Chapter 167: A good plan
Jay got woken up the next morning from a loud knock.
While he had already been awake but still dozing due to the events of his last night and it being still really early in the morning, he got a bit startled.
After he had walked over to the door and opened it, it was Osborne he found waiting for him behind it. He greeted Jay friendly like always and asked him to go meet Miss Ravencrest together, then turned around and signaled Jay to follow him.
On the way through the mansion, Jay had the feeling that more eyes followed him than last time he had been there what Osborne noticed. The middle aged man then told Jay that his name had already started to spread through the mansion and even further.
As they arrived in front of the door to the throne room, Osborne knocked on it once and then held it open for Jay.
Lina, Nara and Shalina seemed to have already been waiting for him and after saying good morning to each other, they led him to an office behind a hidden door on the right.
The three women took a seat each, Lina took a seat in front of the expensive looking desk and Shalina the one behind it. Only Nara kept standing to the side slightly behind her boss' side and signaled Jay to take the empty seat next to her sister.
He took that offer without hesitation and looked the tree in the eyes. Nara was visibly curious if he really had learned more than them, while Lina wore her doubt open on her face.
Shalina's expression though was unreadable for Jay, so to her question if her had only idled around or really got some information for them, he started his narration.
"It's not that much I learned yesterday...
This Lady Kendra has slaves in her shop that are forbidden, like we had anticipated. They are kept hidden though and only get presented once a customer for them arrives.
While the problem isn't only to find them in the mansion, they are all ordered to stay there. We would face serious problems if we simply try to get them out as most of them would probably die the moment they are brought away.
I would advise to take actions soon either way, as she had gotten supported here in Arathor. If you leave the slaves unattended to for a bit longer, they most certainly will be gotten rid of." J.
"Not much?" N.
"I'm surprised as well…" L.
"Well, though I told his first, it is only because I think time is pressing in this matter. The really interesting part comes next: I know one name of those whom she was in contact and did business with. It is a man called Aiden that functioned as her contact man to someone from the royal court…" J.
"That name rings a bell. Do you have his surname as well?" S.
"Sorry, I don't. But I'm pretty sure we'll find it in the documents stored in her shop. At least she stated that she had every single transaction noted..." J.
"Well, I can try to find out once I resume interrogating her later. I wanted to hear what you got from her first as Lina and Nara reported they didn't get anything out of her even after you told them you did yesterday." S.
"May be she had been too tired?" J.
"Possibly. Did you learn anything else? Anything about those slave scrolls or totems maybe?" S.
"Only what we already knew. At least for the scrolls and slave collars I got her testimony they got smuggled via Arathor. The latter got prepared by your captive slaver." J.
"And what about the slaves and where they got brought to?" L.
"Oh, they got delivered downstream the river, but she has no idea where to exactly as well.
I guess you still need to have some of your agents translate the documents I brought…" J.
"We're on that already. The moment we learn something new from there we will share it with you. Do you know the real reason why she had been in Millshire?" S.
"While it seems to be true she seemed to have acquired new slaves from the south, Lady Kendra had been tasked to get the duchess on track and have a look there if anything was amiss." J.
"Hmm… While we know open slave trading isn't prohibited in the neighboring countries to the south, that they are getting them into the Kingdom that easy is irritating for me, to say the least." S.
"Then I can tell you one more interesting thing: I learned about the smuggling route for slaves. It is a path through the mountains I had to clear for certain reasons. If you'd like to I can show it on a map…" J.
Jay then showed the said locations on a very detailed map Shalina fetched from a shelve to the side. They were surprised he could tell all access points and even notify them of an abandoned bandit camp.
Using the moment when the female agents were in a good mood, Jay requested from Shalina to not kill Kendra if possible as he might get further information out of her later on.
Either way she was worth more alive.
To his surprise this worked out quite well and she willingly agreed. Her mind was already set on the next action she had planned. Just like this she informed Jay of the raid on Lady Kendra's slave shop that would start thirty minutes later.
He was surprised at first but quickly regained his composure and asked about her plan. Shalina looked at him questioningly but then started to explain what they had come up with.
"Twenty of our best agents will sneak into the back alley as thanks to you we know the sign to enter. The moment they get close to…" S.
"Your plan is Bullshit!" J.
"How dare you!" L.
"You sound like you have a better idea…" S.
"Well, if you send your men into the back alley, even if the know the sign, they will stick out like a sore thumb. If worst comes to worst, this will inform the slaver and they smuggle out what ever they can. What is more, the guards at the mansion will bring you some losses if not the ones from the back alley before.
If I would go there alone, no one will have any suspicions. I could enter the garden and give a smoke signal or something and the agents can enter from above. Like this they will, if at all, only encounter a few guards from the back alley up on the rocks..." J.
All women looked surprised at each other and then again to Jay. He was sure they knew that his plan was way better than the one Shalina Ravencrest had come up with. But latter seemed to have doubts why Jay offered his help so willingly.
"Why you? Couldn't It be any other of the agents?" S.
"Possibly yes. I only thought it would be more easy as I'm already acquainted with some people there, as well as the employee at the slave shop." J.
"Sounds reasonable…" N.
"Like I said. But you should possibly position some of the men at the nobles district and guard the front door of the mansion as I doubt there will be no one trying to flee." J.
From then on the four of them planned out the raid anew over a city map and Jay tried to guess the location of the slavers shop as exact as possible. This would enable the agents a faster access when Jay used the smoke signal.
The time frame was going to be widened to at least an hour as the agents had to carefully secure a route over the mountains and the ones in the noble district still needed their disguises.
