Chapter link on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40533972/chapters/101550024

Not one, but two burglars are looking for the same artifact. Which one will get it, and will it be enough?

* * * Kody * * *

It was night. The forest's soft murmur filled the air. The guards had long gone to sleep, only a few of them still milling about. Kody stood amongst the branches of a large oak tree, surveying it all, memorizing patrol times, searching for blind spots. With a little luck he'd only need to planewalk once or twice.

Once he was satisfied with his planned route, he silently descended the tree, and approached the encampment wall. The palisade was less than a year old, the nearby area only having started recovering from it.

Kody placed his hand on the wall, and pushed gently. It phased through with some resistance. He stepped into and through the wall, slipping in unnoticed.

In front of him were a number of fabric tents. Further on, near the center of the camp were wooden huts, and one, well-guarded stone building. His target.

He moved in a wide arc around the camp, taking his time avoiding detection and confrontation. In some cases he passed only a few inches behind the backs of patrolling soldiers. Eventually he reached the first wooden hut. Passing behind it, he found a soldier slumped into a ditch, probably having fallen asleep. ' New recruits ' he thought.

The huts lined up nicely, and moving by their back walls made everything much quicker. He found a second soldier, this one splayed across a bench at an unhealthy angle. An arrow stuck out of his chest. He wasn’t the only unwelcome guest here. The arrow tail wasn’t of a style he immediately recognized, but it looked familiar. Elven maybe?

This worried him. He slowed down, carefully peeking behind corners, avoiding moonlit areas. The Moonfest was Still a couple of nights away, but the silvery light made everything plenty visible.

As he reached the stone hut, he stopped. The front door was in full light, two soldiers with torches standing guard on either side. Whoever the mystery archer was, would have too good a shot at him that way. Sighing, he placed his hand on the stone wall, and phased through it. It mustn't have been older than a few weeks, as it offered little to no resistance. Furthermore, a now detectable aura of magic enveloped not only him, but the entire building. The key was in there after all.

As he set foot on the inside, he found himself face to face with a very surprised camp lieutenant. Before the soldier could move a muscle or utter a word, his throat was cut, and Kody lowered him to the ground. He saw two more guards sitting at a table, who for a brief time wouldn't spot him in the dark corner he managed to emerge into. He didn't leave anything else to chance. He threw a dagger at one, and leapt between them, kicking the other in the chest. The soldier fell back on his chair, and knocked a shelf off the wall. Its contents showered him with various sharp splinters and blunt hits. The noise muffled the thud of the other soldier landing on the floor as well, the dagger sticking out of his forehead.

Kody was sure the commotion could be heard from outside, and so he made a beeline for a cabinet, where he felt the magic was strongest, and tore its drawer open. Inside was a small chest, just big enough to fit something he could pocket easily. He grabbed it and noticed it was locked. A  key probably hung from the lieutenant's neck, but he had no time to search for it, as the two guards posted outside charged into the room.

He swung at one with the chest, the impact producing a loud ' CLANG ', and breaking it open. With his other hand, he stabbed at the other's neck, the dagger’s blade disappearing into the soldier’s flesh. The chest's contents scattered on the floor, a small, star-shaped relic among them. He grabbed it quickly, and noticed it was broken. Not from the last few seconds, but more deliberately; half of it was missing. The key was supposed to look like a twelve-pointed star, the points forming a rough sphere, but in his hand were only six, and a gap in the middle, where a crystal should've been.

Not knowing how much time he had until reinforcements came, he grabbed the soldier he'd first incapacitated, and shook him awake.

"Where's the other half?" he asked.

The soldier looked at him with a mixture of confusion and pain.

"Where is it?" he shook the man further.

The soldier's eyes focused on the relic. He took a few seconds to process it, but then answered:

"In a base up north" he said, his voice slightly slurred, then in a wide, flailing motion, kicked Kody, who fell to the ground. The relic rolled away again.

Kody got back up, kicked the man in the side to roll him over, then stabbed him on the back of the neck. The soldier sighed one last time, and stopped moving.

He got up, looked around, and couldn't see the relic anywhere. He heard someone running away outside, and looking out the door, he spotted a short, hooded figure turn a corner. He immediately chased after them, hoping they would be running for the main gate - not everyone could pass through solid walls.

As he ran, he saw more guards, lying face down in the dirt, slumped against walls, arrows sticking out of them. They were shot as they came to help their comrades. Based on the direction, the archer was up in the same tree Kody had used to scout the location.

He ran behind the tents, hoping to avoid the archer's line of sight, getting a few short glances at his quarry. They were running for the main gate. Thirty feet and closing in.

As he neared the gate, the line of tents ended. He tried to jump, hoping to tackle the thief, but he slipped. Under him was a fine layer of ice, denying him traction. The thief looked back at him, a pair of eyes glowing like stars in the dark. He skidded to a stop in the dust as he watched them round the corner again, leaving the camp.

Not all was lost just yet. He could still catch them, even if the thief escaped. He could go after the archer. He turned towards the tree, now under the camp wall's cover, and jumped through it, landing softly on the other side.

The thief was not yet there, so Kody set about neutralizing the archer. He climbed up as silent as he could manage, and spotted… a ranger?

He was a Patron. His turquoise cape shimmered magically, hiding his form, but Kody's angle on him revealed him entirely. Kody grabbed at his ankle and dragged the ranger down the tree with him, weighing him down once they landed.

