Part 34: Paying Tuition

Paying Tuition

Last time, Solution returned to the western side of the island. We followed her vlish's perspectives as they shepherded her creations through the ancient crypt. Unfortunately, her team suffered casualties, not the least of whom was GreatEvilKing, her first named creation. Solution wasn't able to make any further headway there due to the complex crystal detonators, so she withdrew her surviving creations, reinforced the team with more terror vlish, and departed for Sholai territory.



You don't want to acknowledge what you've lost, yet you can hardly avoid it. Forgetting GreatEvilKing would be a great disservice to all it did in your service. Now the fyora's essence has been dispersed. You hope that, in some way, the essence of GreatEvilKing and idhrendur have become entangled with your own. After all, you created them from your essence. Even if they didn't return to you, you can hope that somehow, they've imprinted on you in a more tangible way than mere memory.

GreatEvilKing and idhrendur have traveled with you since almost the beginning. They were the first creations you named, and among the very first that you ever created. They were imperfect, but so are you. Without them, you are lessened, even though you can create beings stronger than the fyoras ever could have become.

Without any means of passing through the mine-infested crypts that claimed GreatEvilKing and Random Asshole, you turn eastward, back to the Sholai-infested lands.



The guards are still quite active. You're not sure they've realized that you've passed through here yet, though, since the Sholai still haven't fixed the gaps in their patrol.

Until we clear this area, we will have to manually cross it.





This time, as soon as you hit the desolate zone, Sholai warriors spot you and immediately charge. You don't know if they were waiting for you or if you've merely found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You don't want to kill these outsiders, but it's you or them.



Besides, they never should have come here.

TooMuchAbs proves that it can still protect you by terrorizing the outsiders. As soon as they're struck, the warriors turn tail.



But they can't flee from an artila's acid.



Some of the Sholai have taken to the thorn batons. One falls while trying to reload -- he should have stuck to his sword, like the pair that rush through your creations to attack you.



Your creations don't stand idly by while Sholai try to murder their creator. RickVoid coughs up a gob of acid that leaves the Sholai warrior screaming and clawing at his own skin as his companion dies.



Then he dies, too. With this, Geokinesis achieves its first kill.



As you continue west along the winding road, one of the Sholai who fled before doubles back. Alone, he's no threat. He must know that, but perhaps he can't bear the shame of surviving when all his fellows fell.



You duck off the main road as quickly as you can. If there are any other patrols, let them think their friends were killed by rogues; you'd rather avoid them.

Amid the Shaper ruins are more broken statues. The Takers couldn't have traveled this far; time must be to blame.

There's also a sign here that reads "Trading Post." You head for the ruins.



Plenty of trash has been heaped up around this small compound. Your experiences so far indicate that there must be tinker serviles about.




This servile has been left worn and ragged by years in this harsh environment but he has made a good effort to remain neat and presentable. He bows humbly to you.

"Thank you, Shaper. Thank you for visiting our humble shop. I am Znaf. Welcome. Welcome."

"Tell me about your shop," you say. It reminds you of the junkyard -- Proof would certainly envy this pair.

"Well, I live here with Flig. We scavenge and find the goods you Shapers generously left behind for us. We repair them and trade them to Sholai and other serviles." Znaf smiles. You wonder if he's with the Obeyers; a Taker would never describe a Shaper as generous, not even in jest.

"Tell me about Flig."

"She is my bonded, and has been for almost 20 years," he says. "That is a long time for serviles on Sucia Island. Normally, one or the other of us would be dead by now."

That seems to be true. The only times serviles have talked about their bonds with you is in the context of one bondmate being dead thanks to rogues...

We could demand all his supplies, but he'd refuse, and that's not Solution's style.

"There is something else I'd like to know."

"Yes?" he asks, attentive as a merchant.

"What do you know about the Sholai?" Znaf and his bondmate trade with them, so maybe he can give you some useful intelligence about their activities.

"We trade with them. We don't know from where they come or what they do. We just learn a little of their tongue and trade things with them. It is not to serviles to know whether they are good or bad," Znaf says.

