“Improvisation is a fool's admission of being unprepared. Regretfully, I have had to improvise on many occasions.” - Toren Eringer

As he descended the stairs, Eringer was cursing himself for not having foreseen this possibility. With all of the oddities occurring in Mith-Fell, packed alley next to the tavern, lack of guards, proximity to two other bars connected to tunnels… The signs were there and he had been foolish not to have noticed.

For the moment, however, he was disguised and these people presumably believed he was a soldier from Haren.

The stairs opened up to a long hallway running perpendicular. At the end of it, Eringer saw a cloaked elf, hood down that he recognized; it was the mage that had attacked him in the tunnel and got away. Wonderful… After being distracted for a moment, he scanned over to see a human female in heavy armor. The two clasped hands and she then put on her helmet. She was a city guard.

There is a corrupt guard in here, Sam. She is leaving now. Be careful when you are looking.

Yes, Master.

The guard left out the door she was standing in front of, heading up to street level. The elf mage turned to see the four spill out into the hallway from upstairs. “Oh? Whom might you be?”

The human that spoke to Eringer piped up, “Sir, this man gave us the toast we have been waiting for.”

“Indeed? Wonderful. What is your name… a soldier, I presume?”

Eringer continued with his modified tone of voice, “Yes sir, soldier would be accurate. Herald Mason.”

The elf strode toward him reaching out an arm to introduce himself. “You may call me Hulair.” They shook hands. Fortunately, the disguised man’s gauntlets were not part of his concealed nature. “I was under the impression there would be… more you of you…”

“Yes sir, there was supposed to be. Still are, out beyond the wall, I imagine. There was trouble at the gate a few days prior. I apologize for the delay.”

“Very well. I did hear about an event.” The mage gestured for Eringer to follow, “Come. We shall exchange words on the next steps as well as what happened to the rest of your group.”

The elf led him down the narrow hallway to a small room. Behind, he heard the other human speak, “You two head back upstairs. This shouldn’t be too long and you can be there to answer questions should any arise about where we have gone.”

“You got it,” the woman replied.

Hulair, Eringer, and the other human entered what looked like some sort of break room. There was a single large square table with chairs, but little else. Some plates with only crumbs on them were sitting out.

The mage seemed to notice Eringer’s lingering eyes on the table. “Apologies for the mess. Please, have a seat.”

“No problem at all.” He took a seat as the other two sat perpendicular to him.

“So, the event at the gate. I only know what I heard, but would prefer to get a firsthand account.”

“Well, everything was going according to plan up until a few minutes prior to reaching the gate. From my understanding, as I was not on watch at the time, an Illarian soldier showed up. He spoke to the guards just before we arrived. Our spokesperson seemed to know that the guards were tipped off, so a fight broke out. We did manage to kill a few, but the guards were already mobilizing, so we were forced to run.”

“Hmm. That is quite unfortunate. You see, we were planning on there being a number of you. Your military and… other background are paramount to the execution of this particular assignment.”

“Is it possible to wait a few days? Others should be arriving after me. We are having to sneak into the city now that the guards are on alert for us.”

“We may have to make do as is. Perhaps we can wait until tomorrow evening, but that is the latest, I think.”

Master? I have found some guards.

Hold off for a moment, Sam. I may have a plan and guards would only hurt it now.

Yes, Master.

“I believe that would be for the best. I could help tonight, if that is what you intend.”

The mage sat back in his seat, deep in thought.

Eringer sat back as well, casually letting his left hand fall into his lap, inches from his sword.

The other human was listening, though not intently. He sat in between Eringer and the elf.

“No, I think it best to wait until tomorrow. You should stay here for the evening and we can go over the plan.”

The veteran quickly determined that the longer this ruse went, the more likely he was to get caught. “Very well. Shall we discuss now? I would prefer sooner rather than later.”

The elf’s eyebrow raised, “Why the rush? We have all night and others may show up.” His human companion leaned forward, refocusing on the conversation.

