"Alright, that works for me." I say as I flip a loose piece of metal around the table. Watching the two hwardgon as I did so until I dropped whatever it was.
"Careful." Ivahstar warns as he and his daughter sort through the safe-cracking equipment. Some of it was simple, crude but effective stuff, a little better than rubbish. The rest, however, was professional in every sense of the word. Factory-made with arcane involvement.
What was more important, however, was the living element to it all. The ones who would create the opportunities to use the equipment. Me, him and little Heiya. It was just us three the moment we walked out of this warehouse.
"As if I was never there." I confidently remarked to the pair before I go on ahead of them. And from out of the hidden passage by some crates, I came out to my guys.
"You find it?" one of them asked as he poked a damaged crate in the corner.
"No, must've been in a different one, but I can't be asked now." I tell them as I put on a facade of exhaustion-by-tediousness. Something they bought without issue as I have been having them do the same thing. Best part about it too was, we were actually looking for something. A piece of equipment that could help us get that child.
The Madame has been losing her patience alright and it was getting worse. This Rose'lhia knew how to twist her in all the wrong ways. Thankfully, just enough patience remained inside of her for us to work with. We could lie about a non-existent piece of equipment for some time.
How long? I was not sure. But, I did not need a long time. I just needed a handful of hours.
"Seriously, how many warehouses has it been now?"
"Depending on what we count, easily a dozen or more."
"And there's going to be a dozen more at this rate." I add on jokingly. A joke that managed to hit only somewhat as I got a few chuckles. But, I mostly got knowing groans as that was probably our reality. If the plan fails, that is.
But if that happens, I'll be smoking a pipe with Undwote before the night was out. However, relaxing as that might've sounded, it was not ideal. Living, even with a fresh gun wound was preferable. After all, I could not go on to do much without being alive.
I had no intention of failing, though, and frankly, I was brimming with confidence that this would succeed. I would walk out of here with Ivahstar and his daughter and the Madame would be none the wiser. She'd also be the one taking it easy with Undwote. And damned would she be as the God of Death gazes upon her.
It made me smile, actually, knowing I'd soon be done with her. Money was nice, sure, but it only went so far. Her childish behaviour and unstable mind made the job a lot less bearable than it should've been. I also just didn't like what she did.
Shipping people about was one thing, you handed them over and you got paid. A simple transaction for a simple, vile act. What she did, however, was the part I never wanted to see. You watched as she broke down dozens upon dozens of women for another's provocations.
It was an unsettling process to watch and be a part of but I kept it bottled up for now. Now, though, I would finally see all that disgust flow out of me in one carefully thought-up plan. Well, a quickly thought-up plan might've been a better description. It was quite shorthanded in terms of notice.
But, that hasn't stopped me or Ivahstar before. The profession simply demanded that of us. There was no time for carefully laid plans. You just needed a rough idea and the grit to pull it off.
Funnily enough, however, despite how insecure the plan might seem outwardly. It was probably the safest one Ivahstar and me have ever dreamed up together. I went in and sorted out the distraction while they came in another way. And with all this warehouse searching, it had never been easier to make a distraction.
"In a bit, Bossman." one of the guys says as we part ways upon entering the establishment. Up above, there was a briefly hopeful Madame but I dashed that real quick. So now I just had to pretend I was heading in deeper. Then, when a moment came along, I snatched up what I needed without so much as a second glance.
"Spring in your step?" one of the guys questioned as he briefly put down his newstablet.
"To get out as much energy as I can to make it more convincing that I don't have it in me anymore." I respond back with before I head on down into the dungeons.
"Just don't tire yourself out down there." he says before he likely goes back to what he was up to before.
"The answer is 'tyre,' right?" I call back up to him before I reach the bottom of the stairs. Whatever he replied with, I did not hear it. But I was quick to catch an earful of the Madame's requests and desires. And for a moment, I just watched with an enlightened eye.
"AH!" the aelenvari screamed one final time before I stepped in and had the boys step away.
"Madame wants her bloodied, Hrurim." one says with a fake cough as he took the moment to wipe his knuckles of blood. Curiously enough, it was more of his blood.
"You'll bloody yourself at this rate." I tell the lot while looking down at their knuckles. Waving them off one final time before I kneeled down before the chained-up woman. A drive remained in her eyes and because she hadn't been given that poison. Her body showed it a lot more.
"Finally aware of your limitations, Root?" she spits verbally and literally at me.
"Indeed, the limitations of my employment here." I tell her before I unveil the keys before her eyes. And, for a moment, her black eyes lit up as if this was the very thing she was looking for. But, as tough as she was acting, I could tell she had, had enough. Their knuckles might've been shaven of skin, but she was all kinds of purple and all the other colours of the bruise rainbow.
"Why're you...?" she questioned before she started to glare as I got up without doing a thing. Truth be told, I wanted to let her out, but I knew I was being watched. So I went along with it and made it look like I was crushing her hopes and dreams.
"One way to go about it." one of the guys said with a nod of appreciation as the aelenvari came to life with anger.
"And make sure to be gentle about it." I tell them as I stare briefly at their weapons. If she lived or died was no concern of mine. But, it would make my job a lot harder. That aelenvari had a lot of magic in her, and that magic was dangerous.
She was not the only one, though, the secluded one was also viable. So I kept on walking until I got down the final flight of stairs. A feeling of apprehension was building up in me as well. But that was just the typical pre-job nervousness.