Scarlet cove treasure vaults

A vast space before Seshwan's eyes extended out seemingly infinitely within the hall. A vast trove of golden coins, jewels, weapons and artifacts of all kinds piled and stacked in all directions.

Though the craftsmen and artisans of Scarlet Cove are renowned for their works of art the true value within this place we're the treasures of an age gone by that were stored within these walls. Swords with lost enchantments, armors stronger than real guard and tempered weapons there were even a few ancient items like the storage chest that had a dimensional realm within to store vast amounts of items.

Though they seemed like disorganized and chaotic piles of items, in actuality they were all expertly separated into categories based enhancement and elemental affinity. Grey led Seshwan down a corridor of treasures; all low ranked and trash articles of armor that could easily be bought in the auction house. Seshwan couldn't shake a feeling since he entered the vault, he felt as though something was calling to him from deep within the vault. some form of intent lived within this space and was reaching out to him, like hundreds of hands gripping every inch of his skin and pulling him along. the sensation made his flesh crawl as his body hair stood on end, this intent was ancient and wondrous, though Seshwan's instincts told him it was extremely dangerous.

"Mister Grey, what's back there?" Seshwan said pointing toward the back of the vault, he could feel the pressure of the intent calling out to him. A numb feeling spread throughout his body as he focused on the intent trying to not use his essence to feel it out, as he started to understand the intent it would suddenly retract and change, making him even more curious.

"My dear young lord, the area in the depths is reserved for unusable ancient treasures from before the Empire. No one can use those treasures without meeting their doom. if at all." Grey spoke as his face wore an uneasy look.

Seshwan ignored the warning and turned toward the depths of the vault. 'This would serve as an excellent distraction while Colm work' he thought.

As they walked the intent had grown to a colossal raging torrent of energy, to Seshwan it felt as if a hand had a firm grip on his heart. This intent was extremely old and was very powerful. Upon arriving at the furthest depths of the vault there lay a small pile of items, along with a small red velvet jewelry box and a rack with a single sword displayed separately from the pile. Of all the items the small jewelry box was the one harboring the intent. Seshwan grasped the box and attempted to open it but couldn't. The box had no visible locking mechanisms or latches but it was completely sealed.

"Master jade, these items are worthless, why don't we just leave them here. A box that can't be opened, a sword that can't be drawn." Grey bent down and picked up a set of gloves. "And a set of gloves that are essence-less yet are in scripted with a curse. The whole lot is useless."

With one look at the left glove, Seshwan had found what he assumed the intent belonged too. All the items were steeped in the ancient intent, he couldn't easily decern which item held the true intent, of the three items which had the highest concentration of intent; the sword, jewelry box, and gloves, the gloves were most likely the host. he knew exactly what they were though he wouldn't dare mention them to someone like Grey.

"Grey I'll take the items you deemed worthless, All of three of them. Along with those, I'll need something to carry them in are there any storage bags or chests perhaps?"

Grey was shocked at the thought of finally getting rid of these items. They'd been in the vault before the empire was formed. 'If this noble’s nephew was willing to pay for them why not make the guild some money.'

"Right this way young master we will look at the armor section next. There should be a number of good storage items there."

As they walked back up front Seshwan felt a hum in his ear. Xerxes was giving him a message. "Seshwan, Colm has finished his collection of items. All pills and a few nice treasures are within the box. Ready when you are."

Once Seshwan had the all clear he picked out a suitable bag for hiding his purchases then without delay headed straight for the chest. A large storage chest coated in dust and buried in the corner of one pile could be seen from the corner of Seshwan's eye. 'That's the chest.'

"Mister Grey I'd also like that old chest. It looks sturdy and I have a feeling it and a few other treasures I've picked out will serve as excellent items to boost my cultivation. Please have it sent to my home under the cover of night tomorrow."

Grey nodded, it was no strange thing for a noble to have a delivery made incognito to avoid prying eyes of thieves or even other nobles.

"I'll have this all picked up by some men and brought up to the estate by midnight tomorrow. Thank you very much for your time young master."

Seshwan had completed the second phase of the plan. Along the way finding a few treasures that the guild won't miss and striking a blow to the empire by stealing their shipment of pills. The plan had been pulled off with minor issues. Seshwan would no doubt get a stern lecture by the masters for allowing Xerxes to kill Cedric, regardless he was at ease in his mind.

Lastly, before the deal was set Seshwan ensured that the work order would be made so even if Grey forgot the shipment would still happen. after leaving an X on the signature line the transaction was completed.

Outside the vault

All items had been collected and Colm was safe outside, but Xerxes was feeling uneasy, something wasn’t right. The guards below gave off an odd feeling. They normally stood post by the doors of the vault, though after the change of the guard they had begun to patrol the square. These new guards roamed in pairs. Colm also felt unease about the current situation of the square. Nearly ten additional guards were present, at this time a night there should be no reason they would increase security at the vault.

