Seth first needed to be recruited for its defence as it entered the city. This convoy was controlled by a protection service that spanned over the entire nation. Needless to say, it wouldn't be easy.
Luckily, Seth thought his acting to be Oscar-worthy so it would be a breeze...
He went to the City Sect which had a mission board of all available jobs for certain classes. It was convenient for a world with no technology, so they were pretty widespread.
The hall was busy, with the comers and goers pushing and shoving each other for a good job assignment. It reminded Seth of a shop during Black Friday without the attempted murder.
Here on the topmost side of the board was a piece of parchment with large letters.
Mission: To Protect A Convoy
Pay: 2 Silver per day
Requirements: Protection or Attack classes above level 10.
The pay was right, the requirements were fairly easy, but it was the risk that put many off. Why risk your life for 2 silver a day?
Seth had to think about this as he needed a plausible reason to be signing up when he talked about it to his future colleagues. Preparation was always key.
He had already made up Isaacs's background from scratch. He made a quick prayer for the poor man, he never wished death on anyone. That was a punishment, not a single soul deserved and to think he was meant to suffer for eternity.
Seth shivered in fright.
His calm mind was activated, and he eventually calmed down. He moved and went to where the location of the job was supposed to be. It was the Jahannam Security local branch where the recruits were temporarily hired to store and protect the caravan as the main crew had a rest and bought several things to move on to the next city.
That's how trade mainly was moved in this backwater kingdom. Seth had heard of airships and tamed beasts being used as transport for goods but they were complex and incredibly expensive so they could only be afforded by the richest of high-level kingdoms.
Seth arrived at the complex and immediately checked into the reception to receive the task.
"Hello, I'm here for the protection job," Seth said as he walked up to the desk.
"Okay one sec," she moved over to a stack of papers which she took one and placed it in front of Seth, "Just fill this out with this pen."
Seth looked at the pen and saw a marking on the side, it looked like a circle of sorts, but it was glowing. The woman saw this and explained.
"Have you never seen one before? I guess most lower-class people wouldn't have. They are unlimited ink pens made by the high-level kingdom of Calli, they cost a fortune but buying one is easily worth it."
Seth looked at this gold mine in pen form and nodded slowly. Before he started to drool, he went and sat down before filling out the form.
It was simple stuff like class, level range and a rough explanation of your abilities. People in this world enjoyed privacy, especially in a fighting role where if your opponent knew your trump cards, they could counter them easily.
After that, he handed it in, and the receptionist pointed him to the storeroom and gave him a special ID badge. Now you may be wondering why it was so easy. Surely, they put more safety checks like background or something of the sort. Sadly, this world and especially this kingdom lacked the tech needed to do such a thing. Finally, it helped that they needed workers urgently.
However that did not mean that Seth could just walk in and take the gold: there were other guards after all, and the security company would likely plant a few of their own inside the defence team to stop any insider nonsense.
Seth was scheduled to be on the day shift for the next 4 days, in this time he needed to become friends with his fellow day shifters and get a better understanding of the layout of the place.
His first shift started immediately, so he was on his way to the storeroom now. He peaked in and saw the carriages sitting inside a great barn-looking building. Nobody was there and Seth was tempted to just rob it here and now.
A loud voice interrupted those thoughts, "Oi you, what are you doing?"
Seth turned to see a man jump down from the barn's exposed upper framework. He landed with a great *boom* and the impact shook the ground like a mini earthquake.
"Hy yeah, I'm here to guard this place. Just joined you see." Seth held out his badge and the man came closer to inspect it.
"Looks about right. Well then, my friends seems you will be stuck with us for the next few days, Welcome to the day shift. Let me tell you this is some of the easiest money I have ever earned, oh and get out of their Steph and greet the new guy."
Seth looked around in confusion thinking he had missed yet another person, That's when he felt someone lean on his shoulders.
"Do I have to?" Said a feminine voice scarily close to Seth's ear.
He jumped in fright and the woman burst out in laughter.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Oh, my, god. I have never seen someone so scarred in my life. You should have seen him Trebor, he looked like he had seen a ghost." She continued laughing as if what Seth had done was the funniest thing in the world.
"Not funny Steph," he said whilst looking down at the woman practically paying on the floor, but then he leaned in and asked, "But did you get that scared?"
Seth was kind of feeling bad that he would rip these two off before. Now, he was feeling a burning sense of justice. He wasn't scared, it just reminded him of a time when he was.
The trio eventually moved on and went back to doing their jobs. One person was always stationed indoors, and the two others were meant to patrol outside, and, if anything came up, they were to call in backup from HQ using a small glowing pebble called a Ying-Yang stone.
The Ying-Yang Stones were black and white respectively and were a rather abnormal object. They were a natural phenomenon that could be found washed up on the shores of The Great Voydenar Ocean.
If a pair, which were usually found together, had one break: the other would break at the same time. Almost like they were connected, but magical scholars everywhere tried to find this bridge but never could. They were called the Ying-Yang Stones and were sold as a communication method.
Anyway, Seth continued to chat with Trebor, who went patrolling with him and found out quite a lot about him. He was ex-army and was discharged because he lost his sense of smell, and Trebor felt this was a bad omen and so left. Turns out he was right as the next day after he left, The Kingdom Of Historia, the kingdom Seth is in, declared war on a neighbouring kingdom that was similar in level.
Nothing came of the war, and only deaths were increased. A pointless, fruitless war that Trebor had managed to dodge he only wished that his comrades took his advice.
