Breaking the Rules takes place in an RPG universe, and is the sequel to Bending the Rules. To understand the characters and how the world works, please start from Part 1 of either series. Not based on any particular gaming franchise or storyline, but there may be guest appearances.
Thanks everyone for your patience. I'm probably going to have to go to a three-week release schedule for a bit; life is still crazy, but I can't wait to get to some of the adventures coming down the pipe, so something had to give. Hopefully this is sustainable for awhile.
*****
"Oh my god tell me everything!" Furaha demanded the moment Nuru walked through the library door.
"Excitable aren't we?" Nuru teased.
"Do you know, I hardly slept a moment all night long? I know my home isn't yours, so you wouldn't be 'coming home to me' if you showed up at the hut, but you were walking into what could have been a trap, and I really wanted to know that you were OK. I almost took up biting my nails, even though I've never done that before."
"Aw, is somebody getting attached?" Dayo said, coming in through the Multiversal Travel Gate.
"Don't act like you weren't up at midnight with me, waiting!" Furaha glared.
"*I* wasn't," Ace said appearing dramatically.
"Should have never told you how long the anti-sneak countdown is," Furaha grumbled.
"Hey, I've got to test your defenses," Ace said. "You know I could pop out of Sneak behind a bookcase or something and then pop back in for almost as long and not trigger the gel. And if I can do it, someone else can too."
"I'd still know you were there," Furaha insisted.
"Are you sure? I actually asked one of my-"
SPLUT
"Oh... gross," a thief said, appearing in the room, covered in some noxious substance.
Dayo Shadow Walked behind and put their scythe over his shoulder, blade across his neck.
"Woah, hey, relax. I'm going peacefully," he held his hands out.
"I asked him to come here... sorry dude," Ace said.
"I added a variance factor to the countdown, which only takes effect when other people are here," Furaha smirked. "I was wondering when you'd try to push the limit."
"Ooh. We started auditing it at night when nobody was around," Ace said.
"Deron? Is that you?" Nuru said.
"Yep. I always seem to get shafted when you're around," the thief said.
"You know this guy?" Furaha said.
"I'm more surprised that *you* know this guy," Nuru said to Ace.
"Well, sure I do," Ace said. "We showed up to get that bonus stuff at the temple the day you triggered the demon alarm. The first time, that is, after your leg armor game. We all went and hung out at Thieves Guild, he liked my story about getting the Legendary armor set and we got to talking after you left."
"Even after the paladins chased down one of the other guys and made him rat on everybody that was there, then interrogated us all for hours about you," Deron said.
"Aheheh... yeahhh. Sorry about that," Nuru said. "I didn't know they went all inquisition on everybody. Nor that the alarm was going to go off, for that matter."
"Demons are a big deal in Home Town. I'm surprised pacts are even allowed," Ace said.
"Good thing that's all over and done with, eh?" Deron said.
"You got that right. Those guys were all beating on my door at ungodly hours, asking stupid questions," Dayo said.
Ace pointed at the door.
"Oops, that's my cue to leave," Deron said. "I trust you got what you were looking for."
"Yeah, you earned this. Catch you around," Ace tossed him a small bag of money.
They let him waddle out uncomfortably, wincing with every squelching step, and waited until Furaha nodded.
"Ace, what the hell is wrong with you, bringing an outsider into this?" she growled.
"What's the matter?" Ace said. "Audit consultation is a common quest for thieves, one of the most honorable things we do. You weren't discussing anything critical."
"But if we were-" Furaha started.
"-then you would have had a real problem on your hands either way," Ace said, holding up a scroll. "Look, I won't tell you your business. But I can tell you, in my experience, anything said in straight bow show from a building exit is not protected. Wards or no, all you need is somebody, or several somebodies, with a powerful spyglass and the Read Lips skill to get past everything you did here. This is a transcript of the conversation you had with that little page punk yesterday. You know for a fact I wasn't here."
"Well, I'm sorry my dinky little library isn't up to your standards as a stronghold, but this is what we have. Do I need to remind you-"
"Hold on, woah, woah. Time out," Nuru said. "Ace, do you have a suggestion, or are you just slinging mud here?"
"I do. I say we go raid the office."
"What office? What-" Nuru said.
"Gods, not this again," Furaha said. "We don't have the manpower to even scout much less raid a faction vault."
"On the contrary, I think we do. Nuru, weren't you playing timing coordinator for that gaggle of bugbears with Chibale?" Ace said.
"Uh, I guess you could say that. I got them all marching together at least."
