Strategies and Secrets

Daniel

Daniel awoke late that morning. Sato and Rebe were already long gone by the time he rolled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He dressed in some simple garb, a green tunic and some pants, which were left out for him. They were hand-sewn, rough, and stiff. He much prefered his vanished attire. He exited his turret and made his way down the grand spiraled staircase and peaked his head into the parlor. A servant there in must have caught out of the corner of her eye. "Can I fix you something to eat, m'lord Hero?" she offered with the slightest curtsy.

"No..., Thank you. And I'm no hero, that would be Sato." "No lord, neither," he added, under his breath.

"As you please, m'lord." The servant exited the room, linens in hand.

Daniel's stomach rumbled. He was more than hungry, but the feast the night prior had left him somewhat unsettled. The food here was different than that at home. It had taken his appetite with it when it left him from whence it came. Daniel had been given a tour of the castle, but it was after the party, and he wanted to check if he remembered where everything was. After wandering through the apartments, the kitchen, the study, the library, the rookery, and countless other rooms, he discovered, to his great lack of surprisingly, that he did.

Daniel made his way towards the front door that led to the main courtyard. He was greeted warmly by the guards who opened the doors for him, thankfully. He wandered out into the brisk late morning air. It was bright and lively. The sounds of castle work within the walls and the bustle of townspeople outside. He intended to set out before something very odd caught his eye.

He observed three gathered guards, dressed under in mail and over the royal red and blue quartered surcoat wth an embossed lionhead encompassd by a coronal mane. He had come to know it signified Pax Æure. In the middle of the gathering was an odd-looking man. This man was so odd, mostly in that he didn't seem odd Daniel much at all. That is, he seemed just as out of place as Daniel felt. The man was wearing what looked very much like a grey trench coat tied shut around the waist with it straps. Upon the man's head was a tiny, fedora hat. His slick black hair was cropped in a bob. Below it, he wore a meticulously groomed handlebar mustache that glissened even from 30 feet away. He carried a briefcase in his left hand. 

The man continued to chat with the guards intently, and suddenly, out of nowhere turned about and locked eyes with Daniel. He continued to speak but did not break eye contact with him. He must have looked too long. Should he try to make himself scarce, or should he attempt to speak to the oddly normal man? While he pondered, the gaggle dispersed, and the man made his way over to him. The choice had been made for him.

"How do you do, Danielle, François, charmed, I'm sure," he spoke with a thick accent and extended out his slender right arm to Daniel. It seemed too long for his skinny frame. His hands were clad in black leather gloves. Daniel reached out to take his hand, and suddenly François pulled him in close and planted a kiss on both of Daniel's cheeks. He didn't know how to react. He froze. Finally, he managed to stammer out.

"Charmed... yes?" Daniel reclaimed his hand as well as his space.

"If you would follow me zis way" François gestured towards a tall, narrow bell tower off to the far right end of the courtyard. François took off speed walking like a man on a mission, and Daniel instinctively fell in and pursued before he had even fully processed the previous chapter of this bizarre interaction that was still unfolding. They made their way past guards walking long the curtain wall, servants carrying buckets of water, golden grain, and laundry, and arrived at the tower. 

François opened the thick wicker door and allowed it to shut behind him. Daniel opened it again and continued his pursuit. Inside, he was suprised to find absolutely nothing at all. There was just the plank floor, some straw, and an ugly old rug. Before he could comment, François had comically kicked aside the rug with his polished loafers and revealed a trap hatch with a lock embedded into the wood. François procured a long metal key from a ring attached to a chain that seemed to originate from within his coat. He inserted the key into the hatch and turned it right. The sound of a mechanism clicking emitted from the hatch, and François reached for the metal ring, inlaid into the wood of the hatch, and then pushed downwards, and the hatch gave way. François plunged into the darkness of the now hatchless space and vanished completely from for several seconds before popping his head back up and saying, "zis way, chop chop." 

It was at this point that Daniel began to really question his choices. This man seemed half mad. And the other half was on holiday. Where the hell was he taking him? What is this place? Yet his curiosity won out his good sense, once again. 

