The rest of the evening passed relatively sedately. After dinner they retired to the conjoined room and spent the rest of the night talking about various different topics that weren’t all that important to either Bjorn or Adriana. It was actually so extreme that after a bit Adriana started to fall asleep. Bjorn woke her up and sent her to bed. She apologized and slowly backed out of the room excusing herself. From there he spent the rest of the evening talking to them long into the night.
When the meeting was finally done everyone else filed out except for Bjorn, Gram, and Dornan. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. It was palpable as if they didn’t know where to start.
It was finally Gram who broke the silence. “I’m sorry we didn’t have more to report for you tonight. It is hard and takes time. Afterall Blackrock Bay is nearing 60,000 consistent residents, let alone the traffic though it each day. There is so much ground to cover, I love my men but they are not the best in the more covert matters.”
Bjorn took a moment before he answered. “It’s not your fault, it's not either of your faults. There is only so much that either of you can do and you are already doing everything in your power to do it. I know you are.” He finished that sentence as if he had more to say, as if it pained him to try and keep talking.
Gram and Dornan were great listeners and didn’t speak or push him. It was a companionable silence. It was a comforting silence, finally he broke it. “I just fear the worst. I fear that they have already moved on. If not for the fact that I got sick over a month ago now we would have made it here before them. We could have set up a trap and caught them in it. We could have made taking them down easier. But as it stands I don’t know if we can take them down without some sort of trickery.”
Gram and Dornan exchanged a look at that. “Are you sure it’s that bad? I don’t know if you know this but we are kind of strong ourselves.” The duke said.
“I don’t know. I don’t have a clue. Their leader is level 43, and I am pretty sure there is no such thing as a weak level 43. He has 3 professions and 1 speciality, one of which was a noncombat profession. That means he has at least 33 levels of talent points, I find it hard to believe that he would have spent his talent points in his non combat profession. At least I assume that talent points can be shared between professions.”
“You are right. Once you receive talent points it doesn’t matter how many professions you have you still always get 10 points per level. If you get a specialization you gain an additional 10 talent points per level. The real issue is the profession quests, each profession has their own profession quests. That is one of the benefits of having many different professions as each quest gains you talent points and they can be spent on anything.” Gram stated.
“With his different professions he could have a whole bag of tricks to have spent his points on. He could easily be more dangerous than any of us think. I also think that their ork will be an issue. Based purely on the description of the ork race he will be a powerhouse. Not that I doubt you Gram, it's just that their race doesn’t seem like the type to spread around their attribute points. I think they are the type of creatures that if an ork has 10 points in intelligence they will be considered a genius.”
Dornan laughed. “That is true. I have had dealings with them twice before and they are paragons of strength. And you are spot on with your interpretation of ork culture. They follow and respect strength. To them strength is the only power worth respecting, so for one to be following the tiefling is strange, I find it hard to believe that he is stronger than this Gnack.”
“I think it is in our best interest to make sure that we take special care when facing off against these opponents, if they are still here in this city.” Bjorn said.
Gram gave Bjorn a pitying look. “I know it is hard to do but you have to put some faith in Vilgaforts. He is the best spy this city has ever seen. He has a network of spies not just in this city but others as well. If they have moved on to another city we will hear about it eventually, but my gut is telling me that for some reason they are still here.”
“Exactly.” Dornan said. “If they are anywhere in the kingdom of Escar they will eventually be found out by my spymaster. It may take some time but we will find them, I promise.”
Bjorn let out a yawn. “I appreciate that and I trust you, both of you, you have treated both me and my ward with respect and kindness ever since we have come to this city. Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
“Of course, it’s the least we can do.”
Bjorn stood from where he was seated. “Anyways I am going to head to bed. I want to get back out there tomorrow early and search the city. I found a promising lead I think. There are rumors of a trafficking ring under the commercial district that I am going to check into tomorrow. At first I wasn’t going to investigate but after what Vilgaforts said tonight I think it might be worth looking into.”
“Very well. Have a good night my friend.” Gram said.
“We will talk soon, and sleep well.” Dornan said.
