Chapter 530: Gathering Intel

"Wait here, Soup. I won't be too long." Ravager Nix spoke softly, before jumping into the shallow surf outside Ducky's window. Although the puppet was a good swimmer, he immediately considered adding a bit of otter to the mix.

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] Are you in your room?

[Whisper: Ducky to Nix] Nix? I thought the Rat puppet was destroyed!

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] It was, this is the new, improved version.

Nix stood at the base of the verticle incline, his sharp eyes spotting the Water Witch as she leaned out the window to wave at him. Instinctively he felt that this puppet was a much better climber than the Rat-King. He moved directly up the wall, sharp claws digging to the gaps as he slowly progressed upward. "I'm like a fucking spiderman..." He paused to consider before cursing himself. "Damn it... I could make a spider puppet. Maybe a Spider/Ravager mutation..."

A few minutes later, when he arrived below Ducky's window, the Water Witch scooped him up and hugged him tight while retreating into her room. She kissed his furred face and head several times before sitting him on the only bed in the room.

Ravager Nix glanced around the room. "Nice digs."

Ducky smiled happily and tucked her legs under her. "I miss my family."

Nix sensed the presence of a stealthed thief, his yellow eyes turning toward the door. "Company."

Ducky nodded. "It's Pradi; he's with me. Part of the Ducky faction."

Nix-Ravager stared at the thief for a long moment. He was definitely a player; his guild tag had been dropped. If Ducky vouched for him, then he could be trusted, at least temporarily. The Water Witch's experience with players was mostly limited to Inferno. Players could be unreliable since they had to deal with real-life problems like paying the rent and feeding their families.

"Have you made contact with Glacia?"

"Yes. She was one of Khione's Minions until recently."

Ravager Nix considered the statement, as someone with two minions, he knew that breaking free would be quite difficult, if not impossible. "What changed?"

"When we destroyed Khione's Avatars at the Gladis hub, it wounded her gravely. This caused the control she has over her minions to weaken. Glacia plucked out the Eye of Khione and destroyed it. According to Glacia, she has nearly two dozen minions."

Ravager Nix sighed heavily. "We'll have to keep hunting them." His glance fell on the thief at the door. "Pradi was it?"

The dark thief nodded. "Well met, Nix."

"Just call me Rat-King." Nix hopped off the bed and moved toward the doorway. "Going to explore; you two stay here."

Ducky has joined Ravager.

Pradi has joined Ravager.

/Ravager: Ducky: Can you stay long?

/Ravager: No. I have just enough time to break some stuff. You know Bronthir, the Naga that retreated to the Keep from the Xander Burrough?

/Ravager: Ducky: I don't really know anything about him.

/Ravager: Pradi: I do. He used to be a big deal around here, super strong and dangerous as hell. Rumor said he was nearly as powerful as Glacia.

/Ravager: Nix: Let me guess, one day about eight or nine months ago, he was weakened considerably.

/Ravager: Pradi: Yes... He was able to cover it up for a while, but he was pushed out of his ranking and sent to Xander Burrough when it was discovered.

/Ravager: Nix: How did he return here?

/Ravager: Pradi: The Burrough Commanders are given rings that will return them to the Keep if they are defeated. The return circle is in the lower levels.

/Ravager: Nix: Shit... I don't have time for that.

[Whisper: Ducky to Nix] This is because of Floyd?

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] Yes. I suspect Floyd's bloodline is pure; only one Naga King may exist at a time.

[Whisper: Ducky to Nix] Going to deal with him?

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] Not until I talk to Floyd.

Ducky has uploaded the current schematic for the Keep to your hud.

/Ravager: Pradi: I don't know which Burrough you guys are currently in, but be careful going into Honor. Rumor has it that Sandi has cooked up something special.

/Ravager: Nix: Noted. Thanks for the heads up.

/Ravager: Ducky: I've marked Glacia's location if you are planning on visiting her.

[Whisper: Ducky to Nix] My cover with her is as an Operative for Deidra.

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] Good job. I can work with that.

You have received a Quest from the Council of Dragons.

Fey the Silver has been updated.

[Fey the Silver]

Objective: Present the Drakon known as Fey the Silver to the Council of Dragons.

Reward: Unknown.

Nix brought up stealth and quickly left Ducky's room.

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] The Council of Dragons has requested that I bring Fey before them.

[Whisper: Ducky to Nix] Don't do it! What if they hurt her? Or take her away?

[Whisper: Nix to Ducky] I don't plan on it.