"Who are you?" Kody asked, dagger at the ranger's throat

"William" the ranger sighed, knocked out of breath by the landing.

"Why are you stealing that key? Who's your accomplice?"

"I'm not an accomplice. " a soft, feminine voice said behind him.

Kody jumped off of the ranger, keeping the dagger to his throat still, but now facing the thief. She had removed her hood, and was now looking at him. A short, humanoid figure with a scaly, lizard-like face, small horn jutting backwards from the top of her skull. A vern .

"My name is Zeenie and I'm-"

“A little thief!” Kody interrupted, “And you have something of mine.”

“And you have my brother there!”

“If you don't want to see him die, hand it over!”

The vern girl clenched her fist. Her pupils dilated then refocused in her frustration. Nostrils wide open, she looked just about ready to spit at him.

“You have nothing over me here.” Kody said “Either you give it to me or he dies.”

Her form shifted slightly. Not enough to be magically distinct, but Kody could feel the magic radiating off of her. She was something more.

He thought quickly; a lone vern without a tribe, not visibly missing one, with a human companion she called her brother. Could she be…? Her breath was visible in the air, and her hands started freezing over with a fine layer of ice.

“I can hurt you plenty, I’m a-”

Magic. No tribe. Human brother. He put it together.

"A dragon." he stated.

"How'd you know?" she asked, a bit disoriented from the surprise.

He didn't have to answer out loud. She knew.

' Orthus, you'll like this ' Kody thought really hard. The telepathic message took some concentration, but he managed it.

"I… know a dragon" He said after a short pause.

Zeenie looked at him quizzically. He wasn't sure if it was surprise or disbelief he saw on her face, but nonetheless, his answer had invoked an emotion.

"Let go of him!" Zeenie said, re-assuming her stance, "Please."

"Not until you give me back my key."

"We need it." William said.

Kody looked back and forth between them. They didn't seem hostile. Maybe he could use them.

"I will let you go." he said, but still held onto his hostage. "Part of the key is missing, but I know where we can find it. You are going to help me get the rest of it, then I will let you use it, and take it back afterwards."

Zeenie took the relic out. It became clear to everyone it was only half of the key. Her expression changed to that of slight disappointment.

The pair shared a glance. It was the kind of quick consensus he was familiar with. Orthus and he also used to do that instead of discussing things.

"Yes, we will help you."  Zeenie said, " Please let him go.

Kody carefully let go of the ranger, and sheathed his dagger in a very elaborate way.

"Thank you." the dragon said.

The ranger nodded at him, and he nodded back, in unspoken understanding.

"So," William said, "Where is the rest of it?"

Kody studied him closely. He didn't look dangerous to him, not up close at least. He made the decision to trust these strangers for the moment.

"It's in a base up north." Kody answered. "One of the guards told me."

"That could be anywhere!" the ranger said in a hushed shouting voice.

"He used the word 'base', and not 'camp'." Kody answered. William looked down. He looked to be thinking, and Kody hoped he realized what an Empire Base meant.

"Heavily fortified and guarded then." William said finally.

"Yes. We'll need a plan."

* * * Orthus * * *

Orthus flew over a large lake, his silhouette reflecting off of the still water. The next gate hub was still a while away. The night was still early, a faint glow on the horizon was hanging onto daylight still.

' Orthus, you'll like this' Kody's voice whispered in his mind.

The message was a vague sense, an overall feeling rather than a set of words, but once received, he knew exactly what his partner wanted.

He tipped his wings to the left, and made a wide arc as he turned around. The assassin had found another dragon.

* * *

* * * William * * *

“So, you can phase through solid matter?” William asked Kody

“It’s called planewalking” Kody explained, “at least according to the century-old textbook on planar magic at my family’s mansion.”

“Can Orthus also do it?” Zeenie chimed in

“I guess so.” Kody said, “I’ve never seen him do it, and it never really came up in conversation.”

“So how’s it gonna help us?” William interrupted

“The older something is, and the longer it’s been there in its current place, the harder it is to pass through.” Kody said, “Newer structures take little or no effort to push through, but that camp wall was a bit harder. I can use this to pass through walls, to arrest momentum after a fall, or to walk on recently removed things’ imprints in lower layers.”

“You seem… well-educated on this topic.”

“Orthus taught me most of it, but I also read a bunch of my sister’s books as we were growing up. The actual experience came from building The House.”

“That’s where we’re going?”

“Right.” Kody nodded, “I need rest, you need sleep, we need a plan, and Orthus may arrive at any minute… or in a few days anyway. I don’t exactly know how far he is.”

The rest of the way back to the house was mostly spent in silence, Zeenie occasionally breaking it with a question about Orthus. As they arrived, they were privy to a sight not many have ever seen.

At first, everything seemed normal. They were trudging through a thick forest, which was getting thicker with each step. Then, without any previous sense of it, or without a real feeling of transition, they found themselves in a circular meadow with a ruined, two-story house in the middle. A faint aura of magic was visible emanating from it like an aurora. On the side of the house was a single, heavy-looking wooden door engraved with intricate patterns interlaid with precious-looking gems embedded into the wood.

Kody grabbed the doorknob with one hand, the frame with the other, and twisted on it slightly at the same time as he flipped a hidden switch, and the door groaned ajar. He pushed up against it, and opened it wide.