With that Bjorn got up leaving the pair behind and making his way through the palace, this time without the help of a servant and made his way unerringly back to his room where he promptly collapsed into his bed and fell into a restless sleep.
As it turned out it was actually two weeks before they found a lead that had any real promise. During those two weeks Bjorn just slowly got more and more disheartened.
At first when he got the news that prominent crafters in Blackrock Bay were going missing Bjorn started trying to follow that lead. Hs spent days walking into stores asking questions. He thought he was being sly about it. It wasn't until a few days in that Vilgaforts actually found Bjorn out in the streets of the city and pulled him into a small diner. Once there he explained to Bjorn in no uncertain terms that he should give up on trying to help in this form.
When Bjorn tried to argue back that he could help the spy just simply shook his head. He then explained that Bjorn’s actions were actually hindering more than helping. Bjorn didn't want to believe the spy, that was until he pulled out a mirror.
Bjorn almost didn't recognize himself in the mirror at first. His eyes were sunken and there were dark rings around his eyes. His cheeks looked gaunt and thin as if it was too little skin stretched over too large of an area. His hair was matted and greasy. He looked positively wretched.
It was at that moment that he had to finally admit that he had been pushing himself too hard and wasn't taking care of himself. He also finally understood why his involvement wasn't actually helping. If he saw this husk enter his shop and try to talk to him he would turn it away as well.
When he finally conceded and agreed to head back to the palace relief was plain on Vilgafort's face. When he made it back to his rooms he was met with a servant explaining to him that he was under order from Dornan that he would be confined to the palace for the next several days. It was accompanied by a letter explaining that even though he was determined he still had to take care of himself. The duke was worried and wanted to make sure that the man leaving the palace would be well enough to accomplish his goals. It then went on to say that if he refused to both take care of himself and the way he looked then Dornan would have no choice but to ban Bjorn from helping with the search until concrete evidence was presented.
Understandably Bjorn did not take this news well. The first day he was angry, angry enough to actually wreck everything inside both the sitting room and his bedroom. Whenever he checked the front door there were two professed fighters standing there as his guards, both to accompany him around the palace and to keep him contained in the room. By the second day the anger turned into hatred. He hated the gall of the little fucking gnome. Who was he to keep him from finding his wife's killers? The little bitch didn't know what it was like. The cunt had only ever lived a life of decadence, Bjorn would show him what he had to learn the hard way.
On the third day he finally conceded that maybe his mind had been muddled. He had been burning the candle at both ends so to speak. Ever since he started his search for Kairon he had been sleeping less than 1 maybe 2 hours a day. Even with his reduced need for sleep that was pushing it. On top of him not sleeping he was barely eating or drinking. He spent every waking hour and most of those dedicated to sleep trying to hunt down Kairon’s crew. Each of those days was filled with anger and the drive to do something. So on top of being sleep deprived he was being emotionally taxed each day as his emotions continually took a hit with each failed attempt to find more information.
And then finally on the evening of the third day he allowed the anger at Dornan faded just a little bit, and he started to see the reason behind their actions. That was when he finally decided it was time to actually get some good rest. Even though he had his belt of sustenance he felt like it was putting a strain on his body, through the prolonged use. He had never used it for as long as he had been using it this time around. He didn’t know it but he actually stumbled upon one of the downsides to body augmenting magical items, if they were used for too long then it would begin to affect the body in unintended ways.
He ended up sleeping all the way through the rest of the 3rd day and woke up in the evening on the fourth. The time frame was over the span of 40ish hours. It was the longest amount of time that he slept ever since he came to the Eld, it was actually the longest period he had slept in both lives now accounting for when his mind retreated into itself for unconsciousness.
When he finally woke up he felt lighter than he had in several weeks. He was by no means recovered from the state that he had been in and what he had done to his body. It would take a lot more than a good night's rest to repair the damage his deteriorating mental state had done to his body, but it was a good start.
That was the first time he actually took a good look around the room he was sleeping in and the ruined furniture as well as paintings, tapestries, and even the bed he slept in now. He looked at the damage his anger caused to the beautiful place that he was given to use for free and he felt sorrow for his actions. He was finally able to admit that the Duke had been right in his actions of confining Bjorn to his room. He had been in no state that could be helpful to their search, as well as damaging to those he interacted with.
