Thieves Guild

Thieves Guild - Chapter 1

'Lux!' Reno shouted angrily. 'What do you think you're doing!?'

Lux was taken aback by her teachers' ferocity. 'What!?' she asked, a look of confusion on her face.

'If this was real, I would've killed Ryker because of his carelessness. But you would still have a chance! Never back down from a mission because your comrade has been killed. You could've snatched the ribbon with ease while I was distracted with this idiot'. With this he cuffed Ryker round the back of the head playfully.

'Back to the barracks, we'll try again tomorrow night'

Ryker and Lux both trudged forlornly out of the warehouse. The rest of the Thief trainees were already  sitting there, eagerly awaiting the verdict.

'So, did you get it?' a boy named Jack asked, his black hair glinting in the faint moonlight. Jack had been the son of one of the fishermen that had moved away for better prospects elsewhere. His father had left him behind, just another business cost.

'Nah, got beaten by broken glass this time' Lux joked. We'll have to think of a better plan...'

They groaned as Lux regaled them with the story of their failure. Ryker's mind was elsewhere. Twelve months and he was still making careless mistakes like this? He cursed himself and headed towards the trainee barracks. The warehouse, one of many training areas, was just outside of the guild complex. The main living buildings weren't far away, posing as just more residential areas in the sprawling city of Talibut. Scattered around the guild were more warehouses, boat repair buildings, abandoned piles of supplies, scrap metal, shipping containers, and a labyrinth of alleyways and streets. Fishing was the main business in Talibut, but sometimes the costs grew too high and the companies moved elsewhere. It was cheaper to leave the husk of the business behind and rebuild elsewhere. What was left was perfect for use by the Thieves Guild to train, and not be bothered by the Keeper's guards. 

Ryker and the rest of the Thieves in training began the long walk back to the barracks. It was a quiet night, with the moon barely visible behind the wispy grey clouds in the sky. Just another night in Misteria. Ryker's mind started to wander to tonight's supper. Eating was a social affair at the Thieves guild, with plenty of good food shared between friends and warm fires burning in large hearths. A faint whistling sound permeated the cold night air and forced him back to the present. The sound was getting louder, he was sure of it. He turned back to the others chattering happily. 

'Hey guys, you hear--' 

The whistling sound stopped suddenly with a perceptible thud. Ryker's eyes widened. Jack was staring down at his chest, from which a stick had appeared. No...Not a stick, an...

He dived to the ground and his hair was parted as something swished by with incredible force. Crawling to a large pile of wood planks nearby, he heard a short gasp from behind and saw Reno, who had been walking further back, fall to the ground.

Arrow!

He heaved himself up and pulled Jack's shuddering form toward him by the leg. The others had all followed his lead and dived for cover. They huddled around Jack now who's hand was clawing hopelessly at the air. It stayed suspended for a second before falling limply onto his chest. Lux covered her mouth and sobbed violently, as they heard more arrows sink heavily into their cover. 

'Jack!' she cried loudly 'Jack, oh Gods, stay awake!'

Ryker pulled her towards him and held her head between his palms

'He's gone Lux! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but we've got to worry about us, we're counting on you now!'

Lux looked at the Thieves around her, all crouching low, ready for action. The tall, blonde and intelligent eyed Danil. Brill; stocky, dark haired and square jawed. Eloise with her curled hair and small stature, crying too for her training partner.  Finally Ryker, handsome, messy haired and muscled, trying to hold her together while they were still in this mess.

Lux breathed heavily and nodded once.

'What do we do?'

Ryker glanced at Jacks motionless body. Judging by the positioning of the arrow in Jacks chest, the bowmen were elevated, most likely on rooftops. That would mean that they had a good view of the surrounding area. The arrow was painted pitch black, invisible against the night sky. There would be no dodging. Escape was going to be difficult. Any bows to fight back were back at the barracks--

A glimmer to the left caused him to look away. The first licks of fire were emerging above the rooftops in the distance, in the direction of the guild, and their backup.

They needed to get out of there.

Ryker leaned out to address all of them. 

'We've got to go stealth. Follow my lead, stay low.'

To any untrained observer at that moment, it would look as if five people had suddenly sunk in to the ground and disappeared entirely.  Each of them had obscured their body shape with their cloak and dropped into a low crouch, such that they kept the majority of their speed but presented much less of their body as a target to see or shoot. Their blue clothing was able to meld seamlessly with shadow, while black would leave an obvious outline. They were rendered almost completely invisible.

They moved smoothly out from behind the wood pile and started towards the attackers direction, Ryker pleaded silently that they wouldn't see them, even though he knew it was almost impossible that they would. He swapped from cover to cover as he urged the others forward. They all knew how to conceal themselves, although Ryker was the most experienced. 

Eloise to the right called out as a flare was launched overhead and the sounds of swords unsheathing battered them from all sides. 

A trap!

They processed this just as they realized their cover was now blown, the shadows that once concealed them obliterated by the harsh burning light. More arrows scythed through the air and embedded themselves in the abandoned fishing boats around them, one missing Danil by a hairs breadth. An assailant to the right was now on top of them, his long broadsword out from its scabbard. He held it with proficiency but his movements told them he was not an expert. Ryker stepped forward and slashed diagonally with his knife, which the man easily glided away from. They needed to stay low; the archers on the roof could easily pick them off if they moved out from cover too long. A return swing from the man almost lost Ryker his head, but Brill closed in and blocked his attack with his now unsheathed knife, the silver edge shimmering in the light overhead. The man tried to back off,  but not before Brill's throwing knife embedded itself directly into his neck, severing his jugular.

Two more attackers were moving in from the left. Ryker reached in to a concealed pouch and retrieved some powder. A mixture of chilli, pepper, and sand used to blind enemies. He rushed one of the men, opened his palm, and blew. The man dropped and grasped his eyes, wailing loudly. Lux lunged forward and easily incapacitated him with a backhand to the temple. Brill had once again neutralized the other with a throwing knife. Eloise dispatched her attackers with a swift  knife strike to the throat, with Danil covering her back. The flare overhead had burned out, but they could hear other killers shouting their location nearby.

Brill twirled his knife and sheathed it expertly. 

'We need to go. They'll be here in seconds'

Ryker nodded and looked at the rest. Lux, a grim expression on her face, but otherwise unharmed, Eloise wiping the blood off her face; and Brill and Danil breathing heavily.

'We'll head for exit D. After that we'll get to the nearest safehouse and hold tight until we find out what the hell is going on'

The mens footsteps were getting dangerously close. It was time to leave. The archers on the rooftops were waiting for another sighting.

The trainees smothered themselves in murk and disappeared, the only sound made being the faint brush as they saluted the dead Jack and Reno. Something like this had never happened before, and they needed to find out why.