Kaelen and Veshir, clutching Tamily’s ten gold, thread through Otari’s market, the briny air thick with smells of fish and tar. Kaelen, his scarred, tanned skin itching with bedbug bites, secures torches, fifty feet of rope, and a week’s rations, his Kellid eyes—dark, yearning for a crimson blaze—sharp despite fatigue. At the Rusty Anchor Inn, Kaelen, wincing at his infested gear, convinces Veshir to fumigate his room and belongings, save his cold iron longsword and rations. Veshir’s alchemical expertise earns a gold piece from the relieved innkeeper, his amber-slitted eyes noting Kaelen’s bold resolve with a faint nod. Supplies gathered, they head to the swampy outskirts, seeking rest before facing the fishery’s hole again.
In the swamp’s cypress shadows, Kaelen, wearing only a loincloth while his gear is cleansed, lounges with a wildsman’s ease, his near-nakedness irking Veshir’s meticulous nature. The vishkanya, voice edged with Tian Xia’s lilt, demands a separate shelter: “Build it there—your bare skin’s too much.” Kaelen, grinning, constructs a lean-to thirty feet away, his thick hands steady despite exhaustion. Morning finds him with tick bites alongside bedbug welts, but he mashes spotted dock, a marsh plant, and rubs its sap on his skin, easing the itch temporarily. Veshir emerges, fatigued, muttering of maddening whispers and a dense fog that stole sleep. “My work needs focus,” he says, “but last night was chaos.” Kaelen, his Vaults-haunted thoughts simmering, shrugs, ready to press on.
They return to the Otari Fishery, the ten gold a decent haul for Kaelen, though the Abomination Vaults’ dread lingers faintly. The basement’s damp air, sour with rotting fish, envelops them as they descend to the east wall’s jagged hole. Kaelen, his tick and bedbug bites dulled by the plant, grips his longsword, torches stowed, his wildsman’s hunger to rise above Otari’s grit burning strong. Veshir, blowgun ready, eyes the hole warily, his alchemist’s mind guarding his reagent trade. The darkness beyond feels heavier, the smashed barrels and slimy fish a stark warning. Their uneasy alliance holds, ready to face whatever lurks in the depths together.
what is your plan of action, what you might want to talk about and with who and any emote?