The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

>Señor Sleazy Vendor Jr. III: Well of course Fifi's costume broke first. They're designed to fall apart after a certain amount of wear-time, and she put hers on first. Relda's should be any second

"You bought der costumes from ein Sleazy vendor?" SALV Chesswick chuckled incredulously.

"Well, we didn't exactly like, buy them," Fif admitted.

"HAH!" Vulpsmarshal Sweetcheeks chortled. "Sleazy brand trick costumes, the pride of Vulpitania! They are designed to fail after a certain interval of time. Did you put yours on first?"

"Yeah, I did," Fifi recollected.

"Well then, any second now ..."



Everyone stopped and stared at me.

Nothing happened. I silently thanked Lady Fuma for her gift of Luck.

"What a rip-off!" Avogadro whined.

Relda, realize that it will make you look good if you help Fifi. So make good use of your willing slave and have him fetch a high quality costume for her.
>Audience: Be treated to a stomping of epic proportions.
>Vulpsmarshal Sweetcheeks: Be uncertain as to be either laughing at or jealous of Avogadro's treatment.

"Get off me, you simpering toady," I snarled, stomping the grabby mole and kicking him away from me.

"Hey, save some of that passion for the banquet with me, Sweetcheeks," the Vulpsmarshal interjected.

"Go get a decent costume for SALV Fofox," I ordered Avogadro. "GO! Now!!"

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Spoiler

Scuti Preston, save your own parasitic tail and rat out Alice.
>Nero & Angus: Smirk at Scuti Jimmy's pathetic attempts
>Scuti-Preston: At the sight of the same ixies that tried to kill you before, you go through a jarring change. Gone is the facade of powerful bravery, you begin tearfully begging for your own life, going so far as to sellout all of your own kind if they let you live.

Just outside the city wall, Jimmy was cowering beneath three Ixies.

"Tailipo?" he whimpered. "I don't know anything about that, but if you're looking for a treacherous Scuti, my guess is she went to the Hall of Ancestors to try to usurp the throne. Please don't hurt me. I've done nothing to you or your kin."

"Little knowest thou of our kin, worm," the Ixies retorted.

"Some Irenaeus impersonator you are," Angus snorted.

"Afreed o' these wee pests, are ye?" Nero scoffed. "Shall we braid yer bonny locks intae pigtails then, lassie? The Lacktail King'd ne'er cower before mere buglings."

"Irenaeus had his secret fears, I can assure you," Jimmy muttered. "Keep those monsters away from me!"

"Hold him," one of the Ixies demanded. "We shall investigate yon Hall, and if 'tis not as he saith, then we shall return to deal with him most harshly."

"Canna one o' ye stay?" Nero asked. "He's so much better behaved wi' ye here."

"One would be ineffectual," the Ixie replied haughtily. "Three are needed to deal with his kind, thus must we away as a full trio."

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Spoiler

>Percy: Your sneaking could be better. To put it politely, an explosion in a wind-chime factory would be less noticeable. Thing is, because you are being so overtly suspicious in your infiltration, your presence in the embassy goes completely unchallenged.
(Brave Percy) Infiltrate the Embassy
(Embassy Front Desk) Be manned by a Vulp reading a "Pie Fight Valkyrie" scroll.

Percy nobly followed the loitering fox's directions, and without trouble he found himself directly at the Vulpitanian Embassy. Darting from shadow to shadow, he bravely crept inside.



"I need to find where the files are kept," Percy whispered mightily to the fox behind a desk in the entryway.

Without looking up from his picture-scroll, the fox pointed with his thumb down a corridor behind him.

"You never saw me," Percy courageously insisted.

"Naturally," the fox replied, still intently reading his scroll. "Vulpitania vincit."

Rumbling in the distance, intensify as more soldiers enjoy the pie.
Foul smell, start reaching the city with the help of the wind.
Congoers, gather enough pies to continue the contest.

"We've gathered enough pies for the contests to continue!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"No more dawdling!"

"On with the show!"

The ominous thunder pealed again, off toward the South, louder this time.



"Himmel!" SALV Chesswick exclaimed. "I zink zose pies are not too fresh."

"By Fuma!" Vulpsmarshal Sweetcheeks exclaimed, pinching his nose. "What a stench!"

"It wasn't me!" Estmere retorted indignantly. "Just what are you insinuating?"