Damnit… Sam, forget the guards for now. Be ready to get their attention, though.

Yes, Master.

Eringer sprung out of his chair, sword flashing before the other two could react. Since the human was closer, he slashed him deep on the right arm, down to the bone.

The other man roared in pain, throwing himself backwards as his arms rose up.

It was too slow, as Eringer was already on his second swipe. He empowered the already magical sword with radiant energy as it entered the injured man’s side at chest level. The burst of light faded to reveal a limp body falling to the floor with a cut over halfway through the torso.

The elf was particularly slow on the draw, as he was only now rising and drawing a wand from his pocket. “HELP! INTRUDER!”

Krealyn's voice rang in Eringer's head. Mark him!

The veteran pointed at the mage with his free hand, feeling his arm fill with energy. Though nothing physically occurred, he could see a faint purple aura surround the other man. He lunged forward, again imbuing the blade with a spell.

Hulair conjured a transparent shield of energy, but it was a moment too slow. The longsword sank into the elf’s upper leg and exited the other side. Along with the usual bright white and yellow glow, a purple hue shone brightly for a moment. The limb was dangling by only the hamstring muscles now.

Eringer continued the assault, but the shield proved to be too strong to penetrate as his sword glanced off of the shimmering protective barrier.

The mage seized the opportunity to hop backwards on his good leg to the door. He turned and threw it open, then disappeared in a small poof of smoke from view. His voice called out again from down the hallway, "HELP! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

The floating shield disappeared as Eringer hustled to the hallway. Hulair was skipping to the stairs that led up to the main floor. Light from the trap door opening began to fill the dim space.

"HELP ME! HE'S..."

The elf did not get the chance to finish his sentence. Eringer released two blasts of vibrating energy from his outstretched right hand. The first hit the man in the side of the neck, halting his speech. The second struck his temple, killing him instantly.

Hulair collapsed in a pile of his own limbs and blood as shadows revealed there were several people descending the stairs.

Having no intention to stick around, Eringer turned to the door leading up to the alley and exited hastily. He roughly closed the door and spilled out into the messy and narrow path as he arrived at street level, sheathing his sword on the way up. Sam! Forget the guards for now. I am running out the back alley and being chased. Where are you?

A few blocks away. What do you want me to do, Master?

Start walking back, but not too fast! I will try to blend in using my new powers of disguise.

Eringer chucked a heavy bag down the steps directly in front of the door to impede his pursuers before running toward the back. He could hear the shouts of people behind him, but it sounded like they were still struggling to leave the building.

The veteran took a right turn as soon as he could, noting no one in the alleyway. As he ran, he changed his disguise once again. This time, he imagined a guard in heavy armor, projecting that outwards. Feeling comfortable with the illusion, he slowed to a walking pace as he approached the street.

Several people appeared in the intersection he left moments before. "There he... Wait, that's a guard. Spread out!" The voice was feminine, but deeper than most. "Hey! Guard! Did you see anyone come by here?"

Perhaps not the best disguise... Eringer deepened his normal voice slightly. He turned to see the female dwarf he was escorted by earlier, "'Fraid not, miss. Just heard lots of heavy footsteps."

The woman hesitated a moment, then seemed to accept his response. "Cave ins!" She called out to her companions, “Find that human!"

Eringer joined what was now a sparsely populated street, walking away from the tavern at a respectable pace. Let us meet back in the park where I summoned you previously. Do you think you can find your way there?

Yes, Master.

See you soon, Sam.

Eringer wove in and out of side streets, changing his disguise each time he was sure no one was watching him. He did not chance portraying a guard again.

-

Sam was intercepted and stabled before they could meet up. She claimed she could have easily got away, but Eringer implored her to comply so as not to cause a scene.

An irritable hostler was lecturing the veteran now. "Sir, you have to be with your animal unless it is tied to a hitching post or otherwise being watched. I should fine you, but I am letting you off this time."

