A lot was on my mind as I walked through the city back towards my group. The quest we’d been given probably went much further than Lazemus had led us to believe and I didn’t know if this was bad or good. This was possibly the catalyst for progressing this dungeon and ultimately moving on.
I didn’t waste my time in the darkening streets and the entire trip took me only around an hour total. I was getting to know my way around. All we had to do now was wait for Lazemus to be informed about my message and reach out to us at the southern barracks.
With nothing left for us to do on our end, I just relaxed and enjoyed the city of Rigar. It was exciting being around other people, even if they were probably NPCs of a limited dungeon. The desolate world outside was daunting, unforgiving, and truly uncaring. Here, an old lady would wish you a good day as you walked by. In fact, I started to dread the day we would have to leave the dungeon for the race to survive outside.
Two days passed in a flash, and on the third day, early morning, a note arrived for us. A messenger specifically asked for Mike, and we met him as a group outside. The young lad who was waiting for us didn’t show any emotion or indication that he knew the contents of what he was delivering. The messenger was holding a small parcel the size of a notebook, bound in golden thread.
“I’m sort of excited.” I admitted while taking the package and turning it around in my hands. My party members’ eyes didn’t betray my expectations either: they were vivid with interest.
“Quick! Open it up!” Maria said. Even Anna’s eyes were glowing, no one was calm right now. This could be the next step to earning gold and some vital gear.
“Let’s head back to a secure place first.” Thomas said, just as I was about to rip the light thread holding it together. He was right, it would be bad if there was sensitive and incriminating evidence inside.
“Good call,” said Lucas, even he had lost himself in the momentum of Maria’s eagerness. We moved to Jessica and I’s room and stuffed inside before closing the door. For everyone to fit in was a squeeze, but no one would bother us here. My hands carefully undid the golden thread and unsealed the parcel. The top of the pack flipped open like a bag and I tipped the contents into my hand. It was a wooden box, clearly made of some fine wood. The deep polish glistened in the dim light and had intricate and beautiful designs.
I opened the box carefully while everyone crowded around. There was a letter that acted like an inlay, and another bundle within the paper, that I couldn’t yet see.
“Dear Mike, the contents of this parcel should be well enough to put you on the right path.
Work hard.” I read the letter aloud.
“Is that all it said?” asked Maria.
“That’s all.” I put the note aside and scanned the contents of the box.
There was a letter inside for each of us, I passed them out and it quickly became evident that each contained a card with our identification and also a special badge, whose purpose I could only guess at?
Besides that, there was a pouch with over five gold in it.
“That’s all?” Maria asked, clearly expecting more.
While I didn’t disagree with her, I could also see that any more detailed instructions or explanations could potentially be dangerous to us and them. A simple and precise message kept us both safe, if there was some kind of political battle going on within the city that we had yet to appreciate.
“We’ll make it work.,” Jessica said.
Lucas took the bag of gold, “We’ll need a carriage and some horses if we want to transport
the goods.” Even he was circumspect about what our goals were. “This should be enough, for that, from what I’ve seen in the markets.”
“Do you remember where the stables were?” Glenn and Mark both asked him at the same time. They had gone with him first day to gather information.
“Yea,” Lucas said, “I should be able to buy the horses at the very least, or at least rent them.”
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“I saw a cart-makers when we were headed to the mission hall.” Anna added in.
“Really?” Lucas was excited, “That saves a bunch of time then, cause if the stables don’t
have some connection, I was lost on how we’d get the carriage.”
“Can I trust the two of you to take care of it?” I asked them both, which got a nod. “Good, you two take care of that. If we can get the carriage sorted we’re good to head out tomorrow.” I paused, “How is our supply situation?”
“We have four or five days of rations left.” Lucas said. “We should probably stock up more on food.”
“I agree.” I said. “If we somehow get stuck out there, we need food. Otherwise, we can eat our dinner here.”
“Right.” Lucas agreed. “Anna and I can take care of that.” He waited for a moment to see if there was anything else before leaving with Anna.
“I need to inform the general that we’re departing in the morning. I’ll do that now.” I told everyone. The sooner that was out of the way, the better. We moved as a group back into the hallway and I split off without them towards the general’s room.
It wasn’t too far of a walk, and after just thirty seconds of twisting and turning through hallways I was there, outside. I knocked, “Are you available general?” I asked.
