The Locked Room Content . Yana was precisely the kind of student her mentor Arthcamu despised : the professional amateur . He enjoyed all the criminal types who were his usual pupils at the stronghold , from the common burglar to the more sophisticated blackmailers , children and young people with strong career ambitions which the art and science of lockpicking could facilitate . They were always interested in simple solutions , the easy way , but people like Yana were always looking for exceptions , possibilities , exotica . For pragmatists like Arthcamu , it was intensely vexing . The Redguard maiden would spend hours in front of a lock , prodding at it with her wires and picks , flirting with the key pins and driver pins , exploring the hull with a sort of casual fascination that no delinquent possesses . Long after her fellow students had opened their test locks and moved on , Yana was still playing with hers . The fact that she always opened it eventually , no matter how advanced a lock it was , irked Arthcamu even further . " You are making things much too difficult , " he would roar , boxing her ears . " Speed is of the essence , not merely technical know - how . I swear that if I put the key to the lock right in front of you , you ' d still never get around to opening it . " Yana would bear Arthcamu ' s abuse philosophically . She had , after all , paid him in advance . Speed was doubtless an important factor for the picker trying to get somewhere he wasn ' t supposed to go with the city guard on patrol behind him , but Yana knew it wouldn ' t apply to her . She merely wanted the knowledge . Arthcamu did everything he could think of to encourage Yana to move faster . She seemed to perversely thrive on his physical and verbal blows , spending more and more time on each lock , learning its idiosyncrasies and personality . Finally , he could bear it no longer . Very late one afternoon after Yana had dawdled over a perfectly ordinary lock , he grabbed the girl by her ear and dragged her to a room in the stronghold far from the other students , an area they had always been forbidden to visit . The room was completely barren , except for one large crate in the center . There were no windows and no other door except for the one leading in . Arthcamu slammed his student against the crate and closed the door behind her . There was a distinct click of the lock . " This is the test for my advanced students , " he laughed behind the door . " See if you can escape . " Yana smiled and began her usual slow process of massaging the lock , gaining information . After a few minutes had gone by , she heard Arthcamu ' s voice again call out from behind the door . " Perhaps I should mention that this is a test of speed . You see the crate behind you ? It contains a vampire ancient who has been locked in here for many months . It is absolutely ravenous . In a few minutes ' time , the sun will have completely set , and if you have not opened the door , you will be nothing but a bloodless husk . " Yana considered only for a moment whether Arthcamu was joking or not . She knew he was an evil , horrible man , but to resort to murder to teach his pupil ? The moment she heard a rustling in the crate , any doubts she had were erased . Ignoring all her usual explorations , she jammed her wire into the lock , thrust the pegs against the pressure plate , and shoved open the door . Arthcamu stood in the hallway beyond , laughing cruelly , " So , now you ' ve learned the value of fast work . " Yana fled from Arthcamu ' s stronghold , fighting back her tears . He was certain that she would never return to his tutelage , but he considered that he had taught her at last a very valuable lesson . When she did return the next morning , Arthcamu registered no surprise , but inside he was seething . " I ' ll be leaving shortly , " she explained , quietly . " But I believe I ' ve developed a new type of lock , and I ' d be grateful if you ' d give me your opinion of it . " Arthcamu shrugged and asked her to present her design . " I was wondering if I might use the vampire room and install the lock . I think it would be better if I demonstrated it . " Arthcamu was dubious , but the prospect of the tiresome girl leaving at last put him in an excellent and even indulgent mood . He agreed to give her access to the room . For all morning and most of the afternoon , she worked near the slumbering vampire , removing the old lock and adding her new prototype . Finally , she asked her old master to take a look . He studied the lock with an expert eye , and found little to be impressed with . " This is the first and only pick - proof lock , " Yana explained . " The only way to open it is to have the right key . " Arthcamu scoffed and let Yana close the door , shutting him in the room . The door clicked and he began to go to work . To his dismay , the lock was much more difficult than he thought it would be . He tried all his methods to force it , and found that he had to resort to his hated student ' s method of careful and thorough exploration . " I need to leave now , " called Yana from the other side of the door . " I ' m going to bring the city guard to the stronghold . I know that it ' s against the rules , but I really think it ' s for the welfare of the villagers not to have a hungry vampire on the loose . It ' s getting dark , and even though you aren ' t able to unlock the door , the vampire might be less proud about using the key to escape . Remember when you said ' If I put the key to the lock right in front of you , you ' d still never get around to opening it ' ? " " Wait ! " Arthcamu yelled back . " I ' ll use the key ! Where is it ? You forgot to give it to me ! " But there was no reply , only the sound of footfall disappearing down the corridor beyond the door . Arthcamu began to work harder on the lock , but his hands were shaking with fear . With no windows , it was impossible to tell how late it was getting to be . Were minutes that were flying by or hours ? He only knew that the vampire ancient would know . The tools could not stand very much twisting and tapping from Arthcamu ' s hysterical hands . The wire snapped in the keyhole . Just like a student . Arthcamu screamed and pounded on the door , but he knew that no one could possibly hear him . It was while sucking in his breath to scream again , he heard the distinct creak of the crate opening behind him . The vampire ancient regarded the master locksmith with insane , hungry eyes , and flew at him in a frenzy . Before Arthcamu died , he saw it : on a chain that had been placed around the vampire ' s neck while it had been sleeping was a key .