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My, my, my... and here I thought I’d have to show you all how to use that...
This here is my Map of Desires, got an item you want? A person you need? A goal in mind? Hell even a confusing mess of emotions punctured by an unknown but overwhelming desire to do the right thing causing you to take actions you yourself don’t understand...
She nods to Sash.
Then this thing can help. Don’t misunderstand though, it can’t target specific things. What it does do is show you the location you need to go to in order to have the best chance of fulfilling that desire or resolving that issue. In this case I’d lay odds it’s this drug-peddling bastards home. Has to be a decently strong desire as well, won’t be showing you the nearest market stall if you feel a bit hungry for example.
Oh, and it can do this too.
She snaps her fingers and the map - which had been a pale glowing blue - switches colour palettes, becoming a lovely burnished gold. A colour that seems to grow thinner in the centre of streets or around the pillars, but brightens considerably over each and every house. Two locations become almost too bright to look at, their presence on the map obscuring everything around them like two burning suns...
The target house is not one of those two, still though, it’s golden glow far outshines its neighbours.
Anyone want to guess what this part shows? The colour’s a pretty big clue.
Let it all out. We're going to make things right.
The Claw pays no mind to the mud and grime - it's better than the usual mix of blood and soot and dust and other stuff that gets on his armour. For a brief moment, the controlled rage is gone, and he is looking into a mirror, a reflection of a small, scarred kit wanting nothing more than to hurt those that had hurt him.
We need to fix this. Not one more child suffers. Not. One. More.
Here, this is for you.
Straightening up, he reaches into a deep pocket and draws a small, ornate dagger. about six inches long, with a dulled silver blade, black leather handle, and a small black glass pommel.
Was working on it for me. But sometimes a tool knows its home better than its maker. The blade's quite dull, but keep it to remember I'm here if you need me.
Rini makes a gagging gesture behind the big cats back, as his hug with Sash went on a little too long. He hands over a blunt knife which, in Rini's opinion, would require way too much elbow grease just to cut the skin. Sentimental old fluffball.
Ok ok she breaks into their moment with perhaps a little too much edge, take a picture, it'll last longer. I guess the real question is why the hell didn't you stop? You know what that junk does to people. What it does to our cities! How could you recruit innocent kids into a drug cartel? Did they even know what they were involved in? You put my brothers life at risk, along with countless other kids!
Her cold glare softens a little, she knows what its like to go to sleep with an empty stomach. She's been more than desperate a few times in her life, and committed crime daily just to survive. Drugs though?
I get being hungry. I get needing to do anything for a few coppers, but Slither is a dangerous game. It ruins lives, and one false step with Pusher gangs could have ended in all your deaths. My brothers death. It's not worth it. I'm glad that place burned, and we should burn the wankmuffins who are selling that junk.
Sash’s cries eventually soften and she takes the knife with quite nearly literal stars in her eyes. Holding it tightly she turns to answer Rini’s questions...
I...didn’t recruit anyone miss. I just went where I was told to go and the others did the same, I think they probably did hear about it through the Rats - they do that when they think kids need help, might lead to new recruits as well.
And like I said, they were selling it in Topaz. Nobody down here’s rich enough to feed a Slither habit. I knew it was wrong, but if it was only happening to them then I thought...I don’t know what I thought. I don’t even know why I followed them.
A little bit of wounded pride slides in...
Also miss...it wasn’t for “a few coppers,” if that was all I needed to earn I could have been a runner, a ferrier, a twist or maybe even got a job out on the farms. I needed gold. My dad’s in that hospital the Golden Lady pulled down a few months back, they treat you free if it’s minor stuff - but his wi- ... he needs to stay there for a while, so they need payment for the room and the treatments aren’t cheap, plus I could keep almost the whole gang fed if we were careful with just the money left over.
The others were the same...although I don’t know about Gon, he always said he didn’t want to talk about it. Little Morri’s trying to save so her parents can have a house again - she says her uncle’s offered to help loads of times but they’re too proud to accept it. Laenan doesn’t want his mum to be a...a...
She flushes red.
A certain kind of lady anymore...she thinks he’s a message runner. Nearly Andre and Helena’s whole family got killed because of debt...they were actually getting close to being able to pay it off...
Honest offence enters the playing field.