"I understand, I apologize for the inconvenience. I hope she was not too difficult?"

The man's demeanor changed slightly. "Oh, no. I think she was scared at first, but she calmed down quickly. She's a lovely and very smart horse."

Sam sneezed. I wasn't scared, Master! I could have knocked him out!

I know, he just interpreted it that way. "Good. Thank you for looking after her."

"It wasn't hard, we barely had her but for a few minutes."

Eringer bowed his head slightly. "Good evening, sir."

"Good evening."

The two left after the brief encounter. Probably less solo adventurers for now, at least in the evening while it is less crowded in the streets.

That was your idea, Master.

Indeed it was.

What happened at the tavern?

As they walked back, Eringer mentally communicated the events from the Giggly Gargoyle. Sam was quite interested and generally a very good audience for any story. It was not as enjoyable for him to tell, however, as making his normal gestures would have appeared quite unusual to anyone looking their way.

They went to an inn near Miss Fairlorend's shop. The establishment had its own stable, so Eringer bid Sam a good evening as he went to his room.

He lay awake, wondering what to do next. Despite the long day and multiple fights, he was still full of energy.

Eringer now had confirmation that guards were involved in some shady business, though he suspected it might be a small portion of them rather than the whole force. Furthermore, whatever was happening would be going on in the next couple days.

Tomorrow. He would have to infiltrate one of the basement entrances and find out whatever he could about what was happening. If people got in the way, he would take them out. If he could bring incriminating evidence of any kind to the Captain of the Guard, the city would have no choice but to get involved.

The veteran closed his eyes, drifting off to surprisingly peaceful dreams.

-

The first thing they did the next day was to pick up Sam's new armor. Eringer was not expecting to make use of it within the city walls, but felt that it was better to be prepared just in case.

He retained the guise the shopkeeper was familiar with even after they left, figuring it would be appropriate for the areas he was transiting. A noble looking man was unlikely to receive many questions, save the occasional beggar looking for coin.

The pair walked around for a couple hours, scoping out each of the taverns that they identified to likely be a part of the underground tunnel system. Each had a few people hanging out in the alley next to their respective buildings, clearly denoting an increase in security.

Eringer had no idea what they were planning, nor when it would occur. Hulair made it seem like whatever was happening, would be happening today. What do you think, Sam? Should I charge into the least secured one or should we keep observing?

Sam shook her head once. You told me they expected more two-leggers. Maybe wait for a group to come or go?

I should ask you questions more often. He pet the armored steed along the back of her neck as they walked side by side. They stayed outside one of the taverns for a few hours, noting the patronage at the place. There seemed to be a number of people entering and remaining for a very long time, as Eringer counted seven individuals that had gone in, but had yet to come out. All but one of them was armed and armored. This was not necessarily unusual, but rather a detail he deemed important.

Suspicious of this, he had Sam continue to watch while he went down an empty alleyway and recast his disguise. This time, he made himself look like an old beggar. He would have to be careful about how he moved to ensure he did not bump into anyone or let his armor make noise, because that would instantly arouse suspicion.

Once he was satisfied, he left the alley and hugged the walls of the building to stay out of the way. He waited for a moment when there were fewer people in the street to cross, then made his way over to the front of the tavern. He looked in the two large windows, one on either side of the door, to assess the clientele.

There were only a handful eating and drinking casually in the common room, one of which was the only unarmed person Eringer had witnessed entering earlier. The other six he had seen enter were not at any of the tables or the bar. Sam, I think six of them we saw entering went down to the basement or tunnel system.

What does that mean, Master?

There is some kind of gathering inside. I think we might need to split up and observe different places. Could you stay here and watch? I am going to go to another tavern and see if something similar is happening.

Yes, Master.

Eringer walked past the building and down a couple blocks, still staying away from everyone. He ducked into another alley and took side streets to a different tavern they were wary of.

