Chapter I: En Media Res

The town of Polkiss wasn't really that notable. A small fishing village located at the end of a small bay in the Southern Empire, all one could really say about it was that the fish that came from it were "adequately satisfying." One other thing about it was its jail; it wasn't one of the large prisons that the Empire maintained, so right now it was filled to the bursting point after a previous Imperial raid found a several traitors in the town. A prison ship was set to arrive soon to bring them back to Port Arkhorn, where they would then be sent to a prison located in the mountains.

Of course, that was what the Empire was planning. Mortal Underground, on the other hand, had no intention of letting so many of its own rot in a cell without doing something about it. So it dispatched the team closest to Polkiss as soon as Central HQ had learned about what had happened. The closest team happened to be made up of several new recruits, including a mantis-man from the desert, an ex-slave, some elf who that she was an orc, an almost irritatingly cheerful half-elf, and Lily, adopted daughter of a recently-killed operative. Really, if they had a choice, a more experienced team would have been on this mission.

But of course, none of the more experienced teams would be able to reach Polkiss before the prison ship arrived to take the prisoners away from the lightly guarded Polkiss Jail. And so, it was upon this team's shoulders that the mission fell. The contact they'd gotten the mission from, a human fisherman called Ven, had also taken them over to the town on his boat, and was prepared to take them away once they'd gotten everyone out.

The team was now just a block away from the prison, where they could see a few guards standing. This was the best chance they had of getting everyone out of the jail. They had only a few moments to make a plan of attack; the prison ship could arrive at any moment! The time to act was now!!!

There's the guards! Lily said, peering out of the corner of the alleyway the team had stepped into to plan the jailbreak out. Looks like they're keeping an eye out for people who don't belong here...how are we going to get past them? She asked, turning around to look up at the newest group of adults the Underground had entrusted her to. They didn't seem too bad, but some of them were a bit frightening...like the bug man, or the elf lady who always looked ready for a fight. Unsure of what to do with the guards, Lily opted to defer to their judgement, and see where to go from there.

To say Hugo's outfit stands out is an understatement. He wears silver armor with dark purple clothing underneath and a matching cape. His silver shield has the symbol of Avandra on it, and he carries a warhammer with a silver head in his right hand. His black hair falls to his waist in waves, and his long bangs fall into his green eyes. They have a friendly sparkle that makes them stand out from the darkness. He also has a shadow of a beard around his chin, but it is short due to constant and somewhat sloppy shaving. Even though he is forty-four years old, he looks a bit younger, more like someone in their thirties.

Grinning widely at the question, Hugo says, "We'll do what we always do! ...Which we haven't actually done yet since this is our first mission together and my first mission period, but hey! We should make this our constant mode of getting around guards: hitting them until they fall over. It's effective and to the point!"

Though he does not know any of the other four, they seem like a decent bunch to him. Whatever comes of their first task will probably color them one way or the other for him.

...Shouldn't we try to avoid violence? We don't need to hurt people... Lily said, meekly, peeking out the alleyway to look at the guards again. It'd be easy enough to catch them by surprise with a few shots of magic, but was it the right thing to do here? It seemed a little bloodthirsty to just rush in and start smashing people's faces.

Hugo gives an exaggerated shrug as he says, "Well okay, we don't NEED to, but it'd be the quickest way. I guess a few of you could try sneaking by, but count me out of that plan. I don't do sneaking." He points at his armor, which is enough to show why.

Ki'tel examines the faces of his companions, committing each one to memory. "Where there is light, there is shadow. My knowledge of the light has given me knowledge of the shadow as well. I can attempt to sneak in, and should I be discovered... Well, Pelor prefers I show mercy if at all possible."

"Hm... Well, I could distract the guards while you try and sneak in," Hugo offers. "I can put on a good act if nothing else! What'd you say?"

Ki'tel squints, his lids snicking over his magnificent orbs. "If we are to do it, it must be quick. The only way to cease suffering is to end it before it begins." His arms draw his blade from its sheathe, the sun glinting off of its surface in a dazzling array of colors. "The sun's rays may be diverted or blocked, but the light pierces all it touches. So too may my blade pierce, should the need arise. As I follow the path of the light, it is inevitable for shadows to cross my path. Such it is my destiny to cut them down."

Scratching his head with a puzzled expression, Hugo says, "That's just a fancy way of saying 'yes', right?" He turns to the others. "What're your thoughts?"

Jond Zibens

Jond's brown shirt and trousers matched the color of his beard. His skin was the same shade, from long exposure to the sun. They matched the sandstone of the prison building, actually.

"I can sneak in, too, if you give me the right distraction. Or I can play the part of a transferred prisoner and be the distraction. Whatever. I don't expect that someone walking around in full armor with

I actually don't remember what weapons you have, but Jond is just giving a for-instance anyway.

a greatsword strapped to his back would pass for a prisoner, though. As long as they don't frisk me, I can keep my daggers tucked away and handy for when it all drops in the pot. And of course it will: 'No plan survives...' and all that." Jond doesn't seem concerned enough by that possibility.