Part 23: ARC III: Finley Donner Must Die.

ARC III: Finley Donner Must Die.





I'm fine now. I'll definitely be able to work today.

I'm impressed you survived.

How do you know what happened?

It's all over town!

You need to be more careful when you go into those Terr Mountains! Some of those kobolds are just savages!
... Some of my best friends are kobolds, by the way, before you respond to that.

I told them. I hope you're not too embarassed (SIC).

I suppose I should have taken proper precautions.



"The carriage is leaving soon."

We'll be right there!

You guys are going somewhere?

She is. I'm not invited.

I see...

Goodbye... and make sure to be a little less reckless.
Emma leaves.

I need to get to work. Only a couple more weeks... and then I can take a vacation!

Sounds nice. Where would you go?

Just to visit family... I haven't seen them in a while. I have to go now, though. Bye!
HINT HINT.



Not sure. He did sound familiar, though.

I wonder where he and Emma are going...

Probably best not to even worry about it.

Yeah... I suppose that's for the best. Still... I feel sad.

Well... it seems like she's ready to move on. Don't feel too bad. You've never been a bad guy, you're just a little stupid about some things.

*chuckle* Only a true friend would be that cruelly honest. Well, enough resting. Time for work.

I'm not sure we should even bother.

Why do you say that?

It's been dead lately. All Torto and I do is sit around.



We'll figure out our next move later. Let's get outta here.
And the only real thing to do is to go to work, so let's do that... after I grab the 1000gp that seems to have found its way into the stash.



Oh, hey there Cade. Glad to see you're feeling better. I'm just shutting down the shop for now.

For how long?

To be honest, Bones, I don't really know. We just can't seem to compete in this town at the moment.
I need to take some time off... and come up with new strategies.

I see...

You two still have your key, so you're welcome to use the shop if you ever have to. I left a little bonus in there, also.
You've always been a good help, but there's only so much we can do now.

Thanks. You just let us know when you're ready to start up again. We'll be here.

I know you will. Maybe I'll see you around town. Take it easy now.


...



I wouldn't say it was all that shocking. We just can't keep up with Kovak's ridiculous prices.

Normally, I would say that this would be a great time to focus on going after Equipment King, but we have no leads. We still can't even prove that Kovak was linked to those Hand guys and the kidnapping.

Hmmm... I may have one idea.

Please share.

That Robin girl who attacked me in Fort Drake said she was from the Sacred River Monastery.

Really?

You know where that is? I've never heard of it.

I do, actually. It's fairly new. It came around not long after Gallia fell. It's pretty close to where I grew up.

What happens there?

People go there to study religion or to learn holy magic.

Might be worth looking into.

Yeah. Sounds like our only option. It won't be too long by carriage.
And then Gino comes in.



Could be worse, I guess. We're just making some travel plans.

Taking a vacation?

Not exactly. We're gonna take a trip down to the Sacred River Monastery.

I see... Is this... official business?

That it is.

What's the plan?

We haven't really come up with one yet. We'll take a carriage from here to Pearlton, which is a very small town near the monastery.
Once we talk to some people there, we should have some idea of how to proceed.

Hmm... Is there much of a weapons market down there?

I don't think so. It's a very isolated place.

I'm really hurting for funds these days... but maybe I can get myself some commissions down there.

You're definitely welcome. We could always use your help.

Great! I'll go get some things together and then meet you by the carriage place! Blue Tide, right?

Yep. Blue Tide.

Right. See you later!
And he leaves.

We should get ready to go ourselves.

Yeah... but there's just one more stop I want to make here in town.


...



Why you... come here to mock us, will you?! I will smash your heads like ripe melons!
Shadehorn causes the whole building to shake by ramming the bars.

Calm down, guys. They're here cause they want our help. Ain't that right?

Right. So... Have any of you ever heard of a guy named Sparrow?

Hmmph! Who hasn't?

Tell us what you know.

I've never actually seen him... but he's got quite the reputation among people like us.

