Chapter CCXLV: Sunstroke to Worse ~Multehx

Scilas woke on the couch at about noon. He groaned, washed up in the shower, straightened his hair, shaved, and returned to his facemask and getup. He woke D'Nel and Redaz quietly. After they went about their morning activities as well, the three set off towards the market as planned. They split up, going each in their different direction to search out some leads before returning back to the room and meeting up with the others.

Scilas set about one of his main talents; eavesdropping on others conversing. Mentally, he cursed profusely at the mundaneness as he only seemed to learn whose son had done what and had the fancy for whose daughter, who had what problem that needed to have something replaced, and other less than fascinating facts.

D'Nel had a bit more luck. He met up with Redaz and accompanied the mage (seeing as how he forgot how not to screw up the main idea of "splitting up") in his search for information. After a brief period of hustling a fortune teller, consequently insulting her dead grandmother by mistake, then fleeing through the alleys as she beat him profusely with her walking stick, another development arose, this one quite full of promise (not to kill him, mainly). Redaz called him over hastily, introducing him to some living mass of rags he claimed was a person who could help them. Hesitantly, the pirate shook the mass's hand, wondering what this...thing had to do with their task.

* * * *

The desert sun continued to beat down intensely as the peak of the new day neared. The robot had been walking all night, enjoying the chilly break from the sweltering climate, into the early hours of midday.

Salvation is all I ask... it thought, wiping beads of cleaning fluid off its brow. This heat...getting...utterly redundant. Collision with rock...messed up receptors. Hallucinations...present in unit...Omega? It shook its head decidedly. My name's not that...or Kenzo...my name begins with...another letter.

He continued on, slowly coming to a stop as a shadow loomed on the horizon. He looked over at it, carefully trying to discern its features. As if it knew he was observing it, the being turned and looked him in the sunglasses.

"Well, I've been wondering where you all got to," it said, brushing aside a lock of hair that draped the area where a nose should have been.