Vesper sat down at the table and pulled her bowl of carrot soup close to her. She clasped her hands together in front of her face, bowed her head, and pretended to pray. As she did so, her eyes scanned the almshouse, taking in as much as she could. It was packed full of the poor and homeless, who were keeping the monks busy. This was good for her.
She took a few swallows of the soup before getting up from the table and moving swiftly through the crowded dining hall to a door that led outside. Stepping out into the rain, she glanced over her shoulder before closing the door, but it didn't appear that anyone had noticed her sudden departure. She found the old well that Rogue John and the others had told her about. The heavy rain should keep everyone inside, leaving her free to do what she needed.
Walking over to the well, Vesper undid the bandages wrapped around her forearms. The well had been boarded up, but it seemed the wood was old and warped and no one had bothered to replace it. She hoped John was right about it, though she had her doubts. If there was a secret passage into the church, why had the entrance been neglected for so long? Perhaps it was part of the illusion?
After testing the sturdiness of a couple of the boards, Vesper jumped up on them. She looped her bandages around the end of a board that overhung the lip of the well and pulled with all her might. The board groaned and she could feel it struggling against the old, rusty nails. Finally, it popped loose without creating much noise. She did the same thing to the boards on either side of the first, glancing around periodically to make sure she wasn't being watched.
After the last one popped loose, she got down and lifted a board to peer inside. It was getting dark, and she couldn't see any signs of a passage inside. Replacing the board how it had been, she wrapped the bandages back around her forearms and dusted her hands off. She had done her part.
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"Where is she?"
"Calm down. She'll be here."
Artie returned to chewing his fingernails. What if she'd been caught? What would they do to her? Surely they wouldn't throw her in jail just for poking around an old well, would they?
"If you don't stop, I'm going to tie you up and leave you here," Rogue John said to Artie.
Artie looked at him while still biting his nails.
"You need to keep your cool if we're going to stand a chance at this, and if you can't do that, I won't take you with us."
Artie looked away and wiped his fingers on the outside of his robe. Jasper gave him a sympathetic smile, though he agreed with John.
"And while we're at it - you should ditch the stupid hat."
Jasper held up his hand. "Don't bother. I've already tried."
"It's tradition!"
Just then, Vesper walked in, her clothing soaked and her hair sticking to her face. "It's done. The well looked abandoned. I don't think anyone will bother you. The boards are loose for you."
"Did you see a passage?" John asked.
"Couldn't tell. If it keeps raining like this tonight, you shouldn't have to worry about noise, or the monks. They'll be handing out soup, blankets, and pillows for a while with all the people in there."
"Well done!" Rogue John said, lifting his tankard.
"My part's done. I'm going back to man the bar with Slade."
"Thank you, Vesper," Jasper said.
"Yes, thank you very much!" Artie said, shuffling nervously.
Vesper pointed at him and said, "I haven't forgiven what you said earlier. You're on my list."
Artie's shoulders sagged as he hung his head. "I didn't mean it like that...I misspoke!"
Vesper slammed the door behind her. Jasper looked with a bewildered expression from Artie to Rogue John, who was grinning. "What did I miss?" he asked.
"It's nothing," Artie said quickly, walking to the table and pretending to organize the papers that lay there.
John laughed and pounded the table with his fist. "That's right! You went to the outhouse and missed it! Your boy there really put his foot in his mouth!"
"Oh, Artie... What did you say?" Jasper asked, bracing himself for the secondhand pain.
"It's nothing," Artie insisted.
Rogue John refused to let it go. "Ol' Artie here told Vesper that she should be the one to scope out the almshouse first because 'she already looked homeless.'"
Jasper brought his hand to his face and groaned, rubbing his forehead. Artie's face was as red as a tomato.
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Artie let out a sigh of relief when he saw Jasper finally emerge from the almshouse and make his way towards the well. The two friends crouched low to the ground, using the well for cover, though there wasn't much need. Vesper was right - the rain was keeping people inside.
"How you holding up, Artie?" Jasper whispered.
"I was a bit nervous before we started, but now that we're doing it, I don't feel so bad. I just keep reminding myself why we're doing this."
Cerana.
The two friends waited in silence for what seemed like eternity. Rogue John had suggested they all go at separate times to avoid arousing too much suspicion. Surely it was time for him to show up. Hopefully he wasn't passed out drunk somewhere and forgotten all about them.
