With the assault on the mansion, the group’s sprinting forms were just three among many. They passed guards in and out of uniform, all running to their posts. The few times they were stopped, Palu’s presence alone was enough to get the guards out of the way. Their only snag came when a guardsman leader stopped them. He and four of his men were holed up at the end of a hallway, stopping all entry.

  “Damn, I was hoping they’d be gone.”

  “Is there no other way?”

  “No. The treasury is right behind them; they guard it in normal times. I’d just hoped with the assault they would have been called away; they are some of the most experienced guards here.”

  “Our time is short; Kaeleth and I will handle them.”

  Jaeger led Kaeleth forward, ready to strike.

  “No.” Palu grabbed their arms. “Daren, the leader, has an emergency sigil on him. If he’s hurt on duty, the rest of the house guards will find out. I should be able to convince him. Give me a moment.”

  Straightening his outfit, Palu walked forward, motioning the duo to follow him.

  “Treasury Guard Captain Daren, open the way.”

  A guard with a silver badge tapped his spear butt on the ground.

  “Can’t do that, Palu. Word from the Leader of Arms is that an outside force has assaulted the grounds. Orders are for me and mine to stay here and keep the treasury under lockdown.”

  Palu nodded and stepped forward.

  “Be that as it may, I have orders from the Master, and he wishes for me and his two new hires to inspect the treasury. The people assaulting are made up of a combined force from multiple guilds.” He leaned forward, whispering to the man. “The Master suspects that some of his councilmen are not happy with their bribes, and require the other type of persuasion we keep in the treasury.”

  A silent look passed between the men; a being like the Flesh Trader would not want his plans sullied by explaining them aloud. Daren dry swallowed, glanced at his men, and nodded.

  “Men open the way; the steward and his guards need the treasury. Shaun, Pierce, lead them to the entry and bypass the lockdown.”

  Palu gave a firm nod to Daren and set off, not bothering to look for the two guardsmen. Kaeleth and Jaeger followed at his heels, and two guards hurried to keep up.

  “Well done,” Jaeger whispered as they moved down the hallway.

  “No, it wasn’t. If Daren goes by protocol, he will message the Leader of Arms to check my orders. The Flesh Trader never sent anyone to the treasury, making sure to send separate orders; at least not since the mimicry rogue three years ago.”

  “So we’re going to have to fight those guards on the way out.”

  “Unless they decide to trap us inside the treasury.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Kaeleth hissed, joining the hushed conversation.

  “No door can hold me.”

  Palu nodded towards the door ahead of them, a large turn handle vault. He spoke aloud for the first time.

  “Guardsmen. My two companions, while trusted by the Master, are new to housework. Would you mind explaining what the treasury is to them?”

  The two guards looked at each other before shrugging.

  “If’n the steward likes. The treasury is a spatial room, and the door is more of a…” He gestured, trying to think of the word.

  His companion took over.

  “It’s like a locater. If it's opened without the right input, it leads, at best, nowhere and at its worst, to a dimension of horrors.”

  “And you two have access to the correct inputs to get us through?” Jaeger asked.

  “Yes and no. All treasury guards are equipped with half of the magic code, with the Treasury Guard Captain having the whole. That’s why Shaun and I had to both come; without both of us, the code doesn’t work.”

  Jaeger’s eyebrows rose at that; this was more complicated than he thought.

  “Are you two going to be coming in with us?”

  The guards shook their heads.

  “No, we need to remain outside to keep the treasury open.”

  Jaeger eyed Kaeleth and Palu. The former clenched her jaw but said nothing, while the latter shrugged. The decision was his to make. As they got to the treasury, the two guards moved to either side of the door and touched specific parts of the door. With a rumble, the door handle spun before it proceeded to slowly swing open. Revealing a glowing portal that slowly changed to reveal the interior of the treasury.

  Behind the door was a cavernous space packed full of items and piles of gold. It was more money than Jaeger had ever seen in one place.

  Palu stood next to him and bitterly laughed.

  “It’s a poisoned chalice.”

  Jaeger looked at him in confusion. Palu waved one of his arms at the piles of gold.

  “It’s all a trap. Some of the gold is literally poisoned, other pieces are cursed, and all of it is dangerous and trapped. None of it is safe or meant to be removed from here. The Master’s actual gold is mostly tied to projects or held in banks. The real treasure here is stored in that.”

  He points to a well-made but plain-looking cabinet off to the side of a gold pile. The cabinet’s design stood out for its plainness, but Jaeger hadn’t even given it a second look before it was pointed out to him.

  “Another trap, you can’t focus on the cabinet until it’s been pointed out to you. Shall we proceed?” Palu looked at him.

  For a moment, he wanted to say no. This was a risk not worth taking; not only was it full of dangerous money, but to get in, they’d have to trust a pair of guardsmen who were likely to receive orders to apprehend them. His mind made up, he was ready to move on when a paw ran over his neck, and a purr reached his ears.

  “I sense something of mine within, get it for me.”

  Weighing his options, Jaeger considered turning down the quest. He’d made do without a Patron in his old world, and any rewards given weren’t worth it if he was trapped in an inescapable situation.

  “So very predictable. You could, for once, just leap headfirst with no plan.” The rumbling voice bemoaned. “Fine. I won’t hold your hand, but I will promise that you will be able to leave the vault when you get sealed inside.”

  Jaeger felt his jaw clench at the word when, but he knew reacting overtly would just be playing into his Patron’s hand. Instead, he straightened up and moved towards the portal.

  “We’re going in.” With a withheld sigh, Jaeger stepped through the opening.