Dreadlords Stealing Extra Credit

[Kael]

Kael sat in a surprisingly spacious ‘study’ room, empty for moment of any other souls. Kael had been drawing notes onto a piece of parchment paper. He had created a crude but legible drawing of the Academy’s east wing. It was reasonably scaled, and sprinkled with nails to signify obstacles. Patrols, wards, dogs, and so forth. Kael intended to break into Proctor Couture’s office. Two days ago Proctor Couture issued a challenge in his ‘Wards, Glyphs, and protective Magic’ class. Kael recalled that her words were

“The ability to break wards is a natural extension of the principles that we learn and practice in this class. In fact, I’ll issue a wager with everyone here. Anyone who can, alone or in a small group, break the wards protecting entrance into my office, and the wards preventing opening of this box.” Proctor Couture held a small black white box with an ornate yellow rose painted on it. “Will receive full marks for this course and will no longer be required to attend it.”

Kael was not normally one to try to stand out, but Proctor Couture was an extremely dry lecturer. Kael fought dozing off nearly every lecture, and was not always successful. Not to mention the time he’d gain not having to attend. With the extremely regimented schedule of the academy it would increase his ‘free’ time considerably. So Kael put out feelers to the classmates he considered both talented and mischievous enough to consider breaking curfew and organized a meeting.

“The map is not exactly to scale, but should be close enough. I’ve laid out nails where I know of patrols, dogs, or wards. I have not scoped the area in totality. If anyone knows of any patrols I don’t, please mark them.” Kael would mention as his classmates began filing in. A very businesslike welcome, if it could even be called that, but one the Initiates of the Academy were all used to.

 

[Naser]

Nas had never been more excited in his entire life.

He hadn't felt this way since the ‘Robber had told him he could start heading into Vel Anir proper to steal from those prissy nobles. The clouds cover of listlessness broke and shone on a moment of emotion as finally, finally; Nas was presented with an opportunity to get out of doing work.

”There's three you missed.” Nas sounded almost eager, the inflection in his tone changing for just a heartbeat. ”Here, here, oh and Proctor Dorzin likes to take a nightly stroll here.”

The weirdo tended to go back and forth about eight times. ”Oh and this window is warded, I saw someone burst into flame in it once.”

Though his premonition had not come true that time, probably because Norah was too smart to go through with it. ”We should go in here.”

Again, there was the barest hint of excitement touching his tone.

Nas had never been lazy. Well, he felt like he'd never been lazy anyway, but now his lack of enthusiasm was melting away. Kind of. He still thought this whole thing was probably some kind of trick. The Proctors were well known for that bullshit. ”Basement doesn't get watched much.”

He finished

 

[Kael]

Kael let out a small grin. He generally viewed the seer as aloof, but for this task he seemed almost excitable. Perhaps there was some truth to the rumors that Nas lead a more exciting life prior to the Academy. Kael put down some more makeshift markers at the spots Nas marked the patrols. He took out a small assortment of paint and began marking each patrol, with Dorzin receiving the color red. The normal patrols generally weren't too dangerous for an intiate, but Dorzin was a technically a third level dreadlord with combat experience. Not something Kael aimed to trifle with.

"Agreed. Basement is probably our best entry point." Kael responded. "There's a hole in the wall here that hasn't been patched yet. I can shift and scurry in through the walls, come out through here, and take care of that door. That should get us into the wing. From there we could take care of yellow or blue patrol, and get access to the rear hall . . . or the window."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dreadlord Academy, Night of the Heist


Kael made it to the patch of wall that was missing stone and mortar. He wasn't sure which student had caused the damage, but had heard several stories of punishment being dealt to other initiates. His body shrank as the brown hair on his head expanded to cover his body, giving Kael the frame of a brown rat. He made his way through the hole and scurried up the wall, into the covered rafters.

He made it fourteen meters before he felt hair stood up as he got closer to the faculty wing. Head shifted right, left, the up to find a minor ward. If Kael remembered properly it looked like an ice trap, shooting out icicles at passers by. The strength was not excessive, though Kael figured it would have taken considerable skill to place one in the rafters without sight. He grumbled and rubbed his paws together. Moisture left his mouth as he poured energy into disabling the trap. It took him four minutes of concentration he hadn't planned for, but it was gone.

Kael continued to his destination and opened the fortified door, allowing Naser entry.

"There was an ice glyph in the ceilings that took up some time, but we should still be on schedule." He revealed to Nas, who in some probability already knew what had happened.

 

[Naser]

Instead of an annoying quip or comment Nas only tilted his head in a nod.

It as a mark of how much he wanted this to go right. He knew that most of the time he was an annoying thorn in the side of his fellow Initiates. Rarely did he have anything helpful to say, and even more rarely did he feel like doing it anyway.

But this was an opportunity he would not waste. "There's two more up ahead."

Though he did not know that because of a premonition.

In the old days, before the Republic, the basement had offered brief reprieves from the watchful eyes of the Proctors. He had come down here to hide often, crawling on his belly through some of the smaller spaces until he could tuck himself away.

It had worked, until one of the Proctors had caught him.

"Follow my steps." He encouraged Kael. "We don't have to deactivate these if we're careful."

The Initiate said as he slowly began to make his way through the darkened tunnel. His boots gently padding in the dusty ground, leaving a path for his companion to follow. As they moved Nas' eyes began to pale, the whites drawing over his Iris' as he peered into what dangers might still lurk ahead.

 

[Kael]

Trusting his partner Kael followed behind Nas. He copied the initiate’s crouches, pauses, turns, and stands with precision. True to the seer’s words careful selection of path and timing allowed to avoid runes and glyphs that made Kael’s hair stand on edge.

