Frankie looked out the window Jacob was standing by and she saw Walter and his wife moving towards the last building that she and Ray had been on before going to the warehouse. "Great, here comes Walter now. We need to get going."
Ray smiled and stepped over to the window. He raised his voice. "Walter wait there and we will join you shortly."
Jacob looked at Ray like he was crazy. "Do you really expect him to hear you from in here?"
Ray nodded as he pointed. Jacob looked and saw Walter give a thumbs up sign. "Well I'll be damned. How could he possibly hear you?"
"Magic, but I wouldn't count on them waiting too long." Ray said with a grin.
Jacob moved through his apartment quickly while gathering a few things and then he turned and led them out to the shaft and he opened it and the three of them scaled down to the bottom where they found the bodies of his two guards. "Good riddance to bad guards." Jacob said as he stepped over them and opened the wall to the passage they'd followed to reach the Green Pig. After securing the wall back they followed the passage back to the double stairs that took them up to the warehouse. A few minutes more and they were in the shadow and up on top of the warehouse where they moved quickly to greet Lady Paige and Walter as they waited.
While they waited in the shadow for Ray and Frankie to arrive Paige looked at Walter. "So, what was it you said back in the square, to get everyone to listen?"
Walter smiled. "It was part of the thieves' language. It was basically calling for a truce so you would be able to speak with them."
Paige nodded. "Thank you for listening to me Walter."
Walter smiled. "I am your husband Paige. I have followed a half step back from you since we first journeyed to your Keep. And I will keep following you."
Paige smiled as she reached out and pulled him in for a kiss.
"Can't you two ever just stand together without getting all mushy?" Ray grinned as they came up to them. "I hope you left a few of those guys alive Ray asked sarcastically once they joined back up.
"We're not barbarian's Ray, of course we did." Lady Paige told him.
Frankie smiled. "My Lady, this is an old friend Jacob. He has agreed to help us stop Karl and rein in the members of the thieves' guild. Jacob, this is the Lady Paige and her husband Walter."
Jacob nodded at them both. "Both of your reputations precede you as well as yours First Lieutenant Allie."
"Thank you Jacob. So where do we go from here?" Lady Paige asked.
"The guild halls aren't too far but so you all know, Karl is guarded by twelve of the best assassins in the guild. I'd recommend a strategy that helps to protect your sorcerer. Once we arrive if you and your husband will take the lead. Alyson and I will follow, your sorcerer should be next and the First Lieutenant and Ray should bring up the rear to protect him. I strongly urge you not to hold back or seek to have them surrender. As long as Karl is alive they will not give up." Jacob told them.
"We've got to be quick about it too. Jacob told me that Karl has approved the use of the red if things go too badly." Frankie told them.
Walter hissed as Paige looked at him. "What is it my Love?"
"The red is a vile concoction that an alchemist created about three hundred years ago. It is deadly to inhale. I'm not even sure your Paladin ability making you immune to most poisons would protect you. How did you guys even encounter the recipe for making it?" Walter asked after he explained to Paige.
"I can assure you, I know from experience it will absolutely kill every Paladin that breathes it in. I've seen it used before. As for how the guild acquired it I am not sure. I was sent to escort a man when I was a young rogue without knowing what they wanted him to do. He'd handed me this small vial when we arrived at a wayside inn. My job was to get up on the roof and drop it down the chimney. The vial was less than the size of a silver coin, but the cloud of the red that came out of it engulfed the entirety of the inn." Jacob told them.
"I barely survived myself as I dove off the roof and got far enough away. Which as it turns out I wasn't supposed to. They had meant for me to die there with everyone else. I saw Lord Aaron stumble out of the inn and collapsed on the ground as dead as everyone else inside. I made my way back to where the man was supposed to be waiting for me but he had already left. I caught up with him an hour later and I took my time extracting the info I could from him. After he died I made my way back to the guild and reported what had happened but that the man had ran off. I had no idea what happened to him. I got my revenge against the guild leader a few nights later. He had come down for dinner. He had no clue when his food taster survived that the poison was on his spoon." Jacob told them with a smile.
Frankie nodded. "We really should get going Jacob."
Jacob nodded. "You're quite correct Frankie this way my Lady."
Walter and Paige followed along behind him and Frankie as Ray fell in behind Cabe and Allie.
