Tim watched the lady he had attempted to steal from appearing to the side of him as he argued with Master Henry. The sensation emanating from her body made him shudder. It was like standing next to a ferocious beast ready to devour one at all times. Tim’s sister loved stories about the great men and women in the world. He, on the other hand, knew well the darkness of the world. There was no way someone became a powerful person without getting blood on their hands.

“Threatening my orphans. Tell me more. I love to hear the dead speak.” said the shop owner as she puffed on a wicked-looking pipe. Tim wanted to warn her that Mr. Henry was a powerful air user. If this lady had some warning, she might be able to escape since it was clear she had a method of teleporting.

Henry’s expression was confused when she appeared, slowly shifting into anger as the lady shop owner finished. It was clear he couldn’t even understand how someone would challenge him in his own house. “This bitch is who you think can keep you safe, Tim? Ridiculous!” Henry said before attacking.

Henry moved like a bullet aided by his own specialty of wind. Without sound, he barreled from behind the desk he’d previously been sitting at a picture of violence. Tim found the back of his shirt grabbed with ungodly speed as he was picked up like a kitten and moved behind the shop owner. She let a small smirk pass across her features as the wind wasn’t even able to force her hat to shift. A fist covered in the austere emerald green of wind mana struck like a wrecking ball at her face with crushing force. It met the perfect counter of her open palm with a soft press which dispersed the force of the punch effortlessly. The wind blew past her chair, ruffling Tim’s hair but doing little else.

“Mistake,” the strange magic shop owner said before she shifted her pipe, taking a long draw on it. The glowing gleam of lit pipe tobacco left a fiery afterimage as her body shifted into motion.

Tim felt more than saw the surge of power that rippled over her body. For a moment, he thought the world in front of his eyes was a watery mirror that someone had cast a small stone into. The sensation passed, and he noticed the shop owner’s form seemed to have tiny cracks running through the visible skin she showed that vanished in moments. In the fraction of a second, Tim had been distracted. The shop owner had utterly crushed Mr. Henry, leaving him a pulped heap of misery on the ground.

“Henry, is that the best you can do? For shame, a level three hundred waste of space! I bet your family had to pay through the nose to get you assigned here. The Flock would never accept such an idiot otherwise.” Tim’s savior said, her tone musing.

Like a titan gazing down at the insects below their feet, Tim thought, suppressing a sudden giggle out of fear of drawing notice. She doesn’t even see Mr. Henry as something to fear! The shop owner has the same look Miss Sara at the orphanage has looked at muddy boots.

“What to do with you…” the mysterious lady asked the air. Her eyes seemed to glance at Tim for a moment, and he froze his mind screaming to hide. A strange pulse of mana emanated from Mr. Henry like a ripple from a still pond. The shop owner’s attention shifted from him back to Mr. Henry as she said, “Henry. Henry. Use that weak muscle between your ears. If you can’t beat me, what makes you think more trash will have a chance?”

Tim watched a necklace around the shop owner split into pieces as they rose to spin above her head like the crown of a fallen goddess. Soft black flames started to flicker around each die as various colors joined the flames. Tim made the immediate choice to run and hide under Mr. Henry’s desk. It was a good desk, especially since it had been stolen from the Mayor’s office a few weeks ago.

There was no way the Mayor wouldn’t buy a quality desk, right? Tim thought as one of the two doors to Mr. Henry’s office opened with a crash. Peeking under the desk, he witnessed the first guards into the office vanish in a strange mist of blood. In the middle of the bloody mist, a small dice appeared floating like the eye of an unholy godling burning with black fire.

Weapon. The necklace was a weapon. Tim babbled in the comfort of his own mind. Who carries dice as a weapon?

The guards flooded into Mr. Henry’s room were nothing more than blood-filled bags of meat to the shop owner. She popped them without a single word, although strange effects did occur occasionally. Tim saw one of the men fall to the ground as if he lost all strength when a dice passed by him. Another guard who managed to dodge a dice by accident received a tiny cut. When the same guard with a cut attempted to dodge a second dice, he moved noticeably slower, thus dying.

