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[Weirdsound]

"Is he now?" Pyrite wondered aloud, reaching over to gently pluck up the limbless rodent. He ran his hands over it, attempting to use his godly senses to examine its heart and lungs. If he found anything, he explained it to those present.

Regardless of the results of that, he then pinned it for the lad to cut into, preferably against the box where any bloodstains wouldn't be a problem. No matter the outcome of his own attempts, no doubt the boy would want to see things for himself.

The makeup of the organs in question is carbon based, likely even organic, but the exact substance is not one you have ever encountered in a lifeforms before. The pulsations and movements of the organs also make absolutely no sense to you.

After you announce it, and pin the rat down, the boy gets to work with a smile. Once that rat is open, it is clear the heart and lungs are neither the correct shape or size, nor are the pumping and pulsating behaviors they exhibit seemingly conducive to the life of their host. At first, this stumps you, but then Henry speaks.

"There has to be more chambers to those organs..." He begins etching a diagram on the table, to his fathers dismay, of what the heart and lungs would have to look like for their behavior to make sense. "they just have to be beyond my ability to perceive."

"Pyrite, father," he says looking up, "may I be excused? I must do some diagramming, and this table is a poor substitute for a proper canvas."

Ryder looks dumbstruck. You are unsure if this entire scene is simply lost on him, or if he understands the implications of his son's doodling.

"I do," he said, admiring the scenery. He turned soon enough to the inhabitants.

"Mm... might not need any physical alterations at all. Limited arm movement is unfortunate, but improved swimming might make up for it. Depending on their exact vertebrae configuration, I might need to adjust the base of their spines to allow them to stand upright more naturally.

Otherwise it seems like it's just their minds and whatever additional frills I choose to add in pursuit of their gifts. Do you have anything to add to that?

More immediately, what can you tell me about caring for, containing, and transporting them?"

"Watch the eyes of course," Meltip suggests, "they are weaker than their father's, and untested against the gods, but they can kill a mortal in under five minutes, and strip him of his memories and wits in uder one. The tinted glass takes much of the bite out of their gaze."

"Most of my children take up cushy positions as treasure guard, or monster that authority figures feed troublemakers to, so I try to keep them on a mostly humanoid diet in preparation for that. You can change it if you find it suitable." The pirate shoots you a concerned look, "The boy is a brat, and will sometimes try and steal his sister's food, so keep an eye out for that."

She pauses, likely noticing a strange look on your face, "Oh, they have names, of course, but their father named them, and my tongue can't even come close to pronouncing Basilisk Calls. You may assign them whatever Bellian name you wish. As for added improvement, I'd recomend working on my son's voice, he knows a few Bellian Words, and when he sings his gibberish it comes out rather beautiful. I'd focus on my daughter's resilience; She loves getting into dangerous situations, and her brother can be pretty abusive as well. She is already missing a few teeth and scales."

[Weirdsound]

Sinking into thought for a moment, the dragon tapped lightly on his armrest, until he addressed the mortal. " So I take it that you are loath to build any ships in my name, lest the rest of your family alienates you? Well, that would mainly mean that as time passes, you are bound to miss out on a good deal of orders – not that I would like the alternative of your house loosing position within said family either. " He shrugged. " I will have the docks in Selma's Gate expanded then. If the visiting fleets – even if it would only be at times – are unable to have their own ships mended, it would make for a far less inviting port after all. "

"I'm sure my family wouldn't mind me selling anything to anybody short of a dread pirate. If you somehow manage to get a pirate fleet to dock peacefully at Kiatown, their money will be as good as anybody elses." The old man shakes his head, "I'm just warning you that any larger dreams you may have of ruling the sea through House Riptide are more complicated than winning my trust."

