Vuthaternock tilts his head, and gently rests his hand on the hilt of one of his swords. "Why would someone want this dagger? And what kind of magics does it possess?" He waits for an answer, his wings feeling cramped in such a small space. He resists the urge to spread his wings, knowing he'd clip someone upside the head if he did so. He looks at the group, and chuckles quietly to himself. "Well. We're a rather mixed group."

Rynn sighs and leans against the doorframe, the picture of glorious boredom. "The dagger is longer than most. As the name suggests, it's pure black. Almost unnaturally so." She looked the man over - once, twice - before continuing. "We have no suspects. And we doubt it's anyone in Eastormel. No one here is that stupid."

"As for how they did it. We don't know. Things would go missing-" She shrugs. "-and we assumed it had gotten misplaced. Whoever took the dagger left no trace. At least, not any that we've been able to find."

She turns her gaze on the dragonborn. "The Dark Dagger hasn't been used in decades. It's become more of a symbol." She bites her lip. "While I'm sure there are records somewhere of its power, that knowledge has been lost to our family. I can tell you that it's nothing good." She shakes her head. "Nothing good can come out of something that feels so wrong. You would have to be near it to understand but . . . That dagger, it isn't natural."

One of the guards gives her a nod, and Rynn straightens. "Right. We can't wait around here forever. If there aren't any other questions of the utmost importance to you lot, we should head out. The Underground is nearly a week's ride from here if we take our fastest horses."

"Our first stop will be the town of Timberholde. If we leave now, we should reach the inn not long after nightfall."

“We have no suspects. And we doubt it's anyone in Eastormel. No one here is that stupid.” Arin almost snorted. If he had learned anything from life, it was to never underestimate the stupidity of people. Stupidity was like an abyss in that it was bottomless; a pandemic in that it can spread like wildfire and, if left untreated, can be deadly. Even the wisest, most intelligent, and the noblest of creatures have done something incomprehensibly stupid at the most inopportune time.

“Right. We can't wait around here forever. If there aren't any other questions of the utmost importance to you lot, we should head out. The Underground is nearly a week's ride from here if we take our fastest horses.” “We”… so we will be babysitting her royal highness after all. I wonder if the King sanctioned this. More than that, Arin wondered why they were being rushed out of the castle. They had just arrived and given no time to do anything. Did the crown not want them to properly investigate or was there more to this theft that even the King, or someone near him, didn’t want to disclose? If it was the latter… Arin’s eyes narrowed, the glint in them fading. Someone is going to be in trouble.

“Our first stop will be the town of Timberholde. If we leave now, we should reach the inn not long after nightfall.”

“Forgive me, ‘Lady’ Rynn, but before we leave, I would like to request that we look at the vault ourselves, as Miss Felmir suggested.” Arin nodded at Callista’s direction. “A fresh set of eyes may shed some light on the case.” Arin turned to redirect the princess’s gaze to the study, “I would also like to borrow any documents you may have on Eastormel Castle, before, after, and when it was built.” Arin turned back to the princess, ignoring the guards who looked like they wanted to deny the elf’s request, “I do understand that you believe time is of the essence.” Why? I do not know. If it was stolen and sold to someone, then it was sold by now. If it was taken by someone, or a group, who was going to use it, it wasn't difficult to assume the dagger was in their hands. Simply too much time passed since the theft. The only reason to rush now was to prevent the dagger from being “used”, whatever that entailed. “I ask of this because, even if we do successfully recover the dagger, it does not solve the problem that there is a method to enter the castle without being detected by anyone. As long as this mystery is not solved, something like this is bound to happen again.”

---

Elra smiled at the group, relieved to have the doors open and their wanting to figure out how.

“I don’t think they actually kept it in a vault. As a symbol it would need to be on a display and not hidden behind locked doors,” she said. “I think also that her grace and other may have dealt with that issue or they may know more about who has it then they are letting us know,” she said.

