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Oh, cry fie and fray it all! You don't have time for this. To tell it true, you don't have time for anything at this point! You need to just ... just get yourself upstairs right quick, before you waste any more time - or your luck turns black once more. Of course, this is not something easily done; you don't know if the bondsman is still in the house, or if he has quit the place as the Guards did. All told, he was moving pretty quietly - and now that you think about it, there was no light underneath the door when he passed by as there was with the Guards, so it seems that he is walking around in the dark too. Trying to put the prospect of the two of you running into each other in the darkness out of your head, you resolve to get yourself upstairs immediately. After making sure that you still have everything with you, you position yourself at the door and try listening one last time. When you find that you still cannot hear anything, you offer up a silent prayer and slip yourself back into the hallway.
Immediately, you see that the door to your right - the one that is opposite to the gallery, and the one that both the Guards and the bondsman passed through - is now open, as you had expected. Moreover, the hallway is much darker than it was before - the lights you saw earlier have either been extinguished or they have been taken away. From where you are, you cannot make out anything beyond the open door but darkness - not that you intend to. Upstairs. You need to be upstairs. Moving as quickly as you can while still remaining quiet, you mince over to the steps, position yourself as close as you can to the wall and start your way up - all the while staring at the door opposite of the gallery, straining to see if anyone comes blundering through the shadows.
They don't. Almost before you realize it, the door is passing out of sight, and you are on the second floor. However, you can barely see your hands in front of your face in this darkness ...
> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Oh, just ... just give it a little more time to see if your eyes adjust. In the meantime, grope around a bit [Requires Rolling]
> You should be able to stomach the risk of a candle, for a surety ...
> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You'd certainly like to think that the bondsman followed the Guards out of the Clerking House. But you don't know for sure - so out of an abundance of caution, you will continue to sneak around, even though doing so will slow your progress
> The bondsman walked off in the same direction the Guards left the house from, so odds are good that he isn't on the premises anymore. In consideration of how little time you have left to work with, you will take a risk and stop sneaking.
