As they head through the town, Corlith avoids any talk of what happened after they left the prison room of the subterranean complex, choosing to keep his distance from those that remained behind. More so if they try and discuss it. It makes for a tense walk from his point of view.

When they reach the Blushing Mermaid and step inside, he does indeed have a moment of melancholy as his mind flits over all that has happened in such a small space of time since they were last here. So much has happened, and they have learned so much. None of which is good, other than the fact the Vanthampurs are no longer an issue.

Shaking himself out of his torpor, he approaches the table where Zodge and the other Flaming Fists are sat, "May we step into your office? There is much we have discovered which will not wait until tomorrow"

Reed steers clear of the reception desk woman just in case there were issues with the marked dragon cult loot and joins Corlith at the Flaming Fist table. 

"Hi Captain," Reed says, while he sizes up the Flaming Fists seated at the table, looking for one who looks a little wealthier than the others.

Archie regards Zodge looking to see how his nose is doing. She chuckles, twisting her fist in her palm as his face reminds her happily of the first time they met a few days ago.

She pulls a chair out and forcibly sits Fisk down into it so that everyone can keep an eye on the weasel.

"Oof!" Exclaims Fisk as Archie unceremoniously deposits him into a chair. "I really do not understand this treatment, I have been nothing but forthcoming!  Well... other than the offer, I was just desperate and I don't know what my mistress would be willing to pay to be honest.." he trails off as he looks down, pondering his certain predicament, but then looks up to his new apparent captors, "But I want to take you to Candlekeep!   I'm not going to try and escape, I'm impressed with the work you've done and I want to see whats in that puzzlebox as bad as you do!" and he crosses his arm with a bit of a hmph.

Zodge smiles at you all as you come and join the group, ushering away some of his men so that you all have seats.  His eyebrows go up at the mention of a puzzlebox, but doesn't say anything, yet.  "Ah!  My merry men that have taken care of the Dead Three Cultists I assume?  Otherwise you wouldn't be bothering me at this time of night while I drink off the effects and stink of the day."  He looks at Corlith questioningly, "My office?  Well lad, this is the best office of the town, what say you?"

"I'll take an ale! Thanks Zodge" Archie states giving the captain a thumbs up and not acknowledging the fact that she was never offered in the first place. Turning back to Fisk, she places an uncomfortably warm hand on his shoulder, leans in and whispers "we know you ain't going anywhere, but you made yourself too valuable and now we have to make sure yeah? Don't worry, it's a good thing see, think of us more like your protectors, there's still a few of those cultists wandering around and if they recognise you... Well let's just say that they don't have a prison for you to go back to, but there's plenty of ditches in Baldur's gate. You understand, right? there's a good lad." And she stands behind him whilst the others report to Zodge, patiently waiting for her pint.

Reed decides not to test the pockets of the guards for now. Probably just lint.

He looks over at Captain Zodge

"Sure, the Dead Three rat warren is cleaned out, and the Vanthampur cult quarters too." Reed begins and quickly gives Zodge a run down on what they encountered there and who was still locked up.

 "We can always go back and burn it down if you like," Reed adds," but there's been some talk about you wanting to investigate."

Roo hops up onto the nearest table and finds whatever is available there to eat, whoever is there, and starts picking whatever he wants out of the plate with his beak.  He sideeyes the person whose plate it is, daring them to say anything.  

He nods in his odd little headbobbing way as Reed tells Zodge about the prison in the basement at the Vanthampur place.  

"Better go get them if you want them."  He adds, looking at Virro and Wilfred to measure their response to his words.  "If they don't die of this or that cause, I'm sure there'll be someone around to either silence them or cart them off to the next place and start the process all over, buck."  

Virro sits down beside Corlith and Reed, tugging at something on his side.  In a few minutes and after several tugs, grunts and sighs, Virro brings two pouches up on the table and opens them proudly.  “Look Captain!  Look at all of the work that we’ve done.  Can you imagine it?  I took a finger from ever cultist down there, it’s quite a few!  Have a look, you’ll see what a good job we did!”  He pulls out various fingers, several thumbs, a tongue, and a couple of other body parts that the others didn’t know was in his pouch, an ear tumbles out last.  “We cleaned ‘em out, that’s what you said!”  He pauses, looking pensive.  “Now, how much did you say per digit, ah cultist?  Or did I just make that up in my head?”  He turns and looks at Zodge with a self satisfied look on his face, giving him a wry grin.  

