I left the cellar, then exited the alley. Not far away, Mr. Atlas watched me, his armor glistening in moonlight. I jogged to him.
"Is everything alright?" he asked as we walked away together.
Should I tell him? Khan didn't say I had to keep the mission a secret.
"I met…" I began, but caught myself halfway. We were in public.
"Let's talk later," I said.
We arrived safely at home. I checked behind us, in case we were being followed. But thankfully, I saw no one.
Hei and Saber were waiting for us on the living room couch. When I came through the door, they got up and practically jogged over.
"Is Jack here?" I asked while taking off my outdoor boots.
"Haven't seen him today," Hei said. "Who did you meet with?"
"Khan," I answered. "Headmaster of the Logistics Division."
I proceeded to tell my three teammates everything Khan and I had discussed. Who knew if that was a bad idea.
Mr. Atlas rubbed his temples as I wrapped up my account. "Are you going to do what he told you?" he asked.
"I guess. Not sure I've got many other options."
"Take the night to think it over," he advised me. "And that goes for all of you. We will discuss things tomorrow morning."
It was past ten o'clock. I retreated to my room to rest and think; the meeting with Khan had completely exhausted me mentally and emotionally. My hands still jittered from lingering adrenaline.
In terms of options, three people on our team were Combat Institute members. We could infiltrate the Institute, steal the keys for the cave, then do a stealth mission like Khan said to free 6E12. There'd be guards at the crypt-cave, which was an issue. Two guards, if Khan's intel proved right. I could bring a teammate along to take care of them. Hei seemed like the obvious choice. He was 5th level, the best duelist out of us, and the one I'd willingly entrust my survival to. He could Voidstep through doors. And Tanin had coached him in subterfuge, back during our Spanish-Speaker's Guild infiltration.
Jack seemed like a valuable teammate to bring along as well, but at this point he had been out of the loop for too much. Hei and myself – a team of two – was likely the right number for a stealth operation. Maybe Atlas and Saber could stay behind and act as support, to send us relevant info through our shared team notebooks.
I also had a few additional cards up my sleeve.
First, I had Khan's magical envelope.
Second, like Saber mentioned, I could ask for aid from the Combat Institute's rivals, the Trader's Guild.
Third, I could enlist the help of the Truthseeker's Guild to…actually, no. Sarah and Jayden seemed kind of useless.
Third (for real this time), perhaps I could use Atlas' connection to the Guard's Guild. The risk there was huge. Unlike the Trader's Guild, the Guard's Guild had no known conflicts with the Combat Institute. What if they sided with Fink against me? Perhaps it'd be best to avoid them for now.
Soon, weariness weighed me down and sank me into slumber.
The next morning, I reconvened with Hei, Atlas, and Saber.
"I'll look around town to see if I can find lockpicks," I said. "Then, I'll go straight to the cave. Hei, can you come with me?"
"Of course," he said.
Thankfully he didn't refuse. Truth be told, my plan revolved around him. The lockpicks were a backup option. My main plan, meanwhile, was for Hei to Voidstep through the metal-grate gate, knock out the guards, take their keys, and open the door from the inside. We could then proceed onward from there. Teleportation, in this mission, was indispensable.
"Are you sure about this?" Mr. Atlas asked.
I shook my head.
"There are too many unknowns," I admitted. "Who knows what it's even like inside the cave."
"Check with the Builder's Guild?" Mr. Atlas suggested. "See if they have a blueprint."
"Oh yeah, huh."
The town had multiple Builder's Guilds, and one of them had likely been outsourced the job of constructing the crypts. It'd be no small task, and I wagered they'd keep careful records, including diagrams of the crypts' floor plans.
I went up to my bedroom, where I kept my $15,000 savings in cash. I pocketed about $12,000, in 500-dollar bills, in case I needed hush-money or a bribe. That ought to be enough.
I also conjured a Cold Grenade and stored it inside my pocket.
"Keep an eye on your notebook," I said to everyone in the house. And with that, Hei and I left.
I made my way to one of the Builder's Guilds, one that specialized in non-housing projects. They handled walls, bridges, and canals for the farmers. Maybe I'd have some luck with them. Their guild hall was a weighty, cylindrical tower of black stone, erected in Ring Two near one of the rivers. As I was about to enter, I asked Hei to wait outside and keep an eye on the surroundings.
I entered the reception hall of the tower. Chandeliers lit and warmed the place. The floor was faded wooden tiles, and the walls were the same hefty, black stone as on the outside. A clean-shaven man, in a tie and dress suit, greeted me from the reception desk that faced the entrance.
"Good day ma'am," he said. "How may I help you?"
"Hello." I said with a slight bow. "I'm from the Combat Institute, Logistics Division. Would you happen to have worked on the, you know, crypts outside of town?"
