═─┈─{═ Quadruplets ═}─┈─═
“Give them a chance.” Faso sides with the group. “Not everyone can change who they are, in a blink of an eye—like you!” He emphasized.
‘Playing double games, ha!’ Ric smiled to himself, not commenting aloud. “One would think years of bad luck would tune them by now.” Ric forced a frown instead. “Buckle up or die. Stop wasting my time and efforts, that might or might not benefit you a lot.”
‘Stick and carrot.’ Ric noted the group’s fluctuating emotions and planned for his next dose of manipulation.
Tenso was forced to join the group as they entered Richie Lane. Ric also took the four sisters and Henzo with him to infiltrate the Heaven district while ordering Tenso and others to acquire carts for the food and their escape.
The wolf guards were out on patrol, so they had a small window to pull the heist.
‘Group-A’ infiltrated Heaven through the underground passage Faso dug and ‘Group-B’ followed Tenso’s lead with Wrilo, who played Ric to the best of her abilities and their worst nightmare.
‘They are two of them!’ Group B cringed as one, receiving a smirk from Wrilo.
Richie Lane shocked everyone in ‘Group B’ except Tenso, who frequently entered to tend the crops.
A proper sewage system, decent wooden houses, paved mud roads, and the smell of ash. While they considered this district to be Heavenly, ‘Group-A’ who had infiltrated the Heaven district were stunned out of their imagination.
The true nobles, or the ones banished from other kingdoms, lived in a world of their own, if not aware of the walls surrounding them. Even Ric would have been lost in this world if it weren’t for his desires driving his every action.
The artificial sky never lost its bluish-orange hue, while the rushing river that ran across the district gave it a pleasant sound. The air held the earth’s scent and the brick contraptions the Nobels lived in moved by machine power.
“If someone catches us here, we will be executed on the spot.” Faso breaks them out of the trance. “Hope you realize what…” Faso follows Ric’s gaze up into the sky, witnessing the clouds slowly turn into a mountain, and then into a grand castle. “You never lose sight of the target, do you?”
Ric smirked. “One step at a time, kid.”
“That is step one?” Henzo gaped, his eyes zooming onto the many enchantments on the castle’s wall.
“Let me worry about that. You focus on now.” Ric said, without losing his devious smile.
“Nobles are greedier than goblins. They will know if any of their clothes are missing.” Faso took a step back.
“Not to worry.” Ric takes and returns Faso’s stamina, calming him down. “We will steal their worn-out clothes and the ones in their laundry.”
“Smart!” Faso clutches his hand, which stops shaking because of the sudden switch in power. ‘A calming spell? How many tricks does he have up his sleeve?’
“You sound astonished.” Ric raises an eyebrow at Faso while placing a finger on Henzo’s lips. “I will teach you kids big words at a later date.”
“Nothing!” Faso fakes a smile.
Ric sees through the fake smile, but keeps his single trick a secret, wanting to maintain the false sense of power.
Faso changes his stance and Ric pumps Henzo with more stamina, reading him for any attack. Henzo felt the boost and immediately dug his heels into the cement pavement, ready to act based on the slightest gesture Ric would make. After all, his instructions were straightforward from the start—protect Ric.
“Such cunning can get you to the top without relying on anyone. Then why drag all of us along?”
Ric steps closer to Faso and pats him on the shoulder. “I neither have the patience nor time to wait.”
Faso feared losing his stamina, yet he stood in place in fear of upsetting Ric by showing his distrust.
“Also…” Ric continued, moving away from Faso without draining him. “As you figured out. That beastly, boring hunk of metal is just my first step. I am planning for something way bigger.”
“The kingdom?” Mae wondered out loud.
“Bigger.” Ric hinted.
“Kingdom?” Henzo shimmed in.
“Bigger.” Ric winked.
“This realm.” Faso lets out a faint gasp.
“Told you to wait and see… And you to concentrate on now.” Ric eyes the group. “Shall we get something to eat before they find and kill us?”
The group sprinted into action. Stealing laundry and acting like pompous little rich brats came naturally to all of them, except Henzo.
“Act like you have a rod up your hinny,” Ric said, and they got into performance rather quickly.
After blending in, Faso stayed to guard the tunnel back to Richie Lane. Ric promised him low risk and high reward, which ended at the tunnel entrance, so Ric had to change his approach once again by letting Faso stay behind.
To compensate, Ric also ordered Henzo to stay between the tunnel of Heaven and Richie Lane. Henzo was not only the first and last line wall between any backup Faso might think of bringing, but also Ric’s multidimensional soldier, who could move in either direction to help him or ‘Group B’.
To avoid suspicion, Ric convinced the group that children were safer subjects to infiltrate and steal. The sisters would bring stolen goods to Faso and he would hand them to Henzo, who would pass them down to ‘Group B’.