Auratus had to concede, having an easy way of communication would prove invaluable – he could give such devices out to those dedicated to his cause, and was actually somewhat wary already, knowing that he was not likely to receive any news from Selma's Gate for this whole month. At least he hoped it to be so, for any news able to reach the castle, was more likely to be bad news than not. Nodding at the suggestion, he continued. " I would have something in mind for that matter. Just make sure that I won't be interrupted while doing so, and I will evoke it right here. " A wry grin spreading across his face, he added. " Obviously you are allowed to watch. I am not sure if it will be able to entertain you, but it should prove to be interesting enough. "

Having grown up in his mothers lair, he knew of some baubles that could transmit written information over vast distances, while some of them had far more impressive means of communication, and could henceforth be considered true artefacts. Most impressive was the one Tonneth often enough used to contact Rexxis – no wonder as she was about as likely to leave her lair, as the god was likely to lower himself to visit his rival in her domain. Maybe not as uncommon as one might be lead to presume, but still. Either way, the design he had in mind was a bit more elaborate than a simple crystal ball.

He planned to create a set of seven mirrors. Their frame would be out of silver, depicting the claw of a dragon, holding in its fingers the centre piece – an eight-cornered, oblong citrine, the corners and borders cut in emerald style. Obviously, one of them was to be his, and thus special. Instead of mere silver, the scaled claw was to be out of gold, and instead of the yellow gem, a smaragd matching the colour of his eyes was his choice for the jewel. According to his design, if one were to gaze at the mirror intently, one would be able to view a simple mindscape. As he really had not the patience for parroting what ever information each bearer of the lesser mirrors had, to others which it would concern, this would avoid him having to do so. His own mirror would – in addition to the aforementioned function – allow him to subtly influence said mindscape. In addition to expelling attendants against their own will, he would want to be able to cloud voice and form of those which were to enter, lest two which had no business of knowing each other in his service, would find out in this way. Or even worse, one of the mirrors lost or taken, be able to reveal just with who all he had more or less open dealings with.

After the head of House Riptide had taken appropriate measures, he would try himself at this creation - spending his Miracle.

You give your speech, and Giaus nods before falling silent to allow you to work. After you finish materializing the metal, however, a major distraction emerges in the form of a flock of seagulls, who greedily begin to swoop down and swipe the shiny objects as you make them.

After several hours of trying to smite the tiny winged thieves, and to replace the stolen parts, it eventually occurs to you that you no longer have enough divine energy to complete the project. Lord Riptide, perhaps sensing your mounting frustration, had departe about an hour prior, leaving behind a brave servant to deliver the mirror to him should you finish it.

Just as you are about to go off on the laborer for the cowardice of his master, Giaus abruptly returns with several hunting falcons to ward off your attackers. Pity that it is already too late.

[IronyOwl]

The makeup of the organs in question is carbon based, likely even organic, but the exact substance is not one you have ever encountered in a lifeforms before. The pulsations and movements of the organs also make absolutely no sense to you.

After you announce it, and pin the rat down, the boy gets to work with a smile. Once that rat is open, it is clear the heart and lungs are neither the correct shape or size, nor are the pumping and pulsating behaviors they exhibit seemingly conducive to the life of their host. At first, this stumps you, but then Henry speaks.

"There has to be more chambers to those organs..." He begins etching a diagram on the table, to his fathers dismay, of what the heart and lungs would have to look like for their behavior to make sense. "they just have to be beyond my ability to perceive."

"Pyrite, father," he says looking up, "may I be excused? I must do some diagramming, and this table is a poor substitute for a proper canvas."

Ryder looks dumbstruck. You are unsure if this entire scene is simply lost on him, or if he understands the implications of his son's doodling.

"Of course, of course," Pyrite said cheerfully, waving the boy off.

Waiting until the boy was gone, he turned to Lord Ryder with a wide smile. "Well! Six and already uncovering beings from before the time of dragons. I'm a little afraid to scoop him away from his source of materials, now!" He laughed.

"Mm, I really do wonder, though. I hate to say it, Lord Ryder, but your six year old son may be too valuable a researcher to spare learning from a god." He couldn't help but descend into another laughing fit. This was just too humorous and too beneficial to stand.

It took him another minute of thinking and occasionally giggling before he spoke again. "I don't want to give up on him, but I'll likely be busy in the near future anyway. In the meantime, I'd like you to get him everything he needs to begin studying these things in earnest. Delay my temple for it if you have to. I'll gladly train or improve him when I have time, but at least for the moment I think it'd be better if he remains here and pursues his interests. He might have quite a bit to teach me next time I visit."