~

Peering into the future Naser would see that not everything was happening according to plan. One of the regularly scheduled patrolman had drank too much the night before and didn’t make shift. It was embarrassing for the guardsman, and he would be replaced eventually, but tonight Proctor Dorzin had asked one a few of his colleagues to cover the normal shift in pieces. Nas could see different faces on the patrol, but which proctor had volunteered at what hour? Would the volunteer proctor follow the normal route or do her own thing?

~

Kael continued to follow the initiate’s lead, but noticed a slight change in the man’s stance. He didn’t know exactly how Naser’s talent worked, but he figured if he could exert any control to it he’d be checking periodically during their operation. Perhaps the process of seeing into the future took something out of him, but Kael suspected something had changed. He thought of asking, but decided against it. If Kael needed to do something Nas would signal somehow, but Kael starting a conversation was only an opportunity to be overheard with no promise of a change.

 

[Naser]

There was a flicker in front of them, and almost immediately Nas held up a hand.

In an instant the Initiate froze, lips pressing to a thin line as his eyes flickered over the premonition stepping in front of them. He saw the figure move out into the hall, turn his head left then right...then spot the two Initiate's. The silhoutted figure of gold called out, and Nas knew instantly they would be caught.

"Someone's coming." He hissed, a tinge of excitement in his voice.

"Not the regular Patrolman." Someone else, someone who could sense them? It was difficult to tell from his vision, but he was sure the man hadn't seen them. A Proctor? "We need to cut to the side."

Urgency touched his tone. "Now."

He could not peer more than a few seconds into the future, and that meant the man who would find them was right around the corner.

Without much thought he reached out and grabbed Kael, shifting his steps and focusing his premonition as he darted to the left. Taking his companion with him, and ensuring every step they took would not lead them to triggering one of the traps.

A strain which flickered through him as they walked. Blood beginning to drip down from his nose as he kept it up.

 

[Kael]

"Someone's coming."

Kael stopped in his tracks. This was not part of what they’d gone over.

"Not the regular Patrolman."

Then Who? Kael thought to himself. Between him and Nas they should have considered the angles. Something must have changed.

"We need to cut to the side."

Urgency touched his tone. "Now."

“I’m wrapping around you. Don’t freak.” Kael whispered . At least with his current proficiency Kael was limited in how large or small he could become. He could take the shape of a rat, but not an insect. Similarly a blight orc, but not a fire giant. For the situation Kael judged the best way for Naser and him to minimize chances of detection was to have as small a profile as possible.

So when Nasar grabbed Kael to pull him around a snake wrapped around his arms, before slithering around his torso. Serpentine eyes looked out as the door knob began to move. Tongue extended sniffing the air. When the door opened Kael was bombarded with a scent unmistakable to his currently animal senses.

Proctor Byron.

No Initiate had confirmation on exactly who Bryon was before becoming a Proctor. Some said he was tasked with rooting out a Vampire infestation in Vel Stratham. Others that he hunted terrible beasts on the borders of Anirian space. Still others insisted he tracked and executed rogue dreadlords. Kael had no idea what parts of the rumors were true, but noticed in every story he was a hunter. If Nas got a good glance he would notice Bryon’s right arm, maimed just after the elbow. The cause of his change in career to Proctor.

Kael held as still as he could while maintaining eyes on the Proctor. He walked the basement in a methodical manner, with a pretty quick pace. Kael could tell he was doing his job, but felt this was beneath him. He was in the room for no more than a minute before opening the door out of the basement and leaving. It was only then Kael dared to breath.

“This is a lot more fething complicated now.” He whispered.

 

[Naser]

"Wrapping around me?" Nas asked so incredulously he didn't even have a premonition for what the other Initiate was about to do. His head shaking with disbelief as he noticed the snake now slithering over his form.

Still, his eyes flickered forward and focused on the Proctor ahead. Stepping slowly and moving out of his vision each time his head turned. The premonition of the man guiding Naser's step, until finally he turned and began to head towards the door.

Heart beating steadily in his chest, Nas could only smile as his companion spoke. "Complicated."

He agreed, a the smile growing into a grin.

"But unexpected." Meaning for him; fun.

At first he'd only been here to get out of work, but now that the challenge was on? Nas could almost feel that hint of excitement beginning to overflow. The unexpected was always good, breaking the monotony of the future he could always seem to tell.

Eyes snapping back to normal, he whispered to his companion. "You ever hear of Initiate Gred?"

A boy a few classes ahead of him, apparently he'd been quite famous for getting places he wasn't supposed to be. "We're gonna put him to shame."

Nas said with a grin, beginning to creep forward once more. "Come on. I know a way."

 

[Kael]

As they continued to experience complications, Kael detected excitement continuing to grow in his co-conspirator. Nas seemed to feed off adapting to the changing dangers of a heist. Hopefully that didn't get them into trouble. Initiate Gred was well known. In fact, well known was an understatement. In fact he'd heard a proctor say 'You don't have the talent of a Gred. Don't think about it' used to dissuade others from sneaking away from classes.

"Roger." Kael said, following behind Nas as he went back to his human shape. They continued to sneak to the basement until finding a passageway that Nas revealed.

"You're full of secrets Nas." Kael responded. There a was a slight snark to his voice, but Kael and Nas were both more parts rogue than destroyer. He'd know it was intended respectfully.

The passageway was deliberate, but unlit. There were spaces for candles, but the spiderwebs encasing them revealed the lack of maintenance. It seemed this place was intentional, but forgotten. Kael wondered how many more such passageways were hidden in the Academy.

"We're going to come out on the west side then? Blue patrol should be coming by soon." Kael said quietly after they rounded another corner. He was very focused on the route they were taking and where they were in relation to the rest of academy.