Chapter 4 Preparing for the Heist

The auction was only a few days away, and time wasn’t on my side. If everything went smoothly, I’d snag the Golden Apple before it even reached the auction floor. I wasn’t about to let it slip into the hands of some fat merchant or greedy noble. That meant dividing and conquering—or in this case, delegating.

Out of the 51 cats under my leadership, I’d formed four squads, each with a specific mission.

Squad A, led by Scruffy the tabby, was tasked with tracking the origins of the Golden Apple. Where had it come from? Who had it now? Scruffy’s crew was reliable, their rough street smarts making them excellent at sniffing out secrets.

Squad B, with the ever-intimidating Chunky at the helm, was assigned to spy on the Ironworks Merchant Guild, the ones hosting the auction. Their business dealings, security details, and any vulnerabilities were fair game. Chunky had a no-nonsense attitude that kept his squad focused.

Squad C, under Demo the Chunni, had the juiciest job: eavesdropping on the Thieves’ Guild. If anyone was planning to steal the Golden Apple before I did, it’d be those sneaky bastards. Demo’s flair for drama and his tendency to overthink everything actually made him a great infiltrator.

Finally, Squad D, led by Daisy—sharp, charming, and a fellow ginger—was snooping around the entertainment district and merchant caravans. Daisy’s charisma could extract information from anyone, be they a tipsy bard or a boastful caravan guard.

I trusted my squad leaders, even if their subordinates were a chaotic mess. Meanwhile, Lucky, our new recruit Butler, and I had a different mission: stealing another Magic Bag from a mage.

The one we already had was invaluable, but if we were going to pull off this heist, we’d need a second one. This job wasn’t just about strategy—it was about survival. And while mages were dangerous, their gear was always worth the risk.

Butler, our tuxedo recruit, was practically vibrating with nervous energy as he trailed behind me and Lucky. “Whoa, thank you, boss, for taking me in!”

I turned to him, raising a brow. “That’s Your Majesty to you, dumbass.”

Lucky snickered, but her laughter was short-lived as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Kaiser, you’re not cheating on me, are you? I saw you flirting with Daisy earlier. What was that about?”

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “No one’s flirting, dummy. Daisy’s all business. Can we focus, please?”

She didn’t look convinced but dropped the subject as we neared the mage’s workshop. I kept my voice low as I reminded them of the stakes. “Remember, stealing from mages is deadlier than stealing from adventurers. We could be turned into frogs, roasted alive by a fireball, or worse—dissected for some creepy experiment.”

Butler froze mid-step, his fur standing on end. His wide eyes darted between me and Lucky. “W-Wait, dissected? For real?”

Lucky nudged him gently, her voice soothing. “Don’t let him scare you. Mages are less violent than adventurers. If things go south, just act cute and buy us some time. We’ll create a distraction and get you out of there.”

Or leave him behind. I smirked to myself, keeping that part unsaid. Butler was young, naive, and easy to manipulate. He’d either rise to the occasion or learn the hard way. Either outcome worked for me.

The mage’s workshop came into view—a modest, ivy-covered building tucked into the corner of a quiet street. Smoke curled lazily from its chimney, and the faint hum of magical wards buzzed in the air.

We crouched low on the rooftop of the building opposite our target, peering through the workshop window. Inside, a pale young man sat hunched over a desk, scribbling furiously into a journal. In his other hand, a wand hovered in the air, casting cleaning spells that swept dust from the shelves and rearranged books.

“There’s our mark,” I whispered, my tail flicking with anticipation. “What we’ve got here is a virgin apprentice mage. No girlfriend, no social life, and a hobby of writing novels. In other words, his biggest weakness is females.”

Lucky raised an eyebrow at me. “And you know this how?”

“Because I’ve been one,” I deadpanned.

Butler tilted his head. “You’ve been… a mage?”

“No, dumbass. A virgin loner. Pay attention.” I pointed a paw toward the workshop. “Here’s the plan: I’ll distract him using my refined ventriloquism skills and mastery of the Common Tongue. I’ll create a commotion at the front door, get him irritated enough to come shoo me away. That’s when you two sneak in through the window and search for the Magic Bag.”

Lucky nodded, her ears twitching in understanding. Butler, on the other hand, looked lost.

“Butler, you follow Lucky’s lead,” I continued, ignoring his confused expression. “The shelves are packed with magic scrolls. Stuff as many of them as you can into the Magic Bag. This place is basically a scroll depository. It’s got wards against humans and other sentient races, but not against cats. I’ve tested it myself, so I know we’re good.”

Butler hesitated. “Uh… what’s a ward?”

Lucky blinked at him. “Is it food?”

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I slapped a paw over my face. “No! It’s a magical barrier or protection. Never mind, just follow the plan. Move quickly, move quietly, and don’t screw up. Got it?”

Butler nodded vigorously, his black-and-white fur puffing up in excitement. “Got it, boss!”

“It’s Your Majesty,” I corrected, then flicked my tail toward the workshop. “All right, let’s do this.”

I made my way to the workshop’s front door, keeping low and silent. Lucky and Butler stayed hidden on the rooftop, waiting for their cue.

Once I was in position, I cleared my throat and began my performance. “Oi! Open up, you pale, broomstick-waving weirdo!” I yelled, projecting my voice with precision. “You’ve got some nerve hoarding all those scrolls while the rest of us suffer!”

Of course, what came from my throat were meows and purrs. To be fair, my Common Tongue wasn’t that bad… just heavily accented…with feline.

Inside, the apprentice froze, his quill pausing mid-stroke. He glanced toward the door, confused, before shaking his head and returning to his work.

Oh, so he was ignoring me? I could fix that.

