There was little conversation to be had over breakfast the next day with the horrors of the goblin's victim fresh in the minds of most of the group. Corita tapped her fingers on the table and Razvan poked at a piece of sausage with a wooden fork with Kennick being the only one of the three to eat. Draul and Mariel had no problems eating but didn't think that the others were ready to talk about what they saw. The paladin thought it would be best to find a way to cheer everyone up. There wasn't a lot to do in Sandpoint which meant it was best to check in with what friends they had to spend time with.
Draul had hoped to find Ameiko to see if she could help cheer their friends up. She had always been willing to help out, and not counting the time her father confronted her, she was friendly to be around. He thought that she might have some lighthearted stories to share from when she left Sandpoint to go on an adventure to show that the life of an adventurer wasn't so grim. Unfortunately, Draul had yet to see Ameiko during breakfast which he thought was odd. He didn't want to say that she was missing but he hadn't seen Ameiko last night either. It seemed strange that she would leave the Rusty Dragon without letting anyone know where she was. He briefly wondered if Lonjiku had something to do with Ameiko's disappearance.
With those eating having finished their breakfast, Draul was about to bring up where Ameiko could be when he noticed an elderly halfling woman approach the group. She was the same server that took their dishes away when they ate with Shalelu and Draul came to learn that her name was Bethana. The halfling was a good friend of Ameiko's who worked at the Rusty Dragon as a maid to keep the tavern clean and running. The paladin was quick to take note of the worry in her eyes and the panicked expression she had when she made it to their table.
"I hope that you've all enjoyed breakfast but I need your help," Bethana told the group with the adventurers turning to face her. "I'm afraid Ameiko might have gone missing."
"What?!" Kennick gasped.
"I was wondering if that was the case," Draul nodded, remaining calm despite the shock his companions showed. "Are you certain that this is true?"
"Indeed I am," Bethana nodded urgently. "Ameiko wasn't in the kitchens to make breakfast which she's done herself for as long as I can remember. I knocked at her bedroom door, and when she didn't answer, I opened it to find that her bed hadn't been slept in."
"How did we not notice that she was missing?" Corita asked the group with a worried frown.
"We had other things on our mind," Razvan noted grimly. "Damn it! We should be better than this!"
Kennick stood up from his chair. "We need to find her. Now."
"Let's not be so quick to run out," Mariel advised her companions. "Bethana, do you know if Ameiko had anything she was supposed to do."
"Not originally, no, but I did find a note in her bedroom during my search," Bethana answered and reached into her pockets. "It's from Tsuto."
"Tsuto?!" Kennick blinked several times in shock. "He left Sandpoint after his mother's funeral. He's back after being gone for five years?"
"This isn't the first I've heard from Tsuto but I only know him by name," Draul said. "It seemed that Lonjiku had a problem with him though. What's the story behind that?"
"No one's told you yet?" Bethana asked as she pulled out the note she found from her pockets. "Tsuto is Ameiko's older brother. They share the same mother, but while Lonjiku is Ameiko's father, Tsuto's a half-elf."
"That would certainly explain why Lonjiku hates Tsuto," Mariel noted. "That's a lot of family drama to unpack."
"The note, please," Draul held his hand out to Bethana.
"Of course," Bethana handed the note to Draul. "It was written in Minkaian, likely to keep the contents of the letter a secret, but Ameiko taught me the language. I've written the translation on the back."
Draul nodded and turned the note to the back. He read the note silently while Razvan and Corita quickly moved behind him to read it as well. Kennick paced in place away from the group, deep in thought, while Mariel simply watched the others while waiting for her turn. Draul was worried about Kennick, but for now, focused on the note's message.
Hello, sis!
I hope this letter finds you well and with some free time on your hands because we have a problem. It's to do with father. It 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 so if you can meet me at the Glassworks at midnight tonight, we might be able to figure out how 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 the locals 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 about in person. Don't be late.