"Wait. You know their language? Can you teach me?" You could argue about whether or not it's a servile's duty to figure out whether trading with the outsiders is right or wrong, but that's pointless. It's not as though Znaf could have asked anyone, and if he didn't trade, he might very well have been slain instead.

"Why, Shaper, that is a wonderful idea. I would love to teach you. And for a small fee, I can do this. I think 1000 coins is fair for my knowledge," he says, eyes gleaming.

That Agent who made Dispenser had the wrong idea. She should have put serviles in charge of dispensing enchanted goods.

"Nonsense. That's a ridiculous fee for a few hours of your time," you say. "I will pay 500, and not a penny more." You could try forcing him to teach you for free, but you sense that it would be a waste of your time.

Znaf is a reasonable servile. He expected you to haggle, and he agrees to your price.

Znaf is a skilled teacher, and very bright for a servile. He has picked up a lot from his dealings with the Sholai. He spends several hours helping you expand your vocabulary and improve your syntax.

(Your knowledge of the Sholai tongue improves.)

When the lesson ends, you ask, almost as an afterthought, "Can I trade with you?"



If you're running out of merchants to bleed dry of coin, take heart: Znaf has a nice chunk of change!



You've just set foot in the workshop when you meet a small, unwashed servile female. Many rusty tools hang from her belt. She seems a bit more comfortable with devices and machines than living things.

Still, she knows enough to show respect to a Shaper. "Welcome to workshop, Shaper. I am Flig. Tinker Flig."

"You are a tinker all the way out here?" you ask.

"This is where all the stuff is. South, near the villages, everything good is picked away. Up here is where all the good scavenging is. Get the goods, take south to sell. Works well," Flig says.

"What do you think of the Awakened and the Obeyers and so on?"

"We don't. We respect Shapers. They make the great goods we repair. So Shapers are great. That's all we think about it."

You laugh; Flig looks puzzled, but says nothing. She's not as canny as her partner. "What do you know about the outsiders?" you ask.

"The Sholai? They trade with us. Don't hurt us. Kill most rogues. So they're fine to us. We don't know what they are or what they want, but they make lives happier," she says.

So the serviles out here see them as benefactors, almost. At least more harmful than helpful. You suspect you won't get any direct aid from this pair against the Sholai in the region. You hope Znaf and Flig don't inform on you instead. A change of subject might be well-advised. "Isn't it dangerous out here?"

"Sometimes Znaf and I feel sick, but we're here for a long time, and sires and grandsires before us. We get used to sickness over many years. Or, at least, takes longer to kill us than did before." Interesting, if sad.

"Where does the sickness come from?" you ask. Maybe you can figure out the source of the contamination and do something to stop it. You doubt it's reversible.

"Don't know, but have guess," Flig says. "Old Shaper workshop west of here, not far, called South Workshop filled with things. Slimes. Worst there, much choking and gasping. Even we don't scavenge there."

When you first experienced the poisoned wastes, you suspected Shaper wastes that were badly stored. Later, the evidence suggested the poisons predate the Shapers who settled on Sucia Island, but now you've circled back to the old Shapers once again.

You make a note to find South Workshop. You hope it isn't as bad as Flig describes. "What is the worst thing threatening you now?"

She frowns. "Sholai not all helpful. They make battle beta and gets wounded and runs off. It's hiding near here. They leave it be, and it scares us. Chases me and Znaf. One day it might kill us." She looks cagey. "If you kill it, we have something to offer in trade. Good thing. It north of here, in glade. Look careful for hidden path. It take you there. Kill beta, and we help you."

As usual, it's another errand. A murder-errand. "I'll look into it," you say. You're less interested in Flig's "good thing" than in a guarantee that the serviles won't mention you to the Sholai. Helping this pair out might create just enough goodwill between you that you won't have to worry about running headlong into another Sholai patrol for a while.

"Can I trade with you?" you ask.

"Oh, I don't do business. Znaf does business. I fix. I know much about fixing. He trades." She smiles.

It's an efficient division of labor. You wonder if her ancestors were also tinkers. "Tell me about Znaf."