"That's the usual issue with mobs, particularly if you haven't got direct control on the individual level. But, Dayo..." Ace said.
"Eh?" Dayo looked at Ace with suspicion.
"You just nabbed a bunch of human souls from that group of ghouls that attacked on the way here. I know you needed to set their spirits free, as they were adventurers once, but you get to process their essence and keep a portion, right?"
"I'll have you know that's confidential. But yes; I was too late to contribute to the Trouper raid pool. I got to keep it, and I sorely needed it, because I'm all out of hawk and bear, and I'm supposed to contribute to the faction coffers, not drain them. A necromancer with no souls is just a fighter's practice dummy with a light complexion."
"See, I already knew, it was a rhetorical question," Ace said. "So, since you get to keep some humanoid essence, you've got some to spare. Nuru, this is directly interfering with your goals, so you're now in the need-to-know category, and I'll abide by whatever you decide here. But we've hit a brick wall with this page investigation, and if we're going to get Furaha back into her element, we need to blow this thing wide open."
"But you're talking about a faction field office," Furaha said. "I don't care if it's staffed full of insiders, they're settled in like a tick in an artery. There's no way to get in there without raising an alarm."
"So raise an alarm. We'll be gone by the time backup gets there," Ace said.
"But the forensics - they'll send someone in there, and they'll know we-" Furaha said.
"Let me stop you right there, please," Ace said. "You got Nuru out past the Level Eleven gate without taking a single faction quest. Not even the preliminaries. And yes, you did it through masterstroke planning and execution. But there's a time for plans, and there's a time to muscle an obstacle aside."
"We're inside city limits. The guards will kill us!" Furaha insisted. "This is their legitimate jurisdiction. We break those laws, we'll be wanted everywhere."
"If we're convicted," Ace said. "On the side favoring our acquittal, is the fact that the page has been violating the Messenger's Oath since he set foot in this place. How many people has he hurt, indirectly?"
"Nobody important believes me," Furaha grumbled.
"Because you need proof for something this big," Ace said. "That proof, according to well-known faction protocol, is in the vault in the Legion office just up the street. You know it, I know it, and your superiors even know it- but they can't do anything without proof to take to a judge. All that bureaucratic paperwork is the only thing between you and a new home. They don't care about this place, but if we strike this blow to Imamu, and win the favor of all the people that stupid kid has hurt, they have no excuse for keeping you here."
"If it works. If it doesn't-"
"How would we even do this?" Nuru broke in. "Ace, you can't break into a full vault by yourself, you couldn't even unlock my cage."
Ace shook his head. "No need. We pacify the yard, and we capture the guy who has the key. There's a glyph he needs to enter at the same time he turns the lock. Turn that guy, and we're in and out."
"You make it sound like overpowering two dozen guards is easy," Furaha said. "It's your skulls out there taking the beating. You sure you're up for that?"
"Dayo, mind repeating your tactical analysis as we discussed?" Ace said.
Dayo looked unhappy, but nodded. "Two dozen, like you said. All green, all lower-level, and used to being the strongest force on the field."
"Disposition?" Ace prompted. "How would they react to facing a horde of undead?"
"*IF* we can manage it- they'll break and run, or cower in a corner," Dayo replied.
"Ace... Imamu is High Faction," Nuru said. "As is your own affiliation. How do you justify your part of this?"
Ace shrugged, then grinned. "Chaotic Neutral."
Dayo snorted, and Furaha giggled.
"No, but seriously, there's some prime beachfront property I want, and there's a particularly stubborn resident that keeps the price unaffordably high. If I can just get that bitch to move, I can snatch that hut up for a song," Ace glared mockingly at Furaha.
Her mouth opened in indignation, and Dayo covered their mouth with a hand.
"Well, Nuru, what do you think?" she said, getting into a shoving match with Ace, squeaking as he found tender spots to poke her with a finger.
"I think you're related," Nuru said. "What do you think, Dayo? Siblings, aren't they?"
"Hah!" the valkyrie barked out.
"Very funny," Furaha made a face at him. "I meant about the plan."
"You need somebody to keep the fodder marching in lockstep, do you?" Nuru said.
"Oh yes," Dayo said. "If they see a foe that looks experienced, well-directed, and willing to fight to the death, they'll bend over like a cheap whore."
Ace grimaced. "Why did you have to use that metaphor?"
"Eh, sorry. Mesi had some trouble with the weekend crew at the inn. It was on my mind."
"Ah, I see."
