Breaching Point
(9:00 AM)
Too many things were weighing on Selena's mind as she made her way down the alley. First there was her unexpected assignment as the Prelate's guide. In the elf's mind, she was plotting out which route would be the most efficient path through the city. She was at the same time struggling to recall all the necessary steps of protocol that needed to be shown upon the Prelate's arrival.
Then there was the whole matter that Cerdan had just brought up. If there was going to be an attack, she could probably pass the information off to one of the other temple priests, but the issue would undoubtedly come up during her time with the Prelate.
Lastly, there was the terribly pungent bouquet of 'flowers' that she was still holding in one hand. It would probably take her hours to get the smell out of her hair and clothes, even if she did have time to change her robes. Although the priestess' better sense was telling her to dump the bouquet in one of the many piles of refuse she passed, she knew that Cerdan was trying to get some serious point across about putting them in water.
It was a wonder that her hair wasn't falling out with every thought that passed through her head.
A set of footsteps from up ahead roused the elf from her thinking, and she glanced up from the dirt road. There was a scruffy-haired man coming from the opposite end of the alley, his own eyes locked down on the path before him.
As they neared, Selena squinted slightly at the man's tunic. Several dark red splotches stained his shirt, and the pattern of the drops seemed angular, as if they had been splashed on the man from another person. The man's eyes darted toward her for a moment, then returned to the road when he noticed she was looking at him.
The elven woman felt moisture forming along her forehead. Swallowing, Selena held her robes closed tightly with one hand, and slowly let herself drift further toward the side wall, away from the man as she walked on. The stranger did the same, moving closer to Selena's side of the alley as he approached.
Selena's free hand disappeared into her robe, grasping the handle of her mace. She couldn't see a weapon on the man other than a gnarled wooden bow over his shoulder, but the elf was smart enough not to leave anything to chance.
"You there, please keep your distance!" she shouted, coming to a stop and spreading her footing slightly.
The man ignored the warning and actually began to walk faster toward her. Selena tossed the crusty bunch of flowers to the ground, then unhooked the mace from her belt and held it up. The stranger responded by raising out an unclean blade from behind his back.
The creep suddenly broke into a run and charged at her, swinging the knife around like a crazed killer. Selena immediately backpedaled, not expecting such wide, exaggerated swinging attacks. The lanky attacker was either an unskilled fighter or a madman. Either way, Selena was uncertain whether she'd be able to match him in terms of sheer strength.
Still, the elf wasn't willing to run away and leave the man to target the next wandering woman that passed by. She'd heard about killers like this one, the monsters of humankind.
As the man made another slash across the air with his blade, Selena countered by slamming her mace forward, cracking him across the forearm and trying to force him to drop the knife. Unfortunately, the blow wasn't strong enough, and only caused him to wince and growl at her.
The man suddenly flung himself forward at the elf, and when Selena tried to back up, she lost her footing when her heels knocked into a pile of garbage in the dirt. The priestess tripped and fell backward onto the trash heap, losing hold of her mace as she landed. The creep took another step closer, unsmiling and cold, then raised his knife over her to strike the final blow.
The elf tensed, ready to roll aside as soon as his arm came down.
"Halt there, you scoundrel!" A voice behind the knifeman declared. The man turned slightly toward the source of the voice, and a city guardsman charged by, tackling the creep to the ground. Two more guards appeared from the shadows as well, swords drawn and pointed down at the knife-wielder.
Selena glanced over at the first guardsman – a sergeant, judging by his uniform – and slowly rolled off the trash pile when she realized she had been saved. The officer punched the creep in the side of the neck, prompting an agonized scream from Selena's assailant.
"Miss, are you unharmed?" asked the sergeant, moving aside as the other two guards seized the screaming criminal by the arms.
Selena brushed herself off, then glanced around and retrieved her mace and the smelly bouquet of flowers. "Yes officer, I believe so, thanks to you. I'm glad fortune was on my side today."
