Chapter 3: Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

Kalam (mahjong table in front of Feng's shop)
Bo wins three rounds in a row, and starts the final round of the match by winning the first hand. "Even though I'm wearing my lucky hat," grumbles Zhi.

Talk turns from politics to remedies for aches and pains. Hu swears by his wife's Ginseng Chicken Soup with Goji Berries, while Zhi says he relies on a decoction of various herbs and ground-up dried seahorse to improve his mood and keep his mind sharp. "So sharp, you haven't won a single hand today," scoffs Bo. "Take our friend Kalam here. He's an elf, I know, their physiology is different, but even among elves he's quite the physical specimen, don't you think? What's your secret, my boy? Any tips for us old codgers?"


Feng (the well)
"Oh, I don't know," Jinu whispers to Feng, as the other ladies are preoccupied with the discussion on slug-folk sexuality that Siao instigated. "He likes to tease me with scary stories of monsters and demons, but last time I saw him he seemed really scared himself. That was nearly a week ago. He hasn't come by since. Used to visit regularly, came all this way from some fancy library on Plum Orchard Lane. Just to see little ole me!"


Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)
One eyestalk fixed on you, the other eyestalk on a voluminous visitor's log, the slug-man inks your name with flowing brush strokes. "Hour of the Dragon. Wu Meng. What is your business with Master Choa?"


Mimi (the woods)
The infected deer seems to have lost interest in you altogether, and is watching Orengi instead. It licks its lips, exposing its long, needle-like fangs. The animal is trembling. Perhaps this is a prelude to the deadly convulsions you know are just minutes away, based on what you saw happen to the giant toad after eating the infected cockroach. Then, you realize that the deer is wearing a collar.

What do you do?

Wu Meng (the archive on Plum Orchard Lane)

The clerk lets out what is probably the slug-folk equivalent of a harumph. It sounds very much like a very wet squelch. It reaches out and rings a bell. A runner appears so quickly and silently, it's almost as if the boy were magically summoned. "Take this man to the east garden. Then, inform Master Choa he has a visitor. Expected, I am told." The boy bows to the slug-man, and leads you through several corridors, past shelves of scrolls of both the bamboo and paper variety, to a small garden with a koi pond in the east corner. You are served tea, then left to your own devices. From this garden, you can partially see into two rooms to the north and west. The north room is full of scribes quietly going about their work. The west room is lined with scroll shelves but appears to be empty of people.

What do you do?

A branch heavy enough to quickly kill the deer would be hard to bring down with the weapons you have on hand. Perhaps a well-placed shot aimed at the deer itself would be better?

Also, a fanged deer is a strange choice for a pet.

You put an arrow through its skull. A clean kill. You take comfort in the knowledge you've spared it from further suffering.

What could that collar mean? Where did this animal come from? You've never heard of a fanged deer being taken as a pet.

What do you do?

Feng (at the well)
"I'd like that," Jinu giggles. "His name is Mengyao."

Mimi (the woods)
Making sure Orengi stays a safe distance away from the infected corpse, you carefully remove the collar from the deer's neck. It's made of leather, with rings for attaching to a larger system of restraints, possibly a harness of some sort. There are unfamiliar symbols branded into the leather.

Do you follow the deer's tracks to possibly find out where it came from? Do you continue your boar hunt? Or do you return to the city at once to tell the others of your find?

Kalam (mahjong table in front of Feng's shop)
"Lots of recruiters are always down by the docks ," Bo muses. "Plenty of jobs for a strapping young lad like you."

"Be wary of gang recruiters," Zhi warns. "They're always looking to hire new muscle, especially now that I hear some some of gang trouble is brewing."

"You could come work for me," Hu says. "Chop firewood, tend the garden..."

"Don't fall for it, boy," the other two scoff. "Hey, cut it out. You know you can't pay him. Kalam needs coin, understand?"