The Heist of a Nameless Book [Quest]

The Heist of a Nameless Book
A Hopeless Heist by MechaCake


​

More than any fall in the few years before this one, the fallen leaves had come in full effect. That delightful crunch beneath your feet seemed to last longer than anyone expected, and the street with the most golden leaves on it was probably Kings Street, so it wasn't uncommon to hear a rustle in the night: either the wind, an animal: it was actually great audio camouflage which why this was a favorite spot of Huey Staine. Not only was King's Street a perfect location, but the alley next to Pulley's Bakery was prime real estate as well: Huey always made sure to pay off Mr. and Mrs. Pulley so if there was any kinda trouble, they would pretend not to be wise to it. If anything, Huey Staine was always prepared.

"What time is it, Huey?"

The Client, Mr. Pompley of the Pompley Publishing empire was an old man who always dressed to his best, but looked practically strangled by his three-piece suit. The seemingly twelve year old boy next to him in more common, but suitable, garb pulled out a pocket watch.

"Eleven fifty-six on the dot Mr. Pompley."

"Where the devil are they?"

"Relax, it's not quite time yet."

"Well, I would've expected at least one of them to come early! It's just proper behavior."

Huey gave a less-than-friendly glance over to Mr. Pompley.

"Yeah, well these are thieves, fighters and killers. You didn't hire, proper men, Edgar. You hired experts, and they will be on time or I'll hire another group of people to slice them into bits and serve them in the Soup Kitchen's chili, got it?"

Edgar Pompley was agape for a moment, before finally finding the words to speak.

"Y-yes, absolutely, Huey."

Huey went back to friendly like the flip of a switch.

"Good, would you like to share a smoke, Mr. Pompley?"

"Sure, sure."

Huey produced a high-quality foreign cigar from his jacket, and gave it spark. It was a near-perfect cigar: only the best for him and his clients. Huey took a moment with the cigar before handing it over to Mr. Pompley and then checked his watch again.

Eleven fifty-seven.

@Kessler Cole @Nalani Rosa @Ortix Farlin @Britta Hagen @Dempsey Fabijain

 

It was fifteen minutes before midnight and Britta guessed that she should have no problems reaching the meeting location before the proposed meeting time came, for she wasn’t too far away. Judging by the map of the area she had pulled up with one of her menu screens, it showed that it was just a relatively short walk away. So long as she didn’t get delayed of any sort, there would be nothing to keep her off track, allowing her to remain on time, or even early if things would allow. This was the first real quest that she undertaken since her entry into the game, and she was more than prepared to make the most of it, for it held a special significance to her and the blonde wanted to see it completed.

Pulley’s Bakery on King’s Street was just two streets away, just around the corner, followed by another street straight ahead. Easy peasy. As the time hit eleven fifty eight on the clocks around the city, she stepped into the alley, looking into the shadows of the approaching midnight to see two figures waiting there.

These had to be her mission contacts. One of them was an old man dressed well in a three-piece suit, the other, a much younger boy next to him, was dressed similarly well, and the authoritative aura exuding from the young boy seemed to suggest that it was not the old man that was in charge here.

Clad in a simple white shirt and brown pants over a breastplate made out of really crappy rusty armour that looked like it crafted out of abandoned scrap pieces of iron and other assorted metal materials, along with the lousy homemade spear she fashioned out of similar junk materials, Britta looked more like a scavenger than a well-equipped mercenary. Raising her hand in a wave, she announced.

“Ey, there. I’m one of the lot you hired.”

@MechaCake @Kessler Cole @Nalani Rosa @Ortix Farlin @Dempsey Fabijain

 

While others might have been late, Kessler's approach had been a little more... 'unique' as he approached the alley with his hands in his pockets, brow furrowed as if in a state of perpetual irritation. Anyone who'd been paying close attention would have noticed he had passed by this alley a total of 8 times in the last 4 hours, rotating through three sets of outfits every time he passed by. Criminal activity was something that pumped through Kessler's veins in reality, even if he didn't have the same body or face, he wouldn't lose those skills or that caution. Whenever anyone put in 'work' they wouldn't just go straight to the destination unless they were hired for a 'black out'. Instead, particularly for a 'B&E' suspicion was important, casing the joint, looking at your cliental, checking the presence of local law enforcers.

