Editing Chapter 10.44 Z (Pt. 2)

{{Infobox_episode
|title= Chapter 10.44 Z (Pt.&nbsp;2)
|published= August 01, 2025
|wordcount= 40,379
|link=[https://wanderinginn.com/2025/08/01/10-44-z-pt-2/ 10.44 Z (Pt.&nbsp;2)]
|previousChapter= [[Chapter 10.44 Z (Pt. 1)]]
|nextChapter= [[Chapter 10.45 L]]
}}
'''Chapter 10.44 Z (Pt. 2)''' is the 91st chapter of [[Volume 10]]. The '''Z''' stands for [[Zevara Sunderscale]].

==tl;dr==

* [[Zevara Sunderscale|Zevara]] wakes up in a cellar with the [[Brotherhood of Serendipitous Meetings|Brothers]] nearby, she digs into their business to find their involvement into what she's investigating discovering the hubbub surrounding the [[Antinium]] scrolls, [[Normen Callesn|Normen]] and the [[Order of Solstice]] arrive to save the Watch Captain from her captivity.
* Zevara monitors where the Antinium sell their wares but is discovered by [Lady] [[Cecille Reinhart|Cecille]], while Zevara tries to interrogate the woman Cecille has her [Driver] run over the Watch Captain, she gets healed by [[Noiraid]] who uses a healing scroll on her.
* Meeting with [[Venim]], the two share important news with each other and before beginning to argue about the direction the [[Liscor's City Watch|Watch]] should head towards, Venim puts Zevara on paid leave for a week.
* The [Watch Captain] and the [Guardswoman] halves of Zevara argue about what they should with her realizing that she needs to be the one to help the Antinium that are dying a slow death, donning her Guardswoman armor she goes to [[The Wandering Inn]] recruiting [[Joseph Ortega|Joseph]] and [[Kevin Hall|Kevin]] as backup.
* The three enter [[Pallass]] to inquire about [[Moass]] and [[Hissl]] from the Eyes of Pallass, Zevara notices that the Pallassian agents are lacking critical information surrounding [[Liscor]].
* Enacting a scheme they entrap [[Yerham]] by finding him in the midst of theft of Kevin's bike from the Merchant's Guild, they requisition the Antinium healing scroll for a recall whether they were legally bought or not.
* Hearing news of Cecille's carriage running away, Zevara and the rest of the group standby in [[Esthelm]] waiting for her, they chase the carriage all the way to the outskirts of [[Celum]] when [[Xitegen Terland|Xitegen]] arrives to negotiate for his [[Reinhart Family|Reinhart]] cousin's freedom.
* Venim dresses down Zevara in front of the other Watch Captains while they support Zevara's actions since she has brought tangible results, as they discuss the case they narrow down the suspects to the two Drakes claiming to be part of the Eyes of Pallass.
* Zevara, [[Relc Grasstongue|Relc]], Joseph, Kevin and a number of others chase the two Drakes through the floors of Pallass, with the help from the Eyes of Pallass and Joseph's football skills they are able to apprehend Moass and Hissl live on the [[Wistram News Network]] for the world to see.
* Venim and Zevara speak on the fallout from this event with Zevara being given the Special Investigator rank, before she accepts Zevara goes around looking for something. At The Wandering Inn she finds the doll in [[Visma|Visma's]] possession who willingly gives it back, entering the [[Free Hive]] Zevara returns the lost doll back to [[Laikos]].
* On the rainy streets of Liscor, Noiraid receives a briefcase as payment for a job well done by a servant of the [[Magnolia Reinhart|Pink Lady]].

==Synopsis==
[[Zevara Sunderscale|Zevara]] finds herself lying in a root cellar going over the logic of her level up in her mind with [[Robb]], the Top-Hat [[Brotherhood of Serendipitous Meetings|Brotherhood]] member, giving her the down low of what's going to happen to her and with [[Liscor]] as they expand further. While in the meantime, Zevara decides to dig into the Brotherhood's business to see if they're involved with the thefts against [[Antinium]], she is shown by one of them a scroll the Antinium can create that many nobles desire with the Brothers' willing to help as the bugfellows becoming antsy is bad for business. They speak with [[Lemmingway]] who does business with [[Noiraid]] of the incidents with him explaining that he took care of the ones he saw and will be on the outlook for any more thefts, Zevara can see that Noiraid has been going around dealing with many groups such as the southern gangs and the [[Gnolls]]. They hear a knock on the door making everyone tense readying for a fight until they see that it's [[Normen Callesn|Normen]] and others from the [[Order of Solstice]] coming come to rescue Zevara, the Brotherhood stand down with Zevara becoming free thinking that it's best to go where the Antinium sells their wares.

