image [https://i.imgur.com/0Jj2yNt.jpeg]
The Canal District was located south of the busy roads and the crowded streets of the port city’s bustling downtown. It was named after the canal built to manage the seasonal flooding of the Soliton river. It has since been abandoned and reclaimed, but the name of the area stuck through the years.
For the past century, this place saw the rise of multiple mansions and luxurious homes, paving a way for a prestigious and affluent neighborhood. There was even a period where every Burgrave elected would build their own palace in the district, with every intent to make it more opulent than their predecessor’s palace.
Cassana found herself outside one such opulent mansion, along with her friends as well as Firroth and Auren, two wizards from the Tower of the Legate. They left Robb and Rei behind and traveled here on Ashvell’s wagon. Sneaking into a guarded mansion in daylight was not at all practical, but they had to get there before sunset and before the curfew started.
Earlier that morning, Cassana and her friends immediately vacated their rented room at the Dirty Deer. Ashvell fashioned a large box from several empty crates, and unceremoniously squeezed the fetch they captured into it, chair, and all. Lira even made sure to spray a jar of salt on the poor creature, as if she were marinating a chunk of beef.
They loaded the box on Ashvell’s wagon and made their way through downtown where a large crowd was starting to form as several merchants wanted to protest the city’s lockdown. The group arrived at the Small Tower amidst the heavy traffic. Dominic, the receptionist, wasn’t at the front desk to welcome them so they simply ushered themselves inside, to the bewilderment of the other guests waiting in the entrance hall.
Thankfully, Rei let them into the old wizard’s office, to Minos’ delight. He greeted his foreign companion with glee and got him caught up with everything that happened since they separated.
Lira left soon after. She wanted to survey the place first, to better prepare them for what they intend to do. They all agreed and Cassana sent Ashvell to accompany the drow huntress.
Professor Arcturus arrived late in the morning and was slightly perturbed by the number of people waiting for him in his office. Cassana didn’t waste any time and quickly introduced him to the young boy Robb. Minos also tried to get a word in, and the redhead could tell that the old wizard easily beguiled the two curious boys.
After they had all settled in, the young wizard took center stage and explained everything that they had discovered so far. Out of all the details she disclosed, only one seemed to have piqued the old wizard's interest. It was none other than the perverse ritual that Minos discovered.
The young nobleman did his best describing everything he remembered from what he saw. He even took pieces of paper to draw all the symbols he could recall. He also let Robb tell his side of the events, narrowing on the specific words he might have heard while he was chained on that dark cistern.
Professor Arcturus took a pause, mulling over every minutia.
“While it is undeniable that whatever it was that you have witnessed is witchcraft… I ruefully admit that I have not the faintest idea what that ritual might be,” he finally explained.
Cassana nodded, “See, like I told you, it’s witchcraft.”
“The practice of which is categorically forbidden across the continent. Even the study of witching theories is vehemently discouraged in the academe,” added Professor Arcturus.
“I already told them it would be hard to identify what that spell or ritual would do without seeing it firsthand,” asserted Cassana as she glanced across her friends. On their way here, she advised everyone that she would keep the information about her father’s grimoire a secret, even from the Legate. Only until she finds out that her father, and in extension her, would not be incriminated for witchcraft.
“We already got Robb, and once we grab Rikhart, they won’t be able to continue whatever spell they were trying to cast. So, that’s all we need to do,” Cassana needled.
“While I completely support this undertaking, it is my onus to ensure that your party will be properly represented by this office. Henceforth, I will be sending along Firroth and Auren to assist you in this deed,” said Professor Arcturus.
“I was actually going to ask for them, thank you Professor.”
“Most excellent, they will be here momentarily.”
“I can join you as well,” blurted Rei. “I am feeling much better.”
Cassana noted his comment and chose to defer to Minos. The young nobleman took a second to think before answering.
“I think you should rest up for now,” he urged his foreign friend. “We got plenty of hands enough already, especially with two additional wizards. We can’t have too many people in a sneaking mission, that would be…”
Rei interrupted him by gesturing his arms sidewards to present himself. He was already wearing his sneaking garb, and even had his face unnecessarily covered.
“... and I know that’s what you’re good at…” Minos hesitated. “I just want you to be in tip-top shape when we’re all done here.”