"The dagger is longer than most. As the name suggests, it's pure black. Almost unnaturally so." Ernestus makes a mental note, "We have no suspects. And we doubt it's anyone in Eastormel. No one here is that stupid." He raises a brow to the remark, One shouldn't underestimate anyone, as anyone can be surprised by the most unlikely sorts. he thought to himself.

"As for how they did it. We don't know. Things would go missing, and we assumed it had gotten misplaced. Whoever took the dagger left no trace. At least, not any that we've been able to find." Ernestus shook his head in dissappointment. The security of this place must be very poor if such treasures are lost so easily. he thought.

"The Dark Dagger hasn't been used in decades. It's become more of a symbol." Ernestus' eyes follow to the dragon briefly before returning to Rynn,"While I'm sure there are records somewhere of its power, that knowledge has been lost to our family. I can tell you that it's nothing good." I don't think finding it is the best option then...Ernestus thought.
"Nothing good can come out of something that feels so wrong. You would have to be near it to understand but..That dagger, it isn't natural."
And with that final comment, I think it best that its destroyed, if its truly a possible danger.
Such things should not be waved around as a symbol, especially if its a potentially dark and magical artifact, that they don't happen to understand anything about. Ernestus thought, his concerns about this job becoming clearer.
He briefly looked around the room at the other group members, concerned about their true alignment.

"Right. We can't wait around here forever. If there aren't any other questions of the utmost importance to you lot, we should head out. The Underground is nearly a week's ride from here if we take our fastest horses.
Ernestus is snapped put of his train of thought. We are leaving so soon?
"Our first stop will be the town of Timberholde. If we leave now, we should reach the inn not long after nightfall."
The beast within began to stir slightly as his hunger started up again. For a moment, Ernestus' eyes changed, and he began to sigh, but it sounded more like a growl. He quickly shook himself out of it and faked a cough.

He continued to listen to the group as they said their pieces.
He agreed with Arin, but Elra made a good point too. However given how lacking the security seems to be, especially given how often they lose items, he didn't exactly have faith in their capabilities.

Callista leaned back and tapped her foot as she listened to the princess and to her companions' words. Damn. And here I was, hoping it was just one of those artifacts people like boasting about... Hard to tell if Rynn here is just impatient, or if we have a serious issue on our hands.

"I also get that you want to catch this thief before they use... whatever powers the dagger has, but do you think they really know what it can do? You're the ones that have had it so long, and you don't know, so would the thief? Hells, that wasn't even the only thing they took. If other things have been disappearing, that means your thief is almost certainly after valuables, not wicked magics."

She sighed and shook her head.

"If you're set on chasing after them like a hound with a scent, clearly it's your call. But if you want to find and catch the one who did it, then please. Let us gather information, that we might deliver you results."

“I don’t think they actually kept it in a vault. As a symbol it would need to be on a display and not hidden behind locked doors,” Elra said, “I think also that her grace and other may have dealt with that issue or they may know more about who has it then they are letting us know.”

Arin responded to Elra after Callista finished speaking. “If this was before the thefts, I would agree with you, Miss Silverfang. I would not be surprised if they put the dagger on display for the whole world to see, to witness it in all its glory,” Arin’s voice changed to something more theatrical by the end of his sentence. He even twirled around once to add to the flair. “ However.” The elf stopped. “Imagine, after a series of petty thefts, things from the armory start to disappear. More valuable items start to vanish into thin air. Would you feel safe, leaving your prized relic out in the open, all day long? Of course, you could increase security, but you cannot avoid the inevitability that there will be fewer people active at night both inside the castle and out. Guards are also a limited resource: security would have to use what guards they had to make sure that the whole castle was safe in addition to protecting any and all valuable items. As time goes by, and there is no sign of the thefts stopping, the ‘resources’ will start to get very tired and stressed, they are people after all, but this makes them less reliable as protectors.”