"Watch the eyes of course," Meltip suggests, "they are weaker than their father's, and untested against the gods, but they can kill a mortal in under five minutes, and strip him of his memories and wits in uder one. The tinted glass takes much of the bite out of their gaze."

"Most of my children take up cushy positions as treasure guard, or monster that authority figures feed troublemakers to, so I try to keep them on a mostly humanoid diet in preparation for that. You can change it if you find it suitable." The pirate shoots you a concerned look, "The boy is a brat, and will sometimes try and steal his sister's food, so keep an eye out for that."

She pauses, likely noticing a strange look on your face, "Oh, they have names, of course, but their father named them, and my tongue can't even come close to pronouncing Basilisk Calls. You may assign them whatever Bellian name you wish. As for added improvement, I'd recomend working on my son's voice, he knows a few Bellian Words, and when he sings his gibberish it comes out rather beautiful. I'd focus on my daughter's resilience; She loves getting into dangerous situations, and her brother can be pretty abusive as well. She is already missing a few teeth and scales."

Pyrite nodded. "Very well then. I suppose if that's all, I should collect them and be off..." Assuming they stayed asleep, he figured carrying the pair shouldn't be too tricky... though he wondered how their father was going to react.

[micelus]

Ketemos ignored the slave's tone.

"Busy? Trust me when I say that hearing what I have to say is probably more important than these planks you have..."[/color]

Ketemos used a small amount of essence to quickly produce a glowing sigil of Telen before the gargoyle.

"And furthermore, I doubt your employers will complain if you were to speak to me."

[GiglameshDespair]

Underneath Kiatown with Patches

She nodded gracefully. "A tour would be good. So you have aquatic chimeras as well? Do you use the parts of fish, or airbreathers like dolphins and porpoises? How many of these chimera do you watch over, anyway? This is quite a workshop."

----

The "War Council"

Ketari leaned back into the throne, feeling the power hum. A step closer to beign a queen of skulls, to feasting on the harpy goddesses... if only a small step. In a way, this kidnapping of Chell had been quite useful in giving her access to the well of power that was the Throne.

"First." Her voice was crisp, unusual clarity, though a wide grin spread over her features.
"We were ambushed in our very stronghold, and our servant taken. This cannot stand - both to be allowed again and Chell must be recovered, yes? I am fine, with my wings, but only I and the lizard-bird have the wings to easily travel too and fro. We need to both reinforce Newbellum Castle, discover the location of Chell, recover her, and prepare more forces for the orc offensive."
She frowned briefly.
"My campaign against the Harpies must be postponed for now, then, though they may escalate, and I will return in kind if they do."

She tapped a finger against her chin.

"I'll demand Chell and her captor's location from birds, but recovery may be difficult. If you go, Tulwor, stealth may be of the essence, as the Orc god's strength outmatches yours. The fox feeds on the hens when the wolf is kept at bay. If the spear was successful, it may have evened the odds, but even so, they would not doubt have orcs at their service in numbers overwhelming. Only one or a few of us can go, as we need to be able to respond to any other attacks.

We have a mighty fortress here. Guardians that watch and could notify our dragon-slave may be an effective protection, but we also have artefacts we would not want to fall into the wrong hands, no?"

She spread her hands.

"This is war... we have to be careful." She grinned widely, savagely. "It would be such a shame to die before eating the Harpy Gods, and I may need your strengths to do so. We need to crush these orcs quickly. We have allies against the Harpies, and possibly I can lever her against the orcs, but I would not want to stress her good graces. I talk of Patches, beneath Kiatown, the Chimeric Goddess. I rather like her."

She returned to tapping a finger against her chin.

"Any thoughts? Tulwor, it may take time to find Chell, though I want our little sister to suffer as little as you."

