raja dreams, rocco prays, bishop fucks up
[dee]: i mean thus far we have a 20% chance of poison and a 10% chance of mayonnaise [emily]: mayonnaise is a form of poison [ashley]: IT IS
bishop falls asleep quickly, having had a bad day. rocco sleeps normally, feeling safer in a familiar bed. talmage attempts to learn cure wounds with his artificer magic again but struggles for some reason.
during the night, raja is kept up by talmage & rocco exchanging loud conversation. she doesn’t remember drifting off to sleep, but suddenly she is standing before the figures of aedith and alodia on the bridge from earlier in the sewers beneath highkeep. they turn and enter through the dragon sculptures. alodia and aedith appear to be elven – dark skin, gold eyes, and long-golden hair – yet, both of them also possess claws, tails, and horns. from what raja knows, this is not what they look like … yet, it still feels like them. each of them take hold of the dragon staff, and alodia looks over at aedith.
alodia: do you think this will keep them at bay? aedith: of course it will.
together they put the staff up and turn it into a solid gold bar across the doors, shutting and locking the doors.
raja wakes suddenly, her horns hitting the bunk above her. a cold sweat drips down her neck. her hand is glowing, and as she looks up, people walk by outside her door. one is in a long black coat. raja notices the room is misty and warm, and written on the wall is a message:
your lust for power
raja lights a torch and starts inspecting the room. she feels threatened. she pulls one of the beds aside and finds tally marks behind one of the bed frames – 151 marks, made in the past year. under it is the name “aurabri,” but she doesn’t know what this means. after her sweep, the heat and mist in the room seem to have died down.
in the morning, bishop struggles to get out of his tiny bunk bed. rocco wakes with him, greeting him by peeking his head down from the top bunk. bishop starts his morning routine.
rocco: oh! i meant to ask you about that! rocco: um, can i ... come ... with? bishop: to ... what rocco: to do your morning, y'know, thing that you do, when you like, talk to your god! bishop: oh ... um ... sure? rocco: i just, like, when you did that special healy thing, and you made me wake up ... i feel a little bit different? rocco: and i feel like i have something to say to somebody bishop: oh, um ... rocco: can i come pray with you? bishop: yes, of course, um-- rocco: i've never prayed to a god before, i don't know what i'm doing
bishop settles down in a corner of their room. rocco quietly follows and watches him, really excited but trying not to say anything. he sits down next to bishop.
bishop: so i ... just sort of sit and, um, think about ... uh ... bishop: um, just, uh, try to communicate, um bishop: because you don't have a god to talk to-- rocco: no, who do you talk to? bishop: well, we've been over this before, but i don't recall. rocco: so you just, like, what do you say? bishop: i don't know, i just kind of think about ... doing good?
talmage is awake and watching quietly from his top bunk.
rocco: okay! i'll try to do that! bishop: i close my eyes when i do it, you don't have to
rocco closes his eyes, and suddenly his hands start glowing. bishop looks at this and then glances over at talmage to make sure he’s also seeing this. talmage raises his eyebrows. bishop shrugs and tries to do his own praying but keeps looking over at rocco.
rocco feels a wave of strength wash over him. he can feel something just out of his reach. reaching forward physically, it’s as though he can feel a ball of energy. rocco thinks back to the memory he experienced when bishop healed him in his unconscious state, as well as the smiting that followed. he feels a little melancholy recalling the memory of kairos killing bishop. there is an ache in his chest, but he feels warmth in his hands.
rocco: ... hello?
at this point, bishop has given up on trying to pray and is just watching rocco. talmage is sitting up and is incredibly invested on whatever is going on.
rocco suddenly casts [burning hands]. his eyes are still closed.
rocco: are you there, god ...? it's me, rocco ...
the ache in his chest increases, and he finally opens his eyes. the light in his hands goes out, but when he opens his palm a beam of light remains. he feels as if he was just bestowed with something magical.
rocco: what. i feel different rocco: what happened?! my hands are all like-- bishop: you glowed, your hands specifically. rocco: yeah they were really bright and then they went out-- talmage: all you said was "hello" and someone gave you magic?!
