Grenall stirred a spoon in his drink, then took a sip. “I tried to figure out how to access the negotiation chambers. It’s nearly impossible. You’ll need one hell of a plan if you want to sneak any messages to Ingfried.”

  “We’re not going to sneak anything at all,” Ven said. “We’re doing the opposite. You’re going to barge in and cause a panic.”

  Grenall frowned. “Elaborate.”

  “Aang wanted to leave as much of the plan out of your ears to avoid the worst case. However, I see enough potential to involve you fully.” Ven grinned. “Simply put, we’re going to frame Uundref and Wheryn as betrayers who cleared the main dungeon.”

  Grenall lifted his eyebrows, taking another sip. “Well, that is one hell of a plan. And the girl?”

  “She’s Vivi, our newest member,” Ven said. “She came up with the idea, and she has a major part in the plan. She’s here to form ideas.”

  “Sure,” Grenall said. “I have ten minutes left to discuss before I need to get back to frowning menacingly at beggars. Tell me the plan. What do I need to do, and what will I get in return?”

  “The Hollows are going to do two things in the near future,” Ven said. “We will kidnap Uundref and Wheryn, and we will defeat the main boss, clearing the dungeon. The Hollows will then cause a mass escape, framing the event on the two kidnapped Stewards.”

  Grenall stared at him. “And as it’s happening, you want me to cause an uproar, shouting that Wheryn and Uundref have betrayed the facility?”

  “Exactly,” Ven said. “It’s a simple plan, but I can imagine it working.”

  “The steps sound simple,” Grenall said, “but you can’t just kidnap Wheryn and Uundref. Those two are the most loyal, the absolute strongest Stewards that exist. It’s close to impossible to defeat them in battle, let alone kidnap and frame them.”

  “Uundref and Wheryn live in Zand,” Ven said. “They’ve been running the place for years. They’re that much stronger than everyone else in Zand. But they’re still ways off from the truly legendary warriors currently alive. A few powerful skills could upgrade them to that level. If there’s anyone amongst the Stewards that we could realistically frame with greedy motives, it’s those two.”

  Grenall sipped his drink, thinking for a moment. Vivi and Lucius listened curiously, but stayed silent. She still wasn't fully certain about what Ven’s plan was, despite her being the one to supposedly come up with it.

  “If you’re going to frame someone,” Grenall said, “it can’t be Uundref and Wheryn together. Those two hate each other. They keep Zand operational together, but they’re competitive. And not the friendly rivalry type of competition. They’re actively screwing each other. If Wheryn heard that Uundref betrayed Zand, he’d be first in line to report him to Ingfried.”

  “You’re saying it would be better to frame Uundref alone?” Ven asked.

  “Uundref and Beligar, perhaps,” Grenall said. “Those two work with each other the most. Ultimately, I still think this is a crazy idea. How exactly are you going to kidnap Uundref?”

  “I quite literally plan on snatching him when he’s alone on a break. We’re going to bring him to the dungeon hunt with us. While he’s missing, you’re going to tell people you saw him suspiciously enter the dungeon.” Ven grinned. “The idea is crazy, but it’s simple. We’re best at those kinds of plans. Each step just needs to be timed correctly.”

  Grenall closed his eyes, thinking.

  “Our next step is to figure out where Uundref takes breaks,” Ven said. “We need to kidnap him when he’s alone, in a spot where he could realistically escape from his duties. And we need to do it without leaving a trail of battle.”

  “That step alone marks the plan as nearly impossible to execute,” Grenall said. “But assuming you somehow pull it off and escape with the dungeon’s loot, what do I gain from this? For the framing to work, I’m going to need to stay in Zand while you escape.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “For one, you’re going to earn respect amongst the guards, perhaps a chance to be promoted,” Ven said. “You’ve mentioned that life amongst the guards isn’t too bad.”

  “It’s not miserable,” Grenall said. “But I sure as hell don’t intend to spend any more time here than necessary.”

  “In that case, you could resign and escape with us later,” Ven said. “We can form a plan to get you out of here.”

  “And can I trust you on that?” Grenall asked.

  “Zand lets guards resign and leave on their own, no?” Ven asked. “If you want to join us for whatever we do after escaping, we’re eager to have you. If you want money to start your own life, we’ll pay you. I can promise at least ten thousand ether.”

  Grenall finished his drink and immediately went for a refill. “My break is running out. I think that’s all we can plan today.”

  “Yes,” Ven said. “Vivi, did you have anything to add?”