"Where is he?" Jasper muttered.
There was a soft tap on their shoulders, causing both boys to spin around in a startled fit - eyes wide and muscles tense to run. Rogue John stood there with a pack on his back and the hood of his cloak up in a poor attempt to keep some of the rain off himself.
"How?" Artie asked.
"Lift those boards while I get the grappling hook," John said, unslinging the pack.
Jasper and Artie didn't argue, and didn't waste any time. Rogue John secured the grapple around a nearby tree and pulled on it with all his might to test it. Satisfied, he donned his pack again and joined the boys at the well.
"Are you sure that will hold me?" Artie asked.
John looked him up and down. "You haven't met Ryujin, have you?"
"Who?"
"Udai mentioned him the other day," Jasper said. "Who is he?"
Rogue John huffed. "A pain in my arse. This hook held him, it'll hold you. Stop dawdlin' - let's go!" He threw the rope down into the well. "No splash. That's a good sign. Let me go down first and see if there's any kinda tunnel or passage. If it's good to go, I'll pull the rope twice."
Without hesitation, he scrambled over the well and disappeared into the darkness, descending with amazing dexterity. Artie grabbed the rope to wait for the signal while Jasper scanned the area to make sure no one was watching. There was no one, and had been no one, and Jasper only hoped that their luck with continue for the rest of the night.
"Two times," Artie whispered. "He says it's good."
"You go next and I'll follow," Jasper said.
Artie took a deep breath and threw his leg over the side. "The things you get me into, Jasper Hemlock."
Jasper propped himself up on the lip of the well and watched Artie's descent into the darkness. He would give him a minute or two before he followed down the rope. He ducked down when the door to the almshouse was pushed open and he saw a monk carrying a large chamber pot, waddling towards some bushes nearby in his direction.
Jasper cursed and wracked his brain. The monk was only going to get closer, and he doubted that the man would miss him or the grappling hook tied to the tree. While he could hide, he couldn't undo the hook without knowing Artie was safely down.
He peeked around the well and saw that the monk had stopped and set the pot on the ground and had turned to retrieve one of his sandals that had gotten lodged in the mud. Jasper drew his wand from its leather sheath and waved it at the chamber pot, praying that the monk would keep his back turned just long enough...
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Using a basic levitation spell, he raised the chamber pot slowly into the air. Once it was off the ground he begun to tip it over right where it floated. At just that time, the monk's sandal tore loose from the mud and the man stumbled backward. Startled, Jasper let the pot drop into the mud, causing some of its foul contents to slosh out, but worse still the monk lost his footing and backed into the pot.
With a cry, he fell over, dragging the pot down onto its side and spilling its contents to mix with the mud and monk's own robes. The man began gagging and scrambled to his feet faster than anyone Jasper had ever seen. He snatched the pot from the ground and began retching, but before he made it back to the door, he vomited into the mud. He ran back inside, screaming for help from the others inside.
"I'm so sorry," Jasper murmured. He did feel bad, but he felt confident that their cover was safe for now. It had been enough time, and so he swung his legs over the well and began climbing down.
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Jasper's boots hit solid ground after about a minute of climbing. Though he was in good shape, he had never had to suspend himself for that long, and so his arms were burning from the effort. Rogue John and Artie were in a nearby tunnel with a lantern lit and facing away so it wouldn't be visible from the well above. Jasper took a few breaths and joined them.
"Where have you been? I was getting worried," Artie said.
"What took so long?" Rogue John asked.
Jasper smirked. "Bathroom break. Sorry."
"Sneaking into a church with a couple of children..." John muttered as he rustled through his pack. "Do you two need a snack break before we proceed?"
"What do you have?" Jasper asked with a sly grin.
John grumbled again and slung his pack over his shoulder. "Follow me, and be quiet until we know where we are."
The tunnel was roughly carved, with old supports and low ceilings. It was clear it had been dug, stabilized, and then forgotten. Its purpose had never been to be used as a regular mode of passage, but rather as a contingency, so that the people in the church would have a place to run and hide if necessary. It wouldn't be the first time in history that the church had been targeted by invaders.