Rei understood what he meant and nodded while Cassana chortled on the side.
“Of course you do. Here I thought you are finally concerned about your friend,” she snided.
“Don’t want to disappoint you…” Minos snarked, clenching his jaw.
“Why, what else are you going to do once we’re all done here?” Robb asked, feeling left out.
“Our super-secret mission, of course,” Minos smiled at the boy before rubbing his bare head. He and Ashvell decided to shave the boy’s hair again before they departed the inn.
A couple of minutes went by before the little Robin got himself comfortable around the Legate’s office. He was browsing through a shelf of books when Ashvell and Lira returned. Firroth and Auren also entered the room shortly after, and the old wizard briefed the two of what he and Cassana discussed.
Arcturus then ordered his attendants to bring the captured fetch to his workshop at the lower level of the Tower. Lira also gave him the glass sphere that contained the shadow creature. Finally, he waved goodbye to Cassana and the rest as he merrily disappeared out of his office to conduct his own personal study of the two curious creatures.
----------------------------------------
The streets of Canal District were quiet and empty. It was isolated from the main thoroughfares of the city, and there was not much traffic going in or out. There were also a few members of the City Watch patrolling the area, as according to Lira’s intel, most of the houses employ their own private securities.
The Von Schreiber Mansion was no exception, and Lira took copious notes of the vicinity’s security measures.
“The place we are heading to belongs to the richest of the rich,” the drow huntress explained earlier, back when they were brainstorming their assault. “Every mansion is a fortress, with stone walls that reach up to ten feet high.
Lira brought out a parchment, where she sketched the building’s perimeter. “The Von Schreiber Mansion has two entrances, one at the front along Drayer street, and one to the west, beside another mansion belonging to the Ritzerfeld family. This side entrance can be accessed through a narrow alleyway behind the Ritzerfeld house, and I would say this is our best way in.” Lira explained earlier, pointing out the places on her crudely drawn map.
When the party arrived at the vicinity, they took a quick pass in front of the Von Schreiber mansion. The house stood out among the rest due its distinctive facade made of granite and marble. It had three stories, with large arched windows on the second and third floor, while four gables adorn its top. A bas-relief sculpture decorated the first floor, along with two large wooden doors.
The wagon turned on the next street and Ashvell parked it on the road opposite the Ritzerfeld house. From there, they could see the narrow passageway that should lead to the side entrance of Von Schreiber mansion.
Minos uncoiled the tarred canvas where they hid their weapons and gear. He took a quick gander around to check that nobody was paying them any mind before he passing to the owners their equipment.
Cassana grabbed her staff and the bag where she hid her father’s grimoire. She tried to be subtle about the latter, as she didn’t want the other two wizards to ask her about what was inside it. She then stared across the road, to the alleyway that lead to the mansion, as she held up a small clear bottle filled with pink liquid.
----------------------------------------
“Did you check if these entrances are guarded? Minos asked Lira earlier as soon as she finished talking.
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Lira snapped back, as she pulled out a small clear bottle filled with pink liquid from her bag.
“Uhm... the greatest bounty hunter south of the Roewing Sea?” Minos tried to flatter his former mentor. “And what is that?”
“Can you just let me finish first?” Lira smiled and shook her head. She may not admit it, but she missed exchanging banter with her former protege.
“Of course,” said Minos.
“Two guards stand outside the front door entrance by day. One by the side entrance. I asked around and confirmed that all guards huddle inside at nightfall.”
Minos soon confirmed Lira’s intel when they passed and glanced at the guards by the front entrance. As for the one on the side entrance, the young nobleman had to step out of the wagon and cross the street before he could get a good visual of him. Cassana and Lira soon alighted from the vehicle as well, carefully timing their movement so as not to arouse suspicion.
After much contemplation, the young nobleman stepped through the alleyway and slowly approached the guard.
“Wait, what if they recognized you?” Lira asked him during their planning. “You probably should not even come with us; we might lose the element of surprise.”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“I doubt anybody would recognize me,” defended Minos. “Nobody even saw me enter the building. We were transported there via magic, remember?”
“If you say so…” Lira conceded.
“So how are we getting in? Magic?” asked Minos.