Arin paused for a moment to make sure the others were following his line of thought before continuing, “Usually, preferably immediately after things from the armory were taken and before all the guards are worked to the bone, this is around the time the owners of the priceless items decide to place said items in a vault, at least at night. When there is no one to marvel at their glory.” Arin added the same theatrical tone as before to the last part of the sentence. “Vaults are, in theory, the safest place to store items. There is only one entrance that needs to be guarded after all. Even better ones make it hard to get in and out. You could comfortably manage security without them being overworked or overwhelmed.”

Arin’s eyes slowly moved towards and locked on to the guards, assessing their state, “I would be extremely surprised if not a single valuable item was moved from its original place despite there being an ongoing stealing rampage. Makes you wonder who made that decision if that was the case...” Arin added a bearly audible, “and why.”

Her eyes roam over the group, weighing. "I've spent my life behind these walls. There's not a secret in this castle I don't know about. If there is . . . Well, it's well hidden." She plucks an invisible bit of lint from her sleeve. "Which is why I'm surprised that anyone was able to steal from this place, let alone from the vaults."

Arin turned to the other elf, “Regardless of where the dagger was when it was stolen, you heard Lady Rynn say that the thief was able to access the vaults when she entered the room. Based on her choice of words, I can only assume that she too is unaware of how the thief was able to gain access to the areas where the thefts occurred and bypass the guards. They could not come up with even one suspect. Thus, I highly doubt they ‘have dealt with that issue’.”

Arin faced the princess, “I would rather be wrong, of course.” Though that would imply that the group was being actively misled. “Something or things, that may or may not be or include the Dark Dagger, have been stolen from the vaults and no one knows how. My previous statement still stands: it will happen again if you do not know how the theft was done.”

“Please correct me if I misunderstood the situation, or any detail, in any way.”

Rynn looks uneasily around the room, her lips nearly bone-white between her teeth. "I would much rather prefer it if we steered clear of the vaults. As I said before, the thief left no trace." She straightens and pulls at her jacket. "There would be no point in looking here any further. It would only serve to waste time."

She looks at the elf. "You're right. We don't know who stole the dagger, let alone how. Regardless, it cannot happen again."

"The Dark Dagger is dangerous. Our lack of information only makes it more so. Whether or not it's likely the thief knows what it's capable of, I won't take any chances." Rynn nods. "We leave for Timberholde at once."

Ernestus raises his hand, "I do apologise for the inconvenience, but could I get something to eat? I have not had a proper meal in a couple of days during my journey coming here." he lowers his hand, and places it against his gut due to discomfort.
"Though I do suppose it could wait until we get to Timberholde." he then says.

He ponders for a moment about the idea of travelling for the rest of the day without eating first. His eyes change again as he looks up and around the room, until he shakes himself out of it.
Ernestus raises a hand and mutters something under his breath, his hand then begins to glow slightly, and he then hovers it over his gut, the ache begins to fade away. He sighs, "I'll sort you out eventually." he then says to himself quietly.

Vuthaternock tilts his head. "Would you like some jerky? Ernestus, was it? He pulls out a small satchel and holds it out to him. "I don't mind." He grins slightly, not showing his fangs, so it hopefully doesn't come off as a threat. "How far away is this Timberholde as the crow flies? Or drake in my case." He takes a deep breath, holding back his magic before he does something the others would consider rash. Best to not get on anyone's bad side. I'm likely the most powerful fighter here, but mage....I'm not sure. I've only met a few other mages after all, and I hate so called monster hunters. But a great deal of them are mages of some kind.... "Who here knows the land best, places to rest, places to avoid, that sort of thing?"

---

Elra smiled at the rebuke suprised there was no fist that came with it. She wanted to state you couldn’t trust a Nobel that was trying to rush you out the door. It was the classic game, I distract you with one hand and bring the dagger to your back with the other. Truth had to be earned in her mind.

Ernestus holds up a hand to the Dragons offer, "No thank you, i'll manage for now. Hopefully I can get something later." he says with a friendly smile in turn.

"How far away is this Timberholde as the crow flies? Or drake in my case. Who here knows the land best, places to rest, places to avoid, that sort of thing?"
After listening to Vuthaternock, "I'd assume it would be quicker to fly? would it not?" he then says with curiosity.

