XLIV. Missions: Inscrutable

Firiona and Lina made their way back to the Vault to continue their studies in the Spire. Miae and Green Arrow made their own, slower way back, with their cart of luxury goods for Eclavdra and their other, more valuable cargo as well. After the usual few days underground, they arrived at the Black Gate, where they showed their identification and visitor’s cloaks to the guards. The guard captain consulted with a female drow, then turned back to the two adventurers. "Come with us!" he ordered.

With no alternative, Miae and Green Arrow followed the two drow, who escorted them to the upper level of the Black Gate and into an interior room. Inside the room was a long table, several chairs, and a human male dressed in clerical garb. Garb Miae recognized as that of a senior priest of Vecna.

"I believe you have a meeting with this individual," said the guard. As he spoke, another door on the other side of the room opened, and dozens of guards and priestesses from House Eilservs entered and took positions surrounding the table, and Miae and Green Arrow in particular. Behind them came another familiar figure.

"Ah, here we are together once more!" said Eclavdra, taking a seat at the table. "I believe you’ve acquired the property I lost so long ago! Hand it over immediately," she commanded, in a suddenly icy voice.

"Why should we do that?" demanded Green Arrow. Miae whispered to him, "Ixnay on the estionsquay," but Green Arrow shot back, "Better hand it over to me."

She shook her head to him, then pulled out the package the Enterprise had given her for delivery to the cleric and began to hand it toward Eclavdra. But before she could finish doing so, Green Arrow snatched the package away from her and tossed it to the cleric!

But to Green Arrow’s surprise, the cleric, in turn, reluctantly handed the package over to Eclavdra.

She smiled poisonously. "Clever, and admirable devotion to duty. Alas, ineffectively so." Rising from her chair, Eclavdra left the room with the package. "Take them to their accommodations," she said mockingly to her minions as she left. Which the minions promptly did.

Once the cell door slammed and locked, Miae and Green Arrow looked around to consider their position. The room was small, windowless and dark, except for a small barred window in the door.

They both noticed that they still had all of their possessions. A lucky break, thought Miae. Or was it?

Several hours later, Green Arrow looked out the door window and noticed that no guards were nearby. "We’d better do something, and soon," he whispered to Miae. "The guards are gone. Can you get us out of here?" Miae nodded. "Still have my tools," she said, pulling out a set of lock picks from her haversack. "Let’s see what kind of a lock this door has." She began to work on the lock, which soon yielded to her lockpicking expertise. "Now for the final touch," she said. She cast invisibility on Green Arrow, then cast mislead into the cell. An image of her still in the cell suddenly appeared, while she herself went as invisible as Green Arrow.

Miae cautiously looked out the now-opened door, then moved silently out of the room, signaling for Green Arrow to follow her. He flew out of the room with Miae, straight to a nearby window, which they quickly managed to squeeze through. Still invisible, they continued their flight until they were out of sight of the Black Gate, then landed and made their way back into the Vault. Straightaway they sought the Far Night Inn, took a room and locked themselves in.

That night, Firiona and Lina returned from their studies. They met with Miae and Green Arrow, who described the day’s events. "You’d better pretty much disappear from this town, if Eclavdra’s on to you. Which she should be by now!" said Firiona. "It’s worse than that," answered Miae. "We need to report back to headquarters." Which they promptly did, magically. The Enterprise agent to whom they reported promptly advised them, "Stay in place. Await further orders."

That’s all? thought Miae. "Something’s up," she said to the rest of the group.

Something was up, alright. At that very time, Edward was being given new orders. As was Arnold.

Edward was puzzled. He had been enjoying his time in Sigil. He had also been enjoying riding herd on Arnold. But now he had been told that Arnold was being recalled to Enterprise headquarters for further assignment, and that he was to remain in Sigil until otherwise ordered. "Well, if that’s what they wants, that’s what they gets," thought Edward. "I can use more time anyway. That special armor’s still not ready yet." And with that, he left the safe house to wander about the City of Doors. The next day, he received new orders: to proceed to the Outlands, where another safe house awaited him, and be alert for additional instructions. With the orders, an Enterprise courier delivered a key to a door that led to the appropriate area of the Outlands. Edward gathered him equipment, made himself ready and left for the Outlands.

At the safe house, Edward found a message waiting for him. It read, "Act when the time is right and you are called on to do so." He shook his head on reading the cryptic instructions, but prepared himself for whatever lay ahead.

Meanwhile, Arnold, having returned to Enterprise headquarters, had little time for wandering. He was about to get the assignment of a lifetime. Or two. Or two hundred.

"The mission is simple in concept," began Matasuntha, who represented the Enterprise together with the Blue Dahlia, when Arnold, Elana and Arimir had assembled for the briefing. "You each will be given an R-bomb. You will proceed to the Ship of Lolth, plant the bombs, and destroy the ship."

The three Enterprise agents looked at each other, then at Matasuntha. "We’re going to what?!" cried Arnold.

"You’re going to take out Lolth’s spidership," replied the Dahlia calmly. "You already know the way to get to it. You’ve been in it. You know its lay-out. You’ve proven yourselves on previous missions. We have every confidence in your ability to carry out this one."

"Don’t you think Lolth might have something to say about this?" asked Elana.

"Let us worry about Lolth," answered the Dahlia.

There was little to say after that, except for the details of the operation.