"He is my bonded. We here many years together. We raise children. Some live, and go south to trade there. Happy here, though sometimes there is choking and fear." Znaf is very matter of fact about the situation up here. It's almost unnerving.

"Can you teach me about mechanics?" you ask.

"Ah. Znaf tell me this might happen. He says my knowledge is valuable. He says I should charge 2000 coins for training. No less."

You try to haggle with her, but Flig is bargain-proof. Her bondmate told her to charge 2000 coins, and 2000 coins is all she'll agree to. Eventually, you surrender. "Expensive, but fair." You count out the coins and pile them up on the nearby bench.

Flig isn't good at working with others or making herself understood, but her skill is great. You watch what she does closely, and her example is very instructional.

After an hour of this, you feel you know more about machinery and traps.

At the end of the lesson, Flig says, "There. Now, excuse me, Shaper. I must rest."

You certainly know more than when you started, but you sense that Flig can still teach you more. Besides, you are festooned with coins, enough that you could probably make a robe, tunic, and bridal train with all the money you've collected.

You work out a deal with Znaf to stay for several days and study under Flig.



During the week, you stay in a small, one-room ruin nearby. Most of the time, you stay indoors. You have to take extra care that the Sholai don't suspect your presence. Being cooped up drives your creations stir-crazy, even the vlish, who otherwise have such a level of calmness that it's almost alien.



That first night, you're certain the Sholai will discover you while they ransack the road and ruins in search of whoever or whatever killed their patrol. You move between several hiding places to avoid discovery, since you can't be sure the Sholai won't check your temporary accommodations.

The next morning, you step out into the cold and warm yourself by the bonfire. The piles of trash look even messier than when you first saw them the day before.



Flig has maintained the nearby essence pools, so you make use of them to boost your strength. You weren't able to rest while the Sholai conducted their search.



Though it's risky, you also take the time to explore. The dead woods are riddled with footpaths, and the Sholai never enter them, not even to see if any murderers hide there.



It's probably because the Sholai already know about the murder cult tucked away back here. Too bad Znaf and Flig didn't think to warn you... or the murder cultists.





These cultists seem to be of a kind with those you wiped out by Kazg. No one will miss them.

You check the tome they left behind.


The game doesn't have a script here to check if you've already been to the Shrine or not.




You quickly cast cure to neutralize the acid before it can do much besides peel your skin. It feels like a very bad sunburn, but it could've been worse. How did the serviles manage to imbue the altar with this much magical power?

Unfortunately, you don't know anything about de-consecrating altars, so you leave it alone. Without anyone here to maintain it, the altar will probably revert to an inert hunk of furniture eventually.



You also explore the northern paths. There must have been more structures here long ago, judging by some of the surviving mosaics and pillars. What this place was used for is anyone's guess.



Your luck isn't always the best. Sometimes, a scout detects you during your wanderings, and you're forced to silence them permanently.







Solution has killed enough patrolling Sholai that we can now freely pass this zone. Since we haven't done anything to the Patrolled Dell, though, pacifying the Winding Road is not that useful yet.

Eventually, the Sholai seem to pull back from this area. They haven't found you yet, but it's only a matter of time before they figure out what's going on.

Flig doesn't get better at teaching, but you get better at understanding what she's trying to say. By the time you're through, your load is several pounds lighter and you are confident that Sucia Island doesn't have many traps that you can't handle.

That means you can return to the crypts and conquer them... and in some small way, avenge your fallen creations. Your comrades.

You never do find that battle beta.





When you make your way back through the dell, you find an ambush awaiting you at the haunted pylons.

It's a strange thing to think, but you're glad the ambushers are ghosts, not Sholai. The ghosts don't hold you back for long.





You're sweating when you return to the ancient crypt. The crystal you fatefully triggered during your last visit, the one which activated the sleeping turret that you and your creations missed during the initial sweep for hostiles, has reset in your absence.

You pull on the tinker's gloves and go to work. Deactivating the mines is stressful work. With the benefit of Flig's lessons, you now understand how the crystals work, but that doesn't mean this is easy.

The crystals are tied to spore mines in addition to the reaper turrets. Fortunately, your creations killed most, if not all of the reaper turrets last time, leaving only their thorns behind. But the spore mines are a big enough problem on their own. These are large and healthy, and they don't care if they blow up you or any other being.