Frankie frowned as Jacob took them to the same warehouse. Before Paige stepped into the warehouse Walter pulled her up in his arms, with her knees over his right arm, so her armor wouldn't give off too much noise. Jacob nodded approvingly as he moved on in moving to another section of the warehouse. He paused as he listened for a moment. He nodded before he touched a certain spot and part of the wall slid open. "Don't go down the steps." He whispered to them. Everyone was quick to enter and then he closed the wall. Jacob moved back up front and he felt the wall to his right and they heard a click and he began walking down the double staircase as he gestured for them to follow.
When they reached the bottom the floor was packed dirt so Walter sat Paige back down. Jacob looked at them. "Okay, when we go through this door, there are three passages, we go right. That will lead to another staircase down. At the bottom we'll have about thirty feet and then will be the door to where Karl should be."
He gestured at the ground. He drew a crude map with his dagger and then made points. "These points are where the assassins should be. Lady Paige and her husband will go through the door. Since opening it will negate the shadow anyway it is better for them to move in. You'll need to move up to about fifteen feet. That'll give the rest of us room to move in. Frankie and I will keep anyone from trying to stab your back. Karl's throne, if you will, will be here, about forty yards in. Before you open the door, let the sorcerer cast most of his fireball spell. As soon as the door opens and they move in you can release the spell."
Walter looked at Cabe and nodded and Cabe returned the nod. Jacob reached up and unlocked the door with his special key and pushed it open. They moved out into the hall and followed Jacob to the right. Walter reached out and grabbed Frankie's tunic and pulled. She frowned but quickly reached out and grabbed Jacob's arm. They all came to a stop. "Something isn't right." Walter whispered.
Jacob looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"There is a rumbling sound. And it is getting closer to us." Walter told him.
Ray looked back behind them and swallowed. "Crap. Walter."
Walter looked back and his eyes went large as he saw what looked like a large metal coin that barely fit side to side and from the floor to ceiling of the passage. "Quickly get to the stairs."
Jacob shook his head. "I'm not sure what triggered that, but the stairway will be blocked. We'll be crushed before I can get it opened."
Walter swore before he kissed Paige quickly and then charge past Allie, Cabe and Ray as he pulled his sword out as he ran. He held the blade a loft and then drove the blade into the floor with all of his strength. He braced his legs as he put his shoulder against the hilt and waited.
Just before the object struck his sword Paige dodged around him and threw her shoulder against the flat of his blade as she dug her feet into the dirt. The object struck Walter's sword and they both screamed at the power of the object's momentum. The object had risen up the slight few inches on Walter's blade and struck the ceiling and that impact negated the remainder of the object's momentum and it rolled backwards a few inches.
Not a sound had been made as Cabe had cast a spell of silence around Walter. Walter's eyes opened a little and he saw the object just sitting there and his wife with her shoulder against his blade under him. He smiled and pulled her hand up and as she looked about and saw the object just standing there and she smiled and shared a kiss with Walter. Walter sheathed his sword noting the three foot gouge in the ground the object had actually driven them backwards.
Walter stepped up and put his shoulder against the object and pushed. He screamed as he strained and Paige moved up and pushed against it as well and finally it moved an inch and then two and then five and then a foot and then four feet. They moved the object back until it was past the door leading them out of this place.
Walter put his arm around his wife and they moved back up to the group. "Are you going to be able to get us down the stairs now?"
Jacob nodded. "Thanks to you both we still have a chance."
They moved on down the hallway and finally came to where the stairs should have been. Jacob worked quickly and finally unlocked the trap door blocking the stairs and opened it. They moved down the stairs and came up to the door Jacob had told them about. "Okay, here we are. Ray your job is to protect the Sorcerer, Allie your job is to help protect our backs as we protect the Lady and her husband. Are there any questions?" Jacob asked quietly.
"Do they know someone is coming?" Allie asked.
"Most likely, but they won't know much about it. We hit them hard and we hit them fast. Do not pull your strikes because they won't and their blades will be poisoned." Jacob told them.
Walter pulled his sword back out even as Lady Paige readied her hammer. The rest slipped back into the shadow. Walter slipped a tool into the lock of the door and moved it around and he barely heard it click. He looked at his wife and she smiled as she held that hammer. Walter moved the lever and then kicked that door as hard as he could as he could hear someone was right on the other side. The door flew open even as it smacked into the back of one of the assassins and he went flying but he quickly turned it into a tumble and he rolled and as he came up he flung two metal stars back at the now opened door.
