They wake
feeling fully refreshed. The rest alone has gone a fair way in aiding
their recovery. At 8.00 a.m. sharp, there is the coded knock on the
door. Winnacer opens it to see Viktor and Igor at the door. They both
come in and Igor sets about his healing attempts once more.
After a good night's sleep,
both Bennett and Darius are feeling back to their normal full health.
Igor casts his healing magick upon first Xavier, bringing him up to
his full health and then Jihan, also recovering the elf fully. He
then tries to heal Winnacer, although his first attempt provides
little improvement for the tough fighter. Igor tries another, and
another spell on the knight and, although there is a fair degree of
improvement, Winnacer a still a little way off full recovery.
Viktor thanks Igor for his
assistance and pays him off again with a forced smile. Igor pockets
the cash and walks off.
With just himself and
Winnacer not quite fully recovered, Yaz decides to finish the job.
Two such spells on himself and one on Winnacer finish the healing
process, as everyone is now feeling fully healthy.
Viktor waits patiently while
Igor and then Yaz see to everyone's well being, and then tells them
of his findings.
'I am still working on
obtaining accurate information regarding the layout of the
Witchfinder's building. I expect to have a sketch map some time
tomorrow. I have determined the following facts.'
'Firstly, I have been able
to determine that your main problem is not going to come from
physical beings. In total, there are only eight Witchfinders in the
building, well seven now, as you killed one during the conflict. Of
the Witchfinders, it is likely that very few will be present in the
building as most of them, including Reinburger, are out scouring the
countryside trying to locate you. As a result, I doubt whether there
are more than two or three Witchfinders present in the building at
any one time, plus a few apprentices, whose powers are far from
strong.'
'The Witchfinders trust
little in guards. There are two orogs guarding the main door, and one
guarding the side door that leads from the stables. There has been no
addition to the guard since your escape. Therefore I am fairly sure
that the Witchfinders are confident that you have already left the
town and are prepared to forfeit the items.'
'No, from what we hear, the
Witchfinders use sorcery to provide their main source of protection.
There are many doors in the building and the majority of them are
protected through ensorcellments. The majority of doors require a
password in order to open them safely. The passwords are known only
to the Witchfinders and not all of them know all of the
codewords.'
'As a result, it is going to
be difficult to retrieve your items through brute force alone,
although I am sure it will be needed on occasions. We must fight fire
with fire in order to get past the ensorcellments through using
spellcraft to by-pass them.'
Viktor looks at Faewen'il as
he continues, noticing how different she looks now that she is clean
and dressed in the close-fitting tunic. He speaks to her
directly:
'I understand that, without
access to your spellbook, you are unable to perform any of your
magick. Without access to your arts, I think that the mission would
be doomed to failure. I am pleased to say, however, that I have a
solution to the problem.'
'The Blue Dragons have
access to one with talents such as yours. He has been in hiding ever
since the Nyemetz took over and he relies upon us for his safety. I
have spoken to him and he will be willing to provide you with some
assistance in providing you with a number of scrolls for use in the
mission.'
'His services are not,
however, free to us and the costs of such magickal assistance is not
insubstantial. I have managed to obtain a budget of 1000 gold pieces
for the purposes of obtaining scrolls for your use. Here is a list of
the scrolls that he is able to create and the costs of each of them.
Please tell me which ones you believe would be of most assistance to
you on your mission to retrieve your items.'
Leaving Faewen'il with the
list, he speaks to the rest of them:
'As I have said, I should be
able to obtain a rough map of the building and have an idea as to the
location of your items by this time tomorrow. Is there any other
information that you would like me to obtain? Ask now, as this will
be our last chance to obtain more information.'
Winnacer starts to crane his
neck to take a glance at Faewen'il's list, but catches himself,
trusting the magess' judgement in these matters.
As he ponders what Viktor
has told him, a few thoughts come to his head:
"Viktor, from what you have
said, it sounds like a stealthy night infiltration would probably be
best. While all the information about where our equipment is stored
and the nature of our enemies is very important, we must not neglect
planning what we are to do once our equipment is liberated. Such a
bold move will certainly reveal to the remaining Nyemetz that we are
still in town, and unless the Witchfinders are all slain, they will
come through checking each house for the arcane. And without adequate
plans to immediately evacuate the city or suitable means of
concealing our magical devices from scrying, we will be found out. If
it is possible, can you tell us more about the guard schedules after
curfew, safe routes out of town, safe houses in town if things go
awry, and perhaps a bit more about the character of the remaining
Witchfinders. Even trivial bits of information may come in handy,
like the number of horses in the stables."
