“Get yer asses over here!” Red shouted.

After she had found the door ajar, she had stepped beyond the doorway, outside of the reach of any potential threat. Assuming they lacked ranged options. On one hand, the move made sense. The most likely intruder would use a blade, and would have to deal with the dark room just the same as her.

On the other hand, the slight silhouette left by the exterior lighting made her a target for a ranged attack, such as an artificed crossbow. Such as her own.

I wondered if she considered that risk, that someone could have had a ranged weapon.

It might have been confidence. Or perhaps, arrogance. More likely, she was both arrogant and was required to display a certain amount of character for her underlings.

Regardless, her stepping away from the door gave me a chance to think, not just react.

Eschiver: 4/9 (+1)

She had called for reinforcements.

I knew from my previous visits that they quartered nearby. It would not take more than a minute for them to rouse themselves and arrive.

Technically, it gave me enough time to act, to do the deed, to assassinate Red with the crystal knife and feed the grimoire.

But… I lacked confidence.

Stabbing someone in the heat of the moment, I could do, I have done. But premeditated murder. I had thought I was ready, but I needed time to work myself up.

Time I lacked.

Fortunately, the interior of Red’s quarters were dark. Far too dark for eyes to pierce. Not even I could see, at least not when the door was shut. I had to assume that Red’s eyes were worse than mine. Especially as she still scanned the darkness, looking for threats.

It gave me latitude.

“Illusion,” I breathed. “Touch.”

Illusion I: Touch: 7/9 (+1)

I formed a shadowed clone, one that was missing details, but on a quick examination, could pass for a humanoid. From experience, I knew I could only keep this Illusion active for seconds. Immediately after forming, I sent it out, rushing through the door.

Red shouted.

A flash of light and a pop as she fired her weapon.

It happened fast enough I was unsure if she hit the Illusion or not, but I kept the Illusion together all the same. I could not have the Illusion play dead, as it would soon disappear. Then, there would be questions, and Red would know at least some of my capabilities. Better for the decoy to escape.

The decoy pushed Red to the side and dove off the side of the walkway, into the greater part of the cavern, down to where the trash littered the floor, and where shadows lurked.

Then, the Illusion expired. Fortunately it had reached those shadows, making it credible that it had been an intruder which had successfully escaped.

During this crisis, Red remained in the doorway, providing insufficient space for me to sneak by. Instead, I relied on another trick. I climbed the irregular stone walls, up to the high ceiling, above where the lantern’s light would reasonably reach, and I clung to the roof. My light weight, combined with my climbing ability, assisted me in hanging upside down. I minimized my profile, pretending to be another irregularity of the cavern.

Featherlight: 8/9 (+1)

And there, I waited. A good thief was patient, afterall.

Soon, men came running. Two of them close, while the others kept at somewhat of a distance. They remained on the walkways, where they could stand two abreast comfortably, but anymore risked pushing against the rotten railing.

“Cap?” one asked, using yet another name for the woman.

“There’s a rat,” she scowled. “Broke into my quarters.”

“It still there?” the man asked, with some trepidation.

I wondered why he might sound so weak. I would figure that they would be eager to fight, or prove their worth. But then again, they might have just been cowards.

“No. At least not the one I shot. It got away.” She made a gesture, and I assumed referred to the bottom of the cavern, though I could not be certain from where I hid. “Could be others. Rouse the men and keep one posted by my door.”

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She finished giving orders then grabbed a lantern from one of the men and strode into her office, suspicious eyes scanning the walls, wherever her light fell, with her weapon ready to fire once more, already fed a fresh Charger.

Fortunately, she never looked up. When she passed under me, I stilled my breath, and readied another Illusion, should it be required.

Eschiver: 5/9 (+1)

It was not.

She reached the desk, and scowled at the drawers. She opened one of them, and cursed.

“Gods!” Red swore as she checked the safe and ran a finger over the lock, hissing and catching her breath, before stomping out.

