» Tue May 17, 2011 1:05 am
D. Foxy has graciously agreed to co-write this chapter, employing his character Damien "Foxy" Reynard to assist Maxical. D.Foxy has written all the parts for Damien Reynard and his agent Sneakers. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have writing it.
Chapter 24: The Mission
I was eager for our lessons to begin and was waiting by Foxy's desk for him to appear. It was not like him to not be here before I arrived. Then suddenly Foxy appeared before me as if by magic! He had been there all the time, observing me!
"How did you do that?" I asked, intrigued. "What magic is this?"
Foxy thrust something I could not see into my hands, I could feel it's weight though.
"This is a special enchanted outfit which will help you slip in and out of places in broad daylight and none will see your movements. The enchantments on the robe, shoes, and jewelry combined will give you 100% chameleon, so you cannot be seen."
"Do you mean like my spell of invisibility?" I asked.
"No. Your spell is only good should you never touch anything, or cast another spell. This armor will give you the ability to pick locks without your invisibility being lost. You will blend into your environment like a chameleon. And now I will tell you about your mission."
Foxy glided up till he stood directly in front of me, and for the thousandth time I marveled that his movements made no sound. I am sure he wanted to be in good view of my facial expressions as he described my mission.
"The mission which you already accepted is to rescue an operative of mine from the Imperial Prison."
I stared, dumfounded. Foxy reached over with both hands, and gently but firmly closed my gaping mouth.
"But, but, you have trained me only in the streets and sewers, I have no training against guards and the security that would be found in a prison! Can I not just pick someone's pocket or break into a home instead?"
Foxy ignored me and continued. "And now, pay attention. Normally I would ask an operative of mine to draw up a mission plan at once, which I would go over the next day. However, in your case I fear I must draw up the plan myself, since to allow you to draw up the plan would be as bad as your standard operating procedure, which is to charge in with no plan at all."
I huffed up a bit, but didn't deny it. Planning has not been my forte as yet.
"And the plan is..." Foxy began.
Foxy gave me his plan in explicit detail. I wished I could write it down, but Foxy was a stickler for nothing in writing that could fall into the wrong hands, and that my memory should be my biggest asset.
Well, whomever said beggars know things first was right. The beggar who told me about the spy in the Emperor's Palace was telling the truth! It was Foxy's operative. It seems Foxy had fallen on some information that the Emperor had been unwell of late. He sent his tentacle in that direction to determine the truth. Foxy is that curious always. He must always be learning and knowing something.
"Have you been listening to me?" Foxy asked, obviously aware that my mind had wandered.
My face infused with redness, I could not let him know I had not listened as he detailed his plan!
"Yes Foxy, I have heard all." I lied.
His eyes looked amused at that, could he have known I was not truthful with him?
"Good, then there will be no need for me to repeat the codename you must remember?" Foxy asked, tilting one eyebrow up. Almost a challenge, or bait to see if I would stand by my lie.
"Yes, that is, no need unless you care to, just to drill it into my brain, so to speak."
"No, as you say, you heard all." Foxy turned away. Were his shoulders shaking?
I had an urge to admit I had lost my train of thought and not heard a word, but did not want to appear inept.
This mission had not the same feel as the two of us going out together picking locks and pockets, I was to act alone, and had no practice at breaking into a prison and releasing prisoners. I was very frightened going into this mission, especially since I did not listen to the plan, nor hear the codename. I would have to bluff it, just remembering all Foxy had taught me.
***
I was mentally checking off everything I would need to bring on the mission as I dressed in the outfit Foxy had provided.
My gear consisted of a loose robe of the lightest material that it would not weigh me down. Foxy said I may forget and stomp around like an ogre if I carried any weight. Inside the robe were large pockets, he did not want me toting my heavy pack along as it may make too much noise. I had a light pair of shoes with gold trim, an amulet, and a ring; each enchanted with chameleon.
It being my first mission I think Foxy was worried I may mess it up, so he wanted me invisible. He also gave me a special sheath that strapped to my thigh to hold a dagger, the only weapon I would be able to carry since a sword may be too noisy.
"Check," I said aloud.
I loaded the special light armor for the agent into the pockets of my robe, "check." Heal Other scrolls (since my restoration was not good enough to heal the agent should a fight break out); "check."
All I lacked now was something to use as a distraction if needed. The mouse had worked well for me in my training, so I popped in to Foxy's lab to get a mouse. There were numerous cages filled with mice in there, and many empty cages as well. The man must have a lot of things he needed distractions from!
