Dart was in the process of sorting through some of his piles of papers when I arrived at his tent. Each stack he carefully flipped through as to not disturb the general formation of the paper. If something slid a little out of place, he would take the time to organize it again until the stack was perfect once more. When he found a paper that he apparently needed he would extract it with precision as to not disturb the rest of them. He acquired a new bundle of papers and set it down in another neat stack atop his desk before turning towards me and speaking in his monotone style.
“Afternoon James, are all your affairs in order?”
“I believe so, my day should be mostly free now to make room for all this new training.”
“Excellent, and speaking of which, let us proceed to the second part of your education.”
I expected him to start pulling more reading material from his piles for me, but instead he stood up and started exiting the tent. I was a little confused, but I followed him out regardless. He had a rather fast walking speed for someone his size and I was moving at a speed walk to keep up with him.
After a moment of traveling, I noticed that we were heading towards the exit tunnel. I actually hadn’t been outside the camp all that much, maybe a few times to bathe in the nearby river. I began to wonder what we were going to do once out there.
We went through the dim tunnel, passing the groups of guards lurking in the shadows. Dart nodded off towards a dark corner where someone must have been, but I couldn’t see. A testament to the natural eyesight of Nactren.
When we came out of the tunnel and into the light once more, Dart continued down the side of the volcano and into the forest. I enjoyed the fresh air of the forest. While the camp was technically open air as well, the number of bodies and activity in that little cauldron choked out most of the natural smells that would have been there.
Once we were a fair distance into the wooded area, he suddenly stopped. There was nothing really of note here, just an isolated section of the woods with nothing but the sound of the wind in the trees and the occasional chirping of a bird somewhere. Dart pivoted till we were looking directly at each other again.
“Here we are, this place should do just fine.”
“For what exactly?” I asked while looking around for some sort of hint.
“I want you to attempt to sneak up on me.”
I blinked a few times. “Sneak up on you?”
“Yes, this will be the start of your training in moving quietly and quickly. I will give you a few minutes per attempt to disappear into the woods and then try to get as close as you can to me without me detecting you. If you can get within ten yards of me without my knowledge, I will consider this test passed.”
Ten yards, huh? That was pretty close, but there was a lot of foliage around here, so it seemed doable. “So, I'll just wander off and then come back as stealthily as possible?”
“Yes, that is the simple explanation.”
This seemed like it might be a little fun. I looked around for a second to decide which way I would go. After a quick little nursery rhyme, I went off into the woods. I walked until Dart was out of sight and then some.
Now a solid distance away, I started circling the area to come back at a different angle. On the approach once again, I came upon the realization that the forest is really hard to be sneaky in. Plenty of twigs and crunchy leaves underfoot that make a lot of noise in the comparative quiet of the woods. I assumed that it was all part of the training in making me conscious of where I step.
I did my best to be quiet, but the sheer volume of things that made sounds was difficult to work with. As I got closer to where Dart was waiting and listening, I accidentally snapped a twig with a step. Shit.
At first, nothing happened, but then a second later a small rock collided with the tree next to me. Subsequently following the rock came Darts voice, carrying over the forest at a distance. “Try again.”
I hadn’t even got into sight of him again. The only thing I could do was click my tongue and walk away to try again. Second verse same as the first, though this time it was due to a low hanging branch snagging on my shirt and then proceeding to cause a lot of noise after being released. He heralded his knowledge of my location with another small rock that landed close by before telling me to give it another go. I guess this will be a little more difficult than I thought.
I gave it a few more attempts, trying different angles and methods of approaching, yet the closest I’d gotten was just barely seeing him from a distance. After my last failed attempt, instead of telling me to try again, he called me to him. Once in front of him again, he started to show me ways to improve my ability to sneak around.
There was quite a bit of emphasis on form, weight distribution and stride. It made me feel like I was learning dance moves almost. There was also some talk about the art of bullshit, though he didn’t use those words exactly. Being undercover as one of their own I could get away with being somewhere I wasn’t supposed to by having a decent excuse, story, or just plain feigning ignorance. It may bring attention to me, which is undesirable as a spy, but I most likely wouldn’t be arrested if I did a good enough job at lying. Still, it is better to avoid having to lie in the first place by just going unseen.
We kept at this weird game of hide and seek for a while, and even with Dart’s instructions I didn’t get much closer to him. Sometimes it was something that I thought was insignificant or otherwise didn’t make that much noise that gave me away. He’s the spy master, of course this wouldn’t be easy.
Dart was certainly showing his attention to detail in this little training exercise. He would snap onto anything that seemed remotely out of place in the natural environment. I had begun to think that there was no hiding from the guy, it was like he knew where I was going to come from before I even did. One time I swore that I didn’t make a sound, yet a rock still hit the tree I was next to with him telling me to try again.
