Chapter 15 – Escape!

Sticking my head out of the hatch, I observe the surrounding area. There are quite a few hiding places around here, and-

My thoughts are interrupted as I hear rapid footsteps approach from the short alleyway connecting the sewer entrance with the main street. It’s far too early for it to be the Beggar. Quickly closing the lid, I put my ear as close as I can to a small crack between the hatch and the surrounding cobblestone, trying to figure out who just appeared.

The footsteps come closer, and I can hear a couple of people talking. “Oh, gee, no one here either… What a surprise…” A female voice whines. “Danny, can’t we just head into the tavern and grab a few ales while the rest of these suckers look for this lowbie scum?”

“For the last time, quit your whining, Rachel. If the guild leader ever found out you were slacking, then you can kiss your paycheck goodbye. Let’s just hurry and get this over with. We have five more alleys to check.” A muffled male voice responds.

“Gee, spoilsport…” The woman snorts as the two voices gradually disappear back down the alleyway.

I wait for a few moments to make sure they are truly gone before I peek my head back up, once more looking around the alley. By my estimation, the Beggar could return anytime between ten and thirty minutes from now. Since this alley has already been checked recently, and I assume the Dark Pegasus guild is professional and organised enough to search in a grid pattern, then there isn’t any reason to believe anyone will come by anytime soon.

I climb up into the alley, quickly followed by my underlings. We decide to take up a defensive position, covering the only angle of approach. Finding the ideal location for my underlings, I move my Spotter behind a few crates where he gets a good view of the alleyway. My Hoodlum takes up position around the corner of the tavern, ready to intercept any would-be attackers as they appear. My Cutpurse hides in the shadows on the other side of the alley neatly tucked away in a dark spot between two neighboring houses. I briefly consider using the disguise items for a moment but decide against it. With all these high-level players moving around, it would serve no purpose.

We sit and wait idly for what feels like the longest time. I constantly check my ingame clock, counting each and every minute. The longer we wait, the harder my heart beats. After twenty minutes, when I think I’m about ready to get a heart attack, my Beggar comes strolling down the alleyway.

Releasing a deep breath, I undo my ‘Chameleon’ spell and head up to greet him. The little dwarf doesn’t have any new missions to report, but I couldn’t care less at the moment. I quickly lay out my orders to have him walk past the gate and locate the sewer exit that should be somewhere on the eastern side of the peninsula. I tell him to find the grate and sit tight beside it. And for good measure, I tell him not to touch the grate by all means. I’m not willing to see my plans go down the drain because of some tragic mistake like that.

Nodding to confirm my orders, the Beggar turns around and heads down the alleyway. I wait until he makes the turn around the corner, vanishing from view. Good. Hopefully, he will reach the grate in ten to fifteen minutes or so. It seems like I’ll be able to make a clean exit.

No sooner have I thought those accursed words before the tavern’s back door swings open, and two men steps through. My heart threatens to jump up and through my mouth as I instinctively cast ‘Chameleon’ on myself once more.

[Chameleon has leveled up to Novice 3.]

“Jesus Christ, Chris. Why the hell are we sneaking out the back?” One of the men, an elf, says in hushed tones.

The other man, a human male wearing brown linen clothes snorts. “Because I don’t want those bastards to see me leave before they realise I nicked their- Oy, Who goes there?” The human man shouts as he notices movement in the corner of his eye. His eyes soon widen in surprise as he catches my Hoodlum mid-swing, aiming for his companion’s throat.

The elf hardly has time to react as he realises the danger too late, the sword connecting with his exposed throat. He reaches for the large gash on his throat with a shocked expression, unable to utter a single word before the Hoodlum follows up by impaling him on his sword, ending his life in an instant. The human male takes a step back, dazed by the sudden death of his friend. He fumbles as he tries to grab his sword, his arms not really responding to his commands. When he finally manages to get a grip on the hilt, he yelps in pain as a throwing dagger embeds itself in his shoulder.

“HELP!” He screams as he stumbles backwards. That is all he manages to do though as my Cutpurse finally reaches him, slitting his throat in one efficient stroke.

[You have slain Wood Elf Rogue - SneakyPetey(2).]

[You have slain Human Fencer - Dullabullaby(2).]

“Fuck!” I curse as their bodies disappear. I don’t know if anyone heard the man’s scream, but it doesn’t matter. It won’t be long until they respawn and call me out. Then the high-level vultures will swarm this place.

