Chapter 17: One Flew into the Cuckoo's Nest
Despite his exhaustion, Rolf gathers what he can from the room before the five come back together and head to the small prison where Vunik is kept.
"Be there in a minute." Morgalyn says as she holds back in the room. "There's something I forgot." Rolf doesn't argue, intent instead on moving out as quickly as he can. It proves that Morgalyn is truly only gone for a moment, joining the others only moments after they have entered the room with the cells.
"Wha...?" Vunik is shaken groggily from his sleep and it takes him a few moments to seem to gain his bearings, though Rolf does not have the patience to let him peaceably come to wakefulness. Instead, he tells him, quite forcibly, that it is time to leave.
"Oh no." Vunik chuckles, his eyes still glassed over with grogginess. "I have told you, I'm quite happy here, and my work is almost complete!" He pulls out his book, showing Rolf again the diagram of the gate, and explaining it as if the two had not conversed on very same matter not an hour previously.
Overcome with impatience and exhaustion, Rolf cuts the man off, demanding quite plainly that Vunik make ready to go.
"No!" Vunik's eyes grow suddenly very large and awake, prying his book away from Rolf protectively. "Leave if you must, but I am staying here! You cannot remove me..."
Whack!
The pommel of Gustav's main gauche raps Vunik at the back of the head, knocking the man to the floor, instantly and irrevocably unconscious.
"Saves us time." Gustav shrugs as Teo quickly pulls the man over his shoulder and Morgalyn takes Vunik's book.
Though dreading the thousands of things that could stop their escape, the arrival of the morning crew, the undead that had already proved to be in various places of the asylum, the recovered doctor from downstairs, the horrible shadow dogs that they had encountered in the courtyard outside, Rolf and his crew encounter nothing of note on their flight from Witten.
The blackness of night still hangs in the overcast skies, though the faintest tinge of midnight blue manages to eek its way through edges of the clouds, foretelling the coming of morning.
Rolf decides to head back to the Mage's guild, in part because it is closest, but also because he knows that he may need help with Vunik once the man awakes. The empty streets prove little barrier to the task, and despite their injuries and tiredness, within a quarter of an hour, Rolf is pushing his way into the guild, directing Teo towards the common room where he can displace the old mage before the five split up for good.
When he makes his way through the threshold however, Rolf is shocked to see the room already occupied, by none other than Guildmaster Dehogue, who sits in one of the chairs, glancing over a book.
"Rolf?" The man asks, his eye quirked up in surprise. "Early morning..." The man's tone changes abruptly when Teo walks in behind him, with Vunik draped over his shoulder. "Good god, Vunik?"
OOC: I took some liberties to keep things moving along. Hope that's ok with everyone.
All five of you are still here, offering to stay together until Vunik got to safety. Rolf, roll vs. your best social skill (fast talk, diplomacy, etc.), or make a reaction roll if you would rather. Gustav, feel free to post as you see fit.
Note that it's probably a good time to think about splitting the loot, which can be done OOC.
While you hired the NPCs and have paid them already, It's probably not a bad idea to cut them in to some degree in the bounty. Here's a list of the things that I have you taking from Witten:
$1314
2xRuby
2xOther Gem
2 Fine battle axes
Surgery Book
Magic Knife
Magic Bracers
Magic Robe
Planar books
Spell Book
Bag of Holding
Vunik's Book