Prison of the Forgotten

“So this is... Leonia’s aqueduct,” Tuuli grimaced. “The smell befits the city.”

“Indeed,” said Sullivan, a small clamp over his catkin nose.

“Just stick to the walls,” said Iris, climbing about. “At least that way your boots won’t get wet.”

“Easy for you to say!” shouted Tuuli.

“Let’s just get a move on,” said Jabez. “There will be time enough to complain after we’ve saved everyone.”

Tuuli groaned, wading through the horrid water alongside the others. It was not as if this was totally unexpected. She just didn’t realize Sullivan had meant the aqueduct leading to the sewer. Using a steady flow of water to expel the city’s waste was clever enough, but it was hard to appreciate when she had to walk through the damn thing.

It will be over soon. Just think of the flowers...

Once the group reached a walkway, Jabez stepped up and helped hoist Tuuli and Sullivan out of the sewage. From there, Sullivan employed a spell to clean and dry everyone so they wouldn’t leave a trail walking up above – or an obvious scent. But even after the problem was cast away, the memory would stick with Tuuli for a long, long time.

“Where to next?” asked Jabez.

Sullivan pulled out a small yellow gem, dangling it from a silver chain. The gem floated up, pointing to a passageway on the right. “There, that should lead to a way up.”

“A dowsing crystal?”

“Yes, actually! I’m surprised you knew about them.”

“I’ve encountered a similar practice before...”

“How does it work?” asked Iris.

“It points to what he most desires,” said Tuuli. “In this case, a way out of this fetid tunnel system.”

With Sullivan in the lead, the group eventually found a metal ladder leading up. Iris, being the smallest and sneakiest, volunteered to go first and make sure it was safe. She climbed up, opened the hatch at the top, then slinked out of sight. There was a moment of uncertainty, but it was quickly expelled when Iris reopened the hatch.

“It’s safe. Come on!” she whispered.

One by one, the rest of the party climbed out of the sewer. Once everyone was out, Tuuli closed the hatch, and everyone ducked into the closest alleyway, slipping on disguise circlets. Everyone except Jabez.

“Hold on, there’s a trick I want to try out first.” Jabez then pressed his hands to his face, and Tuuli watched in utter horror as he shifted his appearance from head to toe. It was... Essentially the same as his first disguise, but with brown hair instead of blonde.

“Well that’s new. Since when could you shapeshift?” whispered Tuuli.

“I’ve been learning a lot to try and thwart Hito, since he seems able to see through illusions. I also know a trick to dispel shapeshifting too.”

“Dispel it?”

“A reversion spell?” asked Sullivan.

“Something like that...”

“Wow! Papa is so smart!” Iris smiled.

“This just gives me the creeps if you ask me,” whispered Tuuli. “You better not try to disguise yourself as someone I know.”

“I’ve never done that before!” whispered Jabez.

“Shh, guards are coming,” whispered Sullivan.

Everyone hid, waiting for the guards to pass by the street. Tuuli noticed they were carrying magic eye lanterns, something meant to reveal illusions.

“We need to be extra careful,” whispered Tuuli. “If we draw their attention, the jig is up.”

“No kidding,” whispered Jabez. “Okay, looks like they’re gone. Now just act natural.”

A completely normal family of four stepped out of the alleyway, walking along the throngs of people moving through the streets. Tuuli watched as humans, young and old, rich and poor, all made their way towards the palace. Merchants were moving with their carts, either following the crowds or trying to hawk their wares to passerby. Jabez bought some meat kebabs while Iris clung to his arm like a dotting daughter. While he exchanged coin, the merchant said the queen was going to make the royal wedding quite the spectacle...

After Jabez paid for the kebabs, he passed one to the rest of the party. Tuuli wasn’t too keen on eating food made by the enemy, but... She was pretty hungry. The party then slipped through the crowd and down another alleyway.

“So far so good,” whispered Sullivan. “We better hurry, though. I have a bad feeling about what that merchant said...”

The party ventured through the city of cobblestone streets, tiled rooftops, and buildings of pale stone. This was Tuuli’s first time in the capital, and the whole place felt cramped and oppressive. She had ventured through thick forests, humid swamps, and dense jungles in the past, but the city of Leonia felt like an urban labyrinth.

Navigation grew harder with time. Though the party had left the crowds of the city behind them, the streets leading to the prison were full of patrolling guards.

“Too many eyes. We need to clear a path,” whispered Jabez. “Tuuli, can I rely on your bow?”

“You can,” Tuuli notched a pair of arrows. Releasing her bowstring, the arrows struck the guards in their necks, dropping them to the ground. Jabez fell upon them, finishing them off with a dagger. Then he whispered an Arcanian word and disappeared the men into his magic bag.

“Sullivan, can you clean this up?” Jabez whispered.

“On it,” whispered the catkin.

With the same spell used to disappear the sewage from the party’s boots before, Sullivan cleaned away the blood, and it was like the guards were never there at all. Sullivan continued leading the party through the city, with Iris acting as a scout and finding the best route to take. If a guard or two needed to be eliminated, it proved an easy task. What would be tricky, though, was entering the prison itself.

When the party reached the outskirts of the prison, Tuuli realized it was built like a fort. Four solid walls of stone, with guards patrolling along the top of the walls, as well as more guards circling its outside and standing at the front gate.

“If only we had some rope and a grappling hook,” whispered Tuuli.

“I can make something similar,” whispered Iris. “I’ll make an opening for us, then I’ll lower some webbing you can all hold onto.”

