We picked up Mordred as we made our way out of the guild. Once in the city itself the lot of us walked through the streets without much in the way of oversight. Maybe I had been overthinking the Guildmaster’s paranoia, or maybe he was too trusting in Inlas’ favor.

Crap, the Archives was right. That was something that had not even crossed my mind, and if the dread I was feeling from Indella was anything to go by, neither had she.

I would have to take that up with them once we had talked to Indella’s friends. I had no doubt that the Guildmaster would be informed of the plan by Inlas once she was allowed to commune with her mortal followers again. And the guildmaster would probably not care for evidence, but would rely on “Supreme Orator” to get the verdict he wanted. Or he could just arrange for an accident or a dozen, with that skill he could cover pretty easily it up too.

Yndali would likely be fine. Since the City Lord and the High Priest were involved in her trial, the guildmaster could not go after her without solid evidence. And because of the nature of our deal, there was none. It was obvious his skill didn’t work on Mandol and Yndali, or they would have confessed themselves. But the Adventurers? “Accidents’’ happened all the time and those who could not get brainwashed, could simply be imprisoned or killed.

We reached Indella’s house, and Mint started to lift the different potted plants, until she found a small brass key that fit the lock. But when she moved to unlock the door, Rael pointed to the warehouse next to her house. It apparently belonged to Indella, as he suggested. “Let’s check there first, we can use the Core’s senses to see if there is anything.” Mint and Rorik looked at each other, shrugged, and a bit more fiddling around found a much larger iron key that went to the warehouse gate.

It was a tight squeeze for me to get through the door, and it was far from comfortable. But once we were all inside, Mordred closed the door behind us and cast his ward spell. Rael looked at Indella and nodded. She took a deep breath, then reached out to her friends telepathically.

*Hi guys, sorry for worrying you.* The effect was immediate as they all flinched and started to look around all over the place even as Mint perked up. “Indella? Where are you, are you invisible?” she started to fumble around the room itself as she spoke, sounding really hopeful.

*Err… no I am not, I am in fact quite visible and sitting on the Core.* All three stopped looking around and slowly turned around and looked at her.

Rorik tilted his head and looked at her for several seconds before mumbling. “Seriously?” Indella responded by waving at him as she smiled sheepishly. *Guilty as charged, I fear I went and did something stupid and rash again, sorry guys.* I sat down, allowing Indella to slide down my back. Now I just had to be a bit careful to not slam my head into the crossbeams and everything would be fine.

Surin walked over to her and started to cast a spell, before turning to the other two. “She is giving off faint traces of Transfiguration magic. She has decidedly been using some form of transformation spell within the last few days at most. And a powerful one at that.” He looked at Indella, then at me, then finally at Rael.

Rorik and Mint looked at Surin before they too focused on Rael. Rorik walked right up to him, grabbed him by the collar and spoke in a low but barely controlled voice. “You have exactly 10 seconds to tell me what you talked her into, or so help me. I will tear you apart with my own bare hands.”

Huh, Rorik was quite protective of… oh, OH! I could sense it through the bond. Indella’s feelings for Rorik and it didn’t take a genius to 1+1 and get 2, here given Rorik’s reaction. She and Rorik were a couple. Best to calm things down before it got out of hand.

I took a deep breath, then cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. “I am the cause, in part, if you would kindly let go of Rael I will explain everything in full. As much of it as I understand it, at any rate. Then the others can fill you in afterwards. There is also something else I realized on the way here I need to point out about the plan at any rate.” Rorik did let Rael go, but he did not look any calmer. Well, as long as he wasn’t trying to strangle Rael, that was good enough for me.

It took about an hour just to give them a generalized rundown of what had occurred and what they could expect now. The trio was understandably upset once I had finished, and they had gotten a confirmation that I was telling the truth out of Indella. Whom they had grilled rather extensively for proof first, just in case. It had not been before Indella literally kissed Rorik that he was convinced, because “No one kisses like Indella does” or so he claimed.

After that Rael looked at me with a curious expression “You said that there was something you had realized that would be of importance to the plan earlier?” I nodded and closed my eyes, then asked practically the same question as the Archives had asked me earlier. “What do you think the Guildmaster will do to you guys when Inlas can commune again, and she informs him you guys helped me to escape?” The room went completely and utterly silent.

Then Mordred mumbled what I expected was some pretty nasty swear words given Erem’s dismayed expression. Yeah, clearly that had gone over their head too. This had officially stopped being a “Get the Core and Girl to safety” mission and had instead become a “We all need to escape before Inlas returns” mission.

Proof would likely matter little to the Guildmaster if he was as fanatical a follower of Inlas as Rael and the others claimed. Which seemed pretty certain. Considering how everyone but Indella had used a chant meant to wipe out all resistance in me. And make me very eager to become Inlas obedient little Avatar when they tried to tame me.