Viktor listens intently to
Winnacer's questions:
'I will set my people on the
case to determine your best way of escaping from the town with the
best chance of escaping detection.'
"Your generosity has been
over-flowing, but I do feel we must ask still for even more help,"
continues Winnacer. "We are short of much of our sundry equipment and
our stealthy enterprise may fail because of it. Some dark cloaks,
some oil to dampen the creaks of armor, and some soft toed shoes
would be vastly appreciated. My companion Yaz is also without his
traditional leathers nor is there a crowbar amongst the lot of us. If
you could possibly fill some of our equipment gaps, we will gladly
return the items once our own are liberated."
'Your requests are not
substantial' Viktor responds. 'I shall bring all of the items that
you require with me this evening.'
Having obtained the last of
their requests, Viktor says his good-byes to them again and leaves
them in the safehouse.
Once Viktor has left,
Winnacer addresses the party as a whole.
"So, what do we all think?
It seems that getting our equipment back is a bone fide possibility.
But what of after we make good our escape? I think that we may desire
to make a stop or two before making good our promise to Viktor.
Heimlin's family deserves an ounce of stability that our presence
makes impossible. A side journey to the Twin Villages before
journeying to Hradetz would be proper in my mind. Perhaps the rest of
you have some thoughts of where and how we should proceed."
Bennett responds, "The Twin
Villages? I am sorry that I do not know of them. Are they the homes
of the gnome and his family? Would they be safe there while we
recover your items? We certainly should not take them with us to
Hradetz Kraloyve, since it will be far too dangerous."
"Hopefully, we can leave
tomorrow night to recover the items and be on our way directly to
Hradetz." Bennett seems in a hurry to be on his way.
'Although I'd like to get
Bekkah an' Granny to the safety of the Twin Villages as soon as
possible,' replies Heimlin, 'geography seems to be against us. There
are jus' three ways of gettin' to the Twin Villages from 'ere because
we're on the wrong side o' the River Labe. The first way is the way
we came, across the fords. 'Owever, that would mean that we 'ad to go
back through our 'ome village again, an' I reckon that 'alf the
garrison will be there thinkin' it's the most obvious place that we'd
want to go to. Second way is through Pardubitze, which is a fair way
off our route an' no more safer than goin' through Hradetz Kralovye.
That's the third route, through Hradetz Kralovye. It's the most
direct route and probably no worse an option that either o' the other
two. I reckons we'll 'ave to come with yers to Hradetz Kralovye an'
then we'll make a decision then as to whether to carry on to the Twin
Villages straight away or wait until yer've finished yer job.'
After all has gone quiet
again following Heimlin's comment, Winnacer approaches the scarred
form of Xavier with Xavier's old mace in his hands:
"My comrade in arms, it
seems we have been ordained to survive horrors that would break
lesser men. The time has come for us to bring terror to those whom
have relished in it for so long. Therefore, I must return to you the
mace you bestowed upon me. At least until your ensorcelled mace is
returned."
Xavier smiles at the kind
thoughts and actions of Winnacer.
"Yar Yar, my Lord indeed der
fates have dealt us a strange hand this past month. We march with
death it seems, not as an enemy we may perceive it but some sort of
twisted friend. To all intents ve should be dead. Instead ve live.
The gods must have some plans for us, for only their intervention can
explain our escape this past 48 hours, Praise be to them all"
Throughout the day, the
novelty of the comfort of the building, being clean and having plenty
of good food to eat starts to wear off. Yaz has a strong hankering to
leave the town and get back outdoors again after being away from
nature for such a long time. The warriors get restless, anxious to
retrieve the items and then to get out of Dvur Kralovye and on to
Hradetz Kralovye to fulfill their obligations to Viktor as soon as
possible. The incessant bickering between Darius and Bennett really
starts to grate upon everyone's frayed nerves as the day
progresses.