Inside was not the tiny room that should’ve been possible by the ruins’ external dimensions, but a large, triangular room with a wall and a door under a set of stairs to the left, and a tall, hollow column that also served as hearth and chimney. Where that chimney actually led was a mystery, as it certainly did not lead outside. In the middle was a rectangular pit, lined with sofas on all four sides, a matching table in the middle.

Stepping in, the initial triangle was revealed to be merely a slice of an even larger, overall circular room, with the chimney serving as the central load-bearing piece. To the right, another set of stairs led up to an internal balcony, the same as the left side stairs. A bit further in was a hallway running tangent to the room, a table with space for eight chairs (only two were actually present, across the table from each-other), and a kitchen with a window looking out into what seemed to be a blank, white void.

Zeenie ran inside, overjoyed, marveling at the spectacle, but William felt suddenly very aware of just how powerful this “space magic” of Kody’s was.

“I know, it’s a lot to take in at first.” Kody tapped him on the shoulder, and passed him by.

“How… How long have you been with this Orthus exactly?” William asked

“About six years.” Kody said “I’ve had some minimal training before, but it was him that let me reach this level.” he gestured around the room. “Each segment more or less exists in its own pocket, so we could overlay rooms and hallways.”

“The floorplan must be a nightmare” William chuckled. Kody seemed glad to see him lighten up a bit.

“It really is.” He smiled back. “This exact uh… setup of rooms is only about a year old. It’s hard building an interplanar house when all you have is an assassin and a reluctant shapeshifter.”

“Shapeshifter? You mean-”

“He’s not exactly like Zeenie.” Kody explained, “Correct me if I'm wrong, but based on what I’ve seen, Zeenie can only switch between her dragon and vern forms. Orthus is older, much older. He can take almost any form he wishes, and he usually appears human when he’s around me. Although, he struggles a bit when trying to take on a woman’s form.”

William looked for Zeenie. She was staring at something in the underside of the right-hand stairway, her head tilted to the side, with an expression of concern on her face.

“What’s wrong?” William asked

“Do we know her?” she pointed at a small altar with two candles, a lock of hair, and a palm-sized painting of a red-haired girl looking into the viewer’s eyes.

“That’s… No, that can’t be.”

“I think it’s her.” Zeenie said, “I think that’s Lexie.”

“Oh, you’ve found it.” Kody’s expression was mournful. “Her name was-”

“Alexandra Nyma” William said

“How… Did you know her?”

“She used to live in the ranger camp where we grew up.” William said

“She was weird.” Zeenie added “And, believe me when I say that. I'm a dragon, and she was the weird one.” she gestured at herself.

“She never really felt at home there.” William continued, “Got into fights, stole stuff, then one day she just walked out of camp.”

“She walked out through the wall !” Zeenie said

“I thought that was just a rumor… Up until now.” William said

“Hmm…” Kody said, “When was this?”

“About ten- no, eight years ago.”

“I met her eight years ago.” Kody said, “Up north, a few weeks’ walk from here.”

“The camp is a bit further north.”

“She must’ve left only a few weeks before we met. She was so kind to me. I… Sorry, can’t talk about it. Maybe later.”

William didn’t want to push it. She obviously meant a lot to Kody, and he wasn’t going to risk getting the second half of that key on an assassin’s mental state with a dragon for a companion.

* * * Kody * * *

Kody retrieved a large region map from a drawer. He laid it out on the dining table, and pointed at the key locations:

“Alright, this is where we are, this is the camp where we got the first half, and this is what I assume based on what the soldier said is the local base of operations.”

“Almost a day’s walk from here.”

“Not exactly.” Kody said, “See this town right next to the base? I have a shortcut there.”

“A shortcut?”

“The same as the front door, it’s got its own pocket-plane, and that door," Kody said, pointing to a second door next to the main entrance, "leads to a tavern basement in that town. I get contracts through them a lot of the time.”

“Ah, right, assassin.”

“Yeah.”

“So, how’s this gonna work? I mean, you can just planewalk in, but we still need a physical route.”

“I need you to cover me from outside.” Kody said. “I can go in and take care of things, but I need you to distract or take out any soldiers who could gang up on me. I can handle myself in a fight, but I’d like to avoid one.”

“What will I get to do?” Zeenie asked

“You can be our runaway.” William suggested, “Wait for Kody at the wall, and fly away with the key once he’s got it there.”

“Could work.” Kody said, “This gate hub is the closest to the base. Is it okay for you two to use?”

“Yes. It gets us very close to the Aquilans.”

“You’re visiting the king?”

“Ha, I could only hope. No, I’m meeting one of their elders, I need some information from them.”

* * * Zeenie * * *

Zeenie couldn’t pay attention to the two men. They were so deep in planning every moment of their heist they didn’t really think about involving her in it. She was only supposed to wait about, then fly to a location she already knew about.

Then there was the elephant (or rather, dragon) in the room; Orthus. Kody had only told her a few details about him so far, and she really wanted to meet him. He would be the first other dragon she’d seen except for herself. He was old, so he could surely teach her some things. As time went on, she grew more and more anxious about missing this opportunity, in the case Orthus arrived too late. Even Kody couldn’t tell how far he was. Zeenie could usually tell where William was, a gut sense telling her both the direction and distance. Maybe it only worked for short distances. She’d only ever gone a few minutes’ walk away from Will. Maybe she could stay this time, let him do his thing, while she did hers. She really liked the idea.

