Khenal
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Chapter Three-Hundred Ninety-Nine
🕑 Added 2025-10-03 01:26:23 +0000 UTC______
Pul
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He really hopes Thedeim knows what he’s doing. It seems pretty likely, and he doubts the dungeon would just have him actually kill his friend, but he still worries. On the brighter side, he can feel part of the incoming advancement shift away from the assassination aspect of the ninja when he sends Rezlar over the edge. Thedeim’s right about the class, so he’s probably got this part of the plan under control.
Hopefully.
Either way, he can’t just stick around. He doesn’t watch Rezlar sail away, but rather sprints for the main trunk of the tree. Rhonda and Freddie are playing their parts, shouting for Larrez and making the ‘mistake’ of not focusing on Pul, giving him the essential time he needs to slip away.
He’s glad for all the training he’s been going through, for the stealth and mobility in this case. Moving swiftly on the ground is a lot easier than moving swiftly through a tree, and that’s not even counting trying to be stealthy while doing it! Still, he manages, and gets far enough away to disguise himself in a thicket of leafy branches.
He didn’t have the room to pack a full disguise, but he’s a changeling. A change of clothes is the least of what he can do to disguise himself. He takes off his shirt and decides to change into a burly orc. A few other minor adjustments, and he looks like any other martial artist, someone who wouldn’t attract any attention.
He briefly considered trying a wolfkin, but he has trouble handling fur. It’s just too itchy! He’s sure he could get over it eventually, but he doesn’t have a need to right now. He checks himself with a small steel mirror before nodding, and makes his way down the tree.
The other adventurers are already talking about the incident.
“Someone fell!”
“They weren’t caught?”
“No! I heard the impact!”
Pul lets a frown slowly bloom on his face, a delver hearing bad news that isn’t immediately concerning to him. Still, a solo delver like he’s pretending to be would reevaluate his safety after hearing that, so he makes his exit. Not many adventurers try to stop him, and those that do only ask if the rumors are true. He only says that’s what he’s hearing, but he didn’t see anything himself.
The other adventurers are hungry for information, and with him clearly not having any, they are quick to put him out of their minds and let him vanish. He exits through the cemetery, where Grim gives him a subtle nod. He can’t help but be relieved at the gesture. If anyone would know how Rezlar is going, it’d be Grim. The skeleton being positive speaks well for his friend's wellbeing.
Once outside, it’s not difficult to find a spot to change back into his usual elven persona and put on his more ordinary clothes. Eventually, word will get out that he kicked Larrez off the branch, but for right now, nobody should suspect him. Still, that doesn’t mean he should dawdle.
He keeps to a brisk walk on his way to the thieves guild, and the sentries around the territory don’t pay him a second glance. Ordinarily, he’d be worried about how they see him as some cold fighter… or rather an assassin after today, but he’s oddly not bothered. He knows himself, and it doesn’t matter to him if people are wrong about him. He knows, and that’s enough.
Besides, if they did know, the whole plan would fall apart. He’ll let them continue to be mistaken, at his advantage. At the main building, he gives the knock and is allowed in. “Is the Boss busy?” he asks the wolf at the door, who shrugs.
“Is she ever not? She seems pretty relaxed right now, though, if you need to tell her something.”
Pul nods and heads though the hideout, eventually stopping before the guards at her office door. “I need to talk to Boss Toja.”
“Wait here,” one elf says as the other slips into the room. Honestly, Pul is impressed. Her bodyguards are all built like mountains, so it’s interesting to see one able to slip anywhere. He shouldn’t go thinking he’s the only one that’s not what he seems to be on the outside. The other guard silently watches him, and Pul doesn’t try to make small talk. He’s seen some of the bodyguards be jovial when not on duty, but they’re all business when they’re on shift.
It takes a few minutes, but the other bodyguard eventually opens the door and steps through, holding it for Pul. “She’s ready to see you, Blank.”
He simply nods before stepping through, not reacting to the nickname. Will he get a new one once the news gets out? Or will the current one only get entrenched all the deeper? He just hopes Freddie and Rhonda don’t pick up on it. They’d mercilessly tease him about it.
The idea has his lips trying to tug into a smirk, but he does his best to keep it at bay. Better to be blank when dealing with Toja. She’s smart enough that he doesn't want to give her any potential advantages. Said crime boss is comfortably seated at her desk, looking very happy with herself.
“Well?” she asks, her tone sweet, as if she already knows what he’s going to say.
“It’s done,” he answers simply.
She smiles wide. “Beautiful. You’re certain is is done?”
Pul nods. “I kicked him too far out to grab onto anything, and I did it after an encounter, so there were no monsters nearby he might be able to use to save himself. We were pretty high in the branches of that big tree. He’s not surviving a fall like that.”