rocco says no one spoke to him and he felt really alone. he tries to summon the magic again; he reaches out to his shitty roomba, and it lights up.
rocco: is that what happens when you turn a certain age?? talmage: you've gone through puberty! congrats.
raja enters the room, and talmage startles badly at someone walking in on all the magic currently happening. raja closes the door quickly.
raja: calm down, calm down raja: we're doing magic this early in the morning???
the robot is currently skittering around, lit up.
rocco: i didn't mean to! i'm sorry, it just happened, my hands were on fire--
bishop explains the situation. rocco begins to ask many questions about gods.
rocco: how do you talk to them when you need to apologize? do you have to pray every time bishop: i feel like that's dependent on your vows and your god-- rocco: ooh, do i have to make vows? promise to do something? like when you get married?
talmage asks raja if she needs to pray every morning, since alodia seems to be her god.
raja: i don't ... pray, as such, no. raja: alodia and i have an agreement. raja: it's not one of prayer or servitude or anything like that. bishop: ... may i ask what it is? raja: ... it's an agreement. rocco: it's like a contract? raja: ... yes, i suppose you could call it that. rocco: that's what i have to sign at work! raja: we didn't sign paperwork or anything nearly like that, but we both know what we are looking for out of this arrangement. raja: i've never been the religious type, per-say, but alodia and i have ... well-aligned goals.
bishop: ... is your goal to get revenge on another god? raja: ... yes. talmage: ... that is a large goal.
raja clarifies that, yes, she is getting revenge on aedith for herself but also for alodia.
talmage begins fiddling with his dagger.
at about 3 pm, mr. graves pushes a trolley into the room and asks if we slept okay. on the trolley are sandwiches, fruit, salad, and cheeses.
bishop apologizes for the group’s behavior yesterday. mr. graves thanks him and tells us to be ready in half an hour. talmage also says thank you, unfortunately just as mr. graves is departing.
talmage: guys check this out
talmage throws his knife into the wall, and the knife shakes a little before zooming back into his hand. he catches it SUPER cool with the same hand but behind his back.
bishop: where did you get that. talmage: i made it :) rocco: did luci teach you how to do that? talmage: (angrily) NO! that was me!! i did it!!! rocco: sorry, he knows how to throw knives ... talmage: yeah, well, i know how to catch em'.
raja asks if he painted something onto the knife; talmage did, and he shows her.
rocco: wait, that was magic? talmage: i guess, yeah. rocco: do it again!!
he throws it again, and it returns.
talmage: i would let you try it, but i'm gonna test it a bit first. rocco: what happens if i try to throw it? talmage: um ... i'm pretty sure it would work. rocco: would it come back to you or me talmage: mmm, probably come back to ...-- i don't know yet. we can try it out later. rocco: yeah maybe we should try it later ... if i get hurt before we do stuff, mr. graves might be ... *trails off*
rocco explains we’re all going to be led into a room and test out an object however we want. there’s no rules: we just can’t take the object out of the room. there’s no rule against using the object on others.
raja asks if there is risk of us being punished by anyone for using these objects. rocco assures us that cicero is very secretive, but raja worries they could use this information as blackmail.
talmage: well, like, don't they already know? bishop: mr. graves knows. talmage: right, but he could just tell them. bishop: or the one with the stone that you stabbed. talmage: aurabri? rocco: you know, i don't think they would do that because it would trace back to them really easily, if you think about it! rocco: like, if they were like, "oh, these guys were using magic items!" they'd be like "well, where'd they get em'?" and then they'd be like "aw, you got us!!!" bishop: they could lie. rocco: i GUESS BUT--
talmage tasks rocco if he’s ever faked using an item. rocco says no, but sometimes he gets too scared to use one, and he asks mr. graves not to have him test it.
talmage: what if these hurt me? rocco: they might ... rocco: but you guys know healing stuff! bishop: you can just bring it up with mr. graves. talmage: i guess i'm just worried about, like-- bishop: them knowing that you're casting magic in this weird, underground bunker? talmage: i don't know, i just don't want the people-- how many people watch us? rocco: i don't really know, i'm always down here ... talmage: is it always the same people? rocco: you can't really see the people behind the mirrors ...