As she was wondering, she was also wandering. She walked into the hallway, only to have it turn around after a few steps. A long section of hallway led to a number of identical rooms on either side, turning at the end further, as if to form a circle around (or inside?) the main room. Were these two hosting a small army, or were they just megalomaniacs? What were they even planning with that key? It was bad enough that the gate hubs barely ever functioned, now an increasing number of them had been robbed of their keys, for whatever reason. It was probably more of the same type of megalomaniacs taking them for their own use, or self-appointed gate guardians sitting on them for entry fees and literal gatekeeping. Gods, that gate guardian was a hassle to get anything out of. She was glad they found Kody. He knew where a hub was, where it went, and how they could use it.

In the other direction was an exact mirror copy of the other hallway. Zeenie opened one of the doors and peeked inside. It opened into a rectangular room, empty for the moment, but if some rangers were to move in, it could have easily hosted about ten of them. Ten rangers per room, twelve rooms that she counted, half a camp could move in here and not even get noticed. She wondered where Kody slept. Where Orthus slept. Did they sleep together? Kody did say Orthus was his partner. But then again, William also sometimes referred to her as a partner, and their relationship was that of siblings.

‘ More like ranger and accessory ’ she thought. How easy it was for Will to rely on her for everything. She wanted out. She’d been wanting out for a while now. She just didn’t want to be left alone. Not again.

She went to the end of the hallway, and found herself back at the start of the other. The place was looping, but there were only two, rectangular turns in it. Her head ached, trying to process it all.

She opened another door. Empty. Another. Also empty. Empty, empty, empty. She almost didn't open the last one. Almost.

As she placed her hand on the doorknob, she felt the familiar warmth of a room that was being lived in. She paused, then opened it wide. Inside was a king size bed, almost wider than long, with a canopy over it, the curtains open. A lone disturbance in the sheets… so he sleeps alone. In the corner of the room was an armor rack, currently also empty. Two bedside drawers, a desk, and a lot of empty space. Zeenie felt lonely just looking at it. Then she spotted it. In the corner, obscured by the door, was a pretty comfortable-looking sofa, worn quite a bit, by someone much heavier than Kody looked. Is Orthus keeping watch over him?

Zeenie stopped. She had realized she intruded on someone's personal life without really meaning to. She quickly left the room and closed the door as silently as she could. Walking back out into the main area she looked the assassin in the face. He was in the midst of explaining something to William. He looked young, younger than Will by at least two years, but his expression, his gestures felt more like a very particular middle-aged ranger master she'd known.

She walked past the men and sat down on a sofa facing the hearth.

* * * William * * *

William couldn't fall asleep. The bed was too big, too soft, and too empty. He'd gotten used to sleeping in hammocks, in single beds, or on the ground with many others, growing up. After he and Zeenie left the camp, they'd been sleeping on the ground or up in trees, both much harder than this bed. He was a bit surprised when - in the middle of Kody leading him to this room, Zeenie asked for a separate room from his. It was understandable, since there was only one bed, and they'd never slept in the same bed before… not even with Violet, his actual sister, but still, Zeenie and him have always been in at least the same space. He felt lonely. Maybe it was the place; the large, empty spaces, the silence, or the cold, endless white void that was outside every window. He quite literally was in another world from the one he'd gotten used to. It felt both too sterile and alien.

For a bit he got lost in thought, trying to wrap his mind around how this house worked. If there were any sense to it, then he would be lying on, more likely inside the dining table. But he wasn't. He was in a room, too large and empty for his liking, in a nonsense maze of a house behind a door that couldn't have possibly opened into it. It was overwhelming.

He'd tired himself out thinking, and was now on the verge of falling asleep, but not quite just yet. He could feel the familiar pressure of sleep, the dreamlike limbo of weightlessness, and he was already half dreaming. The room seemed to breathe with him, echoing his every heartbeat. At long last, he'd shut his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

His dreams were weird and nonsensical. The impossible geometry of the house had more of an impact than he'd anticipated. In his dream, he was walking in an infinite, twisting hallway, with doors lining all four walls. As he stepped on one of them, it rotated, making him face the wall. He heard a knock from the next door on the floor. He turned and opened it. The floor inside was fixed to the door, turning at a right angle from where he was standing. He stepped inside and for a split second felt gravity shifting. Something in the now vertical infinite hallway fell, only missing him by a split second.

The room he now stood in was awfully familiar. The roof cut off its ceiling at a sharp angle. In the shorter end was a small bed, on the bed a small boy, looking at the opposite wall. It was him, the young William. He knew where this dream was going. He'd seen it many times.

He opened the door again, and found the hallway the right way around, with no twisting this time. He stepped out into it, shutting the door behind him.

He walked on, until he could smell smoke in the air. He stopped, and looked around. As if on cue, knocking started coming from all of the doors, followed by screams of despair and noises of violence.

Panic started overcoming him. Breathing became hard. The choking, burning stench made each breath hurt. The air turned into jelly around him, and he struggled to move at all. Then one of the doors started visibly smoking, the light of flames shining around it. He knew he had to get there and open it, but each step felt like moving through mud while wearing lead boots.

