The Varisian swam up close beside me and kicked the lock. Finally it broke, though the gate was still rusted shut. The bear propelled itself forward to ram the grate so I backed away. I had no wish to be run over. But the bear rammed into the Shoanti instead, knocking her into the wall of the tunnel.
The little halfling attempted the feat as well and failed so she retreated back to the bundle they’d brought along. The Shoanti pushed the bear off of her and vainly tried to push the grate while the Varisian failed to remove the broken padlock. The bear prepared for another ram and this time wedged it open a little.
Finally, I saw how to do it and swam forward. Deftly, I removed the lock at about the same time I felt the pain from my burns vanish. When I looked around, the Varisian’s burns seemed to have vanished as well.
Now that the lock was gone, the others easily pushed it open and we all desperately swam for the surface. I was completely out of breath and the open air was heavenly. We dragged ourselves onto the waterfront. The girls of the brothel had quit the bucket brigade and the house was very nearly finished burning. Instead, they were clustered around the girls I and the others had saved from the upper floor. All were pregnant and one was writhing in pain from labor.
With huffing and wheezing, the priest, Father Zantus, arrived. I was too tired so I let the others explain what was going on. I thought his face whitened with something like fear once he saw the person the halfling had dragged from the water. Her bundle turned out to be a woman who was unconscious. Her stomach was covered in blood. I guessed from the exchange that she was the healer Hannah and the owner of the house.
The halfling explained how she’d found her in the basement next to a desecrated alter to Gozreh. The priest’s face paled even more when he heard about the footsteps in the chamber and the boiling pool of desecrated holy water.
He left us and knelt down next to the girl in labor, beginning to chant a purification spell over her.
“I hope I am in time to save them.” The priest looked even more worried.
I pulled myself up and walked over to him. “Why are you so worried?”
“Five years ago, this town was nearly burnt to the ground. A woman was pregnant at that time and later she gave birth to a demon.”
“And you think the same might happen now?”
“Aye.”
The loud cries of the girl in labor distracted both of us. We looked up to see her giving birth to a baby which didn’t look human. The baby made no noise and lay still. It had been born dead. The priest rose quickly.
“Come, we must take her, the baby and Hannah to the Cathedral.”
Some of the bystanders picked them up and followed the priest. The halfling looked longingly after the priest. She, along with the rest of us, was soaking wet.
“Shall we go change into new clothes?” I asked. They nodded. “Where to?”
The Shoanti asked, “Didn’t the young man from earlier mention an inn or tavern? He promised us free food.”
“The Rusty Dragon, wasn’t it?”
“I know where it is,” the halfling said. When she looked at her, she continued. “I’ve been in this town for a while.”
“Lead on.” I gestured for her to go first.
The little halfling attempted the feat as well and failed so she retreated back to the bundle they’d brought along. The Shoanti pushed the bear off of her and vainly tried to push the grate while the Varisian failed to remove the broken padlock. The bear prepared for another ram and this time wedged it open a little.
Finally, I saw how to do it and swam forward. Deftly, I removed the lock at about the same time I felt the pain from my burns vanish. When I looked around, the Varisian’s burns seemed to have vanished as well.
Now that the lock was gone, the others easily pushed it open and we all desperately swam for the surface. I was completely out of breath and the open air was heavenly. We dragged ourselves onto the waterfront. The girls of the brothel had quit the bucket brigade and the house was very nearly finished burning. Instead, they were clustered around the girls I and the others had saved from the upper floor. All were pregnant and one was writhing in pain from labor.
With huffing and wheezing, the priest, Father Zantus, arrived. I was too tired so I let the others explain what was going on. I thought his face whitened with something like fear once he saw the person the halfling had dragged from the water. Her bundle turned out to be a woman who was unconscious. Her stomach was covered in blood. I guessed from the exchange that she was the healer Hannah and the owner of the house.
The halfling explained how she’d found her in the basement next to a desecrated alter to Gozreh. The priest’s face paled even more when he heard about the footsteps in the chamber and the boiling pool of desecrated holy water.
He left us and knelt down next to the girl in labor, beginning to chant a purification spell over her.
“I hope I am in time to save them.” The priest looked even more worried.
I pulled myself up and walked over to him. “Why are you so worried?”
“Five years ago, this town was nearly burnt to the ground. A woman was pregnant at that time and later she gave birth to a demon.”
“And you think the same might happen now?”
“Aye.”
The loud cries of the girl in labor distracted both of us. We looked up to see her giving birth to a baby which didn’t look human. The baby made no noise and lay still. It had been born dead. The priest rose quickly.
“Come, we must take her, the baby and Hannah to the Cathedral.”
Some of the bystanders picked them up and followed the priest. The halfling looked longingly after the priest. She, along with the rest of us, was soaking wet.
“Shall we go change into new clothes?” I asked. They nodded. “Where to?”
The Shoanti asked, “Didn’t the young man from earlier mention an inn or tavern? He promised us free food.”
“The Rusty Dragon, wasn’t it?”
“I know where it is,” the halfling said. When she looked at her, she continued. “I’ve been in this town for a while.”
“Lead on.” I gestured for her to go first.
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