Chapter 28 – Out of Time

Looking down the corridor is easier said than done. I already learned from my failed attempt at sneaking past the two secretaries that my stealth skill is embarrassing. It’s so bad, it’s ridiculous to even consider trying to sneak up on a couple of enemies that outlevel me. So, how am I doing this?

Really carefully, really slowly, and from as far away as humanly possible. That’s how. I just need a plan.

The fourth-floor layout is pretty similar to the third floor. The entire floor plan is shaped like a square. Or maybe a bit more like a horseshoe that is connected at the ends, with only a wall separating the two staircases is a more apt description. The entire thing positively radiates the developers’ intention of creating a layout that forces the player to follow a linear path towards their objective. I’m not too impressed with the lack of imagination. Perhaps they had the B-team work on the Thief Lord class jobs? No matter. It’s a little simpler and predictable this way. I don’t think my fragile nerves can handle any more surprises today.

The stairs I entered from is on one end of the building, and there’s a main hallway stretching all around the building. The two high-level threats are in a well-lit side corridor almost at the very end of the floor, a corridor I should be able to bypass by cutting through a few offices. Like the classrooms below, the offices are connected with doors between them, as well as doors leading into the hallway. If I go through those, then I should be able to find a door opening up to the lit corridor to get a peek at what I’m up against. It’s a little reckless, but I believe it’s worth the risk.

I decide to head forwards along with my Cutpurse. We make our way into a nearby office and slowly inch our way through it and the connecting office. The going is slow, as I don’t want to alert whoever is in the corridor. The third office we get to should be the one with a door adjacent to the corridor with the two enemies. I find a good position overlooking the door at the opposite side of the room, trying to get the angle just right and activate ‘Chameleon’. As the illusion takes hold, I direct my eyes at the door.

As planned, my Cutpurse sneaks up to the door and very carefully puts his hand on the door handle. With practiced ease, he carefully puts pressure on the handle, and the door shifts slightly. He doesn’t fully open the door, just enough to allow me to get a slight peek into the corridor beyond. Peeling my eyes, I only get to see a fraction of the corridor, but luckily enough, I get my eyes on one of the enemies. He’s a human man, decked out in full chainmail armor draped over leather. He has a metal cap on his head and a mean-looking longsword strapped to his belt. I inspect the man.

[Human Guard(20). HP: ???/???.]

My jaw drops. What the… Oh, No. Hell no. Hell fucking no! Are they serious about this? Level twenty!? Do they expect me to… No. The princess is in a way different castle. Continent, even. There is no way I’m going through that. Just no.

My Cutpurse carefully shuts the door, and we both make our way back the way we came. Whatever you say, there is just no way that is the correct way to go. Not in a million years. If the job wanted me to fight a couple of level twenty guards, then the job rating would be way higher than just Hard.

Why the hell are there level twenty guards here anyway? Are they supposed to be a trap for me in case I was foolish enough to walk ahead without scouting first? Ludicrous. It makes no sense. I doubt it even has anything to do with my job. This job should be within my level range, and even though it’s marked as difficult, there is no way they would add in something that made this job unbeatable. Whatever it is I’m after, it can’t be behind what those two are guarding. Fighting the two of them off is impossible. I bet they have some killer loot though…

Nope. Not worth it.

Perhaps they are there for some other, higher-level quest I have yet to unlock? One thing is for certain though; I’m not fighting them. Even if I was promised a barrel full of gold at the other end, attempting something like that is stupidly reckless. Even for me.

No matter. Even if there are two unbeatable enemies ahead, there has to be a way for me to complete this job. The loot I’m looking for must be somewhere else. So far, I’ve pretty much scouted out the majority of the floor. Besides the dormitory and the suspiciously well-guarded corridor up ahead, there is only one part of the building I have yet to fully explore. The very end of the hallway, a little past the corridor where the guards are. Thanks to the passage between the offices, I should be able to sneak past the two guards without alerting them. I just need to go slowly. Very slowly.

The four of us once again make our way through the offices, taking extra care while walking through the office closest to the guards. My heart threatens to burst from my chest due to all the stress, but we manage to make our way through without a hitch. By the time we reach the fourth office, I’m just about ready to order a new set of underwear. We should be safe now though. Unless, of course, there are more of those guards up ahead. If there is, then I swear I will quit playing this game out of protest.

…

Ok, I won’t. But I would become really upset.

I’m not taking any chances, and my Cutpurse takes the lead to scout the remaining few rooms up ahead. Luckily, there isn’t much left, and our little ragtag band of low-level scum soon find ourselves at the end of the hallway. There is only a single room we haven’t checked yet, and I like my chances. Unlike the classroom and office doors, this door is the only one that is locked. Locked is good. Locked means they don’t want anyone’s grubby mitts on whatever is inside.

Grinning like a teenager who finally talked his sweetheart into giving up her virginity, I order my Cutpurse to start picking the lock. The door is old and there are several cracks in it, allowing me to catch a small glimpse of the dark room on the other side. Even though the door isn’t as sturdy as the entrance door, I know from experience that lockpicking is still a disappointingly lengthy process. Of course, I could try breaking through it, but the two guards aren’t that far away, and I really don’t want them to know I’m here. With nothing better to do, I start looking around, trying to find something to amuse me.

