Contract: The Don's Request
Previous: Battle of the (Weak) Wills
Next: The Mold Maddened Beast and the Plague Warden
We returned to #Team High Turnover Rate as Bash, Jerzac Scarlewe, and Roquesta (Rocket) Strauss fell to the ground unconscious while Nari pak Cordona stepped out of the bushes. Nari and her two holographic clones ran up to attack Roswell Mogul with her sap doing some heavy damage. While slow to the draw due to her injuries, Zuri of House Du'Mansia attempted to convince Nari to stop the attack to no avail. Seeing the danger the crew was in Zuri slowly climbed down the tree and attempted to wake up Bash. Seeing this attempt, Nari ran over and knocked Zuri unconscious with a single blow then backed off. Roswell bravely tried to close and fight back but Nari was to fast and knocked him out as well.
Roswell and Zuri regained consciousness and realized that both Nari and the captain were missing. After rousing Rocket and Bash everyone took a small rest to recuperate from the short but violent fight. Zuri was able to find tracks along the riverbank and across a ford, presumably from Nari. As you followed the tracks you eventually started to hear hoarse calls for help and crying. Sneaking up to a glade in the jungle Zuri smelt burnt meat and saw Jerzac's back as he lay on the ground in a fetal position. When she approached Zuri saw a rock nearby covered in meat, blood, gristle, and bone shards. Finally taking a chance she rolled the captain over to see the cauterized stump with protruding chunks of bone where his left hand used to be.
Taking the chance to do a little pilfering Zuri dug through Jerzac's pockets, taking a few things. She bandaged up the mangled remnants of his hand the best she could. Finally coming to a little bit Jerzac frantically dug through every pocket trying to find his Lho sticks. At this Zuri pulled out the stolen lho and lit one up. After receiving threats of dire consequences the Drow gave back the captain's drugs. Everyone realized they were too injured to continue so you rested for the night and most of the next day.
About an hour and a half into the next day's march a large plant creature (a ksarik) started to trail you but ran off as soon as you noticed it. At the 3rd hour mark it appeared again, trying to repeat its same behavior. For some absolutely unexplainable reason Jerzac was a bit grumpy and lobbed a grenade at it. The ksarik flicked its tail at jerzac, launching a spine which did little damage, and ran away. It did not reappear all through the night as you force marched to make up time that was lost while tending to your injuries.
The morning light helped Zuri follow the tracks easier but it also let the ksarik and its buddy track you and attempt an ineffectual ambush. They each launched a dart while the crew took potshots at their retreating backs. After another couple miles through this god-awful jungle you heard more hoarse calls very similar to those of Jerzac the day prior. The cries lead you to an open clearing where a wounded Lashunta woman was collapsed against a tree stump. She cried out when you all approached begging for medicine. Jerzac pumped her for information with the promise of aid. You learned there are about 10 more mercenaries, Nari, Professor Solstarni, and Mercedes in the expeditionary party.
Staring to perform first aid, Zuri pulled the dart out from Kalkawri's leg. As the dart came out of her leg the larva that had been crawling under her skin started chewing their way out to ear-piercing shrieks of pain. Those same shrieks called out to the source of the thorn, your old buddies the ksariks. Jerzac, remembering that the ksariks could ingest their prey's knowledge knew that they would be able to understand galactic common. Promising them immense pain before their deaths he successfully intimidated them into running away.
Unable to find anything useful on the lashunta's corpse, you set out yet again on your grueling trek. This day Zuri struggled to follow the trail causing you to lose the ground you made up on the forced march, now 2 days behind the other party. Attempting to continue the forced march, you continued on into the night. Not long after sunset kaukarikis left their nests and sprinted up the trees, settled into cup shaped leaves and pulled them tight around themselves. Looking around to see what would cause such panic in those devil monkeys Zuri was able to make out billowing pink clouds in the distance, a moldstorm. You scrambled to set up your tent and all 6 of you packed into the single one you could set up in time. Everyone spent a fitful night sleeping out the moldstorm and exited out into a pink deadly wonderland in the morning.