At 8.30p.m., there is
another coded knock at the door signifying Viktor's return. Winnacer
answers it, keen to discover what information Viktor has been able to
obtain.
Viktor sits in front of the
fire and takes a large sack from his back. In it are seven black
coats, felt soled shoes in a variety of sizes, a couple of crowbars,
a vial of oil and a suit of leather armor for Yaz. He then unfolds a
large piece of paper that he has taken from a hidden pocket on the
inside of his cloak.
'Don't ask me where I got
it' Viktor grins. 'Let's just say that it wasn't a cheap item to
obtain.'
Looking over Viktor's
shoulder, they all see that he has been able to obtain a rough plan
of the layout of the Witchfinder building.
'There are four stories to
the building. Reinburger has the top floor to himself as his private
residence. The second and third floors provide accommodation for the
other Witchfinders. It seems unlikely that they would have your items
in their private accommodation, so you should concentrate upon just
the ground level and basement of the building. To answer one of your
questions, there are currently three horses in the stables. I would
imagine, therefore, that there are only three Witchfinders remaining
in the building, the remainder being out trying to bring you back in
chains. Although we have been unable to obtain exact information, I
would imagine that the Witchfinders remaining in the building are
only the most junior members of the organization. The Witchfinders
now know that you are powerful opponents and are thus likely to have
their best people out looking for you.'
'Although it is not marked
on the plans, our contact understands that there is a laboratory
within the building, although its exact location is only known to the
top officials in the organization. From the plans, we have been able
to determine that there seems to be an area to the south east of the
building that is impossible to gain access to. Logic tells us that
this is the location of the laboratory and that it is concealed
through some hidden door. It will be amongst your tasks to locate the
entrance to the laboratory.'
'Although I am sure that you
are desperate to start your assault upon the Witchfinder building
now, I am afraid that it will not be possible tonight as the scrolls
that are being prepared for Faewen'il will not be ready until
tomorrow evening. I would suggest, therefore, that you wait an
additional 24 hours before starting on your attempt. I recommend that
you begin your attempt around 11p.m. tomorrow, not long after curfew,
so that you have the whole of the night available to you to complete
the mission. As I have already told you, many of these doors are
protected by traps which could take quite a while for even a master
to disable, therefore it is essential that you have as long as
possible to complete the task.'
'As Winnacer has said, there
will be a tremendous hue and cry once it is realized that you have
not left the town and have been audacious enough to penetrate the
Witchfinder Building. You will not have long before your presence in
the Witchfinder Building is discovered as the Witchfinders awake.
They will then realize that you have not left Dvur Kralovye and start
searching the town and its environs once again. Therefore, it is
essential that you put as much distance between yourself and the town
before the sun rises. Immediately upon making your escape from the
Witchfinder building, you should make haste back to the safehouse. I
will arrange that our fat friend is waiting here in order to patch up
any injuries that you may have sustained during the mission. You
should then pick up the gnomes and then leave Dvur Kralovye while it
is still dark. As regards your escape from the town itself, there are
no special routes as there are no walls to the city. All you will
have to do is avoid the searchtowers and patrols that guard the
borders of the town. From what we have witnessed, the border patrols
have been stepped down to almost their regular levels now. They are
obviously sure that you have already left the town and are using the
majority of their resources to scour the countryside already. As for
screening your items from the Witchfinders' rods, I am afraid that I
know of no way to screen them from detection. However, there are only
four Witchfinders out looking for you and so the chances of your
running into them during your escape attempt should be remote
providing that you make your escape attempt across country.'
'I will leave you once again
to study the plans and work out your plan as to how you will proceed
in the mission. Good luck in your planning.'
Darius sighs:
"We go first to get things.
Try with stealth. Perhaps Faewen'il can help with spell. Stop sight,
or hide us? I know not. Remember, they not look for us inside. They
not think we stupid enough to go back. We have advantage. Small,
quiet and skilled group inside can get. Get things and get out. We
not army. Mustn't fight whole town."
Once again, Viktor leaves
you alone in the safehouse to finalize your plans.