He grins, and spreads his wings. "These wings aren't for show. You can avoid all kinds of nasty tricks and traps in the air." He looks around at the group. "I could cast a spell that lets at least one of you to fly with me, but you have to stay close by. If you stray too far, the tether will snap, and you'll fall from the sky." He chuckles. That is what 'as the crow flies' means after all. It's a straight shot, no detours, no set backs. Just a straight line, point A to point B. Nice and simple." He thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "I'd never be able to convince any of my kin to let you ride them. They're too proud to be beasts of burden. And everything is about pride to dragons."

---

Elra said, "Horses don't like me much. So, I'd be willing to fly with you if that would be okay." The wolf in her did not like the thought, but she did not like the thought of the horse wanting to throw her.

"I'm not one for flying, and i'll be honest, i've never ridden a horse before. I have mostly walked." Ernestus said feeling a bit awkward, "But i'll try riding nonetheless." he then said.

He pondered for the moment on whether he could outrun a horse if they'd happen to go down the road of a forest, if he allowed himself to fully transform, but such a thought should remain such. I doubt they would be happy finding out about me. he thought to himself.

Arin’s patience was wearing thinner by the second. Waste of time? The only person wasting his time was the princess. Who was she to tell him how to do his job? No proper investigation has ever been done, and never will be done, by not looking. Why was he even summoned here in the first place if not to investigate?

Slowly, but surely, the letter in his pocket became something unpleasant and hard to ignore. Reminding him of what happened to bad little Astastels who failed to uphold a deal made in the House’s name. The thought sent shivers down the elf’s back.

You just had to make life harder for me, did you? Reluctantly, but no less annoyed, Arin focused on gathering arcane energy to one focal point. When just the right amount accumulated, he cast two spells in quick succession.

Sensing something amiss, the guards rushed forward to defend their princess, ready to cut down the foolish elf who dared to ambush a member of the royal blood. Arin, unfazed, raised his hands in the air and waited for them to settle down. They anticipated for an attack that never came. When nothing happened a few more seconds later, the soldiers relaxed a bit.

“V pnfg n fcryy gung rapelcgf jung jr fnl. Ab bar urer rkprcg sbe lbh naq V pna haqrefgnaq jung jr ner fnlvat. V oryvrir guvf jvyy znxr vg rnfvre sbe lbh gb nafjre… jung V cerfhzr gb or qvssvphyg dhrfgvbaf,” Arin bowed dramatically and added, “Ynql.” The guards looked at each other in confusion, before aiming their confused expression at their mistress.

The elf straightened up and began to peruse the study. Examining whatever he got his hands on, squeezing past others when he needed to, in order to find the thing that he requested earlier from the princess. Seeing that she never said no ---she in fact, never spoke about it---, Arin decided that it was a yes. As he did, he spoke in an even tone.

“Gb ortva, V zhfg cbvag bhg gung V unir orra fhzzbarq urer gb qb n irel fcrpvsvp wbo. N wbo juvpu lbh ner npgviryl trggvat va gur jnl bs zr qbvat. Gb vairfgvtngr vf gb pneel bhg n flfgrzngvp be sbezny vadhvel gb qvfpbire naq rknzvar gur snpgf pbapreavat jungrire gur fhowrpg vf, va guvf pnfr, n frevrf bs gursgf. Guvf vf qbar gb rfgnoyvfu gur gehgu. Ceriragvat hf gb vafcrpg gur fprar bs gur pevzr, cevaprff, vf gur rdhvinyrag bs gelvat gb qrgrezvar gur pnhfr bs qrngu bs fbzrbar jvgubhg gurve obql; tb ubefr evqvat jvgubhg gur ubefr; n grn cnegl jvgubhg grn. Be jungrire nanybtl lbh cersre. Gur cbvag vf: lbh ner ceriragvat hf sebz qbvat n gubebhtu vairfgvtngvba. Lbh... qb haqrefgnaq ubj fgenatr lbhe vafvfgrapr gung jr qb abg qb bhe wbo pbzrf bss nf, lrf? Znxrf lbh ybbx qhovbhf.” Arin closed the book he was skimming through and slid it between his underarm.

