“Dearest Duke Rosengart,

I understand that the past weeks have been a trying time for your family and yourself. But I am pleased to inform you that the council of lords have come to the conclusion that you have been declared ‘not at fault’ for the deception of your daughter and her maidservant. Furthermore, we as a group, are equally pleased that we convinced the dissenting lords of a proposition that could see your daughter return to the fold within this month if necessary. Our proposal is simply that she denounces the actions of the maidservant, and most if not all the lords would be willing to rescind their votes in upholding her temporary banishment. Furthermore…”

- Letter Addressed to Duke Rosengart, Signed by Grand Duke Walden of Carrador

Eva dashed to another corner and pressed her back against the wall. The older girl made a small gesture and Sophia effortlessly followed. Her feet danced across the cobble streets like that of a ghost, jumping between shadow to shadow until she came to a stop besides Eva. Peeking over at the saintess, she motioned to another alley down the street and Eva nodded.

At once, the girl crouched and sprinted to the next point. Eva poked her head down the streets and quickly pulled back into cover, holding up her palms for Sophia to see. Wait.

Sophia remained still and watched as Eva tried to hide herself against the wall. The soft sound of leather boots clicking against the streets echoed down the road and only grew louder.

“I swear I saw something moving.” A soft voice exclaimed.

“Maybe. But all the critters start moving around now too. You’re headed for paranoia if you jump at every shadow that moves.” A more calm voice responded.

“Well it looked like a really big fucking racoon if it was an animal!” The first voice shot back.

“Might actually be one. Have you seen some shit the magisters experiment on and make? That stuff’s freaky as hells.” The other voice chortled.

The duo waited as the two redcloaks passed by their position. Only when she was reasonably sure they wouldn’t hear her footsteps did Sophia move to Eva’s alley, the older girl giving her a quick nod in acknowledgement. Sophia tapped Eva’s back and the girl started moving down the alleyway, their feet tapping away against the ground.

Their louder movements were generally covered by the hubbub of the port district. Raucous singing, drunken rambling and street performances were more than enough to keep the attention off of them. Occasional little sprints masked by the sound of ship chimes and shouts as night brought little rest to the sea trade of Arteria.

While the rest of the city moved to handle the evening crowd and somewhat depleted numbers. Here, the port was as it always was, alive. Though to the duo’s unfortunate realisation, the area immediately around the trading houses were far more monitored. Redclocks ushered away urchins and drunken sailors though a few pockets still lingered close to the square where the trading house was. Beyond them was the final perimeter, a cadre of half orc guards watching over the Braveskull trading house.

The plan was simple in nature though tricky in execution. Hit up both the trading houses in the dead of night before the alarms can be raised. Rummage through any documents or clues that might be in their offices, before exfiltrating and returning to either the academy of the tavern. A neat, simple, three step plan. Enter, search, exit.

That is, besides the dozens of guards, wards, lack of any clue on what they need to find, or even if there would be staff or other workers in the trading houses. It didn’t help that they were unarmed, unprepared, and on their own should things go wrong. And according to Eva, the potential ramifications for them being caught sneaking into a trading house.

With the soldiers behind them though, they had gotten through the first line of defences easy enough.

In the shadow of the alleyway, she could see the sentries before even moving. A few were illuminated by their own streetlights. A few carried some lanterns. But then there were those merely resting in the recesses between buildings, nothing but their piercing yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. They can see in the dark, maybe even a little worse than me. But damn, gotta remember to stay in cover or they’ll notice.

She scanned the nearby street, trying to gauge what areas the orcs had eyes on and where their line of sight would be broken. She chewed on her lip in frustration. Not many options on where to go. Eva seemed to pick up on her frustration and looked over. Sophia held up a finger to buy herself some time. Looking around once more, she spied a distant street corner that was out of sight, but once there, they’d have little options but to dash into the building. Their other choice was to climb up and enter from above. Not a bad choice given the circumstances.

Sophia motioned to Eva about their two options, the older girl poking her head out a little to follow up on Sophia’s analysis. The furrowed brows and scrunched face showing her displeasure at both of the presented choices. Sophia shrugged apologetically but Eva just smiled. ‘It’s alright.” the girl seemed to signal. Sophia smiled back.

After a few more moments of deliberation, the two turned their eyes skyward. Up it is. Together, they worked to clamber up a nearby house. Although the more cheaply built houses and shacks of the port district would not offer them much of an advantage, at least they could reach the first floor balcony of the trading house. Or so she assumed.

She boosted Eva up, the girl practically hauling herself up the moment her finger tips made contact with the roof. Surprised, Sophia had to spend a second to recollect herself before jumping up. With minimal effort, Eva grabbed her arms and pulled her up. Sophia didn’t even notice that she had already made it until after the other girl beckoned for her to stay low to the roof. Wah, being a saintess really is unfair. She’s barely older or larger than me and she’s already so strong. I wonder…

Sophia quickly revised her assessment of the situation. If anything, Eva could just toss her over to the balcony. But that would still make a helluva noise, we’d need a distraction at minimum. For now though, Sophia motioned to another house that was slightly closer. Together, they hopped between the different roofves until they were close enough that with a little help, Sophia was relatively certain they could both make it across.

