecture hall. "Now, here's the thing about this that you have here. Lads and lassies, let old Aribis give ya some education in medicine."
"Everybody buckle up," muttered Kayl.
"A little too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, unless it's used to our advantage. Now, this here can also double as a truth serum."
"What are you talking about?" asked Ourt.
"Really?" remarked Enna.
"Mixed in the right dosages and administered, you'd kind of get a little – for lack of a better term – drunk."
"Mind if I have some?" chuckled Kayl.
"No," said Aribis, turning to Ourt. His voice dropped low. "We can either do this the easy way, or the hard way."
"Well—"
"Actually, either way would be easy for us. I know that you hurt people. I know that you do. And if you lie to us again, I'm going to take this whole vial, and I'm going to shove it down your throat."
Bash raised an impressed eyebrow to see Aribis's wroth. Terror took over the entire being of the doppelganger, and it shirked away from Aribis.
"Okay! Okay!" it cried. "Just don't do that, please! What do you want to know? I don't know how to prove that I'm speaking truth. Just please don't hurt me. My brother Aunn – you met him. I'm assuming he's dead, right? He's dead? He's probably dead. He was such a coward."
"The Ghost killed him," said Enna.
Bash nearly kissed Enna right then and there for her response. After everything he had said to her, she was still protecting him the best way she knew how. He stifled his emotions and closed his eyes for a moment, fighting off the tears that poked the edges of his eyelids.
"Do you know why?" asked Ourt.
"You'd have to ask the Ghost," shrugged Enna.
"Where is the Ghost?" pressed Bash, proud of his unwavering voice.
"I don't know," said the ever-flustered Ourt. "I meet him occasionally when he requests more denr resin. I keep it on me at all times in case he needs more. He's probably due to pick some up soon. He normally meets me here in the graveyard."
"How do you speak to him?" asked William.
"He normally sends the messages. We're told not to contact him without being prompted."
"How does the sending stone work?" asked Enna.
"You, uh… You hold it and speak into it. With intent."
"So you can't just listen into a conversation with it?" asked William.
"No. We receive messages and then reply. It works once a day."
"Where does he come from to reach the graveyard?" asked Bash.
"I don't know. He tells me to meet there, and he shows up sometime during the night."
"Do you know anywhere in the Well where he normally goes?" asked Enna.
"No. I'm sorry. Aunn was usually the one who would help him with procurements. All I did was give him the resin. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I got roped into this. I just wanted to help people."
"Do you know what the denr resin is even used for?" asked Enna, eyes narrowed, voice dangerous.
"I don't, I swear!"
"Do you see all those people addicted to black taffy?" demanded Enna, her anger rising again. It was as if she wanted Ourt to feel the pain of what it had done. "It's because of this stuff that you're giving him."
"How? It's just a painkiller."
"It's only one ingredient. He mixes it with his own blood. You are part of why all these people are sick and addicted."
"You're helping their downfall," said William.
A shadow passed over Ourt's face. "That can't be. But… No, because… No. It didn't seem like… Oh, no… Are you… Really?"
"Yes," said Enna. "We're trying to stop it."
Ourt plopped on the floor and put its head in its hands before rocking slowly back and forth. "I helped cause this," it said to itself. "He threatened to kill me. You have to understand! If we didn't give him what he wanted, he said he'd kill us! My other brothers are always so… They've always wanted power, but all I wanted to do was help. Oh, no…"
"Now you know," said Enna, satisfied with this reaction, though her compassion became evident a moment later. "You might have made a mistake, but you can fix it."
"What can I do?"
"Can you maintain your disguise? Did anyone else know?" asked William.
"Nobody suspected me," it replied, shaking its head.
"Then we could let her keep working," offered William. "She could continue to help people."
"I think she's being honest," agreed Enna.
Bash sighed and rolled his eyes. Compassion for the likes of this creature was unwarranted, no matter its intent in impersonating a doctor.
"When is your next meeting with the Ghost?" asked Bash.
"I don't know," replied Ourt. "He contacts me."
"Do you have to respond to him when he does?" asked Enna. Her mind churned as she developed some kind of plan.
"I have to acknowledge that I've gotten the message," nodded Ourt. "He hasn't asked for a delivery in several days, so he's probably due for some."
"So, he hears your voice when you respond?"
Ourt nodded.
"Sooka," said Enna, turning to her suddenly and holding out the sending stone. "Would you be comfortable holding onto this stone? And if he sends you a message, say what Ourt would have said so that he can hear her voice."
Sooka nodded and took the stone.
Bash grinned. What an idea! If he hadn't been so proud, he might have been jealous that he hadn't come up with it.
"What do you need me to do?" asked Ourt.
"Say exactly what you would say to him when he tells you to meet. The same inflections, the same pronunciation, everything."
"Okay…" Ourt shifted slightly and considered before saying, "I'll meet you there."
Sooka nodded and smiled.
"I have one more question," said Bash. "How much of a heads up does he normally give you?"
"About an hour before I have to be there. It's always at night, and it's always in front of the mausoleum of Lord Bromwell."
Bash ran some calculations in his head. Surely an hour would be enough time, as long as they weren't too far away at the time. He sighed. They would likely spend too much time in the Circle, but now that they could fly, perhaps they could make good enough time.