By the time he was finally satisfied that the job was legit, he strolled into things late, but not exceptionally so. He was a professional after all, he did cut things close as he approached with pocketed hands and a frown. His clothing wasn't much different from Britta's, a plain white shirt, pants that were the objects of peasants. Rather then a weapon though, Kessler simply carried around a large thick branch-- As if that were enough for him to get the job done. In reality he would kill a man with a spoon if you paid well enough, so the sturdy branch did him just fine in this game where the rules were a little more 'lax'. Upon arriving, his gaze darted towards Britta, a vague interest in her curvaceous figure apparent in his fiery gaze, but it was quickly extinguished when he remembered he was here for 'work'.

"Alright... I'm here. Let's keep it professional--" He spoke, his speech rough and crude as you might expect from a thug, but in regards to 'professionalism, he made it clear he referred to the clients, his partners he wouldn't mind getting to know better. "Are we waiting for the others or do you want to just get on into it?" He asked without much concern about who'd be joining him, as far as he was concerned, this was something he'd done dozens of times as a low level street soldier, let alone the work he did as an enforcer.

 

Ortix wandered the streets of Stokbon while thinking about his next quest. He was supposed to meet some guys in an alleyway next to some place called "Pulley's Bakery." Just the "alleyway" part made it sound sketchy. He could picture it well, they would meet in the alley and someone would jump out and knock him unconscious. Next thing you know, you wake up in a bathtub full of ice with thick dotted black lines all over your body. Well, he was in a game so he found it unlikely the quest-givers were actually out for his kidneys. Remembering the list of UI, Ortix clenched his fist so tight it hurt and then quickly released. Sure enough a little menu popped where he could check the time, it was 11:58. He was almost late and began to hurry.

"Mmmmm" Ortix knew he was at the right place now from the abundantly fragrant sweets from within the bakery. He peeked around the corner of the bakery's wall spotting four people, two of which looked particularly out of place. Ortix could safely assume that they would be his teammates.

"Sup, my names Ortix Farlin and I'm here about quest."

@MechaCake @Kessler Cole @Nalani Rosa @Britta Hagen @Dempsey Fabijain

 

Dempsey strolled in at just about around the time she was told to be here. she hadn't worked with any of these people before and was a bit apprehensive, but something besides crawling around the woods would be a nice change of pace. She'd been by Pulleys bakery a few times, but had never actually stopped in, preferring the appealing snacks and finger foods of street vendors. either way, she was here now, and it seems like she was the last to arrive. she introduced herself quietly.

"Hey everyone. I'm Dempsey. I'm assuming we're all here about the quest, and not the midnight bakery lessons?"

She gave her equipment a last looking-over, tightening a strap here and adjusting a buckle there before inspecting the contents of her pack one last time before announcing to the group

"Alright. I'm ready. Let's do this..."

 

The last one to arrive, Nalani had almost missed the meeting due to her own misfortunes. Too caught up in a project she had to do, she realized that it was almost time for everyone to meet up for the quest she was taking part in and quickly hurried online, signing into her character and nearly rushing to the spot. It was near a bunch of alleyways in Stokbon, but she'd heard that it was close enough to a bakery, so following her nose she allowed herself to stop right in front of the cute little bakery, peering into the windows for a second with wide eyes. Delicious... She loved a good sweet treat, and maybe some day she would come back to get one, but unfortunately for now, she pulled away from the window and into the alleyway, spotting the rest of her group.

They were a strange bunch, all bundled together, and she blinked at them as she approached, wishing she hadn't arrived so late. There was a lady, a man, and two other Felis's like herself that stood there, as well as a younger boy and older man, whom seemed to be their clients. She tucked her hands behind her back and nodded, smiling apologetically, "Sorry for being a little late, got caught up in... Stuff." she couldn't say 'real life' stuff, as she wasn't 100% aware to how npcs would react to a player saying that. She needed to play the part of a hired arm, and that she was. White ears twitching as she looked at the group around her and then back at the two more normal men, she cocked her head to the side curiously, "So... Where do we start?"​

 

Huey stared down the group who had appeared before him, and smirked over to Mr. Pompley.