“Qb lbh xabj jung unccraf gb pbzzbaref jub qb abg yvir hc gb n fbirervta’f rkcrpgngvbaf, cevaprff? Jung lbh znl trg n fync ba gur jevfg sbe, pbzzbaref ner rkrphgrq sbe. Vg vf abg haurneq bs va bgure xvatqbzf naq gurer vf abguvat lbh pna fnl gung jvyy pbaivapr zr gung lbhe snzvyl qb abg unir gur fnzr grzcrenzrag. Fb vs lbh ner gelvat gb znxr hf gnxr cneg va fbzr xvaq bs rynobengr ehanjnl, cyrnfr, qb vg ba lbhe bja gvzr.” Arin turned to Rynn, giving his undivided attention. “Vs lbh ner frevbhf nobhg jung lbh fnvq, ubjrire, gura cyrnfr fgbc jnfgvat bhe gvzr naq tvir zr fgenvtug nafjref gb zl dhrfgvbaf. V arrq snpgf.”

The elf stared straight into Rynn’s eyes, “Jul qb lbh abg jnag hf gb vairfgvtngr gur inhyg?.”
"Vs lbh zhfg xabj, jr qba'g shyyl gehfg lbh nyy. Ng yrnfg, abg rabhtu gb yrg lbh nebhaq gur inhygf."
“Nf tbbq nf nal ernfba, V fhccbfr.”

The guards expressed shock when they heard the princess speak. It didn't take them long to figure out what or who caused it. Their bodies tensed once again, ready to attack as soon as their mistress would allow it. Fortunately for the elf, the Lady didn't.

“Qvq lbh yvr gb hf ng nal cbvag?”
"V unir abg yvrq gb lbh, ohg V frr ab arrq va nafjrevat evqvphybhf dhrfgvbaf."
“Yrg zr fnl vg vf sbe gur fnzr ernfba lbh qb abg jnag hf gb tb vagb gur inhygf, ohg V qvterff. Ner lbh vaibyirq va gur gursg bs gur qnttre?”
"Ab. Lbh jbhyqa'g or urer vs V unq orra."
“Jbhyq V abg? Orvat cneg bs n eblny snzvyl jbhyq znxr vg irel rnfl gb uvqr va gur bcra. Abar bs lbhe fhowrpgf jbhyq qner, ng yrnfg bcrayl, fhfcrpg gurve cevaprff.”

For the first time since he cast the spells, the elf's voice took a softer tone, “Vf lbhe yvsr va qnatre?”

"V unir fcrag zl yvsr genvavat, orpbzvat gur orfg jneevbe V pna or. V yvxr gb guvax gung vs zl yvsr jrer va qnatre, V jbhyq or noyr gb unaqyr vg zlfrys."

Arin seemed to contemplate something before pulling out the letter that was safely tucked away in his pocket. There was nothing extraordinary about the paper minus the insignia of two intertwined wyverns on it, “Qb lbh xabj, rknpgyl, jub erdhrfgrq nffvfgnapr sebz Ubhfr Nfgnfgry? Jub neenatrq n qrny jvgu... ‘hf’?”

"Ab, V qba'g. V jbhyq nffhzr zl sngure, vs abg ol uvf bja unaq."

