Sneak Thieves

At the top of the ornate temple stairs, thick-carpeted hallways branched off in opposite directions, and Ides veered right. He hadn’t seen anyone turn that way in a while, but his attention had been diverted for a decent length of time. Treading with intentionality, he followed the hallway as it unrolled before him in the dim yellow torchlight. Up ahead and closer to the wall, he caught sight of pawprints in the carpet. It was Oda, and as silent as she was, the prints appeared as if by magic. But if she was leaving marks on the carpet… He glanced over his shoulder. Deep imprints followed his progress. Great. He had seen no other leonins thus far in Gullwing, his prints would be hard to miss. But that was a problem for later. They were coming to a set of towering double doors.

The handle rattled, but the thick, sturdy doors would not budge. Oda hissed softly. “That’s rude.”

Ides leaned down to better inspect the lock. Heavy, meticulously carved metal that appeared brassy in the torchlight. Typical make for a place someone wanted to keep especially private.

“Fancy,” said Oda, and there was the smallest clink as a set of lock picks appeared at the keyway. She mumbled to herself for a minute, then with a snick and a crack, the thin metal snapped in half and dropped on the floor.

“Rude!” She said again.

For all its intricacy, it was still just a lock. “Let me try.” He took the hilt of the sword and rammed the heavy pommel into the lock, hoping to break the delicate inner workings of the mechanism. The door shuddered slightly, and there was a deep dent across the outer metal designs, but the lock was dishearteningly intact.

“Damn it.” Ides could feel the seconds ticking away with his patience.

“Well! That’s not gonna work! I’m gonna follow the others and see if they’ve found anything.” Oda’s light tread faded in a moment, leaving another trail of small pawprints.

More out of vindictiveness than hope, he tried striking the lock again. Nothing but another dent.

He heaved a sigh and shrugged off his ragged cloak. With meticulous care, he dragged it over the carpet to erase the deep prints that ran the length of the hall. It took forever.

When he finally made it to the end of the blasted hallway, he doubted there would be enough time to make it down the other hall and find anything of merit.

Three men stood on the stairs just below the landing. Ides had seen two of them before, outside the house that had eaten one of their friends. They stood facing Ides, lower on the steps, faces flushed in embarrassment. The man towering over them was clearly a captain, and though his tone was quiet, his chastisement was anything but calm.

“We lost a good man on a dare. A dare. How stupid do you have to be to go messing around over there in the first place? You’d better thank your lucky stars I don’t throw you to the house after that moron.”

“Yessir.” The two mumbled in unison, and Ides retreated down the steps on the far side of the staircase. The hour must be nearly up, and he’d rather be overly cautious this near to dawn and their way out. As much as it dug at him to leave without any tanglible evidence in hand, they still needed to get to the port undetected.

He found the alley they’d used before still abandoned, and waited restlessly for the spell to end and the others’ return.

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Blank followed the party’s fading footsteps back into the temple. She skirted close to the walls, timing her dashes across open archways as well as she could to avoid getting crashed into and discovered. Dashing up the stairs, she took the left turn into a sparsely lit hallway decorated excessively in suits of armor. At the far end, darkly stained wooden doors stood open to an even darker space. A couple stood on the near end of the open doors, speaking in low voices with eyes only for one another. She slipped past as though nothing more than a stray draft.

Through the foreboding doors lay a yawning hole of yet another staircase. It was all deep gray stone, and the air leeched a chill into her lungs. It was wide, and twisted to her left: down and clockwise. A single torch beyond the curve of the wall threw dim yellow light onto the steps. To the right it continued up into what she assumed to be one of the temple towers.

She did not relish the idea of taking either option alone.

“Anyone there?” She whispered.

“Here.” Rue’s voice was close and sudden in the semidarkness. “Keep close to the wall.”

“Up or down?”

Silence, then, “Down? I have a better feeling about down.”

“Agreed.”

“Here goes nothing.” Only the softest of footfalls were to be heard as Rue began the descent. Blank followed as close as she could without accidentally tripping over her.

The stair spiraled for so long that Blank began to worry. Just how far underground were they heading? Voices floated up from the stairs below and she froze.

Slipping on a step, she flattened herself against the curve of the wall. Even with invisibility, she thanked the stars she was beyond the light of the nearest torch.

A quick, quiet shuffle indicated Rue doing the same not much further down.

Three figures came into view below, deep in discussion. But as she turned her head to try and catch their words, a mote of dust dislodged from the wall and flew up into her nose. Doubling over in the attempt to suppress a sneeze, she missed all but the names of “Mister X”, “Riffian Wide-Eye”, and someone known as “The Halfling”.