"I told you they'd be on time."

"Yes, the group you hired, they are-"

"Eclectic? Beggars can't be choosers, Edgar. Besides, have I ever steered you wrong?"

Huey looked over to the group of five they had gotten for the heist.

"So, this is who we have. You all look to be a fine enough crew, let me go over the plan."

Huey looked over to the brick wall of Pulley's Bakery and found an single uneven brick and pushed it in. Immediately, the enchantment on the alley went into effect: a part of the wall opened to show a shelf with a few things: some rolled-up documents, steel and wooden masks, several highball, wine and cocktail glasses and a single empty liquor bottle with a blank label. At the same time the shelf opened up, a stone table came out of the floor.

"A tradition in some parts of the Stokbon underworld is that we always have a toast before we start the heist. I suggest you all get something to drink, even if it's just water or juice. I think I'm going to go with... a nice merlot."

Huey grabbed the empty bottle, and voila! Merlot poured into Huey's empty glass. Immediately, Huey looked over to Britta, the first person there, and gave her the enchanted bottle.

"Here, take your drink and pass it around."

"So, in terms of the objective, you'll be looking for a book with no title. It's cover is blue-green and it has a golden lock. We happen to have the key to said lock..."

Mr. Pompley put an ornate silver key onto the table.

"Said book also has a large magical aura around it, so all you magic users, be sure to note that. You'll be robbing a vault owned by the Livalies, an old magical family with deep, deep pockets. Despite their ties, it's mostly guarded by hired security, so you don't have to bother with the police. It's a small building on the corner of Main and Blue, a few blocks away, and it's- well, it's pretty interesting, I'll leave it at that. The vault is underground, but probably not hard to crack. It's going to be a little hard to get in, though, as there's only a couple people who go in and out each day and the building is always locked up: they change the person on shift in about an hour, so do what you need to do or if there's another way take it. Basically, do this however you want: you don't have to be quiet about it but you need to be quick and you need to keep the real cops off your trail. If you need it..."

Huey gestured over to the masks on the shelf.

"Well, you can use those. We'll be meeting in the bakery after the heist, should be about dawn by the time you're done. Here's one more thing-"

Huey put his rolled up parchment onto the table.

"Map of the vault. Give both items back to me or there'll be hell to be paid. It's up to you guys who gets what, all right?"

Huey and Mr. Pompley put their glasses into the air.

"Cheers, then."

@Kessler Cole @Nalani Rosa @Ortix Farlin @Britta Hagen @Dempsey Fabijain

 

Just as soon as she thought that she would be the only turning up for the heist, the rest began to show up one by one, forming up the group just nicely so that they could all begin and move on from waiting. They looked like a bunch of misfits that totally didn’t belong together, but then again, that was what most pick-up-groups tend to be in MMORPGs anyway, so she didn’t concern herself with it all too much. Now that they were all here, their clients were more than ready to begin. As she’d expected, the boy began with the lead, pushing in an uneven brick in the wall next of the bakery, something she hadn’t exactly noticed before, and that was when something magical happened. Or was this some trick of some sort?

She’d prefer to go with the former. Magic was more likely she reckoned. It was like a secret storeroom of sorts and held with it a variety of items. There were masks, wine and cocktail glasses along with a single bottle of liquor that didn’t seem to have any liquid inside as far as she could see. The boy called Huey continued, announcing that it was tradition for them all to have a drink before their heist.

Leading in example, he picked up the bottle, commenting on his choice, and voila! The empty looking bottle magically began to pour out the desired beverage into his glass. Yet another affair of some sorcery. Britta could hardly comprehend these kind of magic tricks. He then passed on the bottle to her, and she took it confusedly, before she too gave a brief comment on her choice.