Satisfied with the answers, Arin finally took his gaze off of Rynn and returned the letter into his pocket, “Gunax lbh sbe lbhe ubarfgl, Ynql Elaa.” He bowed slightly before resuming what he was previously doing, “V qb erfcrpg lbhe pnhgvbhfarff ba gur znggre, ohg ‘gehfg’ vf n gjb-jnl fgerrg, Ynql Elaa. Abar bs hf urer gehfg lbh rvgure. Lbhe eblny gvgyr nybar pnaabg jva bhe gehfg. Guvf vf, ng gur raq bs gur qnl, n ohfvarff. N zbqvphz bs gehfg zhfg or tvira sbe rirelbar gb cresbez gurve tvira qhgl. N fbpvrgl whfg jbhyq abg shapgvba cebcreyl vs rirelbar vf cnenabvq. Jung vs gur onxre cbvfbarq gurve ybnirf bs oernq? Jung vs gur crbcyr jub znqr gur ebnqf znqr fher vg yrq gb bhe qrnguf? Rgprgren, rgprgren. Vg vf arire-raqvat naq hygvzngryl n cbvagyrff raqrnibe. Ynql Elaa, V nz abg gryyvat lbh gb gehfg hf jubyrurnegrqyl, gung vf hajvfr rira nzbat sevraqf, ohg nyybj zr gb qb jung V jnf uverq gb qb. Gb vairfgvtngr gur gursgf.” Arin pointed at his pocket without looking away from the book in his other hand, “Guvf yrggre vf zber ovaqvat guna lbh pna rire vzntvar.”

Arin added another book between his underarm, “Qhr gb gur angher bs guvf pbagenpg, V jvyy raq hc ragrevat gur inhygf ertneqyrff bs ubj zhpu lbh gehfg zr. Zvaq lbh, guvf vf abg n guerng, vg vf cneg bs gur Ubhfrf’ erjneq sbe urycvat: gb fghql gur zntvpny vgrzf lbhe snzvyl cbffrffrf naq obeebj vg, ohl vg vs jr zhfg, qrcraqvat ba vgf zntvpny cebcregvrf. V crefbanyyl jnagrq gb rknzvar gur inhygf gb frr vs zntvp jnf rira hfrq gb oernx vagb gurz. Vs gur inhygf qb fgber n terng ahzore bs zntvpny vgrzf, V pna bayl nffhzr gung gur inhygf ner rdhnyyl zntvpny be nagv-zntvpny. Gung vf nyy vtabevat gur cbffvovyvgl gung gurer ner frperg cnffntrf gung bayl n unaqshy bs crbcyr fubhyq xabj nobhg. Gb or noyr gb pvephzirag nyy gung erdhverf fcrpvsvp xabjyrqtr naq erfbheprf. Guvatf gung V jvyy abg or noyr gb svaq gur fcrpvsvpf bs orpnhfr V pnaabg rknzvar gur inhygf.”

Arin walked back to his original position, “Fb jura lbhe sngure nfxf zr ubj gur guvrs tbg va, naq jr svaq bhg abguvat va gur Haqretebhaq, V nz cbvagvat zl svatre ng lbh.” He shrugged, “Ubcrshyyl orsber gung unccraf lbh jvyy erpbafvqre naq nyybj zr gb rknzvar gur inhygf… ohg ol gura V srne gurer jvyy or yvggyr gb ab genprf bs gur crecrgengbe’f zntvp yrsg gb qrgrpg. Whfg xrrc gung va zvaq.”

Arin snapped his fingers, dispelling whatever it was that he cast. “Well then, I suppose I should go get my bags. Long way ahead and all that.” He then took the two history books between his underarm and showed the cover to the princess and her guards. “I am also going to borrow these.”

Rynn narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said, contempt leaking through her voice. "You will be given an hour to examine the vaults, nothing more, and-" She signaled to the two guards still standing in the doorway. They snapped to attention. "-there will be at least ten guards watching your every movement." Her eyes roamed over the rest of the group. "Two for each of you, and there will be more in hall outside." Her upper lip curled. "So don't even think of trying anything," she hissed.

The guards looked between each other, unsure if this was their cue to round up their fellow officers. Rynn tossed her braid over her shoulder and strode out. "Follow me," she said, her voice bouncing off the high ceiling and stone walls of the dusty corridor.

As the one of the guards left to gather more officers, Rynn led the group through the castle. Many doors were shut and locked, nothing but darkness seeping out of the cracks beneath the doors. After so many years of not being used, the locks had rusted and fallen into disrepair anyway. No one bothered to try and open them.

