Mice in the Dark

Site Admin Joined: Nov 12, 2009 Posts: 472

It was electric. The feeling in the air was one of barely contained excitement, not dulled in the slightest by the gentle rocking of the rowboat, nor the soft sounds of churning water as the oars pushed the small craft through the water. The man looked to the four others in the boat with him, all save one dressed in outfits made to make them blend in with the local authorities.
He smiled to himself, He knew these compatriots were the most skilled there were, and the plan had been fine tuned for months. Planning and Cunning, and surprise were on their side, and every eventuality had been prepared for. In a few hours time, he and his cohorts would be back home, gloating over their evenings success.
As the boat reached shore, one of his companions exited the craft, making deft use of the shadows to scout their landing, ensuring they remained unobserved. After receiving the all clear, he sent the others onto the shore before following himself. They huddled together in the darkness, the plan now necessitating they split up. As he looked to the only member of their group who was not in disguise, he smiled, knowing she was up to the job of creating a distraction. Waiting several minutes to allow her a head start, he gave the others the signal to move forward, each one knowing exactly where they needed to go.
It was only a short walk from their landing to the large, round; Iron grating that covered the city’s sewage ways. Taking up a position of observation, he nodded to one of his remaining followers, ordering her to gently and silently open the grating. The three of them slipped into the foul smelling dank and twisting passages before he himself followed them down, careful to replace the grating quietly.
Once in, another smile touched his lips, despite the horrid smell of the place. Leading the way, the small band made their way to the point where so much preparation had taken place. Fending off the rodents and small beasts that made their homes in the place proved no great challenge for them, easily cutting the vermin to pieces as they made their way to their goal. After some time, they found it: A latticework of pipe that hugged one of the ancient stone walls, the criss-crossed patter extending all the way from the floor to the ceiling. He nodded to himself in confirmation, this was indeed the place.
He gave the signal to one of his followers, watching as she deftly scaled the easily climbable pipework. Her fingers gently traced the lines of the stone ceiling, finding the stone that had been loosened after months of delicate work. Hearing her claim of success, he signaled his two remaining friends, them taking up positions below her as she lowered the heavy stone to them. Silently resting the stone on the ground, the quartet climbed up the pipework, finding themselves exactly where they'd hoped to be: The treasury office of the Town Hall in the city of Sensual.
A ruthless smile touched the man’s lips, taking a moment to admire the precision his people had demonstrated thus far. Nodding to each of them, he set them to work, silently opening and emptying the vaults of the city. Large gold bars where stuffed into magically enchanted bags, freeing them of the crushing weight of their burden. Drawers were removed from the bureaus revealing them to be filled to the brim with golden coins and gems of every color. These too were poured into bags, each one filled and lowered back into the dank passageway from where they had made their entry.
Satisfied that his friends were taking care of the job, he silently opened the door, and slipped into the empty hall. He made his way to the mayoress' office, knowing exactly where he needed to go. He took a look around as he found the door, he carefully slid a piece of wire into the lock, opening it. He slipped inside, careful to close the door behind him.
The desk drawers posed him no trouble as he effortlessly bypassed their locks, pulling each one out and claiming the documents inside. A cold smile touched his lips as he caught glances of what he stole, knowing that it would prove very useful in the days to come. Permitting himself a small measure of vindictiveness, he slashed up the mayor’s chair, reducing it to ribbons as he tucked the last of the sensitive documents into his tunic.
Leaving the office, he made his way back to the others, by now finished with stripping the treasury of all its valuables. He urged the others back down the hole in the floor, taking one last look around and smiling before he joined them. He gave the order to leave the hole uncovered, letting his victims know how thoroughly they'd been outwitted.
Hauling some of the gold laden sacks over his shoulder, he gave the final signal, sending them on their way back to the boat ready to take them to safety. Smiling again to himself as the plan fully reached fruition as the boat carrying them home slipped silently into the fog.