Tohgi: If the robbery happens in our town then we would be chasing a case from our zone right?
Member: That's not incorrect I guess, wait, why do you look excited?
Tohgi: that's all I needed to know, bye
Tohgi immediately went to Dale to discuss the bank robbery, he briefed him on what he had found out and his suspicions.
Tohgi: I think we should anticipate and chase the robbery; would you sanction it?
Dale: Why are you asking me?
Tohgi: Well you're the third mate and I don't want to involve the Cap or Yuki in something that might be fruitless.
Dale: Cap, Yuki clearly see you as third, there's no special ceremony you're the third mate now, you don't need my permission.
Tohgi: (I didn't expect him to give in so soon.) Either way I still I need you if I am going to be successful.
Dale: alright.
Tohgi: Great, these people are clearly well prepared so we can't just go head in and think we would get them, this is what I think we should do.
Tohgi explained his plan on how to deal with the robbers if they came to Rydat city.
Dale: This doesn't sit well with me, but I'll go with it.
Tohgi: What would you suggest?
Dale: We should protect the bank rather than let them steal and try to catch them… Like you said, they are well prepared to be this successful, what if they get away?
Tohgi: Well bank robberies were never our responsibility to begin with, so we just take the loss and move on. Besides it's my plan, I can't see it not working out.
Dale was slightly irritated by Tohgi's sentiment.
Dale: Yeah… your confidence can be quite irritating
Tohgi: yeah, I know, it's a blessing and a curse, what can I do?
Dale: Blessing?
Dale said sarcastically.
Tohgi: yeah, it can be contagious or annoying, depends on the person. Anyway, we should start the planning with the knights we need so our set up is perfect.
Dale and Tohgi informed the members of their squad they intended to be involved in the plan and they started preparing. They set up and awaited the robbery around the period they anticipated there would be another strike. The bank workers were instructed not to raise alarms at suspicious customers but go about the day as they normally would. However, there should be a check after every customer accessed their jewellery box, without being noticed. This was to be done every day until they were informed to stop. All abnormalities were reported directly to Tohgi and all the knights on the mission were on a linked comm frequency. The anticipated day came and a customer came in to access their jewellery box, as the customer was leaving, the room was checked and the vault's manager was found knocked out by the corner in the room. Tohgi was immediately contacted and the knights were instantly dispatched to the bank.
Robber 1: What the hell, why are there knights?
Robber 2: Calm yourself, we may have not expected knights, but we are prepared for alarms like this.
A staff quickly identified the customer that came into the bank and the person he was leaving with. Tohgi made an attempt to catch the robbers using vines, but the two of them split up. One ran into a crowd and the "customer" tried to evade but was caught in the process as Tohgi was more focused on him to begin with.
Member: We failed to identify or catch the second robber.
Tohgi: Doesn't matter we got the main one.
Dale: The customer should be the main perpetrator from their modus operandi, so? Where are the valuables?
Customer: huh? What valuables?
Tohgi: playing dumb is pointless right now, do you have spatial magic?
Customers: I don't know what you're talking about I only came to collect my gold ring that I deposited.
Dale: There's nothing on him, and the analytical team checked for any spatial magic residues, there was nothing.
Tohgi: I didn't think spatial magic would be used, I doubt the analytical team would not have noticed a rip in space in the previous robberies, but I just wanted to eliminate that option. It is something else, something we're not looking for.
Dale: We should go back to the clerk; they might have seen whatever it is that we are not looking for.
Tohgi: That's true.
They returned to the bank to examine the vault and ask the clerk some questions. While they were searching around the vault, the bank clerk walked in to provide assistance as requested.
Dale: the first question is how did they knock out the vault manager? he's supposed to be decently skilled.
Clerk: You requested my presence?
Dale: Can you spot anything that's different from how it should be that we might not notice?
Clerk: hmm… nothing really, the only thing different is how dusty the floor is, the cleaner should never allow this.
Tohgi: Dusty? So it's meant to always be clean.
Tohgi rubbed his finger on the floor and slightly inhaled the dust.
Tohgi: the powder on the floor, it's sleeping spores mixed with dust, the thing we weren't looking for.
Dale: How do you know this?
Tohgi: I'm a village boy that likes plants, one of the few advantages of growing poor.
Dale: I don't think being poor is enough to educate yourself like that, but that explains why there's been no reports of magic being used.
Tohgi: That also explains how they open the boxes if the manager is always knocked out, but it still doesn't make sense.
Dale: I agree, how does he walk out alone with no one noticing?
Tohgi: If there is no spatial magic, how does he transport it? And who was his partner and what's his role?
Clerk: I might have been mistaken but I thought I saw the vault manager leave the room with the customer.
Tohgi: huh?… that explains it, you're not mistaken, that is what his partner is for, illusionary magic basically.
Dale: That would also explain why we lost him so easily, two questions answered one left.
Tohgi: well at least now we're sure, if his partner is a shapeshifter, he's the thief and transporter
Clerk: But, how did he get in?
Tohgi: there should be another personnel knocked out somewhere.
Dale: It's safe to assume that he shape shifted into a different staff and was let into the vault by his partner.
Clerk: I apologise, you warned us that this would happen, yet we still failed to see it coming, if we alerted you on time you would have caught both.
Tohgi: No, you were perfect, it's our fault for letting him go, we'll just have to go to their base, considering I was right about this attack I am pretty confident their base is in Cryhill city.
Dale: We should leave first thing in the morning.
Tohgi: I agree, although I don't expect commoners to be able to move such valuables in less than a week, we can never be too safe.
Officer: What do we do with him?
Tohgi: He's yours, even if he refuses to tell us how, by tomorrow we should have his partner and enough evidence to put him away, he is useless.
Officer: yes sir, we would take him away.
Tohgi: Prepare to travel first thing in the morning, we can't give him time to settle.
Members: Roger
The police were transporting the thief to jail when he took note of the police officer that had the keys to his lock. He stole the keys and knocked the officers out using the rest of the spores he had on him. He jumped out the carriage and disappeared before they recovered.
Robber: (It would take some time before the knights find out I've escaped)
The escaped convict called his partner immediately to inform him on the change of plans.
Robber: Shift up the schedule to move the valuables, get our severance package tonight and I'll meet you at our hideout.
Robber 2: Tonight? He wouldn't like that!
Robber: The knights know too much, the city we work from, both our faces and who knows what else. We have to cut ties and disappear; this was always part of the deal!
Robber 2: I understand that, but an impromptu meet up? These pampered people only like things going their way
Robber: They are also very selfish, if you don't move them tonight by tomorrow the whole city would be on high alert and they wouldn't get their goods. Let them know that!
Robber 2: Okay, I would organise for the drop off tonight.
Robber: Don't forgot our vow, if I don't make it.
Robber 2: I could never.
They ended the call between them and began moving accordingly. The escaped convict had planned to leave the city immediately and head south.
Robber: Even if I don't make it, you would get a happy life.
END!