9:20
Cut, Studies, Hears, Drowns, Zil and Born
"Alright, care to show me to the Duke first then?"
"Sure thing. Figured that was where y'all would wanna go first, considering the rest of the city is a little bit off limits till you've done that. Anything else?"
"I'd like to go to the castle, could you show me how to get there?"
"Easy, ya can pretty much see the spires from outside- Just follow the path out to the left back to the city center, then along the road with the two statues- Shouldn't be hard."
"Of course, you'll only be able to enter the first half of the castle, unless you have another way to traverse the whole breathing water thing. Duke's on the way there though, so might as well stop by."
Born meanwhile, is more preoccupied with how the room seems to be spinning- And after inquiring Drowns for help in that matter, realizes there is someone else in the room- A familiar someone.
"And, uh, sorry about the fight, Jack. No hard feelHOW IN ASATUN'S NAME ARE YOU SMOKING-"
Jack raises a scaled eyebrow before giving a small grin.
"Same reason ya aren't drowning mate- Whole city center is in a giant air bubble. Placed there by, whatwuzhisname... Hermes, that was it. The big statue in the center of town is made in the guy's name- The stone is the actual item keeping the bubble up. Adapted as we might have to underwater, there's a few things you can't do in the water... Such as smoking a good old-fashioned pipe."
"As for what it is... It's just seaweed. If you catch my drift. Honestly though, it's harmless stuff... Keeps you relaxed, keeps you focused... Keeps my aim on point-" He says, giving the crossbow to his side a quick pat.
"And no worries mate, we're cool. We just both did what we were supposed to do and all... Now we'll just have to see how it all turns out, eh?"
"Anyways, get outta bed than mates- I'll show you to the duke. Get some of that ache out of ya, eh?"
Following that, the goblins are escorted outside of the forge's house where they rested, out in the streets- It is considerably lighter outside, some kind of magic seeming to "simulate" some form of night and day- As evident by the many merfolk now out on the streets- Though you get the impression that many are there just for sightseeing- Not seeming to need go anywhere in particular, instead just gazing at the goblins and whispering amongst each other- Jack gesturing some of the civilians to move aside for everyone to get through.
You notice the clothing most of them seem to be wearing to be quite different from the armor the guards and Jack seem to be carrying- Many males seeming to go bare-chested, those who don't instead wearing a tight-fitting leather made from fish scales- Similarly, most leggings are made of a similar material, some of the males having an additional larger scale as a plate to further reveal their "private parts"- The females seem to mostly follow suit, many wearing only a bra- Some from the same metal, some using clams instead. A few of the maidens, instead of the almost customary fish-scaled leather seem to be wearing some form of long-flowing cloth, draping many layers of it in what for most result as an elegant dress. Many maidens also "spruce" themselves up, carrying things such as a colorful sea flower or seastar in their hair. None are carrying either boots or gloves, leaving their webbed hands and feet free. As Jack escorts the party back to the center of the city, Cut takes a moment to further converse with Nigh-
"So you remember nothing of my nightmare? This is very troubling. I'm worried for you, I do not wish anything terrible to happen to you."
"Considering I feel better, I very much doubt whatever happened had ill intentions... But no, I do not remember a thing. With that being said it is... VERY interesting..."
"I never found out what my... Kind is supposed to be after all, and now to hear that there is someone... Or something out there that, well, for a lack of a better word, helped me, is very intriguing. Especially considering that such a thing would probably know more about what my purpose is supposed to be."
"Alas, whatever it is doesn't seem wanting to share- As evident by the fact that I can't even remember it happening... And you almost forgot too."
Eventually, the goblins arrive back at the city center, the statue towering above the goblins and the "fountain" they had used to enter- To the north, the angelic and merfolk statue stand, leading the way to the castle. But for now, with still many gawking, far overshadowing by the amount of people who seem to be there with an actual purpose, Jack leads the goblins to a large building, giving the impression of a large warehouse, two guards stationed out front wearing the same armor Jack does- Seeing him approach, both step aside and allow entry to him and you.
You enter to find yourself in a moderate-sized room, a counter right in front of you- Sitting behind the desk is a man you're not sure if you should call merfolk, or merwhale- Because unlike the many, usually very athletic merfolk, this one seemed to be fat- With calling him just fat most likely being kind. With short, ragged hair and some balding, to call him attractive wouldn't be quite right either.
The merwhale gives the goblins a brief glare, as Jack looks expectantly- With a small huff, the duke works himself out of his chair.
"Yeah, I've arranged something. Hold on, I got it ready in the back-" saying so, the merwhale opens a door to the back, from beyond which you can see many shelves storing many different goods- He grabs a small wooden crate which he did indeed seemed to have prepared beforehand, swiftly returning and closing the door behind him- He moves to set it down on the counter- Just before he sets it down however, he lifts it back up, looking at the goblins-
"...Do any of you have any idea of what you've done?"
Not a moment after saying so however, he breathes a heavy sigh, shrugging it off as if he had said nothing, setting the small crate down- Inside there being 7 runes, a very intricate design carved into them- Studies recognizing that they seem to contain a considerable amount of power.
"These here are transmutation runes... Very expensive to make I'll have you know, so please don't abuse them- Well, they're one use, but still- I don't to waste any more if I don't need to."
"Once you activate them, you'll temporarily transform into one of our kind. Or, well... Mergoblins I guess. It'll grant you the ability to breathe underwater, some fins and probably help deal with the climate around here as well- Pretty sure it's quite different than the surface, isn't it?"
"The transformation lasts 6 hours. I would advise to not be in the middle of something when it expires."
Almost negligent, he then also adds- "And, of course, if there's something you'll think you'll truly need... You may always say so."
► Show Spoiler
Thanks godbot, I was hoping to make that terrible joke.