The twin stars set and it was a surprisingly dim night with no visible moons or the planet out at first. Nights like these were pretty rare, but not unheard of. A night that passes without any close visible planetary body was essentially impossible given the arrangement of the celestial objects.

Fortunately, a dark night would not be an issue for him, though Sam might have some difficulty seeing in the absence of light. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Yes, Master.

The tavern was hosting only light traffic for the first hour, though again Eringer noticed some armed individuals entering and then disappearing from the common room. He had a good vantage point from an alley across the street that kept him almost out of sight of the street, but it meant that he could not see the side of the building.

After coming out every quarter hour to check the side, he noticed that there was no one next to the tavern for the first time since he arrived.The veteran elected to walk over and casually lean on the building next door so he could see if anyone entered or left via the front or side. After another half hour, at the top of the next hour, a group of eight cloaked people came out of the basement to the side of the establishment.

Master, there are a bunch of two-leggers leaving out the side.

Eringer was about to make a sarcastic comment when he realized again that they were watching two different bars. Curious. Do you think you can follow them?

Of course, Master!

Stay safe, Sam.

Most of the eight looked his way, but no gaze lingered. They all turned to head to the side street behind the tavern.

At this point, the streets themselves were only lightly trafficked, adding to the suspicious activity displayed by the people. In the darkness, he would be nearly invisible to any human, but with eight individuals, Eringer suspected some could see in the dark.

As quietly as he could in full plate, he followed from about a hundred feet back. Fortunately, the distance and ambiance of the main street meant the noises his armor made did not travel far. Every block or so, one of the people in the back would look in his direction. Either they did not notice him following, or they did not see him at all, because nothing changed about their travel.

Sam, how are you doing?

They are going on the small streets between the buildings, Master. I think they know I am following.

Do not approach them. Hang further back if you need to, just get an idea for where they are going.

Yes, Master.

For nearly twenty minutes, the group of eight took the less traveled smaller paths, only transiting a main road when it was necessary to traverse. They ended up in a residential location, with many of the larger homes in the city.

The veteran’s subconscious thoughts coalesced to genuine concern. Sam, are you by humanoid homes now?

Yes, Master.

Are there any guards?

No, I haven’t seen any.

Sam, I think these people might be out to kidnap or kill someone. If you can find guards, bring them to wherever they end up.

Yes, Master.

Less concerned with being spotted, Eringer increased his pace to close the distance on the band of cloaked individuals. They were pointing down the street and whispering to each other, but it was impossible for him to hear what they were saying.

They crossed the empty brick road and hopped a fence, splitting up into two groups, one going to either side of the home on the property they entered.

Master, they attacked two of the two-leggers outside a home! What should I do?

Get help! Find a guard!

There aren’t any! They’re entering the home now!

Lead guards to the building, I do not want you to get hurt again. He jumped the fence, with mild difficulty considering he was in heavy armor. At the apex, the metal prongs scraped the plating on his leg despite his attempt to be quiet. It was an obvious and loud noise that caused the four cloaked figures he could still see to turn around and look straight at him.

They started whispering hurriedly. Within a few seconds, two of them were drawing swords and running towards Eringer.

Realizing his element of surprise was gone, he thought it best to make sure these folks had no ability to get away without being spotted. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP! ROBBERS ARE TRYING TO BREAK INTO THIS HOME!” He readied his shield and drew his own sword as the cloaked men ran toward him.

They both raised their swords high and brought them down on Eringer, but not before he slashed out. The magical sword cut across the first man’s torso, slightly penetrating the leathers he wore. The veteran had swung hard, so the momentum carried the blade over to the second man. He cleaved straight into the man’s stomach while imbuing the weapon with radiant energy.

The second man’s eyes widened as his mouth opened to let out a scream. It was short lived, as the man was dead by the time he hit the ground.