  “I think the plan sounds good,” Vivi said. “But honestly, I don’t see why you brought me here.”

  “What’s important is that you heard our ideas,” Ven said. “You have a sharp mind, and I know you’re constantly thinking. More ideas will arrive. That’s how plans work.” He leaned back and turned to Grenall. “Any other news we should know about?”

  “Staff is still looking for whoever killed that guard and slaughtered the outside raid,” Grenall said. “The Stewards are involved. They’ve found that the whole forest is pretty much devoid of monsters. They believe there’s some gang, or perhaps even a lone crazy person, hunting outside Zand’s walls.”

  Vivi’s head perked up.

  “What is it?” Ven asked, turning to Vivi.

  “Uhm, I think I know what’s causing trouble…” she said.

  Ven waited for her to continue.

  “Before being caught by guards, I accidentally crafted a boss monster. I didn’t know just how dangerous surge hazards were. And I got unlucky enough that a surge spawned exactly where I kept the bones…”

  “What boss did you create?” Ven asked.

  “Lucius called it a Twilight Shaman,” Vivi said. “The boss is a combination of a Twilight Elk’s skull and a fiery lower body. It summoned these spider monsters.”

  The two watched Vivi in shock. “Ah fuck,” Grenall said.

  “And nobody knows about this?” Ven asked.

  “No,” Vivi said. “The guards didn’t see the boss. The last I saw, the boss was atop a narrow platform on the fourth level, above a river. A thirty-minute walk or so from Zand.”

  Grenall wore a funny smile, looking at the ceiling. “Shit just got serious, huh? How long has the shaman been brewing troops?”

  “Almost a month,” Vivi said. “I should have probably mentioned this a while ago… I just didn’t think it was our problem since the boss was outside Zand’s walls. I’m sorry.”

  “A Twilight Shaman that has been brewing for a month is considered a catastrophe-level monster,” Ven said. “A team of experts should be able to take it down. But if the boss is strong enough to conceal its aura from the Stewards while it gathers troops, its presence could be a threat to Zand itself.”

  “I doubt things will get that far,” Grenall said. “But the Stewards will be in for one hell of a surprise regardless.”

  “Should we be concerned?” Vivi asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Ven said. “You’re right in that the boss isn’t our problem. As nimrods, there isn’t much we can do. But it’s good that you told us this. I’ll have to think if we can use the boss’s presence to our advantage. Perhaps it could be used as a distraction of sorts to cause more chaos.”

  “Whatever you do, my break is ending,” Grenall said. He gulped down the rest of his drink, grimacing from the heat and placed down the mug. “You two need to get out. I’ll think about the plan, but as it is now, I can’t imagine it working.”

  “Thinking is all we need for now,” Ven said. “Thank you.”

  Grenall frowned. “Don’t expect me to follow this plan, Ven.”

  “You’re necessary if the plan is to be executed,” Ven said. “But I admit, putting anything into action is still a long way off. But I do like the ideas.” He grinned.

  Grenall shook his head, opening the door. “Sure. I’ll fix your broken lamp switches and deal with your crap later. Get the hell out, idiot nimrods.”

  Ven and Vivi stepped out. For extra effect, Grenall pushed Ven outside with force, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “Well, then,” Ven said. “We’re lucky we’re not in too much trouble with the lamp switch, eh?”

  Vivi smiled awkwardly. She followed Ven back into Aang’s room, where they crawled back to the hidden dungeon.

  “Grenall didn’t sound too impressed about the plan,” Vivi said.

  “Oh, he was ecstatic,” Ven said. “I’ve never seen him so invested in a plan.”

  Vivi raised her eyebrows. “Was that sarcasm?”

  “Grenall is good at thinking about plans,” Ven said. “Once he hears of something going on, he’ll grumble. The moment he sees potential, he grows into the most invested person involved. You’ll see.”

  “We should have shown him my runeswords then,” Vivi said. “To prove to him that we can defeat Uundref.”

  “No, we’re not placing your runesmithing skills under any more risk than we need to,” Ven said. “Letting you fight bosses is already dangerous enough that Aang considered letting you stay home. But you and Lucius are eager to fight. We can’t just lock you in the smithy against your will.”

  “Lucius would go insane if he had to spend a week without hunting,” Vivi said. The cat pouted within her.

  Ven laughed. “Exactly. We’ll let the plan brew. If you get ideas, tell me everything. In the meantime, we’ve still got more bosses to finish this cycle.”

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