"S"'s page

When you reach the town square with the crystal foci, you see that they are gone. The Tower Out of Time explodes into a waterfall of cascading blue and purple energy, glittering with twinkling stars. It fades completely away.

The landscape is decimated, with small fires burning here and there. But it is also strewn with hordes of undead that are defeated and sent to the great beyond. Once you're on the ground, you confirm that Hergelund and Agnes are with still with you. S limps towards you. She looks beautiful and exhausted, her dark hair framed against the pale lavender and orange sunrise of the brightening sky. She nods professionally. "You did it," she says. She pats Quinn on the shoulder, and looks over at Hergelund. "You saved Hergelund," she says with a smile. "Thank you."

Surprisingly, S doesn't move towards battle. Instead, she produces a reed mat and spreads it on the ground. Stepping out of her shoes, she inserts a blossom in her blue-black hair. She gives a strange, beautiful performance; the Tian woman leaps, bends, and dances upon the mat with shuffling, elegant steps. She twines and undulates her arms in serene, pretty gestures.

It's the exotic bardic Dance of the 23 Steps. Panels of translucent energy form all over the landscape. The undead crash into them, and it slows their march. Additionally, the movements of Volst, Sabina, and Paige are quickened, providing them a greater ability to dodge attacks.

This is the third defensive perimeter - the Dance of the 23 Steps.

S has a dreamy, far-away look in her eyes, focusing intently on the dance.

Yet at La Siréene's well-wishing, it seems as if she gives a parting salute.

At Quinn's question, S shakes her head. "No. I was going to ask you the same thing. I assumed he was with you."

"However, Ludo was an immensely powerful spellcaster. Not only did he teleport us far away, but into the future. Now that he was dead, we found ourselves stuck.

"Of course, we were disoriented at first. Soon, we realized an unexpected boon. Being trapped in the future provided us a window of time to develop our powers. In other words, to become more like our future selves."

S shakes her head. "I know, the whole thing sounds complicated, which I suppose time travel always is. But, in short, we were able to plan another teleportation to come back here, at this moment, to provide aid to you."

S blinks the long eyelashes of her onyx-black eyes, and lets you take this all in. "But be forewarned. As for the question of friend or foe, the Baron isn't completely rehabilitated. He's more powerful than me. But in his race to do this, he augmented his powers by ethically questionable means.

"I now stand by his side as ally and jailor."

S shoots Volst a disapproving look. "These theatrics are unnecessary," she says.

She turns to the Mechanical Manservant. "Thank you," she says coolly. As always, her manner is all business. "Glad to see all of you are alive too."

"I am sure this looks odd," she adds. "I'll update you on developments since last we spoke."

"You'll remember I permitted Ludo Guillemont to teleport me away (here she lapses into the local dialect) from Der Salon der Nekromantie. The glitch in arcane energies caused his effort to go poorly. Instead of teleporting us far away, as he intended, we simply traveled a short distance and ended up in the banquet hall overran by zombies where they'd been celebrating Volst's initiation.

"Ludo teleported again. The next attempt was more successful. But let's just say...we picked up a hanger-on." She indicates Volst.

...the double agent, "S"...

In her last moments with you, S looks into your eyes. Sandru...Ianez...Blackacre... "Don't think about me. Remember the mission!"

Then, the blue light. And she is gone.

S slinks like a panther and stands at Quinn's shoulder. She listens for a moment. "It's Melanie."

There's the sound of a door opening and closing...maybe Melanie coming back from the washroom. The footsteps approach the lounge from the ground floor hall at the back of the mansion.

"Someone should go intercept her and stall. Buy us a little more time."

S watches intently as your party inspects the fireplace. She looks back over her shoulder at Quinn and Hareton guarding the door.

"Hurry!" she urges. "The sorcerers will be back soon."

S shakes her head. "My investigation was largely a success, and I was able to press through and reconnoitre much important tactical data. I discovered the relocation of the key, that the address of its whereabouts is kept in a vault, and the location of the vault."

"I tried many times to witness the opening of the vault, but it was as if from that point on the sorcerers anticipated my interest and were very secretive. They guarded the information about how exactly the mechanism works."

"I am skilled in bardic magic. But honestly, at this point, I'm out of my league."

S meets Blackacre's gaze with her onyx eyes. Her manner is strong, like a soldier, quite different from her performance as the wilting Xa Io. "The key is an item of divination. Hergelund implemented a tiered system of double-blinds regarding information about this item. I can assure you we will know it when we see it. I can not say more."

"I have seen this is where the sorcerers keep the information. But it is protected by one of their signature spells, and no amount of seduction or mind-scans was able to extract the information."

"I'll tell you what I know quickly."

"I have seen you before," S replies to Quinn. "You are an upstanding officer of the law by profession. But remember, I am a spy. Hergelund brought me in a while ago. I observed you at your job on several occasions. Do not feel chagrined. I had to know your face and more importantly, how you'd respond in a high-pressure scenario."

"As for who is behind the undead crisis, I do not know. But the key is the way we will find out. Hergelund informed me the sorcerers took it from him and were in possession of the key. At first, we worked off this assumption. In my time here, I have learned that they once held the key in this very mansion, but have sinced moved it to another secret, secure location."

"This isn't as bad as it sounds, for if the key was here, it would be imperiled by the undead. The sorcerers hid the key at another residence within the city. They keep the address of this place in a small orb, and locked the orb within their vault."

"Quinn, we are in luck. None of us have to leave this room at all, for this is the room where the vault is kept."

She motions to the hearth. "The fireplace has a double nature. It is also a magical vault."

You are alone in the lounge but a moment before a secret panel in the wall opens, and Xa Io steps back into the room.

"Hello, my friends. I am Hergelund's infiltrator working on the inside. Call me "S". She gives a sharp look to the door leading out to the hallway. "Okay, let's get down to business. We don't have much time."

Xa tisks, leans away, and removes Ludo's hand from her body. She raises a long blood-red fingernail to her temple, an alienated expression on her face. "Not now, Ludo. I need to get some air."

She rises. Her legs are long and beautiful. She passes by Quinn and pauses a moment. Without meeting his eyes, she touches his hand as if in friendly greeting, and gently scrapes her blood-red nails against the sweaty crook of his palm. She passes a folded note to him.

"I hope everyone enjoys the party," she says softly, looking past Quinn to no one in particular. She continues on in an elegant catwalk and exits the room.

@Quinn -

Xa gives a nod of acknowledgment to Ianez. Her eyes are onyxes, fringed with black lashes, against the white powder of her makeup.