TSC - Chapter 7: Shattered (5) - The Heist (1)

The three of them had returned back to where Eryn and Xera had been gathering the bodies of Neave for Dehart and successfully barrelled enough of them to to Warren them a few items that the Silver Palm had 'scavenged' over the past few days. However just to make sure, these were only going to be offered on their return. Eryn had also secured them a place to sleep for the night; the barman of The Pale spine had been told he was to accommodated them and Eryn knew that the fear of displeasing him would guarantee a room for the night.

The next day, as Dehart had organised, the three were taken to the point that his 'associates' could no longer follow. The Untethered that he had assignment to them were very capable, although all had a sullen expression and a pessimistic attitude which didn't help the planning phase as they travelled. This resulted in no real plan at all, causing Xera a distinct degree of anxiety and apprehension .  Dehart had gotten word from the Metricious that the accompaniments needed for the ingredient was not in fact housed in the Lyathran Tower. Instead, it was being held in a unnamed satellite tower near the edge of the city. The property had been a recent acquisition, owned by the Lyathra family but not on the formal documents. The tower itself was unassuming like all of House Lythra's properties, the new build had darker stone however from the recently excavated quarries at Darkperch but surprisingly, barred windows. Floor five was not known for its valuables so it was unusual that they had restricted entry. It was through one of these, after a gelatinous solvent dissolved the bars away, that Eryn, Xera and Chloe were thrown through before their help disappeared.

The room itself, much like the tower, did not raise any suspicions. In fact it was so thread bare that it didn't seem like anyone had been there in quite a while.  There was a broken bed near the window and an empty chest at its foot. A crumbling bookshelf, crushed under the weight of dusty tomes leaned against the archway out. Xera immediately scouted the opening and the hallway outside. It was a dimly lit circular room with a central stone spiral staircase leading off into seven more rooms. He was expecting to hear voices, guards or servants but the only thing he could hear was snoring. He moved over to the door to his left and peered through. The room was dark and silent.  He wanted to get into that room, if anyone was to come in their direction, the door at least would block their view. With deft hands from years of breaking into 'suppliers', the door was swiftly opened. Eryn took the torch form the side of the room and lit it on his halo. Again, the room like the first, was gloomy and unloved. A broken table and chairs lay in the centre of the room.

Chloe had gotten the idea from her time with the Aeon Priests that she needed protection. It had gone so far that she had asked Dehart about the problem. He had suggested sarcastically, that with her abilities, it may be possible for her to fashion a golem of sorts. She had then spent the night trying to turn the rubbish around her into working constructs. To Dehart's surprise they worked but they ended up falling apart within an hour. His men spent as little time as possible with her after that. The broken table and chairs was just more fodder for her ability and so, regardless of the danger of being discovered, set to work. Xera was annoyed at this fact, from his experiences, staying still in the property of your mark was never the best idea and this heist of sorts was already starting to slow down.

Unfortunately Eryn too had become obsessed, although his was more to do with the nature of Lyathra. They were famed for their secrets and perhaps the room had some sort of secret passage way. He had taken, much to Chloe's protest, a shard of wood and had set it smouldering. He had hoped, much like in the books he had read, that any air flow would draw the smoke through and reveal a hidden door. The smoke from his hand poured into the room for a second before being drawn through the stone brick wall in front of him. However due to the lax craftsmanship of the building, the smoke was drawn in between nearly the all the cracks in the wall. His frustrations were putting Chloe off from her construct and in hopes to silence him, transmuted one of the stone bricks into amethyst.  He could clearly see a man snoring on the table in the other room and he hoped the man was a heavy sleeper. Xera tried to dissuade him from going into the room but was unsuccessful. Eryn spent the next couple of minutes slowly trying to melt the lock out of the door, as to not alert the sleeping guard. Xera stood back in dismay, this was only the first floor and both Eryn and Chloe had become far too preoccupied. He also felt a little insulted, he could have opened the door quickly and quietly but Eryn hadn't even asked. He rubbed his forheard, it was as if the sands of time were slowly sliping through his fingers.

Eryn slowly pushed the door ajar and slipped in. The man was still sleeping but he was dressed a little odd for a guard. There was the obvious protective plating over the more sensitive spots and the mark of House Lyathra was stamped into the metalwork but he was wearing a purple robe underneath, although barely visible. With the wooden fragment from the previous room, Eryn started to smoulder it again next to the mouth and nose of the man. He was awake for a split second  only to cough, and then fell into unconsciousness. The body slumped to the floor with a thud. Xera cringed and then to his dismay, Eryn proceeded to get changed into the guard's uniform. Between this and Chloe, Xera's chest started to constrict and his head started to pound.

Xera, trying to keep the plan on track, kept a look out into the stairwell, praying that nobody would appear. He could hear Chloe in the next room giggle in excitement as something was galloping in the wooden floor. He swore it was like a horse and sighed when she appeared out the room with what looked like a footstool  with two planks on the topsides,  fashioned into crude arms. Its galloping had, to no surprise to Xera, attracted attention. From across the stairwell in an opposing room a guard stumbled out, smashing what looked like a full tankard of ale as he steadied himself on the railing to the staircase.