By the time she was sure the sneeze was successfully repressed, the trio was out of earshot.

Once she resumed her descent it was only moments before she was at the bottom. A large meeting room opened to her, almost too bright after the relative darkness of the stairs. There were several large tables and knots of people, much higher ranking than any they'd seen thus far, scattered around. She moseyed her way close to what appeared to be two high ranking men and a relatively fresh-faced officer.

“...and listen well because I won’t be repeating it again. The infiltrators will be set in squads around Tralco. Two at the governor’s palace, one in the market square, and one at the north gate to ensure no one can escape. If all goes to plan, we’ll have complete control of the city by the end of the week.”

“And these will be full squads, right?”

“You heard him,” the other man cut in. “If you can’t remember something as basic as that you clearly aren’t cut out for this. Keep your trap shut and your ears open, and you might end up being useful.”

The younger man, an elf by the looks of it, nodded tersely, silent. The other men turned away.

Blank drew back into the shadows. End of the week. So little time to try and stop an operation of this scale? It made her feel very small. She had to get this to the others.

She trailed the higher ranks to the stairs, but the discussion had abruptly shifted to the upkeep of ships, and she was out of her depth in a moment. With another glance around the room, she weighed her options. She’d only just gotten down here, but she could feel their hour running short. The last thing she wanted to do was appear in full view of a bunch of pirates.

Hurrying over to one of the smaller tables, she tried to read the maps laid out before her. They were marked in ways she couldn’t make heads or tails of. Most were oceanic, showing the curve of currents and the habits of the wind around the continent.

Better to play it safe. She waited until the staircase was relatively empty, far enough behind anyone that any stray footfall would be missed, then followed carefully up and out of the temple, running the overheard plan over and over in her mind, determined to not let a single detail go.

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Going invisible with the people she was planning to betray was not how Rue had pictured the night going. But if she was going to promise her loyalty to Zandeer - which at the moment stretched rather thin - there were questions that needed answering first.

She made it down the hall on the left, then hesitated when met with a division at the entrance of a huge stone staircase.

Rue weighed their choices. Up didn’t feel right. She needed to go down. Deeper. Where secrets and answers were more likely to be.

It was hard to keep silent on the stone. Every shift of her boot made a soft, rough slipping sound and anytime she placed a hand on the wall to steady herself, one of her rings would catch and scrape. Even her own breathing sounded too loud in her ears.

Voices from below. She ran down a few more steps then crouched low against the wall, keeping an ear out for Blank and a hand loosely over one of the axes on her belt.

She heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like someone trying not to sneeze. Between holding her own breath and silently willing Blank to keep it together, she realized with frustration that she’d missed the passing discussion completely.

Not much further down was a meeting room. She paused to get her bearings, then skirted the wide space to a table nearer the center of the room. A massive map lay atop, thick lines and arrows drawn in red across the continent of Alkenpo, pointing first to Tralco, then from the port city northward towards the capitol. Zandeer wasn’t going to stop with Tralco. They were coming for everything.

A trio of people drifted closer. She stepped away as one of them backed into the corner of the table where she’d been only a moment before. The elf woman’s elbow hit a stack of papers piled on the map, nearly knocking it to the ground.

“Watch it, Stella,” A black dragonborn laughed, reaching out to catch her. A flash of gold caught Rue’s eye. Zandeer medallion. After a moment, she remembered him. Years ago he’d been a recruit assigned to her ship, scrawny and an easy target for the bullies in the crew. She’d never participated in the bullying, choosing for the most part to ignore him, to the point where she now couldn’t even recall his name. Really, he was the last person she’d expect to see with such a high symbol.

“Wow,” the woman regained her balance and leaned against the table. “Can you believe we’ve made it this far?

The dragonborn snorted. “And to think I got my start on a measly ship such as the Honesty.”

Measly? Rue folded her arms. He’d like to think so.

The elves laughed. “Careful there, one might think you miss it.” Stella said with a smirk.

He shook his head, chuckling. “I’m just glad I sided with Cassia during the whole… Quintus incident.”

Beer and bile rose in Rue’s throat. Quintus and Cassia. Her parents. Whatever the dragonborn was alluding to did not bode well.

“Has anyone heard tale of him since?” The other officer asked.

“Not since we threw him overboard.” He adjusted the heavy medallion. “If he’s not dead, which would take a miracle, at least he’s smart enough to keep quiet.”

Her world began to spin. Dad was… dead?

The three officers turned in her direction and she ducked out of their way. Her limbs were growing heavier, the spell was wearing out.