Toja stands, practically preening at the news as she steps around the desk. “Excellent job, Blank! Wonderful work. It looks to me like you enjoyed it too, hmm?” she asks, her eyes twinkling with vicious mirth. “I hope you won’t run off and join the assassin’s guild too quickly. Subtle blades are well rewarded here, you know.” To illustrate her point, she reaches a long leg back to her desk, and pulls a heavy bag from a drawer. She gracefully transfers it to one of her hands and weighs it for a few moments, before nodding and placing it in Pul’s.
“Your bonus, though I’d suggest staying in the hideout to spend it. I know going out undetected won’t be as much of a problem for you as for most, but it’s still a good idea to lay low after something like this.” She hides her mouth with a hand as she titters. “And you deserve to relax after a job like that.”
He’s surprised at how heavy the bag of coins is, but he probably shouldn’t be. Their plan kinda hinged on Rezlar being killed, so of course it’d be a big payday. He could save it and get himself some gear after this all blows over, but for how much he despises the guild, their crafters will have more of the things he’ll probably want. Any smith can make armor or a sharp blade, but it’s a guild smith that will know how to make something more subtle, and won’t ask questions.
“So, how does the fearsome Blank relax?” Toja asks, talking to him like an old friend.
“...with a book, usually,” he admits, deciding to play along for now. She might be trying to get him to lower his guard, but killing him now wouldn’t make much sense. There’s no way she actually wants to be friends with him, Boss Toja doesn’t do friends, but trying to get him to like her? It would just make sense to have someone ‘dangerous’ like him enjoy her company.
“Ah, a reader? Not too many of those around here. I do have my small library, though. I’ll talk with my guards to let you peruse it. Just ask them. They’ll be watching you the entire time, of course. Some of the books there are very valuable and… well we are thieves, after all.” She smiles at her own joke, and Pul smiles along with her.
“Thank you. I’m going to talk to the guild enchanters before I take you up on that. I want to get a camouflage enchantment and maybe commission some new leather or something.”
She grins at that. “Oh, there’s no need for you to commission new armor, Blank. You’re one of my lieutenants now, and I like to make sure they are properly geared. Let me take your measurements, and you can tell me what kind of cut you’d like. I can’t imagine you’d want something so heavy as metal, and my silk is far better than any leather we have access to.”
Before he can even think to object, she takes a knotted string from her desk and has his arms out for her to start measuring. He doesn’t trust her, but calling her out probably wouldn’t go well. And… well, he has seen the highly ranked thieves wearing silk at times. Better to roll with it… and pay careful attention to make sure she’s not going to slip a knife between his ribs. He’s still pretty sure she’s not going to kill him, but no harm in being diligent.
“So, any styles you’re interested in, Blank?” she asks, acting more like a seamstress than a ruthless crime boss.
“Ah… l-loose enough for ease of movement, but not baggy enough to catch on things. And a hood and mask,” he suggests, remembering the few pictures of a ninja he’s seen on the chalkboards.
Toja nods. “Simple enough. I hope you don’t mind me taking some artistic liberty with it, then.”
“Er, not too much, please? It should be more for blending in than standing out.”
Toja laughs as she makes a few notes. “Oh, of course! We do our business in the shadows, but we often have our fun in the light. Trust me, Blank, especially with a camouflage enchantment, you’ll be able to blend into the night and stand out in the day in equal measure once I’m done.”
“You… actually like making clothes, don’t you?”
She smiles without any malice for the first time he’s ever seen, and nods. “I do. I wouldn’t be satisfied as some clothier, but as a hobby, I really do enjoy it.” Her smile turns sharp as she continues. “And what better excuse to indulge in my hobby than in outfitting my lieutenants? If anyone crosses us, not only will they have harmed me professionally, but personally if they damage the hard work I put into an outfit.”
He considers that as she continues measuring. What she said rings true, but he doubts that’s all there is to it. She’s Boss Toja, but making clothes for someone should be beneath her. There’s no way she’d make herself even slightly vulnerable without a reason. Maybe it’s a test, to see if someone thinks they can kill her while she measures? He eyes the measuring string, and notes it’s also made of silk. Has she had to garrotte anyone with it before?
He’s probably overthinking that. But still, a gift from her must come with strings attached… can clothes be trapped? If anyone could figure that out, it’d be a spiderkin in charge of a thieves guild.
…he should try to wear what she makes as sparingly as possible, at least until after Thedeim has a chance to look it over. Maybe he’s being paranoid, but in a thieves guild everyone is out to get everyone. Better safe than sorry.
Comments
PEBZ101
I really like the depth this chapter brings and how it really shows how pul has changed. Especially with how be sees everyone! I'm sure there will be some stings attached to those threads. Possibly tracking or spying enchantments. It could be dictating everything spoken and writing them between the layers of clothing. Something thediem should catch as he can read words between the pages of clothed books.
Hugo23
I really don't know why this chapter made me think of it. But what is the reward for "beating" the lighthouse? The image of being able to change the color of the flame until the next beat the tower made me laugh.