I don’t know how long we were out there, but the shadows had shifted as the sun moved across the sky. My last attempt for the day ended as all the others had, with a rock landing next to me. I was about to stand and head back to try again when he called out.
“That will be enough for now, James.”
I emerged from the brush. “We’re stopping?”
“I ran out of rocks.” He stated flatly. “Besides, there is still much for you to learn about Thrainian customs. Let us return to camp.”
I didn’t argue and just followed him back. It was surprisingly tiring to constantly lurk about, and I was starting to become slightly miffed about my repeated failures. Playing what was essentially an off brand hide and seek was fun, up to a certain point. After a while of just losing, it becomes a little annoying.
We went back to camp only to return to his tent and start practicing my Thrainian manners again. I was feeling a little refreshed after some physical activity where I didn’t need to think too hard about anything, so I was more engaged than I would have been if we had just jumped into it again after all the other knowledge intensive lessons I had. Maybe he had thought of that, and it was part of the reason we went out there first. I wouldn’t put it beyond his ability to plan, but I couldn’t know for sure, so I just chalked it up to simple coincidence.
The lessons continued until well after sundown, and I was starting to nod off a bit. “I think that will do for the day.” Dart suddenly said.
That brought me out of my dozing mind. “Oh, we’re done?”
“Yes, you seem to be losing focus, and it would not help anyone to force the matter.”
I scratched the back of my head. “Sorry.”
Dart shook his head. “It is nothing to apologize for; you have simply hit the limit of your stamina for the day. It is only natural. We will start again tomorrow. Rest and be prepared for it.”
I nodded and got up with a stretch before exiting the tent to head back to my room. When I got back, I was surprised to find Kala still awake and waiting for me. “Hey, were you waiting for me?” I asked.
“Yeah, thought I'd at least stay up to welcome you back.”
I smiled and sat down on the cot with her, putting my arm around her shoulder as she rested her head on mine. “Thank you, but you don’t need to do that. I get the feeling that I'll be having quite a few late nights coming up.”
“I’m not going to be seeing you for most of the day, and even when I do, we won’t have any time to just be together, so I'm going to wait for you so we can at least fall asleep together.”
I chuckled a little. “Alright, I know better than to argue with you on things like this. I appreciate you; I really do.” She hummed and snuggled into me a little more. It was a pleasant moment, and I let it linger before my desire to sleep forced me to get ready for bed. I fell asleep shortly after with Kala lightly playing with my hair.
My days from that point on were packed much more densely than they had been. Every waking moment was practically filled with learning something new. It was mentally taxing, yet I still engaged myself in the learning process as much as I could. Before I even knew what was happening, days passed and quickly became weeks.
I learned a lot about Thrainian culture and behavior, sometimes I found myself mimicking what I learned outside of my regularly scheduled time with Dart. It was a little disturbing, but I thought it was a good thing overall due to me needing to act that way all the time in the future. I just tried to keep the most grating aspects of the culture to a minimum when interacting with others.
Velshi was teaching me all that she knew about anatomy of the various races. It seemed like she was shortening some things and glossing over others, yet the core of her imparted knowledge was still there. I now had most of the species basic biological information memorized. I could confidently say that I would at least be able to save someone's life in the event of a severe injury.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
My stalking abilities were progressing, albeit slowly. I was getting closer to Dart by the day, learning new ways to move without disturbing my surroundings. The training itself seemed to resemble how hunters would stalk an animal and I found myself sometimes taking up a very animalistic method of doing so, staying low to the ground and moving on all fours. It wasn’t always effective, but it had some uses.
Kala seemed a lot more chipper than she had been when I first told her what was going on. I was glad that she was feeling better, but she sometimes got this weird look on her face, almost like she felt smug about something. I didn’t really feel like questioning it due to my overall preoccupation with my schedule.
After a little over two weeks had passed, the day came. I was in the middle of cultural lessons with Dart when a messenger arrived. They came in without even a word of announcement, stood up straight, and delivered their message almost immediately.
“James, Dart, report to the representative’s meeting tent as soon as possible.”
“Very well.” Dart replied, which was enough for the messenger to leave knowing his job was done. After the intruder was gone, Dart turned towards me. “Well, it seems our time is up.”
I took a weighty breath to steady my nerves. “Yeah, I’m not sure if I'm excited or going to be sick.”
Dart walked by me and gave me a pat on the shoulder from my sitting position. “You learned an impressive amount in a short time. Don’t let your nerves get to you, they can be more dangerous than any sword. Keeping a calm mind will see you through many trials.”
I huffed a little but nodded along with his advice. “Thanks, but I'm a little worried that I hadn’t passed your stealth test.”
“No, you did.” His flat manner of speaking made me do a slight double take to make sure I heard that right.
“How? I didn’t get within ten yards of you.”
