Chapter 12: Mind Games
"Milord do you really wish to trust these mercenaries with the location of the girl? If you desire more protection then the three of us can provide then simply give the order and I will rouse some of the men!" Bari is doing his best but he is not succeeding.
Ceannard takes another long sip from his drink. He scans the room with a disinterested eye, his gaze finds you, he stares at you as he speaks, "It is odd Ullr that you allow your subordinates to be so bold. Are you not worried that it might send the wrong message? Perhaps you should punish this dwarf... remind him who exactly is in charge here?"
Ullr squints for a moment then begins to nod, "Yes. Yes, you have to pay for your insolence!"
You are almost certain now that Ceannard is influencing Ullr; implanting suggestions within his mind. What bothers you is that you can not feel the man casting. You have no idea how he is doing it.
Ullr marches over to his desk. He practically rips one of the drawers out. Reaching inside he withdraws a knife and rounds the desk heading directly for Bari.
You feel someone casting.
Thaïs steps around behind you.
For a moment Ullr stops.
Thaïs has sent him a compulsion.
Ceannard looks past you at her, his thin smile grows.
Ullr shakes his head and continues to advance on Bari.
You think you understand what is going on here. For Ceannard this is a game. He is going to try and provoke a fight between the dwarves and he is daring you to try and stop him.
You could play his game and battle him for control of the dwarf, but you do not like being toyed with.
You decide to end this quickly.
Ullr is almost upon Bari now. The Pathfinder still projects a submissive air but his hand has been creeping towards his knife. If you do not act, he will.
You are not sure what will happen when you do this. You just hope your friends will be ready.
You focus on Ullr, his mind is already so heavily compromised that it should not be difficult to neutralize him.
You hit him with an assault spell. The dwarf's head rocks backward on his thick neck as he wobbles on his heels. For a split second he is balanced there, hardly touching the ground.
Then he falls.
He hits the floor with a dull thud.
Immediately you turn your attention to the Black Arrows.
Ceannard stares at you and you catch the slightest hint of surprise in his eyes. It is wonderfully satisfying.
Ceannard does not move, neither does the large guard with him.
Otto however is half way through notching an arrow.
Instinctively you lash out with another assault spell.
It seems Thaïs had the same idea as you feel her cast behind you.
The poor captain lets out a slight whine as you knock him off his feet.
"Well I must admit of all the moves you could have made, I did not expect that one," you had worried that Ceannard would react violently to your attack. Instead he seems thoroughly amused, "So now what? Are you going to try and carry Ullr unconscious back through the lower floors? Given how much he knows about the dealings of House Eberhardt they would likely kill you all rather than see him carried off."
Admittedly you had not thought that far ahead, though an idea does occur to you, "Perhaps we could hire your services to aid in our escape?"
Ceannard nods slowly, you have a feeling he is weighing his odds as you speak, "Perhaps you could. Perhaps you could."
You wait in silence for him to say more, but he seems content to sit in silence contemplating his drink. Finally you can take no more, "Well we have resources, we can pay... how much would you require for a job like this?"
Ceannard takes another long, slow sip of his drink. When he looks up at you some of his edge is gone, he seems warmer somehow, more inviting, "For a job like this I can not accept common coin," he winks at you, "Even from such a lovely hand as yours."
You feel a little weak in the knees. He is just so dashing...
Thaïs, sensing that you need a moment, steps up, "Well what would you require to fulfill such a contract?"
He stands, walks to the bar and tops up his drink. You watch every movement he makes, unable to take your eyes off him.
When he is once more seated he continues, "Well my dear lady," he smiles at her and you feel a little sick, "A client of mine has informed me that you have in your care a certain individual, I would require their presence."
He must mean Meletē... it seems like a fair trade... she has caused nothing but problems...
You manage to turn your head slightly in an attempt to gauge Thaïs' reaction to the idea.
What you see fills you with rage, the way she is looking at him... making eyes at him... you have a sudden urge to tear her eyes out. She notices you staring and gives you a look of complete contempt and hatred.
Instinctively you reach for your knife... she reaches for hers... this might not end well for either of you but you are simply too angry to stop now.
How dare she! How dare she come between you and...
and...
and a man you have known less than ten minutes?
Thaïs is your closest and dearest friend, Ceannard you hardly know. Yet you feel an almost overwhelming desire to attack her in 'defence' of your 'relationship' with him.
It is clear what is going on here.