He drummed his fingers on the polished marble desk, as though in thought. "You would be right," he finally replied.
"Awesome. Would you mind if I review the floorplan for those real quick?"
"Of course. Can I get your name please?"
Oh crap.
"I'm…well, you can call me Maria." I hadn't stammered too hard, had I?
"Maria. Last name as well, please."
"Calderon," I said in a friendly tone that belied my unease.
"And, do you have a permit letter?"
"Oh, I didn't know you needed one." Relax, I told myself. Treat this like a normal conversation.
"That's alright," the man said with a smile. "Please hold on for a second."
He took out a cell phone and dialed someone.
Huh. How did he manage to get his phone charged?
"Hi, uh," he began talking to whoever was on the other side. "We've got someone interested in the floorplan for the crypts…Do you know a Maria? Calderon. Logistics Division."
I strained my ears and managed to make out the faint sound of a woman's voice on the other end. The man listened to her, occasionally answering with "mhm" or a "yes ma'am."
…He couldn't be talking to Fink, could he?
Halfway through the call, the man pointed a finger at the middle of the room. His hand glowed with a white radiance, and the air chilled.
A wall of ice erupted from the floor behind me. It bisected the room, cutting me off from the entrance and the windows. My heart sank.
"She's here," the man spoke into the phone. "Hurry up."
I spun around, searching for an exit. A stairway led up to the second floor.
"Stay calm," the man told me. "You aren't in any trouble. We're just taking extra precautions at the moment."
Extra precautions, against what? Me?!
The man pulled a lever behind his desk. The noise of clockwork seeped through the stone walls of the room. Then came the deafening ringing of bells. An alarm.
This wouldn't end well.
I bolted straight for the stairs. If memory served, there ought to be windows on the floor above. As I made my way up, the man shouted something at me. But the bells' din ate up his words.
An open window greeted me as soon as I reached the second floor. I sprinted to it, then looked out. Passers-by were evacuating the area, likely alerted by the alarms. But Hei remained, and he saw me, and he came running.
I climbed onto the windowsill, balancing myself precariously. Cold wind whipped across my face and billowed my coat. Then, I jumped out. Hei leaped up, caught me in mid-air, then landed on one knee, safely cradling me. Before I had a chance to explain the situation, a swarm of a dozen or so armored guards appeared around the street corner. They dashed straight at Hei and me.
"Run!" I shouted. I sprinted off, with Hei right behind.
The guards gave chase.
I left the cellar, then exited the alley. Not far away, Mr. Atlas watched me, his armor glistening in moonlight. I jogged to him.
"Is everything alright?" he asked as we walked away together.
Should I tell him? Khan didn't say I had to keep the mission a secret.
"I met…" I began, but caught myself halfway. We were in public.
"Let's talk later," I said.
We arrived safely at home. I checked behind us, in case we were being followed. But thankfully, I saw no one.
Hei and Saber were waiting for us on the living room couch. When I came through the door, they got up and practically jogged over.
"Is Jack here?" I asked while taking off my outdoor boots.
"Haven't seen him today," Hei said. "Who did you meet with?"
"Khan," I answered. "Headmaster of the Logistics Division."
I proceeded to tell my three teammates everything Khan and I had discussed. Who knew if that was a bad idea.
Mr. Atlas rubbed his temples as I wrapped up my account. "Are you going to do what he told you?" he asked.
"I guess. Not sure I've got many other options."
"Take the night to think it over," he advised me. "And that goes for all of you. We will discuss things tomorrow morning."
It was past ten o'clock. I retreated to my room to rest and think; the meeting with Khan had completely exhausted me mentally and emotionally. My hands still jittered from lingering adrenaline.
In terms of options, three people on our team were Combat Institute members. We could infiltrate the Institute, steal the keys for the cave, then do a stealth mission like Khan said to free 6E12. There'd be guards at the crypt-cave, which was an issue. Two guards, if Khan's intel proved right. I could bring a teammate along to take care of them. Hei seemed like the obvious choice. He was 5th level, the best duelist out of us, and the one I'd willingly entrust my survival to. He could Voidstep through doors. And Tanin had coached him in subterfuge, back during our Spanish-Speaker's Guild infiltration.
Jack seemed like a valuable teammate to bring along as well, but at this point he had been out of the loop for too much. Hei and myself – a team of two – was likely the right number for a stealth operation. Maybe Atlas and Saber could stay behind and act as support, to send us relevant info through our shared team notebooks.
I also had a few additional cards up my sleeve.
First, I had Khan's magical envelope.
Second, like Saber mentioned, I could ask for aid from the Combat Institute's rivals, the Trader's Guild.
Third, I could enlist the help of the Truthseeker's Guild to…actually, no. Sarah and Jayden seemed kind of useless.
