5th of Glade, 4623
It has been a couple of days since the Draedan of Saren started casing out a potential mark he saw from a distance while practising his art of luminous flux and cloak of light.
It was fair to say that the training left him winded, but that was to be expected in the first place as the inherent properties of ether compared to divinity were different like that of water and oil.
In some ways, it was harder to utilise Raw Magic in general now that the mentally had reversed in essence. Instead of dealing with all of the feedback as a result of forcing one's limits, a finite reserve was present, and that reserve is drawn upon with each action taken, with certain acts draining more than others.
The only benefit so far that Jared could see was that he did not need to strain his body when training and even recovery was essentially fast. Since it mainly took a day of rest or leisure to get back on his feet which was a nice change from the constant drag of lead that would chain itself to the thief's body.
Nevertheless, the amber-eyed thief had all the necessary tools to attempt to break into the premise that the thief had meticulously been scouting and preparing for in previous days of Glade.
For starters, the building that Jared initially investigated was a small guard house, most likely a barracks or a station where the people of Genteven could go when needing to make a report, claim or dispute matters that were irrelevant to the thief at the moment.
Rather knowing the location of another guard post is helpful since the thief could at least estimate how long it would take for a small squad of guards to arrive if he plans to rob from nearby homes, stores or establishments of his choosing.
Another thing that Jared made a note of was the potential resources that he could pull from the station and the surroundings that inhabit the location. From the extensive review, mostly minor items such as pocket-change, foodstuffs, and the occasional semi-luxury items for a commoner were up for grabs. However, the most critical aspects that the thief deemed more valuable were information and the ability to disappear into a crowd when needed.
"Seems like I could get through the front door, but that is essentially a death wish. Few windows if I can reach it, a few windows would make it an easy target to get inside, but there are a few side entrances and even a cellar door, but the noise might be too much if I am not careful about it…."
The amber-eyed thief takes a moment to weigh his opinions, as it has always been an issue when formulating a functioning plan without deviating far from it. However, being able to change on the fly was and is an essential tool for a thief, and the more tools available for a rogue has to work with, the odds of success increase from what Jared knew from his time working as a professional petty thief at least.
At this moment, the hour had struck, and it was time for the thief to start his operations. More than anything, it was a testament to trying out his skills and refining them rather than stealing anything for the most part. Besides the information itself, which already has a considerable wealth in many forms, the necessary attainment of life experience is more important.
Taking a moment to look about, the thief starts to creep towards the building, keeping his body low by couching, clinging close to walls and stacking boxes. Jared would close to his first obstacle, the series of entrances that would make it harder for anyone to enter without the required permission, authority or keys that would allow one to enter without question.
Being a street rat more than anything else, his mere presence alone would raise much suspicion. However, remaining in the shadows and attempting to avoid being detected allows those of lower status to enter. As the thief draws near, his ears take in as much audible information as possible and adjust his plans.
At the same time, the thief pulls his set of blackened metal lockpicks since climbing up to the second-story floor would impose some restrictions on his movement and ability to hide, which makes the thief think twice before executing his plans. That, along with his slightly conservative nature, would prevent him from doing so unless he could reasonably justify the risk and rewards of it.
It would take a couple of minutes as the slow and steady approach was Jared’s most preferred method when attempting to scout and trespass in places where his kind are not welcome. Nevertheless, the thief would take this moment to silence to better temper his nerves, letting his being become colder than snow and his resolve as strong as steel.
It was only a couple of feet away. The thief in question was now in front of the guard’s post. Scurrying around the premise, the Alistian thief needed to check how many people were inside the building and what he was about to encounter to ensure minimal damage for himself and those affected. After all, a thief’s job is mainly stealing things and injuring people is part of that aspect, but not murdering in cold blood and far from it.
Peering from the available windows and listening for any signs of life, Jared couldn’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed by all of his senses due to how sharp they became after his birth of being a demigod. It was strange how he could pick up on the slight of details just by merely existing and even more so that tools were essentially an amplifier for many things to come.
Some guards are distracted inside. Some are chatting; some are breathing soundly, and even the tapping of a quill suggests paperwork is being done... Alright, let us get some practice in and scurry away when needed. Better to practice with pressure since it would make things more realistic... Also better to work under pressure.
At this point, the thief circulated the building a few times, checking if anything was out of the ordinary before moving towards the back of the building, moving closer to a cellar door with a padlock in place. Usually, a cellar door would lead to a storage area. It may contain some valuables of interest, primarily foodstuffs and equipment, but it was still something of note to take and restock.
“Time to get cracking on this lock. Should be child’s play.”
At this point, the thief picked up the padlock and began to work his magic in his skills as a larcenist. The first order was to identify the locking mechanism used for the particular lock. From Jared’s experience with picking padlocks, the majority tend to be simple, binding the door with a self-recessed bolt or shackle with a cylinder-based lock design.
Nevertheless, the first thing that Jared does is to check how many pins are present in the lock. Pull out one of the many hook-shaped picks, and insert the piece inside, feeling for any slight irregularities. Breathing slowly, the thief starts to focus and takes his time at the count at the number of bumps that would indicate how many pins are in place.
“I need to find out if they use security pins that would make breaking it hard. Usually, security pins would be more expensive and usually be left for merchants or nobility. There is only one way to find out, but I prefer the single-pin method to racking or using a bump key.”
Letting his blackened metal hooked rod finally makes its way towards the end of the cylinder pin-tumbler, the thief beings to work his magic, testing out the resistance between each pin and checking which order is required to be set while maintaining a sufficient amount of pressure to keep the pins up against the shear line.
Be as careful as possible to make very little noise and hide his form by reducing much of his size into a squatting and balled-up position. Then, the Alistian thief begins to set the pin, one by one; but something did feel a little bit more different than others, trying to figure out the position of the second pin. Despite turning it slightly towards the right as if he successfully set the pin in place and began searching for his next pin, the thief quickly realised that the second pin had some design that stopped him from picking it.
“Huh, it seems like a minor snag has occurred, but nothing that can be fixed.”
It would only take a moment, but the thief manages to set the security pin in place before finishing the rest. With the lock picked, it was time to delve deeper and see what the thief could take and plunder.
. Anyways I played a thief on another site and enjoy reading stories about other thieves getting through locks. It's always cool to imagine how people secure their belongings in a world where getting past a lock is trivial using magical powers. Not much for me to comment on as I presume the bulk of the interesting stuff will happen in the follow up thread!