Moreover, the crystal detonators aren't simply tied to the nearest spore mines. The trapmaker was much more cunning than that. Some of the spore mines are several paces away, often significantly closer to other crystal detonators. If you trigger one detonator and move on thinking that you can just clear a different path, you'll almost certainly find a nasty surprise waiting for you.



You take the opportunity to investigate the sarcophagi and the pylons that your creations couldn't check on your behalf. Some of these ancients were buried with interesting articles.


The pylons are much the same as what you've seen before, but since you've uncovered a few secrets by examining them, you check every pylon you come across.



Some turrets remain. You're not entirely sure if they were replaced or if your creations didn't actually destroy all of them the first time. This one is in such a conspicuous place that you can't believe that TooMuchAbs didn't see it crushed.

Still, you make it through mostly unscathed.





The finely-built tunnel at the far end of the crypts leads you to a dreary new landscape.



A massive, old cryodrayk lumbers towards you. It seems perfectly comfortable in the chill of these hills. It doesn't look like it is going to attack you. For now.

It says, "Ah, another Shaper has returned. Another Shaper to deal with besides Goettsch. I need to speak with you now. You are in great danger here."

Goettsch! You're excited by this even as you're repulsed by dealing with yet another horrifying drayk creature. You force yourself to focus on what the monster is saying. "What sort of danger am I in?"

"Well, even now, my drayk servants have begun to hunt you. When they find your scent, they will relentlessly slay you." The cryodrayk seems to think this is all very reasonable.

You don't feel the same way. "Why have they turned on me?" you ask, unable to contain your disbelief. You haven't offended Syros, and you've never even met this creature, so why would drayks turn on a Shaper?

"Because the other Shaper, Goettsch, was here before you. When he fled into these hills, he met me. He soon saw that I would not obey him. So he bought my alliance. I have commanded my drayks to destroy you. But, because I still feel some gratitude to the Shapers for my creation, I will give you this warning. Leave now, and you will be safe."

Goettsch asked this thing to hunt you? Not only that, but even a full Shaper couldn't command a drayk's obedience?

You take a deep breath and exhale through your nose. As long as the drayk is talking, you're probably safe.

Unless it's just trying to distract you while its servants stalk you.

"What Shaper created you?" you ask.

"It was long ago and not important. His name was Defniel. He left the island and left me here. Alone." The cryodrayk's words still ring with an old hurt, but you don't care very much about its betrayed feelings right now. As far as you're concerned, that's ancient history.

You have much more pressing concerns to investigate, anyway. It's just that you don't want to seem too eager -- drayks don't seem very trustworthy. "Goettsch bought your help? How?"

"My kind, as created by you, has a certain lust for money. You Shapers tried to breed it out of us, but to no avail. Goettsch offered me gold and jewels, stolen from the Sholai. And I accepted."

"Can I, perhaps, buy safe passage from you?"

Rhakkus grins. "You Shapers are not as proud as I remember you being. Such crass trade with a mere creation? I am amused. Still, I owe Goettsch no great loyalty. If you give me 2500 coins, I will instruct my servants to be, shall we say, less aggressive in chasing you."

Rhakkus doesn't actually introduce himself during the dialogue, which is unusual.

If we accept Rhakkus' deal, we fork over 2,500 coins:

"Rhakkus eagerly takes the money. 'Excellent. I will instruct my drayks to let you pass.'"

To hell with that, though. All that happens is the cryodrayks don't patrol the zone. If you run into them while you explore Drayk's Vale, they're still hostile.

Less aggressive? That's not good enough. For that sum, you could learn even more about machinery from Flig. "How can I get that much money?" You just can't believe that price.

"Well," the drayk replies, adopting an oily tone, "you could trade with me. I am, as always, eager to enlarge my hoard, and to dispose of items of no interest to me."

"I would like to trade with you."



Rhakkus doesn't offer anything special. He's mostly here to fob off your vendor trash on, especially jewels. If you plan on killing him, wait til you've cleared out his stash of coin.

