Chapter Five
Bread Crumbs
Bread Crumbs
Continued from here.
Together, one way or another, the three odd companions made their way through the open door. Ferret led Alex and Navryi down a narrow hallway.
Ferret glanced over his shoulder at the other two, then asked Alex, “Yeh okay, Yari boy? Don’t go fainting or nothing, yeh hear? I ain’t carrying anyone. If yeh faint, yer left behind.”
He looked at Navyri and added, “Goes for ya too, sweetheart.”
He ran to a spiral staircase at the end, where he bounded up the steps. In his hand he still tightly gripped the round loaf of bread.
The sound of guards could be heard underneath them, but not from above. They were moving away from them. Ferret reached a door and he procured a key from somewhere then unlocked it. He held it open for the other two to slip inside.
Another long hallway loomed before them. It was poorly lit, having neither lanterns nor torches. Instead a couple simple candelbras inset to the wall flickered with candles that needed to be replaced. At the center of the corridor, a guard stood with his back to them. He wasn’t wearing a helm.
Ferret waved for the other two to crouch, and hush, as he quietly shut the door behind them. He lifted into a standing posture, strode forward without fear, and then called, “Did ya miss me?”
The guard turned slightly, arms crossed and the helm cradled in the crook of his elbow. He glanced past Ferret, at Navyri and Alex, and he said, “Who’re they? You didn’t say anything about any others.”
“Don’t worry about it, Rolf, mate.” Ferret threw his arm around the other man’s shoulders and said, “Yeh just stay focused to keep your word, and I’ll keep mine. Get it?”
Rolf continued to glare at Alex and Navyri, his rough features and scraggly blond hair slightly obscured by the corridor’s dim lighting. “This will work, won't it?”
“Of course it will!” insisted Ferret. “Back in my homeland, I was esteemed as one of the best alchemists in the region! These two can help assist me to go faster.”
“Guess that makes sense,” muttered Rolf. He nodded and then started to walk.
Ferret followed and gestured for Alex and Navyri to do the same.
They were led through a winding path of rooms and halls, doors that required different keys that the guard had on his keyring, and finally…
…they entered a high-ceiling, vast laboratory. Bubbling concoctions of every color, different acrid scents filled the space. It was chilly, holes in the stone to allow for air drafts to go in and out. Encased lanterns hung down in spots with dim red and blue glow that didn’t come from simple candlelight.
The Melrathi guard said, “You’ve got yourself the night, maybe even the morning, with the outbreak. Though they’ll be looking for you. Overseer will want your skin. If they catch ya, there's nothing more I can do. But for now, I’ll say my unit checked the labra-”
“Rolf, I don’t fucking care what you tell them,” interrupted Ferret. “Just keep them away and get me as much time as you can. The longer I have, the more likely that the potion will be successful.”
“Right… well, I can’t stay. They’ll be wondering where I am.”
“Go, Rolf, go!” Ferret waved the guard out of the laboratory and shut the iron and metal door. He drew the heavy lock shut… then he turned and rolled his brilliant aglow blue eyes at Navyri and Alex. “Finally! I thought he'd never leave. Got the place to ourselves! Let’s get to work! You two look around for anything useful and keep an ear out.”
He went to a counter and set the hard loaf of bread on it. Ferret searched, found a knife, then started to cut at the loaf. The mage didn’t give the other two any explanations. He simply diced the bread into pieces.
With his focus downward, in the calm of the lantern lights, both Alex and Navyri could see that he had more tattoos than just the ones on his face. Ink trailed along his shoulders, and lines embellished around a design of a single black, frayed feather on the back of his neck.
In the far distance, the blare of horns being sounded could be heard.
Guidelines
You may do, say, behave, act however you like.
But remember…
But remember…
- play to the level of your skills (if you want a chance of success).
- you do not have access to...
- any domain magic.
- any marked abilities.
- any mortalborn abilities.
- dreamwalkers: you are unable to access Emea.
- some passive visual mutations will show, more active mutations will not.
- some Blessed markings will show, but the abilities remain inaccessible.
- you do not have any of your original clothes or belongings on you.
- you are unable to dream, thus when you are asleep, you are blacked-out unconscious.
- You are in an alchemy laboratory. There are lots of things around.
- Ferret is busy chopping up the bread.
- You seem to have until morning, according to Rolf the guard.
