The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

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Still investigating other possibilities for image hosting since I am getting really sick of Photobucket. Even if they weren't about to start charging for everything, I think I should start looking elsewhere, because their site simply does not work well. I was willing to put up with its flaws while it was free, but now...
Would it infuriate everyone if I started doing the Ballad on my Patreon? I would post it as "public" content, meaning you could still view it for free. You would have to register in order to leave comments, but I think you can sign up without actually having to spend any money.

>They never expect a fish, so it's obviously the most tactically sound option.
>Adler: Yes, you've got a plan now, and it's Brilliant! Just like all your plans

"That's it!" I exclaimed. "I'll go as a fish! This is briliant! They'll never expect it. I just need someone to carry me in a bucket, and we'll let everyone think I'm to be filleted for Estmere's supper."

>Get someone to carry you in a bucket, claim to the waitstaff that you're tonight's main course or something.
>Estvan: You've been neglecting your fatherly duties, you thoughtless, old fool! Tearfully embrace your child and tell her that she can have all the stories she wants. You'll never leave her side again and she can have a never ending stream of stories forever and ever and ever. Looks like her plan worked a little too well.
(HSH Prince Adler) Be very annoyed that Estvan is being distracted.

"Estvan, I need you to -" I exclaimed as I turned around, but Estvan was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd he go? And that little vixen who was here a second ago?"

This put a crimp in my plans. Nobody else was sober enough to trust with such an important task .. though as I thought about it, the fish plan started to make less and less sense. How would anybody in my army be able to get past the city guards? Even Estvan, unless he transmogrified into someone completely unrecognizable, would surely be challenged. And our cover story was uncomfortably close to a lie, which of course was a thing that elves do not do!

If I was going to infiltrate Albric Tor, I was going to have to do it on my own - which meant that the fish and mer-elf disguises were not feasible.

>The army can take the scrying tower while you sneak into the city, they can transport the prisoner by stuffing her in a sack or something. If you can't see anyone in the tower from here, chances are the opposing force put all their eggs in the tunnel ambush's basket.
>With the tower as a good defensible position, they can fight off the ambush then take the secret tunnels into the city and emerge to help you at a suitably dramatic moment.

It also meant that I would have to leave my army briefly under the command of my lieutenants.



"Thomson! Burnside!" I commanded. "I'm pretty sure that prisoner isn't going anywhere. Go find a sack to stuff Thompson in for safekeeping. We don't want her causing any more trouble, nor reporting back to her superiors. After that, you need to go around and slap these troops back to their senses and try to capture the South scrying tower. It is probably lightly defended if Theronmyathus has concentrated his forces in this tunnel ambush that Earl Speedy told us about. I am going on a covert mission into the city, and I will expect to rendesvous with you at the tower when I return."

"Yes sir," Thomson replied with a crisp salute. "It shall be done, Highness."

"Anything to atone for all the turrible thangs I done," Burnside moaned miserably.

turn into an Ixie and fly incognito into the city.
Adler, go as Relda and attempt to seduce your way into the city.
change into snow-vixen form.
strut your stuff through the front gates like you own the damn place!

The next question was: Ixie or vixen? I initially favored the Ixie since it could fly and was small enough to go unnoticed .. but what if I needed to talk to someone, or open a door? On further reflection I realized that only Relda Fauxfox could carry out this mission.

I rummaged around in a supply wagon and found a loose chainmail ring and a padlock, which I changed into a monocle and medal to complete my disguise.



"Right then. Off I go," I barked after finishing my transmogrification. I adjusted my eyepiece one last time, and strode determinedly up the road toward the city.

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>Alice and Scuti-Preston: Do something with that comb that everyone else is really going to regret.
(Scuti) Impatiently DEMAND Fuma's Teeth.
(Now mustache-less fox of great familiarity) Consider your reply to the Scuti.

"Actually, Sire," Alice explained calmly as the Scuti inside the jar beat furiously against the glass with its tiny hands. "Since we are all of noble descent, I see no reason why it must be you who wields the artifact. Actually, considering the way you have mishandled and bungled everything lately, there are ample reasons to leave you inside that jar to meditate on the vagaries of fate while another royal Scuti takes up the mantle of Destiny. Yes .. ample reasons indeed."