As soon as Viktor has gone,
Bennett is the first to give his opinion of the tactics to employ on
the assault upon the Witchfinder Building:
"I propose that we do
concentrate on the ground level and basement, but if all goes well, I
say we tempt fate and attempt to search through the upper floors,
Reinburger's residence in particular. If the wards are too strong or
we are unaware of passwords, we can depart. If, however, by chance we
are able to gain access, surely he will have magical items that would
prove useful to the young enchantress. In any event, even if she
cannot use them, robbing him of their use would help us in the long
run. I do not ask any of you to endanger yourself, but I do think
that we would do well to gain as much as we can from the
effort."
"Though I am uncertain as to
the power level of these Witchfinders, I understand that you have
bested each one that you have encountered, with you on the defensive
each time. If we are able to surprise these three junior mages, we
should be able to kill them all without raising the alarm, then only
the magical traps remain, which I would imagine we could nullify by
capturing at least one of the Witchfinders and getting the passwords
or dispels needed."
"Searching for the secret
laboratory seems a good plan, since the items the party possessed
would most likely be still being analyzed by the magicians, as well
as perhaps any other items they might have. If we are able to gain
access to it, then we should be able to regain the items. If things
are going well, we can decide whether or not further searching will
be in order."
"I would assume that the
traps would be magical, which would make it difficult to be rid of.
Perhaps a dispell scroll or knock spells would be in order."
"I propose we make sure that
it takes a while for the alarm to be raised by killing or subduing
all the Witchfinder's present. If we are successful in a covert
entry, then this should not be too difficult. In any case, I agree
that we should be gone by the time the sun rises."
"I personally think we
should take out both the guard areas simultaneously. I assume that
the orogs would not be in the vicinity of the Witchfinders so if we
take them out quickly they shouldn't be able to raise any alarms. If
Xavier and Winnacer can take out the orogs at the main entrance, I
will venture to take out the one at the stable, thus also securing us
an added way out in case the alarm is raised in addition to getting
us transportation in case we need to beat a hasty retreat. I
personally have been without a steed for some time and will attempt
to abscond with at least one of the horses. I would have the young
magess go with the main party to start, since they should face the
stiffer resistance and her spells can be of more use. I don't venture
to be sure I can kill the orog by myself, so I ask Yaz or Jihan to
accompany me for insurance. I also think that Darius and Jihan should
be split up to start with since both can detect traps. We could meet
in the main hall which connects both entrances thus necessitating
only one, probably trap-less, door for each party."
Winnacer interjects at this
point:
"It may not be wise to split
up. Those orogs were quite tough during our escape. It is doubtful
that they will be easy marks. We should concentrate the party's
attacks at one target at a time. This way, we will overwhelm the
target enough to keep it from sounding an alarm. And once we have
successfully infiltrated, we will probably need our combined
abilities to gain our reward. Splitting up will only water down our
party's strength and decrease the number of helping hands if things
do not go as planned."
"Jihan can scout out the
staircase down and see if we can determine what valuables lie there,"
continues Bennett. "I think we should attempt to find your items
before going after the Witchfinders, though if the group thinks we
should try to kill them or capture one before there is a chance of
them awakening, I also embrace that idea."
"As for hunting
Witchfinders, perhaps it would be best to decide once our items are
in hand. But believe me, I am sorely tempted to slay them all
first..." adds Winnacer.
"With all these points, I am
in absolute agreement. I withdraw the original plan to separate the
party, though I still think we need to nullify both guard posts
before seeking out the items. Since I gain nothing from the
Witchfinder's hoard of your magic, I am ambivalent to whether or not
we slay them first or seek out the items, though I can see how you
would find it easier once they were in your possession. Regardless, I
vote that if the alarms have not sounded, we kill them and loot as
much as possible from them. The more damage we do now, the less that
will be necessary in the future to eradicate them totally."
"If any member is seriously
wounded, they should stay down at the stable, which I think a safer
exit point. Whether or not this is the case, the group should go
through the office or briefing room, whichever is easier to access,
to the staircase down. We should search through the entire basement,
particularly for hidden entrances to the lab. I would guess that the
items you look for will be there. If luck holds out to that point,
then we should try to see if there are any other guards anywhere in
the complex, while making our way, slowly and surely, upstairs. I
would guess that little of value is on the ground floor, so we can
avoid any alarms in the rooms therein, saving our strength for the
inevitable encounters upstairs. I think if we retain the advantage of
surprise, we should try to kill two Witchfinders and capture one, to
find out what information we can to assist in the search."