“Mike? Come in.” It was a quicker response than I was expecting and I hurried through to him.
I stood before the general fully at attention, “Tomorrow we’d like to make our first trip outside the city walls.” I informed him.
“Sooner than I expected, but granted,” He replied at once. There were stacks and stacks of papers in front of him, and the dark under his eyes grew deeper than they were before.
“Thank you, sir.” I said and then saluted.
“Be safe. The gnolls will attack again sooner than anticipated. Dismissed.” There was a hint of melancholy in his voice. I could see how tired he was, but I refrained from saying anything. I made my way out and met the others at the end of the hallway.
“Did it go well?” Jessica asked.
I gave a nod, “Seems the gnolls will be attacking again soon.” I said. I couldn’t help but wonder what our objective in this dungeon actually was. Were we meant to stay inside the city and defend against gnoll attacks? Venture out and fight some gnoll boss? Too many questions and not enough answers.
I spent the rest of the day in a hurried stupor. Nothing was left to arrange at the barracks, and Lucas and Anna returned a little under two hours later. There would be a cart available for us tomorrow at the western gate as well as two sturdy horses. None of us had any experience with carriages, or horses, but we would make due.
It was like the next day was Christmas morning. I went to bed with a bubbling sense of excitement; there would be no presents under a tree, but instead gold to buy amazing equipment, possible professions, and maybe even skills.
The skills weren’t something we ever confirmed, but without money there was little point in looking unless we wanted to go on a robbing spree. Not exactly a wise decision if we wanted to clear this dungeon, especially if this city held the rewards for us.
The following morning was quiet; a fog hovered over the cobblestone paving as merchants and vendors brought out their goods for the day. There was serenity in the quiet hustle and bustle of a new day.
I couldn’t find any words to say as we walked and from the silence among us, nor could anyone else. Perhaps it was nerves—a lot could happen on a whim. We were potentially entering the lion’s den and didn’t even know it. A steady pace brought us to just outside the west gate checkpoint after thirty minutes.
There was no line at this time, and no incoming traffic, just a few clearly tired soldiers. The top of the wall wasn’t even visible in this fog; a dreary atmosphere that wasn’t the least bit inviting pushed us forward.
“Halt! State your business!” A call came through the fog when we were just ten yards from the towering gate. Two guards didn’t wait for our response and made their way to us. Their armor rattled and the spears held firmly in their grip glistened with danger.
All I could do was trust in Lazemus right now. Whether we could return with the bodies and enter the city afterwards depended on him in the end anyway, or at least whoever was behind him. I removed the special ID card given to us in the letter and handed it over to the guard.
I could tell by his demeanor he was ready to berate me, but the words caught in his throat as he looked over the ID. “Just a moment,” he said. His voice had already taken a more placatory tone, clearly he was not inclined to offend me anymore. Lazemus’s status in my mind rose a point or two.
The guard rushed away in haste before disappearing into the small side building meant to house documents and other important information acquired at this gate. After that though, time seemed to pass in a crawl and after nearly five minutes there was no sign of the guard returning.
I started to have a bad feeling in my gut, and then I heard the clopping of a horse’s hooves, more than one actually. A cart rolled towards us and then stopped behind us. We moved off the road and out of the way when the driver called out. “Mike?”
“That’s me.” I said, slightly confused.
“We’ll be your escorts for today,” the man said and the armed soldier in the seat beside him saluted me. “Climb up. There’s room for you all.”
“These are the horses and cart we purchased,” said Lucas.
This was odd. Presumably the two guards were sent by Lazemus but how had they known about our purchase? And were they coming along because we weren’t considered trust-worthy, or because this was his way of giving us the most help possible?
Exchanging a look with Jessica, I returned the salute and then moved with the others towards the back before clambering into the cart. Despite my calm demeanor, I was a bit riled up inside. The atmosphere had been too weird, too unpredictable. “It looks like things are fine.” I said to everyone.
“Make way! Lord Lazemus has special business to attend to!” The two guards at the front shouted, and didn’t even wait for the guards at the gate to give the go ahead. There was no room for discussion, and to my surprise, the gate opened with no qualms from the other side. We rocked uncomfortably in the back as we raced into the distance and towards the gnoll encampment.