When he finally left his bedroom and made his way out into the living room he saw that the interior of the room had been repaired or everything had been replaced. It looked to be in the exact same condition it had been in when he first entered the room. Before he went to bed it had been one hell of a mess, it was a testament to the state that he was in that he hadn’t woken up to the sounds of replacement or construction.
The only main difference to the room was a silver platter by the main door and sitting on it was a letter.
Dear Bjorn.
In light of your actions I have deemed it in your best interest if you took a few more days to recover. I will not confine you to your room however and as your friend I strongly advise you take more time to try and return to a healthier mental state. As to the damaged to your room I have a feeling that you will offer to pay to repay the damages that you have caused to which I will have to decline. The contents of the room were worth well more than what you are worth. Your actions are forgiven however for services rendered to this city in the past. I just have to warn you that there is only so far that I am able to go without the other powers in this city having a right to demand you vacate your premises at the best or imprisoned at the worst. I am afraid that if something like this happens again I will be forced to act in the best interest of the city.
-Duke Dornan.
P.S. I think it is best that we skip the weekly meeting this week to give you more time to recover. If anything comes up I will share with you what I find out.
Bjorn read through the letter several times and ultimately agreed with the position that Dornan took. His actions were completely out of line and he didn’t deserve a second chance even though the Duke was giving it to him. It honestly scared him how close he was to losing the assistance he desperately needed from the city. He didn’t know how he would do it but he vowed mentally that he would make it up to Dornan somehow.
Unsurprisingly Bjorn took the words of the Duke to heart and he did exactly what was suggested and took the next several days off from searching. During that time he slept most of the time and ate good food from the palace, not the same as when he ate with the Duke but the same good hearty meal that the rest of the palace staff and guards ate. He even read a book for fun, the first time he had done that in the Eld. There were plenty of times where he was happy and had the free time to read but during those times he didn’t have access to books. Other than that any time he read was to further his knowledge or try and gain new skills to help him further down the road.
Finally, almost exactly 1 week after his first meeting, Dornan and Gram Bjorn finally left his room to do something productive again. The first thing he did was join Adriana for a day together. He had to admit that he had been neglecting both his time with her as well as their relationship.
They spent the day talking about small nothings and he took her out into Blackrock Bay to show her the city. Now that Bjorn was basically a native to the city with his intimate knowledge of the streets and stores he took her to some places that were rather cool. There was a restaurant built over an underground river running through the rock of the city that its floor was built out of a tough glass like material that allowed them to watch the river flow by underneath them. That was their lunch, he also took her to a restaurant built into the side of the chasm in between quarters of the city. They had fire stones built into the balcony allowing them to sit in comfort in spite of the open air.
Their day together was the first time Bjorn really looked at her. Her state was not too far away from where Bjorn had been a week earlier. He wasn't the only one pushing themselves too far. Though she looked to be on the brink of exhaustion, not the brink of insanity that Bjorn had been. Even though she obviously was excited to see Bjorn and spend the day with Bjorn she could barely rustle up the energy to look excited for what they were doing. Several times during their activities she zoned out or took a small nap here or there.
He passed on the same wisdom that was given to him to Adriana. She half heartedly promised to not push herself too far. Even though Bjorn didn't believe her, he decided it was best not to push her. She would either take his advice and take a break, or she would pass out from exhaustion sometime during her workouts.
Once their day together was done he next sought out Gram and Dornan to apologize for his actions. It was easy enough to find both of them and they readily accepted Bjorn’s apologies. They said they understood and just wanted to help. Their stops were mostly short and to a point.
He then spent the rest of the 2nd week slowly going between guild halls, and taverns asking discrete questions about the disappearances. Unsurprisingly he didn’t get any real information that led to anything real. It was all rumors about this one thing about my cousin's roommate's boyfriend. The exact same thing that he ran into all the time back on earth, but nothing concrete.
