Elizabel’s jaw dropped. Why was he- but all he had to do was pay bail.

She tapped the dot on the map out of sheer desperation. The view of the room around her changed.

The bare wooden room was gone, and in its place a claustrophobic view- a narrow metal box expanding before and behind. If it weren’t for the lack of sensation, and the way the floor cut through her torso, she’d swear it was real. And crawling up just ahead of her viewpoint? Cassmere.

The goblin lay on his stomach, and army-crawled forward. He hummed a tune to himself as he proceeded, only stopping on occasion to peek out of the grates. Without fail he then grunted at whatever he saw below, and, apparently satisfied, he then continued his journey forward into the bowels of the building.

Elizabel checked the map against the view before her. She shook her head and muttered, “Where are you even going?”

Cassmere froze, the tune dying on his lips. After a long moment he looked around, even looking over his shoulder so much as the confines allowed. Seeing nothing, he shrugged and continued forward once more.

Elizabel glared at the retreating goblin. He couldn’t see her, but it sure seemed like he could hear her. She sat up straight- poise was audible, if one did it correctly- and spoke again. “Cassmere, this is Dark Mistress Elizabel. Would you deign to explain what you are doing?”

Cassmere tensed. “Not right now,” he whispered. “Bit busy.” He shuffled faster. It was not unlike a dog hurrying to eat some forbidden item when caught.

Elizabel scowled. “You were to pay bail and no more. Explain. Now.”

A sigh that approached growling escaped the small goblin. “Well, I got into the building, but didn’t have the money.” He paused and took a small screwdriver out of his kit and began to work at the fasteners on yet another grate.

“I could have gone back, sure, but I was already in the building. Didn’t want to cause a scene.” He placed the last screw to the side and tucked away the screwdriver.

Elizabel paused at that, her mind refusing to process. “This was the-,” she flailed for words, “-the least conspicuous option?”

Cassmere nodded and tugged on the grate, pulling it free. He set it next to the screws. “Something like that. Now, if you’ll give me a second, this next bit is tricky.” With that, he resumed the humming.

“Cassmere?” Elizabel watched as the goblin peeked through the opening, and then disappeared through it. “Cassmere!”

The sound of humming grew louder.

And then nothing. None of Cassmere’s omnipresent humming, no sound of him hitting the floor. Nothing.

Elizabel tapped at the relic and her view went flying through the vent. She flinched and her stomach churned at the sudden change. It settled inside what must be the jail cell that Eisley was being held in.

Cassmere hung in the air, almost completely tucked into a ball for landing, but he wasn’t moving.

The other occupants of the cell were frozen as well, most unaware of their new guest. A few had beguan to glance over before whatever happened, well, happened. A rail-thin, purple imp sat on the bench, staring at the goblin.

Elizabel studied the look of horror on his face. There was dismay aplenty there, but not the barest ounce of surprise. Already she had a sinking feeling in her gut. Still, if chaos would reign, then better on her side than not.

Which just left the frozen aspect. It wasn’t a security measure, that much was certain. That had been her first thought, but no security measures would leave the guards outside the cell frozen in place as well. And so, that left one thing.

Elizabel looked down at the runic properly. Same map, same security markings, same red dots for her henchmen. Only, at the top, a new label read:

Mastermind Mode: Activated

Planning phase

That solved the mystery of where the runic’s power lay then. Now, to abuse it. With a bit of experimenting, Elizabel soon got the hang of rotating her view around via the runic. Or she assumed it was “soon”. For some reason, time didn’t seem to matter much.

After that, she mastered moving her view around independent of her minions. It seemed that she could only move her viewpoint so far from one of her minions, and anything outside of their line of sight turned blurry and indistinct quickly.

Outside the jail, Panos sat in the car. The surly imp, as still as everything else, glared at a neat stack of money beside him in the passenger seat. That explained a regrettable amount of the current situation.

Elizabel rubbed at her temples. So, the runic was helpful on these jobs. She could see and hear what her minions were doing and, at least for the moment, had ample time to analyze. She made a mental note of apology to Dacien for doubting the value of the boon.

She took a sip of long-cold tea and studied the map with new intent. Now that she knew what she could do, it was time to figure out how to get out of this mess. However, no matter how she stared, what angle she took or considerations she thought of, she didn’t know what was relevant.

With the madcap goblin doing- well, that was the problem, wasn’t it? She didn’t know what exactly he was planning. Ostensibly, the overall goal was to break Eisley out of jail. Clearly paying bail was not the means to do so. But once he got into the cell, how was he planning on escaping?

In the end, she’d need to wait and see. But until then, she selected Panos’ view.

Without preamble, she said, “As you can see, your companion has opted not to simply pay bail. He’s currently in the cell with Eisley. I don’t know what his plan is to leave, or if he even has a plan, but regardless it’s not going to be a low-key exit. You are going to have to be ready for whatever happens.”

She took one last look around the map. Nothing popped out as the answer to her problems. She took a deep breath and pushed the “Next phase” button.

