We stay with our back to the corridor we came from. I try to count the guard’s footsteps and judge when he’ll get to the end and see our tanks. The click of his boots on the stone moves ever farther away from me.
“Hm,” he grunts.
I hear a few more steps, a thud, a tiny creaking noise and then silence.
I’m afraid to look at Erinocalypse for fear we will reveal something in our expressions. The Sergeant Lipton frowns.
“Grant,” she calls. “Sergeant Grant.”
When she is greeted with silence, she sighs.
“Martin,” she addresses the bearded guard standing next to Erinocalypse. “Go help him. I don’t know why it takes two of you but I should have guessed.”
The guard nods and heads down the same corridor, boots clicking on the stone in the same way. This time, though, I turn to peek over my shoulder at him. He pauses at the end of the corridor, where the path turns to the left, frowns and steps forward around the corner.
I face front again and hear another thud, creak and silence.
I have no idea what the tanks and healer are up to, but good for them.
“Sergeant Martin, what did you find?”
A small ding alerts me to a group private message.
Erinocalypse: What did you guys do?
SteelFeather: Nothing
TexBadass: We just showed them where the other door is.
Balderdash13: We need that last guard to come see where it is too.
“I thought I heard something,” I say. “Did you hear that?”
The remaining guard gives me serious side-eye, as though to say give me a break. I widen my eyes, trying to look innocent, and shrug. She heaves a huge sigh.
“Don’t move,” she tells us as she walks past to the end of the corridor.
Next to me, Erinocalypse slowly turns around to watch the last guard walk toward the rest of our party. The corridor isn’t very long but I wonder if I have time to equip my bow and arrow. Just as I open my inventory, the guard reaches the end of the corridor, peeks around the corner of the wall, sword in hand, and is about to yell something when she stops. She’s completely frozen when SteelFeather and Balderdash13 rush forward to grab her.
“What was that? Petrify?” I ask Erinocalypse. “Nice.”
“What’d you do with the others?” she calls to the tanks as we hurry to help them.
When we reach the end of the corridor, I see that TexBadass is leaning all his weight against the closed door that leads down to the previous chamber. Whatever they did to overpower the other two guards isn’t permanent, so he holds the door closed.
“Ready?” he asks. “On my count. One … two … three.”
He yanks the door open a couple feet, as SteelFeather and Balderdash13 stuff the frozen female guard through the gap, into the arms of the bearded guard who had been beating on the other side of the door. TexBadass almost takes off Balderdash13’s fingers when he slams the heavy wooden door shut. I rush forward to help him hold it closed while the two tanks maneuver the lock into place.
“You’re going to be sorry,” one of the guards calls through the door.
“Doubt it,” Erinocalypse calls back. “Okay, let’s get going. There is probably going to be a shift change or something eventually and the missing guards will be discovered. Let’s get as far away from here as possible before then.”
She leads us back down the corridor where Callidus waits for us at the table where the guards had previously been sitting.
“Look what I found,” he says with a grin. A wide ring of keys dangles from his hand and clinks together musically when he shakes it. “I don’t know what it’s for, but if they’re just going to leave it laying around …” He shrugs and stows the keys in his inventory.
I equip my bow and arrow and get ready to follow the rest of the group out of the jail to whatever lies beyond.
“Not so fast,” a smooth, deep voice says, stopping us in our tracks.
Chapter 6
My heart thumps. Damn it.
As the six of us turn back, I realize at once which loose end we have forgotten to tie up. The grimy, grinning prisoner sticks one arm out through the bars of his cell and gestures us back with dirt-crusted fingers.
“You wouldn’t be leaving me behind now, would you?” the man, Lance, says. “You wouldn’t be wanting me to be calling after you, calling loudly, maybe and drawing attention to the jail and the fact that three guards are now missing?”
“Shut up,” I tell him.
“We could kill him,” SteelFeather suggests, not taking his eyes from the prisoner. “If he’s already imprisoned, getting rid of him shouldn’t anger Queen Vivian.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, friend,” Lance says. “Maybe she’s got me stashed down here to keep me safe, eh? Maybe I’m a highly-prized ransom. Maybe I’m a spy.”
“Maybe.” SteelFeather shrugs, unimpressed.
“What do you want?” Erinocalypse asks.
“Just what is due me.” He winks and is rewarded with Erin rolling her eyes.
“What do you want?” she repeats.
“I want the same thing as you. I want to leave this jail without alerting anyone to my whereabouts. I want to get back to what I was working on before they threw me in here.”
“What are ya in for?” TexBadass says.
He shrugs. “I’m under suspicion for treason. “
“Did you do it?” I ask.
He shrugs again.
“Why should we trust you?” Erinocalypse asks. “We could free you and you could easily turn on us. You could try to hurt us. You could betray us. Someone being accused of treason isn’t exactly trustworthy. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t just leave you here.”
“Help me with my quest and you can feel safe with me. I need to find out who ordered me imprisoned.”
Quest Offered: Whose Idea Was This?
Description: Lance Dulock has been imprisoned and wants to know who ordered that sentence. Help him learn the details of his time in jail.
