Chương 24: Chapter 23. Dual Performance

Ariesa stalked her prey as she ran from rooftop to rooftop. Her mark casually strolled through the streets, with not a single care or concern. With each step he took, she reciprocated after a brief delay. After scouting the man for a whole week, now was the time to put the plan into motion. The mark was a [Gang Leader] of one of the smaller local gangs centralized mainly within District Seven. His name was Crez… something. It really didn't matter to her, so she never bothered to learn much about him.

The old man, Plank, would've scolded her for being lazy, but she didn't see the point. He always lectured her on how important it was to master her target. Learn everything about them that was available on the surface and then dig deeper to learn the whys. Plank was no doubt a highly accomplished [Master Thief], but he was always doing way too much extra work. She could hear what his lecture would sound like right now if she thought about it.

"Ariesa! Humans are complex creatures that live in a world that is far beyond them. Everything we ever do has a meaning. Nothing in life is random. Discover the root of a man and you will learn everything about him." Crez was an alcoholic abuser who was born from a mother who had sold herself every night for a small dose of Desire, a Dynarus exclusive drug. If this were a higher tier contract, then maybe she could see herself trying Plank's method.

But she was always stuck doing the grunt work, dealing with lowlifes that wouldn't amount to anything. Despite her constantly proving that she was more than capable of tackling the harder— One foot crashed through the ceiling of the make-shift patchwork roof she had been running on. Ariesa tumbled and rolled off the roof, crashing hard onto the cobbled walkway below. Pain assaulted her body as she groaned and writhed around. Dirt and grime scarred her hands as she pushed herself back up.

Unable to find a good spot to climb back onto the roofs, she let out a curse. Each second she wasted, the more distance Crez put between them. Ariesa temporarily abandoned the high ground and took off in a sprint. There were few things more dangerous than being a girl alone in the District Seven back alleys, but she couldn't dwell on that. Each building she passed looked abandoned and completely worn down. Either used as a drug den, or some other illicit activity.

Very few people actually lived down in these parts now, and any who did weren't likely to be characters of good morals. Not that morals were in abundance anywhere else in the city either.

"Oh, right," Ariesa said to herself as she came to an abrupt halt. Why didn't she just break into a house and go to the roof? It was the obvious aspects of thievery that just didn't quite connect with her just yet. Aspects of the her other life sometimes clouded her judgment, but thankfully none of her nightlife traits had bled through to the other. Not yet, at least. Wood splintered as she kicked in the door.

Already pissed at herself for wasting enough time as it was, Ariesa blitzed up the four-story building to reach the roof. Now that she had height again, it'd be much easier to find Crez again. The man had a hard time not standing out. Crez was a big brute of a man. Almost seven feet tall and with a wide, bulky frame, the guy would have a hard time hiding from a dead man. Sure enough, she found him again after a bit of roof hopping.

The panic on whether or not he had noticed her fall was washed away once she saw his casual pace. The man really was dumber than she thought him to be. It wasn't too long until Crez arrived at the meeting spot. Another man who seemed to be alone was waiting in the vacant lot. This new guy was wearing a suit that looked way nicer than anything she'd see someone in this district wear. Gods, the fabric looked like it was from District Four or maybe even Three. He was someone high up on the food chain, no doubt.

"Reissi? Not Maldoka, they've been declining ever since Arturo made the Reissi name big," Ariessa wondered quietly to herself. Lavish Suit flung out his arms to welcome Crez. The two didn't embrace; they kept a healthy distance between each other. Ariesa had been hired to spy on Crez and see where he was getting his money from and how. And that's what she had planned on doing… Or that was what the plan had been at first.

After seeing how much of an inept ape Crez was, the ambition that had been suppressed and dormant within herself had stirred awake. Throughout her surveillance period, the threads of an idea began to stitch themselves together until she had woven the perfect plan. For a normal person, the fall might have casted a shadow of a doubt upon their abilities, but not for Ariesa. She returned her focus back to the meeting once she saw Lavish Suit snap a briefcase into existence.

A dimensional storage skill for a player in these parts was highly irregular. If Lavish Suit was affiliated with Reissi, then he had to be Arturo's number-two man. No way a person with a skill like that would be anything lower. Crez pulled a crumpled bag out of his jacket and went to hand it over to Lavish Suit. Once the bag was in the other man's hand, he poofed it away into his storage skill. The briefcase that had been conjured lingered in the middle of the two.

For whatever reason, Crez hadn't went in for it yet. Ariesa watched as the towering brute's body language change and went hostile. She desperately wished that she had some way of listening in on the exchange. Something about the deal was going wrong, and when deals went bad in these parts, it rarely ended with amicable discussions. She needed to move closer in order to get a proper read on the situation.

