"You'd wish the world you know to end! Yeeeesssss...""~ Cho'gath, The Terror of The Void
Yeah. They can only derive so much from the information they have. It is quite obvious that this would be the conclusion they would get to with all they have found.
Next chapter drops tomorrow, couldn't finish 3 in time.
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Finding Jericho was pretty easy.
Every single Zaunite they encountered knew him and pointed them in his direction. And they happily followed in their direction.
"Prime spot to have a shop." Faye pointed out.
"There it is!" Briar smiled as she read the sign and hopped toward it.
Sydell used the opportunity to hang back near his father, "The expressions on the faces of everyone seemed pretty odd when we asked them to point us in the direction of Jericho."
"I noticed." Gregori sighed, "This might be really polarizing food."
Sydell shivered as the memory of Rell's cooking appeared in his memory. But then he frowned and closed his eyes, "They have started their mission."
Gregori placed his hand on his son's shoulder leading him forward as he closed his eyes.
"They are hunting one person." He frowned, "I..... I cannot make them out very well. There is too much fog. The enforcers have gas masks and the person is struggling."
"Smoked them out." Gregori pointed out.
Sydell nodded, "The scapego- ugh..." He began struggling to breathe.
Seeing Sydell in distress, Gregori instantly reached into his pocket and let his own magic flow through the Greater Orb breaking Sydell's connection.
"Haaa....ahha...." Sydell began taking shaky breaths. "Ha.... the smog..... it overwhelmed my senses..... haaaa.. couldn't breathe."
"Then stop." Gregori said. "You can check on them later. Even if you do not witness the incident..... they are bound to speak about it. Multiple times even."
Briar turned around, "Are you okay?" She asked as her hearing picked up most of the conversation.
Daani had moved closer to them in the time, even his own hearing letting him know of their conversation.
The others turned to her and looked concerned.
"He just needs to catch his breath." Gregori told the group, "Continue ahead, the both of us will join you after he catches his bearings."
"Alright." Daisy said as she turned around, though she wanted to help her brother, her trust in her father pushed her to just listen to him.
As the children went to Jericho's open food shop, Gregori stuck with Sydell as he caught his breath, silently using magic to remove the heavier smog filled and polluted air.
After Sydell could breathe normally again, the two joined the rest in the shop.
If wasn't exactly as shop but a stall with barstools on the outside.
The counter was wet and sloppy.
And Jericho.... he was something else.
A massive fish-like Vastaya wearing a large dirty apron. His scales rippled an almost blue-green under the light.
"We waited till you joined us." Annie said from her seat.
"You didn't know what to order and he doesn't speak Valerian." Faye corrected.
Annie growled at her.
"Daddy! Annie is growling again." Faye complained immediately.
A look from Gregori shut Annie down.
"Tattletale." Rell said from the side.
"I'd like to live thank you very much." She answered back.
Gregori turned to Jericho and smiled, "We were recommended this place for your food."
"A woman by the name of Vi." Sydell supplemented.
A big smile sprouted on Jericho's face as he said words that cam out as a garbled mess.
"We cannot understa-" Daisy began to speak.
"Yeah!" Daani nodded, "Can you tell us what you offer for tonight?"
Jericho let out a big laugh then said something the rest couldn't understand, then he began pointing to different things as he spoke. Daani nodded along and then turned to the group who were looking at him in surprise.
"What?" He asked.
Daisy couldn't hold herself back, "You knew what he was saying the whole time?"
Daani pointed to Jericho and said, "Vastaya." He pointed to himself, "Vastaya." He shrugged, "I can understand him."
Annie frowned at Daani wondering why he didn't have them order earlier. Briar just looked happy that they could understand the man now so she could have food to eat.
"I.... I don't think that is how languages work." Faye tapped her pen on the book.
"So what does he offer." Gregori stepped in.
"Roasted frog legs. Raw frog legs. And for us a special special sea food soup from the day's catch." Daani answered.
"It is not the day anymore." Sydell pointed out.
