They set out under the cover of nighttime. He moved to stay in that massive shadow. His dark armor helped him to blend in nicely. Basi slunk along next to him as he crept forward. He still paused every hundred or so paces to flare his Qi. ‘So far so good.’ He knew Ishan was beside him thanks to his Qi, but otherwise he had no clues to the man’s presence. When they reached the base of the tree he made sure they were alone and whispered, “I’m going to go up this tree. I want you to scope things out in one of the others. Try and find someone who seems important and eavesdrop for a bit.” A hand pressed down on his shoulder and his heart skipped a beat before he realized it was Ishan signaling his agreement.
Saul moved as quietly as he possibly could. He reached the lowest branch without incident and looked up. ‘How am I going to… Oh.’ On the side of the tree he saw fungi. Large, exceptionally sturdy-looking fungi. Like handholds. They were close enough together that he realized he could climb using them. “Looks like you have to sit this one ou…” He stopped talking when he saw Basi walk up to the tree and begin to climb it, his fearsome claws gripping the bark easily. Satisfaction and amusement flashed across the bond. “Ok, let’s go boy.” Saul began to climb. He tried to be quiet about it. His heart was pounding in his chest so loudly that he was sure the guards would know he was there from that noise alone.
He made it to the first branch without incident. In the moonlight, the slight movement of bridges that extended between branches was just visible. They swayed gently in the breeze. He flared his Qi again and felt a presence on this branch with him. They seemed to be further out on the branch, though. Looking in their direction he could just barely make out an elf guard. The guard seemed distracted somehow, moving his hands in a way that suggested he was talking to himself. ‘Lucky break.’
Saul crept along the branch as carefully as he could manage, Basi kept close behind him. He was sneaking past one of the houses on the branch when a door opened just before him. He pressed himself flush against the wall as light suddenly illuminated the great trunk of the tree. Darkness blocked some of the light causing a shadow to appear on the doorway in the shape of an elf. A deep voice said, “It shouldn’t be a problem! No, nothing to worry about. Yes, yes, I appreciate your concern. Really, Marian, I’ll be fine.” A pause. “No, you keep it! Really.” Another. Saul flared his Qi. Nobody else was around but this man and whoever he was talking to. “I shouldn’t linger, Marian! I really appreciate it though.” His shadow grew smaller. To his left, Saul could see the faintest outline of the man as he looked back into the house. Saul’s muscles stretched tight. He found himself standing on the balls of his feet. Fists clenched tightly. ‘Just go back inside!’ The elf laughed. “Marian, really, I must be… Oh, alright, if you insist. I’ll share some firewyne.” The shadow grew larger. A thud sounded. The door was closed. Saul let out a deep breath as tension faded from his body.
He moved forward once more. He crossed the bridge without incident. A quick Qi cloud let him know this branch was blessedly unoccupied. He moved along from branch to branch. He had just crossed one bridge when he heard a shout, “Hey! You! What are you doing here?” In the darkness he could just see an elf with a large spear in his hand. He seemed to be looking in Saul’s direction.
Sucking in a deep breath, Saul’s spear dropped into his hands. The tip gleamed softly as it caught the moonlight. He sank into his stance, going onto the balls of his feet. Tense.
The elf began to approach. ‘I don’t want any trouble… Just go away.’ He thought. “Hey, I’m talking to you!” The elf called. Saul parted his lips and drew in a breath to respond when he heard, “Shove off, Linlan! I’ll go where I please.” The speaker was an elf he hadn’t seen. He was leaning against the wall of a building between him and the guard. The guard didn’t seem to like that, “I told you, Ico, you can’t be lurking like that! We’re supposed to be on the lookout because of all the trouble with Efnelion. Anyways, shouldn’t you be on patrol?”
The elf against the wall took a swig of something in a flask, “I guess I should be, but… Well, I didn’t feel like it. Much better to drink and take in some beautiful sights, don’t you think?” The two of them began to argue. Saul took that as his opportunity. He dismissed his spear and crept onward. He continued moving up until he was about halfway up the tree. He glanced upwards ‘I don’t see too many more residential branches… I must be near the top. If it’s anything like Earth, the rich and powerful elves live near here.’
A Qi cloud revealed there were more guards here than on other levels. He crept quickly to the closest building. From his Qi scan, he could tell that the buildings were gathered pretty closely together. ‘There aren’t any guards up top…’ He crouched low and jumped for the roof of the building. He just barely missed it. His boots of silence muffled the noise from his failed attempt. He crouched again and this time circulated Qi into his legs, infusing them with additional power. When he jumped again he was able to easily grasp the roof of the building. He pulled himself up quietly. ‘Come on, Basi.’ He sent through their bond.
He set out across the rooftops, quiet as a mouse. Below he could catch snippets of guards conversations as he jumped from one rooftop to another. “Another battle,” “Dangero-” “Killed all of the-” Far out from the trunk, there was one building that stood taller than the others. It was too far for him to jump to, but it seemed as though important people lived there. Saul could feel the presence of several guards around it, patrolling. He flared his Qi and ensured there were no guards near him then dropped back down to the branch. Staying as low as he possibly could, he crept up to that building. Footsteps alerted him to a coming patrol. He pressed flush against the wall, his dark clothing blending in with the earth tones of the building. The patrol was just visible out of the corner of his eye. ‘Please, please…’ His heart pounded in his ears. “Hey, Taslu!” The guard that was about to see him looked up with a start. “Taslu, come over here! Look what Loeil bought!” The guard turned and walked away.
Saul let out another deep breath. ‘This tension is going to give me a heart attack.’ He crept quietly beneath a balcony. There was light shining from within the building there. He jumped up and climbed onto the balcony. Words drifted past his ears. He leaned against the wall and strained to catch them, “Efnelion…” “Yes, but…. The humans…” “Killing them…” He couldn’t make out enough to be useful. He took a chance and peered around the corner as much as he dared. Two plush armchairs occupied the room, located a comfortable distance away from a roaring fire. In the corner there was a large wooden desk. A Qi cloud confirmed that there was nobody in the room except for those talking in the chairs.
‘Magic boots, don’t fail me now.’ He crept into the room and crouched under the desk. From there, he could hear the conversation clearly.
“The people of Efnelion have gone mad. They’re murdering our patrols.” A few moments of silence, “Yes, I think this all started a few months ago. They’ve been responsible for a great number of disappearances between the gate and their town, too.” Another pause. “Well, it all started when those humans arrived at Efnelion and managed to get in good with Aerac. He’s gone mad. I don’t want to risk a full-on war with them.”
Their conversation continued in this vein for several minutes. Long enough for him to make a call. ‘Sounds like I had things backward.’ Saul moved away from his hiding place. He stood behind the two chairs. One of the elves said to the other, “I’m not sure what we can do at this point to fix things.”
Saul cleared his throat and spoke, “I think I may have a solution for you.”
