Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 47

       The next day, the group woke up early, and after meditating Cedric was able to provide a meal for them. After which he meditated further, trying to calm himself before the coming battle. Ella and Zerai sparred for a little while before deciding to rest. Ara' Sei took a moment for herself, letting her magic express itself upon the world around him. Eris stayed near Cedric, occasionally sharpening their knives. The group met up again to talk strategy one last time before going back into Duskholme.

       "Alright, so, Cedric? Do you have a way to get us in?" Zerai asked.

       "Yes, I have a way to help us sneak in. If we have cloaks on, no one will notice us." Cedric said.

       "Okay, I'll take us there and I can help to navigate while we're there. Now, I'm going to need Eris to assassinate any slavers that are there that see us sneaking in. For that, they're gonna have to go ahead of us. Is that okay with you, Eris?" Zerai asked. Eris nodded in response.

       "If any combat breaks out, Ella, Ara' Sei, and I will be ready to fight." Zerai said.

       "So, our plan's been agreed upon, let's get ready." Ara' Sei declared.

       As the sun began to set, the group put their cloaks on and began to head to the slums. Just before they got there, Cedric placed his hands together and spoke a prayer to the wild. His hands glowed for a moment, and the party no longer left footsteps behind them. The party effortlessly made their way through the city, following Zerai's lead to the base of the slaver's guild.

       The base of operations was massive. It consisted of two large buildings. One was a repurposed inn, the other was a prison.

       "We need to get into the prison, through some creative means." Zerai whispered.

       "Okay. Eris, I'll give you a spell that lets you climb walls." Cedric whispered. Cedric placed his hands on Eris, and muttered a short incantation. As Eris approached the wall, they placed their hand on it, and ivy sprouted from the wall, wrapping around their hands. Eris climbed up the wall with minimal effort, and then began to scour the building for any sign of any opening. When Eris, came back, they shared what they had found.

       "There's a low hanging window that me and Ella could boost you all through. There's no one in the room on the other side. With that Ella and Eris were able to boost every single one of their friends through, before climbing through the window themselves. Once the two of them had gotten in, they left towards the prison cells with the rest of the group.

       Strangely, they passed no one as they snuck to the prisons. They cautiously navigated through every doorway and hallway, yet no one was there. When they got down to the prisons, no one was there either. Something was off, none of it made sense.

       "Okay, let's get them out." Zerai whispered. But, as Eris was inserting their lockpick into one of the locks. Cedric's ears perked up.

       "There's footsteps, in both directions, coming toward us!" Cedric whispered frantically.

       "They found us, be ready for battle." Zerai said, manifesting his blade. The footsteps came from both directions. From one direction, there were five, from the other there were four. But, one of the four was a tall man in armor with black scales on the side of his face.

       "I knew I'd find you here. You haven't been very subtle in your hatred towards me, so it wasn't hard to figure out what you would do next. Anyways, some of you look like fine additions to the collection, so... I've come to collect." The man's voice seemed to take over the entire prison, echoing off walls. His eyes and hair were dark, and his demeanor was frightening. The group knew that they were now in for the fight of their lives.