Chapter 3: Daylight Thievery I

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Allan’s voice sounded a bit muffled through the rough cloth he’d draped over the rickshaw, and Leo snorted.

“I told you, I’m fine.” He shifted his position a little so it’d be easier to slip out. After they’d hashed out the plan some more, they’d agreed that it would be easier for Allan to use the rickshaw as transportation. The old vehicle creaked a little, bumping up and down as it was pulled down the rough street. They’d added some extra boxes and bags to the seat as well for cover, which Leo carefully avoided touching.

“If anything happens,” Allan said lowly, “Get out of there.”

Leo smiled a little at that. “I know. You watch yourself too.”

The [Rickshaw Puller] chuckled. “You’re the one with the hard part.” He turned, the rickshaw gently moving around a corner. Below the cloth, Leo could hear more murmurs, the voices of street merchants selling wares, the screech of other rickshaws and even a few horse hooves. They were getting close.

Allan’s pace slowed. There was a small gap between the fabric and seat where the [Thief] could make out a sliver of the road ahead, and Leo’s muscles tensed when he saw the same guards from the night before. He clenched his fist and quieted his breaths as Allan approached.

“Good afternoon!” the man greeted cheerily. The two guards glanced at each other, and one of them nodded.

“Afternoon,” he greeted in a gruff voice. “You going in?”

“Yes, I’ve got a few parts I want to buy.” Allan’s tone remained perfectly pleasant. “Do you think the owner would mind if I brought my rickshaw inside? I need to do some comparisons, and it’s a little heavy.” He gestured at the rickshaw in question, pulling it further forward.

The guards glanced at each other, then back at the door, then at Allan. The first guard hesitated.

“Well, it’s probably fine,” he finally said. He pulled open the door, and Allan beamed.

“Thank you,” he said, and Leo bit back a snicker. Neither guard had even considered searching the rickshaw itself, completely unconcerned that there might be something—or someone—hidden inside.

The rickshaw bumped as it crossed onto the smooth wooden floor of the shop. Through the gap, Leo could just barely make out the counter and a few shelves pushed to the sides of the store. On his right was a small hallway leading to the back of the store, just beside the counter. The [Thief]’s eyes narrowed.

The store owner looked up, adjusting his spectacles and frowning. He was wearing the same uniform as the previous day, the buttons shining in the light.

“Is there a reason you’re bringing that filthy thing into my shop?”

Leo’s jaw clenched, but he kept himself still. Allan’s voice was light and calm when he replied.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I wanted to buy a few repair parts, but I need to use my rickshaw to figure out the right sizes.” He sounded apologetic. “Here, I can wipe the wheels first, if you’d like.”

Aldas blinked, evidently taken aback by the polite response. He cleared his throat.

“You do that then.”

Leo could practically hear Allan’s answering smile in response. There was a bit of shuffling as he lifted the fabric back just enough to grab a cloth. The fabric was replaced, the small gap maintained, and the [Rickshaw Puller] moved to clean the wheels. The store owner watched carefully from the counter.

“You have quite a few things there. I thought rickshaws were for pulling people, not packages.”

Another shuffling noise sounded as Allan straightened and placed the cloth back. “That’s true,” he said. “These are for a separate delivery job. Since I already have the rickshaw, I thought I might as well use it to lessen the strain.” He frowned a little. “With how things’ve been lately, I’m afraid both jobs are barely enough to keep me afloat.”

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Leo waited for the store owner’s response. Aldas’s voice was a little quieter when he answered.

“I see. I can understand that.”

The [Thief] gritted his teeth, glaring in the direction of the counter. If he really “understood,” then why the hell had he taken all his money yesterday?

The rickshaw creaked as Allan rolled it further inside, angling it to the right half of the store and bringing it to a stop half behind a tall shelf. The second Leo felt the movement stop, he inhaled and, after double checking his [Stealth] passive skill was equipped, he quietly slipped out at the same time as Allan reached down to grab some of the scraps they’d placed in the rickshaw.