It was actually the day before the meeting with the Duke and everyone working on finding Kairon when he was walking back to his room late one night that a servant came sprinting down the hallway at Bjorn. His rapid approach and disheveled appearance made Bjorn go on high alert as he turned to face the man. Discretely he pulled the dagger from behind his back and pressed the flat of the blade against his forearm.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Sir, I need you to come with me right now. I have just received word from Vilgaforts that you are requested to a meeting with him and the Duke immediately.”
Feeling almost foolish, Bjorn discreetly sheathed the dagger. “Lead the way. I am assuming we must hurry?”
“Yes, come with me.” Without looking back to see if Bjorn was following the man took off down the hall. He didn’t have to look back as he could easily hear Bjorn’s rushing feet slapping into the soft carpet of the floor as he ran after the man.
They ran down the hallway and soon were in an area in the palace Bjorn hadn’t been to much. The man stopped halfway down the hall and placed his hand on the wall and there was an audible click as the wall began to hinge outward and it opened up into a short and narrow hallway. The man ducked inside the hall and beckoned for Bjorn to follow. For half a second he hesitated, this would be the perfect situation to screw Bjorn over. That second past in a flash and he ducked inside after the man.
He did an awkward crouch run to follow after the servant. After a few seconds there was a soft “Woomph.” As the wall swung shut behind them and the hall they were in lit up with light stones. They followed it until the hall ended in another stone wall. The servant placed his hand on a random stone block and another click sounded.
Bjorn thought that the servant was going to push it open. Instead they stood there for a few seconds before the man knocked on the wall twice, waited a second and then knocked once more. After the third knock the wall swung open, revealing the hulking form of Gram.
The captain of the guard smiled down at Bjorn in his hunched position. “Thank you Garrath, we can handle it from here.” The servant gave a small bow to Gram and began to back up into Bjorn. It was a few awkward moments as the hall was barely large enough for one of them, let alone two people. Finally Garrath made it past Bjorn and began heading back down the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Bjorn asked Gram as he stepped into the room. It was the same room that he and Adriana first met Dornan when they came to the palace a little under a month ago now.
“I don’t entirely know but I was told that I need to gather 15 of my best fighters and gather them in secret at the guard house in the lower city.” They walked through the room that was a sitting room and into the other attached room. Standing around a large wooden table was both Duke Dornan and Vilgaforts.
“Ah Bjorn, glad you could make it on such short notice. It’s a good thing you were in the palace.” The duke said.
“What’s going on?” Bjorn asked.
“Come around the table and I will fill all of you in on what I found right away.” Vilgaforts said. Without hesitation Both Bjorn and Gram hurried over to the table and stood along it’s side looking down at what was scrawled across it. The magical table showed a top down view of the city on its surface. There were several sheets of paper strewn about on top of the table.
“As of.” Vilgafort's eyes go distant for a brief moment. “36 minutes ago I believe that I have had a breakthrough in hunting down the bandits that you are looking for Bjorn. We were following up on the missing skilled workers and laborers like we talked about two weeks ago while you were at the meeting Bjorn.”
He nodded.
“We were constantly coming up with dead ends while we tried to lure out the snake behind the disappearances. It didn’t sit well with me enough to make me believe that there was foul play.”
“We already know this. Go on.” Gram said excitedly.
“Yes, well, we kept coming up short when hunting down those who have already disappeared so we decided to change tack. We instead got a list of all of the most skilled workers in the city from the guilds. We only keep track of those under the employ of the dukedom. However, for anyone to be able to do any real skilled work or get contracts building in this city they have to register with the guild that pertains to that type of work.” Vilgaforts said obviously more for Bjorn’s benefit than for anyone else’s present.
“We took those workers and cross refenced it with the details we could find about their lives and came up with a list of the most likely candidates for getting abducted. From there we set up a series of watches of each of the workers and waited. We figured it was only a matter of time.”
“We discussed this at the last meeting.” Gram said.
“Shush.” Dornan said.
Unperturbed by the distractions Vilgaforts continued his report. “The house of Ella and Yanda the blacksmiths was hit a little over an hour ago. We set up teams of three for observing each location. One was to report the hit, while the other two were to follow the perpetrators to their hideout. Once there one was to stay there and watch to make sure nothing happened while the other ran back to contact us and let us know where it was they went to ground.”
