Joyless Rescue

After an unsuccessful attempt to track down Saisho, Bangqiu made plans with Beatriss to gather their associates and invade the slavers' stockade once more. Armed with knowledge of where the slaves were kept, and using their tested strategy, they scaled the wall at the back of the stockade and entered the low, windowless stone building in which Bangqiu had seen the captives. The room was unpleasant to be in. Besides the sight of rows of catatonic people, the sound-- a low hum, a deep passionless moan-- made the adventurers uneasy, challenged their courage more than the clang of clashing swords or the snarl of a pouncing monster. Moving their way around the room by torchlight, trying to track flitting shadows, they were surprised by long black robe that slipped off the fall and drifted toward them. Lieu, a high-ranking sohei, charged with his parang drawn. The black cloak enveloped his head and clung to his body like a rain-soaked length of silk. As his friends rushed to assist him, the cloak thing lashed out at them a tail-like appendage. Beatriss slashed at the monster with her sword. She slashed its alien body, but, based on Lieu's gasp of pain, knew that she was hurting Lieu as well. Bangqiu put on his invisibility ring. The others hesitated. They could not free Lieu without hurting him and he was in little position to help him. Beatriss decided that if nothing else, she would give Lieu a quick death rather than let him be suffocated or devoured by the cloak-thing resumed her attack with her sword, encouraging her followers to do the same. Nguyen cut off the thing's tail. Lieu fell to the floor and Beatriss leapt on top of him, doing her best to slash the monster only, but knowing she had little time for precision. At last Lieu burst, free, panting, the black cloak thing a shredded black mass. Ju-Mei tended to Lieu's wounds while the others sought a way to free the prisoners. There was a key, and manacles could be removed, but the prisoners still showed no interest in their own freedom. The humming had stopped. Still the prisoners were unfeeling, uncommunicative.

They did respond to commands. They responded very well, following orders to leave the room and fearlessly climb up a ladder to the top of the stone building and then climb over the sharpened stakes of the palisade. Bangqiu helped break their fall as they landed and led them across the ditch. They remained compliant as Damai led them through the dungeon and back to Quitokai. The celebration was subdued. The awkward question of how to treat Bangqiu the Baboon King-- who had threatened to attack the village with an army if they didn’t stop hunting the sacred fish-- was simply ignored. The people of Quitokai treated Beatriss as the sole leader of the rescue party. And, as they offered no reward, but instead asked why their rescued family members were acting so strangely, Bangqiu did not insert himself.