Zalerian heard Dashki before he and Teshak could find him. He soon realized that Melkia had confronted Dashki with accusations that he was behind the fire and that he loudly proclaimed his innocence, which brought the rest of the group to him. Zalerian thought that Dashki might be the most likely suspect and believed that his shouting was to make as much of a scene as possible. With the adventurers assembled, they escorted him to Almah's tent so that she could hear his story of pugwampis.
With Garavel at her side and the adventurers surrounding Dashki, Almah listened to Dashki's theory that the pugwampis were responsible for Eloais' wagon catching on fire. Zalerian listened, and although he tried to keep an open mind, he felt that Dashki was making up what happened. He had never heard of pugwampis before and felt it was too convenient that tiny rodents that brought bad luck were responsible for the tragedy. Zalerian crossed his arms as Dashki finished his explanation and waited for Almah to pass judgment.
"Pugwampis," Almah said quietly before looking up, addressing the adventurers. "If Dashki is to be believed, the hills around Sultan's Claw should be crawling with pugwampis or some signs of their passage."
"You can't seriously believe him!" Melkia said, shocked and defiant. "He's lying through his teeth about these pugwampis!"
"Just because you haven't heard about them doesn't mean they don't exist," Almah said sternly. "Arguk, have you heard anything about pugwampis?"
Arguk bowed his head. "I was born and raised in the cities, Lady Almah. I've never heard of pugwampis before but I'm willing to believe that they could exist in gnoll territory."
"Believe all you want, gnoll," Melkia said, glaring in Arguk's direction.
"Lady Almah, I'd like to believe that no one in the camp is responsible for the fire, but I find it difficult to believe in this story," Zalerian said.
"We should listen to Melkia," Teshak suggested to which the half-elf nodded to show her gratitude. "Dashki isn't the only gnoll expert we have."
"And given that our experts have conflicting views, I am willing to give Dashki a chance to prove his innocence," Almah said. "If what Dashki says is true, then it shouldn't be too hard for him to find a pugwampi and bring it back to me."
"A wise idea, Lady Almah," Emra nodded in agreement with the plan. "If there are pugwampis in the area, then it could be that it was bad luck."
"I'll bring you a pugwampi," Dashki said, glancing away from Almah with a smirk.
"Are you really going to send him out on a fool's hunt alone?" Melkia asked, shaking her head. "He's going to escape."
"Despite what you may think of me, I am no fool," Almah told Melkia, her tone a warning to the half-elf. "Since Dashki is our prime suspect, all of you will accompany him into the desert to find a pugwampi."
"I don't need anyone watching me," Dashki said, although he was more quiet than before.
"Lady Almah says otherwise," Belash told Dashki, crossing his arms. "How long should we search for a pugwampi?"
"A few hours at least," Almah answered. "I know I ask a lot of you but consider this an extension of your investigation. You're all dismissed."
Dashki made his way to the tent's exit, walking with a noticeable limp, and shoved past Melkia. She glared in his direction with Belash setting his hand down on her shoulder to keep her from doing anything rash. Zalerian wasn't sure if they were going to find a pugwampi but he thought Almah had a good plan. If Dashki was telling the truth and they found a pugwampi, the investigation would end, and if they didn't find one, then he was likely lying. Even though Dashki was far from friendly, he seemed convinced that he was innocent of the arson and murder. The fair thing to do would be to investigate the matter thoroughly before jumping to conclusions like he and some of the others had done.
Zalerian and the adventurers followed Dashki out of the tent with Arguk whistling sharply. Trax, who was left outside the tent, joined the gnoll and trotted by his side. The sun had set since they brought Dashki to Almah and it would make finding a pugwampi more difficult. Teshak grabbed a nearby torch and held it in one hand so that the group could have some light during the night. Dashki led the way out of the camp, traveling north to the scrubland hills to begin their search.
The adventurers started to climb up the hill with Zalerian believing that he was out of his element. He knew how to fight and was fairly knowledgeable about the world but he had little practical experience when it came to tracking. It didn't help matters that the area was fairly rugged with rocks and cacti along with the night time darkness. Teshak's torch provided some light but anytime Zalerian thought he spotted something, he realized that it was the shadows playing tricks on him. After checking the brush twice only to find small rats, he decided to leave the tracking to the experts.
Although Dashki was the one assigned to look for pugwampis, Arguk and Melkia both studied the ground around the hills along with him. Zalerian was once again reminded that despite their differences, there was an overlap between the two's skills. If they had gotten along, they would have made for quite the team, but Zalerian wasn't sure if Melkia would get over her hate of gnolls or if Arguk would open up to the others in the group. After several minutes of searching, Melkia gestured toward the ground, showing a series of small footprints in the ground.
