Shapeless Hero

20 - Play Dead

Karl recalls his moment of weakness repeatedly. His blunder led to Alya's poor state. He should have left it to August. Both moons would have to crash into the planet before he would panic even a little bit.

But out of fear, Karl acted anyway. Yes, it was supposed to be a simple Sleep spell, but "simple" can be difficult, when you want to be quick. And Karl is not good at "quick". So in his hasted attempt to stop Alya from further connecting the dots, he made a mistake and the spell did... something else. Alya's expression from when she turned into stone has burned itself into Karl's memory. He might lose his academic title, if any of his peers were to find out about it.

That made things complicated. But you know what? Karl is good at "complicated". After all, he crafted the arcane circles that protect the Imperial headquarters, so why would reversing a petrification spell be a problem? Exactly. It isn't. He can make it up to everyone. As long as Alya's mana circuits are still active, he can fix this. He will fix this. No sweeping it under the rug this time. Fix Alya, get back to observing Fylka—that's the plan.

Karl starts casting a spell while everyone is still at the parked cart. He establishes a telepathic channel and invites the group to join it. This will be a conversation nobody else should overhear.

"What's up, buddy?",  August starts through the mind-link. Fylka and the commander join right after.

"I might have a plan.", Karl begins. "I can modify a Restoration chant to specifically revert Alya's current condition. It will take time though. Time, you would have to buy for me."

"That's better than nothing. Explain.", the commander urges on. 

Karl is glad, they haven't lost faith in him...yet. "I need to prepare some magic circles in a safe area with various materials. Thankfully, Ryelope is a great place to procure the needed substances. And a locked room in the guild should be enough as a place. The ritual will take about three days barring any interruptions."

"What do we tell the people who know Alya?", Fylka asks. "Danil might try to check in on her over the next few days."

"That's where you come into play. We need to make everyone believe, that Alya is just resting for a couple of days. So Fylka... can I ask you take on her identity for the time being?"

"I could do that, yeah, but I'm not sure, I can act like her.", Fylka responds.

"You only have to look like her. Just pretend you're asleep, while we bring you into one of the guest rooms. That should be enough for everyone to make up their own stories about the situation. And if somebody wants to see Alya that badly, you can pretend to be a heavy sleeper to avoid interactions."

Fylka nods. "Okay, that sounds like something I can manage."

"I'll step in, if a visitor gets too inquisitive.", the commander adds. "We should also delay Fylka's employment at the guild. If you want to stay in bed as Alya, you can't be hindered by a job at the counter."

August rubs the bottom of his beak. "So we carry fake Alya into the guild, put her with less fake Fylka into a room, and the rest of us gets the stuff for the spell-thing. And whenever somebody wants to see Alya, Fylka pretends to be her... Alright, I'm down."

"Do I have to be Alya for the whole three days then?", Fylka asks.

Karl chuckles. "Oh, I don't think so. Once you're alone in the room, you can use one of the windows to drop down and re-enter the building as yourself. August or I can tell you, once it's safe to leave."

"Sweet. I'm in.", says Fylka.

The group trades nods and Karl closes the telepathic connection. 

Having double-checked everything, the commander finally enters the guild hall through the heavy doors with Fylka—now disguised as Alya—in a princess carry.

The main hall is three storeys high, allowing for five wooden chandeliers to hang down and light up the eatery on the ground floor. Dozens of wooden tables with benches welcome visitors to sit and rest. The chips and dents in the wood tell stories of the regular fights that must happen here. Most adventurers are out on their quests on this afternoon, while the ones still present just tend to their gear, eat, drink and talk. A couple of stairs to the sides of the big hall lead up to the guild's lodgings.

As the door shuts close behind the commander, the few adventurers idling around in the main hall turn their heads towards the newcomers. Thankfully, nothing more than some short glances and maybe a raised eyebrow are the reaction to the pair, before everyone returns to their down-time activities. You don't want to get in they way of somebody as well-equipped as her. The commander continues towards the bar counter at the other end of the guild hall.

Unlike a normal bar, the shelves behind the counter not only hold bottles and mugs, but also books, artifacts and scrolls—all safely separated, of course. A door next to the shelves leads to the kitchen and storage in the back of the building. Two people tend to the bar at the moment: A rather young looking elf with his black pony tail is in the middle of some paperwork, while his colleague, a stout lizard-kin, leans on the counter with both her elbows, occasionally taking sips from a wooden cup. Her dark, brown scales contrast with the blue uniforms, both guild workers wear.

As the commander approaches, the lizard-kin places her mug down. She eyes the commander and the fake Alya, before greeting them in a deep, calm voice. "Don't drop the wizard on the counter, please. We just cleaned it." She crosses her arms and puts on a professional smile. "Other than that, welcome to the Ryelope branch of the Adventurers guild! My name's Kella."

The commander nods. "Thank you, Kella. She doesn't bleed, so don't worry about a mess at the bar. She still needs a place to rest though. Do you have a room or two?"

"We sure have. Should I call for a healer to take care of the lil' lady?"

The commander shakes her head. "No need, thank you."

Kella chuckles. "Suit yourself, just one less chore for me. Going by your armor, money shouldn't be a problem either, right? Two silver per head for a night."

"Right. Just a moment..." The commander puts down the supposedly sleeping Alya on a nearby bench. Her hands now free, she drops a few of coins on the counter, taken out of a hidden compartment on her armor. "Two rooms for two people each. That should be enough for one week, right?", the commander adds.

Kella raises her eyebrows and whistles. "Yeah, that's plenty. The first meal of each day is on the house, if that's your payment."

The commander smiles. "That's very kind of you, thank you."

"Alright, let's get you to your rooms then." The lizard-kin rummages behind the bar for a few moments, until she drops two keys next to the coins. "There ya go. Rev will show you the way." With a quick swipe of her hand, the money on the counter disappears.

Kella startles the elven boy behind the counter with a whip of her tail. He promptly lays down all writing utensils. "Y-yes?", he stammers, still trying to read the situation.

Kella points at the commander with her thumb. "Would you kindly escort her and the wizard on the bench over there to their rooms?"

Rev's timid nature is amplified, when confronted with the commander's presence. It doesn't help that he's three heads smaller. He gulps, then bows slightly. "Hello, my name is Rev, as you already heard. P-pleased to meet—"

Another whip of Kella's tail. She clicks her tongue. "That's exactly why the bloaks tease you, boy. Just get them to their rooms, will you?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Rev salutes with eyes shut, as if bracing himself for another whip.