It took Boss Eight five minutes to come in from the back door and sit across from me in the otherwise full tavern; although, he was still four minutes early. Fortunately, I had already finished my juice, because he immediately slipped a folder into my lap. After storing it in my inventory, standing up, and paying my thirty-cent bill; I walked out of the establishment and into a dead-end alley three blocks away, all while completely ignoring his presence.

When I have ensured there is no one watching, I pull the file out of the folder and read the contents:

Mission File 452-36

E6t m4 t0rp3d0 n00bs. [r2dZ in th9 ho6q] naiquilz hot7? nolo anabelsn 134+790=8265, n66ny narlwal nrp4k y0l0o FLAZ 6banananana9nut on MIqKU nnnn 0123 n3xt_n6ht i6th1s 432qu7 at my29t P5WND squiv towny33 quinnoa 21-pnlot butt s6n napzrul3 spun 7 fun F w(0vO)w raken ze5n UrlRap nice73 utonia TMZ 09in

Typical of guild documents, it is encrypted into senseless garbage, but that doesn’t stop me from reading its message. I pull out the small jar of quicklime and the polishing cloth from the bottom of the folder, then I replace the file and [Ignite] the papers, turning them into a wisp of smoke in a small flash. I then trade my bow and quiver for my black cloak and thieves’ dagger, fully ready for any sort of sneaking and thieving.

Casting [Fade], I run up the walls and across the rooftops to a general store that for some reason stays open only at nighttime. The owner is another member of the guild, so he doesn’t comment on my attire when I buy a small flask of water. Detours out of the way I head off to the viscount’s mansion.

The four guards patrolling the perimeter don’t notice me when I jump into the garden, but after a few minutes, a maid walks out of the servants’ quarters and sits on the bench I am hiding behind.

“Why?” she whispers.

I whisper back, “Signet ring.”

“Fifty guards,” she adds. “fifteen on duty.”

“And the safe?” I ask.

“Disk tumbler lock with a silent alarm to milord even with the right key.”

“Thanks, and unlock the library window,” I say as I disappear over the wall again. Meeting with a guild member from the inside has given me a lot of helpful information, but I still need some supplies if I am going to get out with NETOS, no evidence, traces, or sightings.

Back in the garden after a ten minute ‘grocery run,’ I slowly sneak my way to a tree near a second story balcony. I can’t jump that high nor is there any footholds to climb up with, but that’s what trees are for. I wait twenty-three seconds for the two guards to walk far enough away before jumping up to grab the lowest limb. Hauling the rest of myself up the remaining twelve feet during the lapses of security, I check my footing one last time before leaping across to a small ledge marking the change in floor number, and then I scurry over to the balcony as quickly as I can without making any loud noises.

The glass doors leading to the master bedroom are open, the viscount’s wife being fond of night breezes to sleep by. The two have been asleep for thirty minutes now, and at least one of the is snoring loudly.

Creeping to the bedside, I remove a small perfume bottle from my inventory. This cost me twenty-five Fleurs, a twentieth my pre-deducted pay for this job, and is worth every penny. It is a mild sleeping drug, just strong enough to keep the viscount sleeping sweetly through whatever alarm that would otherwise wake him at this ungodly hour. I spray his face three times. He sniffles a little but stays asleep.

I, however, am already on the balcony, ready to go as soon as I confirm his undisturbed rest. The ledge takes me to a circular room occupying one corner of the mansion. This is part of the library and where the maid left a convenient entrance. I slip though the small gap and quickly head to the third floor with the library’s spiral staircase.

Putting my ear to the door, I listen for any guards in the hallway. There are none, so I gradually open the door and step out; however, before I can close the door back, I here footsteps and see torchlight around the corner to my right. I quickly flow back in and barely close the door enough to not be noticed when they round the corner. Patiently, I wait until they round the next

Heading back out in the ten-minute gap, I scamper to the right and am distraught: the fifteenth guard is outside the office, not the master bedroom as expected. There are two at front gate, four who circle the complex, two each for the three floors, two who patrol the grounds outside, and one who stands outside whatever room the viscount is in, not the office. There are no other ways into that room, and I don’t have the ability to sneak past him yet. Sighing as silently as I can, I turn back towards the library, leaving a weak Ferrokinetic mark on the window latch, and retreat to my dorm room. I have three more off days between now and the mission deadline, so it’s not game over yet.

That is what I think as I walk into a trap. As soon as I close the door behind me, Cassiopeia turns on the lights, catching me in with a black cloak on sneaking in most of the way through the third watch.