Vilgaforts jabbed the table right on the edge between the lower city and the commercial district. There was a line of warehouses that lined the inner wall right there used for bulk storage for some company that Bjorn had never heard about but the table displayed the information when touched.
“This is where they ran aground. We have sent backup for the one keeping watch on the location and we can say with good certainty that this is where they are hiding. It is under better surveillance now but my woman on the ground was fairly certain that they hadn’t left the building.”
“Alright that is well and good, are you sure that this is the group we are looking for?” Dornan asked.
“The man who came and reported to us reported spotting an Aasimar, a Teifling, an Argonian, and two humans being the ones who were responsible for the raid on Ella and Yanda's house.”
Upon hearing the races of the three people responsible Bjorn’s heart began to quicken.
“Based on the description that Bjorn provided us with I am fairly certain that there three non-humans were, Sonia, Ramsey, and Tslla that Bjorn provided descriptions of. I wasn’t sure before this that they were the ones responsible for the disappearances but with this information I can say without a doubt that they are who we have been looking for.”
“That is great news.” Dornan said. He turned and made eye contact with Bjorn. “What do you want to do about this? There are a few ways we can progress from here. We can raid their hideout and get those who are in the warehouse. We can also stake out the building and see if there are signs of others being in the building, this could be a small section of the forces that Kairon can bring to bare. There is a chance that if we attack that we may miss others who are currently not in the building. Or we can try to get one of our own in there, I have some fairly high level professed rogues who can get more information.”
After months of trying to find details on these people it was almost surreal to have them within arms reach. His first gut instinct was to go guns a blazing and storm the building. “Yes but if we wait there is a chance that they escape. Does this building connect to the sewer system in any way?”
Dornan’s brow furrowed and he manipulated the map in front of them. Magic that looked more like the technology back on earth changed the picture displayed on the surface of the wood and soon they were looking at the same overlay but it highlighted the tunnels that ran under the city that was the sewer system.
“No. The closest tunnel is over 200 feet away. There should only be one way into and out of that building.”
“I know I don’t have any proof but my gut feeling is telling me that there is a good chance that they have another way out. If they somehow catch wind that we are on to them they will flee. I don’t think we should wait, I think we should attack as soon as possible and potentially get as much as we can.” Bjorn said.
Gram’s brow furrowed this time. “I get your upset and I understand Bjorn but attacking right away is foolish.” He held up a hand to placate Bjorn. “I am not saying we should wait long, but we should still wait. It will take at least an hour, maybe two for my men to finish forming up and making it to the guardhouse. I think it is in our best interest to wait at least 3, maybe even 4 hours to get things set up. In the meantime I can get guards down in the sewers into that section of tunnel and cut off any possible escape routes that they might have made.”
Bjorn was about to argue but Dornan could see the reaction on Bjorn’s face and cut him off before he could speak. “I know you are hurting Bjorn but this is not the time to rush into things. This is the best chance you currently have to get some of those responsible for Meira’s death, possibly all of them, I won’t risk this mission’s success as well as my men’s lives for your anger. Captain Gram’s plan has merit that I think we should take advantage of. With that being said I will give up 3 hours from now to get ready, from there we will head out into the city and down to the guard house where we will meet up with the men gathering there. We will then go to here and here and wait for exactly 14:00 pm and then the raid will commence.”
From there Gram, Dornan, and Vilgaforts began detailing out a battle plan. It was impressive to say the least watching these men work. In less than 10 minutes they had a working battle plan set up with timings, cues, and strategies that should lead to none of their men or soldiers being in danger of the ranged fighters while cutting off any chance of escape for Kairon’s crew.
Once that was done Dornan turned to look at Bjorn who hadn’t had much to add to the discussion. “You have 3 hours to get ready. I will inform my guards that you are not to leave the palace grounds until that 3 hour mark. I am sorry but your judgement is compromised something you have clearly shone by your actions a week ago now. If you attempt to leave before the time set I will have you detained and you will be forced to sit this raid out. Do you understand me?”