Firroth shook his head, inviting the attention of everyone on the table, “Houses like these are protected from magical entry. The stones used for construction are inscribed with warding runes to prevent most teleportation spells,” he explained.
“By Soteira, these Solitonians are paranoid with you wizardfolk, huh?” jibed Minos.
“Tell me about it,” said Firroth.
“Regardless, you fellows cannot do magic within two-hundred yards of the house because of a nearby pylon.” Lira explained.
“That’s true,” Firroth commented. “But don’t worry, once inside, the thick walls of the house should be able to interfere with magical detection.”
Cassana nodded in relief. For a second there she was worried that she would be useless again. “So, how are we getting in?” she asked.
“That’s where this comes in,” Lira finally held her hand up, showing the bottle to everybody.
“Is that Heartstopper?” the three wizards immediately recognized the bottle’s contents.
----------------------------------------
“Halt!” the guard announced soon as he saw Minos approaching.
“Excuse me, hello!” greeted Minos. He affected a higher pitch voice while exhibiting a meek and fidgety demeanor. “Can I have a moment of your time, please?”
“Go away!” yelled the guard.
“I need help, please…” Minos pleaded, acting helpless and weak. He even added a limp in his walk to better sell the lie.
“This should go without saying, but…” Minos recalled Firroth’s warning from earlier that day. “... try not to kill anyone. This is an unsanctioned mission, if any of us is caught wantonly murdering a citizen, whether a guard or a civilian, we will be charged with manslaughter and will be thrown in jail.”
The young nobleman leaned on the wall beside him and bent forward. He then started coughing. When that wasn’t enough, he took a dive on the cobblestone, planting his chest hard on the ground. “Help me…” he whimpered.
The guard stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he carefully moved towards Minos’ body to inspect it. As soon as he touched him, however, the young nobleman sprung up and swiftly placed his arm around his neck, wrapping him in a headlock.
Cassana and Lira moved in, the latter running straight towards the door to start picking its lock. The former produced a pipette from her pocket and squeezed a droplet out of the Heartstopper potion.
“What does it do?” Minos asked Lira earlier after the wizards identified the bottle she was holding.
“It’s a paralytic potion. It temporarily blocks the supply of air to the brain, and the victim begins to feel dizzy until they eventually pass out. It also makes them unable to move. One drop should last for two hours,” explained Cassana.
“Once you grab the guard, I will open the door, and someone else should use this…” formulated Lira.
“I’ll do it,” volunteered Cassana.
And those were exactly what they did. Cassana motioned for Minos to keep the guard steady as she carefully moved towards them holding the pipette carefully between her fingers.
The guard was unbelievably resilient, however, and was able to fight off Minos’ grab. He flailed his arms around hitting Cassana’s hand, tossing the tool down to the ground.
“I said hold him down, Seti’s breath!” yelled Cassana.
“What do you think I’m doing?” defended Minos.
Annoyed, Cassana walked off to grab the pipette back. Luckily, it didn’t break, and its contents were still intact. She then returned to continue what she was supposed to do while Minos clasped the man’s jaw trying to open his mouth.
“What are you doing?” chided Cassana.
“On three, I’ll clutch his jaw and you slip that dropper in, come on, I can’t hold him down for long,” complained Minos.
“No, put him on his side,” ordered Cassana.
“What?”
“Just do it!”
Minos grunted and shifted his body so he could pin the guard down on his side.
“Move your hands, I need the ear!” commanded Cassana after seeing Minos’ hands block the guard's ear.
“How am I supposed to pin him down if I remove my hand?” bickered Minos.
“Just fucking do it!” Cassana hissed.
Minos moved his hand and pressed it against the man’s temple instead. He then pinned his knee down on the man’s jaw to keep him from screaming.
Cassana squeezed out a drop of the potion into the man’s ear. “It’s faster this way,” she explained.
“You could have told me that earlier,” Minos whinged.
“Whatever,” Cassana jeered. She looked down on the guard, his eyes were almost popping out of his skull as he struggled to breathe and move. “Sorry,” she whispered at the poor man.
While the guard’s upper body was restrained by Minos’ weight, his hips and legs were flailing around on the dirt. “Can you at least hold his leg down?” grumbled the young nobleman.
