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What's Yours, I Make Mine {emeraldknight}

Started by Celegwen, January 17, 2018, 06:35:02 AM

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Celegwen

@emeraldknight
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Tall height was something the man was quite used to, but sitting atop the stolen chestnut stallion made him feel like he was on top of the world. Living in Zantaric, Xander didn't usually travel by horseback, but this job in Serendipity practically laid the opportunity in his lap. Not to mention the job being stealing a supposedly magical ring.

He had gotten an anonymous note under his apartment door which read along the lines of, "You're the best thief ever! You're the only one who can get it done! I want the magical ring and will pay way more than it's worth because you're so amazing!" Then again, he might've been just fluffing his own ego.

As a beautiful, black carriage came into view, Xander grinned. The carriage was driven by a man in relatively plain clothing; more functional and practical than anything else. The curtains were drawn in the carriage windows, so the man couldn't see inside. Four horses pulled the carriage, all with pure white coats and stepping in perfect synchronization. This is gonna be too easy, he thought with a grin.

Xander urged the slender horse into a canter, riding slightly unsteadily, but confidently nonetheless. He caught sight of another man after the carriage in decent attire and immediately thought of the wonderful story of getting two hits in one job. After, he thought, spurring the horse on to catch up with the carriage.

emeraldknight

Nicholas rode astride a black horse, chasing after a luxurious carriage. He hated it. Nicholas had never been good with animals, for whatever reason. It was like they could stare into him and see all his past deeds, knowing exactly who he was, and despise him after a glance. This horse in particular, however, seemed to enjoy toying with the thief's life, bucking and leaning at every opportunity. It probably wasn't too happy about being taken by force and led away from his master and stable. Still, Nicholas pushed forward toward the carriage, swearing he'd kill the beast after the job and sell the meat.

Earlier that week, he had gotten home from a day of thievery, taking the time to make sure no-one followed him, and warped through the foundation that sat under a nondescript old tavern. One great thing about warping abilities is that one can build their home anywhere, and barely anyone else can even enter, much less guess where it is. Nicholas had just emptied out his coat, full of things to sell to the market in a few days time, when he saw a peculiar note hanging out of the gap between two floorboards. In a peculiar, and quite archaic style of writing, it asked for the theft of a magic ring from a black carriage, and offered pay that even Nicholas was quite aroused by. Although the message had no signature, and offered very little detail on the target or object, money was money, and Nicholas was there.

Nicholas had never taken big jobs, always opting to earn his riches through mass pickpocketing. On a good day, this could earn him over four thousand dollars, and so he had no need for consorting with the rest of the criminal underworld and taking on "Professional" jobs. Professional, he thought, what bullshit! As far as Nicholas was concerned, he'd never worked a day in his life, a feat he was quite proud of. But when that note came through, he just couldn't resist the temptation. Despite seeing no reason to believe the note was genuine, it was obvious that whoever it was who commissioned it knew where his hideout was, and could access it without leaving any sign of his presence. It seems this man is not to be trifled with.

As he rode closer, Nicholas could see that this was a very luxurious carriage indeed. Despite all of the bumping and tossing, he could make out a distinct sheen that implied heavy dosages of lacquer, one of which was obviously applied quite recently, and had not had time to fully dry out. The polished windows were adorned with bright red curtains, perhaps made of some fine velvet. Clearly, whoever carried this magical ring was a man of high status! This would make it all the more enjoyable. As his head swung to the right after another violent jerk from the midnight beast, Nicholas noticed another horse, and another rider atop it, speeding toward the carriage ahead. No doubt some highwayman who spotted the carriage and decided it would be an easy target for a hold-up. Well, he can take what he wants, after I'm done with it! Nicholas spurred his horse as best he could, and rode forward.

Celegwen

Xander glanced back, a small scowl spreading over his face at the noticeably quickened pace of the other rider. The note didn't say I'd be sharing the job with some other fucker, the man thought bitterly.

That wasn't the point, though. He needed to get his hands on that stupid ring before the other guy did.

The carriage driver craned his neck to look behind the carriage, the smoky quartz glasses and wide-brimmed hat hiding any expression that could've been read from Xander's distance. Almost immediately after the driver turned his attention back to the road, the horses stopped their synchronized movements and picked up speed significantly.

Xander whipped his head around, sneering at the other rider. "Back off!" He shouted. "Or you'll be the trophy I hang on my wall from this job!" His horse had slowed slightly while the thief warned the other man, so Xander cursed himself silently.

emeraldknight

"Oh, confident, are we?" The man's horse slowed, allowing for Nicholas to ride on ahead. He turned his attention towards the target ahead, and noticed the black carriage speeding up, horses now at a full sprint. "Dammit!" Nicholas attempted to speed the undisciplined stallion onward, but was met with powerful resistance. It made sense; The horse barely agreed to even gallop at all, let alone full throttle. Still, he urged it forward, but gained little distance on the lustrous coach as it sped towards whatever destination the noble inside had requested. Nicholas decided his best option was to use one of his more taxing powers.

