Silver Peak, page 22
part #2 of Sky Realms Online Series
“Something like that,” Berim answered. He glanced at Ulysses and nodded.
The wider and shorter man stepped forward and pointed to one of the side tunnels.
“This way,” he said and started walking, not looking back, expecting them to follow.
Hall started to but stopped with one last glance at Berim. The thief watched him, face impassive. Turning away, Hall started down the tunnel.
“You go with them,” he heard Berim say and knew the thief was taking to Caryn.
The tunnel Ulysses led them down started wide and got progressively shorter and thinner as they walked. The stone of the walls, ceiling, and floor became older and cruder. Eventually, the stone floor disappeared, becoming hard-packed dirt with puddles of water. Before long they were walking in water an inch or so deep. Their boots splashed as they walked, more water dripping from the ceiling above. Moss appeared on the now damp and slick walls.
Jackoby had to crouch in spots, muttering angrily to himself. Only Ulysses and Roxhard did not feel affected by the shrinking tunnel. There were still torches mounted to the wall, but further apart and some not lit. Hall’s Limited Night Vision was next to useless. There was too much light for his vision to fully switch.
They walked for what felt like an hour, through twisting and turning tunnels. At one point, Hall was sure they crossed back along their path but said nothing. Ulysses finally stopped at a four-way intersection, the flowing water deeper in the middle. Next to the short man was a metal ladder running up the wall, the top lost in the shadows.
“Up ya go,” the man said and pointed.
“What about Angus?” Leigh asked, the cow moving in close to her. His four paws were wet and muddy, drops hanging from the shaggy fur under his belly.
“Figure it out,” Ulysses replied.
“What’s up there?” Hall asked, reaching into his pouch and pulling out some rope.
He was glad he had thought to bring the rope. It was normally in his travel backpack, which was in his room at the Inn, but he had switched out some items that morning. He walked over to Angus, the Highland cow, studying him. When he started to tie the rope around the cow’s chest, the animal stepped back and mooed loudly. Ulysses laughed as Leigh held Angus steady so Hall could tie the rope securely.
“Empty warehouse,” Ulysses answered and stepped away from the ladder. “Should be empty.”
Hall didn’t like the way he said the word should. Keeping up appearances was one thing, but the Door Knockers could be doing a better job of helping, Hall thought as he grabbed ahold of the ladder. Climbing up with his spear and javelin in the harness would be difficult, which is why he wanted to go first.
He got to the top of the tunnel with the ladder continuing through a small shaft. Pausing, Hall glanced down at the group, measuring the size of Angus. The cow would fit. He thought about telling Ulysses to lead them back to the surface another way but knew it would be useless. Lifting his leg, he put it on the next rung and continued. The shaft grew dark, no light coming from below and just a thin line above.
The line of light grew brighter, thicker, and Hall knew he was at the top. He reached up, thankful his harness didn’t keep his weapons that high above his head. Gloved fingers hit wood, and he could feel the different planks. Pushing lightly, the trapdoor lifted. He wasn’t worried about traps. The Door Knockers would have disabled any already.
Through the separation between door and floor, Hall could not see much. He heard no noise, nothing to indicate someone had seen the trapdoor lifting. No blades stabbed through the space, no foot slammed down on the door.
Someone could be waiting for Hall to fully show himself, but it was a risk he would have to take.
Pushing the trapdoor open more, Hall stepped out of the shaft and into the warehouse.
It was empty, just like Ulysses had said. A wide-open space, wooden columns equally spaced the length and width of the room. Large, but not such that the ends were lost in shadows. He could see the far walls easy enough. Vertically laid wood planks with studs behind, running from column to column that held up a pitched roof above. One story tall, no windows and just a set of double doors on the far end. There were no crates, no barrels, nothing to show that it had ever been in use. A layer of dust coated the floor, enough that footprints would have stood out. There were none.