In moments several of the guards laughed insanely, two appeared to be aged into decrepitude, and another was clearly blinded. A couple more guards appeared confused, three laughing as if it was all a great jest and one standing with a blank look on his face. Tim was rather certain the dice were somehow Cursed. A normal fire attack might be red, blue, orange, or even green. The black flames wavering on the dice were not part of the normal spectrum of elements that he knew of, with one exception.

Black magic!

That would make the shop owner a witch. Tim shivered in fear.

Reporting a witch is worth a thousand gold! Tim thought, trying to muster up his courage. His thoughts immediately shifted. Staying alive is priceless. The dead don’t spend coin!

The fear of death replaced the momentary greed of gold. Tim watched as, within seconds, almost all the remaining guards were vaporized by the demon dice into red mist bursts. Looking at the massacre, the only guard still alive was licking the blood on the ground while screaming he was thirsty. Considering everything he had just seen, Tim was numb about the soon-to-die man. As expected, the last guard had merely a moment of reprieve before bursting into a red smear.

The strange black flames on the dice rippled through the air turning the ghostly half-seen forms into demonic candles. It appeared even souls couldn’t escape the shop owner’s grasp. Tim peeked over the desk to see the dice return to the necklace around the witch’s neck. The flames lasted for a second before being snuffed out like a doused candlewick. Mustering his courage, Tim stepped out from behind the desk. Glancing at Mr. Henry sobbing on the floor, he ignored the slaughter at the door. Hopefully, this witch didn’t need to eat children as he had heard in the tales his sister loved so much.

Cold silver eyes with a glowing tint of insanity glanced at him, causing Tim to freeze in fear. The glowing eyes below the pointed hat looked like death approaching before flickering back into a semblance of sanity. Unconsciously, Tim let the breath that had frozen in his chest out slowly.

As if reading his mind, the shop owner said, “Relax, midget, I don’t kill kids with few exceptions. My name is Eve. Would you happen to know the best way to loot this place?”

“Mrs. Eve, the Vault is at the lowest level. The guards there are stronger and won’t move for anything short of an attack on the Vault itself.” Tim said politely. He had planned on robbing this place when he gained enough levels and power to do so. Since that was off the table now, the information was useless to him.

“Where did you get the Map from, shorty?” Eve asked him as she wrapped the remains of the guards in strange paper sheets. Tim took a long moment to respond as the sight of blood, bones, and flesh being wrapped like a butcher’s cut made him shudder. “I managed to steal the Map from Mr. Henry when he wasn’t looking.” Tim finally managed to respond.

“Interesting,” Eve said. Moving over to the whimpering wreck that was Mr. Henry, she gave him a casual kick. “Stop whining. Explain why you let the boy have the Map.”

Tim watched in awe as Mr. Henry’s pain-filled whimpering cut off suddenly. Eve raised her foot above the man’s crotch, and suddenly Tim heard him say, “Trap! It was a trap! We figured Sara’s guardian angel. The Godmother would take the bait!”

“Ho? Why would you think that?” Eve said, her expression curious as she let her foot drop beside the fallen enemy.

“Word on the street is she’s a former adventurer. Everyone knows the only way to extend lifespan are few and far between.” Mr. Henry said, rolling himself upright. Apparently, he had been faking. “The temptation to gain more lifespan from an ancient ruin should be a fantastic lure.” Spitting to the side, he continued, “Once she was out of the way, the Flock planned to take care of the two girls Sara keeps around. With them as hostages, it would be easy to have her sign over the territory she owns. With the territory under our control, luring the Alchemist to work for us would be a piece of cake. All it would take is a few threats against that weirdo’s bakery, and he’d crumble!”

Tim watched as the sliver of insanity from before expanded with every sentence Mr. Henry said. As the final words finished, a pulse of power rippled out from Eve, like a sun expanding to occupy the space around her. While he was no mage, Tim had a strange sensitivity to magical wards and other such traps it had kept him alive without fail. That mysterious sixth sense was screaming at him that right now, being near Eve was akin to staring at the face of death.