Corlith merely smiles at the Captain, not sure whether he got the fact that he was intimating that the tavern was indeed his office. When Reed starts explaining what has happened, he simply sits down and watches the Captain's reaction.

He does however surreptitiously whisper to Fisk, "Keep your mouth shut, lest you reveal more details that are not yours to reveal". 

As to Roo and Virro's contributions, he does his best to try and remain impassive.

Zodge turns to Archie as the female teenager voice emerges from the flaming suit of armor and just stares for a moment completely stupefied by it.  "I uh.." then he shakes his head and his demeanor returns.  "You know where the bar is, um, miss apparently."

Turning his attention away from Archie, he listens intently to Reed as he relays the activity in the dungeon below the bathhouse onto the Vanthampur mansion.  HIs eyes grow as the story does... when Reed finally finishes, Captain Zodge leans back, folds his arms behind his head and gives out a low whistle.  "Thamalra was behind the Dead Three cult this whole time?  But why?"  He then raises his hand and snaps in the air, garnering the disgruntled attention of the barmaid.  She heads over and with a very obvious sigh, "What do you need now, Captain?"  "Why, these fellas here?  They deserve a drink after all they've done in the last couple days!  Put a round on my tab."

Once she gets your orders and leaves the table, Zodge leans forward on his elbows now resting on the table.  "So let me get this straight.  You cleaned out the Bane, Myrkul and Bhaal followers, found the Duke's most handsome son, Mortlock," he chuckles at his own joke, "and he actually tells you his dear old mom is responsible?  He bounces out of town, so you say, you find Amrik at the Low Lantern.." His eyes suddenly go wide at this and then they narrow to slits as he stares at the lot of you, "Burn down the Vanthampur mansion, eh?  Is this something you do often?  I'm sure you've heard of the fate of Laraelra's home and business?"  He notices Virro tugging at something but doesn't stop his monologue.

"So Amrik takes you home to see his mommy and you wipe out them and Thurstwell along with the rest of the clan down there.  And did you say there was a devil down there as well?   Damn.  And Thavius Kreeg and a woman named Satiir are the current residents of the Vanthampur's prison.  I bet that's Satiir Thione-Hhune, she's been missing for a couple of weeks.  Well.  I will say you've earned your wage."

He raises his glass to toast you all, and the rest of his officers join in.  As he brings his mug to his lips, he pauses as though he just realized something.  Setting it down, he looks at all of you, "Now wait one minute.  I told six of you that I would pay you each 200 gold.  I'm not paying seven of you."  He eyes Reya suspiciously and astutely notes that Fisk isn't part of the equation.

When Roo'Stor jumps on the plate of one of the officers, he looks like he is about to say something, but seeing that this appears to be a pretty big deal for the Captain... 200 gold each?  The man holds his tongue but just glares at the rooster, "Man, that was my cornbread.. was saving that for last." he can't help but mutter.

And that's when Virro's efforts finally comes to fruition.  As he dumps the two satchels on the table, at first Zodge is intrigued, leaning in to get a better look... then the body parts emerge and Virro starts proudly showing them off.  "WHAT?!" Zodge exclaims as the fingers and thumbs and finally the ear lands on plates of food and the now surrounding mess that Roo has created.  Zodge stands up abruptly, his chair loudly clattering to the floor.

"Nope.  nope.  Who the hell are you guys?"  He continues to slowly back away and the other officers follow suit.  "A deal is a deal and stop by my office WITHOUT those bags of hell first thing in the morning and I'll get you the money you have earned and you can turn in your badges."  He steals one more look at the gruesome scene, shudders and starts heading for the door.

Roo ruffles his feathers as he looks at the officer who whines about his cornbread.  

"Badges?"  The Gallus says, kicking through the cornbread and making a mess to pick at.  "We don't need no stinkin' badges!"  