Foxy had told me I would have to pass two guards at the gates, one in the lobby, possibly several walking about the grounds. He said if I delayed too long and exited during a shift change that there could be as many as 30 guards at one time that I must pass, so not to delay, but be prepared in the event.
I tried to add up how many guards I would need a mouse for, but my head has never grasped calculations well, so I just emptied out all the cages into my pockets. Better safe than sorry.
***
Using Foxy's training I walked lightly, making no sounds. I loved the chameleon outfit, I did not have to continually cast and wear down my magicka to stay invisible.
"Magicka! Oh no, I forgot to line up my spells!" I groaned.
A citizen passing by me jumped at my groan, looked around wildly, and then ran.
"Oh no, I am not prepared right, I must do what Foxy said and THINK." I whispered, none too quietly.
Ducking into an alcove with a bush I sat down and readied my spells and gathered my wits. "Okay, no talking, be quiet, keep my mouth shut, don't even let my mouth open for any reason?" I was counting on my fingers and reciting what Foxy had lectured me on when I realized I was reciting them aloud.
Standing up I noticed one of the mice had escaped while I sat. I tried to capture it, but it ran away from me, me being a cat I guess. It ran under the feet of a woman who set up a huge scream, flapping her dress up and down and dancing around on the tips of her toes. The two guards posted at the gate into the prison began slapping their thighs and pointing at the woman, laughing uproariously at her.
Well, it was unlikely I would get a distraction better than that! I scurried up the steps to the gate.
Suddenly a sound like Foxy makes when suppressing a laugh, (which I have heard often enough), came to my ears. I spun around and looked, listening, but there was nothing. It must have been my nerves.
I hurried through the gates sliding past the guards who were laughing at the woman, one wiping tears from his eyes and the other nearly seated on the ground. He would be lucky if he left no puddle he was laughing so hard.
On the other side of the gate were two new guards, these were unable to see the woman in her dance of fear and be distracted, I would need to be very cautious.
Crouching down low into a sneak position, I began to creep by them. My knees were bumping the pockets, so almost every step produced a mouse on the ground. Foxy had not told me what to do if this happened. I thought it best to stand so I would not lose all my 'distractions' before finding the agent.
"Why don't you fall down and bleed to death!" I heard shouted behind me, along with the sound of a blade leaving it's sheath! I spun around to find the guards behind me drawing their swords and chasing the mice I had dropped.
I hurried into the rotunda. A guard sat at a desk in the middle of the room eating his lunch. I was afraid to crouch down again, lest I lose more mice. Reaching in my pocket I grabbed one mouse and pulled it into my cuff so it would be covered by the chameleon robe sleeves. I eyed the guard as I made my way to the door that led to the dungeon and ended up stubbing my toe on a place in the floor where the tiles changed to stones. The guard at the desk stood up instantly. I threw the mouse and it landed on his plate of food.
He drew his sword shouting, "For the Empire!" and began chasing the tiny mouse around on his desk top, the mouse darting away each time his sword crashed onto the desk.
Papers and food flew with each pounding of his sword, but the mouse managed to escape to the floor. The guard stumbled over his chair trying to reach the mouse, then whacked his knee against the desk.
I ran down the steps and picked the lock into the dungeons. The door creaked on opening and I froze, but the guard did not seem to notice. I crept into the darkness below.
Now all I had to do was find Foxy's agent. I wish I had not been wool gathering when he gave me that code name, now I would have to inquire in each cell if they were an agent!
"If Foxy was here he would rap me on the head" I whispered.
Even as the words left my lips something light bounced off my head, causing me to let out a shriek! Casting my night eye I looked around, there was nothing. On the ground I found a pebble
"This place is falling down around me! I will be lucky to get out of here with my fur still attached to my skin!" I muttered under my breath.
I caught my breath and tried to calm down.
Tiptoeing along and peering into the cells I finally found one occupied.
"Are you the agent that works for Foxy?" I asked him.
He turned around, trying to see where the voice had come from. It was Claudius Arcadia! I picked the lock and entered his cell.
"Oh Claudius, you cannot see me, but I want you to know I killed Rufio for you, for your daughter. Your prayers were heard.
"Oh thank you Night Mother!" Claudius said.
"No, I'm not the night mother." I said, but an idea had occurred to me. Taking off one item at a time I used my scrolls to duplicate my chameleon outfit. "Put these on!"
Claudius pulled all on but the shoes, which were much too small. "Oh, just jam your foot in there, you can be comfortable when you are safely out of here!" I commanded him.
"Oh, and here, take this mouse. Should anyone hear you sneaking out, throw it at them!" Claudius eyed the rodent with disgust. He had slept with enough of the darn things in this cell as it was. But he took the mouse and began tottering down the corridor.
