Khardoom hauls Shakazar into the cavern wall’s shadow, away from the black water gnawing at the ledge. Her gaze drops to his spore kit, then back to him, sharp as a blade.
Khardoom
Those mushrooms of yours, the rare ones, they are not herbs. They are catalysts. My priestess rites need them.
Below them, the flood swirls harder around the sinkhole. Farther out, Sister Mael scrambles onto the ledge, wet wings shivering as she clutches the moss rite close. The Ashen Way Scouts are still below, panicked and half-submerged.
Sister Mael
No... if they find it, they will burn the rite out of the stone.
Khardoom
Let them fret. I keep him safe, and I keep the scouts busy. In return, I want his harvest for my ceremonies.
The words snap the earlier mystery into place. Mael’s pilgrimage was never only a search for faith, she was hunting the same rare fungi Shakazar seeks. Khardoom’s fingers rest near his shoulder, not quite touching, as if claiming both him and the kit.
Khardoom
Stay under my shadow, druid. The rising water and the scouts both answer to me, for now.
✓ Quest Accepted
Speak with Sister Mai about Khardoom
“Glad for us you are here, and well met. But may we have a moment alone shakazar says and glancing towards sister mai”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +1)
Shakazar Frambling
Glad for us you are here, and well met. But may we have a moment alone, Sister Mael?
Khardoom’s eyes narrow, then she eases back a step. The flood hisses below the ledge, but she does not press. Mael lifts her head from behind the moss rite, watching Shakazar through wet strands of hair and trembling wings.
Khardoom
Take your moment, druid. Do not mistake my patience for surrender.
Sister Mael
...We do not have much time, but we have enough for honesty.
She shifts the glowing bundle tighter under one wing, then edges along the ledge until Khardoom is out of easy earshot. The black water keeps rising at their boots, yet her voice drops into something steadier.
Sister Mael
Khardoom is no rescuer. She wants your fungi for rites I do not trust, and if she names them holy, she means to own them.
Shakazar Frambling
The shrine, the harvest, the patronage, all of it is tied to the same bargain.
Reject Khardoom's patronage
Quest Complete
Speak with Sister Mai about Khardoom