“You better’ve found that godslovin corpse! I want all eyes on the lookout! Get Lou checking the front. Bill the back. Ain’t nobody getting in or out! You all got that! No one!”

I waited a breath, then another.

Red’s yelling departed, as she presumably went to help search, or to motivate her crew.

I could have used that time to slip away. But doing so would be dangerous. They were searching for an intruder, everywhere else besides where I currently was. If I were to sneak out, it would be later, after the search finished.

Besides, even if I did leave, I would have to do this all over again.

So, I waited. Hanging. Upside down. As still as I could be. Though I did practice opening and closing my new hand, or rather, what passed for a hand. Three tendrils formed three gelatinous digits, with a silverish sheen. They were surprisingly dextrous, but a far, far cry, from what I had been used to.

I wondered if I still had my old hand if I would have cracked that safe. Likely not, I decided. The lock had been complicated, and I, out of practice. I resolved to perform better in the future. It should be easier once I arrived at Southbridge.

At some point, my right arm ached, and all of me felt fuzzy, before I felt much lighter. The blood stopped rushing to my head. I actually felt comfortable, despite the fact I was hanging upside down.

Featherlight: 9/9 (+1) -> Featherlight I: 1/9

* Inversion: 1/9

After some time, I heard Red’s voice returning. It sounded as though their search had found little, and she had sent scouts to find where the intruder had escaped to. But rather than entering her quarters, Red continued pacing along the walkways, furious, and complaining about damned nobles and their need for correspondences.

If that meant what I thought it did, then I might have lucked out on the blackmail material.

Despite the temptation to rifle through those letters, I continued waiting for Red to let her guard down, for the bandits to end their vigilance. It could not last forever, I reasoned.

Unfortunately, things soon turned for the worse.

A bell clanged, and much shouting ensued.

A few shouts and cries of alarm sounded out, most of surprise, and some of anticipation, but none of pain.

“Wyrkwik bastards!” someone shouted.

“What?!” Red demanded, storming off until I could no longer hear her heavy footsteps.

“You heard me!” the man finished shouting. “They’re storming the front!”

“Don’t just stand there, shoot the bastards!” Another said.

I bit my lip.

Motherswear it!

The infested were to remain in place! Unless… had dawn come already? I thought not. I would not have lost track of time so easily. More likely, the infested had sought an excuse to come after me, and saw the disturbance that the scouts made. Or, the scouts found the infested. Regardless, I had to decide what to do.

I might have been able to sabotage the defenders, which would improve the infested’s chances. But doing so would jeopardize my own safety. And that would risk missing an opportunity to claim what I had come here for.

Almost, I felt guilty for abandoning the infested. But I doubted they could win. If it sounded like they were, then I would find Red, hopefully before the infested did. They could hold her down, I supposed, while I used the knife.

However, when the first traces of guilt arrived, I merely remembered that the infested lacked true individuality. They were not… people, at least in the people sense of the word. It ameliorated the feelings, though it still felt wasteful.

So, I waited.

The fight must have been going well for the bandits, as sounds of combat never arrived. I heard feet running back and forth occasionally, along with distant shouting, coupled with Red’s jeers. But the infested never broke into Red’s chambers.

An hour later, men were singing, and an hour after that, Red returned to her quarters and stumbled into her hammock, stripping her boots off and tossing them into the corner.

Afterwards, I felt my chance had arrived.

Blessings: Rank (1/9)

* Body: 65

* Mind: 75

* Spirit: 49

Talents:

* Athleticism (3/9):

* Climbing I (2/9)

* Featherlight I (1/9) (+2)

* Inversion (1/9)

* Stealth I (5/9)

* Trackless Tracks I (3/9)

* Area Coverage (2/9)

* Alchemical Immunity (ineligible for growth)

* Eschiver (5/9) (+2)

* Evasion (6/9)

Spells:

* Illusion I (5/9)

* Touch (7/9) (+1)

* Closed

* Closed

Gifts:

* Obsession (3/9)

* Closed (0/9)

* Closed (0/9)