After a few seconds that felt like a century, he reached the door and turned the knob. The dreamscape shifted, and he was looking down at himself, his young self, balled up in a hole in the ground, clutching a small, bluish white egg.

* * * William * * *

He woke in cold sweat. The room felt even bigger and emptier in the dark. He took a moment to steady his breathing. He got up and looked at the window. A finely polished metal sheet covered it, serving both as shade and mirror.

He quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Flashes of his dream came rushing back to him as he saw the doors on either side. He went over to where Zeenie was sleeping, and peeked inside. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed. He didn't want to wake her, so he closed the door and headed for the dining area.

He sat down at the dining table, and buried his face in his hands. For a few minutes, he did nothing, just concentrated on his breathing. Slowly in, holding it, then out. After a while he managed to calm down.

As he sat there, he looked at the shrine. New candles. The shelf it sat on had been dusted off. Kody had looked very upset even just mentioning Lexie. What could've happened to her?

"Will?" Zeenie stood in the hallway opening

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping." she sat down across the table. William didn't reply.

"You were having that nightmare again."

Still no reply.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"This place… Lexie… it was a bit much."

"I like it."

"It's so… empty"

"Yeah…"

"Not even the forest is in here. Dead silence."

"Give it some time, soon Orthus will come."

"Zeenie," William said, "I don't know how to tell you this, I'm not sure Orthus exists at all."

"He does!" Zeenie exclaimed, "I've seen-" 

"What, a second room with a bed in it? So Kody has four beds, not three. We're going away tomorrow anyway, and if he's not here by then-" 

"I want to meet him." Zeenie said with a determination he'd never seen in her. "Tomorrow, if he doesn't arrive by the time we're done getting that stupid key, you can go wherever you like, visit your elves, but I'm staying." She stood up and stormed inside her room, shutting the door.

What was she on about? She'd never acted like this before. All it took was for someone to clock her as a dragon, and she'd believe anything. He knew she'd be in danger alone out here.

Not wanting to risk another confrontation, he headed back to his room silently, and went back to sleep.

* * * Kody * * *

Kody woke early. He'd been expecting Orthus to have arrived by now. The familiar presence was still missing. How far exactly had he flown?

He relayed his question to the dragon, and the answer came soon enough. He'd arrive that day, sometime around noon. Kody told him where to go, another hour or so.

He walked out into the living room, and found both his guests had already awoken. Zeenie was sitting on a sofa with her back to the hearth, feet up on the table. William was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Fresh scorch marks on the ceiling indicated some trouble getting used to the elemental-powered stove with eventual success, a bowl of minced mushrooms and potatoes brewing into a nice stew. The spice cabinet above was wide open, several jars moved from where he'd last left them. Salt, garlic, ginger, and some others. It smelled really nice.

"Need any help?" he asked the ranger

"Yeah, can you get me some sweet paprika? I couldn't find it."

"Here" Kody handed the jar over after some searching. William took a large heap of it with a tablespoon and stirred it into the stew. A bit much compared to what Kody was used to, but surely a ranger knew how to make a nice meal. William nodded, gesturing for him to sit with Zeenie.

As Kody sat down, Zeenie removed her feet from the table.

"Sorry" she said

"No problem." He sat down and put his feet up too. She smiled and put them back up. "This table used to belong to my family."

"Used to? Are they…"

"Dead? No." he said "I just took it from one of their vaults."

Zeenie looked at him quizzically. He sat down properly, and stared absentmindedly at the table, and the intricate patterns cut into the wood.

"Even though I'm an assassin, I get to enter some places in the Empire most are not privy to.

"Are y-, are they nobles?" Zeenie asked, puzzled.

"Yes." Kody sighed "The great noble house of the Johnsons. Built on deceit and betrayal. It was part of my absolution to go in and take some of their stuff."

That was, strictly speaking, true. He had not told a lie. What he omitted however, and what was now weighing on him uncomfortably, was when and how he took it. It wasn't the time to reveal that. He needed them to trust him, and that base would be a hard nut to crack.

"Hey!" William called, "Food's ready."

The stew was delicious. Kody made a mental note to use more paprika next time he cooked.

William and Zeenie sat across the table from him, but something was amiss; an unspoken tension was between them. Had they had a fight last night?

That was something for later though. Now he had to take the leap, and hope they'd catch him.

“Are you ready for the heist?” he asked them. They looked at each other, then back at him.

“Yes.” William said

“In that case, let’s head out.”

* * * Zeenie * * *

Zeenie was ready way before the others. All she had to put on were a pair of leather vambraces and her hooded cloak. Her shoes were little more than sandals and the pants were designed for children. Her small frame didn’t really fit anything else.

William was second. He wore his usual apparel of light leather armor, bow and quiver, his shimmering cloak, and the rest of his belongings tied up into a tight roll hanging from his waist. He looked at her with expectation. Was he hoping she'd changed her mind? That she'd just announced her departure as an outburst? As soon as Orthus arrived she'd be saying goodbye to William. She'd finally have the opportunity she'd been waiting for her whole life - to learn from another dragon.

