Tap tap tap tap!
The sound of footsteps stepping on the roof tiles quietly sounded in the quiet night. One lone shadow was leaping from roof top to roof top, house to house, in an extremely proficient and fast speed. Most of the time, his movements did not even make a sound, including the steps of his foot.
Shortly, that one figure was joined by another.
Forest-green hair fluttered in the air briefly before its owner raised his black hood to hide them when his violet-purple eyes friend informed him.
Together, they both crossed over a series of houses in front of their destination to arrive near a huge mansion. It was the City Lord's Mansion.
Sneaking up and over the mansion's protection walls, the two figures acting like thieves creeped into the interior of the mansion unnoticeably, bypassing all the patrolling guards around the mansion. Once they had successfully infiltrated, the two thieves hasted with caution to the treasure room where the city lord kept his money and artifacts.
Once they arrived before the treasure room, they had to stop because of the strong looking guards standing guard over the room that contained their lord's wealth---there is no mistake that they did not only look strong, they were truly very strong. Strong enough to knock a bull out.
Analyzing the most efficient way to get rid of the guards and get into the treasure room, Abner stared at the treasure room's door with great intensity as his brain worked at the speed of a running cheetah while Arlo waited at the side.
Please pause the present moment to allow an explanation of Abner's and Arlo's actions.
Rewinding back to four weeks ago, nearly five, Abner and Arlo traveled in the direction of the Slums. Their destination without a doubt being the Mono organization's base in the Slums. Both of them traveled together from town to town, village to village, and cities to cities before reaching a small town called Snow that is mystically covered in snow all year round. It was specially known for some of its products, which are herbs that has great nourishing properties that can only be grown on their land.
Abner and Arlo had decided to stay there for the night when they overheard a conversation between a group of old men who had a worrying air around them.
Those old men were all grandparents. For an unknown reason---which Abner and Arlo are going to find out about---, they were talking in concerned tones and hushed voices. Going closer, their conversations were revolving around their grandchildren---which really isn't surprising. However, their apprehensive tones when mentioning their grandchildren that should be joyful was queer and caused some doubts in Abner's heart who was silently listening to their talk. Eavesdropping was a habit of everyone in the Slums---it was almost instinctual---as no one knows whether one will overhear a piece of important information or not.
Wrinkling his forehead, Abner raised his ears closer to try to hear their conversation more closely while Arlo looked at him quizzically as he asked with his eyes what Abner was doing only to be answered with Abner placing a index finger on his lips to tell him to remain silent.
"I heard another child was taken away just this morning by that...that Care Program Service claiming that they will provide for the child until he's 18," one of the old men with freckles on his face said to his friends while shaking his head.
Another old man with a scar below his left eye left from his childhood added, "That family is of the poorer ones in the town."
Another butted in, "Yes. But they were still reluctant to part with their only child. But those evildoers somehow convinced them by saying all sorts of tricky and colorful words that painted a wonderful image in their minds, that service thing even said that they will be depriving of their child's happiness and bright future if they refuse to part with him. Aiya." He sighed and shook his head in pity.
"That Care Program crap deceived that poor couple and stole away their only child that can look after them in their old age by telling them things they did not understand with their lack of education. They're child snatchers I say!" Suddenly a fourth old man barged in and intercepted the previous three with a loud voice full of anger and disgust.
The three old men hurriedly tried to hush him, "Shh! Don't be so loud! There are ears everywhere!" Afterwards, they looked around guardedly with caution in their eyes along with faint traces of fear and anger identically in their eyes.
Tuning out the rest of their conversation, Abner looked up from his wine cup to look at Arlo who was similarly listening in on the old men's discussion.
Putting the wine cup down onto the table, Abner lifted up the wine jar and poured another cup full of strong wine. Taking it to his lips, Abner sipped leisurely at the wine before saying to Arlo, "You think it's them?"
Although the question seemed confusing as Abner did not directly state the subject of his question, Arlo appeared to know what Abner was asking about.
Tilting his head to the side in a lazy manner, Arlo smirked, "Of course it's them, that Care Program Service is a group I have never heard of, especially when I am a great thief who has stolen from all around the world at least many times yet I have never heard of them before. Not even a smear mention of them." He downed his cup of wine and licked his red lips in satisfaction.
He added as his smirk grew into a bright grin, "Exactly like the Mono organization."
Abner smiled as well.