rocco says if the item is really important, sometimes his dad or someone higher up in the company will come down and watch. mostly it’s a bunch of people in lab coats walking around – five people or so.
bishop: if you're really worried about the magical item, then i can do your test for you. talmage: talmage: i can try ... one
we compare our experiences with magical items. raja was able to sense what the dragon staff did when she picked it up.
mr. graves knocks and asks us if we are ready. he turns to rocco.
graves: eat one more carrot.
he holds out a baby carrot. rocco dips it in some of the nutella and eats it.
mr. graves leads us to the testing area.
graves: we have a variety of objects today, very interesting. graves: you haven't been by for a while, rocco, and i think you and your friends will enjoy yourselves. graves: you can all work together - you have quite the audience today, after all. talmage: what k-- what kind of audience? bishop: who is the audience?
mr. graves ignores the question and opens the testing room.
the room is large, sterile, concrete, and very bright. there is a table in the center with a couple cracks on it. a large glass wall is on one side of the room. mr. graves approaches a chest, removes a large jar with multiple corks in it, and places it on the table next to several empty cups.
rocco: are you worried about the ... oh rocco: the audience? talmage: it's, whatever-- whatever, i just, i don't know! i just like to know-- ... whatever. raja: it's certainly ominous. rocco: i don't think it'll be *whispering* any more embarrassing than the circus talmage: rocco: i believe in you!!
talmage decides to hang back, unsure if he wants to participate. bishop approaches the jar, pulling out the red cork. he stares at it for a bit.
talmage: ... is there liquid in that? talmage: is that-- what's in that. bishop: i'm ... not sure. talmage: well, fuckin'--
talmage walks over to the table. bishop pours the liquid into one of the cups – it’s a warm red.
talmage: what's in it? talmage: are they making us drink shit? rocco: you can touch it if you want first-- raja: is it a ... potion? rocco: what's a potion talmage: it's like a spell, but it's in a drink. rocco: ooh, i've always wanted to try one of those-- talmage: i didn't know we'd be drinking things! talmage: this seems like a lot more than-- than picking something up!!
bishop smells the liquid. it smells like a nice pinot noir. he drinks it – it’s good? he is confused.
raja pours from the purple cork. it bubbles and sizzles. she smells it – it also smells like wine? she sticks a finger in, and it feels like it’s burning her skin.
talmage: you probably shouldn't stick your finger in that. raja: well, i wasn't going to drink without-- talmage: are you gonna drink it--
bishop takes the cup from raja and takes a quick sip.
raja: well, i'm not going to drink it - apparently bishop is. bishop: i'm not drinking it, i'm tasting it.
bishop takes 2 poison damage. he is now poisoned.
talmage: what's it taste like. bishop: it doesn't taste good. talmage: no?
bishop’s stomach hurts. he casually pats himself and uses [lay on hands] to rid himself of the poison.
talmage: what did you drink. what was that??! bishop: ... i wouldn't recommend drinking that. talmage: was that poisoned?? raja: well, perhaps we should try to ascertain if it is a poison before putting it in our mouth bishop: the first one was wine! i thought this was-- raja: this one burned and bubbled.
rocco uncorks the blue one. it’s clear and smells like salt.
talmage looks around the room.
talmage: are we just supposed to-- talmage: are they expecting us to drink all of them? bishop: i don't believe so. talmage: when are we done? raja: if they didn't give us instructions, then they can't be disappointed if we don't do it. talmage: that is SO TRUE
he looks at the jar rocco is holding.
talmage: try ... pouring it ... just ... anywhere. rocco: onto the ground? talmage: will they get mad if we do that? rocco: no ... talmage: 'kay. just like, pour it. rocco: on you? talmage: just, i don't know, anywhere-- no, not on me, on the ground!
rocco pours a bit on the ground.
talmage: pour more. rocco: all of it? talmage: i don't know? what if it has no limit? what if it pours forever? isn't that like, information they want to know?