The Rats aren’t pushers miss. And if you knew anything about us you’d know that. We takes jobs when we can - especially stuff that kids are good at, we only steal when we have to and we never ever hurt people. That’s just a faster way to get killed. Yes I’m big enough now that I could probably leave and be alright...but the others wouldn’t be. There are kids there who wouldn’t survive a day out in Quartz, some of them can’t even walk yet. Maybe a quarter of us have to work to feed the rest and some of the rest are... she shudders well it doesn’t matter, they’re my family. And you don’t let family starve.
Now she just looks worried for the future...
But that job’s gone now...I guess I’m glad but...now how am I going to earn money? What’s going to happen to us?
I have some ideas on that. He looks briefly between the two, the glass in the eyes of his mask flashing in the lamplight. To help both of you. Sash, thank you. We’ll talk more after you’ve rested and cleaned up.
He gestures courteously toward the way the other kids went, his poise almost not scary, then turns back to Madeline.
I believe you were explaining a plan?
But you were having such a touching moment... I didn’t want to interrupt. Anyways, yes, I do have a plan. Several actually. Sash? Go join the others in the bathroom would you? I promise we’ll see everyone home safe in a few hours, need to let the guard finish mopping up out there first...
She waits for the young Strix to leave the room before turning back to the group.
As I was saying before, this right here is my Map of Desires, it’ll get you where you need to go to get what you want, very useful little present from her ladyship. Oh right...
She turns to Galayen.
Her ladyship would be my boss, lovely girl, bit of a tendency to overthink things, got herself caught up in some manner of a mess over in City 7 - don’t know if you’d recognise the name of the Jackdaw? That’s her. Made this pub, made that lovely spell I used earlier, got a bit of a...reputation...
She gives a cheeky little grin and bob, somehow managing to make it seem as if she has not just admitted to being in the direct employ of someone that every City the world over is absolutely desperate for information on. The Jackdaw, widely regarded as being the one responsible for the insane corruption that hit City 7 not long after it’s growth started and the 7th Archaeomancer disappearing.
But that’s a little beside the point right now. Just about the only instruction I got is “find good people, rob the bastards blind.” And so far I’ve finished step 1 of that assignment.
She looks suddenly thoughtful.
Although...we could maybe do with a few more people before we try anything major. Still, I can’t imagine that at least 2 of you don’t want to go track down a drug lord as soon as possible, and that glow around his house (since nobody guessed) shows there’s a decent amount of wealth to be found there.
She throws the question to the room at large.
What do all of you think? There’s a profit to be made from the link Sash gave us, but there’s safety in numbers as well. We’ll get both done eventually, I’m just asking what you want to do first. There are 3 people off the top of my head that we could definitely use and I’m sure more will pop up. They all live in Quartz and I’d suggest leaving it at least a day before you go traipsing around there to let things settle down...but Topaz should be fairly quiet tonight. We’d just have to get you up there first...
I’m in
Turning away from the Masked cat and his..... moment Galayen thought about the options available to him and looked around at the... team, before him. He took a leisurely sip of his cocktail and took a moment of his own to think about the options laid out before him.
Balancing the scales seems like a worthwhile venture, getting into topaz shouldn't be too difficult for a determined force. That leaves me with a couple of questions though, not least of which is what are the specifics of the topaz job? Are we just robbing and if so what are we doing with the wealth after? Keeping or flooding quartz with it? Are we also going to find his other drug production facilities and tear those down?
Galayen takes a breath and looks at Karva
Just like the first time we met He gives a small smile at the thought.
Having watched the exchanges in silence Karva finally puts down her cards. now Sash is someone I came to this city to find, I'll make sure to catch up with her before I leave
Karva turns and smiles at Glayen indeed, just like the fist time she takes a moment to reflect on the fond memory then stands and crosses to the map.
You think we need more players in this game? Hmm, perhaps we should deal with something simple in topaz, see how we work together if everyone is in then determine if we believe more are needed?
Oh the ones I’m thinking of wouldn’t be doing the same sort of work as you, one’s an armourer, one’s a fence (though she’ll likely say otherwise) and one’s an absolute perfectionist when it comes to organisation and storage. But if you’d like to try for Topaz tonight that’s absolutely fine.
She smiles whimsically.
Birchy went and called in everyone for this big push of his, so just for tonight the Pillars won’t be guarded on the bottom - and the likelihood of Second Walker caring enough to post some up top is...not high. As for the specifics...
She crosses to the map alongside Karva and taps the house in question, closely examining the golden glow.
