Convergence of Thrones: An Empires SMP AU

Chapter 11: A Heist And A Mistake

    Passing through the nether portal and onto a platform atop the ruins of a tower, Scott paused to survey the area, looking at the bustling city known as the Ancient Capital.

    The Ancient Capital was a city built on the ruins of another civilization that had existed a long time ago. Scott had been given the privilege of a long, boring lecture about the history of the city that existed before the Ancient Capital, when Pix had caught him trying to steal from him and decided a lecture was the best punishment.

    The ruins of the older civilization was guessed to be around 1,000 years old, or longer, but it was certain that it was pre-Rapture, which was apparently a big deal. Nothing in the ruins suggested what the Rapture had been or how it had been destroyed, but Pix and his archeologists had guessed that the old city had been some sort of farmer kingdom, since they found many farming implements and studies into the soil showed that it had once been rich and perfect for farms. There were also a lot of sunflowers growing in the area, despite them not being common in the savanna.

    Scott didn't particularly care about the past (a fact that had horrified Pix) but what he did care about was what he could take from Pix's museum of sparklies.

    Taking a rickety ladder down the tower, Scott slipped into the streams of busy people hurrying to and fro, which was quite impressive considering how bright Scott's clothing was compared to the browns and greys commonly worn by the people of the Ancient Capital.

    Strolling down the street, Scott ducked into an alleyway and came up behind the museum, where several guards were standing, protecting a large wooden door that was probably used to bring in the larger artifacts.

    How do I get past these lumps of muscle? Scott though as looked at the guards from his hiding spot around the corner. 

    Getting an idea, Scott scooped up several sticks, rocks, and pebbles from the ground, and, sliding them into his pockets, quickly began to scale the wall by him. Reaching the top, Scott peeked over to make sure no one who lived in the building was on it currently (Ancient Capital people used their roofs as lounges and often spent most of their free time up there). Luckily for him, the area was clear, and he climbed the final bit and crouched, letting the elaborately decorated banister hide him.

    Crawling across the roof to look down at the guards, Scott pulled a pebble out of his pocket and lobbed it at one of the guards. Predictably, after the guard looked around and saw no one but the fellow guards around (why do people never look up?), he turned and began to argue with the man next to him, who denied having ever thrown a rock at him.

    While that argument got louder and louder, Scott threw a stick and a few more pebbles at the other guards, and it quickly turned into a full blown argument. While they were all yelling at each other and fighting, Scott slipped down the side of the building and strolled into the museum, unnoticed by the furious guards.

    Scott wandered the dimly lit hallways for a while until he reached a storage room, clearly for artifacts that hadn't been put on display yet. Scott went through the chest quickly, putting several things in his own pockets, including a emerald stuck in deepslate, a bluish-black shard of something, and a few more. 

    Satisfied with the items he had collected, Scott went to go out the door when the red crystal around his neck glowed brightly. Stopping, he looked around and noticed that a crystal on the ground in the corner was also glowing.

    The other crystal was a bright amethyst, and it looked like it had been connected to something else, once upon a time. Scott stared at it for a bit, then shrugged and scooped it up, adding the to the rest of the things he had taken. The two crystals stopped glowing as soon as he picked up the purple one.

    Scott heard voices coming down the hallway towards him, and he decided to ponder the mystery of the crystals some other time, preferably not while he was in the middle of a heist. 

    Entering his house, Scott quickly stashed the loot in a hidden compartment behind a painting, except for the amethyst crystal, which he kept in his pocket. Scott wasn't sure why he was keeping either of the crystals on his person, but it felt like a good idea, and so Scott did it. His instincts had rarely led him wrong before. Scott closed the hidden compartment and walked into the sitting area, where Jimmy was reading a picture book.

    Jimmy looked up from his book with a friendly smile, and was about to say something when he noticed Scott's newest accessory. Scott stared in confusion as Jimmy scrambled up from the couch and backed away several steps, looking absolutely panicked.

    "Scott, drop the crystal!" Jimmy said, and Scott pulled it off, but kept it in his hand. "Why? Is there something bad about it?" Scott asked. Jimmy's reaction made him think yes, but how would he know what it was?

    "I only saw it once, but I'm pretty sure that's the crystal they trapped Xornoth in. There's a demon in that, Scott!" Jimmy said. Scott frowned at the crystal, bringing it to eye level to peer into the ruby depths.

    "Didn't my past self say that the demon escaped  the crystal, and that's why he went all stabby on himself?" Scott said skeptically. Jimmy paused, confusion on his face as he registered the new information.

"Well-" Jimmy started, but then the crystal flared, and Scott dropped it to clap his hands over his eyes as he yelped in sudden pain. The crystal fell, and shattered on the floor, filling the room with a bright, glowing mist.