Wade left the yard, walking around to the street, and the front of the premises. There were no lights to alert anyone to his presence. The only threat of getting noticed was the night watch, who would certainly patrol up and down Goldsmith Street a few times each night. But there was no sign of them right now.

He approached the front entrance to Boris’s shop, the overhang couching him in shadow. He placed his bag of tools on the ground. The first task was the lock on the door. Wade inserted his skeleton key. With only a little jiggling, the lock clicked open.

But he knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. He pressed at the door in different places. There were several bolts on the inside.

He removed his crowbar from his bag. Despite all his intricate tools, this was the best way to gain entry into a building. The problem was, it was impossible not to make an attention-drawing noise.

He listened at the door. He was in no doubt that the shop, full of valuables, would be well guarded. Dogs were the universal choice. They didn’t demand wages, and weren’t tempted to steal what they protected. But richer traders could afford to employ armed guards, day and night.

Wade heard alarmed shouts. They were coming from inside the property, but he could also hear them coming from the hole in the roof The Baron had made. He heard feet thumping on stairs, and barking. He grinned. The Baron had done his job, drawing all the attention to the top floor of the property.

Wade’s heart was pumping, the familiar mixture of fear and excitement filling him. It was time to act.

He shoved the tip of the crowbar as far into the space between door and frame as he could, just beneath a bolt, and levered with strength and speed. For a few moments, the door held, then there was a wrenching sound, and the bolt popped. He had to do it twice more, at different points, before he could swing the door open.

It was dark inside, but Wade’s eyes were already adjusted, and he wasted no time in entering. There was no one waiting for him—but he might have been heard, and had to act quickly. He was already familiar with the shop’s layout. There were several display cabinets, currently empty. Each cabinet had padlocked drawers, but his crowbar made quick work of them. He pulled out drawers, searching for the tear-shaped brooch. Naturally enough, other items of interest made their way into his pockets.

ACTION ROUND

Oh no. An action round meant an enemy was close, and Wade hadn’t noticed anyone.

He turned to the far end of the room. A guard dog had appeared. It must have descended the stairs without Wade noticing.

Guard Dog

Beast

Dog

Action Stats

Action Points

3

Hit Points

16

Action rounds limited Wade’s actions. Calculated from his hit points and experience points, he had four points to spend per round. He found the limited options really focused the mind. The worst part: the guard dog went first, having caught him unawares.

Fortunately, the dog wasn’t quite in attack mode yet. With a sleek black coat, teeth out in a snarl, legs bent and ready to pounce, it seemed only a matter of time, however. It paced towards him, growling menacingly. Perhaps, having found Wade in its home, it wasn’t quite sure if he was friend or foe.

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A pinging sound let Wade know it was his turn. He wasn’t such a fool as to come unprepared for such an encounter. Reaching into his coat pocket, he withdrew a tasty meat steak and threw it towards the beast. He’d splashed out on a top quality cut of meat. But if it kept the attention of the dog elsewhere, it would be worth it.

For his second action, he replaced his crowbar with a dagger. He was proficient with the weapon, knowing exactly where to strike to cause maximum damage–even on a dog. It was safest to have a weapon in hand should things go south.

With action three, he searched another cabinet drawer. He tried to concentrate on his task, but the thought of those teeth sinking into his flesh, gripping tight and not letting go, was a distraction. Nothing.

With one action point left, he moved on to another cabinet and searched the top drawer. Relief flooded him. There it was, exactly as described. Two pink garnets, and generously decorated with pearls. He pocketed the brooch.

The guard dog scoffed down Wade’s offering. It stared at him with animosity. Probably weighing up whether he had more treats to offer.

The sound of running feet on the stairs reached Wade. More defenders of the shop were coming. One of them emerged from the stairs. Another dog, slightly larger than the first. And angrier. Maybe because it had missed out on the free food.

Guard Dog #2

Beast

Dog

Action Stats

Action Points

3

Hit Points

17

It pelted into the room and didn’t stop, heading straight for Wade.

Wade’s turn came before it reached him. The gods must be looking out for me, he had time to think.

Time to go. But this second guard dog was a problem. There was no chance it was going to leave him be.

Wade threw his dagger. The target was small, but his aim was true. Five damage, taking the beast’s hit points down to twelve. Wounded, its action points fell to 2.

Knowing that might be enough, Wade ran. He used his three remaining action points to get out of the shop, and run down Goldsmith Street. From the corner of his eye, he picked up a black figure running parallel to him, across the roofs of the buildings on his left. The Baron had done his part and was making his own escape. Wade envied him. There was no one chasing The Baron, his exit a lot more straightforward than Wade’s.

He heard a growl, not enough warning to react before the second guard dog sank its teeth into the calf muscle of his left leg. Two action points, and it had still reached him.

He fell to the ground, his assailant still not letting go, and took two damage. It could have been a lot worse. He still had his four action points intact.

He used one of them to withdraw another dagger from his belt. With his second, he stabbed into the dog’s shoulder. It was a successful hit, dealing eight damage, taking the beast down to four hit points.

Wade was relieved when the beast let him go. Hopefully, the fella would make a recovery.

But he had no more time to wonder about that. Emerging from the shop was the first guard dog, closely followed by a well armed guard, who looked as fierce as the animal.

Wade turned and ran, using his last two action points. Even though he had put distance between himself and the shop, he knew he was far from safe. If the dog caught and slowed him, the guard would close the distance in no time. And more than likely, there were more of them heading his way, now that The Baron’s distraction was over.

He stopped agonisingly close to a side street.

The agony was a whole lot worse when an arrow took him in the back. Again, he was lucky to come away with only two more damage. He didn’t even know where the missile had come from, but the distance perhaps explained why it wasn’t a whole lot worse.

His hit points were at 17, but his action points stayed at 4. Just.

When his turn came, Wade didn’t give in to temptation and look behind, for the archer or the chasing dog. He just ran.

His first action point got him into the side street, and a less exposed location.

More relief. Ahead, at the end of the street, a pink haze delineated the edge of the mission zone. Reach that point, with the brooch, and the mission was over.

Two more action points, and he was within range. Now, he allowed himself a glance behind. No dog in view. No archer. And there was no chance he'd been identified. An important consideration for a thief.

Wade passed through the pink barrier.

MISSION COMPLETE

SUCCESS: The family heirloom was recovered

Your mercs improved their stats:

Wade:

Might +1

Hit Points +1

Action Points +1

The Baron:

Agility +1

No mercs levelled up