"Here! Sirs, see for yourself!" the Captain said with an all-encompassing gesture. The had just arrived in the dungeon and brushed past the young, acne-faced soldier who shared that late hour's post with the Captain."Indeed, I do see," Lord Tolan said aloud, studying with interest the hole that had been sawed through one cell door, cutting completely around the locking mechanism. He had to admire the ingenuity of these Outworlders, and in fact, it was a bit of a struggle to keep a grin off his face. Quite clever, they were. Although this did not speak well for the new guards, who ought to have searched their prisoners a bit more closely.
"None of the other doors were damaged," Echlar said, mock-seriously, after examining the other cells for a moment. "It's almost as if... as if they had keys or something."
Tolan had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. That old wizard was bound and determined to give them away, wasn't he?
"And their weapons?" Echlar continued smoothly.
"They...I believe they have re-armed themselves," The captain said uneasily.
"They did!" the younger guard said suddenly, easily excitable in his youth. "Their weapons were down here locked up in one of the cells! Just like you ordered, Lord Tolan! And some evil spirit probably opened the doors for them! Those weapons should never have been put down here-"
"Be silent!" the captain snapped. "M'lord, I must apologize for his impertinence..."
"Those insane Outworlders are running loose and we have to protect ourselves!" the young guard continued heedlessly. "Who knows how they got out! I'll bet the wizard they were with made all the doors unlock, or, or maybe they're in league with some sort of demon that teleported them out of here, or maybe that one could cut through the door with her eyes! Or maybe that other one, he-"
"SILENCE!" the Captain roared, startling his subordinate into shutting his mouth. "M'lord, the palace must be alerted!"
Tolan glanced up, still wondering just *what* they had used to cut through the door. The young guard was only the first example of the Outworlder hysteria he knew the city would be facing soon. At least there was something he could do that would put their minds at ease, for the time being anyway. "Have you alerted no one else?" he asked.
"Not as yet, sir."
"Very well. Before we wake the palace with this alarming news, there is something that can be done." He gestured the two guards closer. "Come here and listen carefully," he said, dropping to a whisper, as if his plans were highly secretive, forcing them to lean forward. He shot a quick wink towards Echlar.
"What is your plan, M'lord?" the Captain asked, then paused, confused and more than a little worried when he saw the wicked grin spreading on Tolan's face. "M'lord? What-?"
WHAPT!!!
"My- my lord, sir, you-"
SMACK!!!
The young guard fell unceremoniously on top of the Captain's already unconscious form. Tolan, smiling, was pleased to know that he still hadn't lost his touch. One single, well-placed punch had downed each man, and his knuckles were barely even stinging. "Echlar, my friend, it's your turn."
The wizard was already sorting through his spellbag. "Once I cast this spell," he said, with only a hint of the sneaky delight of the situation noticeable in his voice, "they'll be waking up right around the time for the changing of the guard. They won't remember a thing, and if you happen to stroll down here right about then, they'll be too busy trying to explain to "M'lord" why they were asleep at their posts to even think about anything else."
Tolan's smile turned a little grim. "We've only bought the Outworlders a few hours before the manhunt begins. But it's the best we can do." Looking down at the two guards he had knocked out, he grabbed the younger one by the ankles and dragged him back to his post, proping him up so that the boy would easily believe that he had fallen asleep at his post. When he returned for the other man, Tolan noticed that Echlar had selected his spell components, and, as he started dragging the Captain away, he said with a little more levity, "And while you're at it, just to be nice, see if you can do anything about the black eyes and bloody noses I just gave them."
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