I am impressed. Most people who encounter him don't live long enough to ask questions.

He's one of the most feared... and respected assassins in the world.

Most people can't afford him. That's why he seems to work exclusively for Kovak.

Was he involved with Kovak while they were building the Equipment King in Rellenia?

You better believe it!

Nobody ever saw him.

Nobody ever saw him and lives, you mean.

You must really have Kovak worried for him to call in a killer of that caliber.

How can you all just give that kind of information so freely?! These two put us all in jail, for Arcadius's sake!

What else would we do? It's boring in here!

I won't say a word unless I am guaranteed an early release.

Nobody asked you to say anything, punk. If we need information on corny song lyrics, maybe you can help.

That was cold.

What about The Hand? Do you know anything about them?

Wow. You two are making quite a few dangerous enemies, I see.

What can you tell us?

Not much. I've heard that name... and I've heard about things they have been involved with... but that's it.

They are quiet. They work with great secrecy. However, it is clear that are devoted to Gallian ideals.
The word 'they' is missing in the game text.

It certainly seemed that way. I could tell by the way Dican discussed his mission.
That kind of arrogance is typical for those brimstone-spewing types.

You know who might be able to help them? The Old Lady.

Yeah, you're right! She's been around forever! She'd definitely know something.

Who are you talking about?

She's this ancient woman. She's a member of the Touten Corps. We don't see her much, but once you are one of us, you are always welcome.

Once a Touten... always a Touten.

You could come back if you wanted to, Shroud. Start by letting us out of here, huh?

Sorry. That ship has sailed.

What?! He was a Touten?!

He was. I remember that. Didn't stick around very long, though.

You weren't there, Shadehorn. This was years ago.

Any idea where we might find this "Old Lady?"

Not really. She's almost always on the move. I think she said she was heading south last time we saw her.

Well, that's not all that helpful.

We'll track down some concrete information eventually. Thanks for the information, guys. I'll have the guard bring some nice pub food later.







But he said--

No more talk. We got places to be.
Poor Ercello.


...



I pick up the bonus Torto left for us, and then head over to the carriage.



"Where can Shipayrd Stables take you today, my good fellows?"

We're hoping to get to Pearlton.

DRIVER: Picked a good time, partner! We'll be ready to leave in a few minutes. I just have to get the horses ready.


Thanks. We'll just be over here.



Hopefully when we get back we'll be able to make it the way it once was.









Just down south for some sightseeing.

Is this a Shroud and Stoic thing?

CADE & BONES: What?!

Ah. That means it is.

I think you're a bit confused, Finley.

Oh, come on. I'm not an idiot.
You think I can't recognize you just because you put that mask over your eyes? As for Bones, he's the angriest skeleton I know.
Nobody else could be Stoic. Besides, you guys are together all the time. Is it just a coincidence that there's another human and skeleton who are known for working together? There's a mountain of evidence if you think about it.
There's a short pause.

He must die.

*sigh* Yeah, I guess so.
They both advance on Finley and he steps back.



Who else knows?

Nobody. People are really dense.

This is ridiculous. Finley, if you ever tell anyone, I will snap your neck like a cracker.

Relax, B-Man. I won't tell. I was wondering, though... Can I come with you guys?

Out of the question.

Not so fast... He was very helpful at the party... and at the concert.

Yeah. With me around, you guys will be totally unstoppable!

Your seemingly endless supply of money should come in handy as well. Seeing how we don't have a job at the moment, you mind paying for this ride?

Ha! That's chump change. We can even go by ship if you want!

Nah, carriage is better. Nice and inconspicuous.

Hold on a minute. He's really going to come?!

The pros outweigh the cons in this case.

But--

It will be fine. Take his money and go get the tickets, will ya?





I wasn't being serious.



Gino rocks up too.

Are we ready to get this show on the road?

Gino's coming too? Rock on!
Yeah!!! Gino -and- Finley! Cool.

*chuckle* Oh, this should be quite the trip.
It definitely will be. And we'll get it started, next time.


the end