-Tsuto
Draul passed the note to Mariel once he was sure that Razvan and Corita were finished reading. He never cared much for Lonjiku after their first meeting, and at first, he believed that Tsuto may be onto something about him working for the goblins. The noble was in a rush to leave Sandpoint which could indicate that he was running away from punishment. There were some questions the paladin had, especially concerning that Father Tobyn's remains were missing. That mysterious factor was enough for Draul to think twice about if Lonjiku was behind the goblin's attack.
Mariel slid the note back to Bethana and turned to Draul, Corita, and Razvan. "What do you make of all this?"
"I'm pretty confident that Lonjiku doesn't have anything to do with the goblins," Razvan told Mariel.
"Seriously?" Corita questioned Razvan and turned her head to face him. "He didn't seem like he was a good man to me."
"I'm not saying that he's an innocent man," Razvan explained and crossed his arms. "He's a proud man with a lot of money to his name. I don't think he'd lower himself to working with goblins."
Draul nodded at Razvan's suggestion. "Shalelu said that it takes a strong leader to keep goblins in line, and from that time Kennick and I threw him out of the Rusty Dragon, I think we can safely say he lacks the strength to lead the goblins."
"What of Tsuto?" Mariel asked. "Perhaps he could be responsible for the goblin's attack."
"He isn't," Kennick grunted and turned to Mariel.
Mariel threw her hands up defensively. "I know that you and him were once friends but it's something we should consider. He's been gone from Sandpoint for years, time during which he could have changed."
"Tsuto doesn't have much respect for Sandpoint and I imagine that he hates Lonjiku," Razvan pointed out. "I haven't ever met Tsuto before but I can't rule him out."
"I can," Kennick advanced on Razvan. "He was my friend before you were."
Draul stood up, placing himself between Kennick and Razvan. "Bethana, is there anything you can tell us about Tsuto?"
"Not much," Bethana said with a frown. "Lonjiku put him up at the Turandarok Academy, Sandpoint's orphanage. That's likely where he met Kennick and that's where Ameiko met the two of them as well. I know that Ameiko was sincere to Tsuto, but after a terrible argument before the Late Unpleasantness, she left Sandpoint after he struck her."
Kennick turned to Bethana. "What?"
"That's what Ameiko told me, at least," Bethana told Kennick. "I don't know what the argument was about but I imagined that it had something to do with their complicated family life."
"I didn't know…" Kennick muttered, his rage fading away. "They never told me about that."
"All this speculation isn't getting us anywhere," Corita told the group. "We should go to the Glassworks and find Ameiko!"
"Corita's right," Draul nodded in agreement. "Is there anything special about the Glassworks? Why would Tsuto want to meet there?"
"I imagine that it might be because the Kaijitsu's own the Glassworks," Bethana answered. "That's the family's primary industry."
Ameiko's family owning the Glassworks was the least surprising development of the morning for Draul. He wasn't ready to take a side on who's behind the goblin attack yet but he found himself agreeing with the points Mariel and Razvan made. It didn't seem like Tsuto was on the right path and it could be his hatred for Lonjiku drove him to evil. If that was the case, Kennick was a wild card with how angry he was at the accusations but Draul trusted that he would make the right decision in the end. It helped that even if Tsuto was behind the goblins' attack, the redeemer would do what he could to help guide him back onto the right path. It wasn't Tsuto's fault for being born into a family that wouldn't care for him and Draul thought he could help the half-elf come to terms with his hate if it came down to it.
After the adventurers grabbed their weapons and put on their armor, they made their way out of the Rusty Dragon and toward the Glassworks. With directions from Bethana, the group traveled west, and within a few minutes, found their destination. It was a large building built over a cliff overlooking the small shoreline. There were a few people passing by the street but the building itself was quiet with the only sign of activity being smoke coming from the chimney.
