Dungeons Just Want to Have Fun

They weren’t ready for this. The hideout hadn’t been outfitted, the ship wasn’t bought yet, let alone made ready. Their newest member hadn’t even chosen a new class yet. Kelsey had acknowledged all of that but she insisted on making the raid tonight.

“If there’s a small window of opportunity before they realise these are gone, then we’ve got to take it,” she said.

“But, but, for our hand to be forced like this, you do not think it’s a trap?” Zaphar asked. He was Anton’s only ally in arguing for delay. Both Aris and the new girl were in favour of going in as soon as possible.

“Eh, if it is, it’s the sort of trap that just brings more opportunity,” Kelsey said cryptically. That didn’t reassure Zaphar at all, and it even made the girls more cautious. Nervous or not, though, Aris was intent on rescuing Cheia, and any doubts that Tyla had were assuaged when Kelsey brought out her new equipment.

Tyla’s outfit was a simple leather jerkin worn over a thick cloth shirt. Leg protection was from leather trousers and boots, and her arms were sheathed in leather bracers and vambraces. Anton recognised it as a common style in Kirido, although it wasn’t normally dyed black. That was probably a Kelsey addition. Delvers came in all sorts though, so Anton couldn’t swear to it.

When it came to weapons, Tyla had been pleased to receive a pair of daggers as sharp as they were wicked-looking. She was less pleased with the bow Kelsey offered her.

“This is a…” she said a few words in her own language. “Very bad bow.”

Kelsey sniffed. “I don’t see the skeletons complaining.”

“Like they can,” Anton put in. “Don’t you have adventurer equipment?”

Kelsey shrugged. “I don’t get a lot of bow-users, and those that I do get tend to stay in the back and run away when things get dicey. Besides, it’s a stick with some string, how good can it get?”

“It’s dry,” Tyla explained. “Not bendy enough, and not strong. No power, will probably break before too long.”

“Skeletons don’t have long lives,” Kelsey said. “I do have this…”

She caused… something… to appear in her hand.

“What is that?” Tyla asked, asking the question everyone was wondering.

“It’s a bow!” Kelsey said. “An experimental one.” She took an arrow from Tyla’s quiver and placed it in the device. Now that she was drawing it back, Anton could see that it did kind of look like a bow. But it was metal and it had spikes coming off it, and wheels…

With a grunt of effort, Kelsey drew the device back to full extension and released the arrow, aiming at one of the room’s support beams. There was a thwock, closely followed by a thunk as the arrow embedded itself in the beam.

Anton stared. The arrowhead had been almost two inches long and he couldn’t see any sign of it.

“Rated for twenty strength,” Kelsey said proudly, “But I can dial it down if you like.”

“I think…” Tyla said, trailing off as she looked at the arrow. She went over and tugged at it, but it was stuck fast. “I think I would like to try it sometime, but I won’t be ready to use it by tonight, even if we had a place to practice.”

“Fair enough,” Kelsey said. She made the device disappear and produced a small saw which she used to cut the arrow shaft flush with the beam’s surface. “Wouldn’t want to lose our deposit.”

Now, Anton, Kelsey, Aris and Tyla found themselves standing in front of the back gate to the Malik estate. This late at night, there were no guards outside, just a featureless slab of iron-reinforced wood.

Kelsey stepped up and squirted a few drops of silencing oil in the lock and on the hinges. Then she stepped back and waited for the rest of them.

The keys they had been given included the ones for this gate, of course, but guards were wandering about the grounds. Avoiding them would take timing, which was why Zaphar had snuck in. He would open the gates when the time was right.

They didn’t have long to wait. There was no sound as the gates opened, the line of dim light from the other side was the only sign that Zaphar had completed his task.

“That was quick,” Kelsey murmured.

“I didn’t see any sign of guards,” Zaphar whispered. “I think something is wrong.”

“Hmm,” was all that Kelsey said. The moonlight was bright enough for them to make their way to the slave’s quarters. It was locked and dark, but its door opened easily enough to one of the keys. Zaphar gasped at what he saw inside, but Kelsey just hummed and stepped inside. She pulled out a lightstone, and the rest of them could see what Zaphar saw.

The room was arranged with a long, wide corridor stretching from the door to the other side of the building. It was lined with bars so that the guards could easily see into the cells when there was light. Kelsey’s stone shone into the nearest ones, and Anton could see that one side was a cell with two beds, both occupied, while the other had four beds.

Of more immediate concern was the two male humans stretched out on the floor. Their uniforms and weapons made it clear that these were the missing guards.

Kadir Beyazit, Level 12, Human, Enforcer, Warrior/Enforcer, S: 20 T: 15 A: 11 D: 17 P: 2 W: 7 C: 4

Murat Osman, Level 18, Human, Guard, Warrior/Soldier(broken)/Guard, S: 23 T: 20 A: 15 D: 15 P: 8 W: 2 C:8

They’re alive at least, Anton thought.

As they were taking that in, light bloomed at the far end of the corridor. The door to one of the furthest cells opened and a courl stepped out and started walking towards them.

“You took your time,” she said haughtily. “I thought I was going to be waiting all night.”

Kelsey grinned and stepped forward, but Tyla was faster. The elf dashed the few steps it took to get to the guards and dropped to the floor next to one. She did it so smoothly that Anton only noticed that her arm was locked straight and her dagger was in her hand at the last moment. The dagger slid into the man’s chest, Tyla’s full weight behind it.

The unconscious man jerked and coughed up blood.