"Does he test the denr resin when he picks it up?" asked Enna.
"Always," nodded Ourt.
"What now?" asked the doppelganger.
"Keep doing what you're doing," said William.
"Help people," agreed Bash, though he wasn't opposed to killing the thing, either.
"All you can do is make amends for the damage you caused and help Hestia here as much as you can," said Enna.
"But what if he comes after me? What if he finds me?"
"Act as if we never came here," said William.
Enna backed up to the door and rapped a knuckle before calling for Hestia. Immediately, the guildmaster cracked it open and stuck her nose through. She seemed terrified, her eyes wide and fixed on Ourt.
"Are you okay to keep working with Ourt?" asked Enna.
"No," she breathed. "I don't know who this is." She turned to the doppelganger. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing here! This is treasonous!" A fire lit her eyes.
"I'll go!" insisted Ourt as she took several steps backward. "I'll leave! Please let me go. I wish I could help more, but I'll leave."
Hestia took several pointed steps into the room. "I should have you executed," she said, her voice wavering in her wrath, "for what you are, for deceiving us, for all of this!" She reached in her cloak and pulled out a holy symbol of Pelor, which she grasped tightly in her left hand.
"Hestia!" rebuked Enna.
"Let me burn it!" cried Hestia as she held out her right hand.
"Listen," said Enna, surprisingly calm. "She is completely earnest. You can take my word for that. She regrets her actions, and she didn't know what she was doing. The rakshasa thrives on fear. He threatens them and forces them to do what he wants."
Despite Enna's pressure, Hestia's hand grew alight with flame. "I will baptize you in the light of Pelor, you vermin!" she called out. She thrust her hand forward, and fire leapt to the doppelganger. it screamed in pain and fumbled backward as its flesh burned, begging for its life. Bash cringed to see it, but did nothing to stop Hestia. Enna and William, however, stepped between them.
"Move!" barked Hestia. "Let me burn it! It deserves the baptism of Pelor!"
"No," replied William firmly, crossing his arms.
"You'll have to burn me, too," said Enna.
"Enna, you don't understand!" fought Hestia. "I've worked with this… thing for years!"
"And I died yesterday!" cried Enna. "This is not the real enemy. Killing her will do nothing to fix the problem in the city!"
"And how can you even trust it? They live in lies!"
"Look at how afraid she is!"
Hestia's eyes were ablaze with fury. "Anyone would be afraid facing the might of Pelor!"
"Eh, not necessarily," muttered Aribis.
Bash stifled a laugh.
"Hestia, please," pleaded Enna, taking a step toward her. "Don't stoop to their level. Let her answer to the law. Bring the guards. Let them try her."
"You know that whatever they do, the end will be the same as it would be here," growled Hestia. "They don't allow this kind of filth in our city."
"You can't say that all the doppelgangers are bad!"
"It's not bad to deal judgment to liars!"
"I've lied plenty of times in my life," reasoned Enna.
"Not like this!" Hestia's voice grew desperate, and Bash prepared to step forward to defend Enna.
"But if someone threatened everything you love and your own life, wouldn't you be in her own shoes?" asked Enna quietly.
"Haven't you ever done anything out of fear?" added Aribis.
Finally, Hestia paused. Her resolve flickered, her eyes dimmed, and the flames in her hand faded away. "It doesn't change what they've done," she said stubbornly.
"What's a more fitting punishment?" reasoned Enna. "A quick death or a life of atonement?"
"What would Pelor want?" pressed William.
"You!" Hestia shouted at the doppelganger. "Filth!" Ourt looked up slowly, skin singed and burned, cowering on the floor. "If I find you again, you will not receive the same mercy. Is that fair, Enna?" She spat the name.
With a sigh of relief, Enna replied, "Yes."
"Get out," growled Hestia.
Immediately, Ourt stood, hunched over oddly, and ran past them and through the door, disappearing into the crowds. Bash assumed that she had shapechanged again thanks to the lack of screams and panic in the hall.
He turned to Hestia, impressed with her display of power, and decided that she would be handy to have around.
"You may have heard," he began, "that we might be meeting the Ghost at some point in your graveyard. Your magic is impressive. We'd appreciate it if you could join us."
"I can't guarantee that I'll be much help, but I can try." Hestia seemed suddenly unsure of herself. This experience had rattled her, throwing her into an unsettled state of mind.
Would she be able to keep from panicking against an enemy like the Ghost?
"Is there anyone else who could help us?" he asked.
She gestured about helplessly. "Look around, Bash. We're understaffed as it is. And I've just lost my best tincture maker. This is a sad day."
"That makes two doppelgangers that we've displaced," said Enna. "We know of probably two more, and that would account for all of Aunn's brothers."
"Rustler," said Sooka.
Enna nodded. "And Rolen."
"If you don't mind…" said Hestia, worn and weary. "I have to go attend to something."
She stumbled out of the room.
The Natural Misfits stood and watched each other, glad to have a plan but terrified at what would happen should they try to enforce it.
Bash fought his fear. Over and over, he told himself that he now had a chance to reclaim his title. Whatever happened, he wanted to have the final blow. The Ghost's blood would be on his hands. He was sure of it.
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