Ric also instructed Henzo to inform group B of the changed plan, hoping Wrilo would pick up on the hidden message within the information. They were only meant to use one cart, and the cart should never approach the outermost wall leading to Hope or Heaven’s wall. The hoard of food should be stored in an abandoned house close to the town of Hope, and nothing may move an inch until all of them gather at the final destination.
Mae was a natural in acting pompous, while her sisters took the dialogue literally, and walked around with bizarre expressions.
“Quick, there is a change of plans,” Ric called the sisters closer after Faso cleared the area.
“Again!” Shae complained.
“Plans always change. If they don’t, then you should be worried.” Ric schooled them.
The sisters nodded as one, their eyes focusing on every word that left Ric’s lips.
‘Love myself some easy targets!’ Ric pats himself on the back, but his smile fails after spotting Henzo’s vacant expression. ‘But my fate always balances my luck out!’
First, they had to stay consistent in their bizarre persona. Rich folk not only have a stick up their butts but carry it around in a certain fashion, being consistent with their stick every step of the way. Then later comes the previous four assignments.
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At the top of said list, was stealing food; they had to steal food in a way the nobles would never suspect. Cutting the mid-session and joining the other half, stealing the uneven number of cookies, near-spoilt fruits, and milk, while adding a bit of curd to every bottle of milk they found.
Next came the forbidden. Stuff that no one would report if they were self-conscious; their diaries. Something important enough to be hidden within someone’s personal space, but not so important to have artifacts or spells guarding them.
“Who would have such an item?” The silent sister, Elle, finally spoke out of turn, unable to contain her curiosity.
Ric smiled upon the development and answered in her ear first before revealing it to others. “Women... and their cunning wifehood. They are forced to bottle up their thoughts, which they have to vent out in a diary or a person, otherwise...” Ric whistled. “The world can be flipped.” Ric turns to Elle. “Think carefully and you can find where they hide their secret stash. Hint: It would be their domain and only theirs, no matter what.”
While Ric prepped Elle, Mae prepped herself with a few breathing exercises to get into character. She was the easiest one to manipulate as she wanted and mimicked Ric out of her own intuition.
Having his claws sunk deep into Mae and Elle, he turned his calculative gaze upon Shae and Belle. Both sisters were nervous for two different reasons.
Shae’s nails dug into the fabric to grip her skirt tighter. The extra grip gave her enough strength to pull the stitches loose.
“Frustrated.” Ric smiled inwardly, adjusting his plans for her.
Belle clung to her frock, similar to Shae, but her eyes and feet were pointing toward the wall, clearly showing her intentions to flee. They started with a bigger ground, in a single suit. Now they were left to defend themselves and the rest of Hope. Such a burden on such little shoulders.
“How do I bend that to my use?” Ric thought, repositioning himself closer to Shae.
“Use that anger wisely.” Ric winked at Shae. “Hold it in until it’s strong enough to undo the prettiest lie.” He pats her on the head, kneeling to face Belle.
With a light headbutt, he gets Belle’s attention, and to keep her concentrated, Ric leaned forward, his forehead attached to hers. Maybe he hoped to slide his thoughts in through the connection or maintain the ominous stare long enough to drill his idea into her head.
“Running isn’t easy,” Ric assured. “Let me teach you the right way... Trust me,” said Ric, grabbing Belle’s undivided attention.
═─┈─{═ Conclusion ═}─┈─═
Ric drew out the simplest heist in the history of heists. Easy enough for a couple of kids to play the part of Robinhood. He did have a lifetime experience of being a villain after all.
They hit the outermost houses of Haven district, as they were the newest Nobel additions to Heaven. Having their targets close to the wall gave the sisters a false sense of security, while even the nobles ignored that portion of their houses out of disgust for lesser folk.
As Ric suspected, the farthest houses were indeed newer editions to the district. Nobel's being Nobel’s, he also gambled on them not caring for the rules, nor about their disposable wealth, such as food, clothes, and utensils—at least in the beginning, making them the perfect targets.
Belle played transporter; she ran between noble houses and the wall, carrying anything tossed out by Elle, who hoped from Nobel house to noble house, stealing information and food alike.
Shae acted as bodyguard and scout for Elle, making sure she was safe during her deductions.
Ric stopped Shae twice from skewering a guard alive before he changed her weapon to a pan and ordered her to attack only if Mae failed to distract an unforeseen intrusion.
Ric worked in the shadows, boosting their stamina by stealing it from guards and noble folk alike, yet he crowned Mae as their stop performer as she owned her role, almost fooling a nobleman into believing she was his long-lost daughter.
Needless to say, Ric robbed that nobleman’s house to the bone.
The intermediate group consisting of Henzo and Faso had the safest and easiest job: transferring the goods through the walls tunnel and into group B’s cart.
Wrilo oversaw the rest of the transport until an abandoned house closest to the walls of the Grimvale district, with Yanko pulling rank over anyone looking at them suspiciously.
