The cold evening sky of Crimson City was filled with heavy clouds, blocking out the stars with the moon partly covered. 

The city's streets filled with grime, due to a heavy downpour of rain, and shadows with whispers from those living in the streets adding a little life to it. 

Lycia Carter, crouched on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse. Her breath fogged in the frosty air struggling with the cold. Her arms wrapped around her body and her eyes stretched out, leading toward the glittering mansions of the wealthy. 

Lycia spent her life living with the forgotten, the unseen and the unworthy. The kind of people who scraped by on luck and grit to survive. 

But tonight was different. Something different was going to happen. Tonight, she was on a mission that could change everything, not just for herself but for Jack too.

 Jack's voice echoed in her thoughts, very weak and rasping, as he held her hands that morning.

"..listen kid… don't do anything foolish. I'll get better, I promise" his words punctuated by a weak uneven breath, the sound of his voice betraying the false bravado he was trying to project. 

"Sure you will", Lycia lied, with a smile on her face as thin as the bread in her hand they both shared. 

Her chest tightened with a deep but silenced breath at the thought of Jack wasting away while she stood there. She adjusted the strap of her crossbody bag and shifted her gaze to what appeared to be a window, taking a long look at the Deveraux Estate looming against the twilight sky.

 She's been hired to steal something very specific, a map. The details were quite murky, but her contractor had promised her an obscene amount of money in exchange to get the map. More than enough to save Jack, and enough to leave this cursed city. 

She slipped through the shadows, navigating the darkened spaces of the Deveraux Estate alongside Raven with practiced ease, silent and with precise movements. 

The mansion's maingate was just ahead, guarded by men who appeared more bored than alert. They knew better, they couldn't underestimate them. Crimson City's elite didn't hire amateurs to protect their treasures. 

After what felt like forever, Lycia and Raven found themselves scaling the side of what seems to be the largest mansion of the Deveraux Estate. The mansion was grand, its architecture a blend of ancient gothic spires and modern glasswork. To Lycia, it was just another target, one she couldn't afford to fail. 

"Lycia", Raven called. 

"Are you sure about doing this", Raven's voice cracked through the small earpiece Lycia wore, laced with skepticism and with a hint of amusement. "This is not your usual gig you know right?"

"I don't know, I don't have a choice", Lycia whispered, her breath visible in the cold night air. Further tightening her grasp around the grappling hook in her hand. 

"Jack's running out of time. If this job goes well and if they pay what they promised, I can get him the treatment he needs to get better".

"Desperate times, I seeee", Raven drawled, with a visible smirk on her face. "Fine. Just don't screw it up, you hear? I'll be right behind you and as backup if anything goes south". 

Lycia ignored the remark, she preferred getting herself steady. Her eyes were locked on the fourth floor balcony. It was the only entry point without any patrol guards. She didn't hesitate. 

Her fingers aching as she gripped the ivy covered lattice, adding complexity to her climbing. She reached the fourth floor balcony, hauling herself into the balcony. Sliding inside. The room was dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of old books and polished wood. 

A study, she thought.

 Her eyes scanned the shelves and furniture, looking for anything that might resemble the map she'd been hired to steal. 

Her contractor had given her barely enough information about this place to talk more of where the map is and how it looked. 

"The map has got to be here", Raven said.

Lycia's moves were swift. Her footsteps silent on the immaculately preserved vintage plush carpet. 

Something caught her eyes. A desk. A desk with a false bottom in one of the drawers. She leans in, crouched, pulling open drawers and feeling along their edges. 

"There", Raven said

 "Could it be it?", Lycia asked with skepticism 

"Second drawer. Bottom panel should slide", Raven replied with certainty, almost like she knew the map would be there. 

Lycia's pulse quickened as her fingers brushed the drawer Raven had described. She pressed and slid the panel aside. A faint click broke the silence, and the drawer slid open. There it was, a rolled parchment tied with Crimson String. Relief flooded her. 

"Got it", Raven breathed, tucking the map into the inner pocket of her cloak. 

Her legs had barely stretched as she stood when the hairs on her neck stood on end. An instinctive sense of awareness creeping through her. It wasn't the usual eerie silence of the room, it was something more. A presence loomed behind her, dark and predatory. 

"Thought you could steal from me?"….