“What are you doing, you monster!” the courl—Anton supposed that she had to be Soraya— yelled.

Kelsey took no action, but Anton stepped forward. She was clearly going to kill the other one if she was given the chance. Tyla ignored the courl yelling at her to turn and say just one word.

“Rapist,” she said.

“That doesn’t mean you can—” he took another step forward, but he felt a hand on his arm, holding him back. He looked back to see Aris, struggling to speak.

“Cheia,” was all she managed to say.

Meanwhile, Soraya was still speaking. She had been walking swiftly forward, but she had paused to keep a safe distance between her and the murderous elf.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Soraya said. “They had permission from father, it wasn’t rape. They—”

She broke off as Tyla put her knife through the throat of the other guard. Anton felt Aris bury her face in his back.

“That’s a pretty bold statement to make in front of someone who just killed two people who raped her,” Kelsey said with amusement. “I’m really warming to this girl, but you, you’ve got some moxie.”

“Just this one,” Tyla said, pointing to the one that she had cut the throat of. “The other raped other girls.”

“You’re Tyla, aren’t you,” Soraya said. “The savage elf who escaped. I had no idea you were this savage.”

“Any day you learn something new is a good day,” Kelsey quipped. She tossed the ring of keys over to Anton and nodded at the cell doors. Then she turned back to Soraya. “So let’s learn why you’re here.”

Soraya didn’t reply directly. Instead, she stared at Kelsey with her eyes narrowed. “Why doesn’t my Dealer’s Insight work on you?” she asked.

“Maybe it’s broken,” Kelsey suggested impishly.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Soraya sneered, but she looked at the others anyway. “What is… a Gunslinger? And a Heroic Liberator? Are you going to just let that savage get away with murder in front of you? Is that heroic?”

“Maybe not,” Kelsey agreed, “But it was very liberating. You know, the Tree of Liberty is watered with the blood of slavers… or something like that.”

Soraya took a step back. “I don’t like your tone.”

Anton had turned to the cell doors. While he tried the keys, he used Delver’s Discernment on the sleeping forms.

Seren Kaelith - No Levels

Thalindra Mirelle - No Levels

Seraphina Moonshadow - No Levels

Morwyn Elariel, Level 5, Human, Doxy, Scullion (broken)/Doxy, S: 2 T: 6 A: 9 D: 5 P: 11 W: 5 C: 9

He knew three of these. From the name, Seraphina was probably from the Confederacy that lay west of Zamarra. Finding the correct key, he unlocked the door and moved to the other side of the corridor, to the room with two.

Althea Selene, Level 7, Human, Doxy, Servant (broken)/Doxy, S: 2 T: 4 A: 11 D: 7 P: 6 W: 11 C: 13

Syrena Nael, Level 7, Human, Doxy, Server (broken)/Doxy, S: 10 T: 6 A: 9 D: 4 P: 12 W: 7 C: 11

Meanwhile, Kelsey was still talking. “Worried about your own life? How about it Tyla? This girl on your list?”

“No,” the elf said, but from her tone, Anton wouldn’t swear she was telling the truth. There was some anger there.

“Well of course not!” Soraya declared. “I’m not worried, I was just put off by that display of savagery! Really, there was no need for it.”

“Well, if that’s what’s bothering you… here.”

Glancing over at Kelsey, Anton saw that she’d removed the bodies. Shaking his head, he kept going.

Elowyn Nyx- No Levels

Cheia Lucina, Level 2, Human, Doxy, Doxy, S: 6 T: 3 A: 9 D: 5 P: 4 W: 8 C: 11

Elysia Thalor, Level 4, Human, Doxy, Servant (broken)/Doxy, S: 10 T: 5 A: 8 D: 5 P: 8 W: 3 C: 7

“Aris!” he hissed urgently, even as his heart fell to see Cheia’s Class. She hurried to his side and he pointed out Cheia’s bed.

“Cheia!” she called softly, shaking the girl. “Cheia! Wake up!”

“Sis?” Cheia mumbled, “What are you doing here?”

Anton left her to it. There were still doors to open.

Aurora Silverbrook Level 5, Human, Doxy, Server(broken)/Doxy, S: 6 T: 9 A: 6 D: 1 P: 8 W: 5 C: 9

Lyra Emberleaf Level 3, Human, Doxy, Hunter(broken)/Doxy, S: 8 T: 5 A: 8 D: 3 P: 9 W: 6 C: 11

“So now that’s out of the way, are you going to tell us what you came here for?” Kelsey said, with a hint of impatience.

Soraya didn’t seem inclined to move on. “You— you have a storage device? Is that why I can’t— is it a magical item that’s shielding you?”

“Soraya!” Kelsey snapped. “In a few seconds, slaves are going to be waking up, and I’ll be too busy to talk to you. So get it out, girl.”

“Fine!” Soraya, “If you don’t have time for a proper conversation. In exchange for easing your way into this little heist, I want you to take me with you.”

“Why?” Kelsey asked.

“Why? Because in order to put a dampener on the appalling marriage Father is trying to foist on me, it has become necessary for me to disappear for a while.”

“I meant, why should we?” Kelsey said. “I don’t know if you do a lot of these crime deals, but it’s customary to make the arrangement before you pay the other party off. We’ve already got what we want.”

“What! Where is your sense of gratitude!”

“Same place as those corpses,” Kelsey said, grinning. “So, have you got something for us, or are we going to get rid of the witnesses?”

“Well, I—” Soraya paused. “If it’s absolutely necessary, I can give you thirty percent of the ransom.”