"Indeed," said the sergeant, "This particular criminal has been eluding my men for a while, but I fear that we may be forced to let him go outside the city."
The elf stopped, halfway through the process of wiping the grimy dirt from the side of her robe. "What are you talking about? This monster should be imprisoned!"
"Yes, I know, miss. But I actually just came from the local barracks. We've received word that our local jails are all at completely full capacity. According to one of the city's new laws, any criminals captured during such a situation must be released to an area outside city jurisdiction."
"But that – that's just…" Selena's incredulous look drew a bead of sweat from the sergeant's brow. The elf couldn't recall ever hearing about such a ludicrous law, but then she didn't actually follow the bureaucratic fray of Baldur's Gate. And this sergeant seemed to know what he was talking about.
On the other hand, she couldn't stand the thought of such a monster being let loose on a technicality. Her eyes widened slightly as an idea came to the priestess. "Wait, what if I bring him to the temple of Tyr? We have a series of holding cells in the basement that we oversee independently of the city guard."
The sergeant grinned, bringing a crinkle to the side of his eyes, "A wise idea, cleric. But we would have to accompany you to ensure that he is – uh, properly detained."
Selena nodded and gestured down the alleyway for the guards to follow. If the tower were to be attacked, then it would help to have these officers present. After all, she thought, what could it hurt to grant these men entrance to the temple?
(9:12)
Standing before the mirror at the back of his office, Cordas glanced over his appearance one last time. After straightening the wrinkles out of his vest with a shot tug, he checked his pocket watch again. Time for another hourly report to Lord Pryus.
The old man touched the runic sequence on the mirror frame and waited several long moments before his lord appeared in the portal.
"Well?" demanded the red-eyed man, scratching uncomfortably at his neck.
"Both of my main teams are on their way to retrieving the artifacts you seek. Soon, my lord, the power of the twin amulets shall be in your grasp!"
Pryus growled slightly at the man's exaggerated grandeur, "Speak to me with facts, not puffy promises."
"Of course, sir." Cordas cast his eyes down and cleared his throat before speaking in a more neutral tone. "My personal enforcer, Tavros, is leading the team en route to Lancam's Isle and will likely arrive in an hour. The other team faced a slight setback concerning entry to the Tower of Tyr, but once they are inside they shouldn't have any difficulty finding success, I assure you."
Letting out another low rumbling noise that echoed through his cave, Lord Pryus narrowed his eyes. "I will not hold much patience for setbacks."
"Nothing of great concern, my lord. Some of my best men are on this mission; Horance, Shen, as well as a former agent of mine by the name of Norris."
A sneer twitched across the red-eyed man's face for an instant. Pryus shifted as if he was uncomfortable in his crimson hide armour. "I share none of your optimism. If this setback proves to be of consequence, we may have to intervene in your affairs directly."
"Whatever my lord sees fit," Cordas said, bowing his head curtly to hide his throat as he swallowed. Lord Pryus gave a simple nod and abruptly terminated the magical connection with a wave of his hand.
Cordas remained standing in place for a while, wondering just what kind of 'intervention' Pryus referred to. Taking a deep breath, the old man found it slightly more difficult to walk back to his desk, having more weighing on his shoulders than when he'd left it.
Things were beginning to slip out of his sphere of control, and that was the first sign that his own life was coming unsettlingly close to the peril's threshold.
(9:21)
Norris had enough sense to keep his mouth shut, but that didn't keep him from shooting a constant dark glare to the sergeant at his side. It wasn't just because the false officer neglected to tell Norris the whole plan. It was because the henchman was enjoying it too much.
"Keep moving, you low-born cur!" shouted the sergeant as he cuffed Norris on the back of the neck, further aggravating the ranger's painful wound. "Don't stop to admire the temple décor, get through those gates!"
Yes, far too much.