Stepping away from the trapdoor, Hall spun slowly. He took it all in, all of the nothing. Mentally reaching out to Pike, he could feel the dragonhawk. Pike lifted off from the roof he had been waiting on, woken up by Hall’s connection. The bird flew south and slightly west. Hall linked his vision with Pike’s, seeing what the bird saw, trying to get an idea of where in Peakdock they were.
From what he could see, they were near the docks on the western edge. A couple streets back from the open area of the docks, close enough for quick wagon travel but far enough away to avoid the commotion and activity of the docks. And avoid watchful and curious eyes.
Breaking the connection, Hall moved back to the trap door. Jackoby was stepping onto the floor, coiled rope in his hand. Hall looked down and saw Leigh looking nervously up. He smiled, trying to reassure her.
Stepping back, Leigh nudged Angus so the cow was standing alongside the ladder. The rope crisscrossed his body, looping under him at his front and back.
“Ready?” Hall asked with a glance to Jackoby.
The Firbolg grunted and handed the end of the rope to Hall. They set themselves in a line before the trap door and started to pull. Hand over hand, the two pulled the rope out of the shaft. They could hear aggravated mooing, and small cries of pain as the cow bumped into the walls and ladder. Hall grimaced, not liking that he was hurting Angus but not seeing another choice. There was no way that Ulysses would lead them back through the tunnels, and they’d be lost without the Door Knocker.
Finally, Hall could see the cow’s horns poking through the opening. He ran forward, grabbing the small cow around his head and neck, pulling to get the front hooves on the floor. Angus scrambled once his hooves touched wood, almost knocking Hall down. He may have been small, but Angus was still heavy and strong. With some more effort, the cow was finally in the building.
Jackoby sat down, breathing heavy. Angus walked over and nudged him, Jackoby grunting but reaching up and patting the cow behind his ear. Hall walked over, reached down to pet Angus and jumped back as a horn poked at him. Jackoby laughed and Angus gave an annoyed moo.
Hall shook his head, stretching out his arms that were sore after lifting the cow.
One by one the others all came out of the shaft, except Ulysses. The small man poked his body out enough to grab the trap door.
“Not coming with us?” Hall asked. He has assumed the thief wasn’t but had hoped for a surprise.”
“Yer on ya own now,” Ulysses said with a dark chuckle. “Good luck.”
The Door Knocker went down the shaft, pulling the door closed behind him. Hall could hear what sounded like a locking bolt sliding into place.
“Not going back that way,” he said with a shrug. “Let’s get this over with.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Hall opened the single door slowly and carefully, afraid it would make a noise and alert whoever was outside. He knew there would be someone out there. Berim would not have sent them to an empty building, and Hall doubted the Door Knocker would have sent them to an easy target either.
Whatever was out there was going to be tough. Berim was using them, sending them at a target he wanted removed. The thief could have easily sent them to the target that Brient had directed them toward, a much safer target, but instead had sent them here.
He either wanted the Silver Blade operation removed or wanted something they had. If Ulysses had stayed, Hall knew it would be something the Blades had. Instead, without a Door Knocker present, Berim just wanted the operation removed. Hall didn’t think Caryn counted as a Door Knocker, not anymore at least. Her days in the guild were numbered.
With the door open a couple inches, Hall couldn’t see much. The angle was bad, the slit revealing wooden walls across a dirt street. No movement, no shadows indicating anyone standing outside. Just wall.
Opening his mind to Pike, Hall had the dragonhawk circle the street. It was dangerous to use Pike. Any Silver Blade watchers would be suspicious of a dragonhawk circling, but it was the only way to get any idea what they were going to face. All he could see was a door almost directly across from theirs. It was a two-story building with a shallow-pitched, wooden-shingled roof and windows on the second story. Pike’s sharp eyes couldn’t see any movement in the windows but did pick up two men lying flat on roofs to the left and right of the target. One of them was looking up at Pike.
Hall quickly ordered Pike to fly away and broke the connection. Pulling the door closed, he motioned the others further away. He quickly explained the layout and where the two men were.