Cassana held the man’s leg down with reluctance, even using her staff for leverage. She waited until the potion took effect and the guard’s strength waned off. She also glanced at the rest of their crew back at the wagon who were supposed to give them a signal in an event that somebody might see what they were doing. So far, Ashvell, Auren, and Firroth were just anxiously watching them with bated breath.
Lira successfully unlocked the door. Instead of opening it, she only pushed it gently to allow a small space for Scout to jostle itself into. She waited for a moment and when Scout didn’t return, she knew that the coast was clear. She then opened the door fully and stepped inside, gesturing for Cassana and Minos to follow behind.
The two struggled to drag the unconscious guard’s body inside, solely due to the fact that the two lacked any kind of coordination. After quietly cursing and insulting one another, they did manage to get in eventually.
They left the door unlocked as they waited for the rest of their crew to follow inside. Meanwhile, they looked around to see which part of the mansion they ended up in.
Given the tools and equipment lying around, Minos assumed it was a storage room for the servant’s quarters. He checked the other door and took a peek at the next room and found rows of bunk beds and a small table. It reminded him a little bit of the room they rented the night before.
“It’s clear,” he announced to his companions. Firroth had just come in, finally completing their team. Lira locked the door behind them and pulled a large box to bar it shut. They gathered around in a circle, the same way they gathered around earlier that day, in Professor Arcturus’ office.
----------------------------------------
Ashvell lifted the professor’s workbench and placed it in the middle of his office, as per Cassana’s instruction. Firroth then took out a map of the city and slipped it underneath Lira’s sketch. Minos then grabbed his hands on a few token pieces from a board game set he found lying around and placed them over the table.
Using his little knowledge of architecture, the young nobleman added details onto Lira’s drawing, making educated guesses of the specific locations and rooms inside the mansion. He specifically noted the rooms he had seen, like the gallery with the family painting, the barred well, and the makeshift dungeon in the abandoned cistern.
“When Robb and I were about to escape…” Minos began explaining, glancing at the little boy sitting on the other side of the room with Rei. “I tried to convince Rikhart to come with us, but he said no. I assumed back then, that he didn’t want to leave without his Nissa, without Robb’s mother…
“So, you’re saying…” Cassana tried to interject.
“Nissa, the real Nissa could still be in the mansion.”
The six people that gathered around the table tried to resist glancing over to the young Robb, as if he couldn’t see them or hear them.
Rei, who was sitting beside the little boy, felt the awkwardness, and he tried his best to comfort him by tapping shoulder.
“I didn’t even think of that…” Cassana admitted regrettably. “I just assumed that she’s…”
“She’s dead?” Ashvell whispered after seeing his friend unable to finish her sentence.
“Well, that would make sense…” Firroth said.
The other five looked at him like he said something offensive.
“I mean, why else would the fetch impersonate her, if she’s still alive,” Firroth explained.
“Impersonating her makes total sense,” added Lira. “This is not some backwater province, this is Soliton. Everything here is recorded, every person documented, when you die, you have to be declared dead, so the fetch could not just come up with a fictional person, it has to be someone who already lived here.”
“And to avoid sowing confusion, and inviting suspicion, nobody should see the real…” Firroth continued until he forgot the name they were referring to.
“Nissa,” Ashvell butted in to help.
“They can’t have other people see the real Nissa, and the best way to ensure that is to just…” Firroth concluded. He didn’t forget the word this time, he just avoided speaking the phrase out loud entirely out of respect.
“But the way Rikhart spoke,” wondered Minos. “It sounded like they still have her, you know… it’s like… an Otheric situation.”
He tried to hide glancing over to Cassana, but she did notice, and her face contorted into something incomprehensible as she stared at the young nobleman and his audacity to even mention that name.
“I’m sorry, what’s an ‘Otheric situation’?” asked Firroth as Lira planted her face in her palm.
“It’s like they’re forcing him to do wizard-y things as they kept his loved one hostage, you know, like…”
“You mean a bargaining chip?” Auren finally spoke.
“That’s exactly what I meant!” Minos snapped.
“But what is an Other—” Firroth repeated, not wanting to deprive himself of what could be useful information.