The issue was that there was no good spots for her to relocate to aside from the low, partially crumbled wall at the lots entrance. But she had a plan she wanted to enact, so she'd need to be brave and listen in.

"…Not part of the fuckin' deal," She heard Crez say as she got closer.

"No, I suppose it wasn't. Do you intend on disputing Mr. Reissi?" Lavish Suit said, his tone completely composed even in the face of the disgruntled giant." Fuck. Reissi. That damn dog always pisses in our faces just because he's had a good year. Maybe it's time someone puts his ass down back into the mud," Crez said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Should I start with you? You're just his loyal little bitch lapdog that's always so willing to roll over and do his dirty work. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Mr. Reissi always looks out for those that are obedient and trust him. It's a shame you couldn't look at the bigger picture. What we are doing is much larger than whatever inbred rejects you cobbled together and call a family." Ariesa couldn't help herself from peering through one of the holes in the wall. The way Lavish Suit spoke was full of condescension, and the way he looked at Crez was like he was nothing more than an inconvenience.

She knew of the Reissi family, but they hadn't been anything more than a mid-tier crime family until just recently. Where this man got his audacity from to act so superior, she'd never know. She had been locked on watching Crez, but something had happened to change his attitude.

"Look, my boys and I don't want trouble with you or your family. I-I apologize for losing my temper but I can't just give up one of my—" Ariesa blinked and during that blink there was a loud snap sound followed by a gurgled roar, interrupting Crez. Ariesa couldn't stop the gasp from escaping its confinement as she saw Lavish Suit bisect Crez right across his waist, cleaving the hulking giant in two.

Blood exploded from Crez, but none touched Lavish Suit with any droplets spraying his way deflected somehow away from his pristine suit.

"Do I have a little mouse in attendance? It's quite rude to spy upon a man and his dealings. One mouse has already fallen today for their lack of respect, please do not make the same mistake," Lavish Suit called out. Ariesa pulled her hood tight and darted out of her hiding spot. She took off with speed she didn't know she possessed and ran. She ran far, far, far away from that man and didn't look back until she couldn't go any further.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like he had pursued, and since he hadn't seen her face she should be fine. Never in her eighteen years of living had she witnessed someone use a skill without evoking its name. Only passive skills could be turned on and off without speaking, but never an active skill, and especially not a combat skill. She needed to get back to Plank's hideout and report this immediately. This kind of information would flip the underside on its head.

If Arturo Reissi had power before, then that was nothing to what they could achieve now with that freak.

To reach Plank's residence, first someone would need to know who he even was. Plank stayed out of the public eye, but he never let the public leave his sight. The man always tried his best to be current on the happenings in the city. For a man like Plank, he needed a home where he wouldn't be disturbed, somewhere he could do his business without fear of being noticed. So, he created the District Seven Orphanage.

On the surface it was run by regular citizens that, if asked about Plank, would say they've never heard of a man with such a peculiar name. What people didn't see was how much Plank paid them under the table to run a clean ship and keep his name out of their minds and mouths. What they also wouldn't see was the massive den he had built during the initial construction of the orphanage. The den he built housed him and all of the other [Thieves] he had trained or brought in from the streets.

In truth, the den was a massive sprawling underground base. She didn't know how many people were in Plank's employ, but the man had built enough rooms to house a small army of [Thieves]. Which made the name of his den all the more fitting. As Ariesa descended down the secret entrance to the Burrow, she thought about how he'd react. Plank loved the thieving enterprise he'd created. It sprawled across all of the districts in the lower city.

He couldn't touch anything in the upper city, but he'd came to terms with that… or he had. Hope had recently blossomed in him again to hit at least one big score against those haughty nobles. That excited her more than anything, but she needed to push it out of her mind. She didn't know when he'd create his plan, so all she could do was improve and be ready for when he finally would be ready to steal the comfort those in the upper city hid behind.

The Burrow housed a large number of [Thieves], [Criminals], [Swindlers], and… well, if it related to shady crimes, then Plank employed them. The hideout was a three-story underground building but went wide. Plank's study was on the middle floor and was impossible to miss due to the treasures of his past jobs that were on display. Ariesa found Plank standing near his desk. He was nose deep in some reports with his back to the door, studying each word intently.

Somehow, though, she found it impossible to surprise the elderly man. Still, she tried each time. Silently she crept into the study and ducked behind a large potted plant. Plank showed no sign of being alert to her presence. Slowly and as quiet as she could be, Ariesa tiptoed closer and closer until…

"Girl! Quit making such a racket and give me the damned report," Plank said, turning around with speed that an old man should not possess.