he pours it for a while, far more than the physical size of the jar. the group hazards a guess that it’s seawater.
talmage: discovery! rocco: i wonder if the red one does that? talmage: they probably all do it. raja: i don't think we should pour a bunch of--
rocco starts pouring the red one, but it stops after a bit.
bishop uncorks the white one. it’s thick and slimy. it’s mayonnaise. he stops pouring it quickly.
talmage: why did the seawater last so much longer than the wine? bishop: maybe it's from the ocean? talmage: when we pour the wine, does it take it from wine that already exists in the world?? bishop: maybe it's drawn from a specific bottle, but if it's ocean water, that is a large source-- talmage: are we supposed to like, write this shit down? or are they just-- rocco: they can hear us! talmage: (loudly) okay ...
raja uncorks the gold one. it’s sticky and drips very slowly. it looks and smells like honey.
[shad]: i can't believe the white one was mayonnaise and not milk. [ashley]: i have the chart right here! [dee]: i mean thus far we have a 20% chance of poison and a 10% chance of mayonnaise [emily]: mayonnaise is a form of poison [ashley]: IT IS
bishop uncorks the black cork. as it pours into the cup, it begins eating away at the glass. raja gently taps the acid with her finger tip. it hurts her, but she has resistance to acid damage.
bishop: raja, i said that that one was acid. raja: i know. bishop: raja: i did breathe acid the other day. bishop: yes, but that is clearly different than the situation that we are currently in rocco: the scientists really like it when you confirm your hypothesis. hypotheses? bishop: it burned through the cup. it was acid. raja: it benefits me to know how acid affects me. talmage: i don't know, raja, it's pretty dangerous hurting yourself like that.
talmage looks irritated. rocco offers that talmage could try the next one. he’s hesitant but smells it. it smells like beer, so he tries a sip. it’s beer.
bishop: is it ... good? talmage: it's okay? talmage: ... am i poisoned? bishop: no more than any other alcohol, i would assume. rocco: yeah, alcohol is poisonous! bishop: thank you, rocco.
talmage has a glass a beer now.
he uncorks the grey one. it’s black and viscous when it pours and smells kind of gross.
rocco: does anybody know ... fire stuff? rocco: wait, we know fire stuff! talmage: didn't you do that this morning? rocco: i could try to do that thing that i did this morning where my hands were like PHSWWW talmage: UM-- is that something that-- so that new thing-- rocco: wait, there's torches in here!
rocco pours some of the liquid on the floor, grabs a torch, and touches it to the puddle. the liquid catches – it’s oil.
rocco: hey! you guys have good ideas. you'd do really well here! raja: ... i don't think this is my dream job exactly.
we ask if hector ever did this job – he didn’t really, rocco thinks.
the next cork is white, and the liquid is clear. raja smells it – it’s vodka.
raja: i suppose this would be a very useful jar for a bartender. bishop: the mayonnaise really comes in handy. talmage: yeah, and also the poison.
bishop smells the vodka and starts gagging.
talmage: woah, woah, woah rocco: are you feeling okay, do you need to sit down? talmage: stop smelling it!!!
bishop hands it back to raja.
[emily]: i would like to imagine that bishop smelt it and was like "eugh" [emily]: and then smelt it again
raja casts [prestidigitation] to clean away the remaining liquid.
[emily]: do we wanna cast magic here? [emily]: i mean i guess they know [charlie]: bishop already did
talmage uncorks the last one and pours it. he smells it, and it is clear but has no smell. it’s water. he tests how far the liquid can leave the jar, but nothing happens when he takes the cup to the edge of the room.
talmage: [loudly] okay, we're done.
mr. graves returns with a chest, removing four small pedestals, each with a glowing gem on them – an emerald, a ruby, a yellow diamond, and a sapphire.
bishop can’t recall anything about them. talmage inspects the chest: black matte with a handle. inside, he pulls out the satin lining to reveal a note inscribed into the wood.