I’d say you’ll find oh...maybe 5000gp’s worth of stuff there. That’s in material goods mind, the map doesn’t give much of a damn about personal importance. Plus it can’t specify what the valuable things are. Could be jewellery, could be a massive ivory statue you have no hope of shifting or anything in between. It’s a Topaz house but it isn’t all that big so it’s unlikely he’s got the favour of any member of Walkers “council,” and judging by the whole drug thing he’s probably clawing for funds. It’s about the only way to get ahead up there. Be wealthy, show that you’re wealthy and be damn willing to spend said wealth on whatever the people in charge say you should buy.
Oh.
And don’t be stupid enough to lose said wealth. You guys trash this place and I doubt he’ll recover from it.
She doesn’t turn around, but the air temperature seems to drop to the same as the sudden chill in her voice. None of you can see her expression, but a horrible sense of pressure pervades the room as she says...
Or, you know, kill him. That would work too.
Standing back up she turns to everyone. Warmth and a smile suffusing her voice once more. The pressure vanishes as if it had never been.
Plus that lovely child already gave you an in. If Garth’s a former Rat then I can almost guarantee he’ll want to help out a current Rat. Probably wouldn’t be too happy working for a drug pusher either. Use that.
She puts a hand behind her head, clearly embarrassed but trying to laugh it off.
Also I kinda...can’t leave the building. Not for very long anyway, maybe 3 minutes if I push it. Casting that spell and...
She reddens.
...catching Birchy pretty much blew through my daily limit. I’d prefer to not come that close again. You really only have to explode once for it to lose all charm. Plus there was a lot of collateral damage. Her Ladyship was not pleased. I wasn’t either once I got put back together.
Leave it a couple of hours and we (by which I mean you) should be good to go.
For reference, it is currently late afternoon. There is about an hour before the daily curfew will kick in and Quartz residents will no longer be allowed in Topaz for the night. Waiting the suggested 2 hours will make it an hour past curfew and quite dark.
Ah, as for what you do with any loot you find...that’s entirely your call. I’ll have a couple of suggestions...but that’s all they’ll be.
I know Topaz, especially the district we’re looking at here...
He gestures to the map, a few blocks over,
I have a ... friend here, who can help if things turn... ugly.
Cartoon dollar signs flash in Rini's eyes. 5000gp?! She doesn't need to hear much more.
Destroy a drug dealer and make oodles of coin? I'm in.
You wait the requisite 2 hours, passing the time by getting to know each other and Madeline, perhaps idly chatting with the kids as well. Sash guesses where you're heading to, and whilst it's clear she wants to come along she accepts it as not being a good idea - instead she gives you a description of the former Rat Garth and tells you to tell him the phrase "skitter skatter snicker snack," to let him know you've got at least one friend in the gang.
Quartz is...eerily quiet when you emerge. The comatose bodies that should have been covering the ground have all vanished - though clear signs of wagon tracks and drag marks heading in the direction of the guardhouse give a pretty good indication of where they went - and there is no sign of anyone else around.
Making your way to the nearest pillar proves to be as easy as Madeline said it would be and indeed - there are no guards. Whilst the door to the inner elevator is locked and the elevator inside inoperable the staircase on the outside has nothing but a simple rope strung across the entrance to gently imply one should not be going past it.
The support pillar is thick enough that even after ascending the full fifty meters of its current height you have yet to complete a full journey around it as you climb the stairs, the mud and grime of Quartz quickly giving way to a gleaming white surface made of no stone any of you are familiar with. A few moments of darkness as you pass through the boundary layer and you emerge into the light of Topaz.
You may as well have been entering a different world.
Emerging into a hub you find yourselves standing in a circle of white bricks, roads of a similar substance head off in all directions, signs next to each stating their destination. Just from where you are you can see dozens of lamps illuminating the tier, each a slightly different shade than the others - but it is what they illuminate that truly stands out.
Right in front of you is a 5 story tall construct of a woman's head. Her flowing hair acting as support for the thin neck - which has a conspicuous door in the middle of it. A placid smile dancing across her massive lips. The eyes have windows in them. Just a few meters away from that sits an almost as gigantic six-sided die, each side a different colour. The house following on would almost look like a normal mansion - except for the 7 shining orbs that seem to float in the air around it, each one far taller than any of you would be.
Such buildings are everywhere in sight, only occasionally can you spot a normal looking home between them - their presence vastly overshadowed by whatever insane art lies on either side.