Eve moved to stand over Mr. Henry before she said in a soft voice, “How could I forget? A snake is a snake indeed. I’m afraid the Flock has forgotten their first lesson from me.”

Tim watched as Mr. Henry looked up at Eve, confusion writ on his face before it slowly faded to horror. “N-No! Y-You can’t be!”

Tim never heard the rest of what the Flock leader might have said, as suddenly a plethora of papers covered his form. There was the soft whine of a blender, and as suddenly as they arrived, the papers vanished.

Of the fallen Mr. Henry, there was no trace. Not even a speck of blood.

Like he never existed. Tim thought, shivering. As a single dice flicked through the area, lighting Mr. Henry’s soul into black flame before returning to Eve’s necklace.

Eve turned to him, and he saw the rage fade from her eyes before she asked, “What would a smart little boy like you be doing working here?”

“Big sister, my younger sister is staying at the orphanage in town.” Tim said before continuing, “I wanted to make a little money, but almost no one hires kids without a formal apprenticeship. Mr. Henry noticed my talents when I managed to pick a few pockets around town and offered me a place in his organization. When the money started rolling in, I asked if leaving was a problem, and he said it only cost the investment they made in me. For five gold, I could leave anytime.”

Tim’s eyes grew hard at the memory before he continued, “That was a lie. I got better and better at stealing. It’s the gift of a Halfling to relocate property like that. Five gold turned into ten, then fifteen, then twenty. Every time I had enough, it was another excuse. Then, Mr. Henry brought in the Fey, and I knew something was horribly wrong. I ain’t never been to no school, but my sister she likes the old tales. Heroes and stuff like that, it doesn’t interest me much except for tales of Ninefinger.” Tim paused, mustering his courage as his favorite thief did before a big heist. “Those tales were how I knew there was no way Mr. Henry could refuse to let me go. Everyone knows you can’t keep angels, demons, or Fey around; it’s against some big word treaty. The army would come down hard on this place if even a hint of something like that were going on!”

Eve grinned, “Right, you are, little one! I couldn’t let that happen. People in quiet retirement like me just don’t appreciate being disturbed.”

Tim glanced at the spot where Mr. Henry had been before saying, “Are you going to silence me?”

“That depends on you, shorty. I recently acquired a Map of an ancient ruin. I don’t suppose you would mind helping me explore the place?” Eve said, smiling.

Uh, what? Tim thought. Am I being offered a job?

“Yes, I’m offering you a job,” Eve said, chuckling. “No, I can’t read your mind.”

Tim narrowed his eyes before saying, “Are you a witch? Cause witches are hunted, and I don’t want to be burned at stake as a collaborator.”

Eve blinked and asked, “They hunt witches in this world?”

“Uh, yes? I think so? There’s a standing reward of one thousand gold for reporting a witch.” Tim said. He was a bit confused that a witch such as Eve was clueless. Wasn’t this common knowledge? Even his sister knew it!

Eve is weird. Are all witches like this? Tim thought. She seems a little clueless, like one of those reclusive masters that are out of touch with the world.

“So there isn’t a hunt per se, just a reward for information?” Eve asked, her tone curious.

Tim nodded and said, “Pretty much.”

Eve gestured for him to come closer before saying, “Describe the Vault to me for a moment, please.”

Tim rattled off everything he could remember of the Vault that he had seen. Eve gripped his arm, and then the world around them shifted instantly. He found himself surrounded by guards, a gleaming enchanted steel door glowing with soft light to the front. Immediately he ducked down, pulling his knees tight, shut his eyes, and covered his ears. The last thing Tim saw was the crown of dice burning with unholy might above Eve’s head.

Less than a minute later, Eve tapped his shoulder. Tim opened one eye cautiously and saw the guards had all vanished. Only a faint scent of blood even indicated anything had existed at all. He noticed the walls were covered in paper with strange glyphs glimmering on every visible meter.