Shit. I need a diversion. Thinking quickly, I only manage to come up with one solution. I have my underlings unequip their weapons and armor and hand it over to me. I give them back their starter weapons and order them to take up their old positions covering the alleyway. It makes my stomach twist that I have to do this, but I don’t think there is another way. I have to sacrifice their lives to stall for time.

I climb back down into the sewers and start jogging down the dark tunnels. Time is not on my side, and I’m a sitting duck without any underlings to assist me. I only make it about a hundred meters down the tunnel before three windows appear before my eyes.

[Your underling (Human Hoodlum(3)) has been slain by UpYers(45).]

[Your underling (Human Cutpurse(3)) has been slain by RollinsHood(45).]

[Your underling (Wood Elf Spotter(3)) has been slain by RollinsHood(45).]

Shit! That was fast. I curse as I pick up my pace. I jog as fast as the slippery sewer tunnels allow. I stumble upon a pack of level two sewer rats after half a minute, who immediately turn their blood-red eyes in my direction. “Fuck! I don’t have time for this.” I mutter as I equip my crossbow. Raising it to my chin, I loose a bolt at the nearest rat, but the small target nimbly dodges by jumping to the side. “Shit!” I curse as the other rat charges at me. I deliver a kick in its direction which hits it square in the face, sending the little critter flying. Not one to idle on my success, I quickly turn back towards the first rat which is already charging at me. In a rushed motion, I try to punt it away using my crossbow as a makeshift golf club, watching as it connects and slams the poor rat into the tunnel wall on the other side. “Holy crap, I didn’t think that would work.” I gape at the stunned rat.

Distracted by the sudden turn of events, I fail to notice the second rat who has already recovered from the kick. Bursting forward, it climbs my foot and sinks its fangs deeply into my thigh.

[Your right leg has been Crippled. Decreases movement speed by 30% for five minutes.]

“Ow, fuck that hurts!” I yell as I grab the rat, forcefully yanking it off my thigh and chucking it as far as I can down the tunnel behind me. Before the rats can re-engage, I hobble down the tunnel, clutching my injured leg.

“Spread out! He must be in here!” Their shouts echo down the tunnel behind me, signalling that the players have managed to find the sewer entrance. Cursing with every step I take, I increase the speed of my hobbling. Luckily, I don’t run into any more rats, but I can hear the shouts of my pursuers grow ever closer.

Reaching the central chamber, I quickly enter the tunnel leading further down to the lower level. It feels like I’m only running on the fumes from the constant adrenaline rush I’ve had for these last few hours, and my mind starts to blur from the exhaustion that threatens to knock me out cold. It takes longer than I am comfortable with to reach the bottom, and I slow my pace as I peek into the large room. I have no idea if Pug the Pugilist has respawned already, and now would be a really bad time for me to accidentally trip over him again.

The room is still littered with broken boxes and random piles of rags everywhere. I don’t see anything that stands out, but I hesitate in trying to decide what to do. Should I take my time, meticulously making my way around the edges of the room, or should I charge across, crossing my fingers and hope for the best? I’m not comfortable with either choice, and my chaotic state of mind does nothing to help with my decision-making ability.

The voices behind intensify in volume as they seem to make the decision for me. Gritting my teeth, I hobble forward, straight towards the exit corridor where the steel grate awaits me. My heart slams against my chest as I hold my breath, quietly expecting one of the piles of rags to rise to its feet and start attacking me at any moment.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, I reach the other side of the chamber, finally allowing me to release my breath in joy as I’m still in one piece. Praising my lucky stars, I hobble down the tunnel and around the final corner.

…

The Beggar isn’t here.

My body freezes as my mind struggles to comprehend the situation. I’m too early. What do I do now? I lean against the wall, my knees finally giving in as I slide down the wall. Shit. Is this it? Do I really fail right in front of the finishing line?

I sit still and stare down the tunnel behind me. The shouting is growing ever closer, and I can almost pick up short glimpses of what they are saying. In one final desperate push, I activate ‘Chameleon’ and close my eyes, waiting for my executioners to arrive.

“The Elite mob is dead, someone has been here recently. Search the corners!” A strangely familiar voice shouts. My pursuers have finally caught up with me. Dare I hope they won’t bother looking too closely at this damp wall next to the steel grate? I snort. Honestly, I don’t know what to make of my luck anymore.

“That doesn’t mean anything, Paul. Ryan was down here a few hours ago. The mob probably hasn’t respawned yet.” A female voice responds. Wait a moment? Is that Anna? What are the odds? I smile as I release a defeated sigh. Really. How poetic it is for it to be her that kills me? I snort as I can’t help but chuckle at the irony.