"Upstairs or downstairs
first is irrelevant, but that is my plan, to go both places depending
on how our luck holds up. If at any time the alarm is raised, I vote
we flee before the considerable might of the Nyemetz guards is upon
us, depending if we are close to achieving our goal or not. If the
alarm is local in nature, building-only, then we should decide what
to do based on how many Witchfinders and/or guards are left in the
building."
Winnacer listens intently to
Bennett's suggestions, and then adds to them:
"I will admit that I'm
not the most sure-footed individual, so the idea of relying on my
armor not creaking or my feet not stepping on a branch does not make
me wild with excitement. But from the looks of this map, it seems
that the party could gain entrance through the northern windows. Or
at least half the party could, all those in leathers and less should
have no problem. They could sneak through the door and bushwhack the
lone orog sentry, while the rest of us wait outside the west entrance
to give our support once the orog is engaged. If the orog is slain
quickly and quietly, we have a safe route for entry and exit."
Xaviers laughs as he
interrupts Winnacer loudly:
"Yar my lord, your tread and
mine is not that of the hunter but of the stag. Ve can not rely,
solely on stealth but on speed. Those more quieter than us should
infiltrate the building. Ve shall follow vith the heavy
muscle."
Bennett then
responds:
"Perhaps we can send the
sneakier members of the party through the windows, though I vote that
if such approach is more noisy than it should be, we be waiting for
the opportunity to break in and attack the creature with rapidity.
Also, contrary to my former plan, I agree that we should take out the
western sentry first, though I still think that we should attack the
other two as well. If we gain access through the stable door, we
should be able to send the sneakier members, probably all but Xavier,
you, and myself, around the back of the main entrance, while perhaps
we make some noise, distract the guards, then hit them from both
sides."
"Once we are in," continues
Winnacer, " We should try to move downstairs directly, moving through
the office. From how the map looks, the entrance to the laboratory
seems to be in the library, so perhaps we should head towards it
first. While I would feel compelled to stand in the front under most
normal circumstances, I feel that my unsurefootedness may cause
problems. Perhaps Jihan and Darius should lead the way, for it seems
they step to surest and understand the mechanisms of locks."
"I think we need warriors up
front still," adds Bennett. "Though perhaps Jihan and the rat can
scout ahead, then return as necessary. I don't think they can take
out guards fast enough in case we encounter them, whereas if an alarm
is raised, we must beat a hasty retreat. I think they should scout
some ten feet in front of us, then return when faced with any
activity or sounds of same. That way we cover the traps, but still
don't have them in the vanguard of any combat."
"I must admit I have some
alternative thoughts on how to proceed that are probably quite
foolhardy. It would be quite the thing if we were to enter
unbeknownst and strike down each of the Witchfinders while they rest.
That would certainly set back the Nyemetz cause, and make our escape
a bit easier. It is just a thought, perhaps just a temptation away
from doing what is smart and proper."
"Yes I swear, kill the
whoresons in their beds if the chance arrives," interrupts Xavier
again. "What right of respect does a man have who abandons there
kind, to the dominance of demi- humans...."
Xavier's voice stops
abruptly. His face turns to Yaz and Jihan his face obviously guilty
at the expression of old hatreds from his homeland. Xavier smiles
weakly to hide his guilt before continuing. He coughs once, twice
.......
Yaz squints at the
knight:
"Asshole," he says
bitterly, moments before a wide grin spreads slowly across his face,
and he laughs. "Watch it, warrior; us elfy types are real sensitive,
y'know."
"What I meant to say was my
friends," continues Xavier "...abandons their kind to the dominance
of an foreign power, and wield there power of practice in the dark
arts as a tool of oppression for that foul power. Damn them I say, to
an unmourned death in their sleep may the dark rider take them. To
those with no honor, whether they be male or female, may my blade
send them to hell. I shall not mourn them, but rejoice in there
death. Consider it not murder but justified execution."
Xavier goes quiet for a
moment. The passion of his words overwhelming him momentarily.
"As I said before, I
absolutely agree with this concept, though only if luck has been with
us in taking out the guards first," confirms Bennett.
