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They had determined that what water and victual they had secured would last a month; the liquor, five days.
These they enjoyed in a resigned peace but one, when the Teleportation Tile hidden under Mayor Hopvoit's safe activated.
For a second Hopvoit glimpsed a hope: Perresill the Wizard, who discovered Omer's scheme, who made the Tile that so helped Derreschston in its defense against the Ghules, was come!
But the rest, through their twilight stupor, were ready for the end. It was too late to tear down the battened door now, and there were no windows in the hold. Here was their undoer at last, to kill them face to face. There would be no escape now.
He was littler than they expected, quite ugly, but not the tall umbrous shape long rumored. Of course not a Ghule, and not a Vampeer. In this there was relief: a better death, at least; violent, but undamned.
In under two minutes they were dispatched, to whatever gods there heard them.
The last clear thought of the original dwellers of Derreschston was from its Mayor.
"A Goblin?"
"<span class="mu-g">yerr, n moar, oldfagg: <span class="mu-i">vee</span> Gobballan. I gatts plenty errens so, nice chatty, but ferr yez itz <span class="mu-r">FROAT</span> ta <span class="mu-r"><span class="mu-s"> SKROTE!!!</span></span></span>"
Night had set on Derreschston, and the searching Day would rise to find...nothing. Standing buildings, but a vanished town.
°°°
You've already did Sordyfagg, and lewted everfin inniz roomz, so really there should be nothing worth having in his secret cubby. But you want to go anyway, juzt in case there was sumn juicy waiting. It's going to bother you if you don't, months ahead; might as well clear it up.
You make a proper frottage of the Telly Pop-up stone in the Ͳ block, out of a cleany white apron and a lot of tailor's wax, and also out of the other Telly Pop-up you found inna woods while making pit-traps with the Dimmies.
You bring the two frottages back to Seafood for a gander.
Seafood is more enthusiastic than you are about the cubby: he doesn't even punish you for asking his help to crack the Telly Pop-ups.
"I smell scandal in the Church. Go and bring back anything interesting. Kill anything that isn't."
"<span class="mu-g">Wotcher Sweetfudds.</span>"
You go fru the Sordyfagg's Telly Pop-up first. He goes innere wivvout his Sord n fings, so it should be safey, you figger. You have yer Daggy out, just in case.
You pop-up in the dark, next to a short table with a lamp, full reservoir. Near nothing in this room but a... kindy table? A metal slab fixed on a biggy square stone. Smells like mixt iron steel. N blud. Lotsy lotsy blud.
A fikky chain jerks weakly as you go closer for peeksies.
Oooh, itza Humie! Black tatters for a dress, but you kindy recognize the heavy material and unflattering cut: itza nun-niform! And she is FUGGED UP.
No arms, no legs; they've been chopped off, cleany. The stumps have been burned shut wiv Whitey simbils. Ditto her eyeholes. Mouf n tungg too. Carnt beat a Whitey for torchurr, once they get going.
