Skrakch double-checked that the door to the locker room was firmly closed. He wouldn’t put it past Zacharias to speak so loudly that their plan would be revealed to all and sundry. Skrakch couldn’t speak for the Halfling but he personally preferred his head attached to his body.

“I’d love to see you rob these guys yourself,” Zacharias scoffed with a shake of his head. “Unless you’ve recently gotten some new skills like jimmying locks or moving silently then I doubt you’d be able to do much,”

“Bah,” Winifred replied dismissively. “I’ll take care of all that fannying about if ye were brave enough to get into the ring with Rodyr’s champion. I heard the bastard killed his opponent in his last match,” She explained. “Something tells me he’d skewer you, wee man!” She nodded to a particular large bloodstain on the old sink. “I reckon that’s all that’s left of the poor bugger. It’d be quite a sight to see ye as a smear on the wall I’m telling ye.”

Skrakch stepped between the pair, putting on a bright smile as if he were a parent dealing with a pair of unruly Iskrin pups.

“Why don’t you both shut up?” He said sweetly yet sardonically. “We’re all important to the plan so let’s focus on doing our part. If all goes well then you can squabble over which mansion you’re going to buy. Rodyr’s one of the richest creatures in Dray’Mel. You know that fat fool will have all kinds of treasures squirreled away!”

“Aye, ye make a good point Rat,” Winifred replied, throwing out a couple of swift test jabs. Skrakch wasn’t interested in hand-to-hand combat but even he could see how fast and accurate she was. “At least you and me are pulling our weight. All the wee man is bringing is an invite and some fancy clobber,” She eyed Zach’s jacket with clear disdain. “We all know ye’ll be helpin’ yerself to whiskey while yer sittin’ pretty with the oversized cow!”

“You do make a good point Winnie!” Skrakch said delightedly. He rubbed his paws together. “Maybe you should get a smaller cut of the proceeds Zacharias,” He added, taking great care to enunciate every syllable of his name. “I mean really, you just get to sit on your arse while we do all the hard work.” He finished with a smirk. It was one of the reasons why he could tolerate Winifred. She was always as eager as he was to take a jab at the overbearing Halfling.

“Bollocks,” Zach replied dismissively, waving his hand. “Let’s be real here. There’d be no plan at all without me,” He shrugged casually. “After all, I’m the brains behind this whole operation. I can’t see a thug and an overgrown pet putting together such a genius plan,” He smiled as if he simply couldn’t help being so perfect and intelligent. “So how about you two shut up with your whining and we’ll get started.”

With a sardonic smile towards the obnoxious ginger thief, Skrakch took a moment to regard the ceiling. As he expected, it was in poor condition. He spied an area where it was coming apart and leaped up one of the walls. His sharp claws dug into the cheap, softened wood and he easily made his way up to the spot in a trice. He ripped open a large enough hole in the wooden ceiling and took a moment to look down at his companions.

“You’d best be ready to run once I make it back!” He said triumphantly. “Oh and Winifred? Try to make it out of the fight alive. Don’t leave me with this idiot, even if splitting the gold two ways is better than thirds!”

He cackled to himself and disappeared into the hole. Thankfully, Skrakch was blessed with flexible bones, contouring to the small space as he scuttled along the crawl-space between floors, keeping his ears on alert for any sounds above him.

Luckily there didn’t appear to be any kind of elaborate vent or plumbing, the Minotaur too cheap to save his servants from their back-breaking labors. It had always surprised him what could be found between ceilings and floorboards. In his previous jobs, he’d found gems, coins, and even the odd scroll of two. Unfortunately, there would be no bonus loot to be had here.

The space was tight and covered in cobwebs, dust, and mouse droppings. He paused for a moment, recalling his mental map of the mansion. He was currently in the North-East part of the mansion which meant... he would have to travel for roughly 3 minutes across and then another minute upwards to be right under the Minotaur’s bedroom.

Skrakch kept scuttling along trying not to breathe in the dust. It started to get stiflingly hot and his nose was assaulted with the foul stench of the mouse shit. He hoped that his job would be worth it, though he had to admit he’d dealt with worse smells. The Ratling had to stifle a chuckle, as he thought about how Zacharias would react to being wedged in the walls, getting feces all over his arrogant face.

When he reached his destination, he flipped onto his back somewhat awkwardly given the space and began to slowly scrape open a hole in the floorboards. It was satisfying to imagine Zacharias’ face at the end of his sharp claws as he worked though he kept alert for any sounds above him. All it would take would be one nosy guard and he’d be a dead Ratling.

Slowly but surely, he managed to create a hole wide enough for him to peek through. He took a look around the room and quickly confirmed his calculations, unsurprisingly, were correct. Despite this, he couldn’t help but feel stunned by the display of wealth in Rodyr’s bedroom.

