The shadowy figure sped through the night’s shadows.

The Six-Clawed Cat, or Six, as she was known to her associates, and rapidly gaining the reputation as a daring and almost supernatural burglar to the society of rogues, approached the wall of the temple ground’s outer walls, and then crouched to observe for a moment. Then, quick as the black cat she emulated, she scaled the wall with special climbing claws on her hands and boots and made it over inside.

Then, after pausing under the shadows of some trees, she slunk soundlessly across the grounds on her velvet boots, making as much sound as a soft sigh of a wind, as she reached the tall structure of the temple spire.

There were only a few guards roving here and there, and she could hear them from across the way as they spoke lowly and she avoided them easily.

And then, she used her ring of enchanted energy to teleport – or blink in rapid succession – up toward the top of the tower.

She grasped the top edge of the parapet and with a quick glance over, determined no one was there, and she was at the summit.

The circular area of the parapet was about a hundred feet in diameter and had been designed for lookout over the area all about, with a rampart that reached nearly to shoulder level.

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The stone floor was coarse and reflected small pools of moonlight. She smiled, glad that she had picked this night for her task, as the particularly strong moonlight would replenish her magic ring in brisk time.

She hid in the shadows behind the central column containing the stairwell for several minutes to absorb the moonlight and also to listen to any sounds from below.

She heard the guard approaching from the level below ... and then another voice, as they chortled together. She was dismayed to hear two guards trudging up the stairwell – an extra guard might complicate her work.

Unholy Mother, she swore to herself. She would have to sneak past with perfect timing. She certainly hadn't expected that, and in fact hadn't even seen more than one guard up here in the parapet from her previous nights' observations.

As she mulled over her downturn in luck and what she'd have to do, she overheard them in discussion.

"... so there's not one of them that can beat me at thems dice."

"Why's it then? Got 'em loaded, or what?"

"Nah, but I ken feel it sometimes what the numbers'll roll up, you see? Gets me a premonition sometimes."

"Bollocks, you’re scrambled. If that's so then why are ye ever so humbly working for mere scraps in the service of this, this temple here ... "

As they shuffled by toward the middle of the open parapet, Six padded noiselessly around behind them, and darted across the stretch of exposed light and then the next moment she was absorbed back into the darkness, but now inside the archway and down the first few steps.

"Oi, what was that?"

She heard them stop talking as if looking back toward the stairs. She flattened herself into the shadows and stayed unmoving. 

A half beat later, she heard the other one:

"It's nothing, you old bat. Just the wind. Now don't try to distract me from the question."

"As I said, it's all about the feeling I get just when I roll –

Satisfied, Six stepped stealthily down the curving stairwell, almost swimming within the pool of shadows between the occasional torch in the sconces.

And she prepared to meet whatever treasures – or horrors – might be awaiting her descent.