“Who’s Ryan?” Another female voice asks. “Is it your new boyfriend?” I can hear her snickering from all the way over here. Another familiar voice. Could this be those guys?

“N-no. He is just a fresh player Brian and I met up in the tavern a few hours ago. He’s nobody.” Anna answers, her voice sounding strangely high pitched and stuttery.

“What? Isn’t Brian good enough for you?” The other woman teases.

“What? No!” Anna yells. “Uh, I mean...“

“Uuuh? Did you just get rejected, Brian?” The woman laughs. “That’s harsh, even for you Anna.”

“Knock it off, Rachel. Stay alert. The Thief Lord could be hiding here somewhere.” The voice which I assume is belonging to Paul admonishes Rachel.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. This kinda feels dull after killing that trash necromancer last night.” She chuckles. “At least that guy was able to put up a slight fight. What is this level three Thief Lord supposed to do to us, huh? Throw bad intentions at us? I mean come on, really. Why are we wasting our time with this? It’s not worth the price.” Rachel complains. Little does she know that the Thief Lord she is talking about is sitting fifteen meters away from her, channeling every single ounce of killing intent he can muster at her. That little bitch. I’ll kill her someday. I swear.

Paul sighs loudly. “Marc, take the lead would ya?”

“Aye, lad. I’ll be charging ahead for ye!” A voice responds.

“Knock it off, Marc. You’re french, not Scottish!” Paul snaps. “Just fucking go already!”

“It’s called role-playing, ever heard of it, ye stumped twig?” Marc grumbles as he starts to move. His metal boots slamming against the hard stone floor of the sewers, causing the echoes to spread far in every direction.

I sigh. I suppose this is it. It was a nice try, all things considered. Perhaps I’ll try and reroll as a Thief Lord in another city? It’s not like I lost more than a few hours here. I hear the orc dominions on the southern continent has a few cool options in the desert. That sounds like fun. I open my eyes, ready to face my pursuers face to face.

As I’m ready to accept my fate, a small sound of a pebble rolling over the stone floor catches my attention. Immediately snapping my head to the side, I see a frail dwarf dressed in dirty rags walking down the tunnel on the other side of the grate. His posture signalling that he doesn’t have a care in the world.

Holy shit! He made it! I quickly beckon for the Beggar to hurry the fuck up as the sound of Marc’s steel boots approaches closer every second.

The dwarf quickly closes the gap, and I waste no time activating ‘Doppelganger’. My vision goes dark for a split second as a vortex of shadowy magic completely envelops my body. When it finishes, I blink my eyes twice in confusion as I suddenly find myself a meter to my side, safely on the other side of the steel grate. I look at the grate, seeing my Beggar standing idle on the other side.

It worked! I nearly yell in glee as I remember that I’m out of time. Rapidly hobbling down the tunnel, I slip around a corner just in time before Marc appears around the final bend.

“Gotcha, ye little… Huh? A Beggar? What are you doing here?” He says, befuddled.

“Did you find her?” Anna’s voice appears shortly after. “Huh, is that a Beggar? I didn’t know they wandered into the sewers.”

“Aye, I don’t know. It sorta makes sense though, doesn’t it?” The dwarven warrior shrugs.

“I suppose…” Anna hesitates. Against my better judgement, I once more activate ‘Chameleon’ just as I slowly peek around the corner.

I see the pair of high-level adventurers surrounding my Beggar. Marc is keeping him firmly in place with the tip of his weapon. Anna carefully stares at my underling, apparently deep in thought. Her eyes move up, settling on the grate for a few moments. Inspecting it carefully.

“The trap is still in effect. No one could have gotten past it.” She mutters, more to herself than anyone else. “I wonder who’s tracks Paul picked up though. I didn’t think his tracking skill picked up NPCs…” She muses, stroking her chin. She stands completely still for a moment, apparently deep in thoughts.

“What are you guys waiting for? If she ain’t there, then let’s keep searching. We’re burning daylight people!” Paul bellows from far behind.

“Ease up, Paul. We’re not burning anything. It’s night time, remember?” Rachel laughs.

“Arrg, and I was sure we’d find her down here... “ Marc mutters as he turns around.

“I told you this was a waste of time.” Anna shrugs. “I told you Ryan killed Pug on his own. It must have been his tracks we saw.” She says as they walk away, their banter soon fading away in the distance, allowing me to finally release my breath.

“I made it…”