Kody was last. He wasn't in the comparatively casual outfit she'd seen him in earlier. It was a full black leather suit, seemingly made of individual straps overlaid on top of each other with exacting precision. Small daggers, throwing knives, darts, and various other tools and weapons lined his entire torso, and most of his limbs. The man must've doubled in weight from all of them. He too carried a bundle of - surprisingly expensive-looking - cloth, for what reason, Zeenie couldn't tell. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Alright." - Kody said, "Everyone ready?"

They both nodded.

"Where's the shortcut?" William asked. Kody didn't reply. Instead he walked to the front door, flicked a secret switch not unlike the one he used to get into the house earlier, and opened it.

On the other side of the door wasn't the outside they had come from. Instead, a long hallway lined with stone and shelves on either side stretched in front of them. The assassin stood back, and gestured for them to go inside. William hesitated so Zeenie took the initiative.

The hallway was noticeably colder than the living room. The stone around her wasn't radiating that mild heat. It was also noisier. A low, constant droning sound echoed throughout the structure. How big was this place?

"Two rights, then a left." Kody's voice sounded behind them, "There will be another door at the end."

"What is this place?" William asked

"It's the storage." Kody explained, "I found it when exploring hidden dimensions looking for stable ones to place the rooms in."

Zeenie passed a bronze statue of a dragon. It looked as if half made of crystals, and she felt a strange pull towards it. She hadn't noticed, but she had zoned out and was now staring directly at the head of the statue, looking into its eyes. A gentle pressure on her shoulder snapped her out of it.

"Zeenie, you okay?" William asked

"Yeah, just… got distracted."

"That statue does that sometimes." Kody said, "It was already here when I found the storage."

"What kind of place is this anyway?" William reiterated

"I'm not sure, to be honest. My guess is that it's either the end product of a lot of collectors finding and adding to it over the ages, or a sort of weird, natural lost-and-found for powerful stuff that goes missing."

Zeenie didn't like the latter option one bit. It made her feel like walking into the stomach of some monster. If it was one, was it sleeping? Was it dead? Hibernating perhaps? She didn't want to think about it, but couldn't stop herself.

Luckily for her, they had reached the other door. It was similar in design to the house, but more crude, less refined. Kody went ahead, opened it, and led them out into the basement of a tavern.

They were in an abandoned hallway, not far from the actively used parts of the place. The noise of people talking, shouting over eachother filled the air. Zeenie found it surprising how suddenly the near total silence was replaced with this lively cacophony.

Kody led them through the basement, and up a set of stone stairs. Around them, people looked. Humans, aquilans, a lone ferodinian towering over the rest, occupying a full booth by himself, his four eyes studying them. The humans were mostly mages, she could feel it. Some rangers were present, a few assassins, both nodding to their respective colleagues, shooting glares at eachother, eating and drinking away as they walked past.

As they reached the top of the stairs, a jolly deep, motherly voice called out to them.

"Mr. Johnson! Welcome back!" 

"Hey Betty!" Kody said, and walked over to her. She was tending the bar, cleaning glasses and mugs, a few plates of fresh food waiting behind her to be served. "I told you, you don't need to be formal with me anymore. Call me Kody!"

"Ah, you know me mr. Johnson," Betty replied, "I'm old fashioned."

"Whatever." Kody sighed, "How's business?" 

"Boomin' as ya see." she gestured, "Word got out I've been hostin' all kinda' creatures in 'ere, so The Empire showed up."

"And you sent them away?" Kody raised an eyebrow

"Nah! T'was your pals. And then his." she added, nodding at William, "Place is full of' em!"

"I've seen."

"What are ya' up to now, laddie?"

"Going on a heist with my friends here."

"Serves those bastards right!"

"Gotta go now Betty, thanks for the chat."

"Yer welcome!"

They exited the tavern. Kody looked around before gesturing for them to follow. A pair of empire soldiers stood across the street, not really looking, as they were harassing a lone ranger. William was about to head over when Zeenie pulled him back. ' Not now. Not here. ' she told him mentally.

The town was tense. On every other corner stood an empire soldier, a ranger, or an assassin pretending not to be doing anything. It was a powder-keg, and any small altercation could be enough to ignite it.

"This is what an Empire base does to the neighborhood." Kody noted

"I didn't think it would be this bad."  William said "And they apparently locked down the gate hub as well."

"I've seen a few of these." Kody said, "They build a base, lock down the area, drive out mages, kidnap their children, then march in the army."

"Shouldn't we try and be less… conspicuous?"

"No. I've got an idea."

* * *

* * * Guard * * *

The guard stood on the fortified wall, over the gate, looking down at their new guest; a fully geared assassin walked towards them. He was alone, and he wore a cape, brandishing the Johnson family crest.

“Another goddamn noble.” the other guard grumbled.

“Open it up!” their captain commanded.

The gate wings creaked wide open, and the wrought iron yett slid up into the wall. The assassin walked in, then was greeted by the captain.

* * * Kody * * *

“To what do we owe this honorable visit, Master Johnson?” the captain asked.

“You know exactly why I'm here, captain.” Kody said, looking him directly in the eye.

“Perhaps we should continue this more privately.” the captain said.

“Good.” Kody followed the captain silently, looking around, as if surveying the location. He'd never really gotten used to how accommodating empire soldiers can be when there's a noble around. Especially when he acted rude and condescending.