Nix moved silently down the long corridor; even though he was stealthed, he kept to the shadows and moved cautiously toward Glacia's location. Torchlight normally kept the halls well lit, but most of them were put out for the evening. The Ravager paused outside the Quartermaster's office, noting that the damage he'd done last time he'd been here was completely repaired.

He crossed the large room that had once held Duran hostage and turned up the first flight of stairs. There were only two doors on this level. Heavily armored knights guarded one, and the other was empty.

Nix chose room without the guards and scurried in a while, listening to the two guards chatting. His overpowered Ravager senses told him exactly what the room was. He had found the loo. After noting that the two holes in the floor were big enough to use as escape exits, Nix moved to the closed window and managed to open it with minimal effort.

There was no ledge between the two rooms. However, the worn mason was littered with seams and cracks that had softened with the passage of time. Long claws dug deep into the rock as the Ravager covered the distance to the next window. It opened inward with the barest amount of pressure from his elongated snout. He stood on the window sill for a moment while studying the room. Unfortunately, the one-eyed Mistress of the Keep was staring directly at him.

"There you are. Glacia, right? I've been looking everywhere for you." Nix dropped his stealth since it was obvious that she could see through it.

The woman lay in bed with only her milky white shoulders visible beneath the luxurious-looking covers. The ruby-colored eye studied the beast for a long moment. "How did you get in the Keep? Are you someone new? Part of Trifecta?"

"No. My mistress was able to open a Breach." There was a large wooden trunk at the foot of the bed; Nix scurried across the the floor and hopped onto it.

Glacia sat up slowly, the covers falling away from her smooth skin. She smiled dangerously at the Ravager. "Like what you see?"

"Dragon Master Deidra has discovered a plot against you; I am here to safeguard your life." Nix sat back on his hind legs, his yellow eyes watching as she moved closer.

"There are many plots against me... Kind of you to visit me, though, I find myself in need of a snack!" Like a striking snake, her hand blurred towards the Ravagers neck.

Without thinking about it, Nix dodged and then sunk his teeth into the white skin of her hand before leaping off the trunk.

Glacia screamed in pain, immediately causing the bedroom door to be thrown open. The two guards stepped into the room, only to be instantly turned into ice statues. "Idiots!"

Cloth made of ice crystals formed on her body as a long staff with a bladed end appeared in her hands. Her red eye glowed as she glanced around the room. There was no sign of her night visitor. "Where did you go, beast of shadows?"

Her gaze fell on the open window. "NO!" An instant later, she peered out into the darkness, cursing as she scanned the Keep's exterior walls. Without warning or sound, something slammed into her back, sending her flying out the window.

Ravager Nix froze for a moment, his sharp claws digging deep grooves into the window's ledge. "Um... Seriously? That wasn't even plan..."

His sentence was cut short in a flash of white; instinctively, he dodged backward as a half-dozen ice spears appeared where he'd been standing. The slow and graceful flap of Ice-colored wings moved outside the window as a calm-looking Glacia peered in.

"That's some impressive stealth you used. Tell me how you did it."

Ravager Nix shrugged his muscular shoulders. "Hid under the bed," he muttered.

Glacia's pale lips smiled slightly; the effect made the temperature in the room plummet. "You hid under the... What is your name?"

"Pon the Magnificent."

*****Author's Note*******

Come on... You knew it was coming.

***************************

"I'm going to eat you, Pon the Magnificent."

[Whisper: Darsi to Nix] Target Acquired, Trip-7.

[Whisper: Nix to Darsi] Do it!

At the sound of Darsi's rifle, the Ravager made it to the door in a single leap, his claws digging into the marble tile enabled him to make a hard right turn into the loo as several ice attacks landed in the hallway. Without hesitating, Nix dived headlong into the open hole.

/Ravager: Ducky: You okay, Nix? The entire Keep is shaking.

/Ravager: Nix: Plan delta, plan delta.

Ducky covered a laugh, her all-blue eyes glancing at Pradi. "He's retreating."

/Ravager: Ducky: What shall I do?

/Ravager: Nix: Nothing. Investigate the recall circle if you have the time.

Nix moved down the sewage pipe for nearly a minute before pausing; instead of continuing, he dug his claws into the clay drainage pipe and opened up a large hole. Within minutes, he found a window to make his escape from and shortly after that was reunited with Soup.

[Whisper: Darsi to Nix] I hit her pretty hard, but most of the damage was mitigated.

[Whisper: Nix to Darsi] Figures. She attack you?

[Whisper: Darsi to Nix] Completely ignored me, but at least I was able to distract her.

[Whisper: Nix to Darsi] Thanks for the save. Let's head back.