"Tell me about Goettsch," you say.

"I met him over a month ago. He was fleeing up into these hills, escaping the Sholai, leaving traps and creations behind him." You've run into a fair number of both obstacles on the western half of the island. Those must have been Goettsch's defenses. He probably won't be pleased with your bumbling. "Once he saw that l was a free creature, a rogue, in your terms, he spoke with me fairly. Then he continued on."

Then Goettsch didn't want to waste his resources or risk himself dealing with drayks any more than you do. "Where is Goettsch now?"

"He is to the west, in the temple, the largest building in these ruins. He is on the other side of the ruins of a city. If you see him, you may be able to talk with him. He seemed a rational soul," the drayk says.

That's a relief, though it's hard to know what qualifies as rational to a drayk. You haven't forgotten Syros, after all. "What do you know about these ruins?" If you're to make your way to Goettsch, knowing more about the lay of the land can't hurt. If you'd anticipated the challenges at the ancient crypt, things could've turned out differently...

"When the Shapers were here, when I was created, these ruins were already ancient and already infested with ghosts. The Shapers had just begun to explore them and try to learn their secrets when this island was Barred."

You're too anxious to continue interrogating the drayk and instead break off the conversation abruptly and, to be honest, rather rudely. The drayk doesn't seem to care; if it does, it's merely entertained by your fear.

We can tell Rhakkus to do his worst, but he just rolls his eyes at us and returns to his den. He doesn't go hostile.



You scout westward, but you can't shake the sensation that something's watching you very intently.


The nerves are too much for you. Perhaps it's because you just completed a tense, multiple hour session of minesweeping on the way here. You backtrack to friendlier lands.



Ellhrah's Keep hasn't changed since your last visit. After you unload some of the fruits of your labor, you approach Ellhrah again.

"Have you had a change of heart, by chance, and slain Control Four?" he asks.

You shake your head. "I would gladly help you, but time is short, and there is great danger on this isle. Every day of delay costs servile lives. Accept me in your number now, before it is too late."

Ellhrah thinks long about your words. "It is difficult to trust a Shaper. We know too well how your kind feels about us. Still, there is truth in what you say. Leave me now and think about what you are saying. Then, if you wish, you may join the Awakened."

You take the servile leader at his word and find a place to rest in the unoccupied part of the fort. It's a little cold, but every Shaper has enough magic to take care of such a trivial thing. Titty baby curls up at your feet and you dream long and restlessly of fyoras hunting something unseen in the fields of Pentil. No matter how hard you try, you can't find the hidden danger they're trying to protect you from.

You wake up feeling drained, but a servile guard has come to lead you back to Ellhrah.

"I still wish to join the Awakened," you say without further preamble.

Ellhrah walks over to you and puts his hand on your shoulder. "Shaper, do you swear on the honor of our people to support servile dignity, peace, and independence, and, if need be, to fight to bring those ends about?"

"I do so swear," you say. Your lie will never be recorded in any history book, but you feel a twinge of conscience. You don't like to deceive people, and serviles are now, for better or worse, people to you. You're not even sure what you're fighting for now besides the truth.

When you think of it that way, all your efforts appear selfish. Looking for the truth for its own sake reeks of vanity. But you're not sure what else you can do.

"Then, from this day forward, we count you among our number. When you are confused about what path to follow, come to me, and I will share my wisdom with you."

He removes a gold key and a bronze key from his pocket and hands them to you. "These keys will give you the run of our fortress. There are many useful supplies here for you. Thank you again, Shaper. This is the greatest day in the short history of our sect. We have convinced our first Shaper."

The gold key actually doesn't unlock all the chests in the southwestern storage tunnel, and we've gotten almost all the important stuff anyway. We've already gotten the cure, fyora, and firebolt canisters, as well as the mind nutrients, girdle of nimbleness, and the discipline wand. The remaining loot is a nice sum of coins and some gems.

Ellhrah is triumphant, even though you didn't take care of the control mind for him. You, however, can only muster a sickly approximation of a smile. He must notice, but if he interprets it as anything other than a response to his "convincing," you'll never know.

