Astrid, her knee raised post door kicking and her hammer pulled up ready for bashing, looks between Tsarra and the strange fuzz ball. In fact, her eyes dart between the two. She's high-strung and ready to defend herself, and this strange creature isn't exactly what she expected to find here. Her body urges her to keep moving and find the cultists and smash them all. Her mind tries to catch up and slow things down and process the situation. What even is the situation?

"Nope, nope," Astrid says quickly. "Definitely not a cat. I've never seen a cat like that before." She looks out down the hall in either direction. "I won't smash it if ya don't want me to, but we gotta keep movin'. This has not gone like I thought. We gotta find the clue." Though she looks back in the room and supposes it could be in here amongst the books. Maybe this creature is a captive? Or a creation? She honestly can't decide one way or another, but it's not like her not to give cute fuzzy things a chance. 

"Look, little guy, we're lookin' fer a clue to the Sol Stone, and all our information points us here. Is there a place we'd find it? Maybe a... uh... spooky basement? Magic library? Is that what yer lookin' fer?"

While the fish lady looks away from him, Hylltywyll took the fish and stepped back a bit from her. He didn't like how close she had gotten. He held the fish in his hands with a look of disgust. It smelled horrendous and looked vile. It had probably been on her for far too long to be even remotely edible anymore. No one in their right mind could possibly want such a disgusting, stinking gift.

Hylltywyll loved it. He smiled as he he imagined Bellighul's reaction to him hiding it somewhere in the mansion. The man might even throw up from the smell! He had to make sure it was well hidden, but also that the smell could spread throughout at least one room of the mansion. Maybe he could stash it behind a bookcase. No, that would be too easy to find and dispose of. Maybe he could pry up a floorboard or break a hole in a wall to hide it in and then fix it with his magic. That'd probably do nicely. And Bellighul would even have to destroy the house to find it, a bonus prank! This was going to be good!

He looked up at the two girls with a smile and spoke.

"I might know about a sole stone. I'll show you where it is. Just follow me." he said, walking out the door with the rotting fish held in his hands, far away from himself so it wouldn't touch his fur. He wanted the house to smell bad, not himself. "But stop calling me cute and little."

Tsarra is absolutely enthralled with Hyl. She has never seen anything like him and just wants to pick him up and pet his chunky pelt. She bet her captain would be fine with letting him aboard the ship, and even if she wasn't she could just hide the fuzzy bean in her quarters. Marine could keep a secret. Nero would HAAAATE it. Which just made her want to shove Hyl in her backpack more. 

Furred beings always enchanted her. Being a triton, she doesn't have any hair herself, instead having layers of fins on her head which just mimic the appearance of hair. Her understanding of land-dwelling creatures that exist was mostly limited though. If it lived on the coast or in the ocean she knew of them. If they didn't, well, she was oblivious. As such the number of furred beings she has seen is few and far between. She did know of some ocean-living creatures like seals and otters. She also was aware of cats and dogs because many ships often had the critters there to keep rats from eating all their rations. 

She looks at Astrid with a big smile and whispers as she follows Hyl out the door. "He talks! I'm adoptin' 'im later."

Astrid is still cautious of Hylltywyll, and when he goes past with the absolutely rank fish, she nearly suddenly feels very sick. "Ugh, that is wretched!" she gags, covering her mouth and nose and trying not to lose what little she has left from her breakfast. "Ya had that in yer back pocket the whole time??" She can't believe something so awful hasn't drawn her attention yet. Now she wants to keep her distance from Tsarra as much as possible, so she decides she'll let Tsarra walk between herself and the small creature with the super smelly fish.

As they walk through the halls, Astrid finds herself being more vigilant than maybe she ever has before. "A-Are there more undead here? Is there really a powerful necromancer? How are ya alive? What have ya been doin' here?" Questions flood out in a nervous flurry. If one thing moves, she's ready to bash it. She doesn't trust this fancy, surprisingly clean.... roomy... quiet... and now kind of somewhat destroyed and splattered with water manor. Is this place really so bad? Don't cults make their homes in cursed ruins or ancient towers? This isn't right.

Then the halls seem to moan. Is that wind from an open window? From the front door? Oh, no, the groan came from behind. Astrid looks back over her shoulder with terror in her eyes. There's nothing there.

The piano in the distance plays a new song. Slow, somber, and in minor key. She decidedly hates this. "Can we walk faster?"

Hylltywyll walks through the halls of the mansion, the two ladies behind him and the fish held far in front. His eyes scope out the walls and the floor as they go, looking for something. Hmmm, yes, he knew exactly where to go. He'd spent a lot of time in this mansion, exploring each little nook and cranny of the place. He could even fit into a lot of places that the master of the house could not. His knowledge of the intricacies of the place may have even surpassed its actual owner. He'd find exactly what he was looking for, he just needed a little time.

