The group threads through service alleys toward the south countinghouse, with Guard Two bound at the wrists and watched by Steven and Garrick. Rain darkens the cobbles, while Merrin, Joe, Edrin, and BonerFart keep close behind.
Guard Two
The archive entrance is ahead. Veyr will have heard the alarm by now, but the inner vault has only one keyway.
The countinghouse door hangs ajar. Inside, record chests stand open beneath guttering lamps, their papers scattered as though hands searched in haste. A silver thread clings to a splintered drawer.
Merrin
Fresh. Whoever opened this drawer left quickly, and left something worth fearing behind.
Footsteps rush deeper within. Several clerks flee across the archive, clutching bundles of ledgers, while a heavy inner door booms shut beyond them. Edrin points toward the sound.
Edrin Vale
They are running for the vault. The route maps and Barack’s correspondence will be behind that lock.
From somewhere beyond the sealed door, a man curses and metal scrapes against stone. Guard Two lowers his gaze, recognizing the voice before anyone asks.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a reliable route to Barack