conquer the elements, conquer your foes
he shows the group. they agree there must be elemental magic involved. raja hovers her hand over the yellow diamond; it is magical, but nothing else happens. it looks as though there is something humanoid moving inside the gem.
talmage can recall learning about these in school! these are elemental stones – each houses an elemental, and if you break the stone, it will do your bidding. he tells the group. bishop is also familiar with these.
talmage: rocco, have you ever encountered anything like this? rocco: ummm ... i try not to break them usually? rocco: if you know that's what happens, then-- talmage: (loudly) okay, we figured it out, do you want us to use it?
mr. graves enters the room. he thanks us and would prefer if we did not break them. he puts them away. raja seems disappointed we didn’t use the gems.
he brings out the last item: the dragon staff. mr. graves turns away from raja towards the other three.
graves: which of you would like to test this one? raja: mr. graves. what are you going to have them do? graves: we're going to have them test to see how it works.
bishop asks raja what it does. raja looks extremely uncomfortable. mr. graves hands the staff to bishop. bishop asks again what the staff does. mr. graves leaves the room.
raja: it is possible that it ... that it holds a unique power over ... dragons. rocco: i think he wants us to use it on raja because she's a dragonborn ... bishop: well, no-- raja: it worked on the door. isn't that enough? bishop: we're not going to make anyone do anything. rocco: ... i won't do it without your permission. talmage: yeah ... rocco, this seems like kind of a shitty one to make you do ... talmage: can you ask him not to do this one?
rocco suggests testing it out on something other than raja. the wall?
raja: rocco. tell me to approach you. with the staff. rocco: raja ... come ... here. to me.
raja resists the compulsion, but she can feel it.
raja: it's not ... quite as difficult ... to resist. raja: (louder) it works. raja: i ... felt it, it's not ... as strong-- it's not irresistible. talmage: what did it do? raja: i felt like i needed to go to rocco. talmage: do you wanna ... try it on someone else?
talmage asks to hold it. it’s heavy. he tries to learn everything he can from it but hasn’t developed that spell. maybe he should look into it. he can tell that it had cast a spell and it has ten charges, recovered daily. he explains this, handing the staff back to raja. rocco offers they try it on him.
raja: rocco, come here.
rocco also resists the compulsion.
the staff reminds bishop of something that would belong to royalty. raja explains the types of commands you can issue (essentially the [command] spell).
bishop: i don't like the staff. raja: i certainly do not like the staff either, but-- rocco: we don't have to use it on you! bishop: i don't think we should be using it on anyone. rocco: i haven't seen it do anything yet ... i don't think they're going to let us go until it works. talmage: are there lasting affects? bishop: we figured out what it does. raja: is anyone willing to volunteer to do something specific? talmage: i'll do ... something. raja: what should i have you do?
talmage picks up his glass of beer.
talmage: you could tell me to ... d-drop, it-- raja: drop. talmage: oh
talmage drops the glass and it shatters on the floor.
talmage: o-oh! god, okay. yeah. bishop: the staff works, we're done.
they aren’t sure if they need to know more information about it.
talmage: ... can you do that one more time? raja: um, on-- on you? talmage: yeah, but maybe one with less glass-- raja: alright ... bow
talmage bows roughly for a few seconds before straightening back up.
talmage: woah! wow, i do not like that. raja: i don't think i like this kind of power talmage: no, that-- i-- wow. talmage: okay we're done.
there is a knock at that door. mr. graves enters the room to retrieve the staff.
bishop: mr. graves. do people here use these items, other than testing them? graves: no, not here. bishop: do you keep them somewhere safe. graves: yes, we have a vault here.
he leaves the room, putting the staff away, and returns with our payment. he gives us each 15 gold and thanks us.
graves: my beneficiaries say you did very well and wanted to make sure you were given extra pay. talmage: o-oh ... rocco: yeah, i normally don't get paid this much! bishop: may i ask who your beneficiary is? graves: we have many people working for rocco's father. bishop: who is the one who said we should be paid extra? graves: his name is mr. lucille.
mr. graves opens the door for us.