"Ah! There! That wall right there, that's the spot!." he said, pointing to a section of the wall that had a small heating grate embedded in it against the floor. The grate led to a pipe that lead to a furnace in the basement that heated the mansion in the winter. This was the spot he had been searching for.

"You, use your hammer. I'm too small. I can't break through the wall myself. You need to do it." he pleaded, looking at Astrid with her hammer in hand. She looked like she could break the wall. She was dragging the fish lady before like she was nothing, so she must be strong.

Tsarra follows after Hylltywyll closely, watching him walk with absolute fascination and careful not to step on his tail. She resists the urge to scoop him up. He clearly was way more intelligent than most other creatures of similar size and fuzziness, so she at least knew well enough to keep her hands to herself for the time being. Still didn't change the fact that she really wanted to just pet his head. 

She tilts her head at Hylltywyll as they get to the vent and the wall. What was this fuzzy bugger up to? Oh. Oooooooh. A grins creeps across her face. She knew. 

"Are you goin' ta hide the fish in there so it stinks up the place? Will that make all the cultists run away so we can find the thingy?"

She crouches down next to Hylltywyll again, far too close to for comfort but still with that eager grin on her face. She loved this kind of thing. Most of the time she couldn't get away with that on the ship because then the captain would scold her, or worse, Marine would scold her. It was also just harder in general to get away with a prank on a ship. Sure, she could easily escape into the ocean, but then she would just get left behind. The captain didn't tolerate that kind of mischief on her ship. Anywhere else was fine, but it was a well enforced rule to not start shit on the ship. Bad for business, the captain would say. 

Astrid now decidedly does not like being the adult in this situation. None of this makes any sense. It dawns on her that she's been feeling largely ignored since Zarius paired her with Tsarra. She put in a lot of effort to ask around for information in every town they traveled through. She's been diligent about caution and not just running off into the wilds. How is it that an ooze stuffed in armor with an obsession with eating anything and everything is a more responsible adult than this actual-adult fish lady? That does it for her.

"Hang on just a minute," she says, the anxiety fading into annoyance. "Ya didn't answer any of me questions and now ya want me ta smash a hole in a wall? How do we know yer not workin' with cultists or undead or any of that? Do ya even own this place? Does anyone own this place?" Astrid throws her hands up and paces in a circle just as the piano in the distance comes to a cresendo. "How do we know there's even a clue to the Sol Stone here? Just cause we figured out a riddle? Just cause you said there is?" She motions to Hyl. "What the hells' a stinky piece'a rotten fish got anythin' ta do with findin' this weird artifact? I oughta smash you into the wall!"

The groaning from behind them gets louder but is nearly drowned out by the piano.

Hylltywyll just stands there, staring at the now angrily shouting little girl, his mouth agape. What the heck is her problem? Why was she yelling at him? What cultists? He's known her for just a few minutes and now she seems to be taking way too much anger out on the little Fairy. He hadn't even pranked her at all yet!

And why does she care who owns the place? She was smashing doors open with no issue just a moment ago, and now she can't just smash a wall just a little bit for the Fairy? And she was mad about the fish? He literally just received that as a gift. Why was she so mad at him? All he wanted was a hole in the wall. That shouldn't be too difficult for someone with a big hammer.

"It was her fish, she just gave it to me because I'm cute and fluffy. Why are you so mad at me? Blame her." Hylltywyll said, pointing a finger up at Tsarra, the fish dropped on the floor in front of him. "Hmph. You're no fun. Maybe I shouldn't help you after all if you're going to be so mean to me for no reason. I just asked for a hole in the wall. It should have been easy for you, hammer girl." he added as he picked the fish back up off the floor. It left a little wet spot on the carpet where it had ben.

Tsarra bonks Astrid in the back of her head with her fist. It doesn't hurt any, but the triton isn't smiling and looks down on the half-dwarf. 

"Why do ye think yellin' at 'im is gonna make 'im want ta work with us? Didn't that tiefling teach ye anythin' 'bout workin' with others? We help 'im, and he'll help us. Apologize for bein' rude."

Before Astrid can respond, there's a rumble from below their feet. Tsarra looks down at the floor with a tilt of her head.

"What was that?" She asks and looks at Hylltywyll. "Is that normal?"

Another rumble emanates from below and it shakes the walls enough to knock a painting off onto the floor. It sounds like something big was moving and shifting in the basement, but who would be down there making such a racket? 

The piano playing in the background comes to a stop. 

"Oooooh, I 'ave a bad feelin' 'bout this." She glances about, her fins ruffling a bit, then she crouches next to Hyll again. "Look, little fella, we really need ta get this clue thing. Ya help us and I'll go get ye a ton of fish ye can hide all over the place. Ye savvy?"