Going as quickly as she dared, Rue booked it up the spiraling staircase, out the hallway and back into the temple. It was easy enough to dodge through the thinning crowd still roving the temple and its grounds, and she made for the alley where they’d gone invisible, realizing far too late that they hadn’t discussed a meeting place for after the spell failed. She dove into the alleyway just as it ended, her heart racing as the magic sloughed off of her skin like scales.

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Oda scuttered across the large landing to the second hallway. She passed a couple kissing sloppily and spared a pissy glace at the lock on the open doors. Stupid locks.

Beyond the doors a massive stairway opened to her. To her left it curled down into sparse torchlight, and to the right, up into shadowy darkness. She picked up; she preferred going up things.

The staircase went up and up and up. At long intervals, arrow slits appeared in the wall and she’d jump up to peer out. It was the same view every time: the temple roof, Gullwing beyond, and the sea beyond that. But it was a little higher every time, and Oda liked that. It made her feel tall.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting at the top, but whatever she had in mind was certainly bigger than a small landing and a singular wood-paneled door standing slightly ajar.

Pawing at the door ever so gently, it swung open with nary a squeak. The warm light of a lantern spilled out over the threshold, and she drew back into the shadows. The room that lay within was small, round, and made all of stone. Laid against the curve of the wall, taking up roughly half the room, were bookcases, stuffed full of thick tomes. A large, open window was set opposite of the cases, and in between the window and shelves squatted an oversized armchair and a side table with a lantern and a bookbag resting atop.

A tall, bearded man stood with his back to the door, studying the vast array of titles laid out before him. Oda studied him; he seemed non-threatening, but he was here, in a Zandeer-controlled temple, and therefore he was dangerous.

Her gaze fell on the open bookbag. An old-looking, worn tome stuck out of the folds of fabric. The smell of aged paper made her nose twitch. Old books usually meant information; the party needed information. Her paws itched to pinch the book right then and there.

Drawing a silver coin from the pouch at her side, she took aim carefully and flicked the coin out the open window. It ricocheted against the stone windowsill, pinging against a glass panel before tumbling into the darkness.

The man jumped slightly and whipped around to the direction of the noise. In a few strides he was at the window, peering over the edge.

In two heartbeats, Oda was at the table. She slid the book from the bag and tucked it under her arm. Scampering back the way she came, she wasted no time retreating to the stairs. Though the invisibility was not yet wearing off, she preferred to not take chances. Pausing at the stairhead, she cocked an ear to the room behind. The man had left the window and settled in the armchair. Oda heard a sharp rustle of canvas.

“Where-” The chair scraped heavily over the floor as he jumped up. Sounds of a frantic search flurried down the short hall. “Seven hells, where is it?” He yelled.

Oda slunk down the cool stone stairs, giggling to herself. She had a book. Now to find the others. They’d appreciate her discovery. She rather liked being invisible.

____________________________________________________

“You’re here too.” Ides’s deep voice made Rue jump. Blank was there in the deep shadows of the alley, and Oda came up hot on her heels, visible once more. “Good. We need to make it to the port. Night’s getting old.”

As one, they slipped out of the alley. Rue jogged ahead a few steps, reorienting herself with the city. It had been so long and there were so many changes it took her a moment, but after a quick consult with Oda, the two of them took to the darkening streets like fish to water, the others trailing behind.

Once they were in sight of the port, they ducked into a small space between buildings and set up surveillance behind a wall of crates. There were several docks, and they were surprisingly busy for predawn. A fair distance off, and directly between them and the closest dock, stood a man directing the chaos and looking like he was on high alert.

“The question is how do we get to the dock without being spotted.” Ides muttered.

“I have that bottle of smoke!” Oda offered, perched on a crate above their heads. “We can use it as a distraction!”

“How long does it last though?” Rue tilted her head back to ask.

Oda tapped the round bottle with a claw. “I don’t know, it’s magic!”

“I don’t have enough in me to turn everyone invisible again,” Blank said, cracking her knuckles absentmindedly. “But if two of us want to do that and the others can try to sneak out there, that might work.”

“That man out there would see me immediately.” Ides put in. “Invisibility might not be such a bad idea.”

“And someone else might recognize Oda,” Blank added. “Rue and I can try moving one of these crates over to one of the ships and he might let us pass.”

Ides peered out over the port. “We’re running out of time. If this is the plan we’re going with, we’d better get moving.”

The space behind the crates was getting tight. Rue adjusted and bumped into Blank when she noticed something.

“Are you… shorter?”

Blank stopped and drew up to her full height. Her brow furrowed. “Are you taller?”

“I’m already tall enough.”

Where the tiefling had once stood mere inches taller than Rue, she was now eye-to-eye with her and looking more confused every second. Then;

“It’s this stupid wild magic!” She burst out in a whisper, looking mad as a wet hen.