Walter had moved in and swung his sword and sent both stars flying off to the side. One of the stars disappeared into the shadow and a moment later an assassin fell to the floor after emerging from the shadow. Lady Paige charged in beside her husband and she focused and summoned the white holy fire of Athena's consecration and that holy fire set two assassins on fire driving them out of the shadow as they tried moving out of the area of effect.
Cabe finished his spell and those twin fiery trails flew out over Walter and Lady Paige's heads and soared out to where Karl stood just out of his throne and they exploded into a fireball that engulfed Karl and one of the assassins. As Karl and the assassin screamed in pain Jacob moved up into the room along with Frankie. They both flanked Walter and Lady Paige.
Lady Paige leaped out and swung her hammer and as it impacted the floor that sent a shockwave rolling out from it just as Karl and the assassin had moved forward out of the inferno and they were both knocked back into it this time landing on their back as they continued burning.
Jacob grinned knowing that Karl was dead or soon would be and he stepped out of the shadow next to Walter. "I am Jacob. As second in command of the guild I am claiming the right of succession. Stand down, now."
The remaining assassins looked at him and back at the fireball which was finally dying out. As it ended there wasn't much doubt that Karl was indeed dead. They all put their weapons up and knelt on one knee. "We recognize you as our leader. What are your orders?"
Jacob nodded. "Recall all of our members immediately. They are not to engage Lord Beyon's forces any longer. If there are any fires they are to assist in extinguishing them. And if the red has been brought out of its chamber it is to be returned immediately. Finally the Lady Paige is no longer marked for death. Any who dares to approach her or her family or her people for some form of revenge will be dealt with in the most painful of manners."
Three of the assassins moved off to issue the orders while the others removed the bodies of the two dead assassins and Karl.
Jacob turned. "That went off a little better than I had expected. But we had a solid plan and that in the end is what makes the difference."
Allie looked about. "I'm going to guess that now that I know of this place you are going to move operations."
Jacob smiled. "It isn't that I don't trust you First Lieutenant but let's face it, it only makes sense to move things."
Allie nodded. "I must admit I figured you would try to betray us."
Jacob smiled. "It never crossed my mind my dear First Lieutenant."
Walter reached out his hand to Jacob. "It was good meeting you Jacob. Hopefully we can remain friends moving forward."
Jacob nodded as he shook his hand. "I've followed your career, well both of you actually, for quite sometime. And while I am still surprised that a Paladin would embrace a Bard as marriage material I have to admit you both work well together. Lady Paige I speak on behalf of the entire guild as I tell you how sorry I am that our former leader had listened and threatened your son's life in order to seek misguided revenge against you. As soon as I know all those involved I will make sure they are rounded up and taken to Lord Beyon for his judgment."
Greetings! Hope this finds you all well! After posting the last chapter a new story idea struck about the ending of the show and I indulged it and wrote the 1st chapter. Yesterday as I turned to write this chapter a 2nd chapter for this new idea was speaking so loudly that I had to indulge it and no sooner had I finished the 3rd chapter was talking. Both chapters took a heavy toll on me emotionally. I figured I wouldn't get to write this chapter until today and then post until tomorrow but as I sat at my computer around 7 pm last night this story finally was speaking and I wrote it. All together more than 7600 words written yesterday. Not sure I will be writing today or tomorrow and usually that kind of output drains me. But we'll see. If you don't see a chapter Monday then you'll know why. lol The new story will be called "Caber".
Railman - Glad the action is still entertaining! Oh I don't have any plans to write any "Caige" stories, but never say never is one of my mottos. The stories I write all have demands and I can only obey and write them. So if it happens, it happens. lol I will say in talking with 2LawDog certain story elements about a Caige story has certainly been entertained. lol
Franxine - LOL
2LawDog - Glad you enjoyed it! Not quite as involved as the been courtroom scene in Knight's Tale, thankfully. That was a monster of a beast to coordinate.
Susan - Thank you! I hope you have a great and safe weekend too!
Lucy - Thank you! They do blend together pretty good don't they?
Margaret - Thank you! Yep Instagram/IG is another technological beast! I still don't get over half of it. lol Happy Easter to you as well!
To the Adventure! -Tim