by Matthew Kent
I bent down to check it for loot. It had a few Copper coins. I then started looking for my next victims. I worked around the room casting Magic Missile indiscriminately, killing the rats as I could find them. I probably spent over an hour killing rats. After a while, I’d lost track of how many exactly I killed, but I had collected tails for proof, rotten disgusting tails. Ok, so I had a thing about rats.
I finished up and went back to the old man. “Back, back so soon?” he asked. I shrugged and offered him the bunches of rat tails.
“It really didn’t take that much to kill the rats. There were just a heck of a lot of them down there.”
He cackled his wheezing laugh. “Yes there were though…” he eyes the bunches of tails. “A lot less now, I’d say.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” He casually inquires.
“You sent me for rats, so I found plenty of them…” I sighed and decided to ne truthful. “I had considered looking for my answers, to be honest, and I didn’t think it would be fair or honorable of me to take advantage of your trust or hospitality.”
“Plus, our archive is a god-awful mess he.” He laughed. “No, lad you passed the test. So many of you travelers aren’t honorable, more’s the pity, really. If we could only trust you…”
What could I say? Most of us travelers cared about our own advancement. Me included, it's just the more I played and interacted the more all of these characters seemed like real people. “What can you do?” I sighed.
“Come with me lad, what I can do is repay your honesty.” He lead me back down the stairs, but this time stopped on the first basement level. “Here are the real archives. Down stairs is well, call it a testing chamber.”
“Now, what is it you are looking for?” He inquired. I related to him my vision quest, and that I needed to find out what it meant. He looks at me in confusion, but urges me to more fully explain the vision that I had. I told him of the battle and how the side I fought on was comprised of mixed units of dwarfs and elves, at that, he stopped me.
His eyes grew sad as he looked at me. “This is something we elves and dwarfs do not speak of. It was our secret shame.” He got a faraway look in his eye, and he continued. “The war with the Mardukan, over nine hundred years past.”
“And the great battle of Maylon lost capital of Marduk.” I replied.
“Yes, yes but not truly lost. Abandoned until about three hundred years ago. When humans returned to these shores.” His eyes looked haunted. "Their bastard king deserved his fate, the rest of them… I don’t know.”
“Does anyone ever deserve their fate?” I said. “Look at me, someone having to look at the past just to figure out the meaning of his own name, and where I fit in this world.”
“Yes, yes” he said “and that is the curious thing Natten synder døden bringer på twilights vind. Your name calls you out as either a quester or an assassin, perhaps both.” He sighed once more. “Now that you have your answers, I suggest you forget.”
“I will try,” I said, and gave him a half-hearted smile. I thought to myself, It seems I will have to visit Arabella after all for more information on this ancient war and the ancient humans. “Good afternoon to you…” I told him.
“Call me Silverleaf…,” the old man said as I left the guild.
As I left the guild, I got a message from BarbieQ. Since she was given as my contact I immediately answered her.
BarbieQ: Where are you at?
Lorcan: Just left the Mages Guild.
BarbieQ: Did they give you the runaround and the stupid rats quest?
Lorcan: Well, yes, but they also sold me some high level spells.
BarbieQ: Spells? They have high level spells?
Lorcan: Is this going to be another one of those times where people declare how much they hate me after I tell what I bought?
BarbieQ: Probably, but go ahead and tell me anyway.
I sighed and then told her, anyway.
Lorcan: Lightening bolt, Invisibility, Stone Skin and Shape Shift.
BarbieQ: Well, there's no probably about it. I so want Stone Skin and invisibility.
Lorcan: Sorry, but hey hang around me and good things happen.
BarbieQ: Like the bolo brothers going missing?
Lorcan: And another group has gone missing too. But I have located them. I just need some more Intel, and I think I can get them out before they get tortured.
BarbieQ: Are you freaking kidding me, Torture?
Lorcan: That's what the guard said.
BarbieQ: Ok, get your Intel. We should be there by nightfall, so another hour or two. Will you need backup?
Lorcan: No backup. I get in with Stealth and Invisibility and get out with the prisoners.
BarbieQ: Think that's going to work?
Lorcan: No, but a guy can dream, right? Current plan is to make my way around the bars to get as much information as I can about the layout, and see if I can pinpoint the dungeon.
BarbieQ: Check the Explores Guild, they may have maps. Will let you know when we are outside of the town.
The Explores Guild was a good idea, that I had not considered but should have; I headed there next after I got directions
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Chapter 18
It turned out, the Explorer’s Guild was in fact called the Explore’s League, and it did nothave a copy of a map of the keep. They did, however, have a complete map of the city. This, I felt, would come in handy when it came time for my escape. From there, I went to various Inns and taverns around the town reportedly frequented by off duty guards. Mostly, I was attempting to gather more information about the keep; guard rotations, who the officers were, the layouts of the various levels, and finally where I might find the entrance to the dungeon where they were holding the prisoners.
