The lucky Storyteller

While waiting for all the sounds of their footsteps to depart, I thought about my abilities and how could I find them out, and a transparent blue screen appeared before my eyes with data:

Name: Elamiha Amber

Age: 29

Race: Human

Level : 1

Vitality: 102

Strength: 21

Dexterity: 11

Intelligence: 13

Unique skill: Storyteller (Allows Master to tell stories, Secondary treats: History - allows Master to remember everything she reads; Story Walker - ???; Keeper of Stories - ???; Story Forger - ???; ??? - ???)

"Damn, I should feel insulted by those intelligence points, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't refer to my IQ. Besides, these stats are so low, even to me! I wonder how the other heroes passed to be chosen. Just how awesome their stats are? Anyway, what exactly can this skill do? Why are so many question marks here? So, all I know for now is that I can tell stories… But what kind of stories? And History allows me to remember everything I read… I guess it's cool, it's like having unlimited memory, I suppose."

In truth, I was disappointed by my stats, but since there was nothing to do about it, crying was useless, so I could only accept the situation, and do my best to survive with all I had. 

As I assured myself that it was safe to come out, I crept from under the bed and looked around. The first thing I did was to open the wardrobe room and search for the items that the king threw, namely the keys. 

The room was illuminated by golden crystals that radiated like normal light bulbs, but it still was hard to find what I was looking for, because the closets were quite deep and dark. I took one of those bright crystals and moved to the spots where I remembered the king was close to. While rummaging through the clothes, I found a simple wooden box, with the locket moving slightly, although it had a very delicate and intricate picklock resembling that of a needle with petals, that I was sure went more complicated as it was introduced inside to open the lock of the box. Was the king trying to see whatever was inside for himself only? Or did he look for the box to make sure it was locked?

With trembling fingers I opened it. Inside was a large, white pearl resting on a little pillow of royal blue velvet. It was stunning and I couldn't help myself to touch it with my fingertips. It was a strange sight, my black fingers and the delicate white pearl formed a peculiar contrast. It felt cold on my skin.

Then something eerie happened. The pearl started to glow softly and I saw how on its surface formed threads of purple poison spinning from my hand like a yarn, my dark veins regaining their usual bluish color as the poison was drained from my body. The stings and numbness disappearing gradually from my arms. I looked at my hands. There was no sign of poison anymore.

"I'll take this with me," I decided, and put it in my pocket. "I'm sure I'll need every ounce of help I can get to find a way out of here, and that's available for the outside world too, since I have no idea what to expect for once out there."

More calm now, I searched again for the keys and more treasures, but beside jewels embedded into fancy robes, boots, and other clothes accessories, that weren't hidden in boxes at all, I couldn't find anything useful, except a little leather pouch with golden tassels. I started to rip some gems from the clothes and put them in the pouch, but soon noticed that no matter how many I've tucked inside, the pouch never got filled. Intrigued, I turned it upside down, but nothing came out.

"My gems..." I said disappointed, and the gems started to pour like a river from the pouch. "Oh, that's interesting!"

To check my theory, I added a pair of hunting boots inside. Although it appeared impossible, the boots just disappeared effortlessly in the pouch. 

"Boots?" I thought before I said it, and the footwear was out again. "Nice! This is very useful."

Luckily, I found the keys, and my attention was drawn to the clothes from a corner, where the collar decorated with a huge white pearl of a royal cloak shone delicately. It was just the cloak from the king's portraits, but those clothes surely didn't fit him anymore, so there were slight chances to notice the absence of that pearl. Since it was quite similar to the one from the wooden box, I took the pearl from the cloak and put it in the box, making sure the lock was properly closed, then hid the box where I found it first. I also took the simplest clothes that fit me, and changed, putting the pajamas in the magical pouch.

"Hmm, since I found the pouch, I wonder if the king put something inside too. I want to see what are all the items it contains. All items out?"

The pouch spitted dozens of weapons, gold coins, scrolls, books, letters, documents, maps, some vials with essences of different colors. 

"This is a goldmine. I bet the king would be terribly upset if he lost all these secret treasures that tried to conceal. Too bad I don't have time to check them all now. This is all nice, if I can live to make good use of them."

I've put back inside all of them, except a dagger – just in case – and the maps, hoping to get a blueprint of the castle. The maps were awfully detailed on different territories, but I picked only those of buildings comparing them with the images from my mind as I remembered the great hall, the corridors to my room, then the secret passages... and it didn't take long to find it, because there was only one blueprint that matched with the one in my mind. I've put the rest of the maps in the pouch, then studied the castle map. 

"Hmm, so the blue color is designed for the facade that all see, and the red for the secret corridors. Oh, I didn't realize that the tunnels were climbing... My room was at the first floor, the servants' one at the second floor, and currently I'm at the center of the third floor, which, by the size of these rooms, I would say they belong to the royal family only. Now, where is the exit? Damn, the servants were right. The walls of this castle really have eyes and ears." 

The blueprint shown that the king's room had more than one secret passage. In fact, it was connected with the whole castle, even with the dungeons beneath the first floor. From the dungeons it was drawn a passage that followed an underground tunnel that led to a large room under the ground, then the tunnel started to climb, until it reached a folly in the gardens... and a possible escape for me. 

I've put the remaining things that I scattered right to their place, wanting to prolong the time until the king would become suspicious if he returned to his chamber, took the keys and closed the wardrobe room, then checked the right side of the wall behind the kings' desk. It didn't have a door, but the wall sided when I pressed the fifth brick from the window and revealed a circular passage with stone stairs that climbed down. This one wasn't illuminated, and as far as I could see it was full of cobwebs.

"So this wasn't used in a very long time, although it seems larger than the rest of the ones I passed through..." 

I took my bright crystal and began my descent.