Choir salutes and follows.

"Yessir!" Fran will do as she's told and bring the 'hazard pay' along. Brutus would trot happily along with the group. Should any captive raise his suspicions or look at him funny, he'd snarl.

The small caravan of adventurers, loaded with Vanthampur's treasure, and their prisoner moved to the door into the upper part. Locked, of course. (Area V20)

The room greeted then with all the mouthwatering smells of a food store. By the door (at the top of the stairs) Imp, leading the group, stopped and turned to the group, prepared to "translate" the words of his master. Thurstwell was waiting on the other side, it seems. His speech was short and to the point: "As you see there are two doors leading out of the dungeon. Both are blocked by my men. Yet, I am willing not only to let you go, but take the full treasury of our family with you - as a compensation to the city for my mother's and brother's crimes. I am also willing to meet your Captain and discuss the situation with him personally. All you have to do is to return to the secret passage get up to the stables and leave through the gates - you would understand my hesitation to allow your group to enter the house. My servant will accompany you, as a guarantee of my safety. To complete the picture - in addition to my men I can call the Watchmen. They might believe you - which I doubt - but they would not allow to outright kill me."

"What do you say?"

When shield suddenly talked even Imp flinched a bit: "He did look like the most practical in that family..."

Adray gathers the group into a huddle to talk.  "What says everyone?  I hate that he uses devils or imp or whatever to his own thing but having at least one of them alive to speak to the captain may smoth things over from a political stand point.  That said, we also need that puzzle box thing."

Choir knocks on the Thurstwell's door, with the words, "Thavius Kreeg struck a bargain with an archdevil, and a copy of the contract he signed is hidden inside a magic puzzle box. Irrefutable evidence. We need."

There was a surprised silence - probably the reaction to the mix of voices or the request was unexpected by Thurstwell. But the answer soon came back: "The box will be given to you at the gates before you leave. Use it as you pleased."

"Well that seems to work out.  Maybe we ask for something writing first.  Like a signed testimony with the family seal outlining what he knows of his mother and brother's plot and promise to speak with the captain after we leave?" Adray whislers to the others.

Ordrag shrugs. Can't hurt to ask, eh? Although privately he doubts this guy would do so, at least without some way to claim it's a forgery, or made under duress, or some other way to worm out of it. Each of these Vanthampur's is slimier than the last. Still, they got what they came for, and more to the bargain.

Polly agree which what the group say. And frankly, she rather have a peaceful resolution to this problem. She doubt she has any magic left in her to fight. What she need now is a long and relaxing bath, some good drink and rest. 

“How do we know that you are telling the truth and will hold up you end of the bargain?” 

"How do I know you'll leave without a fuss? We would have to trust each other here. I can add one more thing - the treasure you took from our family vault. I can tell good Captain it was less, than it actually was. Let's say I can forget about electrum ingots. 300 gold some would consider a fortune. The rest will go to the city."

"We just want to wrap this whole case up and close the case.  We figured out who was working with cultists and paying them off, have a prime witness for why my home town disappeared and a large donation to the city from the last remaining family member.  Now you offer the puzzle box as well and it seems we are negotiating well.  The only thing that would make me make me feel all the better is a written account signed and sealed by you.  That way, if you decided to turn and run and not talk with our captain, which running would be ill advised, we at least have a statement on record.  I give you my word with that we leave peacefully.  Likely, you'll never see us again and the rest of it will be handled by the captain."

Fran would make a gesture pointing at Adray to emphasize his points. She agreed that having something in writing would be ideal if they were to run. Honestly, she wanted to leave peacefully. If they could have done this whole thing peacefully, they would have. "Aye. There would be no reason fer us teh not leave peacefully with a written note. Trust us when we say we wanna be outta yer hair."

"Documents like this can not be written on the go. But I will give you the letter to your Captain. That ordeal took too much of me now as well. Now let me prepare the note and the box while you are moving to the gates".

The way back to the stables was uneventful. You had to go again through the hall with now broken statue, through the no-more-secret door and up to the stairs. Two guards - ordinary house guards (there were not a single (alive) cultist anywhere) met the group in the stables. Four more were waiting outside with torches in their hands and a couple was opening the gates. A middle age human man, dressed like a battler, was standing by the gates as well with a scroll in one hand, and a small pitch-black box in another (actually, the box looked more than just "black" - like something constantly consuming all the colours around, a hole in the world, compare to which even very late night (or very early morning) felt like a bight day.

The letter (that scroll) was not sealed, and should mistrustful group decide to read it, they would find several sentences, where Thurstwell invited The Captain of the Flaming First to his house to discuss the matter of discovered conspiracy. In addition, the oldest of Duke Thalamra Vanthampur’s sons, meticulously listed every single piece of treasure the group was taken from the Vault (Shield included) that he, Thurstwell, was offering to the city, the prisoner (Thavius Kreeg) and the magic puzzle box.

Reya was following the procession silent an indifferent to the the events around. She did not cry anymore, but was so deep in her thoughts, she could be killed and would not notice it.  

Choir clings to the shield a little more tightly.  She hopes that they will not have to turn it over to the city.  It's shiny. And the Huddle Lord is interesting.

One the way back, Adray says, "Masks off, badges out, and no stopping until we get back to headquarter."  Having thought to take extra precautions, Adray tied a rope a length of rope around the chain for the manicles.

Ordrag will follow behind the prisoner, keeping his scimitar drawn, but not expecting any trouble.

The Seatower never fully sleeps, but at that hour even Flaming First headquarters are quiet. Still, there are guards, of course, and some minor activity of night patrols, coming and going. You made it safely to your "home".

Catching the attention of one of the guards, Adray calls out, "Get the Captain!, he's not going to want to wait till morning for this."  He looks about the Seatower relaxing slightly but he knows it's not all over yet.

Choir nudges Fran.  "Puzzle box? Can you?" she murmurs.  She thinks it would be a good idea to actually view their main evidence against Kreeg before they hand it--and him--to the captain. And she suspects that the artificer might have the best knowledge of such devices.

"Get him yourself." the guards was mostly surprised, "I am on duty and not so keen to loos my job. Someone has to be in his office, poke him."

The box is about 6 inches on a side, it composed of airtight, interlocking parts made of what feels as iron, and weighs about 3 pounds. There is some design you can feel on the sides, but where it is decorative or functional - no way to tell.