Hannah was running towards the city guard headquarters. She was desperate, but she still had hope. Surely Esme wouldn't get her sentence after just arriving there. As she got closer to the building, the number of [Guards] obviously increased. The building was like a miniature castle of some sort, but it was still huge compared to the other buildings around it. It was clearly the most impressive one she had seen so far.

In her rush, Hannah had forgotten two things. A weapon, in case things got bad, which was something that greatly worried her. Second, she didn't have a plan. What was she going to do, storm in and use [Lesser Persuasion] on repeat? The skill probably had a limit regarding how many times it could be used in a row. She cursed internally at herself for not testing it before today. What had she been thinking? This was bound to happen eventually, but she had been enclosed in a safety bubble after seeing how easy stealing is. And it still felt wrong. She shook her head, not wanting to go down that train of thought again. She had to think. Time was running out.

She started thinking. Earlier that day she saw how limited her abilities were compared to that adventurer. He called himself silver rank. How good was that? Probably damn good seeing how he wiped the floor with her. Her skill also worked on him though, but only for seconds. It was so frustrating. But there wasn't much time to think. She had no grand plan like Esme would have had. So she begrudgingly decided that she just had to act now.

She lowered her hood even further down, and walked towards the entrance. The entrance court was teeming with guards, and Hannah knew they'd move down on her in seconds. She looked way too suspicious. That's what she wanted.

"Excuse me, sir. Identify yourself."

"I'm a criminal. A [Thief], to be precise. I am here to confess my crimes."

Hannah took off her hood, and then her mask. The [Guard] was bewildered, and thought it was a trick at first. He instantly restrained her and called for reinforcements. They had heard of a few Drakes going on suicide missions, and this could be one of them for all they knew. They walked her inside and then after a few minutes of walking, they violently threw her in one of their cells. The floor was damp, and it was dark. Hannah could swear she saw a cockroach or two scuttling around the floor, but she didn't mind bugs. She felt a slight pinch in the heart when she remembered Esme had a phobia of any bug bigger than an ant. She sat down the 'bed' if you could even call it that. It was a sheet of cloth put on the ground. She was horrified when she saw her cell didn't have somewhere to relieve herself. Fortunately, she calmed down and took a deep breath and went over her plan. They had not blindfolded her while leading her here, which was a fatal mistake. She had memorized the way to the cell, but she didn't have time to rest. She had to find Esme and get out of here.

A few minutes later she heard someone approach. Hannah stuck her head close to the cell bars and saw it was only a [Guard]. The chubby man approached her lazily and opened the cell door. He tied her hands and walked her back towards the entrance zone that she had been through. No information was given to her about where she was going, and she didn't want to ask the [Guard], afraid of angering him. She didn't know exactly how prisoners were taken, but she knew it was better to not risk anything. After they arrived at the 'lobby', and Hannah was shoved toward a counter. A woman was waiting behind the counter.

"Confess your crimes."

Hannah was surprised, as she had already done so before they took her to a jail cell, but she did it again anyway.

"I'm a [Thief]. I stole from many people. Dozens, maybe."

The woman closed her eyes, and concentrated for a few seconds.

"Hm. The girl's telling the truth. Call the captain."

"Yes, ma'am."

A [Guard] instantly left the room and went where this captain was. Hannah didn't know him, but she hoped her plan would work.

-------------------------------

Captain Morten was having a pretty good day, as he had finished most of his work managing the guard and the city, and things with the Mob were going well. He drank a large flask of water and breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be a relaxing day.

Someone knocked at the door. He groaned slightly.

"Come in."

A guard appeared in his office, and he immediately reported the situation.

"Captain Morten. A [Thief] came here approximately one hour and thirty minutes ago. She has confessed her crimes and we put her through a [Detect Lie] spell. We believe that she's the second [Thief] that's been causing havoc in the Lower District market."

"The second...? Oh right. The [Thieves]. You caught one of them?"

"The adventurers did sir. I thought someone came here to inform you about it."