He focused hard, mentally drawing himself towards the carriage. Suddenly, he felt it: A forwards momentum, as everything else slowed down. He drew closer and closer to the target as he rode, being barely outside his range of teleportation within seconds. Just as his temporal control slipped, Nicholas warped into the interior of the carriage, landing on a luxurious, velvety carpet. He had used quite a it of energy getting there, but decided he was in well enough shape to continue the job. It would be worth it in the end.

Celegwen

"Bugger off!" Xander spat at the man, who had then sped ahead of him. He was yanked on his horse's reins in shock, seeing the man practically disappear.

The bastard can teleport? Xander thought furiously. He urged his horse faster, though the horse wasn't exactly thrilled to be back in a gallop. His determination to beat the other man pushed him to ignore the animal's wishes. Probably not the brightest idea, but he wasn't thinking about that at the moment.

Inside the carriage, the man would find beautiful and expensive quality going to waste, as the coach was actually empty. The carriage driver looked back, seeing one of the horses now riderless and slowing. He narrowed his eyes, suddenly standing on the seat. Carefully and quickly, the driver maneuvered his way onto the back of the front left horse. Glancing back again, he was able to get the horse freed, then sped away from the now slowing carriage.

Xander slowed his horse, approaching the carriage. He saw the man speeding away at a speed and with an expertise that he knew he wasn't even close to matching. "Fuck!" He shouted, hitting the horse. The animal spooked, rearing up and throwing him to the ground. Xander coughed and made it to his feet, approaching the carriage angrily.

emeraldknight

"Empty!?"

The coach had not a single person in it, not a man, woman, or even an animal. Whatever this was, Nicholas didn't like it. Still, his task was only to find the ring, and thus he began his search. Yet as he begun his search, the carriage felt as if it was slowing! Hopping into the driver's seat, he saw that there was no driver, and only three horses left in front. As it turned out, the driver was already far ahead, riding off into the distance, away from the scene.

The thief went back to his search, all the while grumbling to himself about things like this being why he didn't take hired jobs. Despite searching in every nook and alcove he could find, going as far as to attempt to lift the carpet in hopes of finding a secret pocket, nothing of importance showed itself, save for a handkerchief sitting in a compartment by the seat. It was white, emblazoned with gold lettering revealing what was undoubtedly the name of the rider: Victor LaFronz. Before he could investigate any further, Nicholas heard the door to his right swing open, and in came the rider from before. "Oh, crap! This isn't going to be good!"

Celegwen

"You just cost me a fucking job, ya bastard!" Xander shouted at the man, as he climbed into the carriage with his new rival.

He looked at the mess of the carriage that the other man had made, and his brows furrowed. The torn up carpeting, lifted seats, and other little disturbances. The man was holding...a handkerchief? Was he hot, or something?

Seeing a hint of gold on the white fabric, Xander quickly snatched the handkerchief from the man's hands and jumped out of the carriage before he would be able to get it back. "Victor LaFronz?" He asked, sneering at the other man and tossing the handkerchief back. His sneer disappeared, suddenly replaced with confusion. "LaFronz... LaFr- Why is that name so damn familiar?"

He huffed. "So, I take it you were hired to go after the godsforsaken ring, too?"

emeraldknight

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. It seems as though we've been set up."

With this, Nicholas warped behind the man, hoping to intimidate him. "Let's not waste any time here. Who are you, who is Victor LaFronz, and what the hell is going on here?"

Thinking quickly, and hopefully quick enough, he reached for the dagger hanging from the man's belt loop.

Celegwen

He whirled around, shocked as the man had suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind him. Same trick he used to get into the carriage, he thought, unnerved but not afraid. He'd dealt with plenty of people with worse magic.

Xander's face fell, as it dawned on him just who they were after. "Oh, fuck," he groaned. "Victor LaFronz is one of the higher-ups 'round here. Thought of as a real swell guy. I don't know nobody who don't like him." He sighed, shaking his head. "I need a fucking drink."

Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a flask and took a long drink, not realizing he had basically just handed over his dagger. "Hey!" He shouted, looking at the dagger in the man's hand. "That belonged to my mother's mistress!"

emeraldknight

"Your mother's mistress had quite the fine dagger!", Nicholas exclaimed, tossing it into the air and catching it several times (A move he had practiced much more than he'd like to admit). "I gather you know as much about this damn job as I do"

He sighed in the knowledge that the impressive reward was a hoax. However, a part of him was intrigued by these events. There had to have been a reason that they were sent to that carriage, a reason that all they found was the name of a noble. "Was LaFronz the one who set this up?"

"You seem knowledgeable on this LaFronz man..." He held the dagger to the odd-looking man's throat, hoping his inexperience with weaponry wouldn't show, though his tense hand was almost sure to give it away. "How would I go about getting in contact with him?"