"I want to discuss which path I should follow on this isle," you say.

"Now that you are Awakened, I hope that you will avail yourself of my wisdom whenever you can. If you learn anything interesting, come and speak with me, and perhaps I will be able to aid you," Ellhrah replies.

Your dialogue options here are basically the same as they are with Clois and Rydell. Once again, we're too high level to get any benefit from completing these little quests.

"There is a man named Trajkov on this island. He comes from over the sea, and he is trying to utilize some sort of Shaper power. He lives in the research warrens to the northeast," you tell him. There's so much more to say, but the Awakened can hardly do anything about the outsider situation but hunker down.

"This is a great concern. It is bad enough that the Shapers wield the powers that they do. A rogue, insane human wielding your power could be incredibly dangerous. Learn all about this strange power that you can," he says.

"The Shapers left a powerful secret on this island. It's called the Geneforge. It can make whoever uses it incredibly powerful." You don't even want to get into the madness about scrolls and gene-editing.

"Really?" Ellhrah's eyes light up. "How very interesting. See if you can find out where it is and who controls it. This might be usable to further the cause of the Awakened."

You should have expected this kind of response from the Awakened. They are the weakest servile sect by far. They control some of the best land, but the depredations and manipulations by the Obeyers, and the madness and blindness of the Takers, have left the Awakened trapped, feeble, and desperate.

"Trajkov holds the Geneforge, which can make one of my kind incredibly powerful. However, he can't use it." He needs you.

"But perhaps you can. I have thought on this, Shaper, and I have an idea." Ellhrah seems pleased with himself. "When you return to your people and they learn of us, I have no delusions. They will rise up and crush us utterly. But there may be a way out. If you return though, and are powerful enough, you may be able to provide a significant argument for leaving us alone. Power comes through strength. If you make them feel that our cause is strong, they may let us be.

"Go to the northeastern warrens. Use the Geneforge. Take the power into yourself. Then, maybe, we will be strong enough to claim our independence."

You're disappointed to hear might makes right from Ellhrah's lips. You shouldn't be, but you are anyway. This isn't the wisdom you still secretly hope to hear. You need to hear it from someone. Anyone.

You promise Ellhrah you’ll do your best. The northeastern warrens are almost certainly within your reach now; it's just a question of whether you'll need to cut a path through all the Sholai guarding them, or if you can get back on the path that Trajkov wanted cleared for you.



Swan still lingers in the meeting chambers. He greets you as soon as he notices you.

"Can you teach me?" you ask. He's no doubt aware that you're now one of his allies.

Swan teaches you for several hours, sharing many useful secrets for fighting rogue creations.

It is a humbling experience. You had never realized how stupid and clumsy your Shaper creations could be. The serviles here have grown quite adept at hunting them.

At the end of the session, you are tired and sweating, but you know much more about combat.

"Can you teach me more?" you pant.

"I'm afraid not," Swan replies. "I have taught you all I know."

It's probably more the case that he's taught you all he thinks there's time for. You've already spent a week studying machines, and more time wandering the north country and harassing Sholai.

Joining the Awakened gives you access to a one-time training session with Swan. It's free! And it totals 6 skill increases, as you can see in the screenshot. That's pretty dang good. These skills aren't the most useful for a Shaper, especially not one with Solution's build, but quick action helps everyone and you never know when your Shaper will need to stick someone.

The merchants are much happier to see you on your way out. "Greetings, fellow Awakened. It is an honor to meet one who is both a Shaper and a fellow believer. May I interest you in my wares? I will give you a very good deal."

Their prices are significantly lower now, so I clear out the few useful bits and bobs on offer - spores and living tools - and then it's time to go.

Before you leave, you talk to Ellhrah one last time. "There is someone in your employ named Ting," you tell him. "I believe she is a spy for the Takers."

He nods. "I suspected as much. Thank you for your confirmation." He calls in a guard and whispers in his ear for a minute. He leaves quickly.

"The Takers have made no secret of the fact that they want me dead. I can't tolerate their followers until they are peaceful to us."






The Awakened are much more welcoming of you than the Obeyers of Pentil ever were. Each servile greets you as you pass. It's awkward.