Reward: +750 XP
Well, now, that’s interesting. Who is this guy and why does he have such a quest to offer? I look at the others, who have expressions on their face ranging from confusion to excitement. If we accept this quest will it derail us from our quest to save the kingdom?
“You don’t think it was the queen?” Balderdash13 asks.
“It might be.” He nods. “It might not be. It was her advisor that brought charges, but Queen Vivian was quick enough to sentence me. I just want to know where they got the idea that I committed treason. Help me discover who it was and I’ll keep quiet about you being in the castle.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Erinocalypse asks.
“Let me out and I’ll tell you.”
“Hang on, buddy,” TexBadass says, his finger pointing at the prisoner aggressively. “You’re not telling us what to do. We’re in charge here.”
“So you think.”
I narrow my eyes and try to read more into what this Lance NPC is putting out. There’s definitely more than he’s telling us, but it’s not like we’re going to get him to spill anything he doesn’t want to. I put a hand on TexBadass’s shoulder and pull him back to a little huddle with the other players.
“I think this comes down to, do we want this quest he’s offering us or not? We’ve got the task that Talbot and Cho gave us, but while we’re here we might as well level up as much as we can. Who knows what kind of advantage we’ll need once we get to the Throne Room.”
“Fine. You’re right,” TexBadass says with an irritated look over his shoulder at the prisoner. “I could use that reward. Let’s make the most of this.”
Erinocalypse grins. “Agreed. Callidus, can you …?”
The kid walks over to the locked cell door and glares at the prisoner, possibly trying to intimidate him.
“Hands where we can see them,” Callidus says as he unlocks the heavy door.
Lan
ce steps back from the iron he had been leaning through and keeps his hands in front of him while Callidus pulls the door open.
“Good,” the NPC says. “Smart decision.”
“So tell us more about this quest,” Erinocalypse says. “You just want to know who to blame for this? Seems like kind of a big deal if you’re just leaving anyway.”
“You have no idea where I’m going,” Lance says cryptically. “I may stay. I have ears everywhere. Whether you see me or not, I’ll know exactly what happens in this castle.”
“Then why do you need us?”
“Because I can’t be seen doing it.”
“What is ‘it’ exactly?”
“In order to find out who is behind my imprisonment, you’re going to need to do a few different things. You have to get close enough to the queen and you’ll have to be able to know without a doubt that you’re learning the truth.”
Quest Offered: In Her Presence
Description: You can’t find out details without talking to Queen Vivian herself. Make your way to the Throne Room and gain audience with her.
Reward: +200 XP
“Okay, that’s no problem,” I say as I accept the quest. “We can find the Throne Room. How will we know we’re finding out the truth?”
“The queen is just as obsessed with the truth as I am. Throughout this Castle are the ingredients you need to create Alithia Potion, a potent truth serum. If you can make this potion and slip it to her, you can find out who was in charge of jailing me.”
Quest Offered: Get the Truth
Description: This truth serum, Alithia Potion is exactly the tool you need to accomplish many of your other tasks. Learn the recipe.
Reward: +100 XP; Recipe for Alithia Potion
Requirements: Alchemy Level 1
“So, I just want to get this right …” I enumerate the steps on my fingers. “We need to learn how to make potions, we need to learn how to make that specific potion and find the ingredients, and then make it, and then find our way to the Throne Room and slip the potion into the queen’s drink or food or something and then ask her who imprisoned Lance Dulock?”
“Well, more elegantly than that, I hope,” he says. “But essentially yes. Between the six of you, it should be easy.”
TexBadass snorts. “Easy.”
“Any tips on where we should start?” Erinocalypse asks.
“Up one flight of stairs is the chapel of Castle Nennius. The monk that presides there is a good, simple man who will be willing to help you learn the skills you need. Visit him on your way to the Throne Room.”
“And then how do we get word to you?”
“When the time comes you’ll know. Remember, the Throne Room is at the very top of the castle. It’s in its own wing, but you will need to go through many common areas to get to it. Which means you’ll need to get past many of the Queen’s Guards.”
“All the way up? We should get moving then.” Erinocalypse starts toward the door exiting the jail.
A dark stone stairway leads up about half a flight of stairs. We climb quietly.
“Good luck to you,” Lance says, shaking our hands each in turn. “I suspect you will need it.”
We separate at the top of the stairs, Lance going on to the level above, while we cautiously enter the wide double doors to our left. Callidus and TexBadass pull the doors open while SteelFeather and Balderdash13 hold their weapons ready to swing at whatever may be on the other side.
Chapter 7
The warm glow of candlelight welcomes us as Callidus and TexBadass hold the doors to the chapel open. The floor remains paved in the same wide, gray stones as are in the jail, but thankfully without the putrid smell. There is one small stained-glass window, high up on the far wall, but the room feels warmer somehow. Just that tiny bit of natural light relaxes some of my anxiety. I hate being underground so long. We must be finally getting nearer to ground level.
At the far end of the room, below the stained-glass window, is a low platform with an altar upon it. On either side of the altar is a candelabra with dozens of little flickering flames. The scent of lemon and incense wafts all the way back, over the pews and down the aisle where we stand at the entrance. A person in a charcoal gray hooded cloak kneels before the altar.
