The Old City

0.21: First Recruit

The Redlight District, June 23rd, 10059

Marcus stood on the roof of a three-story shop building in the Redlight District, leaning over its thin guardrail. The soldier eyed the nondescript apartments across the street, absorbing every detail below. Exit paths, the number of people who walked by compared to those who worked or lived inside the adjacent buildings, the direction the sun glared so it wouldn't block his line of sight. Every detail mattered when planning a heist.

Nobody has gone in or come out all day. It's either abandoned, or they are very well stocked.

His thoughts touched Seneca's mind half a mile away, reclined against a tilted chair, whose left hindleg was frustratingly too short, in the cheapest café in the city. On their second day at the Treehouse, he had opened his mind to Marcus and was still getting used to sensation, still placing the necessary barriers to keep him away from his worst thoughts.

Angelica sat across from Seneca, nodding as he passed along Marcus's description. She wore a knee-length green dress so dark one couldn't see the stains that came from being worn too often. After a full night's sleep in the Treehouse though, her face was fresh and her eyes clear.

This offbeat café was her idea. Though just five blocks from the harbor, few passed it in the late afternoon, as most of the workers had already left, and the food was bad enough that they didn't want to come in anyway. Only the poorest of the First Ring suffered the offerings here. Even the Black Phoenix did not bother to tax Laure, the sad shop owner.

"No guards are posted," Seneca reiterated. "They probably have enough protection magic inside to stop a small army and don't want to draw attention to themselves. Your average homeless person couldn't break in to sleep."

"How are you gonna get in?" Angelica asked.

"We can't. They're too well fortified. We could never break in unannounced, and we don't have the manpower to overwhelm them."

Well what the Hell are we gonna do then? Marcus demanded. I don't want this sword danglin' over my head.

Seneca smiled and nodded for the old man behind the counter to refill his coffee. He waited for him to leave before speaking.

"We won't be the ones that break in. We inform the Enforcers about the incursion and have them deal with it. The invaders' plan will be thrown into disarray and the Enforcers will be so busy tryin' to find other hideouts that we can move freely."

And since we're in Black Phoenix territory, the Enforcers should crack down on them too.

"We should still find a way get information out of them. The knowledge from even one soldier could prove invaluable. The problem is there are no openings. Before we get the Enforcers to move, their defenses will be up. Afterward, the place will be crawlin' with Enforcers and we can't do anything without bein' seen."

None of my magic would be helpful for that, I'm afraid.

"We just need one?" Angelica asked.

"Two might be good to verify the intelligence, but one would be fine. Marcus must know some horrifyin' methods to get people to talk after his imprisonment."

Let's not talk about that until we have to.

"We can't get close but we need to pull someone out of the building..." Angelica laughed and slammed two Kaits onto the table for their meal. Frenetic, she grabbed Seneca's arm and yelled in his ear, as though that would make Marcus hear her better. "Go back to the Treehouse and wait to hear from me. Before we make any moves, there's an obvious first step! We need recruits."