Hello again. We went back to Papil today.

I was more interested in simply wandering off into the hills, but Lena and Onica made some good arguments. It would be far easier for Julius to find us if we stayed in one place than if we all started moving around looking for each other. Onica wanted some new gear and a hot bath. The bath is no problem when Lena and I are around but I guess a burnt hollow in a tree isn't a good enough bathtub? Worked fine for me. Lena also wanted to bring the liberated slaves back so they would be safe.

The former-slaves themselves turned that down. They asked Lena to make a well and seem like they will settle here in the forest. The lady elf Onica gave the keys too has beome their leader. She has all kinds of plans for this area. Apparently it is perfect for an elvehome. Dunno what that is but she sure is excited. Not all the freemen are as interested and a few groups have splintered off. One wants to come with us to the city, mostly old men and women. Another seemed kind of skeevy, they are all young men with angry eyes. They have been eyeing the third group for a while now.

The third and final group is the largest, mostly young women and a few elders. They are the ones who will be staying here. When we split up and headed out Onica stealthily followed the second group for a bit. She came back smelling like blood.

"They seemed lost." She purred. "So I showed them the way." She seemed very pleased with herself. I guess thats fair. I certainly couldn't tell them how to get anywhere. Lena was guiding the city group. A map had been found in the shiny tent. I took a look at it. A map is just a mess of lines and sqiggles mixed with some randon nonsensical words! I have no idea how Lena knows where we are or where we are going. She tried explaining it but I got bored and confused so she gave up.

We led the noisy and whiny people for what felt like forever. They would whine, whine, whine to Lena and Onica for stupid petty reasons. Little inconveniences seemed to tower over them, and minor issues were clearly insurmountable. For whatever reason when they tried to complain to me I only had to look them in the eyes before they stuttered to a stop, and muttered an apology before stumbling away. Very convienient that. Lena and Onica kept me close to ward off the noisiest annoyances.

Finally we stumbled over the last hill and the city came into sight. While the baggage cheered the three of us slipped away. According to Onica trying to enter the city with the large group would be a hassle. Since we had no standing or authority here we could do nothing to ease their entry into the city. We slipped inside over the sloppily manned walls. Huge gaps were just left unattended. Whoever is supposed to be defending this place ought to be ashamed.

Before we broke into the city, which according to Onica is normally a crime, I put on my badass mask and cape disguise. Lena quickly copied me and then we spent a couple of minutes running in circles so that our capes would flap dramatically behind us. I offered Onica a similar disguise, only slightly less awesome than mine, but she smirked and said she had no problems breaking the law as herself. I suppose I don't mind either. I don't even know what a law is really. Just that the pirates hated them.

We vaulted over the wall. Lena shouted "Rising tide!" as she leapt.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked her as we landed.

She gave me a look of complete disdain, I think. Her mask was still on. "C'mon mister, everyone knows that if you shout the name of your move before you use it then it becomes more powerful!"

Really works. I swear it does.

We led Onica into the streets and I gave her a quick rundown of the city.

"One half is loud, the other is boring. There are pretty ladies on Heaven isle, ugly men on Purgatory isle, and lots of people you can beat up on Hell isle. Where do you want to go?" I asked, as I looked for somewhere quiet.

"What do you think Lena? Where can I get some gear?" Onica asked our group navigator. Her ears were flickering all over the place. I guess she doesn't like loud places either. The tip of her tail that wasn't wrapped around her waist was flicking agitatedly. It looks really fluffy, I wonder if she would let me touch it?

Lena looked around the crowded lowtown bustle. Seeming excited to be around so many people. "Hm, oh, I dunno big sis Onica. Mister is the one who has been wandering around here. He knows more than I do. Hey, mister; have you seen any clothing stores?" She looked at me for a split second before a cart full of bright red sweets that was pushed past us by a shouting man caught her attention.

I shrugged. "All I can remember is some people shouting about armor around the arena." So I led them to Hell.

Once we got there, between mine and Lenas awesome diguises and Onicas distinctive height and ears and tail... her distinctiveness, I guess we caught a lot of attention.