“We need to get across.” Sophia whispered.

“I can see that.” Eva tutted in annoyance.

The two took a moment to reconntaire the area ahead of them. The streets still had patrols and the checkpoints leading to the trading house were manned. Sophia could still see the half orcs hidden in-between some alleyways but none of them were looking up, nor did there seem to be a guard tower of any sort. No eyes up here at least.

“We’ll need a distraction, see anything?” Sophia asked.

Eva bit her lip and looked around, letting out a disappointed sigh. Damn.

Sophia’s eyes descended onto a small gathering of drunken sailors on the other end of the square. Her eyes glimmered with mischief as she allowed herself a wry smile. We can always make our own distraction.

“There.” Sophia pointed, “If we can get them to make a ruckus, we’ll have a chance. You’ll have a chance.”

“We’ll? You’ll? Hold on, the hell are you planning?” Eva looked at her with alarm.

“If you jump across, everyone will hear it. So we’ll need a loud enough distraction to cancel it out. You think you can make this jump?” Sophia grinned awkwardly.

“I… that could work. I could definitely make the jump. And you… you’re sneaky enough. If you do get the guards distracted I can try getting the entrance.” Eva pursed her lips, “You’ll have to be fast though. If I leave it open, then they’d definitely know something was up.”

“I know, I know.”

“And how exactly are you planning on stirring up a distraction?” Eva prodded.

“Well…” Sophia flashed a bashful smile, “I’ll figure it out when I get over there.”

“God, it’s hard to tell you two apart sometimes.” Eva mumbled.

“Hey, hey. Sophie’s better at speaking to people now! Which naturally means that as the improved copy, I’m better at it than her.”

“Pfft.”

“Heh.”

“Fine.” Eva sighed, “Just be careful and don’t take risks.”

“Don’t take risks…?”

“Okay, unnecessary risk.”

Sophia smirked and Eva just rolled her eyes.

“Also, Soph, err… do you mind if I call you that too?” Eva asked.

“That’s…” A little awkward and confusing, but, “fine.” Sophia responded.

“Right. That wasn’t my question. But how will I know what I’m hearing or seeing is the diversion? Not just some vagrant making noise?”

Sophia’s eyes twinkled with delight as she plotted her mischief, her gaze distracted by the picture slowly forming in her mind. “You’ll know. Trust me.” She winked.

Eva was taken aback but didn’t question her further, the two sharing one last overview of the area before trading affirming nods.

“Fine. I’ll wait here. But do be careful, I don’t know how I’ll explain getting her sister hurt when Sophie wakes up. Just come back here if you run into trouble. ”

“I won’t. So don’t worry. We’ll find whoever hurt Sophie.”

Exchanging one last expression, Sophia departed and started leaping across the other rooftops in rapid succession. Yet her feet were steady and her movements precise. Unlike her counterpart who would’ve likely slipped or fallen, she would brook no error when it came to her manoeuvres. Hah, planning a heist feels surprisingly fun.

Sophia perched herself above the drunkards like a hawk. Her eyes jumped between them and a group slightly further away. One to distract the redcloaks, another for the half orcs. Or just a generalised brawl, either option seemed fine to her. As long as it gives Eva the chance to get in.

She pried off a decaying roof tile, exposing the eroded shell of the building beneath. Muttering a soft apology, she tried to quietly grind the tile into dozens of small little fragments, pausing occasionally when she heard someone walking underneath or within. It was a time consuming task that only added to her paranoia of being discovered but she persevered.

With a handful of rubble in her palm and pocket. She scuttled across the rooftops until she was in overwatch position over the furthest group of drunken sailors. Their rambling and jeering banter echoed out into the night, one group amongst many in Arteria. When whatever tale was told reached a crescendo of laughter and bickering, Sophia grabbed the handful of rubble in her hand.

“Ayye!” Came the chorus of cheers below.

Arcing her arms, she chucked the entire handful at the group in their moment of celebration. Predictably, a few bits fell short and clattered uselessly against the cobble streets. More than half however, found their marks.

Pelted by a barrage of rubble in their moment of triumph, Sophia quickly heard the jovial mood turn into surprised shouts and barks of anger. Slinking back out of view, she hurriedly moved back to the detailed building, ignoring the curses that grew louder with each passing moment. She managed to break off another tile and hurled the whole thing in the group’s general direction, hoping that it would draw their attention towards her and the redcloaks below her.

Passing above the redcloak checkpoint, she finally reached the first building and found the second half of the rubble she had originally made. Beaming with delight at the havoc she was about to cause, she peeked over to make sure the first group of drunkards were still there. Gotcha.

With clinical precision, she aimed the next handful at the sailors. Holding her breath, she steadied herself and threw. She didn’t even get time to follow the trajectory before she ducked behind the roof, throwing herself out of sight. She had to avoid detection. Judging by the howls of agony from bits of tile, stone and dirt suddenly landing on top of people, she presumed she had been accurate enough.