Zevara makes her way to the [[Free Hive]] entrance where she sees [Lady] [[Cecille Reinhart|Cecille]] arrive in her carriage with [[Sollux]] to buy as many authentic scrolls as he can find, detected by a [[Skills|skill]] Zevara is forced to reveal herself to the [Lady] and begins her questioning of the noble but find nothing much other than rude remarks. The carriage jerks as it shoots down the street making Zevara chase after it, it then suddenly turns and runs her over with Noiraid thanking the [Watch Captain] for being an example for dealing with Cecille. Noiraid reads out the passage from a scroll which heals Zevara of her injuries with her finally finding out what the valuable thing the Antinium possess, the Antinium fixer leaves as a [[Liscor's City Watch|Watch]] patrol is coming their way, Zevara goes on to have a meeting with Watch Commander [[Venim]].

Zevara decides to be amendable with the Watch Commander sharing the details of the healing scrolls the Antinium been producing which has become a hot commodity and asks if Cecille has been arrested. Venim hesitates at first but explains that only her [Driver] had been arrested and that going any further could cause an incident with the North, he also tells her that the Watch will be restructuring as [[Ronss]] sent in his resignation in earlier. Shocked by the news, Zevara points out that while they all carry the burden for the failure of the raid that the error began with going after the Brotherhood. The two argue about the priority for the Watch to take after this blunder with Venim wanting to take action to clear their image and with Zevara sharing her practical viewpoint that the Brotherhood is a necessary evil to have at the moment and they should put their focus, or at least her, on the Antinium cases. Venim dismisses the Antinium case as non-vital ordering Zevara to drop her involvement from the case, she refuses to comply stating that he has a bias against Antinium that's misguiding his judgement. With a trick up his sleeve, Venim puts Zevara on paid leave for a week for her ''injuries'' to force the issue compelling her to give up her armor and truth stone, giving up her things Zevara informs [[Relc Grasstongue|Relc]] of her situation and leaves the Watch House returning home.

The next day, Zevara makes her way to the Watch House thinking of the many suspects relating to the Antinium case, she speaks with many of the guards there of their recovery from the fight with the Brothers and learns that the Watch has informed [[Pawn]] and the [[Painted Antinium]] of all the thefts which they have begun to replace lost belongings and make deals through legal channels. Even with the good news Zevara still feels that there's more to this case, she has a conversation with her two halves, the [Watch Captain] and the [Guardswoman], about whether they should stick to the orders given to them or if they should go around them to do what need to be done. They come to the realization that the Antinium are dying a slow death with how they are currently being treated and as one of the few to see that, that she needs to be the one to fix it.

Leaving the washroom, Zevara thinks on how she should act as to not be caught with many eyes on her, she asks Relc for access to the storeroom full of old stuff to grab some of her things leaving with a bag of holding. Going to a bath house she cleans the old armor and puts on her shiny Senior Guardswoman badge, with her gear donned she goes to [[The Wandering Inn]] to find some backup for her undisclosed investigation. With [[Bird]] refusing to join her, Zevara thinks on who else would help when she meets [[Joseph Ortega|Joseph]] and Randy coming out of [[Kevin Hall|Kevin's]] room, Randy drops his disguise revealing the truth to Zevara, on the verge of tears she begins to laugh glad that the inn was there to bring miracles. 