"Sneak, Claudius!" I hissed.
The next cell contained a man who denied being the agent of Foxy. I peeped into the next cell and got the shock of my life! It was Owyn!
"Owyn!" I cried out, picking the lock. Owyn was looking around for where the voice had come from when I got in. I ran to him and hugged him. "It's me, Maxical! What are you doing in here?"
"I'm hearing, things I am! Owyn said, moving away from me. "And feeling them too."
I pulled off my ring. "Owyn, it's me!"
Owyn saw a watery shape coming towards him, the ghost of the girl he was accused of murdering. His fists came up. "Stand back, I'll send you back where you came from!" he shouted.
"Ssshhh!" I said, none too quietly. He would have the guards on us if he continued! I kicked off my shoes and stripped my robe off, standing in front of him in my bra and panties. "It's me, Maxical!"
Owyn's eyes popped. "They said you were murdered, I am in here for killing you!"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Don't you ever read the papers? You disappeared after the fight and left your winnings. That guy in the next cell and I were arrested! They said I killed you to get your winnings! That guy in the next cell was some guard who saw you; they say he is my accomplice." Owyn said, then added loudly, "And put some clothes on!"
"Oh dear, oh Owyn, I didn't know, I am so sorry. I've got to get you out of here, just give me a minute." I pulled out my scrolls and copied my outfit twice this time and then started bringing one to the guard in the next cell.
Owyn grabbed my arm, stopping me. "You put your clothes back on first!"
I did, and brought the other set to the guard. Neither could fit in the shoes, and Owyn was refusing to wear the robe.
"I'm not wearing a dress, you can forget it! And where the hell are all these mice coming from?"
"Owyn, I have one other outfit here, but it was meant for the agent. I will make him wear my robes then, you take this guard armor. But Foxy may be mad at me for that, it was not a part of his plan."
"Who is Foxy, what are you talking about?" Owyn demanded in his crankiest voice.
"I'll tell you all when we get out of here!" He could gripe all he wanted to, I saw (once he got over the shock of it all) that he was happy I still lived.
The guard that was arrested with Owyn was struggling with the shoes, his feet overly large. I pulled out my dagger and cut the front and back, tying them onto his feet. It had to be very uncomfortable.
"But we don't have to escape now, you are alive, we can just show you to them!" Owyn said.
"But I can't show myself to anybody till I get this agent out of this prison!" I said. "Owyn, please; let me get you out first and then I will come forward, but first I need to finish my mission!"
"Ok, now you must sneak, not walk. Here, each of you take a mouse." I commanded, drawing two mice out of my pocket.
"What the hell is this for?" Owyn asked, the guard looked like he was asking without saying it aloud.
"If a guard starts to hear you, throw the mouse at him!"
Owyn crouched down.
"Not you Owyn, you are in guard's armor! Act like a guard for heaven sake!" This mission was not going as planned, and the delays may put us leaving here during the exchange of guard! I was beginning to get nervous and edgy, snapping at everyone.
"Well if I am in guard armor acting like a guard, then why carry the mouse? A guard isn't going to walk around with a mouse!"
"Give me that mouse Owyn, and hush before you bring the guards down on us!" I snapped, grabbing the mouse from him.
"Why must you always demand logical answers all the time!" I fumed at him. I was beginning to feel the stress of all these complications arising.
"Now wait here!" I hissed.
"Oh, Foxy is going to kill me." I moaned.
I went down the corridor till I found another occupied cell. "Yoo-hoo," I whispered. "Hey, are you Foxy? I mean do you work for Foxy?"
"Weren't you given a codename?" He asked.
"Smart Aleck! Do you want to get out of here or not?" My nerves were frayed beyond bearing from all these complications arising.
"Yes, that's me! And my code name's Sneaker, which I see you've completely forgotten. Bleeding Hell, Boss must be scraping the bottom of the barrel these days..." He said with a disgruntled look.
Cocky little Bosmer, I thought, tempted to leave the rude little ingrate in his cell.
I picked the lock anyway. At least he donned the duplicate of my outfit without a word, his tiny feet fitting perfectly into the shoes. He readily took the mouse I provided him as well, stroking its neck to calm it and sliding it into his pocket with a well-practiced dexterity.
Oh, thank goodness someone else knows what the mouse is for, I thought; I was sick of explaining that to everyone.
Some Dunmer at the end began calling to us to get him out. "Here kitty, kitty. Come open my cell too."