[escaped lurker]

Sending a good deal of what little remained of his power towards the accursed sea-birds with a snarl, the dragon hissed at the human lord over his shoulder, his glare still mostly locked on the object of his ire. " Set them upon them! Don't let them stop before they grow tired, or have built a mountain of corpses that would be sure to please Ketari, were it not for my sake instead! "

Watching the ensuing spectacle until enough blood had been spilled to abate his anger, he motioned his newest supporter back into the tent. " Flying Vermin... I will have to do it at a later time then. Unless something of true importance were to happen, there will be no need for any of your ships to brave the storm. As you say, gaining control of the sea is not a task that can be done easily, nor fast. Well, while I don't intend to dally, my breath and reach is far longer than that of mere mortals. While I don't hope for it to be so, should you not live to see it done, your sons surely will. "

After his host had placed himself back into the seat, he mentioned Oinkiny's request. " I will have you given another boon in the meantime. You know of the previous barbarian god of feasts and debauchery, Oinkiny? Last remainder of the Boarsmen? " Whether the answer be positive or negative, he would continue undaunted. " He is currently, well, so to say, employed in Newbellum Castle. Being stripped of his divinity has not dulled his skill, for which I will vouch as a matter of course. " Smiling brightly, he delivered the good part. " He has declared himself willing to host a feast for the soldiers which are currently entrenched before Kiatown. If the right precautions are taken – the attendants doing so in shifts, and him not calling forth alcoholic beverages for them – it will be sure to raise their morale to new heights, while not putting the trenches at jeopardy. As our retaliation towards the orcish host is nigh, they could use such diversion before the fighting begins in earnest. The soldiers are also bound to remember such an occasion, and it would just as sure be the talk of town, especially as most of my fellow gods are seemingly not keen on showing themselves. If you were to officially host such an event, you would get your share of the fame, and having the gratitude of the common soldiers should also prove most useful to you – and if it is only after their draft is over. "

Turning a bit more serious, he made sure to stress the third part of the plan. Auratus had no desire to antagonize what could turn out to be a very beneficial individual. " Organize the event carefully, provide good Oinkiny with the kitchen he needs, and look towards him getting the respect he deserves; This are the only strings attached to this task. Should the brass try to stop you, mention my reasoning and name. Should they try to be complicated, I will be sure to convince them, so keep plan and tools on hand for the occasion. If anybody ask why I have chosen your house for the task, tell them that I seem intent on not having a hostile relationship with Selma, seeing as I do impose on her namesake. While I don't intend to meet her before my temple is finished, letting such intentions travel through the grapevine will be good enough for now. " Crossing his fingers together, he looked intently at the other, continuing after a pregnant pause. " All in all, not a bad deal, I suppose? "

[Weirdsound]

The riptide falcons do a number on the seabirds, bringing down eight before the remainder decide to flee the area. Their master watches in approval, and eventually loads them back into their cages.

Giaus nods in response to your proposed feast. "That can all be arranged. If I run into any trouble, I will drop your name, and if that doesn't work, I will ask for Hialarth's assistance. I suppose she would steal some of my glory, but if you are planning on having the troops march soon, I don't think we can necessarily await your assistance. Tell the Barbarian that he can have the Riptide Kitchens for as long as he wishes."

He can't help but shake his head when you mention waiting on your meeting with Selma. "The Pirate Queen has met with most of the old Pantheon, and has had a good number of alliances, feuds, affairs, and deals with them over the years. I wouldn't expect her to be terribly impressed if your plan is to wow her with wealth or power, but of course that is just friendly advice from somebody who knows her. You are the god here."

Underneath Kiatown with Patches

She nodded gracefully. "A tour would be good. So you have aquatic chimeras as well? Do you use the parts of fish, or airbreathers like dolphins and porpoises? How many of these chimera do you watch over, anyway? This is quite a workshop."

"I use a lot of fish parts for everything; Bellians only eat the flesh of their fish, and toss the rest back into the sea," Patches explains, "Their respitory systems are too small to work on Bellian sized Chimera for the most part, however, so my swimmers are either small, or air breathers. I'd rather not talk exact number as to how many I have, but it should be enough to tip the balance in and around Kiatown as of right now."

She leads you past the underwater living area, which resembles a huge fish tank, to show you what she is talking about. Most of the creatures are small, and refuse to fit neatly into either the humanoid, quadruped, or fish-like body types. "Mostly scouts and messengers; There are a few secret Chimera loyalists amoung the Orcs and Little People I like to keep in touch with."