Kennick, who had visited the Glassworks once before, led the way to the delivery room. He frowned when the door didn't budge as he tried to open the way inside. As he did so, Draul took notice of a nearby window, which was covered by curtains on the inside. He wasn't sure how a glassworking business typically worked but he couldn't help but feel something was off.
"The door's locked," Kennick stated with a frown.
"Is that normal?" Corita asked.
"It isn't," Kennick shook his head.
"Perhaps we should try another door?" Corita suggested.
"I don't think we'll have much luck," Draul said, stroking his chin in thought. "Kennick, are there any windows that wouldn't be covered?"
Kennick stepped away from the door, deep in thought. "There are skylights on the ceiling. They can't be covered."
"Good thinking," Draul nodded and turned to Mariel. "You're the lightest of us so you'll have to go up."
"Excuse me?" Mariel raised an eyebrow. "I think I won't go up!"
"It's not that dangerous," Draul insisted. "We'll give you a boost up, you tell us what you see, and we'll help you down."
"Heads up but I think people are starting to notice us," Razvan pointed out two men that were watching the group from the other side of the street.
"Corita, we'll talk to them to let them know that nothing's wrong," Draul said. "I want everyone else to work on getting inside and checking to see if there's anything wrong."
"I might have an idea…" Razvan said when Draul and Corita turned to the other side of the street.
Draul didn't recognize who the two men were but he could see that they were wondering if the adventurers were breaking into the Glassworks for nefarious reasons. It was best to reassure them before rumors spread about what they were up to.
"Good morning, sirs," Draul greeted. "Is something the matter?"
"We were just wondering what you were all up to with the Glassworks," one of the men answered.
"We received a report that there was suspicious activity at the Glassworks and no one answered when we knocked," Corita explained with a smile. "Sheriff Hemlock asked us to look out for Sandpoint so we're doing our part."
"I see," the other man said with a nod. "We'll leave you be. Thank you for looking out for us."
"It's no problem," Draul said. "Have a good day!"
With the two men on their way, Draul and Corita turned back to the Glassworks. He saw Mariel up on the roof of the Glassworks and was glad to see that she was convinced to help in such a way. Kennick waited by where she was lifted up to help her down when she was ready while Razvan knelt by the delivery entrance. When Draul and Corita returned, the paladin was surprised to see that Razvan was tampering with the lock with a pin. They needed to get into the Glassworks but he didn't think anyone in the group knew how to pick a lock.
"I didn't expect for a cook to know how to lockpick," Draul commented.
"Back in Riddleport, I was a locksmith's apprentice," Razvan explained, not looking up from his work. "I'll have us inside in just a few more moments…"
"We have a problem," Mariel quietly said from the rooftop. "I looked down from the skylight. The workers are dead. The goblins massacred them."
"Goblins again!" Corita gasped. "How dreadful!"
"How many of them are we dealing with?" Draul asked, keeping his composure.
"At least six," Mariel said, dropping down into Kennick's waiting arms. "Maybe more. I didn't get a good look and was afraid that they would have spotted me."
"Then we have the element of surprise," Draul noted. "This won't be easy. We're about to step into a scene that's more horrific than what we saw last night. It's not going to be pretty but Sandpoint is counting on us. Are we ready for what's to come?"
"I am," Kennick grunted and took out his greataxe.
"Right," Corita nodded twice, putting on a brave face. "I can do this."
"You can count on me," Razvan told Draul and stepped away from the door. "The way's open."
Draul took out his greatclub and held onto it tightly. "Stick together. We've handled goblins before and we can do so now."
Corita and Razvan took out their weapons with the latter opening the door quietly. Even though the events of last night were fresh on their mind, they knew it was time to take action. They entered the loading room full of glassworking regents and three doors. Draul stepped over a safe that had been looted beforehand and followed Kennick's lead to the set of doors on the far side of the room. Kennick pressed his finger to his lips and the group nodded, realizing that they were at the doors leading to the glassworking room. Draul stood across from Kennick on the other side of the door, and with the two nodding at one another, they pushed their way into the glassworking room.