Rael, Mordred and Erem all looked at one another, with Erem taking a deep breath before he spoke up. Clearly fighting to keep his voice even. “That was indeed not something that occurred to us, but what about Yndali?” I shook my head and answered. “I seriously doubt that will be an issue, not after the result of the last trial the Guildmaster put her through. Even if Inlas told him, he would need irrefutable evidence, which does not exist since it was a verbal agreement. Nor can he get them to confess. If he could, they would have done so the last time. Besides, if he tried to arrest them again without proof at hand, the City Lord and High Priest would likely have him executed given what happened last time.” Erem seemed to agree with my assessment. The City Lord had been… upset after the trial, to put it mildly. And from what I understood of it all. Pissing him off would be a terrible idea that would likely end up with the one who did so on the headsman’s block.

Mordred finally calmed himself down enough to ask. “So what do we do now?” I had already had time to think about that and had a reply ready. “The plan remains largely unchanged, we just need to ensure your party and these three are the ones who will go. It should not be too hard. Seeing as “Gloria” here is comfortable around all of you and would likely throw a fit if anyone else were to go with us in large numbers instead. Another option is for the three of you to head out early under the guise of following a lead we found about Indella’s whereabouts. And make a beeline straight for the dungeon. Though if you do, please inform me, so I can alert the creatures about your arrival. The last thing we would want would be for you to get killed by a trap or dungeon creature because you showed up unannounced.” I was pretty confident that this would work, provided we could get him to allow the trip before Inlas showed up. Wait, maybe…

I looked to Erem this would be the nail we needed to get out of town with priority. “Say do you know if there are any days or festivals coming up very shortly that will be of import to Inlas?” Erem blinked a few times before responding. “Well, there is the Midsummer Festival, which celebrates the birth of Inlas, why?” I smiled. “If the Guildmaster is so fanatically devoted. Don’t you think it would help speed things along to errr… gently suggest that sacrificing part of the riches might please Inlas?” Erem blinked. “You mean to use his devotion to him.” he stated, to which I nodded. “Normally I would warn against such actions as it would undoubtedly bring the anger of the god in question but… given the circumstances that’s unavoidable. So I say sure, try, but who would point that out?”

To my surprise, it was Indella who responded. *I can do it. Or rather, the Core can do it for me. The Guildmaster seems to have gotten the impression that “Gloria” is a very pious and zealous follower of Inlas. Or at least that’s the impression I got of him, given how accommodating he is to my “needs” compared to other people.* I didn’t have a better idea, nor did anyone else it turned out, so we agreed on that.

We returned to the Guild shortly after. The trio had decided they would head off for the dungeon as soon as they had packed some belongings. They figured it would be weird if they too insisted on going on the Guildmaster’s errand they were not supposed to know about. Meanwhile, I had gotten in touch with Duplica and informed her of the guests and to treat them as trustworthy allies, and the rest of the plan.

Once back in the guild we split up, with me and Indella heading towards the Guildmaster’s office again. Once there, Indella hopped off and knocked. She was let in when I informed the Guildmaster’s assistant that “Gloria” wished to speak with him.

Once he arrived back at his office, as he had been occupied elsewhere, Indella had been seated in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea to keep her comfortable. Though he seemed quite curious and didn’t hesitate to ask, “So, dear Gloria, what is it that I can aid with?” She looked at me and I nodded, playing the obedient pet. “My Owner could not stop thinking of the wealth in the Treasury, Guildmaster. She feels that it would be an insult to Inlas to not present at least some of it as an offering on the morning of the Midsummer Festival. As such, a prize wrested from the accursed Penumbra would likely greatly please her.” I said, putting up a reluctant expression. As if I didn’t want to speak the words aloud but had no choice.

I could almost see the gears grind inside his head as his expression bounced between reluctant to eager to borderline desperate and back again. this happened over and over, before it settled on determined. “You make an excellent point, child. As a fellow follower of our great Lady Inlas, I am ashamed I did not think of this myself. Such an offering would indeed please her, I shall make the arrangements at once. You will set out tomorrow with my best and most trusted men with you” as expected only brainwashed cronies was good enough.

Indella for her part immediately squirmed and looked uncomfortable. “Is something amiss, child?” he looked at her then to me and back again before I answered. “My Owner is wondering who these best men are. You see, the guild guards and several of the adventurers make her feel… Uncomfortable is not strong enough to convey her discomfort, I fear. Many either lack true faith. Or they are cold, uncaring or treat her as a monster because of the… incident.” The guildmaster nodded slowly as he spoke softly to Indella. “Of course, the accursed Songstealer, damnable thing, is there any way we can ease your discomfort?”

Indella looked up at the Guildmaster, her expression going from uncomfortable to thoughtful, then finally eager, man Indella had to have a pretty high “Acting” skill to pull this off. That explained it. She looked over at me for a few moments and I nodded. “Earlier today, my Owner wanted me to go find Erem, when I found him he was with the rest of his party, they were all kind people. They were all friendly and warm. She feels safe with them. So safe she actually dozed off for a bit, which is apparently a rare thing for her these days.”

