1st of Searing, 4623
As the golden sun descended below the horizon, a dark and foreboding figure began to slink through the streets. The Alistian thief had been observing the wealthy part of town for several days; while it was better to stake out potential spots over the course of weeks; there are times when gathering intel for too long would result in losing opportunities; Nevertheless, waiting for the ideal target to present itself. Finally, the perfect opportunity arose.
From the past couple of days, the Alistian Draedan spent most of his time during the day resting and cooking himself hearty meals to assist in his recovery due to the extensive usage of his divinity during a scuffle between some well-trained guards and knights from his opinion. In any case, during those resting periods, Jared was rather careful. He attempted to gather as many details as possible as he wanted to return to the upper districts of Genteven since there were likely more vulnerable goods that he could potentially fence away in the right hands.
But it was during this time that rumours started whispering in the breeze; of a cloaked figure whose body was as wispy as fog, who wields a simple, leather-woven club while manipulating the very essence of light. The details itself was rather mundane, but one thing for sure was that; there were some people currently investigating, and needing to stay in shadows until everything cooled down would be a wise choice, but the amber-eyed scoundrel knew that he didn’t steal as much as he would to be able to survive off his meagre ‘earnings’.
“Seems like it was only a few days ago, but it would seem that they are looking out of suspicious character…. It doesn’t seem like they have a wanted poster…. Other than that, it would seem like the guards and to that extent, people who are interested in the case are still on trail. Not that has ever stopped me.”
It was best to assume that skilled investigators were on the Draedan’s trail, and as to how much they had managed to gather in a short amount of time, the Alistian thief wasn’t able to determine how much intel was left behind for the military to work with and it didn’t help that the display of magic was primarily unseen by the naked eye. While Lucence was a lost magic, it was probably one of the most well-documented pieces of Raw Magic available in Atharen, but comparing that to his unique Draedan abilities, from changing the various properties to disorienting his opponents merely from a gaze to even breaking through the tightest locks known to man; that is what would be of interest, but there could be more that the thief wasn’t aware of.
However, obtaining a little bit of infamy was needed if he wanted to maintain some possibly good relations when it came to talking with other professional scoundrels; while parleying was not the strongest of his tools at his disposal but when one can demonstrate their skills and talent alone; there wasn’t much need for negotiating terms unless it was of the utmost important. Yet, despite that; Jared would leave the talking to those that find chatter interesting; after all; Jared didn’t have much to say to begin with and only when he was with someone that he deemed friendly at best.
“Enough stalling. Time to get some work done and do some of my investigations as well; who might be pulling some strings, or what kind of information do they have that I need to take back….”
As the alabaster light of the sun begins to dip into the horizon, splashing the sky in summer oranges and bashful peaches before a layer of lilac and shades of nightshade filled with glimmering specks of white, gold, and more takes its mantle, ruling from above with a wave of order. As nature wills it, the night’s reign over Atharen would begin, and so too do the nocturnal creatures of the night begin to prowl their hunting grounds.
Leaving the safety of his den, the amber-eyed thief would begin his trek through the windy streets that litter the City of Monuments; each turn within an alleyway or paved road made of stone; something statue would be displayed, whether large or small; each dedicated themselves to the history of Daravin, and those that have become lost to time itself.
Channelling his divinity into his hands, coating his form in a deep shade of purple, the thief would take a moment to touch a nearby door, quickly opening the entrance with Bypass before quietly entering. There were times when cutting through buildings was beneficial since it cut travel time by a significant amount. Not only that, there were a few curios that each building had, and whether they were inhabited or not, there was always something that could be collected and taken. Monetary value is excellent, but just mere glass shards sometimes pique the thief’s interest as long as a story is involved.
Taking a moment to look around in the building that Jared was currently shortcutting through, the amber-eyed male takes a moment to control his Ray, conjuring a tiny marble sized orb of light and focusing the light source into a cone, mimicking the light that a hooded lantern would produce as he takes a moment to scavenge whatever he could find and collect, filling his pockets with various miscellaneous items.
Yet, despite rummaging through all the available wares, nothing of immediate value was present from Jared’s keen eyes, and his eye for an appraisal isn’t as sharp. Mostly average by most people; at the very least, the thief knew that noble estates and merchant qualities items would fetch a reasonable price. It didn’t matter if the thief was getting ripped off from his hard work of stealing from the rich. All that mattered for the young Draedan was ensuring his tracks were covered to minimise the potential risk of exposure.
Little did he know, the guards were already on his trail. Whether how close they were to reach him was something that the thief wasn’t aware of, but his gut feeling knew that they were on the hunt, and losing them would be pretty tricky. Nevertheless, the amber-eyed thief would take the time to leave the premise, infusing the locks with his divinity to unlock various doors before closing them from behind and moving on to the next building and repeating the process over and over until there was enough until his satchel was filled with various items and trinkets that would be worth negotiating with a fence to pawn off for some coin to maintain his lifestyle for the time being.
“Another night’s worth of work done, but that just means there is still more to come… Maybe I should cook for a while, just enough until the heat cools down, but that would make me a bit rusty on certain skills, but that doesn’t mean I can still actively work while undercover.”
The amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but ponder what potential items he could steal while working as a chef, baker or any profession related to cooking. It would be a good way of disguising himself while maintaining his position in strengthening his abilities. The only issue the thief could see was garnering too much attention for himself, as he knew that his cooking was considered one of the best of those he had cooked for in the past.
The thief wanted to participate in a local cooking contest, where he could showcase his skills and create a rustic dish; enough people swooned and became enamoured, but it was best to keep his cooking anonymous. Still, eventually, someone could connect the dots and chase the thief down once the dust had settled.
As Jared finishes his last raid over some of the nearby buildings, the thief quickly turns his cloak into a transparent veil, shrouding his body and blending into the background as he starts his trek back to his den. For this particular evening, the amount of work while minimal to the thief, there were still a lot of things that needed to be completed and prepared, but one thing is for sure, the amber-eyed Draedan of Saren required to lay low for some time while continuing to practice and hone his skills.
Pondering for a moment as the slightly ragged thief drifts through the streets of Genteven’s lower districts, feeling much at home while it was different from Alistian’s quieter streets; Genteven had its place, and the majority of his active life has been spent in Genteven alone. It was best that the rogue in question started accelerating his plans, but first, he needed to figure out what to focus on and prioritise. After all, one couldn’t grow alone but foster like-minded people… That was something that the thief needed to do, but how to approach this plan was another entire story.