From the Map of Desires you know where to head, strange architecture aside the road layout seems the same as you were shown. The target home is perhaps 10 minutes walk away. Still there are a lot of other signs - most merely street names, The Golden Way, Thornside, Jewelry Plaza, Transcendence Street etc. Two signs appear to be made of gold and point the way to "Her Ladyship" and "Topaz Museum of Magic" respectively. There are a few smaller signs - mostly pointing to amenities and stores - though one might be of some interest. It simply proclaims "Red's"
What do you do?
The Claw spent time before heading out cleaning his armour and sharpening an arsenal of blades ranging from his slightly oversized katana to a set of small, weighted daggers. When done, he produced a small sap and started polishing that, before scouting for more bacon.
Rini spends much of the two hours trying to make small talk with her companions. She gives little of herself away, but wants to get a sense of who they truly are before she can trust them.
Rini takes a deep lungful of cool fresh air. It tastes so much sweeter up here than down below. The city glows as twilight gives way to night.
Of course, this is not her first time above, she had been running recon missions for the last few months. But now was not the time to become distracted with secret riches and tasty rumours. They had a drug dealer to locate. Despite Shash’ assertions, she did not believe that the drugs never found their way down to quartz. Young gang members can never be trusted not to cut the product with something dirty, so they can sell more for less and keep the difference. Even if she was correct in this instance, who knew what else this thug was selling? Who knew if he’d eventually try and recruit her brother, or worse get him addicted to something. Not worth having that risk so near at hand. No. Drug boss had to go, and so did his entire business.
Rini glances around trying to gain her bearings. Topaz was an ever changing city, and so her carefully mapped short cuts and hidey holes were never in the same place twice. It was difficult to know which way to go. Did they even have a plan?
She looks to the others expectantly.
How do we want to go about this? she asks. She will be cautious with these ones, though strangely she trusts the barmaid. She seems to know as much about their insides as she knows about the city. It is to her that she addresses her question.
I might be able to sneak in but beyond that... I think we need to get a lay of the land first.
I can get us to where we need to go. Even a safe place to fall back if we need it.
The Claw seems almost excited to be headed out on a hunt.
I suggest recon from a high place, rooftops are good. Enough ridiculous structures up here to get a good vantage, make note of any guards, then move for the target...
Sneakng into high places is kind of my speciality. she says in a lowered voice to the Big Cat. She glances over at their companions who were a little way behind them, Do you think it’s time to show them some of my parlour tricks?
Galayen spent much of the two hours mixing various cocktails and storing the resultant mix behind the bar in sealed containers ready to drink for later.
Galayen glances around at the surroundings of this layer with a sneer on his lips at the ostentatious nature of the 'houses', if they could be called as such.
Recon would be a good idea though, running across the rooftops may not be a good idea lest we wake those that live here. Perhaps a circuitous route to the destination with the lightest of us on the rooftops and the rest on the ground?
As Rini pulls ahead Galayen drops back a little extra, allowing newly created water to stream to the ground in front of him. As he walks he pushes the water onwards using currents to keep it flowing forwards idly.
They are beautiful, these houses, so many variations and non like normal, I could set up a sub house here murmurs karva to herself. Staring round in wonder she notices their companions have moved on ahead and skips to join up with them.
So can someone remind me which of these delightful delecasies we are headed for, memory was never my strong suit? She asks not at all a bashed about this apparent weakness.
I am glad I spent that time primping my outfit back to its full glory, could not be seen looking drab here, it would be right out of sorts with the place.
We could go up, but slow any steady, not all are as sure footed as you my little acrobatic friend this last bit she directs to Rini.
If we do come across others out late I may be able to turn their eyes aside, or perhaps make them an unwitting ally... Karva bats her long lashes for effect on this point
In his trademark growl:
This is going to be fun
Listening carefully, you could almost hear him smiling...
In the future going different routes will very likely present different outcomes. Not this time though.
The targets house is easy enough to find via following the map. It sits between a tree grown into the shape (and size) of a gargantuan green dragon and a 20ft tall black sphere that is apparently hovering a few inches off of the ground. Such sights have been a very common thing as you approached. Some areas taxing even the Dreaded Obsidian Claw’s acrobatic ability and others being as simple as a literal walk in the park to climb and clamber over. Still though - the target house stands out for a very different reason.
It appears to be real.
I should qualify.
The other structures of Topaz have an ethereal quality to them. Because they are spun into existence by the magic of the City itself they do not really have to comply to things like physics or realistic building materials. There are no tool marks, no construction sites, no evidence of manual labour at all to be found in their uncanny perfection.
This one though? This one was built.
Three stories tall, a sloped and tiled roof, windows and a door that sit exactly where they should on a building. It looks well made - though it is the ‘made’ part which is off putting.