“I gave you an unreasonable goal on purpose. I would only expect someone who can operate at about the same level as me to get that close. You’re not perfect, but you have the basic skills, and those will serve you well.”
Well shit, this guy certainly knows how to manipulate people. I was trying so hard to reach that goal that he had no expectation of me actually making it to. There was a sort of logic behind it that I could appreciate. Make me so focused on a random point down the road that I completely look past the actual finish line. I admit that it was reassuring and helped calm me down. Or is that another manipulation of his?
I wasn’t given any time to contemplate further, which was probably a good thing, before Dart started to leave the tent. I got up and quickly followed him out. He was moving with a casual gait like this was any other day, and I envied his almost detached calmness.
The stones that someone had magically dropped into my stomach were starting to feel like they were made of lead by the time we stood before the tent. I was anxious to learn what plan they had for me. I didn’t want it to be overly complicated to the point where I might lose part of it, but I also didn’t want it to be so simple that I would have to wonder if it was even well thought out. There was no way to know from out here, and Dart was already walking in, so I was forced to follow him inside.
The representatives were talking to each other when we entered, but that quickly died down as one of them recognized our presence and called for quiet. The floor was yielded to Durdan who launched into the conversation with us.
“Gentlemen, welcome. I know you have been waiting for news about the mission, but we finally have something solid to present you with.” I inhaled and prepared myself to listen intently to what he would say. “So, we’ve narrowed down the list of goods that James will be presenting to Yol’vastume as a means of getting inside. Obviously, food items are not a concern for them, but luxury items are in short supply according to our most recent intel. Military items are also an acceptable thing to bring. This will be in the form of crystals mostly, though we cannot spare that many, so you will have to buy some at other towns along the way. We have allocated some funds for you, enough to buy whatever you will need along the way.”
He leaned in a little and got a more serious look on his face. “However, there is something that must be done before any of this. Traveling merchants of any distinction must carry a writ of passage that gives them legal authority to move large quantities of non-food items. There is no way for us to forge such a document as it needs an official seal which is only found with the banker’s guild.” I really wasn’t liking where this was going.
Durdan continued. “You will have to find a way to acquire this seal and the official papers to go with it in order to properly pass you off as a merchant of notable stature. Meaning, most likely, you will have to steal it.”
Well, fuck. So, on top of having to sneak into a castle and find a way to sabotage it for a siege, I also need to pull off a bank heist. This shit just keeps getting better and better doesn’t it? If I have to do one more insane spy mission I might as well change my last name to Bond.
Durdan apparently noticed the look on my face as I thought about all this. “I see that this news does not come lightly to you, and we apologize for being unable to provide this vital piece of the puzzle. To make up for this, we will be giving you access to all the tools that you might need to complete this mission, and if something isn’t there that you think you might need, then we will find it.”
Useful, but still didn’t assuage my trepidation over this whole thing. There was little I could do even if I had access to all the tools in the world. I had no idea what the banker guild was like, what they had in terms of security, or where they would store their documents and seals. I was going in blind, so I might very well need just about every tool to get the job done for all I knew.
Durdan turned his attention to Dart now. “Dart, you will be following their progress throughout the mission. If something goes wrong, or there is vital information that needs to be shared, you are to report it back to us. You will be the main form of communication between James and the main camp.”
“I understand.” Dart answered quickly.
Durdan nodded at the affirmation. “Other than Dart, we managed to find four individuals who volunteered to accompany you on this mission. They are currently loading up a cart with all the supplies you will need outside the camp, you may want to meet with them before you set off tomorrow. Now, are there any questions?”
I tried to think of something, but nothing came to mind. With no one speaking up, Durdan wrapped up the meeting. “Since no one has anything to say, then we will conclude this meeting. If you find that something is missing from the supplies, please tell us. Prepare in whatever way you see fit, dismissed.”
Dart popped off a crisp salute while I was just left there standing at attention, mind racing through plans for the future. Only when Dart turned to leave did I come back to reality and leave as well. I guess I should just start by introducing myself to the team.
According to Durdan, they were all outside the camp setting up the cart we would be using. With nothing better to do, I went straight there. It took me a minute after I got outside to actually find them, but eventually I located the little spot on the edge of the forest that they were packing supplies into.
The cart itself was nothing special. It was large enough that it looked like it needed two horses to pull it, but the space available in storage was convincing for a merchant transporting a lot of goods. What surprised me though was that the faces I saw around the cart were familiar to me.
There were three there, and each I could name. The brothers, Jorn and Otar were putting crates into the back while another familiar face, Holdrem, checked the wheels and underside of the cart for damage. As I got closer, Jorn noticed me and gave his brother a little punch on the arm to get his attention.
“Well, look who it is, it’s our new ‘owner’.” Jorn announced boisterously.
I cringed at the title. “Please don’t say that, you’re going to make me throw up.”