“I’ll have myself some whiskey then. Not too much, just a glass would do.” Passing on the bottle to the guy with the dark hair who arrived second, Britta began to sip her drink as she listened to the client briefing them on their objective, and the target items they were supposed to acquire. He then motioned over to the masks, indicating that they could take one of them if they felt the need to, and she took one of metal ones, who knows if she might actually need it later?

@Kessler Cole @Ortix Farlin @Dempsey Fabijain @Nalani Rosa @MechaCake

 

Dempsey listens to the instructions carefully while trying to sum up her group. She'd seen a few of them in passing, but had never worked with any of them save the perpetually timid Nalani. Nanali was much more competent than she gave herself credit for, but her lack of confidence would be detrimental at times. 'what the hell is she doing taking on a job like this?' she mused to herself.

Kessler seemed to be fairly adept at all of this, presenting himself as the consummate professional. He had the look about him of a man who was in his element sneaking through the streets to attend sketchy meetings at all hours of the night. Dempsey assumed that he was also a "lock sport enthusiast" and they would need him for the most important job of all; breaking into the safe. He would be good to have in the group, even if she wasn't entirely sure about the rest of them.

She pegged Ortix as more muscle, which was fine by her. judging from his equipment, expecting a certain degree of stealth from him was not out of the question, but he also had the demeanor and lean, fit build of a fighter. He was a little tight lipped about his capabilities thus far, and that was cause for some concern. she had little patience for tourists and third wheels in her groups

and Britta, who'm she was too distracted by physical appearance to make any meaningful evaluation of. She casually tossed the other woman a friends list invite through her palm UI with a wink, then carried on as if nothing had happened, declining a drink when the glass bottle was passed her way.

"So... guys. What all do we have going for us here? anyone here that can pick locks? I can do a little bit of stealthy stuff when the situation calls for it, but it's not particularly a strength of mine... should we just bum rush the place and hope for the best?"

she finished her question casually and strode over to the collection of masks, picking one that was plain white and covered her entire face. She slipped it on experimentally, then pulled it back off and held it in both hands, looking the group over expectantly.

 

Ortix studied his teammates, they were a ragtag bunch as he expected. But what interested him was the little kid acting like some kind of mafioso, Ortix payed special attention to him. While observing him, the boy felt up the wall revealing a hidden shelf and table.

"Cool, that's just like in a book or a movie. You guys think there's a bookshelf somewhere 'round here too?" Ortix chuckled in an attempt to lighten up the mood and break up the unfamiliarity between the gang. The shelf contained all sorts of interesting stuff, but what Ortix noticed were the masks. Pretty odd to put this in the alleyway of some bakery, he thought. Then, the kid picked a bottle off the shelf and named his drink

Finally, it was Ortix's turn for the bottle after the other Felis woman in front of him passed it up. He swiped the bottle excitedly and looked it up and down as if appraising it. Outside of the game, the only time he drank was to get drunk. While thinking briefly about what he wanted to drink he realized that while he couldn't be impaired off of just one glass, it was probably best to stay on his toes.

"Water please." He said as he turned the bottle downwards at his glass. Sure enough, water came out quickly filling his cup. Ortix then passed the bottle off to the next person down and lifted his glass. After the ritualistic cheers, he walked towards the counter and selected a mask. He picked one made out of steel that looked like a cat and smiled at the others placing it over his face. It was blue with a few thick white stripes but only revealed his eyes. He fastened the leather straps on the back of his mask snugly around his head and waited for his team at the alley exit.

"Let's do this!"

@Kessler Cole @Britta Hagen @Dempsey Fabijain @Nalani Rosa @MechaCake

 

When passed the bottle by Britta, Kessler would merely pass it back to someone else along the line, slowly shifting his position among them as the kid spoke. His eyes narrows, his brow furrowed in thought as he tried to position himself properly to be the last person to receive the bottle once more. When he did again at the end of the rotation, Kessler put some thought into what he wanted before speaking in a rough tone. "Ice cream sundae." He demanded, giving the bottle a shake, as if expecting one to fall out. If it did, he'd be eternally pleased, if not, he'd only end up frowning deeply and instead go with Devil's Spring Vodka instead with a begrudged expression.

