“Can we find this camp?” Natalie interrupted. “And do you know this man, Town Guard?”

Zack flashed a winning smile her way. “Zack Silverstone. And it’s not every day Vox sends an Adventurer as beautiful as you across my path. How about I buy you a drink after this?”

Natalie sighed heavily. “Can we go arrest the bandits now?”

Glenn decided it would be best to get moving before Zack delayed them any longer. He pointed toward the cliffs. “Lead the way.”

“Which was my plan,” Zack said dismissively, and spun about. Yet he took them slightly eastward of where Glenn had been heading, which assured Glenn he’d actually seen this camp.

“You’re sure they didn’t spot you?” Glenn asked as they walked. “You didn’t step on a twig?”

“Well if you keep talking like that, they’ll certainly hear you,” Zack griped. “So keep your voice down and follow me. You too, gorgeous.”

They spoke little after that, as Glenn knew they actually were closing in on the western edge of the Deepscorn Woods. This wasn’t far from the location where he and Becka had rescued Azalea Whitetalon a little over three months ago. Glenn hoped that same Moss Beast wasn’t prowling about.

Yet soon they reached the edge of the woods, with the cliffs in plain sight. Zack raised an arm without looking back, then lowered it. Glenn crouched and motioned for Natalie to do the same.

Glenn looked to Zack. “Scout it for us. Tell us everything you see in that camp.”

“Are you saying a Town Guard of Wolfpine needs my services?”

“If I must.”

“I assume there’s payment involved? And a Quest turn-in?”

“That’s up to Coleman,” Glenn said irritably. “Now can you do it or not?”

“Of course I can!” Zack said, smiling wide as he backed away. “But not for free.” He vanished.

Close at his side, Natalie shook her head. “How have you not strangled him by now?”

Glenn actually chuckled. “He owes me money.” And Zack actually did, since Glenn now paid for their drinks with his Town Guard salary.

They waited in silence for Zack to return. Since Zack’s [-Shadow Walk-] only lasted five minutes at Level 5, Glenn knew they wouldn’t have to wait long. Zack popped back into existence shortly after, yet he wasn’t grinning. He looked rather grim.

“Their camp is still there, but it’s changed a lot. Only two tents, not three, like yesterday, and the ballista is gone. They must have moved it.”

“How would they even move something like that?” Glenn mused quietly.

“[Unfilled Bag],” Natalie said.

Glenn though back to some of the jokes Jenny Ambersun had made when they first met. “You can fit an entire ballista in an [Unfilled Bag]?”

“A small one,” she said defensively.

Glenn really needed to get himself a bag like hers. Not that he could actually afford one, since they were hopelessly expensive and only available in Lakebrooke. Still ... maybe he could send off for one. If he’d been able to pop out an entire bed once he camped, that would have been pleasant.

He looked to Zack. “And the camp’s population?”

“Only three people are present, a Shadower and two casters. I imagine the other’s off to deliver the ransom to your portly friend.”

“Preceptor Fallowpeak,” Natalie corrected crossly. “He’s reached the Divine Level cap at age 46. Show some respect, Shadower.”

Zack whistled. “You’re even hotter when you get fussy.”

“That’s it,” Natalie whispered. “I’m going to strangle him.”

Glenn lightly rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m really sorry about him.” He looked to Zack. “What else did you see? You look spooked.”

“The rest of it is messed up,” Zack said, grimacing. “They’ve got that young girl in ... well, best way to describe is a cage within another cage.”

Glenn took a moment. “I’m not picturing it.”

Zack made a fist. “Small cage, girl inside.” He raised his other hand and made a larger cage around his fist. “Big cage filled with Cliff Spiders around the small cage. Spiders can’t enter the small cage, but fill the big cage.”

Glenn shuddered. So they’d put Renee in a cage surrounded by Cliff Spiders?

He reasoned it out. The bandits couldn’t attack Renee, not without her consent, and dropping her into a cage of Cliff Spiders would kill her immediately. Yet putting her in a cage inside a cage, with the outer cage filled with Cliff Spiders, would prevent the Monsters from touching her.