"Right. Right. Well, good job. Send them in, I'll announce their sentence."

"Yes, sir."

The man left quickly. Morten sighed. He had forgotten about the [Thieves]! He smirked, as he had solved another problem. He was still surprised though, as Winsor had not seen petty crimes like thievery go on this long in... years. Well, it was mostly because the Mob took most criminals in but still.

Well, it mattered little. He had caught them this time, so he'd give an appropriate sentence. Hanging seemed appropriate for them. It would be a good example to set. It wouldn't be a relaxing day like he thought, but at least he was doing a good job, managing the city and not provoking the Mob.

Right?

He hoped so, at least.

-------------------------------

Hannah was back in a cell. It wasn't the same one as before, but she memorized the path she took to get there again. She still had not seen Esme, and started worrying if they'd keep them separated the whole time. Or maybe she was already dead. Her heart dropped at the thought, but she wouldn't lose to despair. Not now. She had to be alive.

Two new [Guard], two women this time, came in and opened her cell, but she was deep in thought and didn't notice them until they were in front of her. They restrained her and lead her through many corridors and rooms. While passing through the cell rooms, she saw many people. Dirty. Crying. Begging. But she walked on, and ended up in front of a large double door.

"We shall wait here. Your sentence will be announced shortly."

Her heart dropped. Still no sign of Esme. She decided to wait a bit longer. Just a bit longer. She'd be there. She was sure of it.

She heard footsteps. She snapped her head towards the sound.

There she was. Esme was alive! It was a miracle. They both smiled at each other, but Esme's face abruptly turned to confusion, then horror, as she realized Hannah must have been caught as well. But Hannah didn't care. She had not surrendered herself in vain. They both spoke at the same time.

"Esme! I know you we-"

"Hannah, what are you-"

"Prisoners will refrain from speaking"

They were interrupted by one of the [Guards]. This was bad. Hannah hadn't thought about how they'd make a coordinated plan to get out of here. How could they communicate? She expected to be put in the same cell. She had to act now."

"Let us go. Now."

Esme's eyes went wide. Her expression said 'are we doing it right here? Now?' Hannah nodded. The [Guards]' eyes went hazy and they nodded slowly. The girls just ran for it, but after not even a few seconds, they snapped back to reality. They screamed, and one of them opened the double doors.

"Captain, the [Thieves] are escaping!"

Hannah and Esme ran on, and they could outspeed the men and women in heavy armor. Hannah kept using [Lesser Persuasion] but she could feel it becoming weaker and weaker after each use. At her sixth use, the power was gone.

"Let us through."

"No"

It was off. Wrong. The skill wasn't working. Five uses was the limit.

"Surrender now, or we will be forced to use lethal force, as per our orders."

They contemplated it. For a split second. And then they dashed through another corridor. This one looked like a dead end. But there was a door at the end of it. They opened it, slammed it shut and locked it. They looked around the room, and it had weapons. Many weapons. It was their armory. A glint of folly appeared in Esme's eyes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"It's the only way."

No more words were needed. The room was full of swords, axes, spears. Hannah tried to grab a sword, but it was heavier than expected. She couldn't fight well with this. Banging on could be heard on the door. Any minute now.

"Here. Use this."

Esme handed over two daggers to Hannah. She smirked.

"That's kind of cool. We look like rogues now."

"No time to make jokes. Brace yourself."

She knew that already. The door was splintering now, and adrenaline was pumping through their veins. They were in the two corners of the room, preparing to stab anyone who went through. Well... stab. Hannah started thinking. Was she really going to murder somebody? Surely not. But she had to! It was self-defense. But they were also just people doing their jobs, with a family. The first [Guard] went through, and Esme instantly stabbed him in one of the openings of his armor in his leg. He collapsed on the ground, wounded.

"Man down! Healing potion!"

He was dragged out, and someone poured a red liquid on his leg, but more people were flooding in Esme managed to take down four this way, while Hannah was frozen. Esme was kicked on the ground and a man drew his sword, ready to kill her. Hannah was in the meantime, restrained, as she did not commit any violent acts. But she couldn't watch this unfold.

