Menahem - Turn 304

Everyone jumps at the anxious exclamation of Joshua, "Beware of unseen dangers!"

The F'norian priest pushes past the now worried party members infront of the safe and activating his Ring of True Sight, scans across the contents. All he discovers is that the ring seems to give off a magical aura and he then tells everyone that there is nothing to be worried about.

Accusing eyes look at Joshua for almost giving everyone a heart attack but Menahem seems still more interested in the safe contents.

"Now that's what I like to see. Treasure with your name on it!" he says picking up the ring with the letter S on it.

"See, that must stand for sage - that's me by the way. And the one with P on it must be for 'priest'. That's me too. And of course the ensemble is complete with the SP belt. 'Sagely Priest' right?"

The looks of the others causes him to reluctantly concede that the loot should be shared.

Stumpy reckons the rings and belt could fetch quite a good price indeed considering the gems, silver and gold involved. He begins to take as many of the items as he can fit in his backpack.

Joshua sits off in a corner of the room and quietly asks his wand a question, holding the end of it up to his ear to hear the answer. Stumpy eventually wanders over and asks him how the skull on a stick works. He declares that he is very impressed by an inanimate object that appears brighter than he is. He then throws a glance in Eorconlid's direction and tells him what he thought of his suggestion that Stumpy should test out the '1,2,3' code.

"I know someone else like you," he informs his comrade, "chap called Linstram. Mind you he's not been the same since the curse..."

Menahem picks up one of the Melovex Cubes out of a box and gives it an experimental rap on the computer console much to the distress of Solomon. Frowning, Menahem says, "Doesn't sound so perfect to me. Maybe they've gone off." "Please," says Solomon taking the cube from him, "be gentle with them. You do not realise how precious they are." As he puts the cube back in the box, he stops and becomes rather bemused.

"Wait a minute," he says as he starts checking it against the other twelve boxes of cubes. This pricks Menahem's interest and he joins Solomon in checking the numbers on the stickers of the boxes which Solomon says are dates and volume numbers of the recordings.

Eorconlid in the meantime is somewhat perplexed at the safe contents and disrupts their investigations. "What's the value of this stuff," he declares, waving the case of the frozen pie infront of Solomon, "who in their right mind would want any of this trash?"

Solomon sighs, "This trash as you blasphemously call it is priceless. That pie for instance is the one he refused at the Inaugural Dinner of President Belurn, a symbol to all who want to take dieting seriously. On the open market that could fetch upwards of 20,000 creds."

"Here," declares Menahem, attracting Solomon's attention, "this does not seem to work if these are supposed to be in chronological order. See the dates for this box covers half the time of this box and half the time of the next." Solomon has a look and the mystery deepens when he discovers that there is a second sticker beneath the first and slowly he starts to peel it off.

"According to this sticker," exclaims Solomon looking at what he has revealed, "this box contains recordings actually made on the day that the King died. The question is why would someone try to hide that fact by making out this was a box of earlier recordings. I mean I had heard the many rumours that the King was killed in somekind of conspiracy that he knew things he was not supposed to know but you get that every time some famous dude or dudess takes the big croak."

Having collected quite a few of the King's 'artefacts' Joshua gives Solomon a weird hand slap like he has seen him do before and says, "What now?" "Well," replies Solomon, "we could really do with getting all the cubes back to my recording studio topside and checking em out." Joshua's Loyalty power shows Solomon to be okay.

"Have you any more beer," Eorconlid asks Stumpy, "as I've suddenly developed a raging thirst." Stumpy looks sheepish at the fact that someone knows about and wants a bit of his emergency supply. On seeing how little he has left, Eorconlid declares, "I could do with finding the nearest tavern as it has been too long since I terrorised a comely wench!"

"You'll want to visit the Electro Ellegal," declares Solomon, "They have a widest range of ales and spirits in the whole of Down Town," Eorconlid raises an eyebrow, "And they have the best dancing girls in the whole of Nexus," Eorconlid raises both eyebrows, "And if you are willing to pay, you can do or get anything you desire," Eorconlid looks at the others, "So when are we going?"

As the party move out with Solomon to guide them, Stumpy walks beside him, keeping an eye out for any traps or potential foes.

It is several hours before the passagway is reached which Solomon declares holds the way back up to the surface. "Bugger!" Stumpy swears upon seeing that down at the end of the corridor infront of the lift doors are three figures apparently ripping apart the remains of a small mechanical man.

"Scavengers," mutters Solomon and it is possible to see that each of the figures looks to be covered in scars and sores and are a little more animal than man. All are dressed in rags and a couple have canvas bags which they are filling with the parts they take from the metal carcass. "The way to topside is through that door beyond them," explains Solomon.