So, not
wanting to hurt Gladia, I decided to meet the panther by the General’s manor.
When I made that decision, I stayed in the alleyways that provided the best
means of staying hidden as I made my way there. When I got to where I was
looking at the gate, I sat behind a crate and kept hidden. I wanted to wait
until the panther was walking up before I made my presence known.
That’s why
he scared me when he placed his paw on my shoulder. It was all I could do to
not scream out at that. When my breathing calmed down, he said I was smart to
hide here. Then he said that “I’d do nicely,” at which I gulped. He chuckled
and told me not to worry. He wasn’t turning me over to the General. “At least,
not yet,” he added with a creepy chuckle.
He said
that if I proved to be worth something, he’d spare me that hell. He’d even see
about getting my “girlfriend”, I assume he meant Eliza, out of there if I
impressed him enough. I figured at that point, that having me meet him there
was a test to see how stupid I am. A test which, apparently, I passed.
I opened
my mouth to speak, but he put his finger, which still smelled like cinnamon
like it did before, over my mouth. He said that the only problem he had with
women is that we talk too much. I scowled at him, but shut my mouth anyway. He
was still in control of the situation and I knew it. He said he was getting to
what he wanted out of me, which he knew is what I was going to ask, and it was.
He said he
was going to give me another set of choices, one of which would be a step
towards getting Eliza free. He then said I had three options, two of which
would be “favors” for him. The third would be the end of our “business
relationship”, and thus, the end of this “respectful dialogue.” I would say it
was more of a monologue, since he didn’t permit me to speak. But I guess my
actions were speaking for me.
The first
choice, he said, was for me to break into the General’s manor and steal a
particular document. One that detailed his dealings with Jonah, the Bruumweild
clan, and a few other shady characters. This document would be located in his
study, the one room that none of his servants and staff, not even the panther
himself, could enter. To do so would earn an immediate death sentence. Of
course, if I was caught, I would earn that death sentence. But that document
would serve as a bargaining chip for, amongst other things, getting Eliza out
of there.
Option two
was to break into Jonah’s home and steal the same thing. He didn’t know where
it would be there, and he wasn’t sure how well guarded it would be. While this
wouldn’t earn Eliza’s freedom, it would likely be just as dangerous, since
Jonah was known for killing would-be thieves on the spot, should he catch them.
And it likely was heavily protected, since the information contained within the
document could be used to incriminate him in many crimes. The General’s way of
doing things was the only reason such a document existed to begin with, and the
General is one of Jonah’s main sources of profit.
The third
and final option, the “death wish” he called it, was to ignore the other two
and go back to whatever I was doing before I made the mistake of catching his
eye. He said he would assume I took this option if I wasn’t back here with
either of the documents by next sunrise. He said that, until then, he would
ensure Starlight, Gladia, and Alakath’s safety. For that matter, he said, he
would do so as long as I was in his good graces. He would kill them himself
should I fail his demands. And yes, dying myself would still lead to their
deaths by his hands.
He walked
away into the still dark alleyway as soon as he finished talking. As soon as he
was out of sight, I made my way to the sewer cover I used to get into the manor
last time. If I’m gonna risk my ass for a piece of paper, I’m gonna get help
for my friend if I can.
Eliza was
the only reason I even considered going into the General’s manor. I knew that,
ultimately, this was the more difficult of the two choices that didn’t get my
friends killed, since there was no way I was going to get inside from up high.
It’s always a bigger challenge coming from the bottom than the top.
Like last
time, I tied a pink piece of string around the ladder I used to climb down, so
I could easily identify it on my return, should I take this way out. Like last
time, I had no trouble finding the door to the General’s basement. The latch to
the door hadn’t been fixed yet.
Like last
time, there didn’t seem to be a guard there. It was like the General hadn’t
been made aware of it. Or maybe he trusted his interior security enough to not
bother with it. Either way, it meant that I should have an easy time getting to
at least that one storage room going upstairs.
Like last
time, it seemed like forever of bumping into crates, barrels, and other stuff,
all while rats, mice, and other little critters scampered all over me. I stayed
freaked out basically, until I finally found the stairs and began crawling up.
Like last
time, I crawled up the stairs until I could begin to see. I found the storage
room where shit went down last time. There was no one in there, just like the
first time. Just a bunch of crates and barrels stacked neatly, ready for
someone to carry them further down, up, whatever the case may be.
Unlike
last time, however, no one was coming down the stairs. No one riling me up,
talking about how they’d fuck my newest friend. No one to corner me behind a
crate and grope me. No one that I have to kill to save my other friend.
I
continued up the stairs passed that cursed room, treading as lightly as only
the best bunny thieves can. Only foxes can be more quiet. To my surprise, I
made it to the top of the stairs without encountering anybody, given how long
those stairs were. I kept low as I got to the top, as the room ahead was
brightly lit.