“Get up; there’s work for you,” Eve said, pointing at the Vault. “I know you can make mana tools. Crack the safe. Think of this as a job interview.”

Tim stumbled to his feet, nodding, and approached the Vault. Looking over the inscription runes running throughout the doors was the first step in cracking any magical defense. Without magic, even the strongest door materials were simply paper wrappings. Using the senses that had gotten him through other magical wards and traps, Tim felt his way along the door searching.

After several minutes Tim said, “Could you hit this rune very hard, please?” Eve shrugged acknowledgment, and one of the dice on her neck struck the rune he pointed out precisely. A soft crunch resounded before the rest of the runes dimmed. Nodding, Tim continued checking the door, pointing out several other runes. Each time they were dealt with, the glow around the door lost more light. After calling out the final rune, the door flickered before all the runes collapsed their magic spent.

Tim clapped in glee. It had been difficult finding the first weak point. Now that magic no longer pulsed to protect the Vault, only mechanical gadgets were left by the creators. Forming a set of unique tools out of mana, he examined the lock with a professional gaze. Noting gnomish maker’s mark underneath the wheel, Tim nodded.

Gnomes favored using tricky pin settings, with several false pin traps.

Normally that would be a problem. However, Tim’s tools were mana, not mere metal implements. With a grin, he got to work, and after several moments a skeleton key was crafted by mana. The tools probed all the pins finding those that were traps and those that were not. From there, he used his mind to craft a key, which he then created out of pure mana.

There was a solid click as the skeleton key triggered. Checking the wheel on the door for trigger traps, Tim proceeded to wheel the door open. As soon as he was out of the way, a flurry of paper flew through the gap. By the time Tim managed to get the door fully open, there was a bundle of neatly wrapped paper packages in the middle of the Vault’s floor. Eve waved a hand, and all the paper packages vanished.

“Excellent work, shorty. I could have cracked it open by force, given enough time. However, that might have alerted reinforcements I rather wouldn’t deal with at the moment.” Eve said. “Alright, now that I have a good chunk of their operating budget for this town, it’s time to go.”

Eve stepped up and put a hand on Tim’s shoulder, and it took everything he had not to flinch. There was another gut-twisting shift in reality, and suddenly they were both at the entrance of the orphanage. Eve gestured for him to follow before heading directly to the headmistress. After a few short words from Eve, he found himself directly outside his sister’s room.

Opening the door, Eve entered, and paper once more appeared. Tim managed to reach his sister’s side as paper packages of everything in her room started vanishing. His sister ran to his side, hiding behind him as her entire room was stripped bare.

“Brother?” Jenny asked him, the single word carrying a weight of meaning.

“We’ve been adopted,” Tim said with forced cheer. “She’s a very nice lady with lots of magical power.

Jenny’s eyes sparkled as paper packages finished vanishing. Tim noted the cracks on Mrs. Eve’s body had grown slightly larger, but before he could say anything, she lay a hand on both of them. Another gut-twisting moment and Tim found himself inside Sara’s Serums, the shop he had previously tried to rob.

“Welcome to my home,” Eve said as she led them through a door behind the sales counter. Jenny and Tim boggled as a group of young wolves thundered to surround them. Mice were everywhere, which reminded Tim there had been a green mouse on Eve’s shoulder the entire time. Granted, he hadn’t really been able to focus on that fact with all the other things that happened.

“Relax, everything here knows you're part of my family now. Go upstairs. There should be two rooms with your names on them now. Explore around. Dinner is in just a few hours. Oh, be careful! Two older girls are living here, and they have a fatal weakness for cute things. If they manage to catch you or your sister, you might find yourselves being dressed up in various outfits. Mercy on your soul if that happens.” Eve said before vanishing into thin air.

“Brother, is she a goddess?” Jenny asked, turning her dazed eyes on him.

“Sister, it all started like this…” Tim said as he began his slightly edited tale featuring the heroic thief who saved a confused magical lady in her hour of need.