Without the dwarf to play with he is toying with you instead. Thankfully you are made of stronger stuff even if his 'magics', whatever they may be, are very subtle.
You turn from her, though you keep her in your peripheral vision. If she is being influenced as well, and it is not all in your mind, she might still attack.
You smile sweetly at Ceannard.
He smiles back.
You wait until his drink is almost to his face.
Then you set it on fire.
Just to make a point.
He drops the drink and leaps out of his seat, stomping out the flames.
Immediately any 'feelings' you felt for this man disappear. You cast a quick glance at Thaïs, she shakes her head and frowns at the man. She catches you looking and smiles at you mouthing the words 'thank you'.
When he looks back up at you he is not smiling, "You could have killed me!"
You give him a slight smile, patterned on the exact grin he has been sporting all night, "Next time I will."
His grin reappears, "Well my employer spoke highly of you... I suppose he was right," he shrugs and stalks off to the bar, "At this point I may as well take the whole bottle. Not like Ullr is going to need it when you are done with him."
Gracefully he hops up on the bar and tips the bottle towards the unconscious dwarf, "He was a long time customer. Bit of a temper but he always paid on time and he was easy to influence... at times I could get him to pay triple the normal rate for a contract."
Thaïs, clearly still annoyed at the man, speaks up, "So you tried to help him out of a sense of loyalty?"
He shrugs, "No, I did it to see if I could. If you could not resist a little mind control you would hardly be worth my time. Congratulations, you both passed. Most people would have attacked immediately," he bows his head slightly, "My apologies to you both. It is not a test I like to administer but one I felt was necessary given the sort of job we are discussing."
"Well, congratulations to you as well," you cross you arms, "You have just lost a potential customer."
He tilts his head slightly, "Well there are always more opportunities. However it might be wise to hear me out."
You ignore the man, "Bari, can we throw Ullr in a sack or something?"
The Pathfinder snaps his fingers, "I know just the ploy to get him out of here. One second, I will be right back," he rushes to the door but stops before turning the handle, "You two will be fine till I get back?"
You both nod, Thaïs answers, "Yes Bari, we will be fine now. Just hurry back."
Ceannard does not seem too put off by your attempts to ignore him, in fact he continues speaking as if you were giving him your full attention. The man is confident if nothing else, "The individual whose presence I require is not your inventor friend. Frankly I do not care what happens to her now. No, I wish to meet another friend of yours... blonde... beautiful... about, oh, a head tall..."
The two of you give him your full attention after that, "What do you know about her?" you are suddenly keenly aware of Nine's presence. Nestled in the bottom of your pack sleeping her eternity away like usual.
He takes a swig from his bottle, "Well I don't know much about her at all. But my current employer has given me a brief description and he would very much like to meet her. So that is my price. If you want my expert help in slipping out of here then you will give her to me. Otherwise you are on your own."
Thaïs takes a couple hesitant steps towards the man, "Did your employer say she had to come alone? Can we go with her?"
He lifts his gaze to the roof in contemplation, "Clever. He did not actually say one way or the other. If you want to go with her I can see no reason to refuse your request," when he once more lowers his gaze it is directed at you, "Those are the terms then. I can get you out of here easily but in exchange you will either hand over your friend within two days or you may accompany her to see my employer. Should you break the terms of this contract you will have made an enemy of the Black Arrows and my employer... that is not something you want, trust me."
Bari slips back into the room and sets about stuffing Ullr into a large sack. When he finishes he joins the two of you, dragging Ullr in his sack behind him, "So ready to go Derryth? I figure we can steal a few servants' uniforms and sneak out through the back door with the 'dirty laundry'," he gives the bag a kick and chuckles to himself, "a classic ploy, works every time, well almost every time..." he trails off when he notices Ceannard gazing intently at you, "Something going on?"
The Pathfinder and the mercenary each stare at you waiting for an answer as Otto groans and slowly sits up.
A) You accept the deal and agree to give him Nine within two days.
B) You accept the deal and agree to go with Nine within two days. List who you want to take with you if you choose this option. The dwarves will be busy setting up the trial and the 'witnesses' so it will just be you, Thaïs, and the girls to choose from.
C) You accept the deal but intend to betray them.
D) Refuse the deal and simply leave, you want nothing to do with the Arrows or their current employer.
E) Refuse the deal and attack the Black Arrows, you do not trust them not to interfere. You will aim to incapacitate them and tie them up.
F) Refuse the deal and attack the Black Arrows, you do not trust them not to interfere. You will kill them if you can.
G) freeform