System Break

Chapter 184: The Heist

My cloak was stashed beneath the escape grate and I smelled a whole lot better. Most of the sludge was on it and my boots. After a moments thought I removed them and hung them by the laces from the grate. It was possible for someone to find them but highly unlikely. I chose to take that chance and diminish my stink to manageable levels.

To disguise the remaining stench I found some brandy in the store and used it like perfume.

My qi sight enabled me to track any living being with a core and I had not met a humanoid who did not have one. Regular folk had cores the size of a pea, but it was enough when they were in the next room or walking down a long dark corridor.

The storeroom had a ladder for people and a pulley lift for goods. When I reached the top of the ladder I pushed on the hatch only to discover it was locked from the outside. The scungy noble did not want any of his servants stealing food, but I was able to push the hatch up enough to see the pad lock through the small gap. 

I pocked out my finger, sent my qi into the lock and it snapped open, but it was still in the latch. I poked a knife through the gap and pushed the padlock out of the latch. It was unsurprising a kitchen above. It was large, dark, and quiet. There was a dim lantern, and it was time to ditch my torch. I smothered it and slid it into my harness.

I sat quietly in a dark corner watching cores and searching for the mystical beast. The peas disappeared after a room or two, but the bright cores shone for a hundred yards inside a building and more out in the open.

The kitchen and sleeping servants were on the ground floor, the artifact was up and so was the snake. It shone like a diamond compared to the peas who were on the ground floor.

I could move freely and crept through each room in the knowledge that I couldn't be surprised by a late night stroller.

The ground floor had foyer with the main staircase but there was also another for the servants. I was about to take the main to avoid any servants when I spotted my first qi trap.

It was a thin line of qi across the stairs, and I had no idea what it triggered. There was more qi at the top of the stairs, but I couldn't make out what it was other than a long rectangle. I decided to inspect the servants staircase and it was clear of traps. Some old maid waddled below me was I climbed the stairs. I stopped, held still, and watched her pea move slowly, then back to her bed. She wasn't looking for me, it was probably a midnight lavatory visit.

I took my time, if I could get in and out without raising and alarm I'd be happy. I could fight my way out, but it would be much better if I wasn't seen. 

When I was on the third floor the spirit stone levelled out and pointed directly at the snake's core. It was in the same room as all his treasures. It was both a guardian and one of his treasures.

My heart was beating fast, and I was worried it was loud enough for the snake to hear. I should have been tired, but the adrenaline was fuelling me, and I felt incredible despite being away from the forest and Gisael.

My bare feet crept across the carpeted floor. Each step was taken with care while I watched the core of the snake for movement and my surrounding area. It was early morning, but well before dawn. It was rare for anyone to move and when they did it was usually a small amount as they tossed and turned in bed.

There was a wooden door between me and the room with the artifact. It was probably not the only door and it didn't look locked. I would have preferred it was locked because it was trapped instead.

This whole jobs was rushed. Leonell's reason for rushing it was thin and I felt I could have used some training and preparation on these qi traps. I had no idea how they worked and how to disarm them. He told me to avoid them but that was impossible when they blocked my path.

I circled the room and it had one other entrance from the main corridor which had an identical trap.

How did the noble activate and deactivate the traps. Did he do it from the land core or was it here at the trap itself. If he was a lazy bastard he probably wouldn't want to walk all the way down to the land core, deactivate it and then back up. I searched for something, but I didn't know what. The door was made of nice, thick wood and it wasn't that fancy, it just had a simple design. 

The handle was brass and plain. There were no engravings or diagrams to be seen. The trap itself was a simple bar across the door and I guessed that opening the door would trigger it. 

I looked for hinges, but they were on the inside, the door opened inwards. 

I could send a tendril of qi into the trap, but I had no idea what would happen. It could trigger it, disable it, or do nothing.

I looked up and around. This building was new, it wasn't one of the ancient dark granite or basalt block ones. The outside walls were stone, but the interior walls and ceiling was wood.

I looked around for another staircase, but the building was long with three wings. It was only three stories high. I slinked and searched around the treasure room until I found a hatch into the ceiling space. It was in a storeroom near the servant's staircase. There was a hook to pull it open but no ladder. 

It was the first time I tried it with Gunt, but it was a technique I knew extremely well. Using tree-run with a man lump was like sacrilege but I still considered myself one of the Svartalfar just in the wrong body.

I clung to the ceiling like spiderman and opened the hatch. The ceiling cavity was dark and covered in cobwebs, but I did not dare use the torch. The spirit stone and a core would light my path. I left one of the Crocroach cores near the hatch and pulled it closed. It threw a dim light across the space and I crawled towards the snake's beaming core.

When I was above the treasure room I could see the top of a chandelier or similar protruding through the ceiling. The ceiling was strengthened in the central area but towards the edge it was simple boards between trusses holding up the pitched tile roof.

It would have been so simple if the building was made out of wood, I could have spider-manned my way up. But it was stone, so there was no point wishing. 

All I had were my knives, but they made excellent defacto screwdrivers and wedges. All I needed to do was dislodge one or two boards. They were held in place by purlins which were nailed and stuck on. The purlins were made of wood. 

I wedged a knife under the purlin and use my grip combining tree-run and strength to pull it up until it bowed. I did this once more and then I slipped two planks from their perch.

I had made a hole in the ceiling and thanks to tree-run I had barely made a sound. The snake had still not moved but when I stuck my head through the opening its eyes were open.

My heart leaped to my mouth. But it did not move. It's tongue did not slip in and out of its mouth. I was never a good student and I racked my brains regarding snakes. I couldn't remember if they had eye lids but that's all I could think of. What a great predator, I had no idea if it was awake or asleep.

I did not drop through the floor. I walked across the ceiling until I spied what must have been the artifact. When I circled the spirit stone around the little silver teapot it continually pointed at it. It wasn't actually a teapot, but its long snout, handle and large reservoir definitely made it look like a teapot.

I was hanging from the ceiling like a bat, and I made one last check for traps underneath the artifact. It was clear. I guess trapped doors and a mystical beast guardian who could either be awake or asleep was enough security.

I gently nabbed the artifact, and my heartbeat made my head thump when I saw the tail move.

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