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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rolzup" data-source="post: 2893260" data-attributes="member: 10105">Devotion to DutyWell, my friends, I was none too happy with the situation.  It was clear that we had to follow Fancy through that Gate, but that meant that I had to leave me darlin' Duchess behind.  Never got around to getting her gate-marked, y'see...although I'm going to fix that before the week's out, mind you.I wasn’t worried about her, you understand.  Duchess can take damned good care of herself -- can't ya, me girl?  Aye, that's the lass! -- but it felt wrong, not havin' her by me side.  But what choice did we have?  I wasn't about to let that bastard escape, and neither were the Crazy Bastards.So one we went, up the ramp and through the Gate.  Duchess just kept givin' me this look, and I...I had to turn away, I did.Here, now, girl!  Did I want to leave you?  No, I didn't, and I've just said as much!  But it all worked out in the end, dinnit?  That's right...give 'er another, Gerard, if ye would.Anyways.  I've been in many a sewer, my friends, and I've seen things what would turn your hair white.  But then and there, I saw something I never thought I'd see.A clean sewer.  More than clean, it was all...sanitary, even.  Even smelled clean, and that threw me a bit.  Truth be told, I even think we were all a bit cleaner for havin' gone through that Gate.  Handy trick, that.But Fancy, he'd still left a trail.  Not much of one, but enough for the Bloody Archer to follow.  The water ran through the center of the tunnel, see, and there was a walkway on either side.  White marble, even, and was there so much as a smudge to be seen?  No, friends, not a bit of it.Wet feet, though.  Those leave a sign, even if not for long.  And the Archer, why, his eyes are sharp as sharp!  On we went, hot on Fancy's trail.  What we found, though?  That was something of a surprise, I confess.I've had conversations with many a strange creature, friends.  Never expected to find myself addressed by a pool of water, though.  Never in a million years.  But that's what happened, and Oroborous can strike me dead if I'm tellin' you false.  Rose up in a column, and you could just see that it was wearin'a  helmet, and carryin' a shield, also of water.And on the shield, as we stared at it, I could see four letter.  IWSD, they were.None of ye recognize that?  None of ye?  Sad, what passes for an education, these days.  That's the Imperial Water and Sewer Department's sigil, damn it!  None too common these days, I admit, but even so!Ah, well.No, Gerard, if it had a name, I can't recall it.  Had a job, though.  Keepin' the sewer clean, and keepin' the riff-raff out.  And friends, it seems we were riff-raff.  Now, I tried talkin' to the thing, and the Pretty Man likewise, but it was none too eager to listen.  We ran, and I ain't ashamed to admit it.  Even the Mad Bastards knew better than to take on something like that.And truth be told?  I don't think that the Pretty Man would have seen the point in tryin'.  No blood, y'see?  No guts to spill.  And that's what he lives for, him.It called out to us as we ran, though.  Kinda sad, like.  "Tell the Emperor I've done a good job," it begged us.  "And could he please let me go now?"  Wonder how long the poor damned thing's been stuck there, eh?  Been a full thousand years since we had an emperor, innit?We managed to keep on Fancy's trail; now, how [he got past the water-beast, I ain't gonna guess.  But he took another Gate to do it, and left the same sort of stuff behind him.  Ashes, mainly.  Burnt monkey-bones, from what the Pretty Man's hannu servant said.  And he'd know, I suppose.We were gettin' ready to go through, when we heard a noise from behind us.  Never even saw the Bastards move, but they had weapons in hand 'fore I could even blink.  They stayed their hands, though, and damned good thing too!  'cause there was Duchess, covered in ash, trottin' along as happy as you please.Didn't I tell ye all that she's a smart girl?</blockquote>

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