Leland, the barkeeper of the bustling Fun Boot Tavern and the Guild Master of Mandoor City's Thief Guild, found himself wrestling with a surge of frustration. Dragging his niece through the crowded tavern, he navigated towards the refuge of the bustling kitchen. The clatter of dishes and the sizzle of cooking provided a chaotic symphony to accompany his elevated blood pressure, a result of his niece's recent shenanigans.
As the door swung open to the kitchen, Leland ushered his wayward relative into the culinary domain, his expression a mixture of irritation and concern. The kitchen staff, accustomed to the occasional melodrama that accompanied Leland's familial entanglements, spared a glance before returning to their culinary endeavors. The air in the kitchen, infused with the aroma of spices and simmering dishes, became the backdrop to Leland's endeavor to deal with the aftermath of his niece's rebellious escapade that almost got her killed.
In the heart of the bustling kitchen, Leland, wielding leeks like an unconventional weapon, launched an attack on his niece Aela. Swinging the leafy greens with a mixture of exasperation and concern, he admonished her, "You foolish, foolish little girl! You almost got yourself killed! As I was saying, seduction is a very unreliable method for rogue work!"
Aela, undeterred and defiant, countered, "You are just jealous because I am seduction material and you are not! And I am not a little girl anymore!"
Leland, unimpressed by her retort, continued his leek-assisted lecture. "Yeah, says the little girl who got strangled to near death..." With a swift motion, he chopped at the leeks with ferocity, the sound punctuating his words. "Stay away from the old man. And I repeat, stop your seduction tactics if you want to become a real rogue."
The kitchen staff, seemingly unfazed by the peculiar conversation, continued their culinary endeavors with a practiced nonchalance. However, the reason behind their indifference was not mere obliviousness; rather, it stemmed from the fact that the kitchen staff were not just cooks—they were also members of the Thief's Guild. The shared secrecy and understanding among them allowed the peculiar exchange between Leland and Aela to unfold without drawing undue attention from the kitchen's watchful occupants.
Aela, undeterred by her uncle's practical advice, defended her unconventional approach. "But the novels I read..."
Leland, cutting her off with a stern tone, countered, "Are not learning materials, Aela... Listen to your uncle. You are not pretty enough to seduce information out of people unless you don't sleep with them... so divines, I pray you don't do any of that! If you want to walk a path of larceny, at least keep some dignity!" Inwardly, Leland harbored the hope that his niece would embrace a more conventional lifestyle, wishing her to be just a normal citizen. However, Aela's stubbornness seemed to defy his desires.
Aela, unswayed by Leland's concerns, argued, "But doing it orthodox is boring... Also, the Widow, my role model, has never slept with anyone and is able to get what she wants on her own terms despite being a seductress herself!"
Leland, putting the finishing touches on his cooking, responded to Aela's mention of her role model with a dry observation, "Great, your role model is a psychopathic murderer..." He handed her the responsibility of tending to the customers with a curt instruction, "Take care of the customers while I am busy... I have work to do."
Aela, exhibiting her rebellious streak, retorted with a crass remark, "Yeah, yeah, sure... please give the old man a blowjob for me," followed by a snicker.
Leland, nearly tripping over an unseen obstacle, couldn't hide his exasperation. "I swear, we need to fix that mouth someday! Sexual jokes aren't even funny!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the kitchen. "They are disgusting," he added, a touch of frustration underscoring his stern admonishment.
In the confines of his room at the Fun Boot Inn, Enevar sat in quiet anticipation. His hand, concealed beneath the folds of his robe, firmly clutched at the hilt of his dagger. Enevar, far from being paranoid, embodied a sense of perpetual preparedness that had become a hallmark of his character.
Intruding upon Enevar's room, Leland appeared with his arms laden—a tray of steaming gruel, a tankard of beer, and side dishes of potatoes and carrots balanced precariously. Slung over his shoulder, he carried a bedsheet.
Enevar, swift and pragmatic, seized the tray from Leland, placing it on the table and wasting no time in commencing his meal. In between bites, he questioned Leland, "You are the Guild Master, right?"
Caught off guard, Leland paused, his surprise evident. "What the hell? Are you a mind reader or something?" he exclaimed, taken aback by Enevar's seemingly intuitive revelation.
Enevar, unruffled and observant, continued eating as he casually remarked, "The only reason the 'niece,' as you call her, was trying to impress you was because you are of rank within the Thief's Guild. Guild Master was but a wild guess of mine. But then you gave it away," he added, his deduction solidifying into certainty with every deliberate mouthful.
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Leland, acknowledging his apparent oversight, set about changing the bedsheets with a sense of self-admonition. "I really am getting sloppy. I will be back. I am going to turn the bedsheet to the laundry and deal with you later," he declared, taking the soiled bedsheet in his hands as he exited the room.
Left to his own devices, Enevar continued to consume his meal in silence for the next fifteen minutes, savoring the flavors of the side dishes with particular enjoyment.
Upon Leland's return, he dragged a stool into the room for his own use. Closing the door behind him, he positioned himself at an arm's length from Enevar. With a businesslike tone, he inquired, "So what is this job you are thinking about?"
Enevar, revealing a Dragonheart scale, held it before Leland as a tantalizing offer. "Each man you involve with the job, I will give them a Dragonheart scale each..."
