Anyway, the five of us were huddled in Juanda’s ice cave. Someone tapped on the curtain entrance and Juanda opened it. Outside were two officers of the law. One of them was Glennard. I told the coppers to state their business or taste a lick of me blade.
The officers said they were hired by the Trader’s Guild to confronting us about claims we know something about an “alternate route” to the surface. A written report saying as much had Juanda’s name at the bottom, and the officers inquired as to her knowledge. Things got tense, so Bernerd the Bard tried to distract the officers with some light humor. It failed, no surprise to any of us but him.
I told the cops to leave. Juanda told the cops the Juanda on the report was most likely her sister Juanda. The officers left, but not before I flicked a booger onto one of their ears.
We tried to figure out what to do, eventually sending Bernerd outside to keep an eye on the officers, and see if he could follow them – perhaps back to whomever had sent him to us. Bernerd imagined himself disguised as a sickly old man, but opted for a disguise of rags instead. He trailed the officers. It became obvious from their body language that they were suspicious of us.
Luckily, I had the foresight to follow Berherd to make sure he didn’t do anything foolish.
At any rate, Bernerd followed the officers into the city. They went to the mother ship to visit the hall of records to see whether Juanda really has a sister Juanda. Glennard and Jilliand (the other cop) noticed Bernerd following them. An elderly gentleman at the front desk stopped Bernerd with a raise of his eyebrows. Bernerd claimed he was a records enthusiast and asked if he could “glimmer” through the records. Meanwhile, the officers quickly learned, via a perfunctory records perusal, that Juanda has no sister.
Juanda, meanwhile, dug a hole, but only got nine inches down into the rocky soil.
Bernerd approached Glennard, inquiring as to what he found, but Glennard wouldn’t divulge. Then Jilland asked Glennard if he’d found anything, and Glennard said he had not. He hid his discovery in his tunic.
Bernerd and I fled back to the ice cave to collect Juanda so the three of us could go into hiding, but before we had a chance to escape, Glennard showed up at the entrance to the cave. Rather than arrest us, he offered us a deal – he’d provide us with crucial information, in exchange for money…or something else of value.
Glennard agreed to join our band of mercenaries, provided he got 50 percent of our profits. We refused, do Glennard ran away, back to join his partner in the Hall of Records. Bernerd tried to stop him using life magic, but failed. Then Juanda tried to stop him using earth magic. She trapped him in a pit. This time, Glennard agreed to take a quarter of the profits.