The other cloaked man was distracted by the killing blow to his partner, only landing a glancing blow off the magical armor that caused no damage.

Eringer swept Krealyn’s sword backhanded, but cut only air. He then elected to take a step closer, bringing the blade forward in a stabbing motion. Again, he willed the blade to strike with his God’s power. It pierced the man’s chest, ending the brief battle.

He retracted his sword from the corpse and ran toward where he last saw the other men. The veteran could hear the sounds of people fighting behind the house somewhere. He continued yelling out, “HELP! CLOAKED MEN ARE ATTACKING PEOPLE!”

As he rounded the back of the house, he found that the target was actually the property behind the one he was standing in. Four cloaked figures were fighting two armored humans, who appeared to be defending the large home.

Eringer easily scaled the fence and was heading over to help when he saw two other cloaked figures breaking into a window on the side of the house. He decided to pursue them while the larger group was occupied.

Though he was not a particularly heavy man, with armor and a shield he was well over 250 pounds. He sprinted over, running full speed into the cloaked figure that still had his feet on the ground. The other person was ill-prepared as he easily knocked them to the ground. He followed that up with two quick thrusts of his sword into what he could now tell was a female half-elf’s stomach.

The woman cried out and cradled herself as she rolled away from Eringer.

The other one had disappeared through the window they had opened.

The veteran ignored the woman as he tossed his shield through the window and climbed up. In moments, he found himself standing in a dark kitchen with no one in sight. “WHOMEVER IS IN THE HOME, HIDE NOW! SOMEONE HAS BROKEN IN!”

He picked up his shield and quickly went toward the center of the house. From the outside, the home looked quite large, but he realized it was bigger than he thought when he arrived in a long hallway going all the way to the front.

Behind, he heard a scream of pain and the thud of a body falling. That was followed up with banging on the back door only five paces away. Glass shattered as the cloaked men in the back attempted to break though.

Eringer gritted his teeth and ran toward the front, looking for stairs. “HIDE! WHOMEVER IS IN HERE, HIDE!”

The veteran found a large open staircase going up to the next floor, and took the steps two at a time. “IF YOU ARE UNDER ATTACK, CALL OUT AND I WILL COME TO YOU!”

No response. Either they are already subdued or they have not been discovered.

There was no light, leading him to suspect his target could see just as well as him in the dark. Eringer heard wood splinter and heavy footsteps coming from downstairs. The others are in…

There was a hallway before him that went the width of the house. He heard a board creak down to the right and pursued it immediately. As he passed the first doorway, a cloaked figure lunged out with a shortsword, finding purchase under his left armpit. The blade went in fairly deep, but was just as quickly retracted.

The lithe figure evaded any retaliation by tumbling past him. A deeper voice than expected came from the man, “Upstairs! Help me, brethren!”

Eringer reached across his body, opening his shield hand to heal the wound. After the usual yellow glow, it was completely mended, but at the cost of most of his healing pool. He followed the small man with his eyes the whole time, no charging forward to attack. His opponent was deft with a blade, parrying his thrust.

Below, the four cloaked figures that were out back began to ascend the stairs.

The small figure expertly stepped away, backing down the hallway the direction Eringer had not gone down as his partners converged on their enemy.

The veteran presented his holy symbol around his neck with his sword hand and summoned Krealyn’s power. “STOP! Witness the power of Krealyn!” A mental weight fell upon the cloaked intruders.

Three of them stopped in their tracks. The small man slipped away, searching the nearest room. The last was a female elf and she placed herself between Eringer and the one that got away. She then used her dual swords to strike at Kraelyn’s follower. The first struck only a shield, the second slipped into the plating on her target’s left leg, drawing blood.

Eringer groaned as the second strike entered his flesh, causing him to miss an attack of his own. The pain motivated him to quickly swing again. He landed a devastating slash empowered once again with radiance.

