#earthrunes

Mr. Pyck aka Dalton maybe the best lockpick Zara has ever seen. The nocker's hands glide effortlessly over the mechanisms that were never meant to be exposed like this, his electronic device 'blinding' the high tech part with a fuddle spell (The man is a master of the props realm) while he manually switches the gears behind it.

Boondoggle the eshu grins as it slides open "Nice."

"We're cutting it so close" Gingerbread sweats "WHy didn't we do this stage before today?"

Dalton says "Because them transporting the prisoners is when our best chance of bypassing their defenses is, and thanks to Raven , and yourself we got the info we needed on that. Now, the access panel is open, but too thin for the rest of us to go through even unlocked. Raven, you ready to slide through and find that lever we told you about that'll open the cargo entry area?"

Zara nods.

A sluagh squirming is a... disconcerting thing. Particularly when skull and ribcage flatten out...

FawkeU looks away "Trying not to think of how she's compacting her furking lungs..." FawkeU is the other nocker, and not nearly as socially adept as Dalton.

And Zara slides through

Credit where credit is due, FawkeU's reseach into old mortal records of building layouts have given her an amazing map of sorts, mortal side only but it lets her know where things are likely to be.

Zara has a good tolerance for nockers, and her Yiddish certainly keeps pace.

Oh night vision, silent footing, she thought at first Dalton would keep her 'in reserve' under some foolish notion of protecting her. Instead, Raven has a risky part in this. She moves through this passage seeing clearly. Good thing too...someone has installed wires that a blind man wwould walk into and set off an alarm.

But Zara was earnest in her desire to act.

She rather approves of the Key Club's mission, to be frank. Ah - there's the lever.

Mmm here is the problem, it is hard to move, whoever let this start to rust..well, Uncle Ratchet might club them over the head for such neglect.

Uncle Ratchet also taught her the two prime forces in the universe. This is not a call for duct tape...

Nope. This is a call for WD-40.

Two little spritzes before she gives it another try.

It works, more importantly, she even reduced the noise. Uncles lessons are often wise. The Duct tape stands ready for ..future challenges.

The cargo door opens and the others join her, "Good work. We took out a guard , but he'll wake up fine wondering what happened later."

"Aye? Good."

They move through the passage, the door closing behind them. "FawkeU, how we doing on time?"

"Ahead of it by 20 seconds." FawkeU says "I don't furking trust luck this good"

Mr. Pyck frowns "Don't jinx us. Boondoggle, your instincts?"

Zara concentrates - tuned for hidden dangers or unusual noises.

"Eshu senses tingling" He assures, "Down this path...and then ..." he points to Raven, "Put her ear to the wall there"

Gingerbread says "Feels wrong putting the new girl into the lead of danger twice."

"Liberation isn't for wimps," Mr. Pyck says and nods to Raven "Go ahead, like he said, and use those ears near the far wall"

"Since you asked so nicely..." Sarcasm? Noooo...

She does.

Mr Pyck smirks at that

and the Eshu's instincts are good. She goes for about twenty feet and then pauses... she hears it all right. Guards walking in the hall next over... but more htan that, where their voices seem to rise? Clearly there's a secret door here.

"Mmm.." Fingertips seek the edges of the door.

Yes, she found it, she should wait though, the guards might notice it open even if they don't hear or see her. Looks to be a standard 'press this brick' sort. Nobles have no imagination some days

"Guards beyond. Door here."

She does hear the guards "Poor bastards" "Don't sympathize with them, they brought it on themselves. Only by yielding to our betters can our betters reach their full potential as leaders" "Yes yes.. i .. yes"

Sounds like they're on their way to pick up prisoners.

Dalton nods as the guards pass... then whispers "What did they say?"

Zara reports.

"They're ahead of us? " Gingerbread says

"And methinks about to pick up the prisoners..."

"We want them to be," Dalton says, then nods to Raven "Okay everyone, we wait for them to pass through back with the six. We veil, we ready... and we hand out the decoys. FawkeU, got the dummies?"

"Yeah yeah, but if the fuddle doesn't work..." FawkeU says "We'll be so deep in drek breathing will be impossible"

The dummies are chimerical blow up dolls, the plan? Included switching the prisoners for them.

"Feh." Zara inspects the dolls, and murmurs at them in turn. Those who are sensitive know she's casting something...

More than one tilts their head.. they sense it

And ... soon, figures shuffling, angry voices. THe sound of someone being cuffed HARD

Mr. Pyck motions the others to hold their rage.

Zara purses her grey lips, and waits.

And they step out, veiled, stealthy... and fuddle ready

A rush of fog...