“Let us just not…” Lira cautioned him while keeping an eye on Cassana.
“Anyway, the point is, she could be at that mansion, so we need to find her and save her too…” Minos urged.
“We might need to split up once we get inside,” Lira suggested with a hint of hesitation.
Firroth cleared his throat in a manner that called for everybody’s attention. “On that note, I wanted to be frank with you guys…” he glanced towards the door, where the Professor exited earlier.
“What’s wrong?” Cassana asked with urgent concern.
The tall wizard hesitated, taking him through several false starts before he finally explained what he wanted to express. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but the Legate didn’t just send us to help you, Cassana…”
“Why else would he send you with us?” asked Ashvell.
“Okay, so you’re all aware we, the wizards, don’t exactly have a good reputation in this city. So, this office, this Legate, has a special prerogative. And that is to make sure that that reputation doesn’t suffer any further.”
Cassana sighed, understanding what he meant, the others not so much.
“What?” Lira asked for clarification.
Auren gave his partner a look of support and the tall wizard nodded in gratitude.
“They want to cover it up,” Cassana simplified.
Firroth nodded, feeling embarrassed.
“What?” it was Minos' turn to ask for clarification.
“They don’t want the public to know that a wizard is behind these incidents,” Cassana provided the necessary illumination when nobody else dared, but she did so with an air of disappointment.
“But a wizard is not behind these incidents. Rikhart is being forced to do this, if you saw his condition, you will see, he is not doing any of this on his own accord,” Minos pleaded.
“We know that,” Cassana claimed, “but it’s nuanced in a way that’s difficult to explain…”
“Especially to a population that is already prejudiced against wizards,” added the drow huntress.
She and the three wizards all nodded in affirmation. They could all see the resistance in Minos’ face, and he himself couldn’t believe that he was the one having problems with what they wanted to do. In a different situation, he would have agreed with what the Legate wanted, but everything felt personal to him now that he couldn’t help but feel offended and disgusted.
“So, what are you going to do?” he asked Firroth finally.
“We will just take a sweep of the place, and make sure that no evidence points to any magical activity,” Firroth explained, his confidence regained.
“Any artifacts, tomes, potions, persons…” the tall wizard gestured towards Robb, as his father’s name slipped his mind, “should be out of the place before the City Watch arrives.”
“How about the ugly fucking monster they’re trying to create in there, how about that? The one they’re trying to hook up the kids on, what are you going to do with that?” questioned Minos.
“We’ll take care of that too, whatever it is,” Firroth assured. “One thing is for sure, whoever is behind all this, will be put to justice. Please, trust us on this.”
“So, you are not just going to lie to the people, you are going to lie to the City Watch?” hinted Lira, suddenly realizing what else the Tower of Legate had covered up throughout the years.
“It’s not a lie…” Firroth objected.
“Yes, it is,” Auren admitted. “But it’s a necessary lie, to keep the people safe. They may not admit it, but Soliton needs the wizards. Like a bitter medicine, they may hate us, spit us out and throw us away, but at the end of the day, we are the cure.”
Minos glanced at Cassana. The words they both heard reminded him of the conversation they had had the first time they met. They all went quiet though, as everyone seemingly arrived at a certain understanding.
“So, Ashvell and I will look for Nissa,” Cassana suggested.
“Lira and I will head to the cistern to save Rikhart,” Minos added.
Before Firroth could say his piece, he took out a ring from his finger and presented it to the group. “One of you should have this.”
“Is that a Ring of Whispers?” confirmed Cassana.
“Yes. It’s a communication device, Auren will have the other pair. If you need anything, if something comes up and you need backup, just call us. It should work well within the mansion’s vicinity.”
“Take it,” Cassana motioned for Lira and Minos to grab the device. “You'll need it, I can just cast a spell if I need to reach out to you guys.”
“Okay,” Minos plucked the ring from Firroth’s outstretched palm.
“And Auren and I will take a sweep of the entire mansion, make sure that…” Firroth couldn’t even finish his sentence, but the group understood what he meant, nonetheless.
That was their plan. And as the six gathered around again, now inside that tiny servant’s quarters, they made one final confirmation of their tasks and nodded at each other in agreement.
“Alright, then. Let’s fucking go!” Minos prompted.