I amped up the insults. “I know you’re in there, scribbling away at your terrible novels! What are they about, huh? Let me guess—some tragic hero with no friends? Or maybe it’s a romance where the protagonist finally gets a girlfriend. Ha! Like that’d ever happen!”

That got his attention. The wand dropped from the air as he slammed his quill onto the desk.

“Who’s out there?!” he shouted, storming toward the door.

I smirked. Hook, line, and sinker.

As the door creaked open, I darted to the side, staying out of sight but close enough to keep the act going. “Took you long enough! What’s the matter, mage boy? Too busy fantasizing to face reality?”

“Show yourself!” he growled, stepping out onto the porch.

Perfect. With him distracted, Lucky and Butler slipped through the window, their movements swift and silent.

Inside the workshop, Lucky took the lead, her eyes scanning the shelves. The Magic Bag hung on a hook by the desk, its enchanted surface glimmering faintly.

“There it is,” she whispered, motioning for Butler to grab it.

Butler hesitated, his ears flattening. “What if it’s trapped?”

Lucky rolled her eyes. “It’s not. Kaiser said the wards don’t work on us. Just grab it.”

Reluctantly, Butler swiped the bag off the hook and opened it. The interior was impossibly vast, just as Kaiser had described. He began stuffing scrolls inside, his paws moving clumsily but efficiently.

Lucky kept watch, her ears swiveling toward every creak and groan of the old building.

“Hurry up,” she hissed. “We don’t have all day.”

Meanwhile, outside, the apprentice was growing increasingly agitated. “I swear, if this is some street urchin playing a prank, I’ll—”

“Street urchin?!” I interrupted, my voice dripping with mock offense. “I’ll have you know I’m a highly respected individual! I have a following! I’m Kaiser, the ruler of all I survey!”

The apprentice looked around, bewildered. “Where are you?!”

“Right here!” I called, throwing my voice to the opposite side of the yard.

He spun around, wand raised, his frustration mounting. “Come out, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Wave your stick at me? Ooooh, scary!”

He muttered something under his breath, and a spark of magic shot from his wand, fizzling harmlessly against a nearby wall.

I grinned. The more worked up he got, the less attention he’d pay to his workshop.

Inside, Butler stuffed the last scroll into the Magic Bag and gave Lucky a nod.

“Got it,” he whispered.

Lucky flicked her tail. “Good. Let’s move.”

The two cats slipped back out the window, leaving no trace of their presence.

I waited until I saw them signal from the rooftop before making my exit. “Well, it’s been fun, mage boy,” I called, backing into the shadows. “But I’ve got better things to do. See you never!”

The apprentice whirled around, his face red with frustration, but by the time he reached the yard, I was already gone.

…

Back on the rooftop, Lucky handed me the Magic Bag with a smug grin. “Mission accomplished, Your Majesty.”

I took it, my own grin spreading wide. “Good work, team. Let’s get out of here before he figures out what’s missing.”

With the bag secured and the apprentice none the wiser, we disappeared into the night, one step closer to our ultimate prize.

After a job well done, I dismissed Butler with a flick of my tail. The kid had done his part, though he was as green as spring grass. Lucky and I returned to our hideout under the cover of night, the Magic Bag slung over my back.

Once inside, I emptied the bag’s contents onto the floor. A cascade of scrolls spilled out, their seals marked with various insignias. I crouched over the pile, inspecting each one.

Lucky perched nearby, her tail flicking lazily. “What are we looking at?”

“Categories,” I replied. “I don’t know letters, but I know symbols. These seals have patterns—different pictures. See?”

I nudged a scroll with my paw, pointing out the flame-like emblem stamped into the wax. Beside it lay another with a wave, another with a jagged lightning bolt, and one more with what looked like a snowflake.

Lucky leaned closer, her golden eyes narrowing. “Huh. So… what do they do?”

I grinned. “Only one way to find out.”

We crept down to a secluded part of the riverbank, far from prying eyes. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the water.

I placed one of the scrolls with the flame insignia on the ground and unrolled it with my paw. “All right, let’s see what this does.”

Lucky took a step back. “If you blow us up, I’m haunting you.”

“Relax. I’ve got this.”

I bit the edge of the scroll and tugged it open. Instantly, the air crackled with energy. The symbols on the parchment glowed red, and with a sudden whoosh, a ball of fire shot out, soaring over the river before sizzling into the water.

Lucky’s jaw dropped. “Whoa.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Not bad, huh? Let’s try another.”

Next up was a scroll with the wave emblem. I unrolled it, and a jet of water burst forth, spraying across the river like a geyser. Lucky yelped as a stray splash hit her face.

“Hey!” she snapped, shaking her fur dry.

“Oops,” I said, though I was grinning.

The snowflake scroll produced a blast of ice that froze part of the river’s surface, and the lightning bolt scroll sent a crackling arc of electricity skittering across the water.

We tested a few more, though it wasn’t exactly easy. Without opposable thumbs, handling the scrolls was a clumsy affair. Lucky accidentally set one off while holding it upside down, nearly zapping herself in the process.

By the end of our experiment, we had the scrolls sorted into four neat piles: fire, water, ice, and lightning.

Lucky stared at the piles, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “This is amazing! We could take down the dogs with this. Imagine—roasted dog, frozen dog, steamed dog, fried dog! We’d feast for weeks!”

I wrinkled my nose. “Gross. I’m not eating a dog. Pigeons, maybe. They’re easier to catch and don’t bark at you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, but what’s the plan then? If we’re not using these for dinner, what are they for?”

I sat back, my tail curling around my paws. “These aren’t for petty squabbles or hunting. They’re tools, Lucky. Tools for the bigger picture. Let’s head back to the hideout and figure out how to use them strategically.”

Lucky huffed but followed as I led the way back. My mind was already racing with possibilities. The Golden Apple heist was getting closer, and these scrolls were going to be our secret weapon.