60th of Searing,
4622
4622
"Well, this is an odd request for a thief, but I guess they were willing to get a decent score if they are looking for some expertise…."
The shadow-cloaked amber-eyed thief mutters as he watches a particular building from a distance, perched on the edge of one of the many buildings that colour the City of Monuments.
For this particular case, a small team of random thieves were hired by an unknown patron to steal some valuables of a specific kind: mainly documents, letters and anything of note that contains a wellspring of information.
Surveillance isn't anything new, thieves & spies are often hired for this kind of work, but it is generally a surprise for Jared to get a job like this as he tends to keep to himself and interactions with the criminal underworld minimum.
"Hmmm… Someone has been watching me from the shadows, and I don't like it at all. What could they be planning.”
It is genuinely trying to maintain a low profile, yet getting an unknown person to contact you for a job is unsettling, but if Jared could do the job for good pay, it was worth the risk. Of course, any strings attached to this work may bite Jared later down the line, but for now, the thief was in a bind regarding his financial status and any job will do.
"Let's get this show on the road, shall we."
The amber-eyed thief took a moment to crack his neck from side to side before entwining his fingers and releasing the dissolved gases in his joints. Then, the amber-eyed thief begins to jolt his way over to his mark—a privately owned house in the upper district of Genteven.
Jared knew the target was a wealthy merchantman with ties to the social circles in the noble society. His main wares were fine silks, spices & recreational drugs. It is a given when you work in the business of selling & buying wares. Get the dirt on your opponents.
They were halting around the corner in the enshrouded lanes. It was given that there would be additional security; From what the thief could see, more patrol guards were conducting their rotations & with the added benefit of hounds.
"Well, this is interesting. Let's make up for some distractions. Should make it a little bit easier…."
He takes a moment to place his gloved hand over a wall enveloped in darkness. The thief mutters for a moment as he begins to Devise what The celestial body that hangs over the black curtains gave little light the moon provided. Then, collapsing into a thick tarball the size of lime to form his Compass from which the Nightfallen Mage Confides his footsteps, running off to one end of the alleyway.
"Hopefully, this will be enough to encourage an investigation and pull a group away… I just need a brief window to get in and survey…. Going in blind is a death sentence after all."
It was easier said than done. Usually, the Nightfallen Thief would spend a few days staking out his target and investigating the area extensively to find any routes he could use to his advantage. However, in this particular case, Jared could not explore his mark because the districts are separated and being a lowborn entering a highborn area warrants immediate suspicion.
It would take a bit of time for the thief to analyse the patrol patterns. So carefully, counting the minutes & seconds in which there was a vulnerability to slip in to examine the doors, windows, gates & walls of his marked building before slipping away into the shadows.
Jared couldn't stay for long as his scent would eventually build up and alert the hounds roaming with the guards. Even his Obscura that the thief is currently maintaining will not prevent his odour from being recognised, something the thief wished it could, but you can't have everything.
Once the opportunity arises as the patrol guards move along; the thief takes a deep breathe, concentrating on extending his Umbralplasm to provide extra padding to the sole of his boots to reduce the amount of noise it would create from rapid movement before darting quietly over to the next alleyway; moving closer to his intended target.
The situation is quite stressful for the apprentice thief. The Alistian man did not like to step out of his comfort zone when it came to the art of theft; Jared likes to plan and examine his situation, pre-mediating his actions & responses according to the problem at hand, but growth would require him to step out of his comfort zone and adapt or hinder his development as a thief.
"Come on, Jared, don't let the pressure crush you now…. You aren't a thief if you couldn't handle a little bit of pressure now."
The shadow-veiled vagabond mutters to himself, attempting to bolster his resolve and maintain a cool head in an ever-so-slowly stressful situation.
"Level of security around these parts is tough, but you can do it… they aren't aware of what is going on…. You have the advantage here, don't lose it now."
Sweating slightly, the thief continues to scurry through the marbled cobblestone—a striking contrast as a shadowy figure with amber eyes darts through the moonlit streets of Genteven. The average person would seem like a ghost or ghast haunting the streets.
What seemed like forever for the thief, it was then and there that Jared was face to face with his first major obstacle: The well-embellished shop that was two stories tall; Pearly white stone walls, mahogany frames, crystal clear window panes with a variety of items from delicate silk dresses on mannequins & the fine dark oak door with brass hinges and copper leaves & vines lacing the edges of the door.
On brief examination, Jared could quickly deduce that the main door would have a bell system to alert the owner of a customer coming into his store, excluding the front entrance from his main point of entry. Tiptoeing around the corner, the thief slinks into the shadows, slightly feeling fatigued as his upkeep of maintaining his Obscura slowly creeps onto either reserve.
