We spent the first evening stalking the patrolling mamluks to figure out how the abilities used affected us and, more importantly, how long to the second they lasted. Although the stronger enemies would be out at night, we figured it was best to use the cover of pitch-black night and slip in behind high-leveled players who were entering the dungeon as they reached the final stages of the expansion.

During the day, we went over what we remembered of the castle from Zenith Online and slept. As Sinbad’s foray into the castle had been too sparsely detailed on how he’d managed to get into the castle, claiming he’d had ‘friends’ before jumping to the inside, we’d have to do a large part ourselves. The next evening, we padded up to the castle, eyeing our maps and marking down and memorizing patrols as best we could, moving on to the next layer of defense once we’d noted a path. The sky was lightening, and the number of players along our path lessened as we finally reached the castle gates, and we turned back before we could be caught.

With enemy routes, scheduled places and times to renew the effects of abilities we’d cast on ourselves, and our maps, we were as prepared as we could be under the circumstances. On the third night in Samarkand, we opened the window and slipped out behind Ani and Ranch, following their bobbing and weaving path through the city and, eventually, to the castle, using the routes and the offshoots to reapply our spells without getting caught.

The plan was progressing perfectly so far, and I was proud enough of it to take the consequences with a light heart. Sinbad, Ani, and Ranch were having a blast with the new developments, playing perhaps a bit more than they should. Cove, meanwhile, was suffering silently at the rear of the pack, his black paws tapping determinedly against the ground.

We could not speak aloud, but it was surprising how much we could understand and garner from simple points and gestures. I’d perfected navigating the menu with my paws, protruding a single pad and using it as I would a finger.

There were far more mistakes, and it was far slower than going by hand, but being turned into a dog would do that to you. The dogs the spell transformed us into were midnight black creatures the size of a medium-sized dog. Large enough to do damage if necessary but small enough and dark enough to make us difficult to notice during the midnight hours. Layered with spells such as master of disguise and vanish and were nearly impossible to notice even against the keenest of eyes. As discovered during our stalking of the mamluks in town, we’d have to be within feet of their eyesight to be noticed as an enemy.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Those weren’t the only advantages. The ‘dog’s top running speed was faster than our own, unboosted speeds, and our eyes were able to take the smallest sliver of moonlight and use it to see with colors and details of near daylight. Considering Cove was limited to this world’s spells and I by my magical strength, it was a considerable benefit that hadn’t been considered in my initial proposition but was a welcome coincidence.

We sunk below the bushes outside the gate, patiently waiting for the next part of our plan to fall into place. More and more players completed this final section of the expansion per day, meaning we should be able to slip right through the doors with them and let them distract the servants, guards, and other enemies posted throughout the castle while we used the maps to hopefully navigate our way through, setting Sinbad’s companions free and then waiting until Shahrazad stopped weaving her tale to steal the item.

This close to the castle, there were more holes in the plan than solid areas to stand on–we didn’t even know what the item was, for example–but it was the best we could do on limited notice.

The unusual, casual outfits of four players nearly glowed beneath the neon lights of the night, their names bright over their heads as they ran toward the castle gate. A whine mixed with an amused chuffle came from Cove as he caught sight of the names. Sinbad, unable to see them, knocked roughly into Cove’s shoulder to shut him up.

I stood, still crouched over. My standing signaled for Cove and Sinbad to do the same, and we stood frozen in place until GiveUUp NeverGuna, LetUDown NerverGuna, RunAway NeverGuna, and DesertU NeverGuna had barged past us and slaughtered the guards at the gates, forcing their way inside. We followed them quietly past the gate and into the castle proper, splitting off from the group for the next part of the plan. This was the section of the plan we were most confident about, as, in the novel, Sinbad had gone through the process of freeing his companions. It hadn’t detailed every movement but had enough for us to get a good idea of where the prison was, as well as the closest exit to usher them through.

The castle interior was brightly lit, the cleanly polished stone reflecting the harsh bright light. The soft red carpet lining the interior of the main hallways silenced the padding of our feet, but also the feet of the incoming guards.

Ani was the first to hear something, his ears whipping forward to listen. I strained to hear what he was worried about, catching the faint groaning of leather brushing against itself. We glanced around, ducking behind the curtains and fluttering around the windows.

The passing guard’s eyes lingered in our direction for a brief second before moving along. We came out from our hiding place once the danger had passed, relieved.