He was led slowly through the base, giving him a good opportunity to size it up. Double stone walls reinforced with iron, many watchtowers, several sets of ramps and stairs leading to higher elevations and into smaller and smaller enclosures, the buildings and sleeping quarters getting fancier the further they went. Latrines were dug and covered with huts, small sewers, too tiny for even Zeenie to pass through, leading out into the forest.

As they passed, soldiers stood at attention, scrambling to clean clutter off of surfaces or to sort weapon racks, working really hard to appear responsible and busy. What were other nobles doing when they visited?

They arrived at the captain's cabin. It was a small stone hut, decorated with empire regalia, ornate weapons lining the outer wall.

They went inside and sat down.

“So,” Kody said, “It's pretty obvious what you're doing here captain. What's the situation? Where can I help?”

“Nearby towns are flooded with rangers and assassins.” The captain said, ”We can't march the army in without it escalating to civil war.”

“Who do you want me to take out?”

“This many… agitants must have some center of coordination. I want you to find it, and eliminate it.”

“Any leads?”

“There is town about an hour south. Beryl, they call it. There's a tavern there under constant surveillance. I think that's your best starting point.”

“Just came from there in fact.” Kody said, ”The place is certainly tense, but not a command center. Your men there are also slacking off, captain.”

“Are they now?” the captain raised an eyebrow.

“I doubt they've seen me enter or leave the tavern, but I'm sure once mentioned they'd report me traveling with a ranger, maybe a patron even. What they won't tell you is the one they were harassing in front of me. If I were in your place, captain, and really didn't want to risk a civil war, I would tell them to stand down and do their job instead. Am I clear, captain?”

“Clear as day, sir.” the captain sunk into his chair.

“I will continue my search for the command center. I hope you'll appreciate my efforts when I find it.”

“Generously.” the captain forced a smile. Kody enjoyed playing with the man. He could almost understand other nobles. Almost.

“Well, in that case, my business here is concluded.” Kody watched the captain's eyes light up for a moment, ”But seeing the state of your reconnaissance and your operations, I think I'd better conduct a full inspection of the base.”

* * * William * * *

William watched as Kody was led to the captain's cabin, emerging a mere two minutes later, with a considerably angry, sweaty, and disheveled looking captain, seemingly about to throw up. They'd begun a full inspection of the base.

“That's our cue, Zeenie!” he said.

They snuck along the base walls, unnoticed by soldiers now much more worried about the shine of their armor and the patina of their swords than about any potential intruders. Reaching a side gate, William picked the lock fast, and let Zeenie in.

“Back in five.” she said as she slipped in, past a guard cleaning his shoes.

* * * Zeenie * * *

Zeenie lowered her hood. Her hearing was much better than she'd ever let even William know, and her small form was ideal for sneaking about. She slipped past the guard and scurried along the wall. The key's magical aura was faint, but she quickly worked out its general direction.

The shortest way to the key was a zigzag of ramps leading up the incline of the base, flanked on all sides with walls. Too visible. The sewers? Too small. She then found a narrow set of stairs leading up a level, with guards at the end, a ladder leading onto the wall. She bolted up the stairs, then climbed.

At the top was another guard, hurriedly trying to polish his sword before Kody and the captain arrived. In his nervous rush he dropped it, the metallic chime deafening both of them as the blade hit the stone. He grabbed it, and walked away in shame.

She stepped onto the wall. A long, winding path stretched before her, now much emptier than before. There was another ladder at the end. She climbed one level up, then another, and another. It almost felt too easy. She took great care to avoid even passing notice; her current form wasn't suited for combat.

At last she was getting close to the key. The magic radiated stronger from this part than the last. She could feel it through several feet of stone and dirt. It was underground, there should be a door somewhere.

She looked around, carefully circling the source of the magic. Dashing from building to building, hiding under tables and behind weapon racks as soldiers scrambled around her to get the base in order, she snuck closer and closer. At last, she found a pure iron cellar door, closed, at an angle like a storm shelter, way too heavy for her to lift. From her safe vantage point, she looked and thought.

She picked up a pebble from the gravel, and tossed it at the door. It hit right in the middle, making a loud banging noise that echoed through the base.

* * * Kody * * *

Kody could hear a loud bang from near the middle of the base. He looked at the captain, who suddenly looked equally scared and angry.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Sounded like the cellar door,” the captain said.

“Should we check it out?” Kody still enjoyed playing with the captain. He was visibly sweating, and perpetually on the verge of saying something that could cost his career. He sighed, nodded, and led Kody to the cellar.

The door was lying almost completely flat on its hinges. Two soldiers were ordered to open it, and with some considerable effort, they hauled it open, letting it fall with another loud bang. Sturdy.

The captain led Kody down into the cellar, then took out an oil lamp and lit it. In front of them stretched a large cavern, filled to the brim with shelves, armor stands, and weapon racks. He could feel the same sensation as back in the camp; the key was somewhere here.

He strolled casually among the shelves, inspecting them thoroughly. He stopped on occasion to pick something up, a weapon, a piece of armor, ballista bolts, trinkets, carefully checking it. At last he stood in front of an ornate vitrine, filled with magical artifacts, stolen and confiscated from the people of the neighboring settlements and from ruins. The key was among them.

He took a glance at the captain, who looked just about ready to resign on the spot. He then opened the vitrine, and picked up the key. This half of the twelve-pointed star also only had six of its points, but it also had a tiny, light blue crystal in it. It glowed faintly, then lit up momentarily as he picked it up.