The cages she talked about are mostly empty, save for what appears to be a harpy missing her wings, and an Orc missing all of its limbs. "Not much going on down here at the moment," Patches muses, "I ended up breaking a few of the wild ones back into parts this morning... You just missed the show."

Patches' living quarters are modest by divine standards, as it matches the dwelling place of the average Bellian noble in both size and value of decorum. She maintains a color scheme of red, white, and pink, and favors morbid gory paintings, and sculptures clearly made from or in imitation of dead bodies. "A bit sparse, by your standards, but my people are more about the good of the community than they are individual existence, but I have tried to adopt the Bellian ideas of luxury and self expression nonetheless, so that important Bellians do not see me as too alien."

[Weirdsound]

Waiting until the boy was gone, he turned to Lord Ryder with a wide smile. "Well! Six and already uncovering beings from before the time of dragons. I'm a little afraid to scoop him away from his source of materials, now!" He laughed.

"Mm, I really do wonder, though. I hate to say it, Lord Ryder, but your six year old son may be too valuable a researcher to spare learning from a god." He couldn't help but descend into another laughing fit. This was just too humorous and too beneficial to stand.

It took him another minute of thinking and occasionally giggling before he spoke again. "I don't want to give up on him, but I'll likely be busy in the near future anyway. In the meantime, I'd like you to get him everything he needs to begin studying these things in earnest. Delay my temple for it if you have to. I'll gladly train or improve him when I have time, but at least for the moment I think it'd be better if he remains here and pursues his interests. He might have quite a bit to teach me next time I visit."

Ryder is clearly stunned by your laughter statement. After a few silent seconds he manages to answer. "Yes, of course my Lord. I will look into what he needs."

Pyrite nodded. "Very well then. I suppose if that's all, I should collect them and be off..." Assuming they stayed asleep, he figured carrying the pair shouldn't be too tricky... though he wondered how their father was going to react.

Meltip nods, and blows each of her children a kiss goodbye. "There is a hatch and rope ladder upstairs to access their chamber from above. Ask any of my pirates if you cannot find it. I think I shall retire to my chambers, and provide my husband with some distraction until you have the kids out of here. He might take it poorly if he were to catch you in the act of removing them."

The Pirate Lord cuffs you playfully on the shoulder. "Take care of em. Okay? I'll get my fleet ready for battle. Just send word when it is time to put the plan in motion."

She then instructs one of her Harpy guards to show you upstairs and help you remove the kids, before leaving with her husband.

Ketemos ignored the slave's tone.

"Busy? Trust me when I say that hearing what I have to say is probably more important than these planks you have..."[/color]

Ketemos used a small amount of essence to quickly produce a glowing sigil of Telen before the gargoyle.

"And furthermore, I doubt your employers will complain if you were to speak to me."

It takes a few minutes for the wounded Gargoyle to process what he has just seen, before taking a knee. "I heard m'lady had sons on the island... If you are indeed one of them, I will make time for you. I am Jak of the once great Stonehorn batch. How may I be of assistance?"

[micelus]

"At ease. It is unseemly for a being to bow for one who has not done enough for my Mother's people...although I plan to rectify that in the coming months..."Ketemos mused.

He spent a moment observing the gargoyle's features, before frowning.

"Your master does not treat you well...but you have been able to acquire a new arm? How is this and why do you not do the same for your wing?"

[IronyOwl]

Ryder is clearly stunned by your laughter statement. After a few silent seconds he manages to answer. "Yes, of course my Lord. I will look into what he needs."

"Wonderful! Well I'll leave you to it, then." He rose from his seat. "And I'd like to reiterate just how pleased I am at having acquired your House. If you ever need anything, I'll probably be more than happy to oblige."

He nearly made it out the door before turning for one last thing. "Oh, and don't worry about the artifact. I'll come pick it up later if I think of a use for it; otherwise it's fine where it is."

And with that, he was off on his other business, humming cheerfully and completely unaware that Auratus had just been mauled by a new enemy.

Meltip nods, and blows each of her children a kiss goodbye. "There is a hatch and rope ladder upstairs to access their chamber from above. Ask any of my pirates if you cannot find it. I think I shall retire to my chambers, and provide my husband with some distraction until you have the kids out of here. He might take it poorly if he were to catch you in the act of removing them."