Celegwen

Xander quickly picked up on the man's discomfort when it came to handling the weapon, so he really wasn't worried. Given his extensive experience when handling fights and weapons, he could've easily gotten the dagger back, but maybe it wasn't the smartest to reveal his skill that early.

"That's not how we're gonna handle this," Xander said, not flinching even slightly with his dagger against his throat. "I don't know nothing bout the guy. Besides, why you wanna talk to him, eh? Ain't we supposed to be robbing him?"

You think I'm handin' over that reward, you're mad, Xander thought.

emeraldknight

"Aren't you at least a bit interested in why we were both sent to rob an empty carriage? I signed up for a game here, and if that means I have to go right through the rich fucker's door, then so be it!" Nicholas turned and began to walk away from the carriage when he felt the dagger still held in his fist. Running his finger along the flat of the blade, he realized it couldn't be inexpensive. He turned back around to the man, an idea forming in his mind.

"If you're looking for new work, I have a splendid offer: Find out the location of Victor LaFronz..." He held the dagger up, just out of reach. "And I'll reward you quite handsomely!"

Celegwen

"Of course I'm interested!" Xander spat at the man. "I'm also interested in getting out of this with my head on my shoulders!"

He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, then heard the man's offer. He really thinking he gonna pay me with my dagger? Hells no.

Xander shook his head slowly. "I just might know where his mansion is," he said. "And if I'm gonna tell you, we gonna work this together. Split the reward money, seventy-thirty." He gestured from himself then to the other man, indicating that Xander would get the larger sum.

emeraldknight

Nicholas laughed at the offer. "So, you need my help! Well, I'd be happy to oblige, but I think that a better reward may be in order. Let's say an even 50/50 split, why not?" Really, he didn't care how much money was in it, as long as it looked like he did. He was confident he could just steal it all after all was done. "Here's the deal, though: If you're hiring my help, then I'm taking this dagger as collateral! And, I'll need your name. Mine's Nicholas Finger."

"This will be interesting!"

Celegwen

Eh, what the hell? Xander thought to himself.

"Fine, fine," he mumbled, waving a hand at Nicholas. "50/50 it is, then. And keep the damned dagger. My mother was a cheatin' whore anyhow." He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. I'll get the dagger back at the end of this shit. Looking Nicholas up and down, he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Name's Xander Botinal. Pleased to meet ya, Nicky. Even moreso to be dyin' with ya." He gave an overconfident, slightly unjustified, wink and a nod.

emeraldknight

The game had begun. Nicholas vs. Xander in a competition of bullshitting. "'Keep the dagger', Yeah, right! I wonder if he knows I'm planning on taking the loot? I know that he is, but does he know that I know that he is? Ah, who knows?" Taking a step back, he clicked his fingers and said, "Well, now that we're working together, tell me where this mansion is, and we can wait 'til nightfall, invade, and get the hell out of there! Simple as that!"

Celegwen

"I might be dumber than most, but I ain't a simpleton," Xander said, shooting a look at Nicholas.

He looked around in all directions, trying to get his bearings. 'Bout six miles in the right direction before we hit town. 'Nother mile and a half 'til we get to that noble bastard's house.

"I'll come with ya, but I ain't tellin' you where the fucker lives. Told ya, we're doin' this together, so you gonna have to trust me."

emeraldknight

"Alright, fair enough, I suppose", he grumbled. Still, it wasn't like he couldn't escape if cornered, and Xander couldn't have any kind of trap prepared for him, they'd just met! "Suppose I'll just have to trust him for now". Pacing a bit, Nicholas looked at Xander and asked a simple question: "So, are we gonna go, or just stand here?"

Celegwen

Xander mocked Nicholas' tone, as he jerked his head to the side. This's gonna be a fucking fun trip, he thought annoyed.

A six mile walk wasn't pleasant to begin with, but to have to do it in the company of someone who you're in job competition with was even worse. Nicholas wasn't the worse company in general, but Xander really just didn't want to deal with this situation with anyone else.

"Do me a solid," he mumbled, as they walked. "Don't get in my fuckin' way, 'kay?"

emeraldknight

Nicholas laughed. "Ooh, tough guy, are we? Don't worry, I'm not planning on getting in your way. I'm an honorable man!" He pondered whether he should start being a bit less challenging, but decided against it. "Why concern myself with niceties with a guy like this? He's no threat!"

Getting bored, he decided to play a game. He quietly slowed down in order to slip behind Xander and began to plan a list of things to steal. It seemed all that was accessible without notice were his throwing knives and deck of cards. Nicholas had never really cared if anyone noticed him when he stole. His magic ensured that he could just warp his way down a busy street, taking anything he wanted before moving on. If, for whatever reason, the owner of an object stopped him, he'd just leave it. For this challenge, he would have to be sneaky, quick and smooth. Of course, he'd return the items afterwards, no need to start a fight, but why not mess with him a bit. As he reached for the cards, not once did it cross his mind that he was out of his depth with this. These hands were not made for 'smooth'.

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