Once the storage house was filled to the brim, the group made their way back while securing the tunnels for easy access.
The entire heist took a couple of hours, yet the sun still lingered high above. Before the wolves came for a spot check, they anonymously decided to exit Saint Cathel. Even the stench from the Grimvale district, the fear of the Fea forest, or Yanko’s hissing, wouldn’t be enough to deceive a wolf’s sense of smell.
Ric took another step to ensure their safety, while simultaneously increasing their risk of running into the wolf pack by making sure the citizens were busy elsewhere while they used the front gate instead of digging any holes to Hope.
When the group asked for a reason, Ric simply said they were too stupid to understand the intellectuality of his plans and that any more questions would lead to a delay in the feast.
The group glanced at each other, shrugged away his insults, and concentrated on how much food they could fit in their bellies without puking any out. Yet another task Ric came up with was to keep them busy as they headed deeper into the forest for Ric’s Mansion.
═─┈─{═ Anzel & the mistres ═}─┈─═
Anzel spent a fortune on a two-inch thick cotton bed, silk sheets, and the sturdiest wood the peasants in the Grimvale district carried during the transits. Many died during the transit, but the perfect balance of his bed made up for the meaningless loss and more.
Anzel slipped out of the bed and into his rubber slippers. The little squeaks woke up his half-naked mistress, who slipped into the bedsheets, terrified of a fully naked Anzel.
“Still haven’t gotten used to it, ha!” Anzel frowned. “Don’t worry,” Anzel assured dressing up. “You got a lifetime for that.”
The mistress looks away, not wanting to leer more than necessary. Her gaze drifted onto her wrist, covered with scars.
Counting down uneven lines, she wonders ‘How many does this one make? Fourteen?’ She looks at Anzel, struggling to wear his tight pants.
She kept altering his clothes. Those fine lines of stitches which even his monocle never caught. All just to make him self-conscious about his weight. The only thing he worries about since he came under Sir Toe’s command. Also, the only thing she could alter was to make his life just a little more miserable.
Not that his life wasn’t filled with regrets: regrets that he placed on himself.
Never satisfied, never in peace, and always wanting more. A curse every man in Saint had.
Her eyes lingered on every detail of Anzel. Not for pleasure, but for signs of pain.
How many times did she stab him? She never counted.
Yet the bastard didn’t have a scratch on him. Not even a scar for her to derive pride or some kind of satisfaction from.
‘Was it all in my head?’ She wondered yet again.
“You are getting used to it.” Anzel gave her another peek. “Good! Good...” He smirked. “Coming along after all... good.”
The best bed money could buy, and a mistress that would be the end of him someday. Anzel lived on the edge and loved every second.
“Only the daring mad ones make history,” Anzel claimed, dragging on the war–table’s sheets.
The entire map of Saint was etched on the table’s surface. His own hands carved each detail. To remember and to keep a secret from any prying eyes.
Without an artifact such as the monocle Anzel owned, the war–table would appear like any other normal dining table.
Even the closest person to Anzel, his mistress, would have never known about the table if Anzel hadn’t let his facade slip in front of her.
The mysterious laugh whenever he raised the sheets, ridiculous rules; such as never being able to eat at a dining table, and his disgusting drool, when he stood at the far end of the table, were dead giveaways of something wrong.
‘I need that monocle.’ The mistress told herself as she slid the blade back into her pillow. ‘There is some damning... thing! On that table. With it, I might find a way to persuade Sir Toe to rip this monster in half.’
‘The little bird has come a long way.’ Anzel smirks within, shifting Monocles’ view back onto the table. ‘She better not cut that pretty face of hers... I need a smarter opponent, but not an ugly one. I can’t fuck later.’
Anzel takes a deep breath, moving his hand over the table. “All of you shall be—AH!” He screams, pulling his hand away.
The visuals of the map obstructed Anzel’s view of the actual table, and a splinter wedged itself deep under his fingernail.
“Lucky!” she cursed out loud.
Mistress sprung up onto her feet, the sheets covering her privates before her feet touched the ground. She rushed forward at once, wanting to witness her master’s misery up close, but placing the splinter derailed her joy at once.
“How the fuck is this lucky?” Anzel screamed.
With her long fingernails, she grabs and pulls out the splinter, cursing once again under her breath. “This means your last wish during the process will come true.” She explains, double-checking the splinter, hoping that wasn’t the case.
‘Index finger, the splinter is three fourth covered in blood, and he has no clue about the saying... fuck! His wish might come true... unless it’s misinterpreted in some way! Nah! Not possible with this self-centered bastard.’
“I wanted...” Anzel went silent. ‘It all... No! I didn’t finish my desire. If not that... then? A mansion? No, that was yesterday...’ Anzel looks at her. “OH!” He realizes
═─┈─{═E═}─┈─═
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2. Without grid... for those who like it that way!
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