Grunting in reply, Norris lurched forward into the tower's main foyer, eyes squeezed shut in response to the blow. Although a small part of him was relieved that he didn't have to kill the priestess, another part of him was disappointed that he still hadn't proven himself to the sergeant.
At this rate, there was no way he'd be able to convince Cordas to hand over the antidote. If he'd only made a different choice so many years ago… but no, he didn't have time to lament over the past. Cordas was right; he had to start focusing on the present.
The temple's foyer was decorated with a dozen or so coloured tapestries along the walls, each standard bearing a different tenet of Tyr's faith in gold lettering. More prominent was the statue of Tyr the Even-Handed, towering above a large fountain at the centre of the room. It depicted the blind god as an elderly, muscled warrior with a war-hammer in his one hand and a golden brace covering the stump of his other wrist.
At first glance, the statue appeared to be glowing, but Norris quickly realized that it was simply the torchlight of the room being reflected off the statue's excessively polished surface. Norris couldn't help but wonder at the pretentiousness of it all.
When they approached the base of the fountain, the priestess signaled for them to halt and wait as she went to speak with a cleric who was pacing back and forth at the spiral staircase behind the statue of Tyr.
As she moved away, Norris took the opportunity to turn and address Cordas' henchmen, "Why are there only three of you? Where's Shen and the other goon?"
"Outside. Now shut up," whispered the sergeant, tilting his ear toward the elven woman.
"Priestess Shademoor!" called the cleric, "It's the High Prelate, he arrived while you were gone and he's been waiting upstairs for almost half an hour, and – by the gods, why do you smell so awful?"
The elf's eyes widened and Norris heard the sharp intake of breath, "What? But the Prelate wasn't supposed to –"
"Yes, I know he's several hours early, but he's still quite upset that you weren't here to receive him!"
"Fine," Selena muttered, and Norris could clearly hear the strain in her voice, "I won't have time to change now. I'll head straight to the Prelate's guestroom. Here." She then reached into her robes and took out a small scroll, which she handed to the priest guarding the stairs, "I've received word that the temple may be attacked. Study this schematic and place additional knights to guard the marked points of entry along the outer walls."
She then handed the bouquet of smelly flowers to the cleric. "And then take these to my chambers and leave them in water." As the cleric rushed off, eager to be rid of the pungent flowers, the elf called after her, "And leave my door open, air out the stench."
As the cleric took the scroll upstairs, Norris noticed that the false guards were beginning to shift uncomfortably. Even the sergeant seemed to stop breathing for a moment.
The red-haired priestess called to the false guards as she started up the steps. "Gentlemen, I must leave on pressing business. The temple's holding cells are two floors below ground level. Take the stairs and just report to the paladin on duty there." Without waiting another beat, the elf rushed up the remaining stairs and disappeared.
The sergeant smacked Norris on the neck, forcing the ranger to stumble several steps forward. "Get moving, Norris," he whispered, "The vault should be somewhere on the basement floor. It's time to get what we came for."
(9:30)
Selena checked her hair bun to ensure it was still formal and presentable, then straightened her posture and went down the hallway toward a heavy oaken door marked with a gold faceplate. She knocked on the Prelate's guestroom and waited patiently.
"Enter," called a rough voice from within.
The elf opened the door and saw an elderly gentleman moving to stand in the middle of the room. Although he appeared to be well into his seventies, his movements indicated that he was far from being frail or infirm. Every centimetre of his white robe seemed impeccably clean, with the only dark area on his person being the black glove on his left hand.
Selena knew that it was customary for followers of Tyr to wear one white and one black glove, which represented Tyr's amputated hand. She frowned inwardly that she had forgotten to put on her own gloves for this meeting.
The elf bowed low as soon as she stepped into the room. "High Prelate Saudere, it is an honour to have your presence grace us this day."
"If it is such an honour, then why have I been kept waiting in here for nearly an hour?" demanded Saudere.
Selena stood straight before the elderly man and set a passive smile on her face, "You have my humble apologies, Prelate. I was called away on an urgent matter concerning the safety of the temple, and we were not expecting your arrival until eleven."
