Fable - Ask Fortunes and Glory

[Otto von Geist]

Otto was quick to reply this time.

"Well, like with any distraction of course the timing will be difficult, but with something like fireworks we can at least guarantee it's going to cause some kind of distraction. Our man here only needs to light the fireworks as we prepare to enter; then, we wait a moment on the rooftops before making our move. Simple," he said.

Of course, he knew and figured they knew as well that something like this was all a gamble, and that someone's hands were probably going to get dirty on this job still. There was only so much you could do, especially if someone was expecting company. But then, he had another idea.

"Do we know anyone on the inside?" he asked. "Someone I could impersonate? Maybe I could even get one of those guards' uniforms."

 

[Kala]

The man shook his head, but Kala figured it didn't matter. "We'll grab someone."

She offered to Otto.

"The retainers wear masks." At least some of them. "If we nab one of them your face won't matter much, and as long as you can play the game..."

Kala shrugged.

The game of course was bluffing. Some people could do it, some couldn't. Kala had middling success, but then again her delight had never been in conning people. She was a thief, through and through. What she did was miles away from Otto.

A good thing too, the skills complemented one another.

"Works?" She asked Otto.

 

[Otto von Geist]

The plan seemed to be coming together well enough. It could certainly be improved--they were going in without a lot of the details--but it seemed like they wanted this job done quickly. Which, again, was usually a bad sign. Maybe he was just being pessimistic at this point. Still, he was a good con man; quick on his feet and a real conversationalist. The nobility in Alliria loved him for it.

"Yeah, that'll work," he said. "Get me one of those masks, and if someone sees us, we can act like I just caught you trying to thieve-- then use that diversion to make an exit if needed. Between that and the fireworks, we should have plenty of an opening to get that book."

 

[Kala]

Kala nodded her head.

It was a basic plan, but in her years of doing this she had found that those were the best. Most crews who tried to get too elaborate usually ended up dead. It was best to go simple, make it easy and just follow the rails as best you could.

Once you got off them? Well that was where instinct came into play. "Then let's not wait around."

Kala said simply.

"Longer we keep from doing this, more chance there is something changes." It was nearly midnight now, that left them six or so hours before dawn. Plenty of time. "Let's go."

The Tiefling said, turning on her heel and heading toward the stairs.

 

[Otto von Geist]

Otto supposed there wasn't really much more to say about it. There was only so much planning they could do here, and this needed to get done as soon as possible. So it was time to go.

He agreed when Kala suggested they all move out, gathering himself for a moment before leaving with the group. Outside the tavern he grabbed his gear, concealing all sorts of tools and equipment on his person in preparation. Otto was determined to make this job go right. He couldn't afford any more screw-ups.

Before long, they would be at the appointed target, and the real work would begin.

 

[Kala]

It did not take them too long to make it through the winding streets of Dornoch.

As it turned out, the two Elves made the better guides than Kala ever did. They lead the way as the group of thieves followed behind. Most of the time the band avoided major roadways, sticking instead to alleyways and narrow side-streets to avoid being seen. It made for a quick jaunt, and before long the Palace came into view.

"That's it." Kala said, recognizing the shape of one of the watch towers from the blueprints.

She motioned quickly for the others to come to a stop. Her hand waving them into a small divet within the wall of the alley. Her gaze flickered over the palace, scanning for the point in the wall she knew they would be able to cross.

"There." She pointed to a building to the north of them. "We scale up, then jump over that wall."

Should be easy enough. "Everybody clear on their job?"

She asked, still not entirely sure about this group.

 

[Otto von Geist]

Otto felt a familiar excitement as they finally began the actual work. Containing excitement wasn't an easy thing to do, but he'd have to if this job was going to go over smoothly, so he focused on the task at hand and went over the steps of the plan in his head as they approached. There was nothing for it now but actually doing the work.

Perhaps it was the suspicion he was feeling, but the Palace seemed large and imposing as they made their approach, like it might swallow them up once they were inside. Otto steeled himself--he'd done bigger heists than this--but still just couldn't shake that unsettling feeling.

They made it to the wall, and Otto nodded as Kala called out to the group. He waited for the signal, and began to climb along with the rest of them. He was taken in by the sights; the architecture here was quite different from Alliria, and he'd have to adjust potentially to the construction of the walls and rooftops.

 

[Kala]

Kala moved up the wall like it had been made for her.

She climbed as quickly as a billy goat went up the side of a mountain. Her fingers were deft, the odd metal right hand grappling stone as she pulled herself up. It was quick, and she landed silently on the roof top near a minute before the others.

"Quickly now." The Tiefling said, reaching her hand out and offering it towards Otto.

It was perhaps the first time he'd notice it.

Her hand was not flesh and blood, but a strange clockwork contraption set with softly glowing gemstones. Their light was so dim that it did not spark in the night, but was only noticeable when eyes were set directly upon them.

 

[Otto von Geist]

Perhaps it was all the pretense and the new environment he'd found himself in. Perhaps it was all the commotion of rapidly signing on for a job. And maybe still it was that she was hiding it well. Somehow, Otto had missed Kala's clockwork hand. Such a thing would be a death sentence for his type of work; distinguishing features and physical uniqueness of any kind often wasted the efforts of the enterprising saboteur. Yet this tiefling not only had a mechanical hand, but one inlaid with expensive gems as if to flaunt her success. Otto was impressed.

He took her hand as she offered, clambering up the rest of the wall, taking a second to soak in their surroundings to better understand where they might need to run if this job went south. He gave the tiefling a complimentary nod, beginning to move again once he was comfortable. He might still have been her superior as a thief, he reasoned, but there was a growing feeling that she might be a lot more experienced, or at least skilled than she let on.

It might even be worth asking about, should they make it through the job. For now, the palace lay before them, its plunder calling to Otto with a siren call that cancelled out many other such errant thoughts.