"Whoever made these tracks went to and from the camp multiple times," Melkia explained as the group looked at the tracks in the sand. "They're too large to be any kind of predator."
"Those are pugwampi tracks," Dashki quickly said.
"Or they belonged to a clever rodent that saw free food from the camp," Melkia shook her head. "I'm not letting you say that the first tracks that stand out are pugwampis."
"Then how about we follow them and see what kind of rodent they lead to," Dashki suggested with a smirk.
"I say we go for it," Belash said with a shrug. "We all heard him say that those are pugwampi tracks. If they lead to anything else, he's lying."
Melkia nodded. "Good thinking, Belash. Dashki, how does it feel knowing that we're about to find out you're a liar."
"I look forward to seeing the look on your face when you find out I'm right," Dashki said with a snarl.
"That's enough," Zalerian said, stepping up to place himself between Dashki and Melkia. "We have a plan. Let's stick to it."
"Before we follow the tracks, I'd like to know what a pugwampi looks like," Emra said, glancing at Dashki. "We'll need to know what we're looking for, right?"
"And so that you don't try to claim a random creature is a pugwampi," Teshak added quietly.
"Pugwampis are small creatures but humanoid in shape," Dashki explained. "They're covered in fur and have the head of a jackal."
"You could have at least tried making a pugwampi sound realistic," Melkia said before leading the group to follow the tracks.
Zalerian and the other adventurers followed after Melkia and the tracks, heading further along the hills. Getting around the area wasn't too difficult for the group, all of whom were physically in shape. As the minutes went by, Zalerian couldn't help but look around, trying to spot anything in the darkness. He didn't think he could find a pugwampi like the trackers in the group but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He worried that there would be a predator hungry enough that it would try to attack the group despite their numbers and Teshak's torch.
Suddenly, a cry echoed throughout the area and everyone reached for their weapons. Zalerian couldn't help but feel that the cry was something human. The noise went off again and Arguk shook his head.
"It's a goat," Arguk calmly told the rest of the group.
"A goat?" Belash threw his hands up. "Seriously?"
"It could be from the camp," Zalerian suggested. "Lady Almah did say the camel drivers lost an animal and there were plenty of goats at camp."
"The tracks lead in the direction of the cry," Melkia said. "Let's keep moving."
The group made their way further along the tracks, and as they did so, Zalerian recognized that the sound was a goat bleating. He sighed in relief, a little more at ease but still on edge. He kept looking around his surroundings, and while he didn't see any pugwampi or beast, he noticed that there were more cacti in the area. Up ahead, the adventurers could see a thick field of cacti as if they formed a small forest. There was hardly any room to move between the thorny plants yet the goat was clearly crying from within the patch as well as the tracks.
"Wonderful," Teshak said, sighing. "Just wonderful."
"The goat could be injured," Arguk pointed out. "If we all try going into the field, it could scare the goat into injuring itself against the spikes."
"We don't need everyone to search," Emra said. "One or two will suffice, and as it so happens, the tracks lead into the field. Dashki, you'll have to go in."
Dashki took a step forward only for Melkia to quickly step in front of him. "There's not a chance I'm letting you go in."
"It's my hunt," Dashki said, glaring at Melkia.
"And I can't keep sight of you once you make it further into the field," Melkia pointed out. "If we send you alone, you'll find a way to escape. If we send someone in with you, they're putting themselves at risk. You're staying here."
Dashki grunted. "Have it your way."
Emra sighed. "Any volunteers?"
"I can go," Zalerian offered. "I'm pretty nimble. I can get through the cacti without hurting myself too much."
"I'll go as well," Belash nodded.
"Are you sure that's a wise idea," Arguk asked. "You're rather big."
"So what if I am?" Belash shrugged. "Someone's going to need to carry the goat and I'm sturdy. I won't let some plants get the better of me."
"Then we have our volunteers," Emra said and bowed her head. "Be careful."
Zalerian and Belash both approached the field of cacti, bracing themselves for their task. Teshak quietly offered his torch to the pair but they both shook their heads. Belash could see well enough in the darkness and Zalerian reached into his pocket to pull out a compass. He clicked a button by the compass' clasp and it emitted a bright light. Although he was an initiate, he was able to get a wayfinder on loan from the Pathfinder Society. He would need to pay a lot of gold to keep it but he was sure he would make enough gold from working under Almah to pay for the wayfinder while having enough gold left over for him. The two adventurers made their way into the field, confident in their skills to make it across the cacti without being severely harmed.