“Yes I do.” Bjorn said. He had already been trying to figure out a way to get out of the palace before the time limit. The downside to the palace was that it was fantastic at keeping people out, this meant it was also fantastic at keeping people in.
“Good, now go get ready, Gram will meet you at the main gate to the palace in 3 hours. Oh and if you stop by the armory I will make sure you can pick any gear you need.”
The dismissal was clear and Bjorn wasn’t going to sit around and waste the time he had things he could do. His first stop was the enchanter’s table. He was actually met at the door by Ryker. When Bjorn put his hand to the door handle it flew open with Ryker standing there a manic look in his eye. The view surprised Bjorn.
Ryker’s body blocked Bjorn from being able to enter the room. “Oh hi Bjorn.” He said as he pulled the door closed behind him.
“Is the golem ready?” Bjorn asked.
Ryker let out a nervous chuckle. “Ready? No, not particularly, it isn’t done yet, close but not done.” He looked shifty as he answered Bjorn’s question, his eyes sweeping side to side looking up and down the hallway.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Bjorn said suspiciously.
“Nothing. The golem isn’t done, it just took longer than I expected.”
“Why are you being shifty? I need it.”
“Well it isn’t finished being built yet. Come back in 4 days and it will probably be done.”
Bjorn was watching the clock in the corner of his vision, he had already wasted half an hour getting here and now talking to Ryker. He still had other stops he wanted to make. “Alright Ryker, I am going to trust you right now. I have other things I need to do, I will be back in 4 days. If you haven’t gotten any progress then I will make sure you regret not finishing in time.”
“Yes sir.” The crazy man said as he slapped his fist to his chest over his heart. A salute of sorts.
Shaking his head he left Ryker and made his way to his next stop which was the alchemist lab. There Skarit gave Bjorn a few health, stamina, and mana potions. Secretly Bjorn had a few in his bag of holding but if potions were getting handed out Bjorn would collect them, no need to waste his resources.
He thanked Skarit and moved on to his next stop which was the armory. He fully intended to take Dornan up on his offer. When he got there he had close to an hour and a half left to get kitted out. The master at arms greeted Bjorn by name when he showed up and together they walked into the palaces armory to find gear for Bjorn.
They walked through shelves laden high with chainmail, gambesons, and breastplates. They were made for every shape and size, a testament to the racial diversity of Blackrock Bay. More than that they were also made out of different types of metal. There was Iron, steal, the bluish grey of high steel, a milky white substance called moonstone, the same milky substance but black called darkstone, there wasn’t much of that, the same iridescent color of glass, and finally a vibrant green colored metal called adamantine.
After some time talking about the metal and the gear they ended up giving Bjorn a small chest plate made out of moonstone, Bjorn wanted glass or adamantine but unfortunately he wasn’t cleared to take that expensive of gear into the field. The moonstone chest plate fell into the medium armor category and even though he didn’t have any skill levels in medium armor it didn’t limit his movements too badly and it was perfect to help mitigate the failure chance for spell casting.
It was lightly enchanted with increased physical defenses as well as giving him a 10% resistance to both air and earth. It was the same story for the armored pants he got, made out of moon stone only; it was enchanted with a 10% resistance to water and fire magic.
With that done he was given a sword made out of high steel that wasn’t enchanted. He still had his drow bow which wasn’t the best but better than nothing. He was however given a quiver full of arrows that were tipped with moonstone. They gave a baseline +3 to all damage regardless of bow.
Now that he was fully kitted out he had half an hour until they were slated to leave. Bjorn made his way to Adriana’s room. She didn’t answer right away when he knocked but after a few minutes of constant knocking she answered the door in her night gown. Her hair was a mess and her eyes squinted. When she saw that it was Bjorn at the door and that he was outfitted for battle she woke up right away.
She understandably wanted to come along but Bjorn told her he wouldn’t bring her along for this, as she didn’t have any weapons or armor, and that this was going to be a dangerous fight. He just wanted to let her know that this was happening as she deserved to know just as much as anyone else did. She didn’t like the answer but she didn’t have a choice she had to accept it.