Astrid looks at Tsarra with a pouty expression and rubs her head. She feels justified in feeling frustrated. After all, she still hasn't had any of her questions answered. "Fine, I'll put a hole in the wall if ya answer some of me questions," she grumbles, but then her words become flustered. "I'm freaked out, there's weird stuff happenin' all around us, and we're just lookin' fer-"

The floor rumbles, and she looks more concerned than before. "What... What was that??" Suddenly Astrid wonders if she damaged the structure of the house. The rumbling reminds her of an earthquake, a cave in, an avalanche. All things that are difficult to avoid. She's seen miners trapped in a cave in. She does not want to be like those miners. "A-Are... earthquakes common around here?" she hesitantly asks. An island doesn't seem like a place for earthquakes.

"In....truuuuudeeerrrrs...." a ghastly voice calls from behind them. In the direction the fish and dwarf came from, Ronaldo drags himself along the floor looking truly undead and broken after being smashed with a door. One wobbly arm pulls himself inch by inch. "Mussssst... alerrrrrrrt.... Maaassssssssterrrr...." 

"Nope, I don't like that one bit. We should just leave," Astrid says quickly to Tsarra. But she reminds herself they're here with great purpose to help the world. If the clue to the Sol Stone truly lies in the hands of evildoers, then they have to help! "We can't leave." She turns back to Hyl. "Okay little guy, ya want a hole?" No further hesitation, she jerks her arm and smashes a small hole in the wall with her hammer. "There's yer hole! Where's the clue?"

The piano starts up only tentatively, as if it think it will be interrupted at any second.

Hylltywyll just glares with annoyance at the approaching ghoul on the ground. Oh, it was just Ronaldo. Bellighul's stupid ghoul butler. Why were these two so scared of him? He looks at Astrid and the hole she just made.

"That's just the stupid butler. But now he's watching, so it won't be a surprise anymore. He'd just see me put the fish in there and close it up! You're too slow. We need to go find a new spot for the fish now." he whispers a little angrily to the two, so Ronaldo can't hear his secret plan.

"I'll help you find your dumb rock, just help me first."

---

As the three have this conversation, on the opposite side of the villa, a large hole is suddenly blown open in the wall of the back hallway. Five figures in hooded robes enter, stepping over the rubble.

"Was this really the best way to enter? Couldn't we have been a bit more quiet than blowing up a wall?" one of the figures asked, a tall and lanky man with a cold voice.

"Hey, it wouldn't have been as noisy if it only took one hit. It's not my fault the wall was stronger than expected." the largest of the hooded figures said, clearly a very bulky, very strong man with a gravelly voice.

"Um, yes it is your fault, this was your plan, rocks for brains." a shorter, more feminine figure stated, her voice a bit deep, but still undoubtedly feminine.

The other two figures just stood with their hands on their faces, embarrassed by their companions.

"Whatever, we're in, now let's find that clue to the Sol Stone." the lanky figure stated before they all continued moving deeper into the villa.

Tsarra pokes her head around the corner to see the wall busted in and new people arriving on the scene. Huh, if she didn't know any better, she'd say those people were also trying to steal the clue! She gasps and looks at Astrid with a wide-eyed realization. 

"That horned bastard set us up. He must 'ave let this information slip to multiple parties! Greedy little ashy skinned twerp." 

She turns to Hylltywyll. "Oi, this is yer home, aye? We'll help ye defend it. No one interrupts our raidin' with their own raidin'! That's just bad manners or somethin'."

The pirate looks around and spots a suit of armor that has a mace. She runs over and pulls the mace, expecting it to come loose easy and be light like a sword. The suit of armor ends up being pulled over and clatters loudly across the floor, leaving Tsarra standing there with a mace with two gauntlets still attached to it. 

"Oops. Ah well." She strugs and hides behind the corner. 

"Hey, what was that?" The lanky figure asks.

"Calm down, probably was just knocked over by the very subtle explosions," says the feminine figure. 

"Pfft, whatever it is doesn't matter. I'll just crush whoever stands in our way." The bulky man tromps forward down the hall towards the three. He wasn't yet in line of sight, but his heavy footsteps draw closer and closer. 

"The butler??" This situation is just more and more confusing. But Tsarra's assertation that Zarius set them up doesn't sit right with her, and her brow furrows more. "I don't think Zarius would do that," she says. "At least not ta me. He saved me from dyin' a couple times, so I don't think he'd send me somewhere I'd get into a bunch of trouble. Besides, if we got into trouble, you'd sell him right out!" She watches as Tsarra (badly) grabs a mace and knocks over a perfectly good suit of armor. "Hey, what are ya doin'? You can barely lift that thing!"

