True to Kaldalis’ expectations, Bangen was still working, in spite of the late hour. There was a lantern still lit inside the research station, visible on their approach. As they entered the makeshift library, she looked up from her seat and jumped.

“Is it dark out?” she asked, panic plain in her voice. “I swear I just stopped for lunch a minute ago. What time is it? Did I miss dinner?”

“Um,” Kaldalis said, trying to suppress a laugh, “unfortunately yes. And probably your first hour or so of sleep. It’s… Kind of late.”

“Oops,” Bangen said. She started immediately packing up the notes she was writing and the pile of opened books scattered around. “I have so much to do, though. These Jormungumo notes are philosophically and chemically terrifying. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep knowing that something like this really exists.”

“I want to ask,” Kaldalis said, “I really do, but we have bigger fish to fry tonight.”

Myrin snorted with laughter at his pun.

“Oh! Of course,” Bangen laughed as she stopped straightening her book pile. “You came here for a reason, right? Did you need something from me before I go?” She looked over Kaldalis’s shoulder to Balrim. “Something to identify?”

“You might say that,” Balrim said, patting Kaldalis on the shoulder.

Kaldalis grimaced and stepped forward. “I don’t know what this is, but I get the impression it might be serious.” After a moment of awkward hesitation, he removed the deacon tetra from his inventory and held it out to Bangen.

She flinched back, like he’d pulled a gun on her.

Her helpful smile evaporated and she held up her hands, warding him off from handing the fish to her.

“W-what are you doing?” For a moment Kaldalis thought it was confusion, but from the look on her face it became clear it was anger. “W-why do you have that?”

“You know what this is?”.

“Of-of course!” Bangen sputtered, somehow more affronted by the implication that she might not know something than the presence of the fish. “What I don’t know is why there’s one in my face! And from you, of all people!” She turned her anger away from the fish and towards Kaldalis. “I expected better from you!”

“What did I do?”

“Betrayed my trust is what you did!” Bangen snapped. “Betrayed everyone’s trust! You brought this… This thing into the encampment, and you dare act surprised when someone is disgusted by it? Ugh.” She shook her head and then shuddered. “To think I believed you could be a friend. It’s people like you who give the adventuring profession a bad name.”

“No, really,” Balrim said in a calm tone. “We have no idea-”

“You must not! Because if you knew what kind of punishment was awaiting you, you’d never have dared to wave that in my face.” She flailed her hands for a moment before her spear appeared there, and she levelled it at Kaldalis first, before waving it wildly, including Balrim and Myrin in the gesture. “I don’t even know what they’re going to do to you, but it’s going to be bad. Really bad. And I won’t even feel guilty about turning you in.”

“For what?” Kaldalis asked.

“To who?” Myrin asked, at the same time.

For whatever reason, Bangen turned her attention on Myrin instead of Kaldalis. “The expedition leader! She’ll know what to do with you. There’s no way she’d take this kind of thing lightly.”

“Oh. Heh. So, listen, Bangen,” Kaldalis said slowly. “You see, I picked up this fish on a quest. The quest was specifically to get one of these fish. I don’t know what it’s for or what it means. I literally do not understand your reaction at all.”

“An unconvincing story. No one would be so brazen to send someone out for… for one of those.”

“There is one person,” Kaldalis said in the same slow manner. “And she did it not just brazenly, but shamelessly. Openly. And I just watched her send out a dozen more fishers to farm up what she hopes will be hundreds of them.”

“No,” Bangen said, but the conviction wasn’t in her voice anymore. “No, that’s impossible.”

“Search your feelings-” Myrin began.

“-Not the time,” Balrim snapped.

“It’s the truth,” Kaldalis said, ignoring his companions. “Onirioago herself send me to get this fish. And I just saw her leading a group to the jungle. She’s sending them out for more.”

Bangen didn’t speak, but the tip of her spear lowered a few inches.

“That’s why we brought this to you,” Kaldalis said, holding up the deacon tetra again. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. Onirioago said she’s running out of time to stockpile these fish, and I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what this thing even is, I don’t know who to go to if Onirioago is up to no good, and worst of all, I don’t even know what’s going on.” He held out his free hand to her. “Please. We didn’t come here to scare, threaten, or enrage you. We came here because I believed you could be a friend, too. We came here for help.”

Bangen’s hesitation broke. She put her spear away and took a few deep breaths.

“Put that thing away,” she said at last. “I can’t bear to look at it.”

Kaldalis complied immediately. “So, what is it?” he asked. “That’s the question I’ve been most desperate for the answer to.”