Eventually she wished Bjorn luck on his raid and slammed the door behind her quite angrily. With everything done Bjorn made his way down to the front gate where he found Gram and two others standing there shifting from foot to foot. “Alright are you ready to go?” Gram asked.
“No Duke Dornan?” Bjorn asked.
“Not this time. He would come but the risk isn’t worth it, on top of that he still has his duties he has to attend to. Just because we are going on a raid doesn't mean that the city stops needing to be managed.”
“Fair enough, let's go.” Bjorn said.
Gram nodded and he did a hand gesture towards the gate. The main door to the gate began to slowly open. The four slipped through it and out into the night. The streets were oddly quiet and dead even for tonight. Or so it felt as he began to prepare his mind for what was about to come. He was filled with a mix of adrenaline and a sense of calm. He would finally be able to get some answers to what was going on and where Kairon went. He would finally be able to take some vengeance on Meira’s killers.
As they traveled through the streets of Blackrock Bay they all walked in silence. They didn’t know what would happen but everyone knew that violence was about to take place. They all prepared themselves in their own way.
In what seemed like no time at all they were at the guardhouse. When they entered into the room the atmosphere was quiet and deadly. Inside there were twenty people standing still and at attention. They looked dangerous, there were obvious melee fighters with their heavy armor and bulky frames. There were the ranged scout fighters with their daggers, bows, light armor, and lean muscled frames. And finally there were two mages with their light mage robes, stereotypical wizard hats and ornate staves held in their hands. Everyone present was kitted out to the gills. Every single one of them was a professed fighter in some way and they sure looked the part.
When Gram, Bjorn, and their two shadows entered the room there was a unified sound as everyone snapped to attention. They stood there in silence waiting for orders from their leader. The stillness lasted a few moments before Gram started to speak. He briefed his soldiers on the situation they found themselves in. He gave a brief backstory on who they were and how they found them. From there he began detailing the plan that the Gram, Dornan, and Vilgaforts came up with. He gave out assignments and split the group into two. Finally he gave the two shadows orders to reinforce the people down in the sewers and make sure that there was a chance of escape.
With that done Gram gave a short inspiring speech to his men. There were no cheers, there were no placramations from those gathered. Just a squaring of shoulders here, a set jaw there.
Finally they set out and made their way through the streets of Blackrock Bay. For how large of a group they were and how heavily armored they were they were surprisingly quiet. They passed by an inn where light, music and revelry spilled out on the street. The sound from the inn was louder than the group of 24 heavily armored fighters passing by outside. There were a few patrons hanging out outside of the inn and when they saw the column pass by they quickly moved inside. No doubt about to speak about what they just saw.
They made their way through the winding streets of Blackrock Bay and ended up in a quiet almost deserted looking past of the city. All of the windows of the surrounding buildings were dark and lifeless. Stealthily the group made their way through the streets and to a series of warehouses lined up along the street.
As they neared a particular warehouse they were intercepted by a pair of humans. They made their way over to Gram and the trio began to whisper amongst themselves. After a minute of them talking, Gram turned back to his soldiers and gave a nod. That was the signal, the group then split into two and the second group made their way to a nearby alleyway with one of the two Gram had been conversing with.
Bjorn had been assigned to Gram’s group and so he stayed there, his bow in hand a moonstone tipped arrow set to the string just not drawn. He slowly made his way through the group of professed fighters that surrounded Bjorn and stopped when he was next to Gram.
The gentle giant looked over to see who was next to him and spoke softly. “Are you ready friend?”
“I have never been more ready for something in my life.” Bjorn said as his heart began to pound in anticipation.
“Good because it is time.” Gram turned his back towards the mage that had been left with his group. It was one of the two aeromancers that had the spell to communicate over long distances. The man’s hand glowed in a yellow light briefly, the man next to him draped his cloak over the mage’s hands, stifling the light. After the glow faded the man gave Gram a nod.
Gram looked over to where Bjorn stood and made eye contact with the smaller human. After he looked back at the mage and said a single word. “Attack.”