The vast majority of the building is painted white. A pleasant front lawn and garden extending out in front of it, a neat cobblestone-patterned marble wall cutting it off from its neighbours. A single guard stands easy at the front gate (the wall is only around 3ft high, for display only) fiddling with something in his hands. Unless you are on the rooftops or actively trying to hide he spots you as you approach but takes no further action. From Sash’s description you know him to be Garth, the former Rat.
Oh. And it’s pretty easy to see where the 5000gp worth of treasure is. Those tiles on the roof? Every single one is embedded with precious gems.
What do you do?
The Claw approaches Garth, hands empty and stance relaxed (a readied action to draw a dagger and gut the man should he show hints of hostility).
'Evening. A mutual friend said we might find you here...
His voice is gentler, but still has an edge of the practised rasp.
.
Garth is a lean but well muscled human man of perhaps 20 or so years of age. His eyes widen slightly as he identifies just who it is walking towards him but otherwise shows no real signs of fear. He does however carefully slip whatever he was fiddling with back into a bag hung at his belt.
A tube of something that very much appears to be universal solvent.
Evening yerself...friend. Reckon I might know why you're here...but I somehow doubt that me and the Claw himself have much in the way of mutual acquaintances.
He shrugs nonchalantly. A lazy grin playing across his face. Stark contrast to the vicious layers of bitterness and resignation in his voice.
Doubt you've had much reason to go chasing rats around the sewers down there.
Though mounting the rooftops seemed like the obvious way to travel to Rini, the group started to move away. The Claw had not responded to her query... perhaps he did not trust the new comers either? So she continued to play the human, and followed on behind the group, straight to the front door of the house they were supposed to rob...
Rini has quick eyes, and spotted both the gemstone roof tiles (information to be remembered later if she had time for a spot of thieving) and what the Rat had hidden behind his back. She didn't know exactly what it was () but she could hazard a guess ( ).
Some odd words, she said to remember her by, skitter skatter snicker snack... And no, I don't, as a rule, chase rats. I prefer... larger prey.
At the mention of the code phrase Garth’s eyes widen slightly, the bitter grin dropping to slack-jawed disbelief for a second before...
Heh...haha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Collapsing back against the gate pillar Garth cannot seem to keep the tide of laughter down, whilst he does make an effort to not wake the entire street with his guffaws it’s pretty clear that something has struck him as tremendously funny.
The giggles persist for a good 30 seconds before he finally gets them under control, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes he takes the time to get his breathing back to normal before staring at the Dreaded Obsidian Claw with far more seriousness than he had used before.
Well now, I don’t think I’ll be needing to slaughter any Jabberwocks anytime soon, so may as well keep that lovers sword in its sheath for the...foreseeable future.
...
Didn’t get that? Don’t worry, Rat humour. Not very good. That phrase you just used? It means one of two things. If a Rat says it about you? Then you’re a monster who needs to be put down - the Jabberwock. But they give it to you? Then you’re the thing we need to kill the monsters... Whoever gave you that? They just named you their “Sword in the Darkness.” It ain’t something we give lightly.
He sketches an informal (but seemingly sincere despite the grin acknowledging the absurdity of it all) bow.
So then Mr. Vorpal Blade sir? What can this not-quite-useless adult of an ex-Rat do for you?
He jerks his thumb back to the house he is... guarding?
That the monster you’ve come to deal with? Just about finished up my investigation on the bastard anyway. Do whatever you like in there. I’ll say a collar malfunctioned, caused the poor buggers he keeps in there to go berserk. The guard here are sacks of dung to a man, they’ll buy it. News might even convince some other evil t#%@s that the collars aren’t worth it. Oh hey! Do me a favor? Check out what the hells he has in his basement? The one room I couldn’t case.
Collars?
Garth's eyes harden again, this time with disgust.
Aye. Collars. Slave Collars. Don't blame yeh for not knowing about em. Ain't something you see around here very often, least not since the Golden Lady made em illegal...Like Walker gives a s*&+ about that sort of morality.
He motions the action of clipping something around his neck.
You gotta put them on yourself, somethin' in the magic means they can't just force one on yeh. Still - easy enough to threaten some poor sod or trick another one into wearing the damned things...
Once you got the thing on though? You may as well be a zombie. Can't think, can't talk. Maybe a little more dexterous than an actual undead but that's about it. You're stuck obeying the orders of whoever's wearing the control ring.