"I would like to hear from
Jihan, Darius, and Faewen'il their suggestions on how to approach
these magically trapped doors," continues Winnacer. "That sort of
thing really lies outside my realm of experience. And if you wish to
tell us Faewen'il, perhaps you can tell us what sorceries you can now
bring to our aid?"
Darius turns to Winnacer and
smiles:
"I know nothing of magic
locks, all I know is that my hands are small, and find things easily,
and their sensitive touch helps me feel what a lock wants to do
inside...the Magic? What can it do? A lock is but a lock. Magic I
know nought."
Ignoring Darius, Bennett
adds:
"I would also be very
interested in this, since it certainly bears on our plans."
Winnacer nods and
continues:
"One last point, we should
all keep our eyes open for Heimlin's jewels and our own money, as
well as other equipment that begs to be liberated from the Nyemetz.
If time and circumstance permits, I would like to poke around some of
the other rooms and see what else we could recover. Each coin we
filch from the Nyemetz helps us doubly; it makes us richer while it
makes the Nyemetz poorer. Perhaps the giddyness of freedom is making
me a bit greedy in my planning."
"Not at all," Bennett
agrees. "As my previous plan indicated, I am in total agreement with
this plan, since any harm done them is a good thing for us, plus
whatever profits are generated bear no guilt for us. I think we
should push our luck to its limits. If at any time the alarm is
raised, then we flee top-speed and lose nothing in the
process."
Jihan nods at the
suggestions of Winn, and hears Bennett's plans in a good
light:
"I am inclined to agree on
infiltrating and overwhelming the lone guard first, and I also agree
that the other two should be dealt if for nothing else than to allow
for multiple exits from the house. It's no good to put all our eggs
in the assurance of just one. The only thing that I would mention
otherwise is that, unfortunately, I have but a miniscule amount of
experience in the detection and harmless disarming of mechanical and
magical traps, save my own intuition. The only 'training' that I've
had on this matter has been purely from books. Hopefully, we should
be able to puzzle the majority of them out with extra attention paid
to small details. With any luck, they will be of a harmful nature,
not ones that set off alarms, or we could be in trouble. As to the
actual infiltration, a quick break into the windows, dispatching and
then exploring in the basement, with someone left to watch the stairs
and the upper floor in general, from a place of concealment
hopefully. I will take the point position so as to scout ahead
quietly, and will fall back if I encounter difficulties, as with
guards and such, or if the way ahead is safe. Depending on how much
time we have, I would like to explore all the rooms that we are able
to, but we may have to concentrate quick searches on only a certain
few, such as the storage rooms or offices. Before entering any door,
a careful approach should be made, watching especially for any cords,
wires, magical runes, small holes for pins or dart, or pressure
plates around them. Then a careful inspection of the door itself
should be made, with special attention given to the hinges and door
handle, looking to see which way the door opens and whatnot. Don't
forget the most obvious also: the ceiling. Many a thief has been
taken from above because of this simple oversight. As to the actual
opening, the knobs themselves may be warded, so a quick touch may be
in order with a dagger of some such. Then the door should be opened a
crack, and I will use one of my mirrors to look above to check for
anything suspended. Then we can worry about setting the traps off
without having any of our number killed or maimed. This is the best
that I can do on this account, as the greater intricacies of
disarming such are currently beyond my knowledge."
'Well it seems as if we are
agreed on the basics', summarizes Winnacer. 'I think we should now
get some rest as tomorrow will be an arduous day.'
All nod their heads and go
off to their last night of comfortable sleep for what will probably
be quite a while.
Once again they
are awoken by the coded knock signifying the return of Viktor.
Viktor is beaming when
Winnacer opens the door for him. He walks straight up to Faewen'il
and gives her a leather tube attached to a strap which he gives to
her with her head bowed.
'He was able to deliver
earlier than expected.' Viktor says.
Faewen'il opens the case and
pulls out five pieces of parchments. As she looks through them, she
starts beaming too.
Viktor then delivers all of
the other items that the party requested the previous evening.
'So that's one happy person.
Are there any last minute requests from the remainder of you before
you start?'
Darius speaks:
'Need leather coat like
Jihan. Metal coat makes too much noise.'
Viktor looks at the
diminutive goblin.
