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Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls

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"Ah, sleep sounds wonderful" Zato stated.
"These old legs of mine are tired." he gave them a short stretch.

"Now, which way are the bedrooms?"
 
The small girl closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide as a quiet yawn escaped it.

She rubbed gently at one of her large blue eyes before her pale hand disappeared back inside its long sleeve.

The little one looked around at the blind monk, moving over to him and prodding at his leg.

"Mister Zato, I'm tired..."
 
Herdpack led the old monk and the little child upstairs, gaining entrance into the hired rooms, setting little Mary to sleep on one of the proper beds, while leading brother Zato to an adjacent one. There were not nearly enough beds for the entire expedition, most Hellguards would sleep on the floor, but at least they would have the illusion of protection granted by the walls.

One after another, the soldiers in the main room would go upstairs to find some rest from the day's hard march. The night waned, no incident took place, despite what one may have thought after having heard what the knight Morr had received in information from the mayor.

The arrival of the day was announced by a silent grey mist covering the sky, letting only little sunlight through, creating long shadows outside.

The first of the Hellguard, as well as their commander, Morr, rose, ignoring the offers of the innkeeper for breakfast, instead preferring to use their own rations, preparing the morning meal using salted meat and hard bread.
 
Vanessa had a room where she shared with some of the Tavern's cooks. She was out eating some of the breakfest the place had to offer. She then had left just as Morr rose. She did not go far but rather sitting outside on the wagon of their supples watching the sun rise. She was lost in thought over the events that took place something about this place gave her the creeps.
 
Valetni woke with a curse. He peeled the sweat soaked sheets from his body, untangling them where his legs had become bound as he thrashed about during the night. He swung both legs over the side of the bed, and leaned forward, head in his hands and elbows on his knees. The dreams were growing worse. Always the same variation, drowning, asphyxiation. Something wrapping around him, pulling him ever downward, his clothes becoming waterlogged, impeding him as he desperately clawed for the surface, for the air that he so desperately needed. If not that, it was being trapped underground, slowly suffocation as he used up his air supply, his attempts to prolong his life only hastening his death as his frantic attempts to get to air only consumed it faster. Tonight's had been particularly creative. A large snake slowly coiling around him, constricting him, immobilizing him. He shuddered, shaking his head to dispel the last vestiges of the dream.

Slowly, his heart began to slow, and his breath came more naturally, it was only then that he stood, wobbling for a moment until his hand found the cane by his bed. The dreams weren't real, they didn't mean anything. He ran his free hand through his hair, noting how several strands came away as he did so. He stared at his outstretched palm, noting not only the hair, but how the skin had become tight, constricting, like he needed to burst out of it. He shook his head once more, catching a glimpse of the golden eyeball on the night stand as he did. If Valetni was the superstitious type, and not a man of science, he would have said that the eye followed him as he made his way to make his morning ablutions.

Valetni felt much better after he emerged from the bathroom, and a rumble in his stomach told him he would feel even better once he put some food in that. With that in mind, clothed and with his usual accoutrements, he stumped his way downstairs to the common room.
 
Over time, most of the group came down from their rooms upstairs, gathered around the tables Morr and some of his Hellguards had claimed and set up the morning-meal upon. An hour passed as the breakfast was conducted, the misty morning turned somewhat clearer, enough at least to see farther than ten paces if one was to wander the streets now.

The streets themselves, meanwhile, remained oddly empty. That was, except for three rather lightly clothed figures, the kind that served to entice such of the opposite gender as a form of work. The prostitutes entered the tavern in which the group was currently quartered, first looking around with some unease, earning themselves the hungry looks of some of the other guests of the inn, then promptly approached the mostly-seated group of Hellguards, aiming directly for the figure of Valetni, who, among the heavily-armored Hellguards, stood out rather well.

The women's visible unease did not lessen in the presence of the battle-ready soldiers, though their work-gained professionalism kept their voices calm as their apparent 'leader', a rather exotic representant of the human species for this region, with dark-brown skin and quite the prominent nose, though otherwise only middling assets which nonetheless her clothing pronounced, adressed the old, alchemistically-capable monk.

"You... that frien' o' Molly's?" she asked, the rough accent of her voice easily noticed.

Morr meanwhile, helmet fastened to his head as always, calmly watched, not intending to interfere, whereas Belatia visibly raised an eyebrow as she beheld the whores who appeared to serve as messengers of Valetni's contact.
Most of the Hellguards just took it in stride, keeping on consuming their morning-meal without more delay than a cast glance would cost, though that would not mean that they did not listen attentively.
 