“Maybe we should let Oda use the smoke.” Rue placated, but Blank’s stubborn streak was starting to show.

“No. I can do this.”

She turned to the cats and cast a spell that sparkled in the low light. Ides and Oda faded into the shadows. The next moment, she sprouted a full, colorful beard of feathers.

Rue smothered a laugh when Blank turned to her, looking like she was either about to cry or set the entire town on fire.

“Should’ve used the smoke.”

“Not. A. Word.”

“Do you want to use the cowl-”

Blank’s explosive sneeze scattered the feathers as quickly as they appeared.

“Well, that settles that then. Help me grab this crate. Oh, and the plan is I’m deaf and you don’t speak common, got it?”

A stream of harsh Abyssal assured her that she did, in fact, get it.

They hefted the wooden crate at their feet, which was a lot heavier than it looked, and struggled into the port.

Rue kept her head down, hoping to pass unnoticed. But, with her luck, that was not an option. The man blocking their way turned and, with frustrating ease, lifted the crate out of their hands.

“Let me help you ladies, which boat you heading to?”

It was Sensei. He knew her family all too well. Now she really had to commit to the deaf bit. If he discovered her it’d be all over. Rue gestured quickly to her ear then pointed to Blank, who cocked her head and began to rattle off in Abyssal, motioning towards a random ship.

Sen appeared to be caught off-guard by the show and slowly lowered the crate, the weight biting into Rue’s arms and shoulders. “On your way then, I suppose.”

They hustled as quickly as they could over to the ship, and as soon as Sen was distracted, headed for the end of the long dock jutting out into the harbor.

Rue pulled off her mask and took a deep gasp of fresh air. Screw keeping her face covered, for the present she couldn’t stand it a second longer. Stuffing the cowl in her satchel, she balanced on the very edge of the dock and surveyed the drop to the water; far enough to hurt like hells on impact but not fatal if it was calm. Behind her Blank was speaking animatedly to the invisible cats.

“I think I know a spell for breathing underwater,” she was saying, gesturing earnestly at open air in the approximate direction of Ides’s heavy breathing.

“You’ve done more than enough,” Rue interjected quickly. Blank’s wild magic was beginning to make her paranoid of what or who could be affected next. She pulled her pack close and rummaged deep inside. “I have something better that can help us.”

“Better than bre-” Blank began, annoyed, before Oda squeaked excitedly.

Rue whipped around to face the water. The sky was quickly turning from velvet purple to pearly blues and oranges, and the silhouette of a ship careened towards the port at full speed.

The Radiant Dawn bore down on the port, as beautiful as its namesake.

The ship moved at an unnatural speed and she knew instantly there was magic at play - mages throwing gale after gale into the sails, pushing the Dawn into a gallop over the choppy waves.

Behind them, alarm horns blared. The single unmoored ship in the harbor wheeled to intercept, but could not match its speed, almost sluggish compared to the reeling Dawn. Ballistae fired from both ships.

The party backed up.

“Everyone in front of me.” Rue ordered. Ides and Blank shot her a look. “I’m trying to help.”

As the Dawn swung sharply to run even with the dock, they all ran for it.

The invisibility on the cats lifted as Blank rocketed into the air. Rue let loose her own burst of magic, propelling her companions forward in a powerful gust of wind. They sailed through the air and landed on the deck.

She gathered herself for the jump. Her foot slipped. Suddenly, she was falling.

Adrenaline ripped through her shredded nerves. So this is how she died. Drowned in the Dawn’s furious, frothy wake or left bobbing in the water for Zandeer to find and torture for information. She’d failed to betray an enemy, and allowed them to escape. Member or not, there’d be no coming back from that.

There was a shout and a metal hand closed tight around her arm. Guy. He leaned over the rail, clinging to it with his good arm and reeling her in like a fish. She swung to the side of the boat and scrabbled for a hand hold, the toes of her boots skimming the rough water.

As she struggled up the side of the Dawn, she glanced behind. In the first golden rays of daybreak, another Zandeer ship broke away from the docks, the wind unfurling its sails. They weren’t about to let them escape without a fight.

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Thanks for reading! To the friends who keep up with this story: thank you for your patience! I've made a lot of progress on the rest of the campaign but I think for now the monthly updates are still the best- especially with all the challenges that were bulk dropped recently as well as prep for DM-ing my own long-form campaign (which starts next month and I'm NERVOUS). Thank you again for keeping up with this wacky story- I adore getting to share these special characters with y'all! And if you're just joining us, welcome and strap in!

Start here -> Part One

Next update -> Part Fourteen