* * *

Cassmere hit the ground in a roll, and sprang to his feet at the end. Around him, the occupants of the cell stared at him in open confusion and not a little awe. He threw them a wink and a grin before approaching Eisley.

He held a hand out to the furry blue gremlin. “Break’s over. Come on.”

Eisley looked at him and gestured to the cell around him. “As fine as the accommodations are, if I could have left already, I would have.”

Cassmere grinned and hauled Eisley to his feet. “Have a bit of faith, will you?”

Eisley grimmaced and opened his mouth to speak. Cassmere cut him off. “There will be time enough soon.” As he spoke, he opened a pouch on his hip and pulled out a device that looked almost like a gun. If a gun had a three pronged hook that hung out the muzzle, anyhow. “New boss arrived today. Looks like we’ll have proper work soon.”

Outside the cell, the guards cried out. Calls to stop and that it was restricted access filled the air. Cassmere rolled his eyes at the empty theatrics, but it would make the escape all the better.

He aimed the device at the vent and fired. The grappling hook sailed out, dragging a small rope behind it. It clinked against the top of the ventilation shaft, and with a small whirr, the arms unfurled and prevented it from sliding out.

Cassmere tugged the rope, which held fast. With a satisfied grunt, he put the launcher away and prepared to climb. He looked over to Eisley. “Coming?” Without waiting for an answer, the goblin shimmied up the rope and was at the top nearly as quick as he came down.

Eisly looked at the rope skeptically. Behind him, a guard fumbled with the keys to the cell. Suddenly convinced, he hauled himself up the rope with none of the grace or aptitude of his companion, but significantly more motivation.

That motivation carried him far. Right up until it didn’t.

With just his head inside the vent, he stopped. “I seem to have discovered a flaw in your plan.”

The tome on his back wouldn’t fit in the opening. Eisley struggled, leaning one way then another, trying to find the angle that would work. From where she was sitting, Elizabel could tell there wasn’t any way in which that was going to work, and even if it did, it’d never fit through the vents.

Cassmere popped his head out to access the situation. “Drop it,” he said. “We’ll come back for it later.”

Eisley’s jaw dropped. “Cass! I could never! Besides, you know it is bound and cannot be separated from me. Why do you think the guards allowed me to keep it?”

Cassmere sighed. “Cassmere. You know I hate it when you shorten my name, it ruins the effect. Fine, well. Drop then. I’ll think of something.”

* * *

Elizabel rubbed at her face and slumped back in her chair. Her eyes drifted upwards to the nonsense that lay in tableau above her. She sighed. Several turns had come and gone without maintaining the pause for longer than it took to hit the next phase button. This, however. This.

The only consolation she had was that at least Thayer’s henchmen were likely similarly eccentric. Of course, Regina would skip the headaches. No surprise there, she always did seem to skirt by the worst consequences. Shame it never extended to Elizabel when they were together.

She shook her head. Not the time, nor the place. She had enough idiots to worry about without adding her younger self to the mix.

Back to business. She had two idiots trapped inside and unable to exit the way they entered. She had one outside and too far to help. As far as she knew, all they had in the way of assets were one car, and the grappling hook.

Probably.

After the surprise grappling hook , Elizabel was less willing to make firm statements on what Cassmere carried on his person. It was moot anyway- she couldn’t plan to use tools she didn’t know he had.

She turned off the larger view and focused instead on the blueprint of the building. The jail cell had an exterior wall- poor security, that, but her mother did warn about staring too closely at the mouths of gifthorses, and she’d take what she could get.

How would that help though? Couldn’t hardly ram the car in. At least not if they wanted to also drive the car away. Perhaps it was reinforced? But not a gamble she wanted to take.

Possibilities rolled through her mind, most dismissed as soon as they were formed. There had to be some way out of this mess. If nothing else, she needed to strangle that goblin personally, so he needed to get back to the hideout intact.

She took a sip of tea, only to frown as she found it empty. She set it aside. The spark of an idea caught her attention. Desperate, risky, but it might just work. The First help these fools if their shenanigans were contagious, but perhaps, just this once-

* * *

Sometimes when the new boss talked to Cassmere, it felt as if she spoke in his ear, like a radio. Sometimes, like right now, it was not. He didn’t know exactly what it was like, or at least not consciously. It was still something like talking, yes, but without time getting in the way. Like a full conversation- though admittedly a one sided one- was pressed into his brain all at once.

He was quickly growing to dislike the sensation. This time, however, he did find a certain appeal to the knowledge that presented itself.

With a grin, he placed his hands on either shoulder of the imp and shoved him down the rope. Eisley lay on the ground, the tome weighing him down not unlike an overturned turtle. The thud of impact had not yet finished echoing the room when Cassmere turned his attention to the grappling hook. With a few practiced twists, he reset it and reloaded it into the launcher.

He dove through the vent once more.