Mary had been ushered downstairs by one of the Hellguards, with the small duck in tow. She quickly took a seat, the duck now perched quite happily on her lap as she slowly ate the food in front of her, it didn't taste as good as it normally did, she wouldn't tell him though, maybe Mister Zato had picked up a wrong ingredient this morning by accident again.

She watched intently as women in lots of brightly coloured clothing walked in the door, everyone else was watching them too. The small girl thought the clothing must be very pretty, since the women in it had seemed to attract everyone's attention. She sat thinking for a minute, maybe Mister Zato could get her pretty clothes too, although, maybe they weren't as comfortable as the ones the monks wore.

She was confused, there must be something wrong with the clothes, otherwise everybody would be dressed that way, it was almost as if they couldn't take their eyes off of the clothes.

Missus Belatia wasn't looking at them though, she seemed to be staring angrily at her food, maybe she didn't like it that much either?

The small girl was about to tug on the old Monk's sleeve, but, being unable to see, he probably wouldn't be able to explain it to her.

She slowly and gently tugged on Missus Belatia's sleeve.

"Erm, Missus Bel, why doesn't everyone wear clothes like those ladies?" she asked quietly so nobody else would be able to hear.
 
Staring down at the girl for but a moment, Belatia instead offered, though with a bit of mirth in her voice "Sir Morr, certainly you would be more... adept at answering this question?"

The old knight's voice was, as always, impassive, though this time with but a hint of confusion "I would not know why, weibel Belatia. Indeed, I have encountered women wearing the same amount of clothing in most of the towns I visited in my life, though the words they considered me with made no sense, to speak plainly."

The good weibel stared at him for a few moments, just as she had Mary just a few moments ago, before giving off something of a short laugh "Really. How about this, Mary, these clothes... these women are very poor, they save what money they have for goods more important than clothes. That so many stare at them because of that is only because they pity them. Which you can see by that sailor over there who is quite ready to give them money." giving off another laugh as she looked at said sailor, a burly man with quite the demand for carnality in his eyes, she added "And nothing else." casting a glance at the helmeted figure of Morr "At all."
 
Vanessa walked back and made a grunt when she saw the girls in prostutes clothing. She gave a sigh knowing full well some of the girls could not get jobs else where and knew some of the men here would surly give the girls the money they needed. She found a seat and sat down watching them talk to the monks. She thought this rather funny cause she did not think the monks would be giving them any service after all monks did not marry from what she read in her fathers books.
 
Valetni looked up as the ladies entered. He should have expected something like this from Molly. Perfumed ladies these were not, but at least they didn't draw much attention, places such as these being familiar to the likes of them and their trade. He straightened up in his seat, bringing his cane to hand as he did so.

"I am he, did Molly send you with the information I asked for?" Valetni tried to ignore the looks of the other party members. He knew what they would be thinking, even if they weren't voicing it. Proud fools, Valetni knew who had their finger on the pulse of the city, among other things. Valetni doubted the members of the Hellguard would even deign to acknowledge these 'soiled doves' let alone interact with them long enough to extract any information from them. Let them have their ways, Valetni would have his own. Valetni would let his results speak as his defense.
 
Nodding, the woman gestured for her two companions, who promptly strode to the sides, towards the leering men, some of whom were already waving with money. A distraction. The prostitue remaining, meanwhile, leaned close to the old monk, bringing her mouth close to his ear, while her already light clothing left even less to the imagination now.

"At the port, there is a man." her voice's accent from earlier seemed to have vanished all of a sudden, as she whispered to Valetni "A regular of Molly, is interested in helping you. Name is Lars Calandi, do not speak his name when you see him, or he'll vanish. Is a short fellow, has quite the beard, meet him this night, pier where the Boundless Grace is docked, come alone, or he'll be gone. Tell him that all will be well."

Thus said, the whore gave the old monk a kiss, laughing as if he had told her a joke, before winking at him and joining her companions in their job. The rest of the group, meanwhile, looked expectantly at the old monk.
 
Vanessa got up bored with all the whores she had been watching them carious. she then walked over to Sir morr and said "interesting compuny that has come in here but Iam rather bored breakfest being done and all what do you have planned for our journey ". She stood by the old monk and looked at the ladies and let out a sigh . They were pretty for the sight she knew that for they had to be. She wanted to get out of here hit the road for something in this town was making her feel very uneasy. She could not quite place her finger on it. She was afraid her past would catch up to her and be reveled thus losing her place as the cook for these monks.
 