The two [[Earthers]] join Zevara on her investigations sharing a bunch of Earth knowledge and clichés as they go to meet with Pawn, Pawn as he shares the knowledge of the powers of [[Faith]] and how it affects certain items of worship to Zevara and the boys. Even with the news that the scrolls will be priced higher when sold doesn't help Zevara feel any better as she knows that there still be a black market for them, as they move to meet Laikos a spotlight is placed upon Senior Guardsman [[Lens]] for possible corruption. Speaking with Laikos Zevara learns that two Drakes made inquiries into their work and then his doll was stolen pointing to the Eyes of Pallass duo that's been going around. With the help of Joseph's fame and prominence makes Zevara's time in the [[Walled Cities|Walled City]] of [[Pallass]] easier in entering and getting directions for her inquiries, the three enter one of the Eyes of Pallass locations. They notice that the Eyes of Pallass is in a chaotic state as many of the members there have no knowledge of the healing scrolls nor of the two agents that's been in her city for around a month causing a ruckus, they leave with an unlikely chance for a meeting with [[Moass]] and [[Hissl]].

It's clear to them that those Pallass agents have no knowledge about the scrolls even with the Drake antagonistic bias against the Antinium, returning back to The Wandering Inn the three discuss how they move forward with their investigation. Something about Kevin's words brings an idea to Zevara about who [Merchant] [[Yerham]] might be and that she has a plan to lay some bait during Pawn announcement later today, Kevin warns her before she leaves to bring backup and an explanation for her actions while also remembering that he too will need armor.

As Joseph was withdrawing some money from his account in the Merchant's Guild, Kevin under the guise of Runner Randy arrives delivering some new engine for Solar Cycles professing that he was great friends with the late Kevin showing his custom bike for all to see. As all the [Merchants] were in a tizzy about the engine, the guards that were putting the Runner's bike away take it outside to a nearby alleyway where they meet with Yerham. There Zevara and Relc with a number of others arrive catching Yerham in the act of theft which he accepts and complies to being detained, they inform him that all the scrolls her purchased, legally or not, are to be confiscated by order of Antinium recall. Dead to rights, Yerham answers any questions Zevara asks of him and promises that he is no culprit to any thefts that have occurred, Kevin mentions in a dower mood to Zevara that what they've just done is entrapment which is illegal where he comes from feeling mixed that he helped someone do it. Zevara can see the necessity to close the loophole and expresses that sometimes smaller crimes are in service to larger things as nations are just as willing to break laws for their own ends, through Relc's speaking stone they hear news of Cecille's carriage jumping over Liscor's wall riding onto the waters heading towards [[Esthelm]].

Zevara on a horse explains to [[Merde]], a Watch Captain of Esthelm, that they aren't there to arrest Cecille but to question her suspicious actions waiting for her to arrive at the city, not mentioning the healing scrolls she has. Off in the distance, they can see the carriage moving at great speeds with [Lady] Cecille herself in the driver's seat, the carriage blitz past them with Zevara and the rest giving chase dodging a number of threats coming from Cecille's carriage. After a number of hits dealt by Relc and a skill used by Kevin does the carriage flip over, Zevara and Relc fight off Cecille's servants and thugs allowing them to interrogate the [Lady]. Cecille tries to force the issue like a [Lady] would by demanding for recompense until Kevin knocks her out with his bike, they wonder where they are as they notice a [[Golems|Golem]] horse carrying [[Xitegen Terland|Xitegen]] followed by a number of other large figures. It being near [[Celum|Celum's]] lands gives Xitegen the right to dictate what happens, he's okay with paying the hefty fines for Cecille's freedom but stops when Zevara asks compensation for the recalled items in the Lady's possession. Xitegen has the mind to take the healing scrolls for himself but pulls back after Zevara's persuasive argument of not gaining any grudges from the group that'll be selling them in the future. Zevara drops a comment about the crassness of stealing as a [Lady] with Cecille avowing a grudge and remarking that it's delusional to think that someone like her ever needed to steal, feeling a disconnect from those words Zevara returns back to her meeting with Venim.

Venim dresses down Zevara in front of the other Watch Captains, every point in the reprimand Venim has Zevara has an answer to with the other Watch Captains agreeing with her actions. Politics reigning over the law is the disagreement between the two with Venim acknowledging that it shouldn't be like that, but that they have to compromise in some way in the real world. Venim feels that his authority as Watch Commander is being undermined with the Watch Captains professing that some orders can be wrong at times and to trust Zevara's judgement in this, the casual mention of Lens returning back from paternity leave makes Zevara stop as she connects the usage of Len's designation as a cover for their actions. That the thieves were disguising themselves as Yerham and Cecille to frame the North, all the clues point to Moass and Hissl as the true suspects of the case, Venim orders all Watch Houses for the capture of the two Drakes with Zevara heading towards The Wandering Inn before they escape through Pallass.