He would bring the guards down on our heads if he didn't shut up. I threw a mouse at him. It landed on his face, and in it's fright began biting him. That was a bad move, for he immediately set up a scream.
"Get it off me, OW, kitty kitty, come OW get your mouse, OW, kitty kitty, get this mouse OW off me!"
I considered knocking him out, but we had delayed so much already I was sure it would be time for the shift change on the guards if we didn't hurry.
The Bosmer rolled his eyes. "I'll have me a fine tale to tell Boss when I get back."
"If Foxy ever sees fit to rid himself of you, I may volunteer for that mission, gratis!" I rounded on him, glaring.
Stopping in front of Owyn's cell I whispered in to him. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
When Owyn and the guard stepped out into the corridor I said, "Now follow me closely. If you lose me wait for me at the abandoned shack in the Waterfront district of the Imperial City. I will get you to a safe place till I finish my mission and then reveal I am alive to the world so you will not have to ever come back here!"
When we got to the top of the steps it was the changing of the shifts. Guards were everywhere. Not wanting to take the time to count the mice needed I just dumped my entire pockets full of mice, every single one of them.
The chaos was unbelievable, shouting, screaming, swords out everywhere; it is a wonder we weren't sliced to ribbons getting out, but we made it finally. Owyn walked easily past all in that guard armor.
***
Since we had all stayed together I decided it would be best to all go to the abandoned shack anyway. I didn't think it would be smart to march Owyn in that guard armor right through town since we had no more distracting mice.
My plan (cooked up on the spur of the moment), was to bring Owyn and the guard to Manheim and then speak to the Emperor on their behalf. Then I could run back there and release them, giving them the Emperor's pardon. We could all travel back to the Imperial City together, and I could pop in and debrief Foxy on the success of the mission.
The only flaw in the plan was what to do with the agent! Should I shove him in Foxy's door and run or make him hide out in the shack on the waterfront? I finally decided that since I was responsible for him, I could not leave him in the shack. I must turn him over to Foxy first, but Owyn and the guard could stay in the shack while I did that.
Hopefully when I got back from fixing things for Owyn, Foxy would be so relieved that the mission was a success that he wouldn't be too upset over the other prisoners escaping. Plus this would give him time to debrief his agent without me standing there, so technically I would be doing him a favor by not coming in with the agent.
Shoving Owyn and the guard into the abandoned shack was harder than I thought it would be, Owyn does not have a quiet voice, and he is in a guard's armor in the Waterfront district, not a welcome site in that neighborhood.
"Keep your voice down!" I hissed at Owyn as I pushed him in the door of the shack. Why the man must always want logical explanations for every movement I do not understand!
"I will bring some food back from the Tiber Septim and you can eat on the way to the safe place I am bringing you! You must be quiet though! I told you I must bring this agent to his destination before I can show my face to all. Please Owyn, you give me the headache!"
"I give you the headache? I got nicer treatment from the guards in prison!" Owyn snapped.
"Oh Owyn, you know I am just high strung because of all this going on, please disregard my snapping at you. I will treat you much nicer when I have you somewhere safe and have this upcoming debriefing off my mind. I do not believe I have done exactly as I was bid, and I am dreading the dressing down I may get. The more I think on the things I have done wrong in this mission, the more upset I make myself. I promise to return quickly and with food for you. Just keep it down in here, don't bring the watch down on yourselves with your shouting."
It was true, my nerves were frayed thinking of what Foxy may say when he finds out what a fiasco I made of his well planned mission. How did everything become so complicated, one problem right after the next? I could just hear Foxy now, his soft ironic voice intoning the lecturing words: Because you don't think ahead, little Khajiit! I best stop thinking about Foxy now, I am about to go off in an apoplexy as it is!
When the agent and I arrived at the Tiber Septim I insisted on going to my room first and getting my pack, sword, and armor. I stuffed my pack with all the food laying around in the room that I could find; I didn't think Foxy would mind me sharing the food I had already purchased on his tab with a friend.
By the time I dragged the agent to Foxy's suite I had begun to see visions in my mind of Foxy's ire at my botching of the mission. "Oh, is he ever going to be mad at me!" I groaned, but it was too late to change what I had done. I guess I did what I used to do as a child when S'Jirra wished to spank me for something, I ran.
I knocked on Foxy's door, and when it was opened I shoved the agent in and shut the door behind him, not entering with him. Foxy could debrief him first. I then ran like someone may be chasing me back to the Waterfront and grabbed Owyn and the guard.
"Do not either of you tell me you cannot swim!" I commanded, leading them to the edge of the Rumare. Luckily none spoke and we all three made it to the other side.