In one of the taverns, I luck out in finding a servant who is relaxing talking about the drudgery involved in his tasks. “Aye, prisoners it is we have the first time in years as I recall.” I nodded in agreement and plied him with another drink and a subtle question.
“I didn’t know they even had a dungeon.” I replied.
“Oh, they do, it’s through the second guards ‘barracks’ down the hall, and a set of stairs.” He took a long drink before continuing. “Tis a mournful place, black iron to leach your magic. Only someone like granite can work there without going mad." He shuddered.
“Like Granite?”
“Aye, having little magic affinity, if you have never seen one like that, well, consider yourself lucky. Drab lifeless people.”
In another tavern, I learned the guard barracks usually has no more than ten to fifteen soldiers off-duty at any one time. This gave me an idea. The watch would change in another two hours. I looked in my inventory, and found I had eight gold left. What I needed was a distraction, and what was more distracting to a soldier than free food or free beer? Well, boobs, sure but I wasn’t paying for that. I went to the general store and sold off some trash that I had collected while farming with Morngrim. With it I’m was able to raise another two gold. I then went back to the inn from this morning, and asked the Inn keeper how often the soldiers come in. “Oh, aye, they seem to like the beer, and me daughters who serve ‘em” he said. “They come by most every chance they get.”
Excellent, I think to myself.
“I have a patron who would like to thank the guards that helped him last evening,” I said handing the bar keep four gold. “Tonight, their drinks are on him up to that four gold." He beamed with pleasure. “But it's anonymous," I say to him. “If they ask, it's an unknown benefactor," The Inn keeper readily agreed. “Can you send a lad to the guard captain, and let him know drinks are available after the sixth bell?”
“Free drinks after the sixth bell.” He nodded. At five coppers a pint, a hundred coppers to a silver, ten silver to a gold, there are going to be a lot of happy hung-over soldiers in the morning. Though, hopefully, that meant they would all be alive then.
I waited till shift ch
ange to head up to the Keep I intended to blend in as much as I could, but then again, I’m a dark-skinned wood elf, I don’t blend very easily. If I had thought about it, I would have used shape shift on myself to more easily blend in. As I was about to enter the keep, I got another message from BarbieQ.
BarbieQ: We are at the gate.
Lorcan: Good, tell the guard you heard there's a party at the Cockeyed Cockerel I’ll meet you there if this goes well.
BarbieQ: ???
Lorcan: Alibi.
BarbieQ: o.O Do I wanna know?
Lorcan: Probably not.
BarbieQ: Message me every fifteen.
Lorcan: Got it every fifteen
That made sense, she needed to know where I wa,s and what I was doing in case she was going to have to save me. I walked through the servants gate; I followed a group of servants into the kitchen, and then made it into the main hall. One servant rushed up to me, and I feared I was well and truly caught. “You, where are you supposed to be?”
“I’m the entertainment for this evening” I say with confidence as I produced my lute from my bag.
“Ah good. Do you know chants? The dwarfs like chants.”
“A few, but I do not have a drum.”
“Fine, fine. This way you play for two bells.” This is very fortuitous.
Lorcan: I got drafted to play for the troops. So, delayed for 2 hours.
I followed to the common room, sat down near the fire, and played. For the next several hours, I played whatever songs I could remember and a few requests. Fortunately for me, my lore skill kicked in, and I could play almost all of them save, for a few that seemed to be obscure. As I played, I listened to the conversations around me, and let it be known that later I intended to be at the Cockerel later to play more, if the Inn Keeper would allow it.
Finally, I was done and I took the opportunity to leave as silently as I could. Once I was in the hallway, I used Invisibility to disappear. Fortunately the hallway was clear. I fell intoStealth and made my way through the keep as quietly as I could.
Lorcan: How goes the party?
BarbieQ: Half of the guards must be here.
Lorcan: Good that makes my job easier.
I was able to find the second guard’ barracks after about twenty minutes of searching. The room was empty. I quickly moved through it and down the corridor that led to the stairs. The corridor was well lit with torches in sconces every five feet. I figured this was in an effort to dissuade Rogues Stealth ability. Even so, I decided to use my Levitate and floated to the ceiling, and worked my way along there in case there were any pressure plates on the floor. I made it to the end of the corridor, then lowered myself down the stairs. My spells were devouring my Mana very quickly.
Once I was at the base, I moved away from the stairs and set down to recover my Mana.
Lorcan: At the bottom of the stairs. No traps yet, recovering then going to get them out.
BarbieQ: o.0 You don’t have to do this.
Lorcan: Have to make amends. =-) it's who I am
BarbieQ: Ok, see you soon.