graves: are you spending the night again? there will be more work for you in the morning. bishop: has the city calmed down? graves: ... would you like me to check? raja: if you could, that would be very appreciated. graves: ... excuse me.
mr. graves leads us back to our room, shuts the door, and returns upstairs. bishop notices a note stuck to the back of talmage’s pants.
bishop: talmage, there's a note. in. your pants. talmage: where. what?
he pulls out a small envelope.
talmage: who-- bishop: i'm going to assume mr. graves, because he can slide a knife-- rocco: he does that all the time!
rocco pulls some baby carrots out of his pocket.
rocco: aw man! if i don't find the carrots, sometimes they go bad and it's gross raja: you can have a carrot in your pants for long enough for it to go bad?! rocco: i don't notice things very often!!
talmage opens the envelope; inside it is a note and a key.
Run.
P.S. Please burn this letter.
talmage: *sputters* UH bishop: what's it say? talmage: i-- it-- it says to-- it says to run-- talmage: there's a key--
bishop tests their door: it’s unlocked. talmage is panicking.
talmage: uh, okay i guess, uhh, how do we get out-- talmage: rocco can you burn this talmage: i don't know what to do! i don't know what to do! rocco: there's a torch on the wall!
bishop peeks into the hall. he can hear voices coming from the direction of the testing area.
talmage: should we just fuckin' book it?! rocco, which way's out?!
we speed walk down the hall and up the stairs to the small closet we came in from before. there’s a couple carrots on the ground leading towards the back entrance. we quickly think about where to go next. should we meet with luci? we remember the key.
rocco: this is the key to the vault! talmage: talmage: the. one that. holds. all the. talmage: *laughs weakly* why talmage: why? WHY rocco: i think he wants us to go down there ... bishop: the staff. talmage: AW FUCK!!! raja: i think we should get the staff. bishop: where's the vault from here? rocco: below us! it's even further down than the rooms we were staying in.
we need to figure out how to get to the vault. sneakily? casually? we aren’t supposed to be down there. if we leave now, security will be much tighter later on. it’s best to try to take it now.
talmage is mad he burned mr. graves’ note since he could use it as a reason for their actions in case they get caught.
bishop: raja, how good is your disguise self? raja: i mean, i can make myself look like any sort of humanoid. bishop: does mr. graves personally go into the vault to retrieve the items? rocco: he's got those gloves for a reason. bishop: would he be able to accompany us downstairs to the vault to get the staff? raja: ... yes, so long as nobody examines me too closely.
we aren’t sure if that would convince them, but are willing to try. rocco is confused as to why mr. graves would do all this.
[emily]: what are we gonna do if we run into people and they wanna hurt us [ashley]: infinite mayonnaise! [shad]: we should have taken the jar!! [charlie]: i mean, we still have the chance. we have the key to the vault! [emily]: god, please, let's take something cooler than the jar of mayonnaise [charlie]: you could have infinite salt water [ashley]: it's not infinite anything! i swear, it has an amount per item, but you guys are like, "infinite mayonnaise," i guess!! [emily]: "infinite mayonnaise" is much funnier than "contained amount of mayonnaise"
talmage considers disguising himself as aurabri, but he isn’t sure about their relationship with the people here. rocco will be fine on his own. that leaves bishop looking suspicious. bishop suggests trailing behind the group, if it’s safe. raja suggests that bishop stay outside and ensure we have a safe exit.
raja: do you have any way of contacting us? bishop: absolutely not. [charlie]: hey talmage, you gonna work on that? [emily]: that would be a good idea [charlie]: but you got a knife that can come back to your hand [emily]: that's cooler! [charlie]: i know it is, we'll get there [emily]: my priorities were in the wrong place, but in-character [charlie]: just really admire people who can throw knives, i guess [emily]: i-- look, i missed my last knife throw and it frustrated me
raja disguises herself as mr. graves. talmage disguises himself as aurabri, matching what they were wearing at the cafe the other day.
raja leads talmage and rocco confidently.
rocco: *holds raja's hand* raja: (what the fuck)
they approach a group of three people at the end of the hall, near the stairs they need to go down.
one is a man wearing a long black suit. he is older with white hair, and rocco recognizes him as a member of the school board.
the next one is a woman wearing a long, fitted black coat whose style looks similar to raja’s. she looks familiar to raja, but she can’t place why.
the third is tall, broad, and is wearing a vale uniform. he’s the one aurabri was getting coffee with the other day. his hair is ginger. talmage has really bad association with red haired people – the person who gave him his brand had red hair.
