Earlier in the night -- as Ty's dreams grew troubled -- four figures crouched behold a disheveled hedge. A few dozen yards ahead, beyond a high wall, loomed the illuminated mass of the Pleasure Palace. The brothel never slept, of course, and the front hall and forward gardens were bright as day. The rest of the Palace was darker, but lights still shown in many a window on the lower rear hall, where courtesans entertained guests who wanted more than quick sex. The occasional lamp also shed its glow on the "private" grounds off-limit to guests -- Luma's orchards, gardens and pastures. Stables, barns, kennels and other outbuildings dotted the grounds, most also with lights.
"That has to be the place."
"I never thought it would be so big," responded a man dressed in dark grey hooded jerkin and trousers. The first speaker, a tall fellow armoured in full plate (begrudgingly greased to hide its shine), shook his head.
"The bandit did tell us." He pointed to the mostly dark upper hall. "That is supposed to be this 'Madame Lerouge's' private quarters. If she's made Ty her concubine, that's probably where we'll find him."
The four of them -- Klyde the rogue/sorcerer, Titus the paladin, and the duo of Mariel the druid and her bonded werewolf, the ranger Steve -- had been chosen by the Guild following a partial victory over the bandits. Some of their companions they had succeeded in rescuing; two, however, had already been shipped off -- Ty and Steph. Since they were the ones they all owed their freedom to, it was decided to risk some members on a rescue attempt.
They had been apprised of the danger of approaching the Pleasure Palace, having caught and interrogated one of the bandits. He readily informed them of Ty and Steph's fate, and of the rumours surrounding Luma Lerouge and her sex-soaked lair. With a number of previous rescue attempts and even a full-blown crusade having done nothing but swell the numbers of her pleasure slaves, she had quite a reputation.
But it was deemed worth the risk to save their saviours, and these four were chosen as the best qualified for the job. They had followed the carriage on foot all day and now, finally, had arrived, determination over-riding the fear lurking in their bellies.
Titus had been put in charge as the leader, and now he considered his options.
"I say we split up."
"That never goes well," Klyde immediately protested. The paladin grimaced.
"This probably won't go well, to be honest. We knew when we volunteered that some of us might not come back. But as long as we get Ty and Steph out, it'll be a success."
"So the point of splitting up...?" prompted Mariel in a soft voice.
"To cover more ground, for one thing. This place is huge, and even if our informant was right, that 'upper hall' looks like a mansion in its own right. To draw less attention to ourselves, for another. And, if one group is caught, the other might still have a shot."
"Makes sense to me," growled Steve. Although technically human, he had taken a special combo with his girlfriend Alice when they first began playing -- as a werewolf the game let him serve as an animal companion to her druid. (Alice had elected to use the character's in-world name instead of her original one.) At the moment, he was in his "hybrid" anthro form, allowing him to use both his bow and his lycan strength and claws.
The pair had been one of the coupling statues that remained burned in Ty's brain the clearest -- Steve in his wolf form forever trapped mounting his girlfriend and mistress. A cruel bit of turnabout on the Stone Witch's part, since despite his ferocious form Steve was utterly submissive to Mariel. Their desire to return the favour and rescue Ty and Steph was, perhaps, greater than any others'.
Meanwhile, Klyde accepted that he was outvoted. "Fine," he sighed. To Titus he said, "I'm going with you, I assume, and the lovers make the other team?" The paladin nodded. "Right. So, how d'you plan to get in there?"
"Is the wall enchanted?" Titus asked of the druid.
Mariel concentrated a moment, casting Detect Magic. "No."
"Then we just climb in."
The wall, though impressive compared to those on Earth -- ten feet of stone with another six feet of spiked wrought iron atop it -- was not really meant to deter intruders. It was the guards and traps within that would deal with any foolish enough to trespass on Luma's domain. So, with a little help from Klyde's grappel, the four heroes made it safely over.
"Now we split up. Be careful --" the paladin warned "-- I can sense evil all around us. There are guards hiding in these gardens."
"And magic," whispered Mariel. "Many of these trees have varying levels of Transmutation magic in them -- fruit, leaf and wood."
"Great," muttered the rogue.
"I think we'll have to stick to the paths," mused the paladin. "Hiding in the undergrowth might be more dangerous than being in the open under these conditions."
The druid nodded. "I believe our woodlore can keep us safe, but yes, I think that would be the best option for you two."
"I hope you're right," said Klyde, biting his lip. He didn't like the idea of using the paths, darkness or not; but he didn't like the idea of being caught by some tentacle plant either.
"Our goal will be to get to that roof garden." Titus pointed to the lush expanse atop the lower rear hall, behind which loomed the upper hall. "The bandit said you can only get to the upper hall by teleporter -- which only the slaves can use -- but it looks like there are doors out onto that garden. Klyde and I will work around to the north; Mariel, you and Steve will approach directly from the south." The druid and the werewolf nodded.
"We'll rendesvous back here." The paladin took a bit of charcoal from a pouch and marked the wall. "If one team rescues both Ty and Steph, they'll wait here for the other until dawn. If neither team can find our friends before dawn, we come back here and work out a new strategy."
"And if one team gets caught?" asked Steve.
Titus shrugged grimly. "Try to make a distraction and don't give the other team away. If an alarm goes up, the second team will know to leave as soon as they get Ty and Steph."
"What, you mean if we're caught they won't try to rescue us!?" demanded Klyde, barely maintained a low voice.
"If it's convenient, they will. But like I said we may have to cut our losses."
There was a minute of silence. Then Mariel drew a deep breath.
"Okay. We're off. Good luck, you two."
"Likewise. Come back safe."