The room I
was about to enter was the main foyer. The front door to the manor was right
next to me. It was closed, and appeared to be thoroughly secured shut. Pretty
sure several tons of dynamite wouldn’t blow it open.
I scanned
the room for any indications of either guards or anyone else that could give me
away. I also was looking for any indication of where his study might be. If it
was like most, it would be upstairs, in a far corner from any hustle and
bustle. Probably the furthest room from my current position. (Turns out, I was
absolutely correct about that assumption grrrr)
Once I
came to that conclusion, I searched for a discreet passage upstairs. I hate
foyers by the way. They’re so open, and there’s rarely more than a column or
two, maybe a couch and a table I can use hide behind or under. This particular
foyer was even worse. Only a couple of columns to hide around. No chairs or
tables. No curtains. Completely open and nearly impossible to avoid detection.
My only
hope was that it was still too early for many of the occupants of the manor to
be stirring. And I had to hope that the few who were stirring weren’t going to
come close to the foyer, or if they did, they mistook me for a wandering guard
or something.
I hugged
each of the columns I came to, trying to stay unseen and unheard by any
passerby I may not have been able to see. I had made it most of the way up the
stairs when I had to freeze in place. I didn’t even breathe while I looked for
a way around.
Standing
with his back towards me, addressing some servant, or most likely slave, was
the General himself. He wasn’t exactly dressed for the day, so I assume the
poor soul being quietly berated by the General had woken him somehow. After a
couple of minutes, the General went towards the left and down some hallway. The
slave just collapsed on her knees and began sobbing. I took advantage of the
chance and followed the General down the hall. He went into a room in a
seemingly far corner and I heard a loud CLUNK.
I knew
that door wasn’t coming open without getting anyone’s attention, but I knew how
I was getting in there. There was an air vent just a few feet in front of me. I
kept a wrench in my pack just for this. I unfastened the grate and quietly
pulled it back in place. I couldn’t refasten it from the inside without risking
a lot of noise, but only the most vigilant of guards would notice the missing
bolt.
Then it
was just a matter of crawling through the ductwork without clunking about the
place. That wouldn’t be an issue, except anywhere it might narrow, making
moving through it difficult. But there was one problem I always had with these
vents…
I couldn’t
see for shit in there. I had to rely solely on my hands, sides, feet, and any
other part of my body I could use to feel where I was going. Hearing the rooms
outside also helped guide me, but it was my touch that I had to rely on most.
I lightly
drug my right hand along the wall next to me, trying to feel the turn I needed to
make in order to head towards the room the General had entered. After what
seemed like forever, I finally found that turn and crawled in that direction.
Every so
often, there was a vent into a room. I would peek through quickly in order to
see if I found the room I was looking for. At the fifth vent, I saw the General
sitting in a chair, reading a parchment, making annotations in a separate
notepad, like he was taking notes on something. I took a moment to see what all
was in the room.
The walls,
save right in front of this vent, were covered by shelves of books. In the
center of the room was the chair the General was sitting in, with a small
wooden table right next to it. I could see a couple of table legs not far from
the vent, so that told me there was a table right in front of me. I noted how
quiet this part of the manor was, and the lack of bedding told me that this
room was likely his study.
I couldn’t
help but grin when I came to this conclusion. This had been much easier than I
had imagined it to be. Now I just needed to be patient and wait on the
opportunity to slip in, grab the document that the panther (still don’t know
his name) wants, and slip out as quietly as I’ve slipped in.
Eventually,
there was a knock on the door. The General sighed and walked over and stepped
out. I took this opportunity to at least get the bolt unfastened holding the
grate in place. This is very difficult to do from inside the grate, but thanks
to having a lot of practice at it, it took me no time to get it done, and do it
fairly quietly. I got my wrench back inside the grate just in time, as the
General stepped back in as soon as it passed out of sight.
He didn’t
sit back down in his chair, though. Instead, he walked over to one of the
shelves of books and pulled one down. He opened it and glanced through it
before putting it back. He muttered something about how some ‘Brutus’ had been
gone too long. He said it couldn’t be that hard to track down a “damned blue
bunny”… Me?
When he
said that he “shouldn’t have let that fat bitch go”, I knew he was talking
about me. He kept muttering about the things he had planned for ‘that slut’ as
he kept pulling books off the shelf, looking over a page or two, and replacing
them. Things I’m not writing down here. For my sake, not his.
After some
time of him saying these things that had my blood boiling, there was another
knock at his door. He put the book he had just pulled off the shelf down on the
table and walked over to the door and opened it. A voice that sounded like
Eliza’s said that someone was in the foyer wishing to speak with him. He
slapped her as he asked who let him in there. She said she didn’t know, that
she had just saw him and asked what his business was. The General let out a
snarl and he shoved her out of his way, slammed the door shut and locked it.