A dead end. A wall lay before them. Rynn stopped, nodded to the guard beside her. She pulled her dagger free of its sheath and dragged the blade across the pale skin of thumb. Crimson blood welled from the cut, and she pressed it to the cracked and filthy stone. The wall heaved once, twice, before it ground against the floor and swung inward to reveal the iron vault door.

She looked back at the elf, an eyebrow cocked. "Impressed?"

"The guards will bring the key along shortly. Until then, you can marvel all you'd like."

Ernestus placed a hand on the pommel of his blade in case the worst happened as Rynns guards stepped forth as the elf clearly casted a spell. He was then surprised and confused as both the elf and the princess were both speaking in an unusual language. He remained alert as Arin clearly lead the conversation(?), but he wasn't sure where it headed.

Then after listening to the princess when she started speaking common again, he kept his hand on his blade as she guided the group.
After reaching the dead end, he witnessed the princess knick herself with a dagger, he squinted and focussed on whatever she was up to, and then realised it was some strange locking mechanism. Ernestus then rested his hand from his sword.

---

Walked with the group till they reached the vault door. Locked rooms were not her thing, but she followed. She was impressed at the security, but she knew how she would have attacked it. Necromancy. It would be possible to graft a dead finger on live body. If the finger was from a person who had access and the body was of the blood line, If the finger had access in the past. She leaned close to the one next to her, “I think I could defeat that with a fairly low level spell and a little time,” she whispered. She did not want to explain with the guards so close.

“Your Grace, has there been any bodies found or any of your family missing, like a second cousin?” Elra asked. It would not be good for the living person. When the key came Elra poked her head in the vaults without entering. Then looked to her guards and asked where the kitchen was. She pulled her cowl up to hide her face. She was going to get some provisions for the trip. Her horse could be used to carry that. A couple lanterns, flasks of oil, meats, cheeses, breads, some fresh vegetables, and potatoes. She filled her pockets with apples for the horses.

She got a couple blankets, and a nice change of clothes for the Princess and herself. She had asked and they gave, though the glowing wolf eyes under the cowl might have motivated the maids and kitchen staff to comply. She had not stolen, which was important to her. She returned with Servants in tow wih baskets In hand and some food for her hungry quest mates.

She would wait for the others to eat then she would eat. The wolf in her did not want to wait and she was not the omega here, feeding on the scraps everyone left.

Arin was slightly taken aback when Rynn relented. She struck him as an individual who was headstrong, unabashedly obstinate even: nothing, absolutely nothing, would get in her way once she made a choice. He had just resigned himself to being kicked out of the castle and be on their way to Timberholde. Yet, here they were, about to head to the vaults.

He didn’t know what he said differently that convinced her now that didn’t convince her before. Maybe Arin pestered her enough that Rynn was allowing the investigation of the vaults only to shut him up. Wouldn’t be the first time that happened. Besides, it wasn’t as if his request was illogical considering the circumstance. Had they been someone who Rynn trusted with her life, she would have let them in the vaults without a doubt.

While he would have preferred having a whole day to examine the vaults, Arin knew he’d be pushing his luck. So, he took what he could get.

On their way to the vaults, the group took a detour to retrieve his belongings. The elf brought with him a large leather satchel and an even larger wooden chest with makeshift wheels and a long sturdy handle attached to it. Based on the contents that protruded out of the satchel, anyone could guess that the elf’s luggage comprised primarily of alchemical ingredients and tools and little of his personal belongings.

As the group approached, what seemed to be, a dead-end, Arin could feel his skin tingle from the arcane energy that was either being emitted from the vault itself and, or was the magic seeping out from within. The elf checked his body to see if the energy affected him but was relieved to see that it didn’t.

As Rynn cut herself with a blade to reveal the hidden vault, Arin made a mental note that a relatively small amount of blood, from individuals who were permitted access to the vaults ---probably most, if not all, members of the royal family, but also potentially a select few non-royals such as the mages who cast the spells and trusted loyalist---, was required. "Impressed?" Rynn asked. Arin smiled at her briefly as an answer and dropped it once she looked away. Though impressive, this made it even more likely that the theft, at least of the objects locked in the vaults, was an inside job.