You stop to talk to Clakkit. "Talk you more," he says. "Me talk. Me know."

"What sort of things do you know?" you ask.

"Servile nervous. You do thing make think you want servile be slave not free."

"What sort of crimes have we committed?" you ask. If the Vakkiri Awakened are nervous, they're putting on an excellent show. You wonder if Clakkit knows what he's talking about. Maybe it's because you abandoned your alliance of convenience with the Obeyers.

"Servile worship you almost. Dangerous how much servile like you. They think you hero," he says. "But," he shrugs, "no new rumor."



You visit with Sencia next. "I have found the spy. It is Nabb," you tell her.

"I knew it. And, no doubt, he has fled town by now. Thank you for letting me know. Ellhrah will appreciate your aid." She reaches up and places a hand upon your shoulder. "In the name of the Awakened, I thank you. We will remember this."

So much for fair pay for fair work. Then again, you did sit on this knowledge for weeks after Nabb outed himself as a spy. You can't get worked up about the lack of a reward given your own duplicity.

While you're in the traveling mood, you cross through Pentil. No one stops you; the serviles remain respectful. Maybe they haven't yet learned that you've abandoned the Obeyers... It's hard to say. You decide not to push the issue.

You do have a target, though: the lone servile holed up in East Pentil.

Sorkin gives you the same suspicious look as he did when you first met him. "I am Awakened, like you," he says at last.

News travels far faster than you can. The Obeyers must know, then. "Aren't you worried about being out here? Won't the Obeyers harm you?"

"More than they usually hurt us? More than they hurt us by keeping our village small and hungry? No. Rydell knows I am here, and he treats me like a diplomat and an envoy. He knows that we have common enemies in the outsider humans and the rogue creations."

"Why are you here?"

"I deal with Rydell on behalf of Ellhrah. We and the Obeyers have common enemies, in the Takers and the other threats. I am also here to gather information, both about Pentil and the outsiders."

"What have you learned about Pentil?" you ask.

"For once, its strength and wealth have been challenged. Its position in the middle of the island has enabled it to be surrounded by rogues. Though we feel bad about it, we feel that there is a certain amount of justice in their plight," Sorkin says. It's a fair strategic assessment from what you can tell.

"What are the outsiders?"

"They are humans. They are from far away, over the sea, we think. They landed on Sucia Island some time ago. They live to the east. Their language, dress, and manners are unfamiliar to us, though progress has been made on the language. We do not know what they are doing here, but we have our suspicions." He doesn't seem to know anything you don't.

You press onward anyway, seeking the slightest chance that something useful might slip out. "What do you suspect?"

"They arrive and, not long after, the island is crawling with hostile monsters. Are they linked? I have little doubt. The question is, how? Are the outsiders making the things? Or is the island itself creating them as a defense?" Sorkin's second theory is terrifying, and thankfully doesn't seem to be the case.

If this spy knows anything interesting, he's not sharing it with you. You switch to another subject of interest. "What do you know about their language?"

Uncharacteristically, Sorkin grins. "I am afraid, Shaper, that I have engaged in a little bit of espionage. I have made the acquaintance of Learned Jaffee, inside the town. And I found out that he had made some progress learning their language. So, when I knew that he would be away, I snuck into his home and read his notes. He'd learned some of the language. Simple words. Pronunciations. Not enough by itself, but if you learned more, you might be able to converse with outsiders."

Sorkin spends several hours explaining what he has learned of the outsider language to you. It is very strange and foreign sounding, but you make some progress towards being able to converse in a very simple way.

(You have had a lesson in the outsider language.)

The game doesn’t check to see if you’ve already learned from Jaffee, but this lesson also doesn’t help you if you’ve already learned about the Sholai language from him. Same as the situation with Toivo and the spy outside Kazg.

It's mostly a rehash of what you already learned from Jaffee, but the extra practice is useful.

"Have you learned anything of what is east of here? Like where I might find a boat?" you ask. You've located one potential escape, but it looks hopeless.

"I am sorry. No. There are two bridges over the river to the east. That is all I know."

Next time: Bonus Ghost Hot Tub