If possible though, he'd try to keep that bottle, after all, this pair of clients seemed rather wealthy and well off, a single bottle like this shouldn't put them too far back. No, instead he seemed to think this pair might even think asking for it back to be beneath them, seeing him as some knave or cur who would never taste the finer things and would merely see this as a small mercy for him. No matter how it was sliced though, Kessler had every intention of not returning that enchanted bottle unless it was aggressively asked for. If he did manage to snag it? Cool beans, if not? No loss off his nose, he'd merely play it off as forgetting.

When offered a mask though, Kessler would politely refuse, unlike the drink that he watched the boy himself drink and enjoy from the bottle, he wouldn't accept something that wasn't tested before his eyes. Instead, he'd wait for this person to leave, rip off portions of his peasant's vest and wrap it around his face and dreads for something more 'common'. Seeing the others trying for the grandiose or interesting masks though, he couldn't help a slight grimace. "Normally freebies are never free-- That and unique interesting things like specific masks will make you easier to find and profile." He voiced an honest concern so others won't be so attached to them. A unique mask was the same as having no mask at all, all someone would have to say is 'the guy wearing a ___ mask? yeah, he went that way', but a torn cloth? It could've been any common bandit or thug who didn't want to be chased or caught, who could say if it was from this particular heist? Though... If the masks had a special function, his opinion would take an abrupt 180, as if he'd never refused in the first place, he wouldn't hesitate to shamelessly take one after denouncing it if it had a special obscuring ability.

Though the description of the mission made Kessler furrow a brow again, irritable as always, he couldn't help poking holes in a few things as he continued. "The vault could be combination or even code based-- If it is a key, all well and good, but we shouldn't assume. More importantly I have some important questions." Kessler commented, if there was a seat near by, he'd try to claim it for thinking, but if not, he'd merely post himself up on the nearest thing he could lean on without tipping over. "What's our window here? Are we rushing in now or can this wait a few days? Do we know the details of their security force's skills and ability-- because private security is always better equipped then common guards. Also-- Maps, the layout is important, a point of reference is equally important." Kessler tried to explain to the boy and the person at his back, seeing nobody else asking questions, Kessler had to. This wasn't his first B&E, though it was low level work for an enforcer of his status, this wasn't reality any more, he was on the bottom wrung now which he didn't exactly hate; The problem was, how much support the clients would offer.

"The more you support us with information, the sooner we can act, but if this is all you have, we'll need a week-- No, a day or two maybe..." He mused glancing around at the people who would be his comrades here. If he was to acquire the information personally, it would take him a week of stalking, taring up garbage and assaulting staff members that left the building; but if he had help, he could cut down on the prep-time tremendously. "Well?" He finally commented, posing this question to the clients hoping for someone to throw him a bone.

 

A soft PING sounded, and the sound from the alert caught her attention. Turning away from the group, Britta quickly brought up her palm UI with a quick gesture, a smile appeared on her visage as she realised that the alert had simply been a friend’s list invite from the other woman in the crew, the white haired one. Casually accepting the invitation, she turned off the menus and headed back to the group. The round of drinks was just about over, with one of them passing and the other opting for a non-alcoholic option instead. Only the guy with the dreads and her picked any form of liquor, when his strangely weird initial request of ice cream sundae not seeming to make the cut for the magic beverage bottle.

What a weirdo. While the group went on to pick a mask that caught their interest, dreads guy, Kessler declined the choice of picking one, indicating that unique masks like these would only serve to make them easier to find and profile. Feeling irritable at him trying to ruin the moment, Britta turned over to him.

“You words have truth in them, but yet I feel that your dreads would be more identifiable than any of these masks here, unless you have a hood of sorts to hide them? I haven’t seen that many people with dreads thus far.” She then began sulking at him, mumbling something inaudible. That frown soon dissipated as he began to throw a barrage of questions towards their clients about the queries he had for the job. Listening intently, she thought about what had just asked. These were all great important relevant questions that needed to be asked, and Britta too wondered them herself now.