The woman’s stomach displayed a deep gash, which she quickly applied pressure to. Her other visible companions were frozen in fear, gradually overcoming the effect the paladin put them under.

A scream came from the other room. A terrified feminine voice called out, “AHHH! HELP ME!”

Ignoring the other cloaked intruders, Eringer followed the small man into the room ahead. As he looked inside, the man was yanking on a door that was closed in the back corner, likely a closet.

The intruder was not very strong, so whoever was on the other side did not appear to be having too much difficulty holding the door shut.

The veteran’s sword dripped with blood as he came up behind the cloaked figure pulling on the door. He thrust the weapon into the man’s back, though it did not penetrate much. Whatever armor the intruder wore was better than it appeared. He removed the blade and tried again, but the thief was ready, ducking out of the way.

“Brethren! Our target is in here! Kill this man and let’s get out of here!” He thrust his own sword, finding no success against the heavy armor and shield. The three men that were formerly paralyzed with fear streamed into the room, no longer suffering from the ability.

Eringer decided to focus on one at a time, as being outnumbered four to one was not likely to go his way given the skill he had seen on display already. He struck out at the small man with two quick jabs, imbuing both with one of his handful of precious spell slots remaining.

It was enough to drop the small man. He crumpled to the ground after the two stab wounds in his stomach.

His companions roared as they charged. The largest one looked to have orcish blood by his features. His bulky body backed up the theory, and his voice was deep. “I’ll distract him, you two kill the woman!” He stomped forward wielding a large axe that he raised over his right shoulder with both hands.

Eringer backed up to the closet to ensure the trio had to go through him before they could reach the door.

All three attacked in tandem.

Eringer was most concerned with the half-orc, placing his shield directly in the way of the axe as it came bearing down. The strike shook him and caused a reverberating metal on metal gong throughout the large home.

The other two attacked from either side, with one of them landing a deep stab that narrowly missed his right kidney.

I may have underestimated the smaller ones. The veteran lashed out twice at the man that struck him, but in the process of defending himself, neither found purchase.

All three enemies struck again. This time the half-orc cut him solidly on his side with one of his two attacks. The others’ blades found only armor.

I cannot handle much more of this. Eringer cut the man that stabbed him in the back twice, injuring him significantly.

It was not enough to stop him from attacking, however. Eringer held his ground as another wave of attacks came his way. He held up his shield, blocking two blows. Another two came as the half-orc continued a frenzied attack in sequence with the injured man. It looked like both were going to hit as the veteran stared down the weapons.

A transparent blue shield materialized just like he had witnessed the day prior. Eringer reflexively cast the spell to block the attacks. He realized he had another cast of the spell in him, plus two more of Krealyn’s smites. He went all out, imbuing his weapon with power on a slash to the injured man, who died instantly as the blade cut through the front of his skull. He stabbed the other average sized man in the center of the chest, releasing his last smite in a critical moment.

The half-orc looked wary now, but attacked nonetheless.

Eringer used his last spell to summon the blue shield by the side of his own, demonstrating a practically impenetrable barrier that deflected two more strikes. He retaliated in kind but missed both as the large man backed away.

The last intruder turned and fled out of the room.

The injured veteran panted. He was out of spells, about to be out of healing, and very injured.

But he had won, it seemed.

Sam? I managed to save a woman’s life. What is happening with your group?

There was no response.

Sam?

Not again...

Eringer spent the last of his healing pool to close up the strike that landed near his kidney, then pulled out some bandages for everything.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” The voice came from the closet.

“Yes, I have fought off the intruders.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I am not breaking down the door and trying to kill you.”

There was a pause. “I guess that is true.” The door creaked open as a woman in a nightgown stepped out. “Thank you for saving my life, you have done the city, and the nation, a great service.”

Eringer’s eyes widened as he realized the identity of the woman he had saved. It is all starting to make sense...

-

Level 9!

Warlock Level 2

New Spell - Shield

Character Sheet Level 9