A bored Liska is slowly letting clients through the [[Magical Door]], annoyed by two Drakes trying to rush through she has them go back to the end of the line and waste more of their time, they finally pass on through into Pallass. Moments later, Zevara rushes in questioning Liska about the two Drakes with Kevin and Joseph following right after her into Pallass with alarms blaring. Zevara informs [[Zemize]] of what transpired with the two Drakes and she sends the Eyes of Pallass in search of their location, [[Drassi Tewing|Drassi]] then appears before Joseph knowing there's a scoop afoot and gets all of the details from the [Football Coach]. On the emergency broadcast on the [[Wistram News Network]], Drassi reports the search of [[Noass|Noass's]] long lost brother Moass to the citizen of Pallass and with their help they're able to locate him as he runs away with Hissl. Being on the 8th floor, Zevara bikes her way down on the smooth part of the stairway, as she reaches the 4th floor the two Drakes have already passed through the gates on a carriage. With the help from the Eyes of Pallass they are able to [Mark Target] the carriage but have no way to message Zevara of the target, that's when Joseph using his skills in football kicks a soccer ball that hits the red carriage straight on. Zevara launches herself at the carriage and fights off against the two Drakes, using her breathe she smokes out them out of the vehicle with Relc there waiting for them, they surrender with Zevara words of claiming to on the side of the law being recorded by Drassi's camera for the world to witness.

While debriefing with Venim he shares that her broadcast broke the record in views for the WNN and then goes over fallout from this event with [[Fissival]] denying the two Drakes as their agents even with a clear connection to one of [[Fissival#Government|Fissival's Three]], many calling for the punishment of Zevara while others commend her actions, her pulling rank over the entirety of Pallass's Watch and her going past his own orders and rank. For punishment Relc is permanently becoming the full time Watch Captain for south district and her becoming the rank of Special Investigator that many cities would want her to have jurisdiction in their area. Before she accepts Zevara goes over the chest of holding from the two Drakes looking for something, after interviewing Moass and investigating the routine of the locals in the area she narrows the person who wouldn't mind a decrepit doll.

At The Wandering Inn, Zevara finds [[Visma]] playing around with her friends holding the new doll in her collection, the Watch Captain informs the little girl the story of the doll, hearing it does she willingly give the doll to Zevara to be returned. Zevara makes her way into the Free Hive meeting with Pawn taking joy that his prayers were answered, reuniting the doll with [[Laikos]] does the Worker thanks Zevara multiple times hugging his sole possession. Zevara shuffles in bed finally put into words why she would've never made it as Watch Commander as she levels and one of her [[classes]] change. On the rainy streets of Liscor, someone walks puffing a smoker while narrating the other aspect of today's tale in a noir-esque style, there Noiraid meets a dame working for the [[Magnolia Reinhart|Pink Lady]] who gives her a briefcase as payment for a job well done, the Pink Lady offers employment but Noiraid refuses sticking to her lone-wolf type persona looking for a dark corner to theatrically pose under.

