>>5976183“Well, it looks like this castle thing has been under surveillance for a while by a couple of inquisitors. It’s apparently a few hours away by super secret inquisitor motor boat and encompasses an entire island!”
“An island castle? A defensible location then.”
“Yeah and here’s the thing. Apparently, they were describing the thing and I went ‘Oh, like a factory,’ and they ended up agreeing after consulting some Strangetech records. Isn’t Strangetech such a weird name? Anyways, the castle got like smokestacks and- oh, you don’t know what that is, do you? Well, think of the castle like a military fort that’s building things.”
“Do you know what’s being built?”
“Uh, not really?” Marie twirls her hair as she says this, “It’s definitely Stranger related though. The island is even big enough for a small city according to the inquisitors we talked to. So we could be dealing with multiple people.”
“That is… not good.”
“Maybe they’re nice?” Marie questions, but it seems awkward.
You simply nod, not wanting to either encourage or break her hope.
The two of you chat for a bit more about rather inconsequential things, and consequential things such as weapons and the local blacksmith. It’s nice. Later Asher comes back with pastries and coffee. He had to walk a bit to find a half-decent coffee house in this city but with the right application of your magic both the coffee and food are heated back up. As you all finish your respective meals the inquisitor sits back in his chair.
“So, what's the plan, recruits?”
“Aren’t you our mentor? Shouldn’t that be your decision?” Marie asks.
“Nah, that’s too much work,” he flips a hand as if deflecting the question, “So should we start our investigation now and try to scope out this metal castle or spend a day doing something else?”
“Something else?” You question.
“I mean it’s not like the world's ending, yet at least. The castle’s just been sitting there for a week or two, it’s not going anywhere. If you think you got something else important to do just say so.”
Marie just looks at you, seemingly lost.
>You should start the investigation now and head to the docks, it’s best not to waste time.>You should spend a day of rest and do something else today (What?)>[Write-in something to say] 