Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 31: The First Heist

Hofal patted me on the shoulder, seeming to understand my unease. The man silently puffed a ring of smoke, content to follow along. I wished I could be as confident as he was.

"Fine," I said, trying and failing to restrain a bit of irritation. "But you'll follow my orders while we're out, alright?" I said, leveling the young mage with a stare.

He looked disconcerted by my response but nodded anyway.

A map of the warehouse and surrounding area was laid out on the table, with several key points of interest highlighted. There were several points marked where infiltration would be possible, with clear routes to the main office of the warehouse. Wade's rats had scouted the place thoroughly, leaving us with a clear picture of our objective.

Apparently, one of the warehouse's more competent mages was currently off work sick, something Wade had learned before coming here for the night. I smiled at our sentry as Karsien went over what he'd uncovered. He returned the smile hesitantly, then quickly returned his attention to the map. Too quickly.

One day, I'll make you keep that smile trained on me, I thought, a bit smug that I could make him so nervous, but also a bit annoyed.

I returned my attention to the plan. It was simple: get in, grab the goods, get out. We had a reliable schedule for guard patrols as well. If we were careful, we wouldn't ever be spotted.

I tapped my finger against my arm. It was never that simple.

—

Toren, Hofal, and I moved through the sewers, taking predetermined twists and turns toward an eventual maintenance access hole. I took the lead, sure in my steps. We each wore our Rat masks.

I could hear Toren taking measured breaths through his nose behind me. The stench of the sewers was a chore to adapt to, but he was managing.

I spotted a musk crab scuttling on some debris in the water. Its eyes, which were raised on stalks, were barely visible in the dark. The little creature scuttled past us, getting a bit too close to Toren.

The paranoid man speared it with his dagger before it could get any closer. It writhed on the blade, eight-shelled limbs struggling weakly on the edge of his steel.

"You didn't need to kill it," I said sourly. I liked those little crustaceans. They made the sewers more lively. Added some spice to the monotony.

"Anything with more than four legs doesn't deserve to exist," Toren said darkly. "It's part of my religion."

"Don't you worship the Vritra?" I asked. "I don't think the Doctrination has any Doctrines against crustaceans," I said it as a joke, but I hadn't gone to a temple since I was really, really young. For all I knew, the Vritra could have a Doctrine against crabs. Were there crab asura in Epheotus?

The body of the musk crab, which had eventually gone still, vanished with a flash of light. Toren had clearly stored it in his dimension ring. "Basilisks don't have legs in their asuran form," the young mage replied. "I think they should be offended by something having eight."

"If they don't," Hofal piped in, "You could try and become a Vicar and petition our Sovereigns to add some laws against crabs," he said with a good-natured laugh. "You already have an old vicar's mask. You look the part."

"I do?" Toren said, sounding confused. "You mean the iron mask I wore before this one? I thought it was just an old antique."

"It's not a simple antique," Hofal replied. "The design is not as well known as it should be. Those iron masks were popular amongst the clergy before High Vicar Varadoth standardized the vicar's garb."