[EOE] (143) 3.8. A Bold Plan

“So let me get this straight. You’re afraid this town of horrifying criminals might be too dangerous to even consider talking to Spur about… And your solution… Is to go walk right on in and take a look?” Scule asked, looking at Vin like he was crazy. “You know, I always thought you were just a really unlucky guy with how many bad situations you found yourself in, but I’m starting to think you might actually just have a death wish.”

“Scule’s right Vin, this is more than a little reckless,” Shia admitted. Not even stroking the happily snoozing Reginald in her hands was enough to wipe the frown from her face. “It’s one thing to stumble upon a dangerous fragment by accident, but to know it’s filled with hundreds of people that have done things bad enough to land them in such a prison and walk in anyway? I think you should reconsider.”

Sighing, Vin ran a hand though his neatly trimmed hair, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. After receiving Golrim’s shocking request, Vin had tried to go back to sleep and wait until morning before discussing with his friends, but he’d quickly found that impossible. Thankfully, Scule and Shia’s own buildings were close enough to his that getting them all together only took a minute or two. Unfortunately, because of her inability to sleep, Alka spent most of her night guarding the perimeter or training outside of camp, meaning he’d have to fill her in later.

“Assuming Golrim’s been telling the truth about all this, I have to check it out at the very least,” Vin said. “Think about it. A town filled with hundreds of prestiged classes, most of them no doubt on the more nefarious side. They’ve already attacked camp once, meaning we know with certainty they’re a threat. Someone has to take a look and see just what we’re dealing with.”

“So send Theodore,” Scule argued, waiving a hand dismissively. “The guy’s a Spy, he’s literally built for missions like this.”

“Theodore doesn’t even have his first Capstone yet,” Vin pointed out, shaking his head. “Things like this are definitely what I think he’ll be perfect for down the line, but I’m not about to toss someone with a level still in the single digits into a town consisting entirely of dangerous criminals. It’d be a feeding frenzy.”

“Not to mention all these people no doubt know one another,” Shia pointed out, rubbing Reginald’s head and eliciting a happy squeak-snore from the rat. “They spent years together in that prison, and their new town isn’t exactly all that large. Trying to blend in among them probably won’t work.”

“Okay, pray tell exactly what is the plan then?” Scule asked, throwing up his hands in exasperation. “Are you literally planning to walk into town, find the biggest guy there, and ask him just how dangerous he really is? Because if you are, I can save you some time and tell you exactly how that conversation is going to play out right now.”

“Golrim said the majority of the prisoners want to turn over a new leaf,” Vin argued. “They see Edregon as a second chance at life and don’t want it to turn out like their last one did. Supposedly, it’s only a small group that are instigating most of the trouble, and the rest are just replying in kind because they know if they back down and take it that’ll be the end of them.”

“An entire town that follows prison rules…” Scule shuddered. “So what, go in there and kill off the group of troublemakers? I still struggle to see the plan.”

“This initial trip is just to get the lay of the land and see if it’s even worth trying to convince Spur to let them join camp. Maybe float the potential idea past some of the villagers and see if they’d even be willing to go along with such an idea in the first place. Then, if by some miracle Spur agrees, I’ll head back and gather up those that want to come. The smaller group of instigators shouldn’t risk attacking or anything so long as I have an even larger group that wants to join us. Golrim said they ended up putting down all the prisoners that had lost their minds, meaning those that remain should still understand when a fight is hopeless.”

Silence stretched across the tiny room as everyone digested Vin’s plan. Up until now, even Vin hadn’t really been a hundred percent sure exactly what it was he was intending to do. He knew this was dangerous, but so was basically everything else he ever did.

After a few seconds, Shia sighed. “I think Vin might be right,” she said hesitantly. “At the very least, we need to know what these people are capable of. They’ve already attacked the Earthers’ camp once, and they’re located even closer to the Sacred Forest. I don’t like having such an unknown threat so close to home.”

“Fair. But what if Golrim is lying? What if none of this demoncrap is true?” Scule pointed out. “Don’t ask me why, but Kym did warn us the guy was a schemer. What if he just needs to get you away from camp for some reason?”

“The thought occurred to me as well,” Vin nodded. “That’s why I’m planning on asking Alka to stay behind and keep watch. She’s the perfect person to keep an eye on things while we’re gone, and I doubt Golrim will risk trying anything with a practically unstoppable killing machine walking around. Until we can find our own source of lie detecting magic, it’s the best we can do.”

“Eh, you have to take even that stuff with a grain of salt,” Scule said, clicking his tongue. “Plenty of abilities that can help you get around stuff like that. You should never rely on artifacts like that alone.”

“Really?” Vin asked, raising his eyebrows. “Huh. Good to know.”

“You’re welcome,” Scule drawled. Dragging his hands down his face, he groaned. “Welp. I can tell by now when you’re beyond reason. I suppose I might as well grab at least a few more hours of sleep before you drag us into yet another deadly situation.”