"No! No! Stop!"

All the guards stopped instantly. They turned towards her. Waiting.

"Get out."

And they did. They listened because they had to, they couldn't say no.

Hannah collapsed to her knees and crawled towards Esme. They hugged. This was it. Soon the effect of the skill would run out and they'd die. Her consciousness fleeting but quickly came back to her senses when she heard a voice.

[Thief: Level 8]

[Skill - Lesser Persuasion ––> Charm]

[Skill - Lesser Distraction ––> Charm]

[Skill - Lockpick Obtained]

"What?"

She had leveled up, and had gotten the [Charm] skill, which was... an upgrade? Probably.

"What happened?"

"I just leveled up."

The [Guards] were still standing outside. Waiting. Granted it had only been around thirty seconds, but that was way longer than anything she could do before. Esme nodded at her

"We have to go."

They rushed through the crowded corridor and went towards the entrance, but the hallways were full of [Guards]. Escaping was impossible.

"We can't escape. My [Charm] won't work. I can feel it in my gut. It's stronger but I can use it less times in a row. They would be found any minute now.

"There they are!"

Or any second. Someone had found them from behind, and the [Guards] in the lobby all turned as one. This was it for sure. Hannah tried her skill one last time.

"Stop! Let us through"

They hesitated for a second, but they kept going. One raised his sword and was about to strike.

"Stop! Cease the attack! It is an order!"

Captain Morten burst through the crowded area. He had saved them, but why? Did he want to kill them publically?

"They are to be released immediately."

A surprised gasp ran through the [Guards], and the two [Thieves]. Why now? This made no sense at all. The [Guards] made sure to voice their confusion.

"Captain, are you serious?"

"Why?"

"Really?"

Morten kept going though, unfazed by the questions."

"That was an order. Let them go."

Hannah and Esme slowly left. They were suspicious of this sudden change of heart. It could be a trap, after all. But in the end, they were let go, and as soon as they made it out of the court, they ran.

-------------------------------

Morten was furious. He walked back and forth in his office. How could they! How could they reach into his affairs! They had an agreement!

The Mob had contacted him while the two girls were running like rats in a maze. They had a few people who worked here, including the [Mage] who had used the [Detect Lie] spell. She had received a [Message] from her boss.

The message said to not to harm the [Thieves], and to release them immediately. The nerve! The Captain cursed internally. He swore, today was the day where he would-

He would...

He couldn't. No, the Mob was too powerful. And this wasn't that big of a deal after all. They had just gotten rid of the one thing that would occupy his day. This was a good thing, he nodded.

But still, this was Skull testing the waters. The Mob's boss was fierce, but he had never freed a prisoner that was already in jail. Why would he do that for two [Thieves]? There was no answer.

"Dragons take it all!"

He kicked his chair. He had to take it, otherwise his family, and all of Winsor would be in danger. He stood his chair upright and sunk into it.

"What would old [Captain] Dale do..."

-------------------------------

Esme had seen things in her life. In this world and her old, but he had never stabbed someone before. She felt his bone. It was wrong. Her daggers were still soaked in blood, but they were hidden. Hannah had come to save her, and she couldn't believe it. They almost died. The feeling was starting to sink in.

They were back at the inn now. It was night time. Her legs were shaking, she couldn't stop the near-death experience from playing in her mind over and over. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"No."

"I understand."

"Thank you. For coming to save me."

"It was nothing. I mean, we're friends, right? And you're the only one I have here. From home."

"Yeah."

Hannah hugged her from behind, but at that moment, Esme felt something in her heart. Something... more. They stayed like this for a few minutes. Silently. But they went to sleep shortly afterward. When she closed her eyes Esme heard a voice.

[Thief: Level 10]

[Skill: Conceal Presence Obtained]

[Skill: Sense Threat Obtained]

[Rogue: Level 1]

[Skill: Lesser Dagger Proficiency Obtained]

She smiled as slumber overtook her.