"Storming Sweep!" Lena shouted as she kicked a big hairy guy in the back of his knees. This brought him to her level where she ended him with a "Wave Rush!" punch to the chin.

"Firey Rampage!" I bellowed as I punched and kicked three would be robbers into the pavement. We took all the jangles of course. Lena said it was theft. I said it was only fair. They came to take our jangles so we took theirs when they lost. We must have beaten down fifty people by now. So we had lots of jangles between us.

The more we had the more idiots came after us. Onica silently beat down any who tried to sneak up on us. She was smiling as she watched us shout out our moves, but she refused to join in. Said it wasn't her style. Fair enough. It is fun though.

Suddenly Old Rick came oozing out of an alley in front of us. "Big bro, so good to see you again!" He skulked over to us. "I see you have new friends." He eyed Lena curiously before his eyes started to crawl all over Onicas lithe form. "Hello there beautiful. Not everyday someone as... exotic as you walks into my life." He gave a greasy wink. "Why dontcha let me buy you a drink and we can get to... know each othurk!"

Onica had him pinned against the nearest wall by his throat in a blink. She showed her teeth in a feral and hungry smile. "This a friend of yours Daji? I thought you would have better, taste." she rolled the last word into a purr and licked her lips. Old Rick may have paled some. Hard to really tell under all that grime.

As sweat cut brave rivers through his patina of filth he stuttered. "H-h-h-hey now, I didn't mean nothing by it. Just being friendly is all, cmon bro, help me out here." He pleaded. I don't know why he thought I would help him. We aren't even friends. "I am sure you didn't come all the way over here just to beat up half the thugs in Papil and terrorize poor Old Rick. Whatcha lookin for friends?" He seemed pretty close to pissing himself. Onica is kinda fun to have around huh?

"Well, we are looking for a place to get some gear." I offered. "You know a good place?"

Old Ricks face split into a rotten smile and he chortled happily. "Ehehehehe, do I know a place? I run the 'Riverstench Boys'. Of course I know a place!" He paused, waiting for some glimmer of recognition. He didn't get one."Y'know, the 'Riverstench Boys'? Only ones to ever successfully rob the lord duke. We once stole a pirate ship with the pirates still aboard. Anything? Nothing?" Silence. His smile slid of his face like scum off a wall. "Founders of the Riverstench Black Market? We smuggle and steal all manner of goods and sell it. Course, them bloody bean counters been kinda taking it over lately but still..." His voice kind of faded and died at the end there.

Onica smiled at Old Rick and released him as he flinched back from her very sharp teeth. "That sounds perfect. Take us there." She commanded.

"Aye ma'am! Right this way!" He saluted with his stump and scuttled into the alley he had come from.

We followed him as he led us on what must have been a confusing chase through the alleys of Hell. If I had any sense of direction I might have been lost. But since I haven't got one of those I knew exactly where I was. It was where everything else was that is a mystery.

Finally he led us to an abandoned building. Boarded up windows and graffitied walls. He knocked on the door and whispered something into the crack that opened. A bloated dwarf with a axe as large as he was opened the door and watched us enter with venomous eyes. Old Rick led us down some rough stairs into the cellar.

Where somone had smashed in the far wall. It led into a large cave. A river ran through the cave, cutting through the mess of colorful tents and ramshackle huts that filled it. An occasional boat drifted down the river, docked, and unloaded some crates. Bright paper lanterns in dozens of bright hues lit up the cave and highlighted the dense smoke that scudded along the ceiling. The smoke came from numerous sources all over the camp and exited through some holes in the ceiling. Narrow paths between tents ran rife with skinny dirty children. Scampering around in near feral packs. Men and women hawked their wares to the largely hooded and cloaked crowd that shuffled about the place.

"Welcome!" Screeched Old Rick. "To the Riverstench Black Market!" He attempted to gesture grandly and only managed to wiggle his stump suggestively.

Lena started to applaude, but I stopped her.