"I'm going to go take a closer look at those guard’s something's off. They shouldn’t be this slack with their patrol routes. All the data the guild has on them says they hardly ever move from their posts after the sun goes down." Colm took a moment to ingest an essence enhancement pill and swap out his burnt out red signal crystal. 'these crystals don’t last very long it was brand new a few hours ago, I only used it several times.' anyone would be displeased with cheap equipment but a man like Colm was previously a well-known heir to one of the largest non-military scout clans. He was used to the finer equipment. though it was his choice to follow master Crest so he had no room to complain.

"Good luck I’ll keep watch, and I’ll be in your ear." Xerxes melded into the shadows of his perch completely unseen by all below.

Colm scaled down the structures side into the alley below proceeding into the street. He had been using his essence to its upper limits for near half an hour, this time drawing out the energy took great concentration, soon his back became shrouded with the mist form cloak; The cloak when not active appears as just water suspended in space around the user. Once active it would mirror the surroundings according to all who are looking at it, the more people observing the cloak the higher the toll on the user’s essence. even with this camouflage, he was still partially visible if he was careless with his movements. if he was not it would exhaust him further to keep up his camouflage.

Once the user was exhausted the camouflage would not last and would fail. For Colm sticking to the shadows and out of sight was the best option. After crossing the street and making his way to the nearest guards Colm could see the armor was shabby and not worn like a professional. Straps and buckles hung loss. 'shit, these aren't the guards, there's no way a watch captain would approve his men to go on patrol with armor this poorly worn; these must be other thieves here to steal from the vault too.' Colm turned toward Xerxes flashing the alert signal of three rapid blinks followed by a long solid light.

For human eyes red in the dark is extremely hard to focus on and won’t be noticed at a distance but for demons, abstract colors stand out plain as a white light. Xerxes received the message now worried, 'Damn we were right some bastards have come to ruin our plan if they enter the vault it'll be too late. That or they plan to steal whatever Seshwan brings out.'

Activating his ring and focusing on what small essence he could feel from Seshwan, Xerxes established a connection, "Seshwan bad news; we believe other thieves are here and may try to rob you after you try to leave, or they've already entered the vault and the plan could be ruined anytime. Get out now and bite getting mugged for the greater good. Don't get trapped in there!"

Inside the vault

Cold sweat formed on Seshwan's neck as he heard the report from Xerxes. He had thought that by picking a high-risk target other thieves from the guild wouldn’t try to come after them. There was no way to get a message to Xerxes at this point thieves could have snuck into the vault. If any of them tried to leave with treasures Seshwan would be trapped within the vault.

Within moments of the thoughts of worst case scenario crossing his mind, Seshwan spotted a shimmer of light near the entrance like a mirage that only appeared for a fraction of a second. Another thief was heading for the vault door. This one no doubt had grabbed as much as their bag could hold and made a dash to escape before being noticed.

The vault door released a loud creak as inscriptions on the walls surrounding the door ignited, thousands of tiny red figures burned in a ring around the massive doors. The barrier that acted as a security system was triggered. The hulking mass of metal swung closed long before Seshwan, old man Grey or even that thief could react.

'Shit! Who knows how many other thieves are in here! Let alone the fact I’m now trapped in this vault.' Seshwan’s mind raced as he thought of a way to get out.

The agreement of the nobles and merchant lords were underhanded and frowned upon by the guild members. If Seshwan was found by those who weren’t loyal to Cedric another merchant lord would no doubt have him jailed. Grey as well had a look of shock on his face as he now feared for his own life.

"Someone triggered the door inscriptions!" Grey shouted now coming out of shock.

Near the door, the silhouette had vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Within the vault, Seshwan and Grey were trapped till the doors were opened by a guild master. Trapped within a vault with a possibly hostile thief, Seshwan would have to keep up his guard and protect Greys life for the plan to proceed accordingly.

A Hum began in Seshwan’s ear. "Seshwan the door shut and the squares in chaos the guards arrived and engaged the bandits in the square. We're certain they aren’t from Black Lotus. Colm and I are moved back to a safe distance. You need to think of a way out of there. We will rendezvous with Elise and wait for you at the checkpoint."

Seshwan stood still while he processed this new information. 'Okay there's got to be some way out of this, Grey needs to live. I have to get out. First, that thief needs to be located.'

Five full minutes have passed after the door closed. The lights dimmed, all the torches went out and space became illuminated by small crystals within piles of treasure, dotting the walls and illuminating the ceiling like twinkling stars of the night sky. The vault had become reminiscent to a cave of wonders shimmering and twinkling in the low light. Nothing could be removed and there was no way out.

Seshwan had fully calmed himself and sat down to meditate to find a solution.