It was from then on that as Abner and Arlo transversed cross their journey they kept an open eye out on any news of an organization or group they had never heard of before. Especially Abner. As in his last life, he was about to become the "king" and he had access to a lot of information about all the organizations and groups and whatnots in the Underworld, Slums, and outside. Stuff that he needed to know as the "ruler" of the dark citizens.
There was no way that a new group just popped out of nowhere when it hadn't even been that long since his death. Especially when this Mono organization is so powerful as of what is currently known by him and Arlo. There is no way for them to be that strong and have such a wide range of networks if they were only established recently.
Or as Abner always say, sometimes having nothing on something is having something on that thing.
Now after all the gathering of hints and clues, Abner and Arlo finally found a lead in the form of the City Lord's Mansion in Trek City. From what they had gathered, they guessed that the city lord is most likely one of Mono organization's minions that dealt in children snatching whether fairly or unfairly. As for what they wanted the children for.....Abner and Arlo still had no idea, however, they can guess that it's definitely not for anything good and definitely something harmful to the children.
That's why tonight, during the dark of the day, Abner and Arlo sneaked in like thieves into the City Lord's Mansion. As for why they wanted to infiltrate the treasure room where the city lord's wealth is safeguarded, the source can only be directed to Arlo's thief sense.
Apparently, Arlo's thief sense is really accurate, especially when it comes to finding and then stealing important or valuable stuff. It's not like a thief only steals expensive things like antique vases and treasure paintings. A true and great thief would know to steal and monopolize anything that is valuable. And Arlo is a true and great thief---the greatest, as he likes to say.
And to be honest, Arlo really is the best thief Abner has ever seen. Abner had seen many talented and stealthy thieves in the past, but he has never seen one as good a thief as Arlo.
Now resuming to the current situation, Abner thought of a way to swiftly defeat all the guards at once.
Reaching into the black cloth bag he brought with him, Abner took out a zip-lock big filled with gleaming white powder. First and foremost, he took out two pills and gave one to Arlo with the other one for himself. Next, he poured out some of the powder onto a piece of napkin and took out a half-a-fist-sized rock. Aiming steadily at the window a distance away from the treasure room, Abner threw the rock at the window, easily breaking the glass thus directing the guards' attention momentarily to the broken window in alarm.
Abner quickly walked out of the shadows that had hid him from sight to blow the white powder at the distracted guards. The tiny white particles seamlessly blended into the air as they drifted towards the unaware guards who breathed them in. A bout of dizziness and a loss of strength soon resulted mere seconds after they had inhaled in the strength-weakening poison.
'Now!' Abner said to himself as he leapt forward and pounced onto a nearby guard and punched him on the chin causing that guard's knees to buckle and fail and even his consciousness to shut off. Abner gasped soundlessly in surprise, he did not expect his strength to increase by so much that he could knock a trained guard out with only one punch.
"Well this just made things easier," Abner murmured to himself as he continued on his rampaging of knocking out the guards.
Minutes later, Abner stopped and dropped his fists to his side. Not because he finished dealing with the guards but because of a gun pointed at him. Even if that guard holding the gun was poisoned by the white powder which caused his strength to wane, pulling a trigger can still be easily done requiring almost no effort.
However, Abner was not scared, in fact, he felt no fear at all even though there was a gun pointed at him.
That confidence can only come from the fact that he knows there is nothing to be afraid of---including the loaded gun.
And in that instant, as if Abner's confidence was being answered, behind the only guard left, out of the shadows a person jumped out and grabbed the arm holding the gun and squeezed. Arlo squeezed really hard at the upperpart of the guard's arm, causing pain and a numbing sensation to course through the guard's arm, momentarily paralyzing that arm.
Chance!
It was during this brief seconds opportunity that Abner ran forward and kicked at the guard's arm that was still held out with the gun, causing the gun to fly up into the air, before giving another brutal kick directed at the guard's stomach---which Arlo avoided by stepping away. His back slamming against the wall, the guard was unconscious with a still-paralyzed arm.
Using one hand, Abner perfectly caught the gun that finally dropped down from high in the air. Checking the bullets that remained, Abner was satisfied to find that there were still plenty left.
At the side, while Abner was checking out the gun, Arlo was in front of the treasure room examining the door lock. Sticking his tongue out at the side of his mouth, Arlo reached up to his hair and took off the bobby pin used to pin his bangs to the side. Reshaping the bobby pin, Arlo picked the lock on the door easily.
A great thief---or rather, any thief---should be able to pick locks.
Turning the doorknob, Arlo entered, followed by Abner who finally turned his attention away from the gun and back to their main focus.
They entered the treasure room, and the door closed behind them.