And then he leans back and crows as loud as he possibly can.  

Archie drinks her ale way too fast and stands there suppressing a giggle as Zodge is shocked by the bag of gore, "hey you can't be surprised that when you told us to clear out a place of cultists they'd all end up dead, they were pretty zealous, wasn't no convincing them otherwise, no sir-ee!"

Corlith, who had ordered some non alcoholic apple cider, is sat a little way from the table after pushing his chair back when Roo jumped up. Having remained silent whilst Reed told the story of events, and when Roo and Virro had also had a say, he simply watches Zodge's back as he leaves the tavern.

"Probably for the best. There were many more questions that he could have asked, and at least this way we don't have to ask permission to leave town", he says in between sips of his apple cider.

He turns to look at Reed but addresses the group, "We have a lot to go through, perhaps we should just head off. A bit of privacy wouldn't go amiss".

"to the shop?" Archie asks as she finishes off he drink.

Virro looks crestfallen as Zodge stands up and storms out, not admiring his handiwork.  “Turn in our badges?  Why?  What was his problem?”  Without a word he leans over the table and puts the remaining fingers and other parts back into the pouches, securing them back at his side, a look of frustration and puzzlement on his face.  He sits back down and works on his ale, silent, like he is contemplating something.  

And so Virro sat at the table, puzzling and puzzling.  “How could it be so?”  He turns to Reed and then each of the others in turn.  “It came without ribbons!  It came without tags!  It came without packages, boxes or bags!”  He sat and puzzled, until his puzzler was sore.  He seems to be having a mental conversation, his lips curled into a puzzled look, mouthing something wordlessly.

“Well, to the workshop it is, I guess.  Then wherever is next.  Screw the Flaming Fists!  You’re right Roo, we don’t need these stinking badges.  We know what we’re doing!  As long as we stay together and help each other!  Right?”  He looks at each of his companions seated at the table, a grin on his face.

Reed watched the whole reveal of fingers and body parts with equal parts interest and amusement, doing his best to guess which part belonged to who.

”Is that Amrik’s finger? It looks manicured.”

He gathers up his gear and gets ready to leave.

”The workshop sounds like a good idea. We can get ready for a birthday party, split up the goodies we liberated and talk about how we can get to Candlekeep.”

Roo stops picking through the cornbread he is kicking all over the table and has a moment to look confused in his chickeny way.  His head shakes from side to side, sending the weirdly thick strands of the devil's beard whipping from side to side.  

"Wait, buck."  Roo says, standing with his feet in the desecrated remains of the cornbread.  His countenance begins to deflate.  "If...if we have to turn in our badges..."  

Crumbs stick to his feet as he slowly steps off the plate and paces the table top.

"...how will I get the money to hire the Flaming Fist to protect my people...?" 

Reed leans over to Roo.

"I don't think you'd want these guys protecting anyone. I don't think they're very good at what they do," Reed says.

Then he looks in the surprisingly roomy bag he found and grabs some of the coins and jewelry. 

"And we're making way more on taking from bad rich people than you're earning here." Reed adds.

Reed looks at the air near Roo's head for a moment, appearing to listen to someone talking.

"No, you were definitely bad people. Come on, you're headquarters was in a sewer. Good people don't have to do that."

He starts to walk away and then stops to make sure Roo is coming with the rest.

"I'll be happy to help protect your people," Reed says. "Though it would be easier if your people and my people lived in the same area. Any chance your group would think about moving?"

"I agree with Reed, Roo. You are far more than when we first met. No-one will be more capable than you at protecting your people, although I hope you will stick with us and see through what we started before you return", Corlith adds.

With that he gets up and makes his way towards the exit of the Blushing Mermaid.

"Oooh, yes, that may work..."  Roo says, listening to Reed's suggestion about his people moving closer to the Halfling village.  "Ah but...wait...do you hairless eat Gallus...?"  

Then he puffs his chest out, swelling with a bit of pride as Corlith manages to boost his ego.  

"Yes yes, buck.  I am growing quite formidable!  But...so was Fog' Horn..."