He was 58 this year and this was all in his twenties, he sounded like an old man reflecting on the past. Strangely then if you added up Seth's alive years he would have been around the same age as Trebor. Seth was rather weirded out by this.
The two are connected to the pointlessness of wars and the tyrannical monarchy. The ruling family had sat on the throne for 400 years and the kingdom just fell further and further, It was hard to believe this kingdom used to be a High-level Kingdom, but idiotic rulers and talentless children made it fall lower and lower.
Come nightfall and the two were now well acquainted, Seth thought he had enough to scam the guy when the time came. Using the fact that Trebor could not smell he could use some sort of gas to knock him out. Now he just needed to find Steph, or Stephanie's, weakness.
The day rolled around and by morning Seth was back walking around the storerooms with Steph. She was a wild woman in her mid-thirties she was a Brawler and described to Seth her adventures in life inside underground rings. She LOVED fighting, the thrill she felt was something she did not shut up about.
She apparently grew up inside these rings, as a child fighter. Seth felt pity but she seemed like the world had blessed her, sadly she was kicked out after killing most of the weaker fighters in a brawl. She was as maniacal as she was a killing machine. Seth asked her how many people she had killed, and she smiled back and said "Who knows? Maybe a couple hundred, a thousand if you count injuries that lead to death."
Yeah, Seth was not going to feel bad about scamming her. Yes, her life was a tragedy, but Seth found those that sent that many people to death were the cruelest bastards to exist. Death was no mercy in Seth's mind. In his journey, he swore to never take a life unless his own was at risk.*
Her weakness was his incessant need to fight. He could probably get her away by saying a brawl was happening in a local pub.
Seth had now found both the weakness' of his colleagues, he now had to actually plan out the stage of events. He had 2 days and one of them he was set to be in the barn alone.
Seth found that weird, that they would let a newbie be alone with the carriage, so he guessed another guard was hidden somewhere. He would have to find them tomorrow during his shift, for now, he schemed and slept.
The sun came up, and a plan was set in motion.
Seth arrived, perfectly on time and started his shift by looking around. The storeroom was simple in design and had one main area where everything was stored with a latticed framework allowing for a raised roof, this was where Trebor had come down from before.
The carriages were in a neat row at the back of the storeroom with their contents being locked in chests on the carriages. The hidden guard was somewhere here if they existed at all. Knowing the value of the content it was highly likely.
Seth needed something that would attract this guard into the open, so he came up with a devious plan to attract the poor guard.
He pulled out a BBQ set he had bought before he got here and started creating a feast. Hamburgers, steaks, and bacon were all being cooked to sheer perfection, and, like clockwork, a shadow appeared from under the carriage and sat down opposite Seth.
"You do know you're not meant to cook in here right?"
Seth doubled back, `Oh no, don't tell me he's some vegan and I get kicked out.
The man smirked at Seth's worry, "But, you could spare a brother some food and I would turn a blind eye."
Considering Seth was a thief, you would assume he would be familiar with this kind of shenanigans, but I guess he was still a rookie.
Seth smiled and accepted the man's offer. The rat had been caught, now he just needed to interrogate him, but in a kind and nice way.
"So, I saw you came out of a literal shadow. You a magician or did I just see things wrong?"
The man smiled at Seth's question; I mean was essentially just an offer to brag.
"I wish I was a magician. No, it was a skill you learned when you joined the Shadow Protection Unit. Tell me what class you are, and I might be able to refer you. Of course, that's if you pass me that gorgeous piece of sizzling bacon."
Seth was extremely happy at learning the man's unit and how he hid, but he played his excitement off as him being happy at potentially being recruited.
"Tough deal, I was eyeing that beauty for a while. Alas, it will be sacrificed for the greater good."
Seth didn't know why he was being so dramatic. But he thought a bit of comedy would lighten the mood and set an atmosphere that was easier to share. Complex stuff, that Seth was not waffling up.
"Damn, that is good! You have a talent for cooking my friend."
Seth, excited at being called the man's friend, decided to ramp up his interrogation.
"So, friend, would you share what you were doing hiding in the shadows? I thought it was my job to protect the convoy."
He looked at me, still chewing on a burger he was devouring, and seemed to give Seth's question some thought. Likely deciding if he should or not, he took another bite, and his will gave in.
"Yeah, hold on man this burger is just, insanity." He ate his food and then started speaking, "So I'm here if one of you lot decides to do an inside job. It happened a few years back and the higher-ups were not happy so now our unit, which used to do some more shady stuff, does this boring crap. Don't know about you but I would prefer to level up more than once a year."
"That's rough dude. I imagine it's still easy money though, so there's that at least."
The man agreed but he clearly was ambitious, and this stagnation was weighing on him.
Seth was happy with his progress, he had all of the targets weakness' and he was now ready. After his little feast with his new `friend,` he cleared up and did a little extra prep before he clocked out and went home.
He was now so close, but he needed to stay vigilant and perfect his preparation. He would hate to waste all his work so far.
The day rolled around, and the day of the heist was nigh, and Seth was in the shops buying his final pieces of equipment.
He bought a carriage, a couple matchboxes, the cheapest oxidised sleeping potion, a few rash-giving leaves, and a sand timer. Finally, he also bought more fake chests than he would ever need: which he then stored in a rented unit close to the caravan storeroom.
Once those were bought, Seth started his plan. Seth arrived in his carriage and parked it near the storeroom. He was doing a patrol with Trebor today, so they met at the storeroom and began their shift.