There was no reason to hesitate. Liam and his friends nodded at the steward, who quickly led the way. When they came across the other cells, the poor prisoners immediately perked up. They broke out in tears, realising that their saviours had come. And the friends didn't forsake them, opening all the cells, telling the NPCs to follow quietly. Although this was not part of the quest, there was no harm in doing so.
Thus, the group grew to fifteen people as they reached the end of the corridor. The steward moved carefully, placing his ear on the thick wooden door, a frown forming on his face.
"Heroes, there are rooms for the guards on both sides of the corridor. Usually, this one is understaffed as the other side has a kitchen and a warm stove. However, it is quite strange not to hear any sound at all. The room shouldn't be empty."
"Perhaps the guards are sleeping?"
"Who knows. The less guards, the better for us. Heroes, unlock the door. If a battle brakes out please forgive me but my old bones don't have much strength left."
"No worries. Fighting is our specialty!"
Balm chuckled as she handed the keys to Radiant Shield. The tank stepped forward, unlocked the door and abruptly pushed it open with a bang. The friends entered the next room, weapons drawn. However, the expected battle did not occur. The room was empty, with not a single guard in sight.
"Did they run away?"
Everyone was puzzled as they looked around the room. It was divided into two parts by a wall of metal bars. The front part offered some chairs and benches for the guards to sit, while the rear part was only a buffer zone leading to the corridor.
Since there was no battle, the friends put their weapons away. Radiant Shield unlocked the door made from heavy metal bars and the group advanced. As they stepped past this hurdle, some of the prisoners couldn't help but cry again. Finally, they had officially left the prison. Thanks to the former steward leading them, many had hope of making it out alive. They didn't need to die in this place or disappear one day like some others!
"I understand your emotions but please get going. Come!"
Liam and his friends urged the NPCs. They didn't want to wait here until the guards might eventually return. The old steward was in a hurry as well. He approached the wall and pulled on one of the candleholders. Mechanical rattling echoed through the room as a part of the wall moved, turning out to be a secret door.
Without anyone having to ask, the old steward briefly explained:
"All noble manors have secret paths to keep them safe in case of an attack. In this manor nobody knows them better than me. This is part of the reason why Jourtale kept me around…"
The old steward grinned proudly, showing crooked teeth, before darting into the secret tunnel. The rest of the group followed swiftly. A stern smell hit everyone. Spiderwebs adhered to the corners. Obviously, this tunnel hadn't been used in a long time.
Liam and his friends followed the steward, trusting him to get them out of the manor. They walked for a while, ignoring a few crossings. The steward obviously had a clear target in mind.
"I will bring to a side building, detached from the main manor. When we exit the secret tunnel, we will be close to a side door which usually isn't tightly guarded. If we exit through the side door, we should be able to avoid pursuit for a while."
"Alright, thank you."
The steward nodded and continued leading the way. Right, left, up the stairs, right, and straight. A couple of minutes later the path in front was blocked by a dark wall. There was a conspicuous lever to the left. The steward was just about to pull it when Liam stopped him. Voices could be heard from outside.
"Mala, shouldn't we follow the others?"
"No. Whatever it is, they can deal with it. Master Jourtale ordered us to guard this door at all costs. You wouldn't want to go against the master's orders, would you?"
"I… I didn't mean it like that! I would never! I was just surprised that the others haven't returned yet…"
"Hmm. I also don't know what's taking them so long. A few rats intruding into the manor? Almost all the guards have been mobilized. Somehow, I don't have a good feeling about this."
The two NPCs fell silent again. Silver Blade looked at her friends, communicating her confusion through her eyes. Someone intruded into the manor and attracted all the guards? Such a coincidence? Was this part of the quest?
"We'll find out…", whispered Liam as he nodded at the old steward. The latter understood the signal and pulled the lever. Instantly the wall in front of them rumbled, moving to the side. Another corridor, more luxurious, with a carpeted floor came into view.
Radiant Shield took the lead stepping out, followed by his friends. They spotted the two NPCs who had been talking before. A man and a woman in thick armour stared at the suddenly appearing group with shock and confusion in their eyes.
"Who are you?!"
"Where did you come from?!"
"Mala, perhaps those are the intruders?"
"Right! They must be targeting this place!"
The crisp ring of metal could be heard as the two guards unsheathed their gleaming swords. Liam and his friends didn't try to clear the misunderstanding. After all, admitting that they are prisoners on the run wouldn't really improve anything now, would it? Thus, they immediately got ready for battle.
A quick check revealed that the two guards were level 66 lord tier enemies. They were not exactly weak, but the friends were confident in dealing with them. Radiant Shield and Silver Blade took the lead, attracting the aggro of one enemy each. Liam immediately used [Darkened Sky] to land behind the guards, targeting both simultaneously.
Overall, the fight was not too difficult. However, the two guards had one tricky skill. Their weapons were able to separate into hundreds of thin steel needles, which turned the entire hallway into a brutal grinder as they stormed chaotically. Their size made them extremely difficult to dodge or block and once a needle landed a hit, it would heal the two bosses.
The friends struggled for a bit before they realised that there was an easy countermeasure. As the two guards repeated the skill, Liam and his friends entered the secret tunnel. Silver Blade pulled the lever, the door closed, and all the needles remained outside. The friends waited until the noise died down before going out again.
"Despicable!"
"Fight us with honour!"
The guards were filled with anger, but the players didn't care. When had players ever refrained from using tricks? Struggling through the battle because of something elusive like honour? Even Radiant Shield wouldn't do so.
Thus, the battle had become a whole lot easier. Without their strongest skill the two guards couldn't really contend with the adventurers. Still, the battle took a while longer than the friends would have liked as they lacked some damage. But eventually the two lord-tier guards fell to the ground, having lost all their HP.
"Well done, heroes! No need to pity them. They have thrown in their lot with this villain Jourtale. And now that the guards are dead, we will be able to escape safely. Let's go!"
The old steward showed a stern expression. Perhaps he was putting up a show for the rest of the group, who were somewhat afraid from the violent battle. The steward led them into the corridor, looking towards the large gate at the end which promised sweet, sweet freedom.
However, as the steward glanced at the players, he noticed that they didn't start moving.
"Heroes? What are you doing?"
"Brave steward, you can go on without us. We want to take a look at this room. It might hold some of the clues that we seek.", said Radiant Shield while pointing at the door which had been blocked by the guards. The steward struggled but ultimately, he didn't dare to stay a second longer than necessary.
"Alright, adventurers. I will bring these innocent souls out. If you need any help, you can find me. I will probably live with my daughter in Brobrity from now on."
"Yes, thank you. You helped us a lot. Farewell!"
"Farewell, heroes! May you deliver justice to the villain! This entire duchy will be in your debt!"
With those words the old steward turned around. The other NPCs followed him while thanking the players until they left through the door and disappeared.
"Good. We should also make it quick."
The friends nodded, staring at the mysterious door constructed from dark wood. Balm had looted the guards, retrieving two heavy, black keys. She placed them into the two keyholes and with a click the door swung wide open.