"Hold it together… We haven't even gotten in yet, and you can't risk getting caught at all cost…."
Additional beads of sweat begin to trickle down from the Nightfallen Thief's forehead, trickling down and absorbing into the face cloth that covers his mouth.
Just as the thief was about to continue his investigation on entry points; the thief had to quickly scale up a building with the assistance of his umbralplasm climbing picks and hug the wall tightly as a patrol group started to appear around the corner & make their rounds through the alleyway he was currently occupying.
Fortunately, this group of guards did not have a hound with them, but it was cutting close as the torchlight flickers illuminated the lane, dispelling any darkness the light could touch. But, again, the nerve-wracking experience of dangling in a high place, vulnerable to being caught & attacked with very minimal methods of one's preservation, is apparent.
As the patrol continues to move along; the edge of torchlight begins to whittle away at the Nightfallen Mage's Obscura, the wisp of smoke sizzling away as the light continues to linger, but the thief had no choice but to endure, focusing on producing umbralplasm through force of will to maintain its cloaking abilities in the presence of ambient light.
The thief couldn't help but mentally curse at his predicament, but it would soon pass as the guards continued to move along, and with it, the torchlight that threatened to reveal his location. Jared could only let out a sigh of relief once the light produced from the flames rounds the corner and vanishes into the night.
Once the coast is clear, the thief climbs his way down. Letting out a light groan as his muscles grew fatigued from hanging up on a wall with little support to alleviate his weight and the constraints of maintaining his Obscura against the distant torchlight.
"Ehhh… Fuck me. I hope this is all worth the pain and suffering I must endure. Feels like too much for some info…."
The thief reconsidered his situation but decided to continue pushing forward. After all, the amber-eyed mage was at his designation, and he couldn't back down from a handsome reward & risk getting caught in a restricted area.
For now, there was no time to rest because the thief had to find some way to get inside the establishment. Just getting to his mark in a heavily patrolled area was already a mark of experience from his training and experience with running from the law. Scaling down from the wall, the Alistian thief takes a moment to stretch from side to side before rotating his arms in a few circular motions
"Alright, Jared, time to find an entrance before another patrol group comes around… You won't be lucky next time."
With that, the thief's brief moment of respite quickly turns into action, as his amber-eyed gaze scours for an entrance that he could use to begin his work as a thief and begin his solo operations.
The shadow-cloaked amber-eyed thief mutters as he watches a particular building from a distance, perched on the edge of one of the many buildings that colour the City of Monuments.
For this particular case, a small team of random thieves were hired by an unknown patron to steal some valuables of a specific kind: mainly documents, letters and anything of note that contains a wellspring of information.
Surveillance isn't anything new, thieves & spies are often hired for this kind of work, but it is generally a surprise for Jared to get a job like this as he tends to keep to himself and interactions with the criminal underworld minimum.
"Hmmm… Someone has been watching me from the shadows, and I don't like it at all. What could they be planning.”
It is genuinely trying to maintain a low profile, yet getting an unknown person to contact you for a job is unsettling, but if Jared could do the job for good pay, it was worth the risk. Of course, any strings attached to this work may bite Jared later down the line, but for now, the thief was in a bind regarding his financial status and any job will do.
"Let's get this show on the road, shall we."
The amber-eyed thief took a moment to crack his neck from side to side before entwining his fingers and releasing the dissolved gases in his joints. Then, the amber-eyed thief begins to jolt his way over to his mark—a privately owned house in the upper district of Genteven.
Jared knew the target was a wealthy merchantman with ties to the social circles in the noble society. His main wares were fine silks, spices & recreational drugs. It is a given when you work in the business of selling & buying wares. Get the dirt on your opponents.
They were halting around the corner in the enshrouded lanes. It was given that there would be additional security; From what the thief could see, more patrol guards were conducting their rotations & with the added benefit of hounds.
"Well, this is interesting. Let's make up for some distractions. Should make it a little bit easier…."
He takes a moment to place his gloved hand over a wall enveloped in darkness. The thief mutters for a moment as he begins to Devise what The celestial body that hangs over the black curtains gave little light the moon provided. Then, collapsing into a thick tarball the size of lime to form his Compass from which the Nightfallen Mage Confides his footsteps, running off to one end of the alleyway.
"Hopefully, this will be enough to encourage an investigation and pull a group away… I just need a brief window to get in and survey…. Going in blind is a death sentence after all."
It was easier said than done. Usually, the Nightfallen Thief would spend a few days staking out his target and investigating the area extensively to find any routes he could use to his advantage. However, in this particular case, Jared could not explore his mark because the districts are separated and being a lowborn entering a highborn area warrants immediate suspicion.