There’s a large window at the very end of the hallway, right next to the door. Looking through it, I find it conveniently located nearly directly above the entrance I used to enter the building. The streets are void of people, and I direct my eyes towards the alleyway on the opposite side of the street where my Spotters are keeping diligent watch. I start smiling again. It seems like this heist will really go without a hitch after all.

A clicking sound behind me signals that my Cutpurse is successful, and I restrain myself from pushing past him to check up on the contents of the room.

The room appears to be a dark storage room, with several wooden crates stacked to the ceiling. I squint to get a better overview of things, but the room is inconveniently located, and there isn’t much moonlight hitting this side of the building. Looking harder, I spot an unlit oil lamp along one of the walls, as well as a particularly eye-catching wooden chest, with a metal frame and the Bard College’s sigil painted on the lid resting at the center of the room.

Jackpot!

The four of us push into the room and I immediately make my way towards the alluring chest, wanting the honor of claiming the most valuable loot myself. “Someone turn on the light and lock the door. I don’t want to miss this.” I tell none of my underlings in particular while I rub my hands together in anticipation and grin like a madman. I’m a sucker for good loot. It would be a shame to look through this stuff in complete darkness.

As the lamp flickers on, I carefully open the lid, only restraining myself enough to make sure there aren’t any traps attached to it. I’m not sure if I could live down the shame if the heist got ruined because I triggered a trap prematurely out of greed. Just in front of the finishing line no less.

After I’m satisfied there are no traps attached to the chest, I fling the lid open, allowing my greedy eyes to take in the loot inside.

[Feathered Cap. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +3 Charisma, +1 Wisdom. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*]

[Embroided Leather Pauldrons. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +2 Endurance, +2 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*]

[Embroided Leather Chest. Uncommon. 20% Physical Resistance, +4 Endurance, +3 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*]

[Embroided Leather Greaves. Uncommon. 20% Physical Resistance, +4 Endurance, +2 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*]

[Embroided Leather Gloves. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +3 Dexterity, +1 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*]

[Embroided Leather Boots. Uncommon. 15% Physical Resistance, +5% Movement Speed, +2 Agility, +1 Charisma. Requires Level 6. *Contraband*]

Did I say that I found the motherload earlier? Oh, I was so very wrong… The items in this chest? I probably would have given up my left nut for these items with hardly any hesitation at all just a few days ago. To get these items for free? Did I accidentally misread Halfling, and in reality, I selected to play as a Leprechaun? Who the fuck cares! I’m rich, baby! Or whatever the equivalent is for a fashionista!

Oh man, I’m gonna look dashing as soon as I turn level six. The rewards for these heists are through the roof! These items are probably worth nearly a hundred gold on the auction house, easy. Well, they would be if they weren’t marked as contraband, but I don’t care! Thief Lords sure have it good. Other classes would need to farm for weeks for these kinds of digs, and probably outlevel the gear itself in the process. They may not be worth much if I sell them, but why would I do that? With these kinds of stats, I can literally recruit a small army of underlings to do my dirty work for me. This is way better than the missions I got on my Necromancer. If I start farming now, I’ll probably hit level fifteen in a week and a half. It’s insane! All hail the broken game mechanics!

In my daze, I don’t even notice my underlings methodically scouring through the rest of the crates in the room until the Cutpurse pokes me in the shoulder. “Huh? What?” I grunt, disgruntled that he pulled me out of my reverie. The Cutpurse glares at me, raising a finger and putting it on his lips. Huh? That sign means… Oh fuck.

Alarmed, I swivel my head around, looking towards the closed door. The bright light from the oil lamp illuminates the room, giving me a good view of all the crates and the cracked door. What is he… I squint, sitting deathly still. It’s faint, but I can hear the sound of footsteps approaching from outside. Who the hell could that… Oh shit! My eyes go wide. Don’t tell me those high-level guards are patrols? Fuck! I need to turn off that light, NOW!

I jump to my feet and take a few steps towards the lamp on the wall. I get halfway across the room until a gruff voice sounds from outside. “Djeez. That limpdick forgot to turn off the lights again. I swear… That idiot will burn us all to death one of these days…”

Oh no… What the hell do I do now!? Is this because I insisted on turning the lights on? Why the fuck did I do that!? Worst fucking thief ever. If only I-

Shut up, Ryan! I give myself a mental slap. You don’t have time for this. You need to get the fuck out of here, right this instant.

Staying completely still, I put my brain into high gear as I listen to the approaching guard. His leather boots are causing the wooden floorboards to squeak, and his chainmail armor rustles with every step he takes. I’m out of time.

I quickly make a mental calculation of what resources I have at my disposal. It’s not much, but luckily, ‘Cheap Shot’ is off cooldown as it has been a little over twenty minutes since my last scuffle. I also have three Paralyzing Poisons and a handful of Blight Poisons. Could I maybe kill the guard? Level twenty is high, but could it be doable? Three seconds of paralyzing probably aren’t enough, but could that buy my Hoodlums the time they need to tackle the guard? Maybe spam-casting my ‘Calm’ spell would help to incapacitate him.

Would that be enough though? Do I have another option? I could probably try to hide, but where? Even though there are a lot of crates in here, there is just no way and no room for me to hide four people. Could I block the door? Pretend he has the wrong key or something to make him go away, and then hide in a nearby office? How stupid can you get Ryan? You need to fight him, or at the very least push past him. Now shut up and act. You’re out of time.