Two months. That’s how long it had been since we had made our way to Oliver’s Rest, and not much had developed since then. It felt like I was in a stagnant loop and it was beginning to slowly drive me insane. Every day it was having breakfast in the cafeteria assigned to the Goshawks and completing scouting missions that involved staying hidden and not engaging monsters in battle. At the end of every day I would hand off my mission notes to Keiren, the leader of Goshawks before returning to the cramped sleeping quarters assigned to me. There were at least another fifteen members of the Goshawks but even after so long, I’d barely learned their names let alone had an actual conversation with any of them.

Without engaging monsters, there were limited chances to advance my level or collect loot. Every unsanctioned battle we found ourselves in came with a hefty fine that was slowly eating away at the gold I’d collected before now.

Not once since I’d been here had I had a chance to meet with my former teammates aside from Stella and Sob. Theo had promised me that I would see them during rest times but so far I’d not had a single one.

Once I had tried to sneak into the main hall where the Elders lived and worked with the high-level players they had granted special privileges. I hadn’t managed to learn anything new by the time I was caught and thrown in the small jail they kept by the stables for three days.

I knew they were up to something. The cultists had called these people ‘good’ but I was seriously beginning to have my doubts. Every high-level player you came across spoke of working together to become stronger so we could defeat the crocs but nothing ever happened and only the strong actually got stronger.

I leaned back against the trunk of the tree I sat in. Looking through the branches I could see the mob of Pyro Roos hopping around the clearing below. I took out the rolled parchment I’d been given by Kieren and began sketching the creatures and noting things that stuck out about them. One good thing about doing nothing but watching and drawing meant that my sketches no longer looked like fucked up children's drawings. I always thought sketching was something you had to be naturally gifted in to be good at but apparently, a great deal of practice could make you better at it too.

Finished with my sketch I rolled the thing and stuffed it in my bum bag. I was bored and beginning to get fidgety when the musical warble of magpie made me look up. The black and white bird sat above my head staring at me with one large brown eye.

“Ah, hi,” I said.

The magpie screeched and dropped down to stand right in front of me, holding out one of its legs. I frowned and reached out to free a scrap of paper tied there. The magpie warbled again when I finally unraveled the tight knot before leaping up into the air and disappearing.

I unrolled the paper and read the message scrawled there.

Long time no see Pickpocket. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed you haven’t even tried to work on your thieving skills. You have an entire horde of victims waltzing around you all day, what’s holding you back?

I’d like to see if you’re still dedicated to our little guild. By midnight tonight, I want you to steal 5,000 gold worth of goods from your fellow men in Oliver’s Rest. Meet me in the stables if you succeed, otherwise, kiss your place with us goodbye.

Remember, we’re watching.

Master.

The paper burned up when I finished reading it and the new quest popped up in my quest menu.

New Quest: Disappointed Master

Description: Naughty, naughty. You have failed to impress your Master. Best get those little fingers working if you want to keep your place amongst the Shadow Walkers.

Note: If you wish to leave the Shadow Walker Guild then do not complete this mission. The choice is up to you.

Time remaining: 11 hours 47 minutes

Like it had when I’d been forced into service for the Big Bad Wolf, a little timer flashed into existence beside my quest menu icon.

I climbed down from my tree and rushed back toward Oliver’s Rest. Thankfully, the Goshawks tended to work alone unless they were heading into dangerous territory. Still, if I wandered around without purpose inside the walls of the fortress someone would notice. There were a lot of spies among the people there who adored reporting slackers to the Elders. I’m sure there is a name for people who thrive on complaining about the stupidest things but I can’t think of it right now.

At least now I had a purpose that wasn’t sitting around in uncomfortable hiding spots drawing pictures of the different kinds of monsters that lived around the fortress. I felt the sudden rush of energy course through me like a wave. It was so intense I wouldn’t even need my standard two o’clock coffee to get me through the drowsiness that always hit me in midafternoon.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As I weaved my way through the sharp pointed wooden stakes outside the walls a familiar laugh drew my eyes to the right. Nora was out there, her giant axe planted firmly on the ground. She was smiling and gently punched the man beside her. Even from this distance, I could see it was Theo Thundershield.

Her eyes flickered my way but I resisted the urge to wave. If I did Theo would see and then he might question why I was here and not out scouting. I didn’t need the big brute getting curious right now.

I slipped in through the enormous gates trying not to look suspicious or even remotely interesting. The place wasn’t as full as it would become later this afternoon. Right now most of the warriors were out hunting monsters, and most of the scouts were out either guiding the warriors or gathering information. The only people left behind were people with talents best suited to maintaining the fortress itself.

One thing I had learned being stuck here for so long is that there was another class other than the thief, mage, gunslinger or warrior that I had come across before. The other class was called Crafter and despite their lack of fighting skill they’d proven themselves vital. Crafters could be anything from gardeners to builders and their skills seemed to be augmented by magic that was different from the mages but still impressively otherworldly.

I saw David walk by on his way to the main hall. He was a young lanky man with spiked black hair and thick-rimmed glasses. He walked with purpose and confidence that made him stand out from everyone else and gave him an air of authority that wouldn’t normally be associated with someone so young. He was the builder type of crafter and the one responsible for building the wall that kept the fortress safe. More impressive than that though, was that he completed the entire thing in less than a day, something that would not have been possible before the crocs came without an army of tradespeople.

I went to follow him and rummage through his pockets but hesitated. The man was well-known and well-liked, making thieving from him a big risk. I need an easier target to ease me back into the skills I’d been all but ignoring for two months.

I turned away from the builder and weaved my way through the streets until I found a group of weaving-type crafters gathered by a building. I walked by them giving a friendly wave as I focused on the pickpocket icon and looted all the goods I could without missing a step and making myself obvious. One of them waved back but all the others didn’t so much as look in my direction. I beamed as I continued on. That kind of invisibility is exactly what I wanted.

I turned the corner and quickly read through the new item notifications before opening my inventory to see the goods I had collected.

2 x Silver Short Sword of Thieving

47 x Fungal Arrow

Croc skin boots

98 x Lockpick

Canteen

Leather Gloves of Thieving

Bluedart Brew

Walnut Horsebow of Stunning

163 x iron arrows

41 x Croc Tooth

Amulet of Shadow

1 x Sleeping Draft

Leather armor

Leather breeches

Sketching parchment

3 x Charcoal sketching stick

Ruby Ring of Glow

Amulet of Magicka Rejuvenation

3 x Advanced sewing kit

Golden cat statue

Cheap garden gnome

Silver Ring of Eagle Eye

2 x Salamanders Sultry Surrender

Tin bowl

Small billy pot

Everything after the Ring of Glow was new to me. I’d barely started thieving and I’d already filled up all my inventory spaces, even with the new leather pouch I’d attached to the strap of my bum bag. I dropped the items that wouldn’t be worth any money like the cheap garden gnome and the tin bowl but that still left me with very little space.

I made my way to my chamber and threw open the chest at the end of my bed. The chests were special items that only allowed a single user to access them. It was a gift from the system that no thieving skill or magic spell could change. It reminded me a little of the item boxes you’d sometimes find in RPGs to store all your excess stuff. I packed the majority of my goods into the chest keeping out my swords, armor, and the Amulet of Shadows.

I shut the chest and rubbed my thumb over the diamond symbol carved into the top of it. At the center of the diamond was a small red gemstone. When this room had been assigned to me Keiren had pricked my finger with his knife and forced a single drop of blood to hit the gemstone. That little ritual is what made it mine and only mine.

I checked the timer as I headed back out into the streets.

Time remaining: 8 hours 59 minutes

Time to get looting.