“What about all those guards up there?” asked Tuuli.

“Leave that to me. I have a plan...” whispered Jabez. He then pulled everyone close and went over his idea.

“What?” complained Tuuli. “Absolutely not!”

“It will be the easiest way to get into the prison. Just trust me.”

The elf groaned at the idea, but without a better plan of her own, she decided to go along with it.

First, Iris climbed her way up the wall. When the other guards were preoccupied and looking the other way, she took one of them out. After lowering some web to Jabez, he pulled himself up, disappeared the guard, then shapeshifted to take his place. Soon enough, the others were pulled up the wall, and after Sullivan cleaned up the evidence, Jabez suddenly blew a whistle.

“What’s this then?!” Jabez put on a heavy, brutish accent. “Looks like we got some sneaky devils trying to slip into the prison.”

“The blazes?!” another guard came running. “How did they get up here?!”

“Bloody sneaks used magic to float on up, but I caught ‘em just in time!”

“Dammit all, why today of all days? All right, well if they want into the prison so bad, I’m sure there’s a cell or two that we can find for them.”

“Sounds good. All right then you gits, come with me!”

“Curse our misfortune!” said Sullivan. “I should have known we’d never get past you!”

“A bit dramatic, that one,” said the other guard. “Keep a close eye on him.”

“Will do,” Jabez nodded. “Now get moving!”

Escorting the party down some stone stairs to the prison courtyard, Jabez kept everyone a sword’s length away as he marched them towards the heart of the fortress. Jabez explained the situation to another set of guards and was told to seek the prison key master inside. Stepping inside the prison, the party found the key master and took care of him. No one heard a sound.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Tuuli massaged her wrists now that her shackles were removed.

“How did you think of such a plan on the spot?” asked Sullivan.

“I took improv classes back in the day,” said Jabez.

“Improv classes?”

“You know... Acting. Stage... Performance.” Jabez fit a keyring onto his belt. “Speaking of.”

Tuuli watched Jabez transform once more, taking on the appearance of the prison key master. The shapeshifting was as gross as it was the first time she saw it.

“I’m never going to get used to that,” groaned Tuuli. “By the way, what’s the plan for getting out after we free everyone?”

“Getting out?” said Jabez. His eyes darted around nervously. “Shit.”

“Let’s worry about that later,” said Sullivan. “Come on!”

The party moved through the prison, going floor by floor and checking the cells. There were all sorts of people inside, all grown pale and scrawny from neglect. They groaned like zombies, reaching out to the party with bony fingers.

“These poor people, what happened to them?” asked Tuuli.

“Time,” said Sullivan. “I’ve heard that if someone gets locked up in this prison, they never leave.”

“They don’t execute them?” asked Jabez.

“Only if their sentence is lighter. To Ramthians, death is a mercy. If your crimes are too great, they’ll just leave you to rot.”

“That’s awful...” said Iris.

The party searched and searched, doing their best to ignore the plights of the prisoners. But no matter where they looked, there was no sign of the Hidden Grove members.

“Are we too late? Where is everyone?” asked Tuuli.

“They’re all gone,” a prisoner whispered behind a sturdy metal door. “Saw the whole thing...”

“What? Who are you?”

“Over a dozen men with spears forced them all out of their cells. The biggest one was covered in chains, you see. Otherwise she’d probably crush ‘em all.”

“That must have been Demetra,” said Jabez. “Then they’re already at the palace. Dammit!”

“Need to get to the palace, eh?” the prisoner continued. “I know a secret path...”

“You do?”

“Yes siree! But it’ll cost ya...”

“Name your price. Anything.”

“Hold on, are you really going to trust this guy?” asked Tuuli.

“Couldn’t hurt,” shrugged Jabez.

“Are you serious?!” Tuuli turned her back on Jabez, crossing her arms. “Can’t you take this seriously? You’re just like my brother!”

Saying those words, Tuuli was left at pause. She never meant to say it out loud, but now that it was done...

“Tuuli...” Sullivan muttered.

“I’m fine. Just... Just do what you want!”

“Don’t you worry now, lil’ missy. Ol’ Captain Lockheart is as trustworthy as they come!”

“Lockheart?” asked Sullivan. “The famous pirate?”

“You guys have pirates?” asked Jabez.

“Why did you ask it like that?” said Tuuli.

“The very same!” Lockheart hopped up, barely peeking through his cell door bars. Crazed, bloodshot eyes peered at the party from total darkness. “You lads fightin’ the good fight too? Free me and I’ll stick by yer side!”

“You know this guy?” asked Jabez.

“He was a famous freedom fighter back in the day,” said Sullivan. “It’s said he preyed on ships from Shevak and ferried rescued slaves to hidden caverns.”

“But then the bastards finally got me! They tried to kill me, but they failed!! So they locked me up and threw away the key!”

“Actually, I think this one fits,” said Jabez.

“... Guess I was wrong.”

Once the cell door was opened, a scraggly old man fell to the ground. Tuuli and Jabez helped him up, then the old man dusted himself off. He had a ratty black and grey beard, striking yellow eyes with oval-shaped pupils, and a mouth full of sharp, curved fangs.

“Thank you kindly, laddie,” said Lockheart. “Mighty fine disguise you got on, too.”

“You knew?” asked Jabez.

“O’ course I did! I’ve had years to get used to that bastard of a key master’s scent! But you? You smell like freedom. Speaking of,” Lockheart held up a keyring freshly swiped from Jabez. “How about we start a good ol’ prison riot?”