"Is it fresh?" Daani turned to Jericho.
Jericho let out another set of garbles and then stopped for a second and spoke again.
Daani nodded and then chuckled, "He said that they are all kept fresh underneath the stall and he also said you can just ask him. He understands us.... just not the other way around."
"I'll have the soup." Gregori said.
"Everything?" Briar floated as she looked at Gregori.
He shrugged.
"Everything." She confirmed to Jericho.
"Soup." Annie replied.
Faye and Rell nodded and then picked one soup and one set of roasted frog legs fully intending to share.
Sydell looked around and then said, "I'd rather have our rations."
"Can't waste them when we have food." Daisy said as she ordered a soul for herself.
"I'll also have everything thank you." Daani said as he turned around and looked at the sudden increase in people around them. "Very active nightlife." He commented.
Gregori nodded.
"She doesn't have an arm." Daisy spotted a dark skinned woman as she walked past them smoking a cigar.
"That is a rude thing to say Daisy." Gregori said as he watched Jericho hobble around quickly.
Daisy nodded, "But it is a fact. And to ignore a fact is to ignore the truth."
"Somehow whenever she argues she becomes really smart." Faye commented as she squinted at her sister, "How? Is she really just stupid or acting like it?"
"Hey!" Daisy turned to Faye.
"Faye that is not a nice thing to say." Gregori admonished her.
Faye shrugged, "It was an observation. Even you have to think that there is something there no?"
"There are quite a few people here with metal in their bodies daddy." Annie said as she looked around, "Some even have fully metal arms and legs. That is..... different."
"Cool!" Briar corrected, "That is cool!"
The food then arrived.
The soup looked normal. It was hot. It was smooth. It was warm and filling. The seafood in it was crab and shrimp. Both things the children really enjoyed.
But the frog legs.
The raw ones twitched or outright moved as Daani and Briar touched it. The roasted ones looked..... wet.
And just for that, they asked if Jericho could cook it further. And the nice man did.
And despite how the food looked. It all tasted pretty good. Even though they did not want to... every member of the group tried everything available as they shared.
The raw frog leg, though sopping wet and gooey was something only Daani and Briar enjoyed. The rest couldn't get it down their throat, gagging as they smelt the raw fish smell from it.
The other two however said it tasted like fruit. Just a bit more gooey.
The roasted frog legs on the other hand were a polar opposite. Salty yet sweet. The gooey liquid on the surface evaporated, leaving behind a sort of glaze that went very well with the seasoning he put on them.
It was the one item on the menu the group all ordered once more.
"Hey!"
The group turned around.
"How much longer will you hog up the place?" A Zaunite with tattoos and some metal implants asked them angrily.
"We will be leaving soon." Gregori placated the man. "The children are quite hungry."
The man frowned, "Topsiders?"
Gregori shook his head, "Shuriman." He answered.
A lie.
But who really cared. It was useless information either way.
As they finished, Gregori asked, "How much do we owe you?"
Jericho shook his head and grumbled something.
Which Daani translated, " He says that friends of Vi don't need to pay. Then he said something about the girl having suffered enough. And he also likes that I can understand him. Only a few here do.... and most Vastaya can't either."
"So you ARE a special case!" Faye began to cross out something before correcting it in her book.
"I refuse." Gregori said as he placed two gold coins in front of the man. "This should do right?"
Jericho's eyes widened and he nodded.
"Thank you for the good food." He said as he left with the children.
Jericho called after them.
"He tells us to come again." Daani translated.
"We will." Gregori smiled toward the man.
The group then walked around aimlessly through alleys.
"There are a few following us." Briar said as she gnawed on the bone of a frog leg she had eaten on the way.
Sydell sighed, "The guy who told us to leave. He is among them."
"Shouldn't have pulled out gold in front of them daddy." Daisy said as she pulled out her sword, a dull blue glow lighting their surroundings.
"There is no real danger here either way." Daani said as he cracked his knuckles.
Gregori sighed, "Don't kill them."