The priestess nearly brought up the fact that she originally wasn't supposed to be his guide for the visit, but her better sense kept her tongue still. Complaining would be entirely unprofessional at a time like this.
Prelate Saudere loomed a few steps closer and examined Selena's attire with disappointment. "You look terribly unkempt. Is this what passes for formality in this city?" The elf remained silent as the Prelate shook his head and continued, "So… you are the ubiquitous Selena Shademoor. I've heard much about your deeds here. I am told you have a tendency to acquire all sorts of information on criminal activity that goes on in this city."
"Only in the pursuit of justice, sir." Selena noticed that a lump had formed in her throat. Did Saudere know about her contact with the thieves' guild? She knew such a fact would not improve her status if it were to be made public. "Is there something in particular you wish to inquire on?"
"Not at the moment," Saudere said with a dismissive wave, "I am curious, however, at what you would be able to tell me about one former Tormish paladin by the name of 'Treysen'."
"Treysen?" Selena was puzzled for a moment as she began to recall the details behind the name. "Uh, he was a traitorous knight who joined a conspiracy to destroy all of Baldur's Gate three years ago."
"And you had direct contact with him on the day he died."
"Well, yes sir. I uncovered his betrayal and he died when he tried to attack me shortly after. It was all detailed in the report I gave to the Church a few days after."
Saudere moved across the room to a chair on the other side of the room and sat down, folding his hands and staring at the elven priestess in muted disapproval for several long moments. Selena shifted her weight from one foot to the other, wondering what this was all about.
"I, however, do not believe a word of your accusations against Sir Treysen," said Saudere, his face lacking any emotion. "Do you know why?"
"Sir, those were not mere accusations, they were clearly–"
"I have examined the records of the incident, and I found that you were the only person to make any such accusations. Every ounce of dishonour that has been heaped upon Sir Treysen's good name was based completely on your word alone. And I do not believe it." The Prelate's eyes drilled holes into Selena's confidence. "Nor am I wont to believe one who communes with thieves."
Selena felt a shock run through her heart, but kept her expression under control. If Saudere really knew something, they wouldn't be having this conversation. "I beg your pard–"
"Enough discussion. I am required to perform my inspection of this temple before moving on to my personal concerns. At least some followers of Tyr take their duties seriously," he said with a glare. "Show me to the prayer hall."
"Ah, yes sir." Selena bowed her head and opened the door for the Prelate. This was not the reception Selena had expected at all. She sighed inwardly again as Saudere stepped out into the hallway. It was definitely going to be a long day.
(9:39)
Standing behind a wall in the temple basement, Norris briefly peeked around the corner at the circular vault door. He flicked his eyes over the large, steel vault that stood at the far side of the large hallway and made mental note of the paladins who were standing guard on either side.
Through the Eagle Eye spell, Norris could even identify details like the heavy scars on one paladin's face and the adornments on their weapons. Most importantly, however, was the barely visible cord that extended from a panel on the wall beside the knights and up into a tiny hole in the ceiling.
The ranger pulled his head back and turned to the sergeant and the other henchmen. "The vault is at the end of this hallway, about thirty metres away. Two armoured paladins with shields and broadswords stand on either side of the door. The one on the left looks battle-hardened; he should be taken out first."
The sergeant nodded and began to move around the corner, but Norris caught the man by the arm. Before the other false guards could react, Norris held up a hand and spoke, "But they also have a pull-cord hidden on the side wall. We won't be able to reach it in time, and they'll probably summon help if they tug on it."
"So what do you suggest?"
Norris reached behind his back and pulled his bow off his shoulder, "Give me the first shot, then the rest of you charge in and deal with the knights however you like."
Frowning heavily, the sergeant sent a glare at the skinny man, "Sharp eyed or not, I have yet to see if you're competent with a bow..."