He spits on the gatepost.
The bastard in there's keeping slaves. 5...maybe 6 of em, not sure, he keeps em inside the house. Walker might not care about him being an evil s#!!head but even she couldn't ignore him parading them around outside.
Rini isn’t really sure what’s going on. The Cat and the Rat obviously have some kind of history, one that goes beyond that of predetor and his prey. What was originally some kind of drug bust seems to be turning into something much larger and more complex. What she does know, is that this isn’t usually how she goes about breaking and entering.
She steps in closer to the Claw.
Not meaning to tell you your business, Mr Claw, she says in a loud whisper to his elbow (Rini is too short to reach this big cats ear) but if we intend to sneak in, destroy the drugs, kill the drug lord and... free the slaves? Shouldn’t we, you know... sneak?
A word to the wise then Miss. Don’t go trying to yank the collars off, that’ll like as not kill the poor bugger and set off an alarm into the bargain. There’ll be a control ring somewhere, gotta use that to deactivate them...or do you smash the ring? Sorry, not sure which, maybe do both?
The Claw pauses for a second
Maybe we don't smash the ring. I'd like somewitnesses at the end of all this...
Noting the information he had at hand Galayen slowly nodded.
Are there any guards on the inside we should know about? Traps magical or otherwise?
He cocked his head to one side and flicked his eyes to the roof
'gemstones are pretty I suppose if there's time a few could be worthwhile' he mused to himself.
Fixing his eyes upon Garth in a dead stare he waited for an answer to his questions, methods of executing an entry flowing through his mind.
Karva listens and watches, biding her time until she see an opening relevant to her talents.
Waiting on the response from Garth before she takes her next action.
Garth snorts in response to Galayen’s question.
Yer lookin’ at a grand 50% of the idiots defences right now my fish faced friend. Me n Benny are the only guards and Benny ain’t here. Supposed to be - but I sent him off to the bar with a pouch full of silver ages ago. Better that than put up with him all night. And traps? You need people to install those kinda things, people inside the house where he’s keepin’ a bunch of throughly illegal slaves? Not to mention that they cost money. So no. No traps.
He thinks for a moment.
He’s got a wand of some kind. No idea what it casts, never seen it used. Likes to show off that he has it. Boasts that his rings are enchanted. One must be the control ring for the collars but I couldn’t speak for the other. Suppose he could order the poor bastards to attack you...but state they’re in? Useless for a fight.
Layout of the building’s pretty simple. Ground floor has entryway with stairs up, opens on to the kitchen and lounge areas. Kitchen has the entrance to the basement in it, big stone slab in the floor. Lounge is full of big cushions and mounted animal heads. 1st floor is basically a load of bedrooms. Pretty simple ones. That’s where the poor bastards’ll be sleeping. Fancy spiral staircase leads up to his private chambers. More dead animals and frilly pillows in there. Only real furniture’s a little wooden table, strongbox on that - though what’s in it I couldn’t say.
And yes, those roof tiles really would be worth a pretty pinch of gold...dammit...
He kicks the ground in what appears to be frustration and produces a tube of alchemical solvent from his pocket, tossing it to the Dreaded Obsidian Claw.
Should get them loose without much problem. Was gonna be a nice little retirement package for me... then you come along spouting the old codes and now I’m stuck thinking about things that have no business being in me head. Heh, take it. Breaking the dicks bank’ll probably hurt him more than breaking his back ever would, I’ll earn enough from my report after tonight to keep me happy anyway.
You can get in through the front door, it’s not locked. Doesn’t even have one. Windows are all pretty good entry points too.
He grins.
Darned shame that I’ve suddenly been struck deaf, dumb and blind for the next couple of hours ain’t it?
Rini takes in the information, mentally creating a check list and kicking herself for not bringing a bag of holding. So many gems and so few pockets.... She's usually way more prepared for a heist.
"Right." she counts off on her fingers, "kill the bad guy, rescue the slaves, steal the booty. Anything else?"
Check the basement.
Her ears prick up and her eyes sparkle with dollar signs.
Why, what's in the basement?
Dunno. He was just fine with me being in his bedroom, showed off the damn collars, boasted how he’d never be caught and be up to Opal within a year...
Garth’s eyebrow twitches at that last statement as he mutters something under his breath.
But he never once even considered letting anybody into the basement.
He grins again.
Makes you wonder what he’s hiding in there right?
Gesturing towards the door
So who wants in first? I shall bring up the rear and ensure no untimely interruptions..... Should there be any.