Third (for real this time), perhaps I could use Atlas' connection to the Guard's Guild. The risk there was huge. Unlike the Trader's Guild, the Guard's Guild had no known conflicts with the Combat Institute. What if they sided with Fink against me? Perhaps it'd be best to avoid them for now.
Soon, weariness weighed me down and sank me into slumber.
The next morning, I reconvened with Hei, Atlas, and Saber.
"I'll look around town to see if I can find lockpicks," I said. "Then, I'll go straight to the cave. Hei, can you come with me?"
"Of course," he said.
Thankfully he didn't refuse. Truth be told, my plan revolved around him. The lockpicks were a backup option. My main plan, meanwhile, was for Hei to Voidstep through the metal-grate gate, knock out the guards, take their keys, and open the door from the inside. We could then proceed onward from there. Teleportation, in this mission, was indispensable.
"Are you sure about this?" Mr. Atlas asked.
I shook my head.
"There are too many unknowns," I admitted. "Who knows what it's even like inside the cave."
"Check with the Builder's Guild?" Mr. Atlas suggested. "See if they have a blueprint."
"Oh yeah, huh."
The town had multiple Builder's Guilds, and one of them had likely been outsourced the job of constructing the crypts. It'd be no small task, and I wagered they'd keep careful records, including diagrams of the crypts' floor plans.
I went up to my bedroom, where I kept my $15,000 savings in cash. I pocketed about $12,000, in 500-dollar bills, in case I needed hush-money or a bribe. That ought to be enough.
I also conjured a Cold Grenade and stored it inside my pocket.
"Keep an eye on your notebook," I said to everyone in the house. And with that, Hei and I left.
I made my way to one of the Builder's Guilds, one that specialized in non-housing projects. They handled walls, bridges, and canals for the farmers. Maybe I'd have some luck with them. Their guild hall was a weighty, cylindrical tower of black stone, erected in Ring Two near one of the rivers. As I was about to enter, I asked Hei to wait outside and keep an eye on the surroundings.
I entered the reception hall of the tower. Chandeliers lit and warmed the place. The floor was faded wooden tiles, and the walls were the same hefty, black stone as on the outside. A clean-shaven man, in a tie and dress suit, greeted me from the reception desk that faced the entrance.
"Good day ma'am," he said. "How may I help you?"
"Hello." I said with a slight bow. "I'm from the Combat Institute, Logistics Division. Would you happen to have worked on the, you know, crypts outside of town?"
He drummed his fingers on the polished marble desk, as though in thought. "You would be right," he finally replied.
"Awesome. Would you mind if I review the floorplan for those real quick?"
"Of course. Can I get your name please?"
Oh crap.
"I'm…well, you can call me Maria." I hadn't stammered too hard, had I?
"Maria. Last name as well, please."
"Calderon," I said in a friendly tone that belied my unease.
"And, do you have a permit letter?"
"Oh, I didn't know you needed one." Relax, I told myself. Treat this like a normal conversation.
"That's alright," the man said with a smile. "Please hold on for a second."
He took out a cell phone and dialed someone.
Huh. How did he manage to get his phone charged?
"Hi, uh," he began talking to whoever was on the other side. "We've got someone interested in the floorplan for the crypts…Do you know a Maria? Calderon. Logistics Division."
I strained my ears and managed to make out the faint sound of a woman's voice on the other end. The man listened to her, occasionally answering with "mhm" or a "yes ma'am."
…He couldn't be talking to Fink, could he?
Halfway through the call, the man pointed a finger at the middle of the room. His hand glowed with a white radiance, and the air chilled.
A wall of ice erupted from the floor behind me. It bisected the room, cutting me off from the entrance and the windows. My heart sank.
"She's here," the man spoke into the phone. "Hurry up."
I spun around, searching for an exit. A stairway led up to the second floor.
"Stay calm," the man told me. "You aren't in any trouble. We're just taking extra precautions at the moment."
Extra precautions, against what? Me?!
The man pulled a lever behind his desk. The noise of clockwork seeped through the stone walls of the room. Then came the deafening ringing of bells. An alarm.
This wouldn't end well.
I bolted straight for the stairs. If memory served, there ought to be windows on the floor above. As I made my way up, the man shouted something at me. But the bells' din ate up his words.
An open window greeted me as soon as I reached the second floor. I sprinted to it, then looked out. Passers-by were evacuating the area, likely alerted by the alarms. But Hei remained, and he saw me, and he came running.
I climbed onto the windowsill, balancing myself precariously. Cold wind whipped across my face and billowed my coat. Then, I jumped out. Hei leaped up, caught me in mid-air, then landed on one knee, safely cradling me. Before I had a chance to explain the situation, a swarm of a dozen or so armored guards appeared around the street corner. They dashed straight at Hei and me.
"Run!" I shouted. I sprinted off, with Hei right behind.
The guards gave chase.