To feign ignorance, I decide to play it casual: “Good evening. The night air is particularly fresh right now.”

“Look,” she says. “I know you’re a part of the Thieves’ Guild, and I know that earring does more than boost your mana pool a measly five points. My father’s spies would not let someone so close to me go unmonitored, after all.”

“Fair enough,” I reply, taking off my cloak and folding it. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“The spies say you are safe, but I cannot believe them.” She stares me straight in the eyes and says, “So tell me: you will not kill anyone needlessly, you will not force anyone into slavery or prostitution; and, most important to me, you will not betray my trust in you as a friend.”

That last word surprises me more than everything else that’s happened tonight. “You consider me your friend?” I ask incredulously. “We’ve haven’t known each other for a month. Your best friend and brother both hate me. We’ve barely talked outside of you stopping me from doing stupid things out of ignorance. What have we done to become friends, again?”

The princess sighs deeply, and I get the sudden feeling that I did a stupid thing out of ignorance. “Friendship cannot be quantified by some sterile formula, of if it can, it should not be. You are my friend because when we talk and when we interact at all, you do not expect anything from me. You do not try to curry favor; you do not put me on a pedestal like the other commoners; you treat me like a normal person, and to me that means more than whatever criteria you prefer. So yes, you are my friend, whether you like it or not.”

Cassy takes a deep breath, and I am at a lost for words. Eventually, I squeak out, “Thanks? And I promise not to do any of those things.”

She suddenly lunges out and hugs me. I pause briefly before returning the action, then she whispers in my ear, “You know, now that it is official, you have to go shopping and do other friend things with me.”

“I am in need of more outfits,” I reply, not knowing entirely what I just signed up for.

After breaking apart, we each head to our beds for the night; although, I don’t go to sleep just yet. Instead I spend the next two hours training [Fade] and [Stealth] and brainstorming a way to get past that last guard.

menu

Skills

Combat: Skip Step Evasion III Dagger Techniques IV Bow Techniques III Light Barrier II Light Beam III Lightning Rush I Fireball II Flame Wave I Ferrokinesis II Tracking I Fade III Pickpocketing II Lockpicking I Silent Step II Blind I Civil: Examine III Analyze III Cartography I Court Etiquette II Reading VI Mana Detection III Candlelight II Ignition I Summon Water I Sprinting II Stealth II Purify I Meditation I

Status

Identity: Name: Robin Age: 16 Sex: Female Job: Novice Light Thief Home: Capital Magic Academy dorm 18-201 Gauge Levels: HP: 94/94 SP: 51 /76 MP: 447/623 + 3/5 LP: 100 PP: 10/10 XP: 865 Summary Statistics: Level: 59 Combat Level: 31 Civil Level: 28 Rank: 31.9 STRength: 10.1 DEXterity: 20.2 STAmina: 10.4 INTeligence: 61.2 WISdom: 45.4 WILlpower: 14.3 CONviction: 3.15 FAIth: 37.5 CORrectness: 99.9 Tier: D- Equipped Items: The Divine Panties of Chastity Indestructible Cannot be removed by anyone other than the wearer even after death or on accident Under no circumstances will the wearer’s privates be revealed while equipped If anyone without sufficient mental resistance looking at the wearer nefariously gazes upon them, they will immediately lose interest The Divine Sports Bra of Chastity Indestructible Cannot be removed by anyone other than the wearer even after death or on accident Under no circumstances will the wearer’s privates be revealed while equipped Automatically alerts the wearer of ‘Peeping Toms’ Thieves Guild Members' Badge Anti-appraisal Earing (low grade) Slightly modifies Appraisal readings Boosts mana pool by 5 MP Firenze Magic Academy Student ID Measurements: [[withheld]] …

Inventory

Equipment: ₣297.02 Academy Uniform Blouse Academy Uniform Skirt Academy Uniform Kerchief Academy Uniform Vest Red Hair Ribbon Ordinary Iron Buckler Plain Black Cloak Thieves Dagger Simple Green Archer’s Hat Simple Green Huntress’s Blouse Simple Green Huntress’s Skirt Plain Leather Belt Plain Leather Archer’s Right Glove Plain Leather Archer’s Left Arm Guard Basic Hunting Dagger Standard Ironwood Longbow Plain Leather Quiver Plain Arrow ×15 Mild Poison Tipped Arrow ×5 Plain Leather Boots Polishing Cloth Flask 400 ml Water Small Glass Jar 200 g Quicklime