Thanks to that, the sound of creaking metal was disguised, and Leo landed soundlessly on the floor, just outside the store owner’s view. He winced. The movement had jostled his injured hand, but he was careful not to make a noise.

His current location had a direct line to the back hallway. It would take one solid sprint to get there, but he’d have to wait for the right moment. Leo tensed and moved as close to the edge of the shelf as he dared, keeping an eye on Allan as he strode up to the counter and set the heavy metal scrap down a little further to the left, drawing the owner further away from the hallway.

“I was hoping to find a replacement for this,” Allan was saying. Aldas frowned and leaned closer, raising his spectacles and squinting.

“I can’t even tell what that is,” he muttered. Allan chuckled.

“It is pretty beat up.”

“Did you get into a crash?” The man furrowed his brow, and to Leo’s surprise, he actually looked a little concerned as he scanned Allan for injuries. The [Rickshaw Puller] shook his head.

“No, I managed to get away in time. I’m lucky I didn’t have any passengers then, or they would’ve gotten hurt.” He pulled out a second, smaller screw and set it down. Aldas leaned closer, and Leo held his breath.

Quietly, the [Thief] shifted positions, readying to run. In his pocket, he pulled out a small bundle of cloth, pulling it open to reveal an old, worn bell that they’d managed to find. With a bit of hammering on the metal, they managed to get the sound as close as possible to their desired effect. It would have to do.

The bell’s inside had been stuffed with scraps of fabric to keep it silent during the ride, and Leo removed all but one. He wanted the sound to still be a little muffled, otherwise it would be too obviously fake. He had to use his injured hand for it, and he carefully moved his fingers as little as possible.

The [Thief] closed his eyes and inhaled, activating [Fade into Background]. They were going to have to hope that this occupied enough of the store owner’s attention to keep the skill working.

Leo glanced at the front door. Through the windows, he could see the two guards turned away, their backs facing the store. He shifted again and crouched low, carefully raising the bell.

And then, very lightly, he hit it with the edge of a splint, and a muffled ringing echoed softly across the space.

Almost immediately, the owner’s head snapped up. Allan did the same, spinning around in such a way that his body blocked some of Aldas’s view of the right side as the shopkeeper’s eyes flitted wildly about in search of the sound.

“Guards!” he yelled, but Leo was already running towards the hallway, sprinting as silently as he could.

He heard the front door creak open just as he slipped around the corner.

The [Thief]’s back touched the hallway wall, and he attempted to calm his racing heartbeat and quickened breaths. Away from the window, the hallway was a fair bit dimmer, its cream colored walls appearing closer to a dull grey. There were no paintings or decorations adorning the area, and he could see a closed door at the end where the storeroom must be.

Once his breathing had steadied somewhat, Leo silently crept closer, carefully eying the floorboards for places that were looser and might squeak. The caution was perhaps excessive, given the store owner’s yelling, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“—heard a bell!” Aldas was insisting.

“I didn’t notice any Silence fields go up,” one of the guards responded. “It’s quite rare in the daytime.”

“Rare, but not impossible.”

“I thought I heard something too,” Allan piped up. “Maybe it was something on the street?”

Aldas said something in response, but Leo was too busy to focus on it. He equipped his [Lockpick Proficiency] passive skill and pulled out a simple, thin piece of metal that was bent at its end. He lifted it to the door.

The lock took a bit more fiddling than he would’ve liked, unused as he was to only having one working hand. Leo’s shoulders remained tense, acutely aware that the owner could decide to go back at any time. He heard Allan’s voice woven between the guards and Aldas’s, light and unobtrusive while subtly extending the conversation at the same time. He was awfully good at stuff like this, Leo thought.

Click.

The lock finally opened, and Leo held his breath.

The conversation continued at the counter without a single pause, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a second to calm his nerves, the [Thief] gripped the doorknob, turned, and silently slipped inside.