[emily]: hm fuck [emily]: oh fuck [emily]: oh god [emily]: i'm gonna die
raja confidently walks straight ahead. bishop … follows them?
[emily]: god i don't wanna make you sit in the fuckin' closet but i feel like that's our safest plan [dee]: you could go into our room and watch through a window until they leave? [shad]: ... i'll keep trailing behind [emily]: what really? okay? okay? [dee]: you're gonna try down the stairs ..? [shad]: i'm gonna make sure you can go through and then we'll see what happens!
as they’re walking past the group, the woman turns to raja.
woman: oh, mr. graves! i must say, that was quite a good demonstration that i saw today. raja (graves): very productive. raja (graves): please excuse us.
raja rolls so high on her charisma roll that she is able to breeze past the group, blocking her companions from their view. the three of them are able to make it down the stairs.
bishop attempts to follow. the man in the vale armor stands in his way.
guard: i don't believe we've met. bishop: we haven't, i need to continue following mr. graves. woman: you're not permitted to go down there.
the group is hostile.
bishop: stand down.
the group blinks back at him, not moving.
woman: you're not one to give us orders here. bishop: stand aside.
the old man stands aside.
old man: you should let him past. guard: what do you mean "let him pass?"
as they’re talking, bishop tries to sneak around them. the guard fully draws his sword and slashes at bishop. he takes a big cut from the broadsword across the chest.
guard: next time, i will not miss. you should stand down. bishop: drop your weapon.
the guard drops his broadsword, and it clatters to the ground. bishop kicks it away.
guard: wha-- what did you do?!
the woman tries going past bishop to get help, but he grabs her arm.
woman: let go of me, you monster! bishop: arrest him!
the woman swiftly pulls out a pair of handcuffs, pushing the vale guard’s face into the ground.
the group of three makes it to the vault, opening it easily. we hear commotion upstairs. we should hurry. inside the vault is the elemental gems, the jar, the staff, as well as a long spear, a short sword with a moon symbol on it, a ruthless-looking scimitar, and two more black summoning stones.
raja grabs the dragon staff. talmage pockets the two summoning stones.
raja: rocco, you gonna take anything? rocco: i don't know what mr. graves wants us to do ... talmage: he told us to go to the vault, we can probably take ... whatever we want. rocco: talmage: he wants us to be safe. rocco: what do we need to take? talmage: i don't know? raja: we need to take the staff. rocco: and the stones? talmage: yeah. we're doing luci a favor, remember? rocco: i heard a commotion upstairs, do you think we need one of these elemental things? like, we could throw it at them and run?
rocco grabs the blue gem.
the group returns upstairs. the first thing they see is an old man standing off to the side. a spray of blood is across the ground, and bishop has a large gash across his chest. the vale guard is face-down on the ground, being handcuffed by the woman in the black suit. the guard is covered in bishop’s blood. the old man is motioning that we are allowed to pass.
bishop: we gotta go raja (graves): is this something i need to be concerned about? bishop: we'll talk about it later raja, we have to go [dee]: do you call her raja??? [shad]: OH FUCK NO I DON'T [ashley]: NO YOU DID
raja tries to pass it off that she isn’t raja.
raja (graves): yes, you're right, we should get raja.
the vale guard coughs suddenly. he has freckles, broken glasses, and heterochromia.
guard: AURABRI WHAT ARE YOU DOING guard: ARREST THEM
talmage looks guilty for a moment and then makes a face that says “ooh i’d love to but i really gotta get going.”
raja (graves): i don't think this is any of your concern, aurabri.
raja takes bishop and walks out, talmage following right by her side with rocco. bishop heals himself as they exit.
raja: you have. SO much explaining to do.