That was
my cue to enter the room. But first, I knew I needed to relax. I’d make too
much noise trying to move about as angry as I was. I took several very slow,
very deep breaths, and thought that Eliza wouldn’t be in this shithole much
longer. That’s if the panther held up his end of his promise. After a couple of
minutes, my anger had subsided and I was calm enough to enter the room quiet as
a mouse.
I came out
from under the table and quickly surveyed the room, looking for something that
screamed “take me!” I looked on the table I just crawled from under, and there
was a lockbox – a quick check showed it was locked – with no key to be found
nearby. I spent a minute trying to pick the lock to no avail – I couldn’t even
get my pick inside the lock. It was for doors and larger locks, not the tiny
lock found on this box.
I knew that
I couldn’t leave with the box, since the General would immediately know it was
taken. I also didn’t know if the document was actually in the box and not some
secret military stuff I could get sent to prison for possessing. I took a few
more moments searching the room for any other place the document could be.
I was
about to say fuck it and take the box anyway, when I noticed a small gap in one
of the chair’s armrests. I walked over to it and opened it – there was nothing
securing it. Inside were a few pieces of paper rolled up together and bundled
with a piece of black string. I peeled back a corner of one of the pages and
read a bit of what was there.
That page
was some kind of contract, but I couldn’t see with whom it was with. But one of
the terms was “deliverance of one (1) Feral fugitive” with a name that was
hidden from view. I pulled it out a bit more and was stunned. Beside some
unfamiliar markings was “(Starlight Snowtail)”. I read a bit more, and this was
a contract with the General and someone having Starlight delivered here! This
bundle is what I was after!
I quickly
and quietly closed the armrest’s compartment and went back into the vent, that
is, after carefully sticking the documents in my pack. I pulled the grate back
over the vent, and this time I did take the time to refasten it. Once that was
done, I went back the way I came.
I got back
to the grate I initially entered the ducts in but had to stop there. Just in
front if the grate was the General and a black furred feline… the panther, if
the smell of cinnamon meant anything. The General was asking if he had “found
her”. The panther just said that “she’s
a sly one. Years hiding from the sharks has made her hard to track.” The
General just yelled that he’s supposed to be the best hunter in the land, and a
mere bunny whore shouldn’t be able to hide from him.
The
panther just chuckled and said that he was on it. He just needs time. The
General barked that he already had had plenty of time, and that he wasn’t going
to give him slack just because the panther wanted to be lazy. I was starting to
see why the panther may want to get at the General.
The
General kept barking things at him, and the panther, from what I could tell
from his feet, wasn’t reacting to it. He just kept shifting from one leg to the
other, as if he was bored. Finally, the panther said that if the General was
done wasting his hot air on him, he had a rabbit to find. The General barked
that he would yell at whomever he pleased for however long it suited him. I
took this as my cue to try and find another way out.
I slowly
and quietly got turned around and made my way back towards the outer wall. This
time, when I got to where the duct branched right, I didn’t follow. I couldn’t
go straight, so I went left. I went as far as I could before having to turn
again. My options were either left or right.
I looked
both ways, and saw a bright light coming from the right, so I slowly went that
way. I got to the grate that the light was pouring in from, and saw that it led
outside. I saw a ledge just outside the grate, and that I was fairly high off
the ground. I curled up against the ductwork by the grate and waited for the
sun to go down, liking my chances of not being spotted at night, rather than
the day.
While I
waited, I began to wonder how Gladia was holding up. She didn’t know where I
was or what I was doing. She would have just woken up to me not being there.
Probably in a panic, as she isn’t familiar with this town at all. If she had
any sense, though, she’d stay in the battlement. It would be the safest place
for her.
I also
thought about Starlight. She was supposed to be getting out of the hospital
today. No doubt, neither one would want to leave without me, so I hope they
both stay safe while I do these favors for the panther. I wish I could see the
battlement from here, but there’s too many buildings in the way.
As the sun
began to finally set, my thoughts were on how things might be in Drayden’s
Burrow. Hopefully, things there are where I can finally put this thievery
bullshit behind me. This isn’t how I want to spend my life. The skills may come
in handy, though, if what Gladia said about the ruins the relic is in is true.
Still, I hate stealing from people. I just hope that life there will be better
than here. Maybe Alakath can come with us even…
Okay, the
sun’s about down. I’m gonna try to get out of here in a bit. I’m as well rested
as I can be at this point, and that biscuit that we had gotten for Starlight
will have to tide me over until tomorrow sometime. Hopefully, getting out of
here is as easy as it was getting in...