“Your Grace, has there been any bodies found or any of your family missing, like a second cousin?” Elra asked. She makes an excellent point. He’d have to look into it, but there was nothing to suggest that the blood had to come from the living.

While he and the others waited for the guards to return with a key and additional guards to watch the group, Arin opened his chest and started to prepare. He asked the other volunteers ---those who remained--- what their expertise was concerning investigations and suggested that they should split the work to collect as much information as they can in the one hour they were given. He told the group that he was going to focus on whether or not magic was used to break into the vaults.

When the extra guards arrived, Arin gave his two guards things to hold. One was given a tray with sample tubes, tweezers, cotton, a small container of distilled water, an inkwell filled with ink, and a quill pen; one was given a tube rack, an unusual device, and a thin, rigid board with papers stacked on it. The guards were confused at first but were shocked, even mildly insulted, when they realized they were being used as a manservant. “Well, if you are going to hover over me and watch my every move like a love-struck maiden, you might as well be of some use,” Arin took the board with papers on it and dipped the quill into the ink. “Do you two have names?” The guards remained silent, though one was obviously glaring at Arin. “No? Then I shall name you Bob One and Ben Two.” The elf heard Ben Two mumble something about his name being Wyll and snapped, “Well it is too late for that, Ben Two. You should have introduced yourself like civil people when I asked. Now you have to live with your decision.”

Ignoring Ben Two’s grumbling, Arin continued. “As you may already know by now, we are conducting an investigation of the vault to determine how a thief would be able to steal the Dark Dagger unnoticed. Since our time is limited, I will be primarily focusing on collecting samples to analyze later and taking notes to organize my thoughts. I will tell you every detail of the process and why it is being done so that you two do not go into a frenzy every time I do something that you think is suspicious. I will explain in such detail and repeat the explanation so many times that by tomorrow, you two will be experts yourselves.”

True to his word, Arin explained every little thing he did in agonizing detail and repeated the explanation again when he did the same thing once more. This ranged from relevant things such as the sample gathering methods to irrelevant and mundane actions such as scratching his nose and sneezing. Ten minutes into the vault examination, Bob One and Ben Two begged for Arin to stop explaining absolutely everything he was doing. At the fifteen-minute mark, they asked him to only explain the new things he was doing. By thirty minutes, they just wanted him to work in silence.

During his time in and around the vault, Arin took meticulous notes about the vault and the objects inside. The notes included sketches, measurements, and personal comments. He made sure he collected all the samples that he could possibly collect. There was so much more he wanted to do, but there was precious little time left and Arin knew he needed to talk to the people who knew what authorized spells were used inside and on the vault, maybe throughout the castle itself.

The plan was to compare the magic samples with the list of authorized spells to see if there were any outliers. Ideally, the unauthorized spell would be that of the thief. Arin would then use the essence to track the thief or the magical item that the thief used, which hopefully was still in the thief’s possession. If there were no unauthorized spells, then it was highly likely that no magic was used for the theft or the thief ---or their accomplice--- used authorized magic to cover their tracks. It would also strengthen the theory that someone close to Rynn was involved in the theft. It was that or there would have to be an outsider who had a deep knowledge of Eastormel Castle, but who would have that kind of knowledge? The elves of old? Perhaps there was a long-lost map floating around that revealed all the secret passages. The possibilities were endless, but Arin needed to focus on one thing at a time.

Arin reluctantly left the vault, with his two guards right behind him, to find the person he needed to speak to. After he verified the spells, he came back to the group. He carefully returned all his tools in their designated places in the chest. He took all his notes, reviewed them one last time before blowing on them. Slowly, the letters started to fade, becoming invisible to the naked eye. He then carefully tied the papers with rope and put it in the chest like the rest of the items. Arin whispered a spell after locking the chest and stood up.