Lina then went to fetch one of the said smoke signal for Jay and as she was just about to leave the room she halted once again.
"I guess I was wrong. You really seem to be cut for the business…" L.
Her statement even surprised Shalina, not to speak about Nara or Jay himself. But as the time frame was short, Jay took his leave a few seconds later as well and left the two women alone.
As there was no way he would go to the back alley on the direct route, Jay mounted his horse the moment he got out of the fort. He first rode back towards the direction of the trade district and took a detour over the canals.
Closing in on the back alley from the other side, Jay directly went to the door and knocked a single time on it.
On his whole trip there and even as he closed in on the blue door, he kept his face hidden. But it seemed he still got spotted as the moment he knocked one single time on the gate, a man closed in from behind.
"Yo, whad'das a big guy like yerself want here?" L.
The moment Jay heard his voice he eased up and turned around, just as the man was about to grab his shoulder.
It was no one else but Lenny, so the two of them greeted each other friendly after Jay showed his face. Without wait he got given sign to let pass and then Lenny was about to leave again.
This time it was Jay to grab his shoulder.
He whispered him to better not enter the back alley in the next two hours. It would be better for his own sake.
Lenny threw him a doubtful gaze but still nodded as he got Jay had meant what he said. Then he called over his two buddies and announced to them they would leave for a stroll.
Jay then walked towards the slave shop on the most direct route he knew and entered through the same gate with the two giant men guarding it. He only stated he had an appointment and reserved goods, to what one of the men opened him the door.
Up to this point everything went as planned and just like he had told to Shalina. But the true reason for him offering his help was what he had planned as his next action.
Of course Jay has had ulterior motives to go there before one of the agents set foot into the shop.
Activating (Hide), Jay snuck through the park like garden the moment the door closed behind him again. In no time he entered the mansions basement without someone noticing and directly went towards the office he had visited last time. It was the one to the right side belonging to Norris, the employee.
The man was sitting at his desk and didn't even notice Jay as he silently opened the door and entered. That only changed when a gush of warm red blood landed on the register he was reading through.
Jay had cut his throat from behind in cold blood, getting rid of the only possible witness he had been interested in slaves.
Before it got completely soaked by the blood, Jay stored the register and then went on to check for his second target.
That target was Eloise, the slave maid he had wanted buy free previously but due to the circumstances no longer could do so. Back in the lobby, he found it deserted and proceeded to the left of it where he had seen a hallway.
As he stepped into it he was sure Kendra's office had to be close as the passage was stacked with bookshelves and even some paintings hung in the spaced between.
Right at the end of it Jay saw a stairway leading up, most certainly to the mansion above.
Just as he was closing in on it, a certain gray haired young woman walked downwards on it. It was no one else than the slave he had been looking for, Eloise.
She still wore her very short maid dress, but contrary to Jay's expectation she didn't ring alarm the moment she saw him and even a happy smile formed on her face.
"Good morning Sir, can I help you with something?" E.
"Eloise, right? I came here to get you. Could you come over please?" J.
She did right as he said and walked the few steps over they had been apart. As she stood in front of him and looked up, he noticed the first time that she was more than one and a half head smaller than him.
Jay carefully touched her slave collar and concentrated on the settings.
Just like Kendra had stated and he had hoped for, Jay could change her settings and did so. With the orders of having to stay within the mansion erased and her registered as his slave successfully, Jay looked into her beautiful but slightly anxious eyes.
"I will explain everything later, so please bear with it for the moment. Order: Leave the mansion through the garden to the back alley. From there you go to the entrance, but try to keep hidden and not stand out. Once you reach the Gate, look for a shady guy named Lenny. He should linger around close by.
When you find him, tell him Jay had send you and that he should guided to the canals and wait with you for me at the closest bridge. And tell him if he touches you, he will loose more than his fingers…
Oh, can you tell me where Lady Kendra's office is?" J.
"Uhm...yes, it's the door over there. But it should be locked, ...master?" E.
"Simply call me Jay. Now hurry!" J.
With this, the small woman did as he said and ran down the hallway into the lobby. A few seconds later he heard the front door and could only hope she wouldn't he held back by the bouncers or get caught.
Jay himself went to the door Eloise had pointed towards and found it really locked. Thanks to his lock-picking skill he still managed to open it, though it took some time and a few of his lockpicks.
Once the door was open, Jay stepped into the wide and luxurious office:
Shelves with books or pricey looking gadgets were lined on all walls and a big chandelier lighted up the moment Jay stepped in. It seemed to be some kind of magic tool.
A big desk with the comfy chair behind it stood in front of the far wall and to the side of the two chairs in front of it was a small pedestal that, how Jay guessed, was for presenting her goods.
Jay ignored the few papers on the desk and directly began to search for the safe Kendra had told him about. It was hidden behind the big painting that hung behind the office chair and desk and should have her deeds, secret papers as well as some gold inside. 'Quite the cliché' was all Jay thought to this when he learned it.
But that was something Jay had to check later. How ever much he had tried, there was no way to open the heavy metal door with his skills. As his time was short, Jay refrained from further tries after the first few and came up with another idea.
Touching the safe, Jay tried to simply store the whole thing inside his inventory and to his surprise succeeded. At this point he began to doubt the logic behind his inventory but at the same time was glad it had worked out well.
While skimming through some of the documents out in the open, Jay went through the room, pulled out numerous books and threw the papers on the floor.
After only a minute of work the room was a complete mess, just like Jay had wanted it to be…
Weekly Power Status
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