'That will take me time to
arrange, but I'm sure that I can arrange it. I think it's time to
have a word with the Nyemetz quartermaster. I'll see if I can
persuade him to "lose" a set of worgrider leathers!'
Jihan then speaks:
"Ponder on any bufeses bein
'round the place? We'd need somethin' to amuse their noses too...
P'raps snappin the glaze would be a basting good way to ken mill the
pla..."
Suddenly he stops, and looks
around at his companions, realizing that they probably would like to
be hearing his speculations also. Restating himself, Jihan
continues:
"Anything else for the
additional distraction of those who track us with their noses would
be a boon in the case that such are apparent, either before or after.
Some dog pepper or catstink would work fine for this. I don't like
the idea of them releasing any worgs after us... Looking at the
entryways leads me to think that the windows might be a good way of
infiltrating the house. If they are not readily open and are locked
from the inside, we may have to break in through them. Perhaps you
could provide us with some cutting rods, tarpaper and hammers for
such a purpose also. If it is necessary to sneak through the house
and peer about in search of traps and such, do you think that you
could hook me up with a cornering mirror and some other small
mirrors? I think that I could also find use in some garroting wire;
some strong twine or bowstrings; a length of rope; some marbles or
bearings, some blinding, choking and testing powders, calthrops, a
listening cone, some limewood strips, a small magnifying lens, a
cracking kit in case our stuff is locked up tight, and maybe some
proper picks and some cutters for wires would be good."
Pausing in his rattling off
of items many of the others have never heard of, nor could imagine a
use in, the elf looks around at the rest of them, as if asking for
any additional suggestions to put on the list. Knowing that this is a
lot of stuff to request on such short notice, Jihan makes the man a
promise:
"I give you my word that I
will repay you for these things out of my own share of the goods we
retrieve, if it is in any way a problem to locate them."
Viktor shakes his head as
Jihan reels off the huge list:
'Well it's short notice, but
most of the items that you have requested are pretty standard items
for many of my companions in the organization. I believe that I
should be able to provide you majority of the items. As for paying me
back, you don't need to worry. You will need these items for your
mission in Hradetz Kralovye as well so just think of this exercise as
a practice run, as the Black Diamond's guildhouse will be similarly
well protected.'
'Make your final
preparations now. I will return around 9.00p.m., a short while before
you must start on your mission.'
Faewen'il is already
studying the scrolls carefully. They can see her deep in
concentration memorizing the words to a couple of them.
The warriors take the oil
and start to work on making their armor as silent as the possibly
can. They then take the whetstone and work on all of their blades to
ensure that they are razor-sharp.
Yaz and Jihan both spend
much of the day chanting to Prirodna to look over them during the
night.
The activities are not,
however, sufficient to mask the feelings of trepidation that
increases throughout the day.
They hear the bell on the
town square chime 9.00p.m. A few minutes later there is another coded
knock on the door. It is Viktor, carrying a large canvas bag. He is
accompanied by Brother Igor.
'Igor, take a seat by the
fire. Sleep if you want. Just be ready to perform your arts before
the night is through.'
Viktor then takes the canvas
bag. He pulls out a small set of leather armor that bears the
insignia of 2nd Worgrider Company and gives it to Darius.
He then speaks to
Jihan:
'I think that you will find
that pretty much everything you requested is in the bag, with just a
few exceptions. We couldn't find any calthrops, but I think
everything else is there. We made a final reconnaissance of the
building just an hour ago. All of the information seems to be still
current. You should wait here for another hour, and then make your
journey slowly towards the building, taking every precaution to avoid
any of the guard. It is better that you get into position before
curfew and then wait there for a while before starting to make your
entry.'
They all wait in silence,
chanting a few last minute prayers before Viktor finally
speaks:
'It is time now. Go, and may
all of your gods be with you.'
He opens the door and shakes
them all by the hand as they file out into the streets with their
black cloaks pulled over yheir faces. Heimlin is standing on the
opposite side. He pats each of them on their backs as they walk out.
They can tell that he is very worried about their safety.
'Good luck', he says to them
all, with a lump in his throat. 'Jus' make sure that you all come
back in one piece. I'd never forgive meself if anythin' 'appened to
yers.'