@Kessler Cole @Ortix Farlin @Dempsey Fabijain @Nalani Rosa @MechaCake

 

Nalani couldn't help but let out a little gasp at everything that appeared around them, looking curiously at the items hidden in the walls. The game never failed at amazing her, and each quest brought something different, something new that she enjoyed exploring and learning about every time. Only some of the others looked as amazed as she did, but that didn't quite bother her- She was allowed to be in awe of what was going on around here before they jumped into action for the quest.

She was passed the bottle and a glass, and had to make a quick choice on what to drink. Alcohol wasn't a good idea before a mission, but water seemed a bit... Boring, "I'll take some cranberry juice." she said to the bottle, as red liquid poured out and filled her cup, passing the bottle on when she was done. She snickered quietly at the one man, Kess it was? When he asked for an ice cream sundae, and took a small sip of her drink to distract her as she turned her attention back towards the men. They were... Quite confident about the task at hand, but as the same man who asked for the sundae began to raise some valid questions, she realized that maybe they weren't as prepared as she thought they were.

Regardless, she turned her attention to the wall to chose a mask, just picking out a plain white one with black stripes that matched her aesthetic before turning back to the conversation, nodding in agreement with Britta. They all had good points on what was the best way to go about acting on this quest, but she agreed that Kess's dreads might come off a bit obvious. Especially if he'd already caused a ruckus somewhere and people were already looking for him. Nonetheless, she pulled on her mask on so that it was sitting on top of her head and not quite her face yet, listening to the points of the others.

@Kessler Cole @MechaCake @Ortix Farlin @Dempsey Fabijain @Britta Hagen​

 

Kessler wasn't particularly bothered by the gazes when he made his request for ice cream. The reason was simple-- an enchanted bottle that could produce anything? Could it make liquid foods too? How about semi-liquid? If he asked for a frosty drink would it be given to him? Why not push the limits? When he wasn't given what he wanted though, he couldn't help complaining internally. Among the few innocent desires Kessler still had in that heart of his that had been hardened by criminal activities, Ice cream was probably top three or four, behind romance novels and home made BBQ. In truth he even considered picking up 'cooking' as one of his initial masteries to bring that hobby into the game, but quickly pushed it aside deciding on making sure he could hold his own first.

At Britta's sulky retort to his earnest advice though, he only flashed a toothy smirk. "Not spent too much time in the slums have you? It's understandable, who'd wanna hang around with poor starving people all day who can't find a job or role in society. Ain't strange for them to have it though-- or Crew workers by the shipyards either. That said, I do have a way of hiding them when the time comes-- don't you worry princess, just... the more you know mm?" He asked with a wink, as if thinking himself devilishly handsome. Whether or not others would agree of his brief moment of narcissism brought on by his experience in this particular field, was unknown-- at the very least, if there was anyone, he himself might have been shocked as well.

Instead he only patiently waited for the clients to answer his questions. If they couldn't then he considered going rogue and trying to launch this heist himself by dolling out the appropriate jobs if all else failed.

 

Ortix relaxed as he leaned up against the alley wall while waiting for his teammates idle chit chat to end. Idle chit chat soon turned argumentative. He listened to both sides of the argument well and internally was on Britta's side (He really wanted to wear a mask). Normally patient, Ortix was excited to complete this quest and deemed himself a worthy mediator for the situation. He slid his mask off his face and to the side and began:

"Okay okay, the mask thing isn't a problem if we just get rid of 'em when we're done right?" He said looking at Kessler and then transitioning his eyes towards Britta, "Also, if this guy doesn't like masks then so be it. You do you, big guy and thanks for the advice, we all appreciate it." Ortix turned back shot Kessler a wink. "Either way, let's get a move on alright?" He slid his mask back over his face and turned around heading for the exit to the alley. "Why can't they all just be like himself and the other two Felis?" He thought to himself. "Felis must be the only chill race in this game..." His vast approval of Nalani and Dempsey so far would go unnoticed behind his steel mask.

"So like I said earlier, let's do this!" Ortix chanted at another attempt to rally the group.

@Kessler Cole @Nalani Rosa @Dempsey Fabijain @Britta Hagen