Name: Brother Xavier
Level: 35
Description: Worships The Lady of the Lake and maintains the chapel of Castle Nennius. This monk has an allegiance to his religion above any other faction.
As I am reading his details, the monk hears us and stands to greet us.
“Welcome, my friends. Welcome, Guardians of Camlan.” The monk spreads his arms wide, as though encompassing us all in his embrace. He strolls up the aisle to where we stand in a huddle.
TexBadass purses his lips and narrows his eyes at our host. “Come again? We’re what now?”
“Guardians of Camlan,” I repeat. “The very first NPC I met in the game called me a Guardian of Camlan. I still don’t really know what it means, but something about protecting the land from without and within.”
“Well, we’re already doing that,” Balderdash13 points out.
“Yes. Verily you are. And quite nobly, I might add.”
I catch SteelFeather smirking at the monk’s grandiose language and have to stifle a laugh.
“Can you tell us more about what that means, though?” I ask.
“Certainly. But first, I must inquire. Did our good and gentle Queen Vivian send you down here to pray or give an offering?”
“Um.” Erinocalypse fiddles with the sleeve of her cloak.
“No, Brother Xavier,” Balderdash13 says stepping in. “We have stumbled into your chapel through luck or fate. Or maybe The Lady herself has guided us here. We were told you could direct us on our quest.”
“Ah yes,” he answers with a serene smile. “The Lady looks after us all.”
“So, then, as Guardians of Camlan we work for The Lady of the Lake?” SteelFeather asks, still frowning in his effort to make sense of it.
“Not exactly.” Brother Xavier gestures to the last row of pews where we sit. “A Guardian of Camlan works for no one person, or goddess, but rather the kingdom itself. You are bound to always do right by the kingdom, whether that be helping a poor orphan find a home or slaying an enemy who wishes to harm the land.”
“Or, like, uncovering some nefarious plot that has imprisoned an innocent citizen,” I suggest.
“Precisely!” Brother Xavier beams at me.
“I think we can handle that.”
“So, for such plot uncovering, we have been told that there is a truth potion that we can make. Is that right? A potion that will compel whoever drinks it to speak the truth.”
“Ah, yes, there is. Tell me, friends, what experience do you have in alchemy?”
I look at the others. Every single one shakes their head.
“None, Brother Xavier.”
The monk looks taken aback but only for a brief moment before recovering his original cheerful demeanor.
“Well, then. We had better get started. I can teach you the very beginning of alchemy. But first I need to know that you are worthy of the profession.”
“Worthy? What’s the test?” TexBadass says. “Being one of these Guardian things isn’t enough?”
“The Lady of the Lake needs to know she has your full devotion. That you will place your faith in her for your safety and well-being. With that assured, you will be able to take the next step on your path to alchemy and this powerful branch of magic.”
Quest Offered: Feet to the Fire
Description: Take the Axios Trial. If you can withstand this ordeal and test of faith, you will complete the first step on your alchemy journey.
Requirements: Magic level 25; Intelligence level 25
Reward: +300 XP
“Yeah, I’m in,” I say immediately. “What do we need to do?”
“Oh, shoot,” Callidus. “I don’t have the Magic level.”
“Me either,�
� says SteelFeather cheerfully. “Oh well.”
“And, what exactly does this test involve, Brother Xavier?” Erinocalypse clarifies.
“You must withstand the Flame of Axios for sixty seconds.”
“What?” TexBadass yells. “You one brick shy of a load? You want to light us on fire? On purpose?”
Brother Xavier looks solemn. “The art and science of alchemy is deeply steeped in both magic and faith. The Lady of the Lake—”
“Yeah, yeah,” TexBadass says dismissively. “I get it. Fine.”
Brother Xavier nods. “Very well, then. Who shall be the first to withstand the Flame of Axios?”
“I will.” I take a deep breath and step forward.
“Thank you, SirAsh3r. The Lady of the Lake looks favorably on such courage.”
I don’t know how to ready myself. I can’t speak. I nod and close my eyes.
“Hold out your arms.”
I stand still, arms outstretched like I’m flying, and wait for the trial to begin.
The first thing I feel is the faintest heat on my right side, and the presence of someone standing near me.
“Remember. Sixty seconds,” Brother Xavier says softly as the heat increases.
I hear the tiniest crackling as my right sleeve catches fire. There is a brief movement behind me and Brother Xavier has lighted my left sleeve on fire. I take a deep slow breath to try to calm myself but all I can think of is the heat. The fire. The pain.
My arms start to shake at the effort to keep them up. I want to stop, drop and roll. I want to shake out the fire. Every cell in my body cries out to extinguish the flames that are climbing up my arm.
I wish I had thought to invest in fire resistant armor. I wish I didn’t need to learn Alchemy. I almost wish I was at home or working in my cubicle.
At that last thought, I take another long, slow breath to calm myself. I don’t want to be anywhere but right here. I can handle this. The pain is intense, but it won’t kill me. I need to have faith that The Lady of the Lake would not ask me to do anything I couldn’t handle.
Guardians of Camlan Page 3