With grace and foresight, and totally not just luck, Cassmere landed deftly to the side of his companion. Eisley was still attempting to extract himself from the floor, but no matter. He wasn’t needed yet.

Cassmere leapt on top of the bench under the window and peeked out. On seeing an aggressively nondescript car with a certain small, red driver, he dropped down. He pulled out the end of the rope and wove it between the bars of the window.

Behind, the door to the cell swung open. Guards rushed in, batons at the ready. Other occupants scattered- some attacking, some fleeing, but none organized enough to be effective. And through the chaos, Cassmere took careful aim.

He took the slack out of the trigger. He waited for the bottom of his breath.

Shouts rose up from the newly injured. Eisley huddled close, though with care not to jostle the goblin.

Cassmere squeezed the trigger.

The grappling hook spiraled lazily and sailed through the window. The rope trailed behind, the slack quickly disappearing and giving lie to the illusion of the hook.

He didn't wait to hear the clink of a successful shot, nor to see the rope go taut. He made the shot, he knew it.

Instead, he turned to gesture Eisley forward. Only Eisley was no longer behind him.

Cassmere frantically surveyed the scene, but it was like a child's hidden object tableau except with an alarming amount of blood. Guards and prisoners mixed as much with confusion as malevolent intent.

And time grew short. Outside the walls of the jail, the roaring of an engine began to rise over even the cacophony inside.

Cassmere caught a flash of purple. Eisley was in the middle of the fray, much to his distress. The little imp was wielding the ungainly tome as if it were a tower shield of old. Cassmere did not often award style points to others, but he had to give one to the little caster.

Still, best not to dawdle. Eisley didn’t have the stamina to keep up the defense long. Cashmere scurried over and tugged the imp towards the window.

"Grab the bars," he shouted. The engine roared even louder and the rope fairly hummed with tension.

“Wha- why?” Eisley trailed off as he saw the gleam in Cassmere’s eye. He gulped and scrambled up to the bars.

Cassmere didn't bother explaining and simply launched himself up to the bars and clung. This close he could hear the cracking as the mortar began to give way.

Eisley looked frantically for the source of the noise. “What are you doing no-” The words died on his lips as the view outside said everything. The grappling hook was now attached to a car. And that car was fishtailing and the tires screamed as it tried to pull away.

Eisley grabbed on tighter.

With a resounding crack and the brief sound of stone against stone they were airborne. They clung to the bars and the bits of masonry that remained as the car peeled out of the parking lot. And, for a brief moment, they flew.

They landed in a sea of sparks and the screaming of metal. Their knuckles, still gripped around the bars, rested precariously close to the asphalt. Time to move, then.

Cassmere leaned to the side, shifting the balance and causing their make-shift street raft drift to the side. He studied the street up ahead. If he recalled correctly, Panos would have to take the turn ahead.

Cassmere drew his feet under himself and angled carefully. He was going to have to time this perfectly. It was a tricky thing. If he leapt too late, he'd miss the car completely. If he went too soon, missing it would be the best case scenario.

Seconds crawled by, but he was no amateur. He waited. The turn approached.

Cassmere leapt at an angle, launching himself towards where the car would be after the turn. Committed, he had a moment to look at the car. For a moment he thought he had misjudged the situation, that it wouldn't turn.

And then Panos jerked the wheel to the side. The car squealed around the corner and Cassmere landed lightly on the roof, exactly as planned.

Perfection.

* * *

Elizabel had fetched herself a fresh cup of tea and settled herself at the table near the entryway as she waited. That had certainly been educational. Dacien was right, as always. The potential was there, but it would take a while to get there, and not just the relic.

The door to the hideout banged open and the three half-sized henchmen rolled in.

Panos slammed the door shut behind them. He turned to Cassmere and jabbed a finger into the goblin's chest. "You dumb bastard."

Though his natural coloration made it impossible to know for sure, Elizabel suspected Panos was even redder than earlier. She hadn’t been overly impressed with the surly imp on first meeting, but if he could help her rein in their rogue agent, she was willing to reconsider.

Panos dropped the finger and stepped back. "Do you even understand how lucky you are that I happened to be looking when you tried that fool stunt?"

Elizabel raised a brow. Lucky indeed- Panos had been set to drive past the turn. It was only her whispering in his ear via the relic that kept Cassmere from eating asphalt.

Cassmere looked between the two and burst out laughing. "You were lost again, weren't you? Boss saved you just in the nick of time."

Panos grunted and folded his arms over his chest. "Boss saved you, and I wasn't lost. I was taking a detour in case of pursuit so we didn't lead them right back here."

Cassmere slapped Panos on the back. "Absolutely. Not lost at all."

Eisley cleared his throat. When it failed to grab the attention of Cassmere and Panos, he repeated it, louder.

The bickering stopped and they turned to face the new target. Instead of speaking, Eisley simply gestured to the table behind the group.

Elizabel sat at the table, hands clasped and waiting. No traces of impatience or annoyance marred her expression.

Even Eisley recognized that for the lie that it was.