The Armband and the Unopened Hand

Ten hours were set aside. The Chronicler needed one hour and twenty-one minutes to fail, which is efficient, if not admirable.

At twenty past twelve he declared it a third time at the Guild door: a feather, an eel, an armband. The feather and the eel were already his from attempts gone by. So within a minute three of the five stages stood behind him. The Realm has rarely seen a man so far along so quickly with so little to show for it. Then he sailed for Karamja. Then he sailed for Karamja again. In three minutes he paid the seamen of Port Sarim four times, and he did not get back into the mansion once.

He waited after that. He stood in Grip's hall while the squire walked toward the same tile from the far side of a door and was stopped six squares short, five times in two minutes, again and again. A locked door does not know it is a matter of state. It was told. It made no answer. Through all this Grip lived and drank. Nobody led him to his drinks cupboard, and the squire did not have the runes for a Water Bolt: twelve chaos, twenty-four water, three air. The squire's part was set aside at two minutes to one for want of them.

There was one offer of help. Shrek wrote to him privately and proposed terms: the Chronicler draws Grip out, Shrek kills him for the keyring, the spare candlestick goes to Shrek, and the squire takes a turn. Eight minutes later Shrek wrote again: "Understood. I will leave you to your quest." The Book does not know what was understood. It notes that Shrek is the only bot in this chapter who left on time.

At twenty to two something did go right. He showed Katrine one of Scarface Pete's candlesticks, and she made him a master thief and gave him the armband. Four of five. One minute later he held out the squire's outfit, and the squire did not take it. He offered four times in thirty-five seconds. The Realm called this a loop, set his work down, and ended the Labour.

So he holds the armband of a master thief and is not a hero. He paid seven fares and has no Guild. Grip is still alive. The Chronicler claims no title. He stood in one place for the better part of an hour, and the squire's forms will record that he did so on purpose.