“Could they be Door Knockers?” Caryn asked without any real conviction.
“Ulysses would have told us if they were,” Hall said, not adding that if they were Door Knockers, they were just there to watch, not aid. “No, they have to be Silver Blade watchers.”
“What do we do?” Leigh asked.
“Nothing,” Sabine muttered. They all looked at her. “This isn’t our fight.”
Hall knew she was still bitter about being arrested and used as bait, but she did have a point. It was a short-term concern though. Long term, they needed to be able to operate in Silver Peak Keep and that would not happen if they angered the PeakGuard or the Door Knockers.
“Like it or not,” he said to the group, focusing on Sabine and to an extent Jackoby. “This is our fight.”
“Fine,” Sabine said, obviously still not happy. “Since we’re going to do this, how are we going to do it?”
Hall looked back at the door, picturing the other in his mind. It had swung the same way if he remembered right, swinging in. He smiled.
Leigh pulled the door open fully and quickly. With a loud moo, Angus charged out. The cow ran straight for the opposite door, full speed and head lowered. They could hear the surprised shouts from the rooftops above, the two watchers following the speeding cow’s progress. They didn’t notice Hall and Sabine step out of the door and into the street.
Hall took the left, Sabine the right. He didn’t bother with trying to Identify the Silver Blade. There was no time. He saw the flash of purple as Sabine cast a Hexbolt at the watcher above. Activating Leap, Hall jumped into the air, angling toward the roof of the next building over. As he did, he summoned Pike, hearing the screech of the dragonhawk far out over the plains around the city.
Landing on the roof next to the surprised Silver Blade, Hall managed to keep his balance. He had pulled his spear out mid-flight and now jabbed straight out with it. The Blade had to roll to the side to avoid the spear, which is what Hall wanted. It bought him time to set his feet solidly on the wooden shingles. He rotated his body and stabbed out with the spear again, driving the Blade further back.
“Who the hells are you?” the Blade cried out, rolling to avoid another spear thrust and getting to his feet in a smooth motion.
From the street below, Hall could hear the others racing across the open street. Leigh and Caryn would be following behind Jackoby and Roxhard, using the two Wardens as shields. They didn’t know what to expect inside the building, so the Wardens would crowd the doorway and get an idea of the opposition. Leigh was there to provide healing as needed.
If there was too much, they were all to immediately retreat and run deeper into the warren of streets. Hall would follow when he could, either into the building or in retreat.
For now, he was occupied.
He thrust the spear forward, the Blade knocking it aside with his now drawn short sword. The weapon wasn’t fancy, a blade in decent shape and an unadorned hilt. Hall could tell the Silver Blade knew how to use it. Both held their ground, watching the other and waiting. The roof pitch was shallow but there was enough of it to make the footing uneven and treacherous. The shingles were rough, providing a good grip, but a misplaced foot would spell doom.
Skill Gain!
Identify Rank One +.1
Silver Blade Cutthroat (White)
The thief was equal level to Hall, maybe even one below. Tall and lanky, blond hair and pale skin, dressed all in black with a lowered hood and half-mask. The only visible weapon was the short sword, but Hall assumed there were more. At least a throwing knife or two, a dagger in a hidden sheath.
He jabbed with the spear, keeping the Cutthroat moving and off-balance. He couldn’t hear much from the street. It sounded like the group had entered the building. Fighting the urge to look over his shoulder to check on Sabine and her opponent, he took a step forward toward his.
The Cutthroat changed the angle of his blade, bringing the edge down to slice at Hall’s spear. Quickly pulling it back, Hall rotated it around his body, grabbing the blunt end with his other hand. He knew the ironwood could probably take the slice of the blade, turning it, but didn’t want to take the risk. Holding the spear by the blunt end, he completed the rotation and swung it at the Cutthroat. The weapon was at its maximum length and slammed into the side of the Silver Blade.