Luckily for them, it did appear truly forgotten. No footprints were found, nor handprints in the dust on the beams. The torches in the sconces were untouched and brittle. So far, so good, and they only hoped that the way remained clear until they reached their destination.
They did not have to go far. The almshouse was on a plot of land right next to the church, and while they took their time moving through the darkness, it still only took them five minutes until they reached a dead end.
"No! All this for nothing," Artie said.
"Calm down," Rogue John said. "This slab of stone is flat, smooth. It's not a cave-in. I think we've already made it underneath the cathedral."
Jasper drew his wand and used a spell to emit light from the tip of it. He stepped closer and ran his hands over the stone. John did the same.
"No switches or pressure plates," Jasper said.
"No triggers or levers on the walls nearby," John replied.
"No keyholes, either."
"Have you tried pushing?" Artie asked.
Jasper and Rogue John simultaneously looked over their shoulders at him. "Surely not..."
Jasper and John put their shoulders into the heaping slab of stone and pushed with all their might. Artie moved in-between them and planted his back into it before digging his heels into the ground and straining. Just as the three of them were about to call it quits, the stone broke loose and moved ever so slightly, and dust fell onto their heads as a gap was opened.
The stone wall swung open easily the rest of the way as if on hinges, and the three men were greeted by rows upon rows of chests spilling over with valuables. Gold, gems, jewels, and ornate artifacts that gleamed and glinted in the firelight of hanging lanterns. Jasper and Artie stood enamored by the horde of treasure surrounding them in this giant underground chamber, while Rogue John skulked in the shadows, checking every corner and crevice for anyone who might be lurking - either hiding from them, or waiting to attack them.
"We're clear - for now. Someone had to have lit the lanterns," John said, returning to them. He took a moment to admire that the door they had entered through was actually a false fireplace, with the whole thing swinging out.
"This is horrible," Jasper said, still in awe.
John looked around the room, taking in all the wealth that was here. He raised an eyebrow at Jasper. "Yeah... My thoughts exactly..." The sarcasm dripped from his words.
"We'll never find anything in here. I thought the church would keep it organized, but this is all one big mess. How are we supposed to know if any of this will help Cerana?"
"Plan B." John dug inside his pack and removed several sack cloths. He tossed a couple to both Jasper and Artie. "Take as much as we can carry. The money will be more help to your friend than nothing."
Jasper looked at the sacks, running his thumbs over the material while the sound of clinking gold coins echoed throughout the room. Truth be told, he'd never wanted to take money from the Church of Rhore. He'd only wanted to find some treasure that would heal Cerana and that would be the end of it. They wouldn't miss one item, but sacks upon sacks of gold? Though looking around, he doubted they would miss any of it, he still didn't like the thought.
He watched Artie and John scraping piles of gold into the bags. Coward! He ran to the opposite end of the room, nearby a stairwell leading up and started cramming the sacks full of gold and any other small gems and treasures that would fit.
Something hit him in the arm, and he found Rogue John standing there, holding a finger to his lips. His pointed ears twitched and he pointed to the stairwell. He beckoned Jasper on, and the young wizard followed, trying to keep his sacks of gold from jingling too much. He ducked behind a larger chest with Rogue John, who was waving Artie over. Now, Jasper could hear the slippered footsteps approaching, reflections of light coming from above.
Artie looked from John to the stairwell and then dashed across the room. He winced at the noise his gold bags made and tried to take lighter steps. One of his feet wrapped around a gold necklace that was hanging out of an open chest, and tripped. The gold spilled all across the floor, echoing around the room as it scattered on the marble.
Jasper and Rogue John both looked to the stairwell, where the light had stopped moving toward them. Artie held his breath and crawled on his belly to join them behind the chest. After several agonizing moments, the footsteps continued toward them.
Turning the final spiral of the stairwell stood a young man with a monk's haircut, wearing a roughspun robe with a rope belt around his waist. In one hand he held a lantern, and the other held a compartmentalized box used to count gold pieces quickly. He raised his lantern high and looked all around. He took his time, and Jasper could tell that he was on edge. He had definitely heard Artie spill his coins - how could he not?
The monk took a few steps further into the room and craned his neck to try and see around all of the chests from his safe position. Jasper, John, and Artie all lowered their heads when his gaze came near. The man came closer and found the bags on the ground, and he nudged one of them with the toe of his slipper. When he looked up, he noticed the fireplace.