The brothers laughed before Otar responded, “That’s why we say that. You don’t like the title, which makes it easier on us to think of you like that for the mission.”
I shrugged. Whatever floats their boat, I guess. “Still, I didn’t expect to see you guys here.”
Jorn smiled wide. “Yep, we were approached and told to meet with the council, all very hush hush and all that. They explained what was going on and I could only look at my brother and say: ‘he’s doing something stupid.’”
Otar chimed in. “And I looked at him and said: ‘I know, right? And he didn’t invite us. Rude.’”
I felt a smile growing on my face as the two hammed it up. “Hey, this is a well-thought-out, totally not-improvised, high-priority mission.”
Otar scoffed. “Yeah, and I'm the king of the wilds.” Everyone shared some laughter as I felt the tension leave me a little.
“Well, regardless, I'm glad you’re here. It’s very reassuring to have friends at my side.” I said.
“What are they for, right?” Jorn said as he clapped a large hand on my back, knocking a little wind out of me in the process.
Holdrem got out from under the cart just as Jorn and Otar went back to load things. I gave him a polite smile, still finding his knowledge of me a little disconcerting. “You volunteered too, huh?”
Holdrem nodded. “Yes, Durdan asked me to.”
Something about that combination of characters interacting was suspicious. I made sure the brothers weren’t paying attention before dragging Holdrem a little out of earshot. “Does this have anything to do with my situation?” I asked with a very pointed look at him.
He avoided my gaze with a little guilt before verbally confirming. “I was simply asked to make sure that in the event things do not go well that you are able to get away.”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t need my hand held. This is dangerous for everyone, not just me. If it comes down to it, I want all of us to get away, and I'll be damned if I willingly leave someone behind to take the fall for me.”
“Keeping you out of their hands is more important.” Holdrem argued. “Not only are you blessed by-” - I quickly shut him up with a hand and cast a sideways glance over at the brothers who were still loading things and oblivious to our conversation. I shot a warning gaze at Holdrem before letting him continue in a much quieter voice. “Not only are you blessed by the goddess, but your resemblance to the Thrainians makes you invaluable as an infiltrator.”
I could understand the military aspect of the decision, but I didn’t have to agree with it. “We all go home, or no one does, that’s final.”
Holdrem sighed. “Naturally that is the best outcome we can hope for, but it is only something we can hope for.”
I could only shake my head, but I left the conversation at that. I went over to help put things into the cart just so I could have something to do. We were still down one person in the team, and I wondered who would show up. The answer I didn’t really like.
After a minute of assisting them with the crates, I saw Kala walking towards us with a couple sacks thrown over her shoulder. At first, I hadn’t made the connection, so I just started talking with her.
“Kala, what are you doing here?”
“Hey, James, I'm just helping pack up for our mission.”
My brain was slow on the pickup, but eventually the key word clicked. Our!? “What the hell did you do!?”
The look on her face said she didn’t appreciate my raised voice. “I volunteered, what did you think?”
My mouth flapped open and closed for a second as my mind wheeled. “Why? Why would you do that!? This isn’t a joke, this is dangerous, particularly for you!”
“You’d just have me sit here on my hands then?” she asked with hostility in her voice.
“Yes! I want you to be safe; you’re all I have in this world.”
“Do you think it’s any different for me!” She exploded in a roaring voice. “I lost everything, everything! I was alone and suffering, my life was torn apart, and I could see nothing but despair in my future. You gave me hope, you brought me out of the darkness and gave me a chance to rebuild what was destroyed, and now I might lose you too! I’m not going to just sit here and cower while everything I've come to love is taken from me, not again!” She stood firm, panting after her yelling but with a fire of conviction in her eyes.
I tried to find an argument, something that would convince her to recant on her decision, yet it all withered beneath the heat of her glare. There was nothing I could do but ball up my fists in a painfully tight manner. “Kala, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, what I would become. It scares me to think about it.” I cast my gaze downwards as the dark thoughts of losing her invaded my mind.
Her posture softened a little, and she stepped towards me, placing one hand on my chest and another on my cheek. “I guess that means you better make this work then.”
“I don’t know if I can, this is so beyond anything I ever imagined I would be doing in my life.”
“You can do it James. I... we, believe in you. Why do you think we’re all here?”
I looked back at the other three. The brothers were looking on with amusement but gave an affirming nod. Holdrem also dipped his head in a little bow to show his support as well. I turned back towards Kala’s smiling face, confidence written across her features. I took a long breath and let out a deep sigh.
“Sometimes you are just impossible to argue with.”
Her grin widened. “That’s because you know I'm right,” she said with a little playfulness.
I scoffed at that and gave her a little smile of my own before pulling her into a hug. I squeezed her tight, not wanting to let her go. My desire to complete this mission as perfectly as possible increased exponentially. I would not, could not, let anything happen to her, because if anything did...
I may very well destroy everything.