Leland, cautious of the apparent generosity, responded, "That's too lucrative. If you are looking for cannon fodder, then don't look for me..."
Enevar, undeterred, presented a more enticing proposition. "It is convenient that I am talking to the Guild Master of a Thief's Guild himself. I will pay you five more dragonheart scales upon completion of the job... and you won't be cannon fodder. Provoking a man's greed should be within your skill set."
Leland, a seasoned player in the world of clandestine dealings, acknowledged with a hint of satisfaction, "Indeed... I can arrange for a group of people to play your little pawns. What do you need them to do?"
Enevar, maintaining a stoic demeanor, dropped a bombshell. "Attack the Royal Bank of Mundar."
Leland, visibly shocked by the audacious proposal, questioned Enevar's motives. "You are crazy... tell me what is your endgame here. What is your objective?"
Enevar, unfazed by Leland's reaction, revealed his intent with a straightforward statement. "I want you to rob the Royal Bank of Mundar."
Leland, swallowing nervously, almost appeared scared. He sought to impart a crucial piece of information. "Do you know why the Thief's Guild thrives here in Mundramon City? It is because we Thieves are under the King's payroll. We steal and rob from merchants who don't follow the King's will."
Enevar, displaying an understanding of Mundar Kingdom's power structure, responded calmly. "I can imagine that. I am aware of Mundar Kingdom's power structure."
Leland, trying to dissuade Enevar from his risky plan, continued, "Then you must know... There is no use in robbing the Royal Bank considering who owns it... The Mundar Royalty's revenge will be swift too if we did manage to pull a robbery..."
Enevar, revealing the unconventional nature of the proposed heist, clarified, "I didn't say it was coin we are going to steal."
Leland, intrigued yet wary, inquired, "Then what?"
Enevar disclosed the true target of their mission, stating, "We will be stealing a person, someone who has the Mundar Blood in his veins, and sell him to a connection I have."
Leland, skeptical about the feasibility of kidnapping someone from the highly guarded Mundar Royalty, voiced his concerns. "Look, the Mundar Royalty is caged in their palace and would never go out... some folks already tried kidnapping Mundar Royalty, but they failed miserably. How certain are you of this job's success?"
Enevar, placing the responsibility on Leland, responded, "It depends on you. The merchant I know will have half, and you, another half. I would be paid by my merchant friend..."
Leland, feeling the imbalance in the proposed deal, interjected, "Wait, that seems unfair. It would be my guild doing the hard work."
Enevar, unyielding, dismissed the complaint. "Don't annoy me. Negotiate with Sayleh when you see him."
Leland, still skeptical, pressed for verification. "And how do I verify your words to be true?"
Enevar offered a name for validation. "My merchant friend is named Sayleh. He sponsors adventurers and funds his own mercenary corps... He is an honorary noble to almost a dozen kingdoms and maybe more."
Leland, recognizing the name, shared his knowledge. "Yeah, I know him... Last time I heard he had quit dealing in slavery."
Enevar then revealed the core of his plan. "The plan in my mind is fairly simple; we attack the bank and rob it in broad daylight, as a result, damaging the trust between the royalty and the merchants."
Leland, piecing together the implications, remarked, "And then the merchants would panic, and withdraw their deposits... so our first attack was for the purpose of terrorism."
Enevar affirmed the plan, stating, "Correct. We harass the bank, do it again and again until the military gets involved."
Leland, considering the potential risks, expressed concern, "Won't that be too dangerous?"
Enevar, with confidence, reminded Leland of his expertise. "You are a thief. You specialize in hiding."
Leland, recognizing the strategy, mused, "Hmmm... Ah~! After terrorizing the poor merchants, the next thing to do is shake things more..."
Enevar interjected, "Indeed, that was when your thieves would begin to sow dissent among the merchants..." The room, now a conspiratorial space, witnessed the unfolding of a multifaceted plot that blended chaos, dissent, and covert operations in a risky dance of power and ambition.
Leland, with a confident smile, responded, "My thieves specialize in that."
Enevar continued to outline the plan, stating, "Soon, it would force the Mundar Royalty to compensate the merchants involved... Trust from the merchants is the Mundar Kingdom's most precious resource. Without a choice, the Mundar Royalty will send one of their own from their well-guarded palace to the bank, that is your window."
Leland, contemplating the next steps, queried, "Hmmm... How would we kidnap the Mundar Royalty then? Now the package was out of the palace, what's next?"
Enevar, deflecting responsibility, replied, "Don't ask me, that's what you were here for..."
Leland, as he left the room, mulled over the potential consequences of the daring job, pondering how it could alter his life for the better. An opportunity to etch his name into the annals of legend hovered tantalizingly before him. Thoughts swirled within his mind as he considered the risks and rewards that this audacious endeavor promised.
Meanwhile, Enevar remained emotionless, watching Leland depart. His face betrayed no hint of the underlying intentions that lurked beneath the surface of this intricate plan. He hadn't revealed everything, for his motives extended beyond the simple pursuit of chaos within the heart of Mundramon City.
The Enderman excelled at many things— violence, murder, and more... But his most fearsome talent should be this— his ability to inspire evil.