The sunlight from the skylights and furnaces along the wall lit up the room, showing the massacre before them. Several men were killed with some dismembered in a terrible manner. The goblins were spread across the room, playing with the various tools found on marble tables. Mariel's report was accurate for the most part with Draul noting that there were eight goblins altogether. The goblins shrieked in surprise to see the adventurers and were caught unprepared by the initial assault.
Although Draul was trained for mercy, he knew that these goblins crossed a line. He didn't hold back when he slammed his greatclub down on one of the goblins. The goblin's skull crushed with ease and the one standing by the fallen warrior dropped his tongs and tried to run away. Draul couldn't risk letting a goblin escape into Sandpoint and swung his club at his back, breaking the goblin's back with ease. His companions had similar luck with Mariel blasting a goblin with her magical spells while Corita and Kennick each had a goblin dead at their feet. Only Razvan failed to fell a goblin with the three surviving goblins running for the way the adventurers came in.
"After them!" Draul called out. "We can't let them harm any of Sandpoint's citizens!"
Mariel, who was closest by the door they ran through, called back. "They're not leaving the Glassworks! They went through one of the other doors from the loading room."
"There must be more elsewhere in the building," Kennick said with a grunt.
"Indeed," Draul nodded. "We have them on the run. They may be leading us to whoever's behind these attacks."
"It has to be Lonjiku, right?" Corita asked, poking one of the dead goblins with her sword to avoid looking at the dead workers. "He owns the Glassworks."
"I think we can say that Lonjiku isn't in charge of the goblins," Razvan noted, his attention focused on the center alcove.
Draul turned to see what Razvan was focused on, having initially missed the sight when he focused on the goblins. There was a glass sculpture seated on a chair positioned on the alcover. It took Draul and the others a few seconds to see that the sculpture's face, which was twisted in agony, looked familiar. In his final moments, Lonjiku Kaijitsu had been encased in hardened glass, a form of death that was more horrible than even Draul had seen in his years. Although he didn't care much for Lonjiku, he wouldn't wish such a painful death on anyone.
Corita turned away quickly after making the realization while Kennick and Mariel grew pale. There was a silent agreement among the group to leave the glassworking room to pursue the goblins if only to leave the massacre behind them. Mariel pointed out the set of doors that the goblins fled through to a set of stairs that led down. The group turned to Kennick for an explanation but he shrugged, having not seen the basement during his visit. The group cautiously proceeded down the stairs after the goblins.
It became apparent to the group that the basement was meant for storage but they were surprised to see that the wall to the left had been torn down with brick and stone left behind as rubble. The hole revealed a dark hallway and Draul realized that there was more to the Glassworks than he realized. Kennick silently led the way through the secret hallway, which turned to the left. They could see that another wall had been torn down but there were two doors before the hole, the further one slightly ajar.
"What is this?" Corita asked quietly.
"Must be some sort of smuggler tunnel," Razvan whispered back. "That could be how the goblins were able to get in."
"I'm going in," Kennick said, stepping forward. "The goblins must have gone through that open door."
"We've got your back, Kennick," Draul assured his companion. "Lead the way."
Kennick nodded, gripping his bloody greataxe tightly. Draul couldn't imagine what was going through his head after seeing Lonjiku dead. He had seen Kennick in battle before and knew that the surviving goblins wouldn't be much of a surprise. He was worried about what other surprises were waiting for them but he had to have faith in his companion.
Slowly, Kennick approached the door and pushed it open. Draul could see his eyes went wide a second before an arrow flew into his exposed chest.
"Kennick!" Corita called out in horror.
With a bloody cough, Kennick looked down at the arrow embedded in his chest before collapsing on his side, away from the group.
A/N: I won't say this is my best cliffhanger ending for a chapter but I have a good feeling that it's my most evil cliffhanger so far.
Until next time.