Valetni grimaced as the whore kissed him, he could all too well guess where that mouth had been. Nevertheless, he had a lead. Now the only question was whether to follow up on it by himself, or involve the rest of the hellguard, and that knight in particular. He had been instructed to go alone, and if his contact was as cagey as the instructions suggested he was, it would be near impossible to find him again if he was spooked. Valetni brought the hem of his sleeve up to wipe his face. He would have plenty of time to decide on a course of action, it was, after all, only the morning.
 
"That would depend on the findings of brother Valetni, sister Vanessa." the knight answered the cook, as his helmet swept back to set its gaze on the still-impaired monk "Please, brother Valetni, at least give me the most minute of outlinings, I can not have us sit here for too long, remaining in one place may prove dangerous. Normally, I would assign us into four to five different groups and investigate the more run-down parts of the town, however, if you have an alternative to that then I must know."
 
Vanessa sat down but she would look at the door every now and then. she could not shake this feeling her past was about to come crashing on her any mintue now cause once she stop running it tends to do that . She nodded her head and waited for brother Valetni so say what was on his mind. She thought why not go into the search or allow some to go searching with but she will not be searching for what they came here for more like if anyone here did know from her past or anyone her uncle knew.
 
Valetni glanced around, noting the gaze of not only Morr, but several of the hellguard, the cook, and even a handful of regular patrons not distracted by the charms of the women.

"I feel the need to stretch my legs." He lied, even as he unsteadily climbed to his feet with the support of his cane. "Sir Morr, if you would be so kind as to escort me?" He said, already beginning to stump towards the portal, turning and looking back expectantly as he reached it.
 
Giving a nod, the knight rose from his seat, strode around the table to Valetni's side and beckoned for him to lead the way, moving as if he would merely serve as the old monk's support if he was needed.
 
Valetni strode out of the inn, blinking as the fierce morning light assaulted his eyes. He shielded his eyes with one hand as he waited for the knight to follow him outside. This done, he beckoned towards the nearest darkened alley, stepping gingerly to avoid refuse carelessly dumped into the street the previous night.
 
Casting a wary gaze at the exit of the dark alley the monk had led them to, the knight asked "Now, brother, please speak, I must admit to feeling some discomfort with the secrecy, though of course my personal feeling matters not, it is crucial to the efficiency with which the Hellguards are employed that I know of your findings."
 
"I'd enjoy a walk as well" Zato commented, standing. He chewed nothing for a moment before adding, "It sounds like there are far more women here than normal. Does anyone know why that is?"
 
Mary watched as the women left and Mister Morr and Mister Val went outside.

She sat at the table kicking her feet beneath it, she'd finished eating by now and was becoming rather restless.

Her hood was down and as the small girl sat there she played with the ends of her hair, brushing a small clump of it over the ducks head and down its back.

It ruffled its feathers and wiggled slightly getting more comfortable in her lap. It was used to this kind of treatment, having grown up with it and had linked the fidgeting with sitting for long periods of time, and so had decided that it was going to make the most of this rare opportunity to sit still.
 
One of the Hellguards, Private Rodario, quickly sat up and whispered to the old monk, praying that the volume of his voice was loud enough just for the old man's ears "Zato, I don't know exactly, but these women, whores by the looks of them, seemed to be Valetni's informants or something. Now they are... err, 'working', while Morr and Valetni went out to- discuss stuff. Please, just- come back, sit down, watch out for Mary."
The private attempted to pull the old monk back to the table.
 
Valetni cast a glance around, mindful of any watching eyes or listening ears. He beckoned the knight closer, stepping so his head was nearly in contact with the breastplate of the larger man. "I have a contact, at a specific time, and a specific place. A friend of a friend as it were, who's interested in helping me. I'm to go alone." Valetni reports, quickly and quietly.
 
The knight moved not an inch as the old monk stepped close, remaining like a statue cast in iron, only the words coming through his helmet showing there was indeed a living being inside "Very well then, brother Valetni, however it may be prudent for you to tell me general location, at least. I will have the Hellguard investigate the lower quarters of the town, but will have them keep away from exactly that location. Due to the attention we will draw to us, away from you, you should be clear to retrieve the information you seek."
 
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