"I can do this. Watch." Without waiting for the sergeant's permission, Norris prepared an arrow and stepped out around the corner. In an instant, he had his bow trained on the target, then let the missile fly. An instant later, the pull-cord snapped and part of it fell limply to the floor.
The ranger look back at the henchmen expectantly as the knights by the vault realized what had happened. The sergeant waved for his men to rush forward before pointing a sharp finger at Norris. "You have some audacity, ranger."
"Are you impressed yet?"
The sergeant ignored Norris' question and rushed forward to help his men against the paladins. "Keep watch on the exit, ranger!"
Norris nodded at the sergeant's back, then raised his bow and loosed a second arrow, this one whistling just past the sergeant's head and striking home directly into the face of one of the paladins. The sergeant froze in his place as he saw the knight collapse with a mask of blood, and he whirled about with an infuriated look on his own face. The ranger merely pointed at the second paladin and went behind the wall to monitor the exit.
Listening to the clanging of metal behind him, Norris wondered why there weren't more knights standing guard near the vault. "Their treasury must have some sort of magical protection…" he mumbled aloud.
No matter, he was certain that the sergeant had something that would penetrate the door. As much as Norris disliked working with these criminals, he shared no love for the temple faithful either.
Just a bunch of greedy bastards, every one of them, he thought to himself. Preaching about good and justice in one moment and swiping 'donations' from you the next. If they were half as righteous as they claimed, they wouldn't put a price on peoples' lives.
"Ranger! Come here!" shouted the sergeant. Norris noticed that the sounds of combat had fallen silent, and he moved around the corner again to see that the young paladin lay dead on the floor with a heavy gash across his torso.
The leader gestured at the vault when Norris came close. "Try opening the door."
"Why? Is it going to blow up on me?"
"No, but you're still the most expendable person here."
Norris sneered and moved forward to examine the round vault door. Jutting out from the middle of the flat metallic circle was a large spoked wheel with a keyhole and three arcane symbols carved into the front. The ranger turned back toward Cordas' henchmen.
"I don't need to try it to know that it won't open. This symbol here on the wheel is a sealing ward; only a wizard can undo it. I don't recognize these other symbols, but I can tell that they're dangerous."
"One of them is a paralysis ward, the other is a rune of enfeeblement," said the sergeant with a disappointed look. "Too bad, I was hoping you'd end up wetting yourself where you stand."
Norris swallowed the insult and turned back to the vault. "So how do we open it now?"
"I have a solution," the sergeant replied, reaching into his pocket and removing the same golden circlet he'd used back at the flower shop. "The steel door looks reflective enough to serve as a mirror."
Stepping aside, Norris watched as the henchman placed the artifact on the shiny metallic door, just above the wheel. After a few seconds, a mirror-sized portal rippled into existence on the flat surface of the door and Norris could see into Cordas' office once more.
"I don't see how talking to the old man will help…" Norris stopped as he noticed the spoked wheel waver slightly upon the portal. Then he realized that the portal would only form on a flat surface… behind the wheel lock.
Separated from the vault door by the portal, the wheel fell off and clunked loudly against the tile floor. The sergeant reached out and removed the golden circlet from the centre of the portal, and the magical gateway winked out of existence.
Now there was a large hole in the door where the lock once was. The sergeant gave a short tug on the edge of the hole, pulling the door open, and stepped into the vault. Norris moved to follow, but the two remaining henchmen seized the ranger by the arms, keeping him in place.
After a few moments, the sergeant shouted out from within the vault, "I have what we came for. Help yourselves to the treasure, boys!"
The man emerged from the vault holding a large iron box, and the two henchmen let go of Norris and eagerly raced past him to start filling their pockets with whatever loot lay within. Norris began to follow them, but the sergeant held up a hand at Norris, stopping the ranger.
"No. The only reward you'll receive from all this is your life. When I get this box back to Cordas," the sergeant held up the metal case in his hand, "I'll tell him that he can give you the antidote."