She waited a few seconds as the hollering grew louder and louder before peeking out from her vantage point. Sure enough, the first group cursing was searching for whoever had just pelted them, pushing past the unlucky pair of redcloaks watching that part of the perimeter. They were inevitably drawn to the second hollering group of sailors as those men in turn, thought that the first group had hurled insults at them. There was a moment of tension within her as the two groups squared off, looking as if they would just back down even as the sailors fumed at each other.

Then it happened. Be it a shout from a redcloak, a concerned half orc, or even a punch thrown. Something triggered the crowd and the brawl began. Forty odd sailors began fighting in the streets and even dragged in one of the redcloaks who had gotten overzealous in his duties. The commotion was slow to be noticed at first, but then she saw them.

One, two, three, soon a whole squad of half orcs emerged from their posts and descended upon the street, hurriedly forming a defensive line between the combatants and the trading house. It didn’t take long for the chaos to erupt and draw more attention from nearby streets. A few beggars, some wandering sailors and others had cautiously come to take a look. Be it by chance or not, someone in the crowd might’ve recognised a friend or just wanted to fight, and jumped in. This prompted a few spectators to become combatants as they took advantage to lay out their grievances with their neighbours in the form of a brawl.

The melee had began in earnest and more guards swarmed from other sections to reinforce the other defenders. It was to their great dismay, that the redcloak who extracted himself from the fighting, found a whistle and blew it in panic for reinforcements. This would undoubtably draw both more redcloaks and spectators, adding to the already barely contained chaos. Perfection.

She just hoped that Eva made it in.

Her part was now done. The rest was up to Eva. From her current vantage point, she couldn’t see the opposite side of the building where Eva was to make entry. All she could do was press herself against the roof to mimize her profile, and stare intently at the main door for any sign that it was being disturbed. So she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Her breathing sped up as she wondered what might’ve happened within. If there were staffers or guards still roaming indoors, Eva could be engaged in combat and she wouldn’t know. She had no doubt the saintess would pull through. But then what? Do we continue? Push on?

Just then, she saw it. A flash of movement. One of the blinds in the window near the doorway fluttered ever so slightly. An illusion? Hallucination? My imagination? She waited, wondering if there would be anything more. But there was not. Nor could she properly see from up here if the door handle had turned or not. Dammit, now what? Do I just go? Hells. She frowned. Stellesia protects, I suppose. May the shadows hide my path, she muttered a small prayer.

Taking a risk, she tried sliding down the side of the building before dropping. She almost got in position when her hand caught on a tile and simply broke it off. Her left arm immediately tensed as it tried to sustain her weight, her other hand gripping the broken tile to ensure it didn’t just clatter to the ground. Her am grew sore as she tried to lower herself further, but then, she fell.

She didn’t have time to comprehend what had happened when she landed with a thud. She felt the wind getting knocked out of her lungs, nearly making her groan out loud in pain. It was a dull ache that would heal, but the thud itself would’ve attracted attention, it was too loud. Hearing heavy footsteps heading her way, she managed to press herself against the wall and quickly chucked the loose tile at full force down the opposite end of the alleyway. As it shattered upon hitting a wall, the heavy footsteps turned from a jog to a sprint as two giant half orcs ran to intercept the noise. Their silhouettes alone already stood a full head above hers, and she automatically shivered in fear. Definitely not a match in a physical fight.

With no time to spare, she ignored regaining her composure and simply dashed through where the orcs had come from, catching sight of the compound ahead. She prayed that no one else was watching and leapt from shadow to shadow in an attempt to cross the street undetected. If anything, she tried to be quick enough that anyone who did see her might think they wee just hallucinating shadows moving around erratically.

“Is someone there?” A sentry grunted from nearby.

Terrified, she dived towards the entrance and laid down prone on the ground. Knowing that they could potentially see her even in the dark, she reached up to try the door handle. It gave way, then it didn’t. It was locked. Oh shit. In a panic, she crawled alongside the building hoping to stay out of sight. She froze as she felt what could be someone’s gaze land near her position, her heart beating loudly in her ears as it drowned out everything else. A beat of sweat slid down her forehead and she held her breath, and waited.

Yet, nothing came. No calls, no meaty hands grabbing her. She was safe, for now. No time, no time. She searched desperately for an opening when the curtain to window above her moved. Oh fuck.

Eva’s face barely revealed itself and the girl made a hand gesture on the window that Sophia could not see. In response, Sophia quickly tried to signal her. But ,worried about detection, she raised her hands too low, and Eva disappeared back behind the blinds. No! She paused to try and sense anyone nearby, feeling nothing, she hurriedly turned around and gently pushed the door handle once more. Still locked, no, no, no!

Click

The sound came from the handle. Her eyes immediately shot up. Giving it one last try, it gave way and the door moved slightly from the pressure she exerted. Yes! Nice work, Eva!

She wasted no time and pushed her way inside, carefully closing the door to not make a noise. When the satisfying click echoed once more, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned around just to stagger back as someone put her into a chokehold and she felt something being forcefully shoved into her mouth. As her eyes widened in shock, a sharp pain in her right arm made her spasm slightly. Wha… She barely registered the orc and human holding her before she passed out, her head lolling downwards. Help.