The man tensed instantly and turned to run. Rogue John was in the air without hesitation, using one of the chests as a springboard. The monk never saw the halfling flying towards him out of the darkness, and he was knocked to the ground in a violent crash. The lantern went sliding across the floor and Artie rushed to pick it up. Jasper went to assist John, but found the monk on his back, trying to suck in air after having it knocked out of him, and the halfling pressing a knife to his throat.
"Don't make me kill you!" John said.
His prisoner held up his hands in surrender.
"You picked a bad time to come collect," Jasper said, drawing his wand and pointing it at the monk's face.
"How did you know... about the fireplace?" he asked after regaining a bit of breath. "I thought I... was the only one... who remembered..."
"Not anymore. Look, we don't want to hurt you. We just want to get what we came for and get out of here."
"Far be it from me to stop you. This stuff sits down here collecting dust when it could be used for missions, or to repair the almshouse. I might even help you!" He laughed nervously.
"You can help by staying out of the way," Rogue John growled, grabbing him by his robe and dragging him aside. "You two finish what we started so we can get the hell out of here."
Artie went to retrieve his nearly empty bags from the ground where he'd dropped them, while Jasper picked his back up from behind the chest and took them to the beginning of the tunnel.
"Are we going to have any trouble out of you?" John asked the monk.
"No!" he insisted.
"You gonna be able to forget what we look like after we leave?"
"Yes!"
"You better. Better forget as soon as that fireplace shuts.
"I will, I promise."
Jasper looked at him with pity. He was around his and Artie's age. He had a kind face, though at the moment was blotched with fear. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Quimby."
"Little young for a monk, aren't you?"
"I'm just a scribe - like a monk in training."
"What were you doing down here?"
"I came down here to try and inventory - that's why I have the counter."
"By yourself?" John asked, applying a little pressure to the knife.
"The priests don't care. They don't even care about the tunnel. They think everyone's forgotten about it."
"So if you're just a scribe you don't know much about the relics and artifacts down here?"
"Not really. No one does."
"What do you mean?" Jasper sheathed his wand and knelt down next to him.
"The clergy send all this stuff down here after it's donated but hardly do anything with it. They've got so much money, they don't need it!"
"You're saying all this stuff is unaccounted for?" John said, taking the room in again. "Good to know."
"I don't care if you take it. If you need it, I'm happy to see you leave with it."
"Do you know anything about something here that can cure an unknown illness?" Jasper asked as Artie came up behind him with his two bags full of coins once again.
Quimby shook his head. "Not here, but I have read about something..."
Jasper's hand shot out and clamped down on the scribe's shoulder. "Tell me."
"I have no way of knowing if it's true, but I read about something called the Mask of Mandu. It's said to be carved from the scale of a giant dragon and has some magical properties of healing."
"Where?"
"Some ruins to the east. I don't remember exactly where."
"Where did you read about it? Can you get us the book?" John asked, finally removing the knife from Quimby's neck.
The scribe rubbed his neck and seemed to breath a little easier. "It wasn't a book, it was a scroll. And you should have no problem getting to it - it was at your wizard college where I read it. I attended there for a time."
"How did you know we were wizards?" Artie asked.
Pointing at Jasper, Quimby said, "This one pointed a wand in my face, and you're wearing the traditional hat and slippers."
Jasper glared at Artie, who rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry - I don't plan to return to the college, and I'm not saying anything to the clergy."
"Why are you helping us?" Jasper asked.
"I can tell your motives are pure. Anyone who was here just to rob the church would've slit my throat without thinking twice about it. And then you asked about the illness - I'm guessing someone dear to you needs help?"
Jasper swallowed hard, and he could feel Artie's eyes on him. "Yes."
"Then go, and I will pray for you."
With that, Artie set down the money and went to the tunnel. Jasper followed him and then placed his own sacks of gold outside the fireplace, while John watched Quimby. "If you turn us in, just remember that I found a way in here once, and I'll do it again. Don't make me do that."
"Your secret is safe with me, sir. Be careful on your journey." Quimby got to his feet and retrieved his lantern.
"Hmph." Rogue John walked to the tunnel and stopped. Quimby was watching him with a kind smile. The halfling picked up one of the discarded bags of gold and said, "For our troubles. Get the door, would you?"