NO!

Uklag sits under the decks of a ship. “Well, it almost worked according to plan.” He says and looks at the cuffs that bind even his fingers together. They had entered the port and found a boat very quickly. But the ultimate bad luck stroke Uklag and another visitor of that ship had been none other than a certain brunette knight that had imprisoned him weeks back. They ran into each other at the third day.

“You will not trick me again! Arrest that man!” Luckily Catherine had the official paper of Brikstrat with her, that way Uklag was under her jurisdiction. “Think you have seen the last of me, huh?” The brunette knight says and enters. “Well, I did hope to see you again under other circumstances.” Uklag says and makes a grimace. “Like, you at my feed or something.” The brunette takes offence to that. “You are lucky Lady Catherine is merciful enough to let you keep your tongue, lowly mage.”

“True, she is that more powerful than me after all.” Uklag says in a deadpan voice. “Naturally, she is a woman.” Uklag ignores the ongoing rambling of the knight. ‘I wonder how Alratha is doing right now?’ he thinks to himself. The assassin had seen the knight take custody of Uklag and vanished into the shadows before anybody could notice her.

“…once we arrive in Arlheim we will…” ‘Wow, she is still going on.’

He has to listen to her take out her frustrations on him for two more weeks, ‘So this is how being a broke person feels like, huh?’ Uklag thinks to himself as he makes push-ups. ‘Life in tatters, ears bleading…a shadow moving at the corner of your eye.’

“Oh, hey Alratha.” Uklag says and sits on the piece of cloth that is his bed. “Long time no see.” The assassin smiles apologetically, “Catherine and me deemed it the best course of action to keep contact with you to a minimum. Sorry about the blue balls.” “Blue balls? Just because my fingers are bound doesn’t mean I can’t summon a succubus every night….Never tell that An or Al by the way, I would never hear the end of it.” Uklag cracks his neck, “But now that you are here that means we can go?”

“Yeah, we are only a few days away from Arlheim, tomorrow the ship will stop at a city and we flee.” “No, we won’t” Alratha has already turned to leave him. When she looks back she sees the sinister smile her master only puts on when something bad is about to happen. Something very bad.

The warlock ignites his bindings with a small flame from his left foot. “You can do that?” Alratha laughs. He cracks his finally free fingers and moves them around a bit. “Of course I can, why would you only be able to use Evocation with your hands? All limbs qualify.” Uklag feels the feeling return to his hands. “Yeah that’s better. Are we inland yet?” “Yes.” Alratha says, whatever Uklag is planning can only be more entertaining that Catherine’s boring ‘let’s leave quietly’ “Good. Time for a shipwreck.” He transmutes the lock away like last time, water hits the ground.

“This thing has to have a safe boat. Guide me too it and get Catherine there afterwards.” Alratha agrees. They have to kill a few guards on the way, but nothing Uklag cares about. Eventually the trio is down in the dark waters of the night. “Why can’t we just wait until tomorrow?” Catherine whispers and hands the black staff back to her master.

“Because, if we just vanish they might figure stuff out.” Uklag raises his staff. “If we are subtle about things however….” Sparks flicker up in the night and jump unto the ship. A few of them stick and grow into fires.

“Very subtle.” Catherine says with a dry tone. “Just shut up and help me row.” Uklag says and they escape into the night. Behind them the ship becomes a torch in the night.