He made his way towards the lack-of-a-hatch, and only from above, he could clearly see a ladder leading down below. As he climbed down, the air grew stiffer, and the scent of mildew overtook him. The below room, from all the light through the hatchless hole and a small torch at the other end of the hall, appeared to be made of cold, damp, mossy cobblestones. "Close ze hatch," François's voice echoed through the narrow hall as he again fiddled with his keyring at the wooden door in which the hall culminated. Daniel climbed back up until he could reach the shadow-clad hatch door hanging away from the ladder. He grabbed it and, suprised by its mass, struggled tp forced it back up and closed. Finally, he heard a click that told hm he had succeeded. He was now in near total darkness. As soon as he did so, he heard another click of the second lock as François opened the door. He hurriedly caught up before he was left behind, alone in the dark.

"Zis is ze catacombs. Many hundreds of years older zan ze castle, zis was once an ore-rich mountain full of mines. It was converted into a stronghold to hoard ze wealth. Zese tunnels are everywhere under ze castle." Daniel knew he had come for a reason. Secret treasure tunnels that buried under a castle. Zis was more his speed. "Grab ze torch. And do not forget to shut ze door zis time, yes?" Daniel didn't forget. Torch in hand, he snapped the door shut and pursued.

François was not looking back. He continued past the door and down a slippery cobblestone spiraling stairwell. Daniel was careful of his footing. He slowed down and lost sight of François. He still heard the clack of his heels against the wet stone ahead of him, until it grew fainter and fainter. This place messed with your mind. Eventually, after an descent that defied the perception of time, they arrived at their destination. 

A final door guarded the way; this one was of thick iron. François was still fumbled to unlock it when Daniel arrive. The heavy metal door loudly creaked open. François entered, and Daniel was in close pursuit. He didn't want to becme seperated again. He placed the torch in a sconce he spotted on the wall. 

The room was unusually well-lit for a dungeon. Inside were mountains of books, scrolls, and parchments. There was a massive wall to one side covered in posters, letters, and every other conceivable scrap of fabric with ink on it. There was a long bookshelf running the entire length wall to the other side. Most of the books were poorly stacked in teetering towers in front of the shelf. The shelf itself was nowhere near capacity. In the middle of the room was a massive map table, like the war table but much flatter and more mathmatic. Above it was a giant starchart attached precariously to the ceiling. In the back of the room was a wooden counter and desk, and sitting at it was a young women with bubblegum pink hair. 

She was leafing through a dense tome about some history of somewhere. Daniel's eyes were afixed. She was evidently engrossed, despite the obvious dryness of the text. Her hair was the colour of bubble gum, pinned up in a ponytail with bangs hanging down over her forehead. She was dressed in a white blouse with a laced collar. She wore form-fitting black leather pants and what could only be described as cowgirl boots to finish the ensemble. She didn't seem to notice them enter.

"Frenchie, the girl is out in the town meeting the commonfolk, and The Hero is still training with Master Coelpress. No Undien movement reported today, but they are holding onto the land they claimed so far," she spoke with a mild touch of François accent, but it was hardly detectable on most words.

"Luci, we have a guest, Daniel zis is Luci. She is my assistant. Welcome to ze real war room." Luci finally looked up and spotted Daniel. She gestured in acknowledgement but then returned to her book. Her face was prestine, unblemished, and unexpressive, like that of a doll. "Zis is ze heart of ze Secrets and Security Bureau. It is we who keep zis kingdom afloat from dangers both home and abroad. We also trade in knowledge. I have ze ears everywhere."

"That's all well and good, but what can you tell me about these tunnels?" Daniel gestured towards a map of the castle that showed the entrence to the tunnels. François looked perplexed that his speech hadn't left a lasting impression. Luci, on the other hand, looked roused. She put down her tome and went to the wall of scrolls within the bookshelf and pulled out a large, aged scroll, and brought it to him. As she approached, he realized just how much taller than him she was. She must have been at least 5'11", maybe taller. 

Daniel unrolled the map atop the map table and began to study.