The Pirate Lord cuffs you playfully on the shoulder. "Take care of em. Okay? I'll get my fleet ready for battle. Just send word when it is time to put the plan in motion."

She then instructs one of her Harpy guards to show you upstairs and help you remove the kids, before leaving with her husband.

"Well then, shall we?" he said to the harpy, smiling but careful to speak in Bellian rather than harpy-tongues. He tried prodding her with small talk on the way to the hatch, trying to gauge her opinion of him and general disposition.

Once there, he dispensed with prodding in favor of focus, gently and carefully scooping the two sleeping snake-children up in his arms. He briefly considered eating or taking along the man so as not to be wasteful, but discarded the idea as not worth the trouble. Simply getting his new charges to Newbellum safely and calmly was his only real goal now.

Then it was back home, to what he hoped was a well-fed and capable Dennis.


Pyrite was excited on returning home. Chell's absence had complicated things and concerned him, but he could worry about that later. Right now he had a pair of basilisk-spawn to mold into fearsome disciples and wielders of the forces of life itself... and combined with all of his other exploits, he was now damned near giddy.

Unfortunately, their unique properties posed a serious risk to the other castle inhabitants, so he needed them carefully watched. Dennis was the one for that, he supposed, being the groundskeeper. Normally he'd call for him, but he didn't want to disturb the little ones.

So he searched quietly instead.


Pyrite felt conflicted as he made his way to the throne room. He'd felt the ominous presence of Ketari on the Jade Throne, and of course Chell had gone missing somehow... but he still couldn't help feeling a little happy. This had been an excellent month!

...for him.

"Ketari!" he said on entering. "What-" He cut himself off as he noticed the expression on Tulwor. "What happened to Chell?" he asked, more serious now.

[Weirdsound]

"At ease. It is unseemly for a being to bow for one who has not done enough for my Mother's people...although I plan to rectify that in the coming months..."Ketemos mused.

He spent a moment observing the gargoyle's features, before frowning.

"Your master does not treat you well...but you have been able to acquire a new arm? How is this and why do you not do the same for your wing?"

The is a bit taken aback by your curriosity and gentle musing. "I... umm... this master treats me well enough. It was... it was the one before that I had an issue with. This guy even found a stoneworker and an earth elementalist to replace the arm you mentioned. As... as for the wing, I have to be perfectly balanced for flight. Somebody would have to be skilled enough to create an identical copy of what is missing for it to be of any use, and even then, the asymetry caused by the arm replacement would likely make flying a chore."

He shakes his head. "Honestly, I'm considering getting the one I still have removed. If I can't fly on it... it only gets in my way."

After speaking his piece, Jak considers your words in more depth before speaking once more. "I'm not sure how you could be of service to Stonekind on this island. We have no colonies or smiths. No Gargoyle would willingly cross the sea."

"Well then, shall we?" he said to the harpy, smiling but careful to speak in Bellian rather than harpy-tongues. He tried prodding her with small talk on the way to the hatch, trying to gauge her opinion of him and general disposition.

Once there, he dispensed with prodding in favor of focus, gently and carefully scooping the two sleeping snake-children up in his arms. He briefly considered eating or taking along the man so as not to be wasteful, but discarded the idea as not worth the trouble. Simply getting his new charges to Newbellum safely and calmly was his only real goal now.

Then it was back home, to what he hoped was a well-fed and capable Dennis.


Pyrite was excited on returning home. Chell's absence had complicated things and concerned him, but he could worry about that later. Right now he had a pair of basilisk-spawn to mold into fearsome disciples and wielders of the forces of life itself... and combined with all of his other exploits, he was now damned near giddy.

Unfortunately, their unique properties posed a serious risk to the other castle inhabitants, so he needed them carefully watched. Dennis was the one for that, he supposed, being the groundskeeper. Normally he'd call for him, but he didn't want to disturb the little ones.

So he searched quietly instead.

The Harpy is a tough read. It is clearly annoyed about something, but you can't tell if that something is being made to deal with you, being made to deal with the children, or something else entirely. You get the feeling that her command of Bellian is better than she lets on, but as it is, she only answers your most basic questions with simple statements.

