Synopsis[]
A kobold whose appearance sits somewhere between a monitor lizard and a taxidermy mistake preaches to an eager crowd about The Great Wyrm, sharing a missive from the Wyrm himself warning them of the coming storm and entreating them to ensure "The Ramshackle One" not find them. They should trust no one, it says, except perhaps the young one who may yet be won to their cause. The post-script suggests collapsing the main tunnel.
She continues her sermon, claiming that judgement day is upon them and the Ramshackle one shall not pass. With a cheer of "Thanks Be to Ripthorne," the underground factory-town flies back into production. Bombs are made and stamped with a seal: KDL.
The morning after their first "adventure," the Ospreys work on getting checked out of the hotel. Odion displays respectable disappointment in the hotel's security while Flo brings big Karen energy to the interaction, but at the end of the day they manage to exchange one of Flo's suitcases as in-kind payment for the hotel stay plus the 100g fee to report their heroism to the church (in a way that maintains plausible deniability about who exactly they offed, of course).
Cal, meanwhile, enlists Weevil's help in hiding a pillow inside her armor to sneak it out - and since neither of them therefore have a say in what's reported to the church, their contributions aren't mentioned. Weevil quietly resolves to ensure he (and Cal) are involved in any future reports of their exploits so that they're appropriately credited.
In preparation for starting their adventure in earnest, Odion and Weevil head to Odion's alma mater, the St. Wilde's Adventuring Preparatory, to do some research and repair Cal's hammer. In exchange for the repair, Odion asks Cal to ensure that Flo unloads her luggage without also losing any limbs. While she is not exactly enthusiastic about the prospect of spending a day with Flo, Cal reluctantly agrees.
Odion and Weevil find quite a bit of information about elementals - that whatever lurks in the caverns is likely to do with earth or water or both, that elementals are bound with powerful contract magic, and that they can discorporate under the right circumstances - an ability which can make them rather more dangerous.
While Odion goes to make weapon repairs, Weevil tries to participate in some training exercises, but his lack of socialization shows when he responds to the student body shunning him by sabotaging a high-hanging lantern on his way out and nearly crushing a few students who are sparring below.
Flo and Cal wander for a good while, searching for Flo's dealer - Garry - who she is certain is the best person to consult about the sale of her bespoke wardrobe. Eventually, determining that Flo has no idea where she's going, Cal guides them down to The Mud where she expects to find a person of Garry's description between house calls in the wealthier parts of town. Flo, expecting the door to be held open for her as it always has been, finds herself knocked into the mud while Cal walks into the saloon where they find Garry; as a result, she makes a particularly pitiful picture as she shares her tale of woe. Cal takes a little time mopping up Flo's mud trail before joining the two of them at the table.
Garry gives them a lead on someone in The Bizaar who might take Flo's items off their hands, though he warns it'll be at a bulk rate - she won't get back what she paid for them. All told, he estimates they could probably swing about a thousand gold for the lot, which delights Cal and horrifies Flo. They nearly get into a full-on spat over their respective viewpoints on wealth, value, and planning for the future before Garry shuts it down, accepts a fascinator from Flo for his trouble, and ushers her out with a vial of pixie dust for her travels.
The group reconvenes in The Bizaar, where it turns out that the person Cal and Flo have been directed to is the very same childhood friend that Weevil's granny urged him to call upon while in the city. After Gertie's security system catches Flo and Odion, plastering them to the walls with sticky paper chains, Weevil makes introductions while Rad Daniel lets the siblings out of the magical trap.
Some haggling later, Flo and Gertie land on a deal for Flo's belongings - 1000 gold; 5 paid now with an additional 200 in store credit on Gertie's bill to prepare them for their adventure, and the balance to be paid after Gertie has managed to get a return on the items at the giants' next visit to town.
While the ladies have a little surprise bonding time as Flo invites Cal to join her for a luxurious bath, Odion and Weevil go shopping for explosives and darkvision glasses before they all make their way to Lairtown. When they arrive, they spot The John Johnson, along with his legendary moose, Lancelot, surrounded by a crowd of admirers. Cal is starstruck by Lancelot, and Weevil (having already met The John Johnson) ushers her over to say hi to her idol.
Odion and Flo, less affected by the fanfare, are just about to hand off the dynamite they'd acquired to Flo for safekeeping as a different, unexpected explosive appears on the scene: a large ball that smells of brimstone and is monogrammed with the letters "KDL". Odion, acting on instinct, septs in front of Flo moments before it goes off, collapsing the tunnel into the mountain.