What was inside the statuette was in no way up to me, and like a true professional, I carefully slipped it into the inside pocket of my shirt without hesitating. Even breaking it would have meant losing the trust of the Shrimp, who had planned this step down to the last detail. Besides, he'd found me a job, and not just once or twice.
He had a connection to the Dark Brotherhood, and generally speaking, it's not very nice to bite the hand that feeds you.
That was the end of my work, and I left immediately without compromising the mission by stealing any more items. The plan was to leave the house conspicuously empty-handed and waste no time inside. I crossed the corridor in a hurry, descended the stairs almost as quietly as I had climbed them, and trotted on tiptoe to the front door. Even if the old lady had heard me, I'd be miles away before she could drag herself there. I stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath, both to gather my courage and to calm myself. Finally, I stepped out with such a serene expression on my face that even if the landlord had seen me at that moment, he would have mistaken me for an ordinary boy leaving his house to do his boring daily chores. Damn it! I glanced at the corner where Chrissam should be waiting for me to make sure everything was okay. He wasn't there. However, there were two Karcepian guards advancing nervously on foot. Unfortunately, one of them caught my eye, even if only briefly. I immediately lowered my head and took off in a slight hurry to the opposite end of the street. I hadn't gone five meters when two more guards turned in my direction, coming from the first intersection in front of me. One had a halberd on his back, the other a crossbow.
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Fear swept over me like a spring tornado, sudden and devastating. Had I been in this situation a few years ago, I would have panicked or petrified on the spot. This time, however, I kept my composure and walked straight ahead, spreading out a bit to put as much distance as possible between myself and the approaching guards, and not to attract their attention by standing too oddly. To my horror, they also changed direction to react to my movement by blocking my path. It all happened in a matter of seconds. The one behind me reached for the crossbow behind his back. It was already loaded. The one closest to me lunged forward aggressively, grabbing his halberd with both hands. Not more than three meters separated us. At the same moment, someone ten meters behind me shouted,
"DON'T MOVE!"