Unfortunately, seconds after they made their way into the field, Belash tripped over his feet. Belash reached up, and in his haste to stop himself from falling, he grabbed onto Zalerian's arm. With a gasp, Zalerian collapsed alongside Belash into the cacti and grimaced in pain when the needles pierced their clothes and stung into their skin. With a pained grunt, Zalerian stood up, but when he tried to take a step forward, he found himself pulled backwards. One of the particularly large thorns had caught Zalerian's pants, and in his haste to move on, he hadn't noticed it. Zalerian fell backwards into more cacti. Belash, who had stood up as well, tried to avoid Zalerian's fall but he tripped over a stone and fell across more cacti.
Despite their best efforts, the two adventurers continued to stumble across the field. Zalerian kept a firm grip on his wayfinder no matter how hard he fell and the light showed numerous red dots of blood across his arms and legs. He imagined that Belash was as injured as he was as well but the two didn't offer any complaints. Zalerian knew what he was capable of and felt that his tripping was just a case of bad luck. At the very least, they were far enough into the field that the others couldn't see them through the first line of cacti.
Finally, the pair made it to a small clearing in the field where a goat had been tied up by the neck to a brush. Zalerian glanced to the side and noted that the clearing was next to a ravine where there were more barbed cacti waiting. The goat bleated out loudly at the adventurers and strained against the rope that held it in place. In its panicked nature, it would be difficult to get it out and Zalerian noticed that its fur was covered in several thorns.
"I wish we had Melkia and Arguk with us," Zalerian whispered to Belash. "I don't know how to calm a goat down."
"I'll just untie it from the brush and pick it up," Belash said, taking a step toward the goat. "I've faced my fair share of animals more dangerous than a goat in the arena. I've got this."
Zalerian stayed back, watching Belash step forward. He was confident in the half-orc's skill to restrain a goat and could only wait to see what happened. Belash tried his best to grab onto the rope but the goat, in its panicked state, started to run around the warrior. Belash grunted when the rope tied around his leg, and when he tried to step out, the goat accidentally pulled on the rope to trip his other foot. Zalerian could only watch in shock as Belash went over the edge of the ravine, crashing into the numerous cacti.
"Belash!" Zalerian shouted, running to the edge. "Are you okay?!"
Zalerian heard Belash groan loudly in pain and sighed in relief. The half-orc was likely in great pain but he was alive and could be healed. Zalerian reached into his backpack and grabbed a coil of rope. He held onto one end of the rope, keeping his distance from the goat, and threw the other end over the edge of the ravine. Zalerian pocketed his wayfinder and held onto the rope tightly when he felt Belash pull on it. He gritted his teeth at the effort of helping the bulky warrior up but was fairly strong and it didn't take too long for Belash to make it up.
"Does it feel like we're cursed?" Belash asked, groaning. "It feels like we're cursed to me."
"Maybe we are," Zalerian admitted, glancing around the clearing. "I don't know what's wrong but…"
Zalerian started to trail off when he spotted something move by the rock near the goat. He blinked several times and pulled out his wayfinder, lighting up the clearing. The wayfinder revealed a small creature in rags and holding a dagger. It had dark fur and Zalerian was quick to note that its head resembled a jackal's head. The creature snarled at the adventurers who turned to look at each other in understanding. Dashki's tale of pugwampis was true and it was the cause of their misfortune.
The pugwampi snarled and the adventurers snapped into action. Zalerian dove at the pugwampi with a kick but it ran between his ways. It took all of his focus to remain standing and not to trip over the edge. He turned around in time to see the pugwampi let out a terrified yelp before Belash struck it across the chest with his massive axe. The pugwampi fell to the ground and was still. The two adventurers kept an eye on the creature and it was only when the goat started to calm down that they felt safe.
"I guess pugwampis are real," Belash said, taking deep breaths.
"Indeed they are," Zalerian nodded when he knelt down by the pugwampi.
"What are you doing now?" Belash asked.
"I saw something…" Zalerian explained, grabbing the edge of a card that the pugwampi kept in its rags. "It's too burnt to tell but this could be one of Eloais' Harrowing cards."
"Then Dashki is innocent, at least of Eloais' death," Belash said. "Grab the pugwampi. It's time we get back to the others."
