"You have the right of it, Lann," Chief Sull says somberly. "But we're neathers, we're going to wait. I shent a meshenger to shummon all the tribesh. It will take time, yesh. But they will come. They will all come for the light that we have sheen here today. Wait, Lann. Wait, uplandersh. Resht a while; our home ish your home." 

"It's just as well," Lusilla murmurs to Lann, "since I have to get the others back to the surface first anyway." 

Lann sighs and nods. "Alright. I should introduce you to the other guy who found his way here, then." 

He does not sound totally thrilled about this. 

"Lead the way." 

The other uplander is a greying human man wearing the kind of outfit that says he has money and cares if other people know it, and the kind of waistline that says he shies away from neither good food nor exercise. 

"Ah, a human face at last! And here I thought that I'd be gazing upon the twisted visages of these troglodytes for the rest of my life." 

Aaaaaaand Lusilla immediately understands why Lann was not thrilled to bring her here. 

"I shall take that under advisement," she says curtly, "given that I am not human, and my true visage is significantly more twisted than theirs." 

"--Yes, well. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Horgus Gwerm. Yes, that Gwerm--you no doubt have heard of me if you've spent any time at all in the city. I have a business proposition for you." 

"I was dragged into the city half-conscious on a stretcher less than an hour ago; before that, I was in the woods outside a tiny village in Iobaria, and hadn't even heard of the Worldwound, let alone Horgus Gwerm." 

He is starting to suspect that this girl is fucking with him.

"Well, you couldn't have picked a worse time if you'd tried. Only just arrived, and half the city is razed to rubble! You should know that you are looking at one of the richest and most distinguished men in Kenabres. I may not be as well known as certain swaggering loudmouths who spend their lives traipsing from one ball to the next... but the Gwerm trading company is one of the pillars of the city, I'll have you know! Did you see the marquees in the square? I paid for those. Tried any festival delicacies? You have Horgus Gwerm to thank for that!" 

Ah. Well. Credit where credit is due. 

"I did, actually. The marquees were beautiful, and the festival drink was tasty. So thank you." 

That's better. 

"So...what did you mean by a business proposition?"

"I don't know what's happening on the surface right now, but I am determined to find out. You have no intention of seeing out the rest of your days in this village, I suspect. We must find a route back to the surface, to the city. If there's anything left of it. 

"You are strong, it will be no trouble to you. But I, alas, am not as fit as I once was. I can't go crawling about through caves, playing at scouts. My proposition is simple: lead me back to the city and I shall pay you a thousand crowns." 

--That's a lot of money. 

Lusilla doesn't actually know what a crown is--local currency, of course, but not what denomination--but even if that's the smallest kind of copper coin, a thousand of them is still a lot. 

Lusilla weighs the pros and cons. On the one hand, she had been going to bring him back to the surface just by default, and not charge him for it. 

On the other hand, he's rich and has been an ass about the Neathers. 

"Deal." 

"Very well. Until then, I shall--" 

"Oh! Sorry, no, I wasn't clear. We already know how to get back to the surface, it's just you can't get there without me." 

"...And how is that?" 

Lusilla points upwards. "The same way we came in. I told you I wasn't human! I can fly, and I'm pretty strong." 

"...Are you a dragon?" She would have to be a much younger dragon than Terendelev, if she was one, and he really hopes that if she is her coloration in human form is less suggestive of what color of dragon she is than Terendelev's was. 

"Nope! If there's a word for what I am I don't know it. But I can fly." 

"...Well, alright, then, let's be off." 

He glances at Camellia. 

She nods slightly. The situation is deeply weird, of course, and she's really not sure what to make of Lusilla as a person, but she's confident that the overly-chipper probably-Aberration is not going to suddenly decide to suck everyone's brains out instead of ferrying them up to the surface. 

Good enough for now. 

The group that tromps back to the reliquary room and from there back to the area where Deskari's scythe cracked open the ceiling consists of Lusilla, Anevia, Camellia, Seelah, and Horgus Gwerm; Lann and Wenduag are staying behind in the village. Lusilla isn't sure whether that's because they want to coordinate the Neathers answering Chief Sull's call, or because they want to not deal with Horgus Gwerm, but in either case Lusilla agrees that those priorities make sense. 

And when they get there, Lusilla changes, and Horgus Gwerm can get an eyeful of the thing that she is that is not a dragon. 

Wow, that is really not reassuring.