A sibilant voice cut through his attempt at grandeur. "I think what you meant to say young Rick was 'Welcome, to the Goldband Black Market!'." A shadow coalesced into a tall thin old man with slicked back gray hair and a pair of glimmering glasses perched on his prodigous nose. "Greetings all, I am Castor. I run this market on behalf of the Goldband Merchant Company. Here we offer anything you can dream of, and some things beyond your wildest dreams." He smiled, showing his straight but age yellowed teeth. "If you ask for it we will find it. If you can think of it we can sell it. Welcome, indeed, how may we serve you?" He finished with a bow and a flourish as his sonorous voice echoed into silence.

Lena applauded.

Onica approached Castor. They began discussing things in a very professional and complicated fashion. Lena had already joined in with a nearby pack of children who were oohing and aahing over her cape and mask as she preened happily. Old Rick was sulking and skulked away muttering to himself. I wandered into the maze of the market to see what there was to see.

Knives and bows filled stands. All dully gleaming with the promise of murder and violence. Jars of pickled everything covered tables. I saw a whole human head in one. Vials of poisons and antidotes filled racks next to tomes with disturbingly detailed drawings of the insides of a person. Strange herbs and powders were advertised to allow one to percive the true nature of the universe. These were passed around in long pipes by skinny men and women. All of whom seemed very out of sorts. Gemstones of all shapes and colors were scattered atop black felt-topped tables like stars in the nights sky. Strange old wrinkled women offered to tell you your future in exchange for money or some of those odd herbs. And all around hooded, masked, cloaked people were haggling, buying and selling goods and services. The constant chime and clatter of jangles passing hands spread over all else.

Nothing caught my eye until I saw something curious. A luxurious looking tall black hat. With crimson and gold feathers tucked inside its hatband. All locked in a cage of pure copper. Occasional arcs of electricity jumped between the bars. This was the only thing for sale in a ragged and scorched tent run by a wild eyed muttering man with frazzled hair and blackened fingers. As soon as he saw me looking at the hat with interest he leapt into his story.

This was a cursed hat. A tophat to be more precise. All who wore it would be struck by lightning. No matter where they were. Indoors, underground, it made no difference. He was odd, and a bad salesman, he pretty much shoved the cage into my arms.I barely had given him five bits of jangles before he had scampered cackling into the shadows.

The hat tried to talk to me but I sealed it in some tinglewood and ignored it for now. Listening to a cursed object seems like a bad idea. I'll do it tomorrow if I am not too busy.

Lena popped up shortly after that. She eyed my burden oddly before gushing forth with her tales of fun with friends and she showed me a small pile of gems, sapphires and pearls, her friends had given her for the jangles. I wonder where those kids found gems? No matter. She had fun so I was happy. "Can I come back and play with my friends again mister?" Lena asked.

"As long as you are armed and disguised. And eat your vegetables." I offered. I had noticed Lena had been leaving her green veggies after meals. She agreed grudgingly.

Onica came out of the crowd. Rather the crowd split and let her out. She had new clothes and was cradling a wrapped parcel in her arms.

She had a cloak in varying shades of grays, the eye just kind of slid off of it. Simple black pants tucked into soft gray boots midcalf. A dagger was strapped to each ankle. A simple creme shirt had a thick bandolier across it. Small knives and vials of what looked like the poisons I had seen earlier were tucked into the pouches on the bandolier. A harness hung around her hips holding two short and sharp looking cutlasses with spikes on the hand guards. A stilletto was tucked in a sheath at the small of her back and a dirk was in a hanging sheath between her shoulder blades.

She looked very happy.

The parcel turned out to be a poison kit. Hundreds of small sealed compartments hold the various ingredients. A mortar and pestle along with a small series of glass vials and tubing were contained inside the collapsing box as well. It was a marvel of precision engineering.

All in all I got a cursed hat, Lena got some shinies, Onica got an arsenal. Good shopping day I think!

We headed back to the House of Dancing Wings after that. Onica seemed equal parts amused and disgusted by the ladies on the Heaven island. No idea why. She is bunking with Lena for now. I suppose I will have to introduce her to Tara.

Oh, I bet Esmeralda will just love Onica.

Goodnight.