“It’s called a deacon tetra,” Bangen began, though she said the name as if spitting it. “It’s a rare nocturnal jungle fish. Carnivorous and aggressive, they’re known for their silvery sheen and enormous fangs.”

“Yes,” Kaldalis said, “that’s what I got from Onirioago when she sent me to catch it. But she didn’t say what it was for.”

“It’s a narcotic. The… This fish feeds on certain poisonous prey, and produces its own antidote to protect its system from those poisons. That antidote isn’t harmful to the fish because they lack, you know. A prefrontal cortex. And even if it did affect them, they produce it naturally.” She shivered. “In people, though, it’s very dangerous. It gives a mild high, but it’s powerfully addictive. After even just a couple days of regular use, the withdrawal can kill you. Every civilized nation has declared it illegal. Efforts have begun to hunt the deacon tetra to extinction in every jungle on the mainland. The Adventurers League has overseen the destruction of thousands of them.”

“So it’s contraband,” Balrim said, “highly illegal, especially for the Adventurers League. Serious enough to sink even the Expedition Leader.”

“Forbidden crafting mats,” Myrin added with a nod.

“So that’s what she’s after. She wants to stockpile a bunch of extremely rare drugs, sell them, and then use the profits to cover her ass while she makes even more.”

“I don’t think so,” Bangen said. She hugged herself with a shudder. “It’s not normally taken recreationally. They call it Geas Venom. It’s normally administered covertly in meals or by force. Once you’ve had enough that withdrawal is dangerous, the poisoner threatens to cut off your supply. You’re bound to their demands unless you want to suffer and die in agony.”

Kaldalis felt a chill run up his spine. He could assume the answer, but he had to ask anyway. “So then what does she need a stockpile for?”

“Guards,” Balrim said, his voice taking on an ethereal quality. “Authority figures. League officials. Rivals.”

“Guards are probably her primary fear,” Bangen said. “You asked about this place being made a town? Once that process is finished, there will be guards whose job will be to sniff out and find illegal activity. If Onirioago slips Geas Venom into their food, suddenly they all have to look the other way on any smuggling they find.”

“More than that,” Kaldalis said, “they’ll become her personal stormtroopers. Any dissent or suspicion will be framed by dirty cops. Any leadership - mayors or whatever - have to climb in her pocket to avoid being shaken down or even assassinated by enslaved junkies.”

“This is serious,” Myrin said. “What do we do?”

“We need evidence,” Bangen said. “I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but if all we have to go on is your word, Onirioago will squirm out of any accusations. Or even turn them around on you.”

Balrim rubbed at his forehead, as if the talsar suddenly realized how screwed they were. “So what do we need? How can we stop her?”

“I could share the quest?” Kaldalis offered. “Maybe. I’ve never tried to share a completed quest.”

“It can be done,” Bangen said, “but it won’t tell us who offered the quest in the first place.”

“Nice,” Myrin said. “Not, you know, for our purposes. But it’s nice to know we can share completed quests.”

Bangen turned and paced a short circle. “We could catch her with her first stockpile?”

“There won’t be one,” Kaldalis said suddenly. “Or, at least, not a big one. I lied to her about what tackle I used to catch it. Her fishing hit crew are using the wrong bait.”

The researcher grinned. “That’s good for the safety of everyone’s free will, but bad for catching her red-handed.”

“What other evidence would work?” Kaldalis asked.

“As a member of the research staff, my word is considered trustworthy.”

“I don’t think that’s just because of the research staff thing,” Balrim said. “You’re a very honest person.”

“I mean in an official capacity,” Bangen said, though her cheeks flushed a little. “As a third party, I can act as a witness against her if I see or hear solid evidence of her actions.”

Kaldalis mulled over that for a moment. “I can get her to admit something. I’ll go to her tent and you can hide outside. I’ll turn on the charm a bit and talk to her about the fish.”

Myrin audibly shuddered.

Kaldalis was inclined to agree. But he was the only one she’d talked to about the fish. Talking to him, she might not realize she was incriminating herself by talking about it again.

The charm part was, perhaps, optional, but he was about to walk into her tent in the middle of the night. He didn’t know what other cover to use.

“I’d like all of you to be there,” Kaldalis said, turning as well to Balrim and Myrin. “Bangen is the witness, but I need you to be my backup. If she realizes we’re onto her, especially after she’s said too much, then Bangen has to get out safely.”

“Lead the way,” Myrin said, a big stupid grin spreading across her face. “We protecc, we attacc, but most importantly, we have your bacc.”