All the furniture, including the massive bed which would have comfortably housed an entire family of Humans, was ornately crafted from Beamlog. It was one of the rarest woods in the whole city, only growing from a sparse forest due North of Dray’Mel. The drapes were made of thick black velvet with gold-threaded into them, here and there. Mage Lights made the room light up brighter than the sun itself could, only highlighting the opulence.

Skrakch didn’t take much notice of the rest of the furniture once his eyes had been drawn to the bed. It was beautifully carved and covered in gemstones. Unfortunately, it looked as though the craftsmanship was so perfect the gems wouldn’t come away from their settings easily. If the rodent had access to his full assortment of gear, it might be possible to pry a few gemstones loose… but thankfully even those gems should be worthless compared to the real score.

Quickly gouging the hole larger, Skrakch pulled himself through the opening. He took a moment to check that his assortment of potions was still attached to his bandolier. It wouldn’t do to lose the damned things, as most of his potions cost more than you’d expect. Alchemy was sadly a dying art in The Slums, most of the craftsmen being swooped up by rich backers.

Satisfied, he scanned the room for any likely-looking safes or lockboxes. He froze when he noticed a large emerald perched on a gold pedestal. The gleaming gem was almost the size of his head and polished so that it shone magnificently, in fact, Skrakch was almost hypnotized by its beauty. He ached to grab it but had to resist the temptation. It was so huge it wouldn’t fit in any of the pouches hanging from his belt…

But it was so beautiful…

Before he knew it, he was standing right beside the brilliant gem. He watched it sparkle under the Mage Lights. It didn’t matter that it was just sitting there, on display, completely out in the open. He didn’t care that he would be instantly noticed if it were missing. He had to have it. He needed…

To snap out of it.

Skrakch quickly lurched backward and took a moment to gather himself. Making sure he kept his back to the gem, he shook off the enchantment. Rodyr had laid some kind of compulsion spell on it, a strong one too. No doubt there would also be some kind of magical alarm in place that would alert the guards as soon as he touched it. Skrakch supposed that, in Dray’Mel, you didn’t get as rich as Rodyr without knowing a thing or two. There was no way he was going to risk stealing the emerald.

Still, where there was a trap, there would be treasure. Carefully keeping the emerald out of his line of vision, Skrakch began scanning the room once again, looking for anything else that may be of value. Checking underneath the various paintings of Rodyr didn’t turn anything up, nor did searching for any hidden drawers at the beast’s sprawling mahogany desk. Skrakch wasn’t surprised. Rodyr obviously didn’t like to take stupid risks with his fortune. A fellow certainly didn’t stay rich by hiding your treasure in obvious places.

Or did he?

Maybe this room was just one big double bluff. If he was Rodyr, Skrakch postulated, then he’d probably go with the obvious hiding places. Any stupid run-of-the-mill thief would waste their precious time checking the strange places before disappearing empty-handed. A genius one such as him would quickly realize that the most obvious place was probably the safest.

Skrakch threw himself under the massive bed. He was rewarded for his genius when he found a large safe under it in plain sight. He chuckled to himself and pulled out his listening device.

Zacharias was constantly nagging him to reveal the secrets of his safe-cracking expertise. He knew the Halfling was expecting some kind of magical invention or clever tool. In actual fact, all it took was patience and his simple homemade listening device. He was able to get it open within minutes, counting the clicks as he turned the knob. Of course, Skrakch made a mental note to brag about that fact at the tavern later.

The umber-furred rogue resisted the urge to shout in triumph as he pulled out four rather heavy bags. They were a lot more than he’d expected to find. Weighing them in his hands, he started to mentally calculate how much would be in each bag. If his calculations were correct, it was going to be a lot more than any of them had anticipated.

He couldn’t resist a quick fist pump of triumph. Naturally, he smashed his fist into the underside of the bed frame, a large crashing noise ringing out in the silent air. Skrakch froze in place for a moment, though all too soon he realized what a monumental mistake he’d made.

It didn’t take long before he could hear the sound of the guards quickly approaching the bedroom’s door, no doubt intending to check out the disturbance. Luckily, Skrakch prided himself on always knowing exactly what to do when he was caught in a tight spot.

Making sure he attached the bags to his belt securely, he ran out from under the bed and across the plush carpet. He yanked open the black velvet curtains, smiling in satisfaction as he heard an audible rip. It was perhaps a bit petty, but the damned Lordling would probably lament the loss of his rather fancy curtains as much as the gold he’d lost.

A few previous seconds were spent fumbling with the locks, but Skrakch managed to open the window just in time, as a pack of burly guards burst into the room, weapons held aloft and the disposition to use them. Skrakch offered them his cheesiest grin and gave them a little wave before leaping straight out of the window.

After all, smooth seas never made a good sailor. What was a plan if it didn’t go off without a little hitch?