It would also allow the bandits to collapse the inner cage if they were challenged, which meant Renee got eaten. The bandits would only be collapsing the cage, not attacking Renee, and would simply allow the captive spiders to do what captive spiders did. Monsters existed outside the Law of Consent.

Yet could anyone collapse a cage in such conditions? Wouldn’t that be an action violating the Pantheon’s Law of Consent? Even if it wouldn’t, even the chance meant he couldn’t risk it.

During the abduction, Glenn had almost respected these bandit’s cleverness with loopholes. Now, he simply wanted to arrest them all. Who put a common age kid in a cage with Cliff Spiders?

“I hope she’s fainted by now,” Natalie whispered. “That sounds horrifying.”

Zack nodded in visible agreement. “She appeared to be asleep. I pondered picking the lock, but I’d just be letting the spiders out. The moment one of them tagged me, that’d be it for [-Shadow Walk-], and there’s got be at least forty of the little suckers in there. That’s too much for me.”

“That’s too much for a full Party,” Glenn said. He looked to Natalie. “Any ideas?”

She considered a moment. “I hate to let these bandits win, but what your Shadower—”

“I have a name,” Zack interrupted.

“—your Shadower described absolutely puts Renee in mortal danger,” Natalie finished, without another glance at Zack. “So unless you know a safe way to free her, we pay the ransom.”

“My thoughts as well,” Glenn agreed grimly.

He hated giving in to the demands of bandits, but Renee’s life was more important than his pride as a Town Guard or Preceptor Fallowpeak’s crescents. A common age girl’s life was at stake, and ensuring she came home safely took precedence over everything. Yet these bandits were obviously ruthless, and there was a possibility they could prove unreasonable even if offered a ransom.

“I’ll go talk to them,” Glenn said. “But we need a backup plan.”

Natalie frowned. “What? No. I should talk to them. I’m the Preceptor’s escort.”

“You’re also a Guilecaster, and I want to make sure they don’t know about you in case we have to do something sneaky,” Glenn said calmly. “Zack and I alone can’t save that girl if things go sideways with the negotiations, but I think we all can if we have to. Once I know their price, if they’re reasonable, I’ll come back and get the money from you. Best they don’t see that coin pouch.”

“How would I save anyone?” Natalie asked impatiently. “Anything we do to attack them might lead them to collapse that cage and unleash those spiders on Renee. You heard the Preceptor. We can’t risk that, and I won’t risk that.”

“I’m not saying we should attack them, or that I want to,” Glenn reminded her patiently. “I still believe we should pay the ransom, but what I’m saying is I don’t fully trust these bandits to accept the ransom. So I’ll talk to them and offer what they want. If they accept it, fine. We get Renee back.”

“And if they don’t?” Zack asked pointedly.

“Then we try my plan,” Glenn said. “First, I need you to describe that cage. Every detail.”

Zack explained, in detail. Glenn nodded. An idea was already taking form in his mind. Once he finished explaining his idea for rescuing Renee, if it came to that, Natalie frowned.

Yet she didn’t immediately tell him this was stupid. She actually looked intrigued. “I mean ... I suppose that could work. Again, assuming their Guilecasters are lower Level than I am.”

“That’ll never work,” Zack said.

Glenn turned to him. “You’re saying you can’t do it?”

“Of course I can do it. I’m just saying they won’t fall for that.”

“They will if you do it right,” Glenn said. “Or are you telling me you can’t do it right?”

“I can do it, all right?” Zack huffed. “But I really don’t want to, and it’s a dumb idea.”

“We’ll see,” Glenn said. “And we won’t do anything if they just give us Renee. Stay close and listen in, both of you, but stay out of sight. If you hear me say ‘Then I guess we’re unable to do business’, then we act. Only then. Best case is we give them the ransom and leave with the girl. Second best case is if they don’t, and we do act, we get Renee out without no a bandit the wiser.”

“And worst case is we fight a bunch of Cliff Spiders,” Zack said.

“Correction.” Glenn rose. “I fight a bunch of Cliff Spiders.”