“You don’t have to come with,” Vin said. “I can run this one solo if needed.”

“The entire reason you’re going is because these guys are dangerous. Don’t be an idiot,” Scule said, rolling his eyes. “Obviously we’re coming with you. Right Shia?”

“I have a feeling you might need a cast of Neutralize Poison or two,” she grinned, carefully standing up as to not disturb Reginald’s slumber. “Don’t worry Vin, if nothing else, the three of us are quick enough to beat a hasty retreat if needed. We’d better go together.”

“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it,” he said, returning Shia’s smile and trying not to chuckle at the grumbling petian. “In that case, Scule’s right. Let’s try and grab at least a few more hours of rest.”

“We’ll head out first thing in the morning.”

-----

To Vin’s surprise, Alka had agreed to his plan almost immediately when he’d asked her to stay behind and keep an eye on things. Apparently, she’d taken on a small handful of Earthers and were training them from the ground up with the hopes of somehow transferring her Slayer class onto them when they prestiged. She’d had her pick of volunteers after the Earthers had seen her in action, and even after only a few days her recruits were starting to look like quite the fearsome fighters.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on scarface,” she’d reassured him, the small green balls of light making up her eyes flaring behind her helm. “If he tries anything, he’ll be dead before he knows it.”

The issue of Golrim taken care of for the moment, Vin quickly informed Myers they were heading out for a few hours before setting off with Shia, Scule, and Reginald after a light breakfast of some sort of oat that must have been brought in with the third wave of Earthers. With Reginald tucked away in his front pocket and Scule on his shoulder, the four of them slipped out of camp yet again and began making their way southwest.

“Ahh, on the road again,” Scule sighed, enjoying the wind in his face as they ran. “As much as I wish we weren’t running toward a den of criminals, I think I’ve grown used to being on the move so much. Staying in one place for more than a few days just feels weird now.”

“Welcome to my life,” Vin chuckled, using his Mental Map to navigate as they ran.

Blossom had switched over to cat form, and Shia rode atop the wooden construct with ease, keeping pace with him as they travelled. From their experience in the death fragment, Vin knew the elf was nowhere near fast enough to keep up without her staff, so he was grateful to see Blossom out in full stride today. Despite the fact that the cat seemed to truly be an unthinking construct, Vin had bonded with it a little during his time within the insect dungeon. Nothing forged a connection quite like nearly dying with one another after all. As for the other companion that had nearly died inside that dungeon with him…

Vin snorted as he heard a small, high pitched yawn come from his chest. He felt Reginald turn over in his pocket, struggling to get comfortable before going back to sleep.

At least one of us isn’t worried about what lies ahead.

It didn’t take them long to reach the end of the Earthers’ fragment. With their speed and high focus, they were easily able to spot any monster long before it spotted them, and even the few that did notice them couldn’t run fast enough to catch up with them.

The one or two that did manage to surprise them were quickly dispatched with either a well-placed Stone Shot or a jagged branch piercing straight through their flesh.

Not wanting to leave camp undefended for any longer than needed with so many unknowns up in the air, Vin elected to head through the desert fragment rather than the Sacred Forest. As much as he loved the forest, the trees were simply too densely packed to allow for quick travel, and the vegetation was a serious tripping hazard.

“You sure you don’t want to swing by and visit?” Vin asked as they slipped into the desert fragment and were slapped in the face with hot, dry air as the temperature rose nearly fifty degrees in an instant. “You could always catch up with us later!”

“I actually checked in when I helped the Earthers drop off all the monster corpses,” Shia said, smiling at the memory. “You should have seen the look on Smohl’s face when he realized how much I’d advanced in such a short time! I also filled Erik in on finally getting in touch with my master. After explaining what to look for, Erik said he thinks he even knows where the dungeon entrance is within the Sacred Forest. It will be nice getting a chance to chat with my master technically within the Sacred Forest once more!”

“I bet,” Vin chuckled, remembering the curious and slightly snippy high level Druid that had saved him from certain death. He was glad Shia had found her master after weeks of searching, and he hoped they’d be able to be truly reunited one day.

Making their way through the desert, Vin’s waterskin traded hands as everyone worked to keep hydrated and fend off the dry heat. The desert wasn’t actually quite as hot as it had been within the center of the dwarves’ Crater, but the lack of all moisture and feeling the large sun beating down on them was still less than pleasant. 

Just to give themselves something to look at other than miles of pinkish sand, they hugged the border of the Sacred Forest as they ran. Vin even spotted a few more of those adorable looking lemurs lounging around on the thicker branches, and he grinned at the memory of scaring the hell out of one by accident the first time he’d entered the Sacred Forest.

“Head’s up, we’re nearing the border,” Scule warned, shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand and squinting ahead of them. “Uh, not to be alarmist or anything…”

“But does anyone else see that severed head?”