I snuck down the hall, looking for traps and any noise makers that might give me away. I heard a sound like a saw on wood; it was perhaps the most god awful sound I had ever heard. The corridor wound around to a single door, and it was on the other side of this I was hearing the noise from. I cracked the door open and peaked through. The room was once again well lit, there were four beds along the walls with clothes presses and chests at the feet of them. In one of the beds was a figure asleep and snoring, the only question was how long would he sleep once I tried to get through to the other side of the door.
I thought briefly and cast my Sleep spell on him, and checked him to see if he held a key, which in hindsight would have been too easy. Then I attempted to pick pocket his inventory. I found various items and gadgets I presumed were for torture. There was a key in his inventory. I checked the next door for traps. It was free of them and the door was unlocked. Looking inside I saw what I could only be a torture chamber.
Hanif: Its Malik, what should I do?
Lorcan: Try to change your appearance, but stay put.
Hanif: Ok.
From: Lorcan: If this goes pear-shaped, get to the Cockeyed Cockerel and find BarbieQ, she will know what to do.
The room was lined with a black substance formed in sheets, I could feel it pulling on my Mana as my Invisibility started to flicker. I dropped my spells and squeezed into the room. From the northern corner, I heard a gasp. Looking that way, I saw two women standing there. One was dressed in a black armor, the other in a white witches cape. I hurried up to them, my finger covering my lips to hush them. “I’m here to get you out,” I hissed and held up the key I had found.
“Wrong key,” she said, pointing to the opposite wall to a key up beside the door on a peg. I hurried back, got it, then quickly returned and unlocked the door.
“Wait here Eira” I whisper then set the others free. I hear one of the bolo brothers crack their knuckles.
The other one said “Not here.” I grouped them up.
“Follow me. We have to get Malik, then get out of here. We go up to the roof.”
They look confused, but then nodded in agreement.
Lorcan: Malik, coming out. Count to twenty, then meet us near the barracks.
I don’t receive an acknowledgment, but wave everyone else forward. We go in single file once more I cast Sleep into the room and we snuck through. The last person carefully closed the door behind them, and we work our way up the stairs. Since I’m was the lead, I scouted out the barracks, I could hear someone in the lavatory area.
Lorcan: Malik, is that you?
Hanif: Is what me? I haven’t heard anything from you, still in the John in the hallway.
I motioned everyone forward past the lavatory area and we manage to get by without being spotted.
Lorcan: Get to the barracks, we are headed to the roof.
Hanif: Coming.
Lorcan: BarbieQ we are headed out!
Here is where the most danger is running into a guard or a servant while we are escaping. I figured that the most likely place to be caught was at an entrance or exit. Except for the roof, who would think to get away from there?
About half way up, I cast Shape Shift on myself so that I look like one of the guards with the appropriate armor. It was a strain holding the spell and my Mana depleted rapidly. But when I did run across a servant, I was able to nod at them and them acknowledge me only in passing. Finally we made it to the roof. There it was a drop of eighty feet to the ground.
I dropped the spell, then drank a Mana potion. “So, who wants to go first?”
Eira was the first to speak. “You want us climb?”
“No Levitate.” I said as I stepped to the edge, cast the spell and stepped off into the air. One of the girls rand and jumped at me, grabbing on. The mousy one, who I guess was Louise, squeaked out “Virginia” I grabbed her and held on tight as we dropped to the ground gently. She was down and I ascended back up slowly lowering them down one by one. Malike finally showed up, out of breath and dressed like a French maid. A very muscular French maid. Ok, so who am I to judge?
It almost seemed anti-climactic from there. I met BarbieQ in the inn, then made arrangements to play music for the inn keeper for a few hours. The party was a rollicking success. I checked my notifications later.
You have completed the hidden quest Jailbreak.
You receive +5 Wisdom, +5 luck
Bonus objectives achieved: rescue players without a death.
You receive 35,000 xp.
You have gained a level.
Your skill in Burglary is Journeyman.
I’m a little bemused by this, but exhausted, “Barbie I need to get some rest,” I told her. “Can we pick this up in the morning?”
“Yeah, you did good. I know Morner would like us to be on our way, but get some rest. Be back in eight hours” she said”
“Right” I said as I
waved to her then logged out.
I heard the servo motors of the shell operating as I came too. All I can think is how good the shower and bed will be. I’d forgotten all about Agent Prentice and EPARD while I was logged in.
The first I knew something was wrong, was when I heard someone speak. “There he is.” I looked up just in time to get hit with either a large fist, or truck, and I was out like someone had hit a switch.
Two shadow shrouded forms stood on the catwalk. The cavernous warehouse stretched into the distant darkness, the far walls were lost. Their focus was on a black egg like pod, just being maneuvered into place. “That should take care of him. Operation Casandra can be closed now.”