Fishing the kids out of their chambers is hard, and returning to Newbellum without Chell's help is even harder, but eventually you are able to swim the required distance while keeping your charges from drowning enroute.

Back at castle, the daywalker is nowhere to be found, nowhere, that is, until you head upstairs and find him storming out of the lookout, clearly quite cross. You can tell he is in much better shape than he was in at the occasion of your previous meeting. His mood softens as soon as he sees the kids.

"Well, well, well. Bringing me some new pets to look after, are we?"

+Male Half Basilisk
+Female Half Basilisk Child

[IronyOwl]

The Harpy is a tough read. It is clearly annoyed about something, but you can't tell if that something is being made to deal with you, being made to deal with the children, or something else entirely. You get the feeling that her command of Bellian is better than she lets on, but as it is, she only answers your most basic questions with simple statements.

Fishing the kids out of their chambers is hard, and returning to Newbellum without Chell's help is even harder, but eventually you are able to swim the required distance while keeping your charges from drowning enroute.

Back at castle, the daywalker is nowhere to be found, nowhere, that is, until you head upstairs and find him storming out of the lookout, clearly quite cross. You can tell he is in much better shape than he was in at the occasion of your previous meeting. His mood softens as soon as he sees the kids.

"Well, well, well. Bringing me some new pets to look after, are we?"

+Male Half Basilisk
+Female Half Basilisk Child

"Indeed!" he said, still trying to be quiet. "Projects and disciples eventually, but for the moment beast-minded pets. Their eyes can rob the wits of a victim in under a minute and kill in under five.

Speaking of which, I see you're looking better, if in a fouler mood."

[Weirdsound]

"Indeed!" he said, still trying to be quiet. "Projects and disciples eventually, but for the moment beast-minded pets. Their eyes can rob the wits of a victim in under a minute and kill in under five.

Speaking of which, I see you're looking better, if in a fouler mood."

"Bassilisk blood I presume? Such creatures operate by siphoning life energy. I shouldn't be harmed."

He moves in for a closer look, and gives the half awake male a smile. "And you got me pegged. Ketari fed me, which increased my Vigor, and inspired me to try and grow some vines on the lookout. I've just been putting up with Corusu's fertilizer for a few hours is all. It is of no concern. Any special request for handling these guys, or would you just have me keep them from turning any of the other inhabitants into corpses or drooling imbeciles?"

[IronyOwl]

"Bassilisk blood I presume? Such creatures operate by siphoning life energy. I shouldn't be harmed."

He moves in for a closer look, and gives the half awake male a smile. "And you got me pegged. Ketari fed me, which increased my Vigor, and inspired me to try and grow some vines on the lookout. I've just been putting up with Corusu's fertilizer for a few hours is all. It is of no concern. Any special request for handling these guys, or would you just have me keep them from turning any of the other inhabitants into corpses or drooling imbeciles?"

"Indeed. Familiar with it?

Speaking of familiarity, I don't suppose you know why Corusu despises us so much? I noticed he didn't seem to mind the Orcs, which got me curious.

As for care... treat them well, but otherwise no, nothing special."

[Weirdsound]

"Indeed. Familiar with it?

Speaking of familiarity, I don't suppose you know why Corusu despises us so much? I noticed he didn't seem to mind the Orcs, which got me curious.

As for care... treat them well, but otherwise no, nothing special."

"Indeed I am," The vampire says with a smile, "Agrippa keeps a few of the beasts, and some of their half breed bastards, in her personal collection. Trust me when I say I can care for them."

Dennis shakes his head when you ask about Corusu. "Imagine you are a beast of air and freedom. Now imagine that somebody has been kind enough to seize control of your body, while leaving your mind untouched to suffer the indignity of the situation. Add that to the levels of pride commonly exhibited by his species, and Corusu's wrath isn't hard to understand. Doesn't mean it isn't tiring though. As for why he wasn't angry at the Orcs, well, it turns out that they have at least one Dragon in their Pantheon. It is kinda a big deal. I think they are about to have a meeting by the throne on the matter."