Zalerian nodded, and after pocketing the card and putting his rope away, grabbed the dead pugwampi with his free hand. Belash untied and grabbed the goat with both hands, and although it bleated out a protest, wasn't so scared as before. The two made their way through the field, and with the pugwampi dead, Zalerian felt that he was making it through the cacti without any issues. He was quick to notice when the ground was uneven and careful to keep his footing. Belash grunted a few times as his bulk made navigating through the thorns difficult, and at times, impossible, but he made it through.
When they made it through the last of the cacti and to their companions, Emra and Teshak rushed up to the two.
"What happened?!" Emra asked. "We heard shouting and were incredibly worried."
"We were about to go in after you," Teshak told the pair.
"Getting through the field proved to be more of a task than we thought thanks to this," Zalerian said and held up the pugwampi's corpse.
"That…" Melkia started to speak but wasn't able to find the right words.
"Told you I was right," Dashki smirked.
Belash set the goat down and handed the rope to Arguk. "We had terrible luck because of that damned pugwampi. We both fell into the cacti and this goat tripped me into a ravine."
"We should make our way back to camp," Arguk said, grabbing the rope. "Our business here is done."
"Let me tend to our injured real quick," Emra said, placing her hand on Zalerian's arm. "A quick spell should help with the pain."
Zalerian felt Emra's warm touch and felt his cheeks turn red. She muttered a quick incantation under her breath and he felt several of the cuts the thorns made seal shut. He noticed a dim golden light with a hint of red form from her hand as she pulled it back. Emra smiled at him, and before Zalerian could say anything, she made her way over to Belash to channel her magic to heal him. Belash nodded in thanks and the group made their way back to camp.
The journey back was uneventful and the adventurers made it to the campsite at Sultan's Claw without any issues. Melkia, still processing that Dashki was telling the truth all along, broke off from the group without a word. Arguk suggested that the others give her space and made his way to the camel drivers with Trax and the goat to return the lost animal to them. Zalerian accompanied the group to Almah's tent along with Dashki where the merchant princess and Garavel listened to their report. The pugwampi's corpse and the burnt card were enough evidence as she addressed the group.
"Thank you for the hard work. Dashki, you're free to go."
"Of course," Dashki said before his eyes turned to the dead pugwampi. "Might I take the corpse of my prey as a trophy."
Almah blinked twice before nodding hesitantly. "I have no further use for it. You may."
Dashki grabbed the pugwampi, and without a word, made his way out of the tent. Zalerian frowned but kept his thoughts about the strange gnoll hunter to himself. Although Dashki was innocent of Eloais' death, he felt that there was more to him that he wasn't telling. It was best to keep an eye on him.
"Is there anything more you need from us, Lady Almah?" Emra asked.
"Not for tonight," Almah told the group. "I'm sure you'll want your rest after your long journey. You've done more than I expected and you shall be awarded. Garavel, would you please secure five pouches of two hundred gold?"
"Of course, Lady Almah," Garavel bowed his head and walked out of the tent.
"You're too kind, Lady Almah," Zalerian said with a smile. "We were glad to help out."
Teshak nodded with a frown. "Shouldn't there be six pouches? One for each of us?"
"Five, actually," Almah shook her head. "The four of you will be paid along with Melkia."
"What about Arguk?" Belash asked.
"Did Garavel not tell you?" Almah asked and noticed the confusion on the adventurers' face. "Arguk is a slave on loan from the Pactmasters of Katapesh to help liberate Kelmarane. Since the government owns him, he isn't to be paid. Now, Garavel will make sure you're paid before we leave camp. You'll have a lot to do tomorrow so you should get some rest."
Zalerian took that as the end of the conversation and made his way out of the tent with the others. He wanted to talk to the group about how unfair it was not to pay Arguk for his work when he noticed that the others were making their way to find spots to set up their bedrolls. He frowned for a second before reminding himself that slavery was legal in Katapesh. As much as he hated the idea, he knew that there was little he could do for Arguk's situation. Zalerian wasn't sure what the others thought of slavery but they likely couldn't do anything to help Arguk either.
With a sigh, Zalerian realized how tired he was. Although he had fun exploring Katapesh, he knew that nowhere in Golarion was perfect. He would rest for the night and try not to dwell on Arguk's situation. If the opportunity came to help free him, he would take it, but for now, he needed to prepare for the battles ahead.
A/N: Not a whole lot to say here. As a fun fact, but with the notes I'd taken, these last two chapters were originally suppose to be three chapters, but after writing the first chapter, I decided to go with two chapters for better pacing.
Until next time.