Norris relaxed and gave a grudging nod to the criminal, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The sergeant then unexpectedly shoved Norris squarely in the chest and the ranger tripped backward, landing directly on top of the warded wheel on the ground.
Immediately, every muscle in the ranger's body tensed up and then went limp, simultaneously affected by the weakening and paralytic spells upon the wheel. With his body drained of energy, the only parts Norris could move were his eyes, and this merely afforded him a view of the grey stone ceiling.
The sergeant approached and kneeled down, staring down at Norris' shifting eyes, "Unfortunately, Cordas won't be able to give you the antidote since you'll be locked up in one of the faithmongers' holding cells. But don't worry, you won't be there for long. After all, that poison will only take about, what, twenty hours before it kills you?"
Standing with a triumphant grin, the false guard nodded to his henchmen as Norris heard them march past. "So long, Norris. You've done well for a traitorous ranger."
With that said, the sergeant walked out of Norris' sight, and the ranger was alone once again. As he lay there, dying and immobile, the ranger could only glare at the ceiling, trying to kill the sergeant through sheer force of will.
It seems fitting really, Norris thought, that I should die in a temple of Tyr, just like my five old friends – my five former friends. Cordas should have a good laugh about all of this.
In the silence of the hall, the ranger could hear only the pounding of his own heart, and felt only the pulsing of the wound on the back of his neck as the pain ever slowly became worse. Twenty hours of pain still remained. In all his life, Norris never would have believed that such a brief period of time could seem so devastatingly long.
(9:52)
Several floors above, the cleric holding the bouquet of stinkbloom flowers rushed into Priestess Shademoor's quarters. The young cleric grabbed an ewer from beside the priestess' wash basin and filled it halfway with clean water.
She then placed it down on the priestess' desk, pushing the open envelope out of the way. The cleric quickly tossed the bouquet inside, leaving the paper wrapping around the flower stems. Waving a hand in front of her nose to clear away the terrible smell, the cleric quickly made her way out, not wishing to spend another minute in the presence of the flowers.
As she was leaving, the water slowly began to soak into the tiny pouch that Cerdan had hidden in the bouquet. Within the pouch were several hundred small golden beads, and the water in the ewer was now moistening each one.
In seconds, a soft humming noise began to sound from within the pouch…
(9:55)
Striding quickly, the sergeant and his fellow henchmen hurried out through the tower's main foyer, eyes pointed toward the floor to avoid contact with the knights and clerics that were now patrolling the room. The sergeant wiped his brow, then put his hands in his pockets to muffle the sound of the jewelry and keep the objects from clinking against each other.
As they passed the fountain at the middle, the sergeant calmed down slightly and raised his head. Once they cleared the entryway gates, they probably wouldn't have any trouble leaving the temple grounds.
"Excuse me, gentlemen!" shouted a female voice from behind. The sergeant ignored her and kept walking.
A set of footsteps rushed up behind them, "Sir! Hold there."
Taking a slow breath, the sergeant came to a stop and wondered if the priests had already learned of their vault heist. He turned to face the cleric that had addressed him. "Yes, what is it? We're in a hurry, and can't stay for –"
"I was simply going to offer you gentlemen a protection spell. It can be dangerous out in the city, even for city officers like yourselves, and I thought you might like a little extra aid."
"Oh." The sergeant realized he had placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword, and he removed it quickly. "Very well, then."
The cleric closed her eyes and moved her hands rhythmically, casting a blue glow over the three false guards. "There you go, sir. This spell will protect you from physical blows for a few hours." Smiling pleasantly, she nodded to them and let them go on their way.
Smirking to himself, the sergeant and his fellow henchmen quickly left the building and returned to the city streets.
"Come, we need to round up the others. Then we'll see about finding another mirror so we can present our spoils to Cordas." The sergeant placed a hand against the iron box hidden underneath his tunic. "I'd say he'll be quite pleased with this special treasure…"
(10:00 AM)