It would take a bit of time for the thief to analyse the patrol patterns. So carefully, counting the minutes & seconds in which there was a vulnerability to slip in to examine the doors, windows, gates & walls of his marked building before slipping away into the shadows.
Jared couldn't stay for long as his scent would eventually build up and alert the hounds roaming with the guards. Even his Obscura that the thief is currently maintaining will not prevent his odour from being recognised, something the thief wished it could, but you can't have everything.
Once the opportunity arises as the patrol guards move along; the thief takes a deep breathe, concentrating on extending his Umbralplasm to provide extra padding to the sole of his boots to reduce the amount of noise it would create from rapid movement before darting quietly over to the next alleyway; moving closer to his intended target.
The situation is quite stressful for the apprentice thief. The Alistian man did not like to step out of his comfort zone when it came to the art of theft; Jared likes to plan and examine his situation, pre-mediating his actions & responses according to the problem at hand, but growth would require him to step out of his comfort zone and adapt or hinder his development as a thief.
"Come on, Jared, don't let the pressure crush you now…. You aren't a thief if you couldn't handle a little bit of pressure now."
The shadow-veiled vagabond mutters to himself, attempting to bolster his resolve and maintain a cool head in an ever-so-slowly stressful situation.
"Level of security around these parts is tough, but you can do it… they aren't aware of what is going on…. You have the advantage here, don't lose it now."
Sweating slightly, the thief continues to scurry through the marbled cobblestone—a striking contrast as a shadowy figure with amber eyes darts through the moonlit streets of Genteven. The average person would seem like a ghost or ghast haunting the streets.
What seemed like forever for the thief, it was then and there that Jared was face to face with his first major obstacle: The well-embellished shop that was two stories tall; Pearly white stone walls, mahogany frames, crystal clear window panes with a variety of items from delicate silk dresses on mannequins & the fine dark oak door with brass hinges and copper leaves & vines lacing the edges of the door.
On brief examination, Jared could quickly deduce that the main door would have a bell system to alert the owner of a customer coming into his store, excluding the front entrance from his main point of entry. Tiptoeing around the corner, the thief slinks into the shadows, slightly feeling fatigued as his upkeep of maintaining his Obscura slowly creeps onto either reserve.
"Hold it together… We haven't even gotten in yet, and you can't risk getting caught at all cost…."
Additional beads of sweat begin to trickle down from the Nightfallen Thief's forehead, trickling down and absorbing into the face cloth that covers his mouth.
Just as the thief was about to continue his investigation on entry points; the thief had to quickly scale up a building with the assistance of his umbralplasm climbing picks and hug the wall tightly as a patrol group started to appear around the corner & make their rounds through the alleyway he was currently occupying.
Fortunately, this group of guards did not have a hound with them, but it was cutting close as the torchlight flickers illuminated the lane, dispelling any darkness the light could touch. But, again, the nerve-wracking experience of dangling in a high place, vulnerable to being caught & attacked with very minimal methods of one's preservation, is apparent.
As the patrol continues to move along; the edge of torchlight begins to whittle away at the Nightfallen Mage's Obscura, the wisp of smoke sizzling away as the light continues to linger, but the thief had no choice but to endure, focusing on producing umbralplasm through force of will to maintain its cloaking abilities in the presence of ambient light.
The thief couldn't help but mentally curse at his predicament, but it would soon pass as the guards continued to move along, and with it, the torchlight that threatened to reveal his location. Jared could only let out a sigh of relief once the light produced from the flames rounds the corner and vanishes into the night.
Once the coast is clear, the thief climbs his way down. Letting out a light groan as his muscles grew fatigued from hanging up on a wall with little support to alleviate his weight and the constraints of maintaining his Obscura against the distant torchlight.
"Ehhh… Fuck me. I hope this is all worth the pain and suffering I must endure. Feels like too much for some info…."
The thief reconsidered his situation but decided to continue pushing forward. After all, the amber-eyed mage was at his designation, and he couldn't back down from a handsome reward & risk getting caught in a restricted area.
For now, there was no time to rest because the thief had to find some way to get inside the establishment. Just getting to his mark in a heavily patrolled area was already a mark of experience from his training and experience with running from the law. Scaling down from the wall, the Alistian thief takes a moment to stretch from side to side before rotating his arms in a few circular motions
"Alright, Jared, time to find an entrance before another patrol group comes around… You won't be lucky next time."
With that, the thief's brief moment of respite quickly turns into action, as his amber-eyed gaze scours for an entrance that he could use to begin his work as a thief and begin his solo operations.
