Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty-Nine - Plopped Back

We made it to the outpost in due time, and I think we surprised the locals.

The two guards by the gate saw us coming from afar, then saw all the people we were escorting. It didn't take long for one of them to start running our way.

"I think I need to chat with him," I said.

"Go on, kindly long-eared one. Do your duty as leader of this unscrupulous lot of maiden-saviours!" Desiree said.

"Uh, okay," I said before I jogged past the Exploration guild people and our line-up of bandits. I met the guard with a friendly wave and a friendlier smile. "Hello!"

"Hello again," he said before he paused and adjusted his belt. "Zat's a mighty big lot of people you've found zere. Folk with zeir hands all tied up, too. Do you mind me asking what's going on?"

"Right, it's a bit of a long story," I said. "But I came out here looking for Sir Tissue, that's the Exploration Guild grenoil over there. He was to help us find ur friend, a bun woman named Booksie, who was kidnapped out of Port Royal. I directed him back to the exploration guild, but he couldn't leave his recruits behind, so once he was on his way, I hurried back. However, before I made it back to the teleportation point, you mentioned that supplier. After talking with him, we suspected that after Booksie was kidnapped, she had been brought to somewhere around here, so we went and got Sir Tissue to help, along with the Guild recruits he had with him, and we found Booksie, and another girl that were captive, and a bunch of bandits. So we kind of... forcefully tied them up. No one died though! And if they were injured, we gave them first aid."

The guard grenoil blinked slowly a couple of times. "I zink I got all of zat," he said. "You know, I always heard stories of the Exploration Guild being a bit... much, but I never zought I'd see if for myself."

"We're really sorry," I said. "Does Rockstack have a prison?"

"We have a guardhouse," he said. "Zere's a couple of cells, but mostly just for drunk delvers and local troublemakers. Zeir not used much here. And I don't zink we have room for all of zem."

"Well, that might be a problem," I said. "These folks are kidnappers at the least. Hired bandits too. I think they might be a bit worse than the occasional drunk."

"We have a stable," the guard said. "Let me run ahead, we'll wake ze guards for ze night rotation too, maybe turn zis into an all-hands-on-deck situation."

"I'd appreciate it," I said. "Does Rockstack have anything like a detective? Or someone in law-enforcement with a class that's good for asking questions? I don't think any of us has something like that, and there's a lot that I'd like to know."

"We can have someone like zat come down from Port Royal. We're going to need someone to come down. It's rare zat we have to send a ruffian back to ze city for proper judgement, but it happens. Usually we send a couple of guards up with some merchants and the prisoner, the same guards we'll be rotating out. But for zis many..."

"Yeah, it's more than you're used to, I get it," I said. "I'll see if any of our recruits mind staying back for the night. Will you be able to get a message out to Port Royal?"

"We can do that," he said. "We've got a mage that can send messages some distance. We'll have the cavalry riding on over before nightfall."

That sounded good enough for me. Made sense that someone would have some sort of long-range communication going on. Though if it was uncommon, it probably needed a specific class or some training to work. Otherwise there wouldn't be a Courier's Guild anymore.

I thanked the guard, then ran back to Jean-Pierre to give him the news. He agreed that the Exploration Guild could stick around for a while. Their mission today was supposed to last until the end of the dungeon, then they were meant to travel back to Rockstack in the evening, so technically they were here early.

Staying until evening wasn't that big of a deal, then. Jean-Pierre said that he had some discretionary funds, enough to get everyone a warm meal at the Hop On Inn.

We entered Rockstack, then with the help of a couple of freshly-awakened guards, shepherded the bandits into the stables. They weren't exactly jail-like, but there was a tall fence all around and room for all of them.

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"Ah, what now?" Awen asked me once they were all locked up.

"I... don't know. I guess I can try to see if Booksie and I can't teleport back to Port Royal? I'm sure they'll let us if we ask nicely."

"I wouldn't mind going back home," Booksie said. She tugged her nightgown down a little, and I was acutely aware that at the moment, the only other thing she was wearing was socks. She hadn't complained at all during the walk, but maybe that was the post-saving adrenaline.

"I, also, wish to leave this place and its many bandits," Desiree said. "A person of my calibre shouldn't be left behind in such squalor!"

"Right, of course," I said. "Do... you have family around here? Friends? Anyone that can help you?" I asked.

Desiree sniffed. "No."

Well, that complicated things a little. Desiree spoke like she was well-educated, and she seemed pretty nice, but I was pretty sure that she didn't have any money on her, and if she didn't have anyone to help...

"Okay, well, we can let you stay with us for a few days while you get your feet under you," I said.

Maybe the Exploration Guild wouldn't mind taking her in? Or Booksie could use her as a helper in her shop? In any case, we'd help her out too, because abandoning someone was just not the friendly thing to do.

I gave Awen a big, big hug, mostly because she didn't really have a good excuse to leave with us, so she'd have to stay with the recruits over here until it was time for them to go. "I'll see if I can't question the bandits," Awen said. "Some of them look like they might be willing to talk. Maybe if we offer them some better food."

"You don't have to go that far," I said. "I'm sure someone will question them."

"Yes, but we might not learn about it. Other than being Booksie's friends, we don't really have many ties to all of this," Awen said. "Trust me?"

I blinked, then nodded. I did trust Awen, and I supposed that she was probably right. On paper, my friends and I really didn't have too much business with all of this. As far as the law was concerned, we probably didn't have much business being informed about any developments. Mathilde might be informed of. Cholondee probably had people around who'd be willing to share what they were told with her, but my friends and I didn't really have a finger on the pulse.

Oh, unless Caprica asked? Even then, who would go and tell the Sylph embassy about anything?

If we didn't work to stay in the loop, then we'd silently slip out of it, and then Booksie would get kidnapped again because the people in the loop were slower to act.

I gave everyone a goodbye hug, even those who didn't look like they were used to hugs, then I gave Awen a second goodbye hug because she was one of my best friends. Then, with all the goodbyes said and done, I grabbed Booksie and Desiree's hands and pulled them along with me as we went to the local mage's office.

It took a bit of explaining to get him to agree to teleport us back right away, as opposed to waiting until nightfall to go with the rest. I think he was ready to argue about it for a while, at least until Booksie started to complain about being cold. He relented almost right away after that, and with a powerful surge of magic, we were whisked away only to reappear within the Mage's Guild.

"How impressive," Desiree said as she looked around, then checked herself over. "Magic of this versatility ought to be far more common! No longer will noble souls have to trudge across the land, but instead, faithful magical servants will whisk them away unto faraway lands in a blink!"

"I'm just glad it didn't upset your tummy," I said.

"Hmph, as if my stomach would dare rebel against me! It is made of iron and steel and--" Desiree cut herself off as she emptied her tummy all over the floor.

I was quick to flood Cleaning magic all over as Mage Procko ambled over, looking somewhat unimpressed. "I see zat you've made some friends. I don't zink zat ze teleportation circle has been used zis much in a while."

"Hi sir, and I'm sorry. It was... several emergencies, all at once."

"Zat is usually how it goes with emergencies. Trouble begets trouble, after all."

***