“Where have you gotten this from, captain?” he asked

The captain swallowed. “We confiscated it from a merchant a few days ago.”

“Where’s the other half of it?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

Kody raised an eyebrow. So they were not consciously locking the area down, and just happened to get the key from a thief.

“Even if I didn’t know what this was, captain,” Kody said in a condescending tone, holding the key visibly in front of the captain's face, “It’s obviously missing half of it.”

The captain’s shoulders sagged.

“I expected better, captain.”

“We… will search for the other half.”

“No need.” Kody said, “I will find it for you. I won’t even charge extra for it.” With that, he marched out of the cellar, but made sure to ‘accidentally’ keep the key in his hand. Once they were out, and once the heavy door was shut, he brought it out, frowned at it, then handed it to the captain.

“Can you take care of this for me?” he asked. The captain nodded, then marched off with it to his cabin.

* * * Zeenie * * *

Zeenie watched as Kody entered the cellar, brought out the key, and handed it over. She snuck after the captain, and could see he was very unhappy with the entire situation, silently cursing Kody out the whole way, once he was out of earshot. He tore open the door to a small stone hut that looked like his personal cabin, tossed the key onto his bed, then marched back to babysit their guest.

As he left, Zeenie scanned the area. No soldiers were paying attention, but the cabin was a dead-end and had only one door. She mustered the courage, and bolted inside. There, on the bed, right in front of her sat the other half of the key. Uncontained, unbothered, the crystal inside glowing slightly. She grabbed it, and was about to head out when a soldier opened the door on her.

“Freeze!” he shouted, pointing a sword at her. She backed into the corner. Her free hand touched the wall, and she could feel the cold ball of fear in her stomach flow like water through her arm, into the rock. She took a deep breath, and the wall exploded in icy shards behind her. The soldier got startled and fell back. She got up and ran.

The exit was far, too far away, several levels down, through dozens of armed soldiers. Not even her magic would be enough to escape here. Panic overcame her. She ran, without knowing where, just out as fast as possible, all the while gripping the key so hard her knuckles turned white.

She ran past a soldier, who jumped at her. She dodged and froze the ground to make it slippery. It worked against Kody, hopefully the soldiers would take it worse. Next, along a wall, she dragged her hand on the stones, freezing them rigid. A few crossbow bolts flew past her and hit the stones, shattering them. The wall started crumbling. With a loud crash, it toppled over and crushed a few cabins.

She slid down the ladder, and found herself facing three soldiers with freshly polished swords. To the left was a considerable drop, but also freedom. The nearest ballista was on the wall segment she’d just collapsed. She took her chances, and jumped.

The landing was painful. She couldn’t hear bones cracking, but she had surely sprained her ankle. She desperately tried to limp on, getting closer to the river, hoping she’d be able to use it, when she spotted the soldiers running towards her, closing in. She wouldn’t reach it in time.

William was nowhere. He was probably still waiting for her at the side-entrance, or running towards her. The soldiers were closer however. In her desperation, she tossed the key as far as she could, and watched as it plopped into the water, without a trace of it remaining. The magical glow she'd been feeling from the key had vanished under the surface.

She tripped painfully, and fell over. As she rolled over to look up, she found a sword tip in front of her face.

“Got you.” the soldier said. He didn’t have time for much else, as his comrades both stopped in their tracks, and fell over, arrows sticking out of their backs. In the confusion, he looked away for a second. Zeenie grabbed the blade between her palms, and immediately yanked it at an angle, simultaneously cooling it beyond any temperature it was designed for, snapping it in half. With as much force as she had left in her, she threw the sword tip at the soldier, grazing him with it. He did not have time to turn back towards her as William barreled into him and knocked him down.

“Where’s the key?” he asked

“In… the river.” Zeenie said, wincing from the pain in her ankle.

William looked angry at her. He paced for a few seconds, then grabbed her.

“We don’t have time for this.” he said, and dragged her to safety.

* *  Kody * * *

The captain had just returned to Kody, when they heard a loud noise, as if something had exploded. They both started running towards the noise. Then another one came, and they saw one of the mid-level walls with a ballista on top crumble under its own weight.

Kody took a right-angle turn, and quickly climbed the wall to his left.

“Captain!” he screamed, “Surround them! I’ll come around the other side!”

He threw his rope around a weapon rack and used it to dampen his descent on the outer wall, pulling it over once he was down. The scattered weapons would make it hard for anyone to follow him. He ran along the outer wall, and saw as Zeenie jumped off of it. Three soldiers were chasing her, coming from the side gate, and three more looked on from above.

He knew he shouldn’t be seen helping, so he started planewalking. He closed the last few hundred feet totally invisible to anyone, then waited. The onlooking soldiers from above could not see him even as he popped back into normal space, then watched as William shot two of Zeenie’s pursuers, barreling into the third one at full speed. He grabbed Zeenie over the shoulder and the two of them ran out of sight. With some purposeful delay, he ran after them, ‘chasing’ them through the woods. Once they were well out of sight from the base, he caught up to them.

“Are you alright?” he asked Zeenie

“Sprained my ankle” she winced.

“Where’s the key?”

“She dropped it into the river” William growled

Kody sighed. A well-executed heist that went wrong at the last minute.

“Let’s go to a safe house. I've got one nearby.”