"Young master now is not the time to train we must think of a way out of here. If the guild catches us master Cedric will have me put to death!" Old man Grey was scared to the point of shock, his old body quaked as he nervously spoke.

"Don’t worry Grey I'll think of a way out. Besides I can't have you dying I still need you." Seshwan needed time to dig through his memories of the ancient city layout to find an exit. nothing came to mind, perhaps another route would show itself in time. "Hey! You by the door! We're trapped same as you reveal yourself! or don't, I don't mind if you tire yourself out." Seshwan was just playing a hunch by shouting into the sparkling space before him as visibility had dropped to only a few meters.

A silhouette appeared from behind a pile of treasure as a young girl in leather armor shrouded in a mist form cloak stepped out of the shadows. 'That’s the thief! It’s just a small girl!' Seshwan thought to himself. Standing no more than a hundred and sixty centimeters this girl looked in her late teens and not well developed, though her small frame and body type were somewhat appealing. She was obviously a lower class citizen who became a thief to not starve to death.

"I knew someone triggered the inscription who obviously didn’t know the rules. You Ms. Thief have got the three of us trapped!" Seshwan boldly shamed this girl.

"Hey, asshole! How was I supposed to know the doors rigged?" The young girl looked down after her short outburst.

Though she couldn’t have known without privileged information. Black Lotus had tried a number of times to steal from this vault but never got a single copper. This girl was wearing a guild crest on her tunic, a red diamond with a black eight-pointed star as the background. "Tell me your name, and which thieves guild are you with?" though Seshwan didn’t think these questions were all that important, he had an idea already of what guild she belong too.

"My name is Vanessa Kha'ren. I am no thief; I am a mercenary currently on contract with the thieves’ guild Scarlet gem."

"So a stealthy fighter type, eh? With a water essence. You're defiantly an assassin then."

"That’s right I was summoned here by a merchant lord; my band was hired to steal an item from this vault and eliminate a noble who had entered the vault when he exited. I take it your Seshwan the nephew of one of City lords?"

Seshwan felt a chill run the length of his spine as he did not expect an assassin after his life; not this early on. Gathering his composure, he spoke.

"Who hired you to kill me, perhaps we can work out a deal."

"A merchant lord named Locke. He added that he wished for all items you purchased to be returned to his estate after the job was complete."

"Ha! Cedric tried to eliminate me, that’s ironic.", Seshwan laughed. The other parties looked on with confusion. “To clear the air your employer is dead. He died earlier this evening. On that note, old man Grey, im sorry, but if you make a scene I'll kill you right here."

"You killed the master! How dare you!", Grey shouted. Grey was a loyal servant to Cedric and did not take his death well.

"Old man!", Seshwan said as he stood with one hand raised; fine dust from the area accumulated to his palm; forming a raging torrent of energy. "I will kill you and leave no trace of a corpse for your children to grieve over if you have any further complaints about my business save them. My companion killed that pig of a man for offending him. Don’t make the same mistake by offending me."

Seshwan's hand began to shake slightly, he was scared, this was a bluff against two opponents, the mercenary could possibly end his life if he doesn't make an outstanding and convincing performance. Seshwan's heart pounded as he forced his limits of control over the area's sand and dirt.

Vanessa stepped back in shock, the info on Seshwan they received was he was an earth type essence user who couldn’t activate his essence. Now he not only used it but had full control of low-level manipulation; though she didn’t recognize the technique he was using she could sense it was a strong amount of energy to manipulate that much fine matter into a refined attack.

'He must be in the higher levels of the apprentice stage to have this control.' Vanessa had no counter techniques for this, if Seshwan attacked her she was a squishy target he could easily eliminate. She specialized in stealth killings; once she was revealed all she could do was run.

Inwardly Seshwan let out a sigh of relief, this tough act served its purpose. ‘If looks like she bought it.'

"Now that I’ve made my point clear. I’m going to find a way out of this vault for the three of us. You’ll both owe me a debt if we get out. As both of you would be dead if you stay it’s not a small one. From you Grey, you will serve me now your masters dead. no objections, you and I will form a contract once we escape. Vanessa, you will accompany me to the Black Lotus guild hall when this is over." Though his demands weren't steep the two had no choice but to comply, Vanessa's contract was void and Grey was a weak old man with no essence; both were entirely at the mercy of this tyrant.

"What's the plan then, get me out and I'll suffer your demand." Vanessa crossed her arms and stared daggers as she knew she had no choice in the matter.

"Don’t worry I've remembered a hidden secret, I was formulating the plan before I called out to you, just had to make sure I made you both submit before I revealed it," Seshwan revealed an unpleasant smile toward Vanessa.

'This man is dangerous.' Vanessa thought to herself "Alright I'm all ears."

Seshwan turned around and headed toward the back of the vault, within that pile of discarded treasures. was a hidden treasure that would assist them to get out. Though it would no doubt put their lives at risk doing so.