A blunt force hit, the shaft of the spear caught the Cutthroat in the side. The man grunted and staggered back, closer to the edge. He had the presence of mind, and the speed, to try and grab the spear’s shaft but Hall had halted the swing and was bringing it back. Once again, he rotated the weapon around his body and held it with the sharp end pointing at the thief.
Quickly stabbing out, he caught the Cutthroat in the shoulder. Black cloth ripped, exposing pale shoulder and a bloody wound. Stumbling back, the Cutthroat barely kept his balance and Hall caught him with the spear again. This time, the weapon opened a large gash along the thief’s side. Crying out in pain, the Cutthroat took two more steps back, the edge of the roof closer. He looked over his shoulder, fearful, and turned back to Hall.
With a cry, the Cutthroat charged, taking a slicing blow from the spear but ignored it. Hall waited and stepped to the side, further up the roof, barely avoiding the charge. He swung out with his hand and caught the Cutthroat in the back of the head. The man fell forward, stumbling, and lost his balance completely. Too far forward, he leaned over the edge and kept going.
There was a loud crash, followed by a cracking sound.
SLAIN: Silver Blade Cutthroat
+25 Experience
Skill Gain!
Polearms Rank Two +.1
Light Armor Rank Two +.1
Hall knew the thief was dead, but he still stepped to the edge and looked down. The body lay against the wall of the next building, head against the ground and bent unnaturally to the side, legs up against the wall, broken crates underneath.
He looked across the rooftops toward the other guard, watching as the man spasmed with bolts of purple energy around him. Sabine cast a Shadowbolt, catching the man in the chest, which caused him to fall forward. The thief stumbled but somehow managed to keep his balance. He overcompensated and ended up falling backward, landing hard on the roof and out of view from Sabine.
Reaching for his javelin, Hall felt a familiar presence streaking his way. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the dark orange and green form of Pike coming closer. The dragonhawk’s wings, over three feet in length, flapped quickly. Pike screeched and Hall sent a thought to the dragonhawk, lowering his hand.
On the other roof, the Silver Blade was pushing himself up, keeping well back from the edge and the angrily muttering Sabine. With his back turned, he didn’t see Pike until it was too late. Hearing the wings flapping in the air, the thief turned and caught the raking talons of Pike across his shoulder. He screamed in pain as the dragonhawk circled and let out a screech. A bolt of lightning shot out, catching the thief in the head. Smoke rose up and the smell of burnt flesh drifted across on the wind as the body fell to the ground.
SLAIN: Silver Blade Cutthroat
+10 experience
Activating Leap, Hall jumped down to the street two stories below. Sabine turned to face him, still angry. Hall motioned toward the open door and the Witch followed, fuming. He told Pike to keep circling and to let him know if anyone approached the building.
The first floor was a wide-open space. Thick columns held up the roof in the front half of the space and an upper story in the back half. Unlike the building they had started in, this one was not empty. Large and small crates filled the space, some organized into neat rows and stacked on top of each other, while others were laid randomly in no particular order. Sacks of different sizes were set on top of crates, on the floor, and piled on top of others. Then there were the bodies.
Three of them. Dressed like the ones that had been on the roofs.
All were clustered near the door. Two of them had no weapons drawn, the other had a sword lying just beyond his reach. They had been caught by surprise, unprepared for the violent assault.
An assault that had stalled.
Roxhard and Leigh, with Angus, were behind crates to the right. Jackoby and Caryn were crouched behind some on the left. None of them looked too badly hurt. But none were capable of moving.
The upper story in the back half of the building was lined with doors, offices of some kind, with a walkway and railing in front. Standing at the railing were two Archers and what looked like a Witch and a Shaman. The Archers were firing arrows at the crates as fast as they could draw them, the Witch and Shaman waiting for their chance, arms raised and ready to cast spells.
They caught sight of Hall and Sabine just as Hall saw them.
“Cover,” he yelled, waiting a second to make sure Sabine had heard.
