When the aftereffects of the portal's light faded, Frank could see the stone grey walls of the chamber. His eyes delighted when they fell on the stone chests in front of him. Their engravings were beautifully carved but he was more interested in what hid under their lids. The one on the left, he opened without hesitation and tucked it into the party’s pooled inventory. He even saw the quick notification of an Item Discovery that should also pop up for other players. But for the second chest, he took his time. With another near-breathless whisper, he activated Swipe. He then opened the chest and watched for the notification.
New Item (Personal Discovery)
Loki’s Cowl [Rare] – Level 52
(currently unusable due to player's level - 41)
Description: The god of mischief has a knack for stealth and shape-shifting. Use his powers wisely.
Use Mode: Equip
Passive Abilities: Increases Stealth (+10%), Magic (+3%), Awareness (+2%)
Active Abilities: Must be paired with Loki’s Cape to unlock Shapeshifting.
Frank now focused on exiting the chamber.
He ignored the skeletons as he perused the collection of abandoned items. Nothing was worth much here, but he took a split whistle as a souvenir and threw it around his neck.
New Item (Personal Discovery)
Old Split Whistle [Common] – Level 2
Description: A broken whistle that seems to serve no purpose. Merely a small distraction. Or maybe it summons a dog or something?
Use Mode: Equip and Activate
Active Abilities: Stun (1 second)
Frank went to the corner of the room and kicked the wall several times. A pink worm slid out of the crack at the base of the wall and looked up at Frank. Frank retrieved more feathers and fed them to the creature. Excited, the worm slithered at great speed along the edges of the room. The more laps it did, the brighter it shone. It soon became light itself and once the light engulfed the room there was a huge flash.
Frank found himself back in the hawk’s nest. The beast was lying dead and defeated while the others debated their stat increase. Others began cracking the eggs to receive random items. If one of them was lucky enough, they would receive a baby hawk. But only a beastmaster could keep the pet. Anyone else would have to sell it, trade it, or give it away.
Alexander met Frank halfway. A smile slowly crept on his face.
“You did it,” he said with a light pat.
“Did you doubt me?”
“Not for a second.” Frank could tell he was speaking the truth and the following words made him smile. “You’re the best at what you do after all.”
“As if that’s a good thing,” another man came between them and said. Frank’s smile was replaced by a scowl. “You can never trust a thief.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I’d say the same for a cowardly sellsword,” Frank said.
“You’re the real coward.” The man threw back. “Running around stealing whatever you can. And the moment a blade comes your way you beg for mercy.”
“And the moment a bigger offer comes your way, you stab your employer in the back. Literally. I know about you, Connor, you have no honor. And that’s worse than being a thief.”
“And thieves have honor?” Connor gripped the hilt of his sword but Alexander stopped him from pulling the blade out.
Frank quietly invoked Insight. His eyes glowed green. He wouldn’t lay a finger on Connor until he knew nearly every move the man could make.
“Enough!” Alexander’s voice froze both of them.
But Connor couldn’t help himself. “I know about you too, Loki. Splitting party raid items and getting your fair share isn’t good enough for you. Tell me, how does it feel to know that no one trusts you? How lonely is it knowing that you can never be in another guild again?”
“I said that’s enough! Do you want to find out how hard it is for you to get another job when I give you a bad review?” Alexander stared down the man.
Connor released his sword and walked away. Frank deactivated Insight.
“Sorry about that.” Alexander was still watching the other man leave.
“You don’t have to pretend you haven’t heard the rumors.” Frank looked away, keenly watching Connor.
“I’m not, but bringing it up would sour our partnership,” Alexander said. “I relied on the rumors. Studied them, even. That’s how I know your M/O. That’s how I know you wouldn’t steal from me. But Connor,” he chuckled a little, “I’m pretty sure you swiped half of his items without him realizing.”
Frank smirked.
“Look,” Alexander brought up his menu and opened the jobs journal. “Your job only defines what you do, not who you are. For some people, the lines are blurred and they can’t tell the difference.” He selected one of the jobs. “But you and I, it’s pretty easy for us. We do our jobs because of the skills we possess. I know you Loki, you’re no real thief. You’re just like your Gamertag.”
A notification popped up for Frank.
P2P Quest Completed (Assigned by AlexanderTheGolden)
Description: Lead AlexanderTheGolden’s party to Mega Hawk’s nest. Provide quest intel as demanded.
Payment: 5525 coins
Exp. Gained: 255
“Thanks,” Frank said.
“No problem, you deserve it.” But Frank wasn’t talking about the money. “When I get settled, I’ll leave a decent review. Don’t worry, I’ll be hiring you again.”
“Open to working with you in the future. ‘Til then.” Frank exited the party and headed for his horse.
“You’re not going back to the city with us?” Alexander asked.
“Not headed for the city.”
“Oh. Group travel is always safer.”
“I’m stronger than I look.”
Alexander laughed. “Fine. I’ll see you around.”
Frank found his horse and kicked it into full gallop long before Alexander’s party assembled around theirs. Once he made it past the perilous turns and drops, Frank allowed the horse to walk as he went through his journal. He noticed he had two more jobs to do but those were later in the week. Given the money he just earned, he needn’t work for a while but money wasn’t the only objective. His interests drove him to take jobs. At this moment, he was declining several requests. It was at this point that Frank felt eyes on him. But when he turned he only saw mist gather in the air.
The sudden change in weather made the horse slow as it contemplated its steps. Frank closed his journal and exited the menu. He intended to steer the horse through the light mist himself but the mist quickly thickened. It was so thick that he could barely see the horse's head. The mist had a unique chill. Not one that seized his limbs but instead his senses. His eyes blurred and he could barely hear his breath. Frank had never encountered anything like this when they were coming up the mountain. With the strange feeling he got and this sudden thick fog, Frank knew something was wrong.
Bandits.
It was common for them to lie in wait for travelers in areas like this. No doubt they would soon pounce on him to take what he had. Frank found it ironic that they would steal from a thief. But Frank didn’t intend to lose anything today. He encouraged the horse to keep walking, drew his dagger, and slid off to walk beside it.
Both man and beast made slow careful steps. On a mountainside like this, one slip could lead to a tragic fall. And even though Frank knew that he would respawn if he died, his horse wouldn’t, and all his items would be left behind. Suddenly there was an eerie wail. Something ghastly passed through the horse which made it rear up in fright.
Frank recoiled from the startled animal but had a hard time seeing what spooked it. He tried to calm it down, but the horse bolted through the mist. Frank spun in circles. He could barely make out anything in front of him. The wails and moans returned, echoing throughout the mountains. He then saw phantasms racing through the mist.
Their thin ethereal forms randomly crisscrossed around him until one finally came his way. He swiped at it when it got close enough, but the blade went straight through. He tried to dodge but the phantasm passed through him. His health hadn’t taken a hit, but when he tried to run he realized he couldn’t move.
A vague figure appeared before him. At first, all Frank could see was an outline, but as it came closer he began to make out just what it was. It was cloaked in a dark robe and stood as tall as himself. It had a long beak, large black eyes, and a sickle ready to take his head. It didn’t look like an NPC and he’s never known a bandit to dress like that. He expected the man to kill him there and then but he didn’t. For some reason, all he did was reach for his head and Frank felt a sinking feeling in his belly.
Call it a thief’s intuition.