His chest bumped into something. Peacock recoiled, hunched, and went still.
The air in front of him shimmered. A growl came from the spot, followed by a clipped phrase Peacock didn’t understand. A second later, a wide-eyed Beastfolk female stared up at him, black-tipped fox ears perked, bushy tail stuck straight out behind her. She stumbled over more words as she backpedaled down the alley.
Shit. Someone else with better awareness than me.
Peacock reversed around the corner, blocking the Beastfolk’s view as his blood ran cold. Not that he could hide. She knew there was a dragon in the city. Soon, everyone else would too.
Peacock continued backpedaling, putting distance between him and the other thief before reversing and heading back towards his target along a different path.
Being discovered only increased his desire to go to the healer’s house. Things were about to get a lot harder, and the healer might just have something to turn the tide in his favor.
The rest of the way stayed clear, although he could hear hawking from the markets. Peacock’s scales prickled. A picture filled his mind of the Rebirths a few short blocks away charging between buildings to take out the dragon dumb enough to strand himself out in the open.
A quick scan of the healer’s tiny, cylindrical abode showed nothing more than a mundane lock under a very standard doorknob. With one last glance behind him, Peacock focused on the lock. A couple of seconds later, a click announced his success. The sound echoed around the stone structures, sending more prickles across his hide. The quicker he got out of the city, the better, but he’d rather not go empty-handed.
Peacock slipped in, gaining a little comfort in the tight quarters of the inside. His eyes went wide. Where the warriors’ house made the most of the space through organized chest and furniture, the healer had used every inch in the most chaotic way possible.
A Smallfolk-wide path snaked away from the door, disappearing quickly into the mountains of stuff piled on all sides. Leather leggings stuck out from a teetering pile of potions and gold. From under a clump of hides and leathers, a shimmer of jewels beckoned. Books, horns, claws, valuable and worthless, it all lay in mounds.
Peacock scowled. No wonder the healer was just now thinking of upping her security. Most thieves would take one look at the mess and leave. Inside a chest, each item would list its name, stats, and worth. Scattered on the floor, all you could do was pick it up and see. Picking up something would mean stealing, and a chance of alerting the guards. Unless, of course, you’d memorized what an item looked like and its current market value. Either way, sorting through mountains of random stuff meant a lot of work and time, and there were easier pickings in more organized places.
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Peacock squeezed a little deeper into the mess, narrowly passing by a sword tip protruding out of a pile of metal armor. It all made his head hurt. The healer was either a genius or insane. With stuff everywhere, Peacock couldn’t pick out what worried the healer.
He eyed a curved dagger poking out from under an overturned chair. He could burrow in the mounds and hope he found something extra shiny, but he didn’t like his odds. Peacock squirmed a little further along the path. He didn’t want to leave with nothing to show for his troubles, either. Maybe he’d just grab the shiniest thing he could see and leave.
Peacock stopped, eyes going wide.
In front of him, a two-foot space cut into the back wall lay strikingly bare between two piles of books and scrolls. A short, square pedestal sat in the space with a deep purple orb the size of Peacock’s fist floating a few inches above it. The air around the orb shimmered, twisting the bricks behind it into ambiguous shapes.
Peacock sucked in a breath and took a shaky step forward. The orb looked exactly like the necklaces Nex and Viseral wore, except with a lot more color. He’d bet everything in his cave this thing had power.
He reached out to take it, stopping just shy of removing it from its pedestal. The thing looked powerful. That meant it was probably worth a lot. Probably enough to bring the NPC guards down on his head in seconds. The guards couldn’t chase him beyond the city’s walls, but if the guards were on his tail, he wouldn’t be able to sneak or hide. He’d have to escape in full view of everyone.
He’d be exposed to all, not just a fellow thief. He’d have to flee again.
Alainn’s red-tipped face appeared in his mind, the same as when he’d last seen her. Nex bearing down, hell in his eyes. Her peering at Peacock with a warm smile on her face. Her eyes were shining. No, not shining. Tearful. She’d been holding back tears, putting on a brave face as she sent Peacock to safety with the only way out.
With everything that had happened, with all the training and Ferret and Cormac’s arrival, he hadn’t thought of her much. He’d focused on getting stronger but forgot why. Guilt rose, bitter in the back of his throat. I’m sorry, Alainn. Look how quickly I forgot your sacrifice and my purpose. He grimaced at the orb, its magic slowly pulsing against his palm. No more. Now, I remember.
Peacock snatched the orb and equipped it as he’d done in Zenith Flight’s cave.
ARTIFACT ORB ACTIVATED
SYNCED WITH PASSIVE ABILITY DAMPENING
DAMPENING ACTIVATED
WARNING: THEFT OF ITEMS VALUED ABOVE TEN-THOUSAND GOLD
BOUNTY APPLIED: SIXTEEN-THOUSAND GOLD
CITY GUARDS SUMMONED TO THEFT LOCATION