==Characters==
(* = First Appearance)
*[[Apista]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Beilmark]]
*[[Bird]]
*[[Bobble]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Bootstrap]]
*[[Cecille Reinhart]]
*[[Ceria Springwalker]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Chaldion Oliwing]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Chesacre]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Colfa val Lischelle-Drakle]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Cossl]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Crimshaw]]
*[[Dalimont]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Deilan El]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Deskie]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Drassi Tewing]]
*[[Eitgret]]* ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Ekirra Silverfang]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Elia Arcsinger]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Eresc]] ''(Mentioned; Name Revealed)''
*[[Erin Solstice]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Errif Jealwind]] ''(Per Scrying Recording)''
*[[Flos Reimarch]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Gireulashia Ekhtouch]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Grimalkin Duveig]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Hissl]]
*[[Holytext]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Jeiss Sielmark]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Jerci]]
*[[Jewel]]
*[[Joseph Ortega]]
*[[Kel]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Kevin Hall]]
*[[Klbkch]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Laikos]]
*[[Lemmingway]] ''(Name Revealed)''
*[[Lens]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Leon]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Lerhne]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Linsetl]]* ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Liska Silverfang]]
*[[Lism Swifttail]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Loisha]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Lyonette du Marquin]]
*[[Magnolia Reinhart]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Merde]]*
*[[Mister Soot]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Moass]]
*[[Mrsha du Marquin]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Nanette Weishart]]
*[[Noass]]
*[[Noiraid]]
*[[Normen Callesn]]
*[[Olesm Swifttail]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Pawn]]
*[[Pelt Dooristone]]
*[[Prophet]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Qissa]]
*[[Relc Grasstongue]]
*[[Relz Hauscale]]
*[[Robb]] ''(Name Revealed)''
*[[Ronss]]
*[[Seconda]]
*[[Silent Queen]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Sollux]]
*[[Tessa]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Thaina]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Troydel]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Valeterisa Imarris]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Vaulont]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Venim]]
*[[Venitra]] ''(Mentioned as [[Regrika Blackpaw]])''
*[[Visma]]
*[[Wodriff]] ''(Name Revealed)''
*[[Xevccha]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Xitegen Terland]]
*[[Yerham]]
*[[Zemize]]
*[[Zevara Sunderscale]]
*[[Zimrah]] ''(Mentioned)''
*? - Bored Garuda*
*? - Bowler Hat Brother*
*? - Eyes of Pallass Male [Receptionist]*
*? - Gnoll Woman*
*? - Liscor's Merchant's Guild [Receptionist]*
*? - Liscor's Merchant's Guild Drake [Guildmaster]*
*? - Magnolia's [Maid]*
*? - Venim's [Receptionist] ''(Mentioned)''
*? - Voice from Relc's Speaking Stone*
*? - Younger [Guard]*

==Groups/Organizations==

*[[Liscor's City Watch]]
**Bugeater Squad
*[[Brotherhood of Serendipitous Meetings]]
*[[Order of Solstice]]
*Soot's Gang ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Free Antinium]]
*[[Painted Antinium]]
*[[Reinhart Family]]
*[[Earthers]]
*Liscor's Council ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Thronebearers of Calanfer]] ''(Mentioned)''
*[[El Family]]
*Eyes of Pallass
*Fissival's Three ''(Mentioned)''
*[[Terland Family]]

==Locations==

*[[Izril]]
**[[Floodplains]]
***[[Liscor]]
****Watch Headquarters
****Zevara's Watch House
****Bathhouse
****[[Free Hive]]
***[[The Wandering Inn]]
**[[Pallass]]
***8th Floor Watch house
***7th Floor
**[[Esthelm]]
**[[Celum]]

==Items==

*Antinium Healing Scrolls

==Statistics==

===Statistics Revealed===

====[[Cecille Reinhart]]====

*'''Skills:'''
**[I See You]

==== [[Kevin Hall]] ====

* '''Skills:'''
** [Rapid Disassembly]

====[[Drassi Tewing]]====

*'''Skills:'''
**[Reporter’s Intuition]

==== [[Zemize]] ====

* '''Skills:'''
** [Mark Target]

==== [[Joseph Ortega]] ====

* '''Skills:'''
** [Mighty Kick]

===Statistics Obtained===

====[[Zevara Sunderscale]]====

*'''Class/Levels:'''
**'''Class Change:''' [Streetwise Guardswoman] →[Smokebreath Detective]
**[Smokebreath Detective] Lv. 36 (+4)
**[Watch Captain of Integrity] Lv. 38 (+2)
*'''Skills:'''
**[Pursue the Quarry]
**[Lungs: Ash Dragonbreath]
**[Greater Immunity: Smoke]
**[Investigation: Five Senses Maximized]
**[Mark the Quarry]
**[Investigation: Eidetic Memory]
**[I Outrank You]
**[Summon Patrol]

[[Category:Chapters]] 
[[Category:Volume 10]]
[[Category:Lettered Chapters]]
[[Category:Chapters with Colored Text]]