She hurries over to try and help Tsarra, but then she hears the voices. Someone heavy is coming. Uh oh. Now there's a spooky zombie butler behind them, a weird spider rat thing with smelly fish, and a person coming down the hall. Astrid peeks down the hall and sees the giant of a man coming towards them. He's wearing a hood that casts his face in shadow. Oh, that guy looks like an actual cultist. But if the cultists are breakin' in, who does this house really belong to?

"Moooorrrreeee innnnntrruuuuddddeeeerrrrsssss....." Ronaldo wails through only a breath.

She starts to think the powerful necromancer story is the true one. Maybe they can turn things around if they defend against real cultists? The way things are happening seems very strange. Maybe Zarius really did set them up with a proper test. Astrid grips her hammer and puts on a mean face. Fine, she'll just prove they're awesome! So without hesitation, she tromps down the hall.

"Hey, muscle head!" she shouts. "What're you doin' breakin' into this place, huh?"

The big muscle man pauses and takes in the scene. A tiny girl with a hammer has just challenged him. He grins under his hood. "Little girl," he says in his gravely voice. "You wouldn't happen to know where a nice shiny artifact would be hiding here, would you?" 

"Nope! Who are ya? What are ya doin' here?" She grips her hammer tight. "If you don't get the heck outta here, I'm gonna beat you up!" 

The large man laughs heartily. Surely this child would not beat up someone as strong as he. "That's funny, child! Look, you should go to your room, so you don't get hurt. We'll take what we need for our ritual and leave." 

Astrid's tired of asking pointless questions, so instead of asking anymore, she just yeets her hammer at the man and hits him square in the barrel chest.

"Oof!" the large man shouts out as the hammer hits him in the chest, making him stumble backwards a bit. He holds a hand to his chest, over the spot he was hit and looks up at Astrid. His face is hidden by the robe, but an angry growl can be heard from within the shadow. He's clearly not happy about being hit in the chest with the hammer.

"That wasn't very nice of you. Now I'll have to teach you a lesson." he says, starting to walk forward again.

The other robed figures just follow behind him, using him as a their big, lumbering shield. The lanky one held up a hand and a large, pointed icicles formed in it. The feminine figure held up a hand and a small ball of fire appeared and floated above her palm.

Hylltywyll peeked out from behind the corner to see the approaching figures that had blown up part of the villa he'd started to call him home against Bellighul's will. Hey, he'd broken into this place first out of anyone here! These two girls were second, and these losers were third. What was with all these posers trying to copy him!? He though to himself angrily.

With a wet slap, the smelly, rotten fish hit the large man in the chest in the same spot the hammer had hit and seemingly did little damage. The large man looked down for a moment in confusion of what just hit him before he suddenly reacted to the smell and the bit of dampness left on his robe.

"Oh, ew! Gross! What the he- AH!" he shouted, his hands trying to get the gross slime off him, but in his panic he stepped on the fish that had flopped to the floor in front of him. The fish flew out from under his foot and he fell backwards onto his surprised companions. The fish flew like a bird and embedded itself in a hanging chandelier in the hallway. Meanwhile, the icicle and fireball were launched from the cultists' hands as they were flattened by their huge companion, the icicle embedding itself in a painting on the wall and the fireball igniting a small decorative table.

"You idiot, what are you doing!? Get off us!" the lanky figure choked out from beneath the bulky man while the woman just tapped her hand on the ground.

Tsarra heaves the mace across the floors, scraping up the polished surface as she goes. She almost gets smacked with the fireball and one of the guantlets holding onto the weapon clatters onto the floor. before she lifts the mace up and chucks it at the pile of people. It lands with a thud on the bulky man's hand. 

"YEOWCH!" He exclaims and pushes the mace. With a huff, he gets to his feet just as one of the gauntlets smacks him in the face with a clang. 

"Aha! Take that!"

A brick flies across the hallway and slams into Tsarra's stomach. She's knocked off her feet and back onto the floor. She slides across the polished floor until she comes to a stop. 

"Uuuuuugh. Don't worry.....I'm good!" She groans as she holds up a thumbs up. 

One of the two cloaked figures steps up behind the group with another brick levitating in their hand. The two others on the floor also get to their feet to face down with the group. The last member glances about. 

"Keep them busy." A snakelike hiss emanates from beneath their hood. "I will find what we came here for." They run off towards the stairs to the basement. 

Tsarra lies on the floor in pain for a bit when a shadow casts over her face. A shriveled long fingered hand looms inches from her nose.

"Innnnnnntruuuuudeeeeerssssss."

The halls fill with a shrill scream that echoes out beyond the manor walls. 

Outside the manor in the immaculate gardens, a stark white hand pauses while cutting the stem of a delicate red rose.