The Guildmaster nodded quickly. “That’s great, Rael is one of my most trusted men, after all. He was the one who brought you to the guild to begin with. I would not deign to force you to suffer the presence of someone else. not when you clearly trust him as much as I do!” Well now, you learn something new every day. This would probably be a hard pill for him to swallow when he learned the truth.

Indella seemed overjoyed at the news and even made motions to hug the guildmaster, before she quickly caught herself, and instead nodded gratefully. Could someone give the girl an Oscar for best performance? Sheesh, just looking at this was making me feel sick, and I knew it was an act. I took the word again. “My owner wishes to confer her utmost gratitude to you Guildmaster. We will personally inform Rael and his party about the vital mission. For the glory of Lady Inlas.” Indella rose and did the same ritualistic bowing maneuver I had seen her do earlier. Then turned and exited the office as I slowly backed out of the hallway.

The Guildmaster followed us to the door, and bid us farewell “My pleasure child, I will send an enhanced bracer for the Core tomorrow morning, take care.” He closed the door as I finished backing out of the corridor. Man, having him treat me as if I wasn’t even there was… unnerving.

We had succeeded with what we had attempted to do. We found Rael, and I made a number out of “Informing him” that he and his team was to make ready for a vitally important mission the very next morning. Rael made a properly surprised look at being informed of such and obviously “Accepted” the mission.

The rest of the day, what little remained of it, passed uneventfully. The Guildmaster was likely doing whatever it was he needed to do to get me that new bracer. Meanwhile, the Party was packing their bags, intending to stay in the dungeon for a long time. They even had an explanation ready for it if someone asked. It would take a while to transport all the valuables and would likely need to stay the night to empty the room.

Just before sunset my Alarm trap went off, though I could barely make out the message because of the distance. It was like a bad radio, meaning I had to be on the very edge of its range. . Good, they had gotten out OK. That just left the rest of us. Though it interested me that the trap identified them as guests.

. Yikes. Had forgotten about those with all that was going on. Marvellous news for the rest of them, I didn’t fancy having to tell the party they had to camp outside because of the limitations.

Both Indella and I went to bed early, we would need to be well rested for tomorrow in case something went badly. Besides, there was always the saying from back home; No plan survives first contact with the enemy, something was likely to go wrong somewhere, I only hoped that would happen after I was out of the city.

They would not allow us to rest long, however, as there was a knock on the door, and Indella answered after throwing on some robes, the High Priest was outside. That was a surprising turn of events. What did he want? Indella invited him in with all due respect for such an important individual due and soon after he was sitting comfortably in a chair.

Looking at him again I could not help but ask, “So, for what reason did you decide to visit us, High Priest? Even more so after nightfall?” The old man looked at me and Indella, it felt… strange, familiar almost, I shuddered.

The High Priest just smiled before he replied “Oh I simply wanted to see you in person one more time, you know how it is” I looked at him. Was I missing something? “Um… I am not sure I follow?” The High Priest just kept smiling “Of course you don’t, there is no way you intend to abscond with a dozen of the finest adventurers in the guild or anything.” My blood ran cold, he knew, how did he know… wait the sensation from before he couldn’t be… could he?

The old man’s gaze became harder and his smile slowly faded and became more serious. “Take care of those people girl, you will need them before all this is over, I fear. And once out of the city gates, make haste,” this made no sense. “Why are you helping us, are you not…” he interrupted me before I could finish. “Tomorrow morning reassure your allies that their families will be safe, the same goes with your business partner. you have my guarantees as High Priest… and as Avatar of Rubolg.” So I was right, this old man was Rubolg’s Avatar, clever disguise. Who would expect his most devoted and chosen follower to also be the shell he used to walk among mortals?

The old man chuckled, “I am glad you approve” I looked at him with an annoyed expression. “You are dodging the question old man, why are you, the avatar of the God of Balance picking sides?” the old man took a deep breath. “I am not taking sides, I am simply guiding the fates in the way they need to go to ensure it will restore balance. You are the key to this, you and your dungeon, though you may not understand why yet. I would recommend strengthening your defenses at the earliest convenience. Inlas will not take your escape lying down and you will have precious little time tomorrow before her silence expires. Do not dawdle, lest you want the escape to suddenly get civilians involved.” Neither I nor Indella liked the idea of collateral damage.

The high priest nodded, then smiled at both of us before he stood up and walked towards the door. “I will leave you two to it then good night you two pleasant dreams” Easy for you to say old man, you might play the part. But I remember that sensation of scrutiny too well. You were not the avatar acting on his own, you were the man himself.

Case and point. There probably was a reason for him to pretend to be the Avatar acting on his own. Though I could not for the life of me fathom what that might be. Deniability perhaps, though who would he need to answer to when he literally made all the rules? This made no sense at all to me. Besides, it was getting late, pondering the question would be a waste of time, time better spent resting. If what the cunning old god had said was true, and I had no reason to doubt him. Then this would quickly cease to be a simple stroll in the park, haste would be of the essence.