"You're back earlier than anticipated. How badly did you botch the operation?" Ariesa couldn't help herself from being startled despite knowing her attempt was going to end like this. One day she'd manage to get the drop on him, and when that day came… she'd become the greatest [Thief] this city would ever see.

"First of all, I didn't botch anything. I did everything correctly and I did it with grace," Ariesa knew he saw through her, but if she didn't believe in herself, then who would?

"Where things got messy… was the meeting."

"Ooh, ooh! Let me take a crack at a guess or two first," Plank said, as he giddily mock clapped his hands.

"They saw you and ran? No, that's too boring. You… fell off the roof in an attempt to be nosy? Ah, there's just so many potential mistakes you could've made. Go ahead, let's hear it." Ariesa ignored his comments. She quickly learned early on in her days with the man that if she took him seriously all the time, then she'd never last. She was learning not just how to steal gold and goods—which was still exciting. No, she was learning how to steal the abstract.

Trust, perception, goodwill, and whatever else she wanted. She realized that could also be defined as just learning to be deceitful… but that wasn't half as fun to think about. She wanted to redefine what it meant to be a [Thief]. It felt like no one was dreaming big anymore. Even Plank had essentially become dormant compared to how ambitious he once was. Ever since that man from the Grand Council had been assassinated three years ago, security for all the big potential targets increased exponentially.

Life changed even for Ariesa herself. Father at the time had became so strict and overbearing that he would never let her have a moment to herself. That was how she even came to be apart of this life. All she wanted to do was to steal back her freedom. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. She had another motive, but being free was apart of the equation. It was just that there were many different aspects that she yearned to be free from.

"Crez met with someone in the Reissi family. I don't know their hierarchy, but the guy was decked out in some crazy expensive looking suit. In my head, I've been calling him Lavish Suit, because like, I mean, that thing looked like it could have been worn by someone in the Grand… sorry," She apologized once she saw the disdainful look Plank threw at her.

"Anyways, the deal went bad once Crez handed over his part of the deal. Lavish Suit chopped Crez in half with some skill that he didn't even have to speak. Have you ever seen something like that before?"

"A skill that didn't need to be spoken? Are you positive about that? There must have been something you missed, or maybe you just didn't hear it. The implications of someone with a class that doesn't require the skill to be said would…" Plank trailed off.

"It'd disrupt the entire balance of the underside. Someone like that was elevate the Reissi family to even higher power. I know, it's insane and scary as Bhenna to think about."

"What happened next? Did you happened to see what Crez handed over?"

"I ran like the Father was chasing me after I saw that! I wasn't going to stick around for what came next! If that freak saw me and pulled the same attack… Father would burn the whole lower districts until no one remained." Plank shrugged at that, seemingly unable to come up with some witty insult. She didn't like to use her other life as an excuse, but sometimes it was the truth.

"Hmph… Speaking of that father of yours… Has he caught onto what you've been up to or shown any suspicion? Maybe you should head back early tonight and make yourself seen." Ariesa nodded in agreement. It made sense, but her father this past year or so had become so distant that she didn't think he'd ever catch on. Most days, she felt like he had forgotten all about her entirely.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," One more detail popped up in her head before she left the room.

"The Reissi goon, Lavish Suit, I forgot to mention this but he had a dimensional storage skill. Maybe not as crazy as a silent skill, but still worth noting. Whoever he is, he's not some low level [Thug]." Plank didn't say anything but she could see him chew on this information. The man loved to know what was going on so he'd likely be spending the next few days digging up dirt on the stranger. She'd have to remember to ask him tomorrow or the next day if he'd found anything.

Ariesa didn't quite want to head back up to her home just yet. After a moment, she decided to stop by the marketplace and see if any easy targets were out and about. A quick score would make her feel much better after being denied executing her plan.

The quick score, had in fact, not made her feel better. And as Ariesa sat atop her roof and finished her reflection of the days events, she realized… she still loved being a [Thief]. Things didn't always go her way out here, but that was fine. Whenever she was able to be out and stalk the nights as a [Thief], she was able to do so with freedom in hand. It was one of many reasons she loved about her newfound hobby and class.

If she were to say what the main reason was, then she'd say it was because it allowed her to be the one that stole from others for once. Being able to know how it felt to take had become a liberating feeling. A feeling that she wasn't too willing to be rid of anytime soon. After all, being a [Princess] had robbed her of so much in her life already.