Chapter 26 – Tough Choices

I exhale slowly as I gently rub my chin. The only thing I need now is a window of opportunity.

My underlings and I are currently hiding in an alley to the west of the College. There’s still a whole lot of traffic outside, so I need to find a way to get at least some of us up to and inside the building. A feat that is by no means simple. It’s a good thing that the entrance is somewhat secluded in the shadows of the building, but there is still a bit too many pedestrians walking around for my liking. We could head up there in full force, but I dismiss that as a dumb idea. Even the dullest of players would notice a bunch of criminals casually straddling through the streets.

Not only is it far away, but I can probably assume the door is locked. Therefore, my first order of business should be to find a way to get my Cutpurse over there without drawing any attention. That part shouldn’t be too difficult, since his stealth levels are adequate, and even high-level players should have some difficulty piercing his veil over long distances. The problem with this is that he can’t stay stealthed while picking the lock. He needs a distraction, and that’s a tall order to provide without alerting anyone that there are criminals about.

I believe my best option would be to use the time tested tactic of body blocking. To pull that off, I need to have a small crowd of people casually and strategically stand between any observers and the object of interest. The object of interest obviously being the Cutpurse who is up to no good.

Naturally, body blocking with a bunch of criminals would serve against its purpose, so I need to adjust the tactic slightly. To do this to the best effect, I pull out the two items I picked up during the heist from the widow job.

[Embroidered Formal Dress Set. Uncommon. Per level gain: +2 Charisma. Disguise: Hides class and reduces Infamy Level to 0. Requires: Female NPC. *Contraband*]

[Embroidered Formal Suit Set. Uncommon. Per level gain: +2 Charisma. Disguise: Hides class and reduces Infamy Level to 0. Requires: Male NPC. *Contraband*]

These items are perfect for my underlings to perform covert ops like this. While under the effect of the disguise, my underlings should be hidden from any prying eyes as long as they don’t pry too hard. It’s a pity I only have two of the items, so I need to carefully choose which of my underlings I want to bring along.

The Cutpurse has a decent stealth ability, so I can rule him out of needing a disguise. My high-level Hoodlum should always be part of any scheme I perform, not only because he is the perfect bodyguard, but also because he brings a lot of utility to the table. That brings me to the last disguise. Since it’s female-only, I can only use it on a female underling. Since the only female underling I have is the dwarven Hoodlum, aside from my Poisoner, of course, I pretty much have a full crew for this heist. I briefly considered bringing a Spotter, but from my experience down in the sewers, they don’t really excel in close-quarter combat. They can be useful, sure, but they don’t offer much flexibility in a straight-up brawl.

Handing out the disguises, I receive their armor in return which I store in my inventory. I consider grabbing their weapons as well since NPCs in finer garments usually don’t wield them, but it’s not worth it. If something does happen, then I prefer they have at least some means of defending themselves; or better yet, me.

Completing their changes of clothes, I halt to admire their new appearances. The human Hoodlum stands straight with a dignified posture. His dark red velvet garments are fit for a merchant of good standing. The female dwarf looks lavish in her dark blue dress that stretches to her knees. I might have actually called her a beauty if it hadn’t been because she retains her angry scowl from earlier. It’s a good thing the game’s items automatically adjust their size to whoever is wearing them, as I doubt Mrs. Davvin’s human figure can be compared to the short and compact dwarven Hoodlum. I know a few women back in the real world who would kill for this feature.

All ready to go, we head over towards the mouth of the alley overlooking the street in front of the College. Even though I have a plan, I need to find the correct moment to start the heist. Looking over the street, I spot a few people who loiter around the personnel entrance. Attempting to inspect them from afar, I spot a few high-level players standing reasonably close. It goes without saying that I would be pretty stupid to try and sneak in with players who can look through our disguises standing nearby, so I wait for them to move on.

A few minutes later, the group heads into the bar. The streets aren’t completely deserted yet, but all the players I can see are level ten or below.

It’s showtime.

I have the Cutpurse activate his stealth ability while I surround myself with my two Hoodlums and the Beggar. We depart the alley and move as a group over towards the personnel entrance. My nerves are running on high gear as my eyes dart back and forth, trying to get a complete overview of every person on the street. As we reach the door, I release a small breath as my Cutpurse starts picking the lock. The rest of us form a loose circle among us, attempting to block as much line of sight towards the Cutpurse as we can. I can’t help but shift my eyes all around me, nervous as I am.

After a short moment, a small party of low-level adventurers arrives from the southwest. The four of us move slightly in their direction, taking up position in their direct line of sight towards my Cutpurse. My heart is threatening to escape through my throat as I watch the adventures close in on us, completely lost in their own discussion. My muscles don’t ease up until the adventurers safely pass us, entering the bar.

“How long!?” I hiss at the Cutpurse through clenched teeth.

The Cutpurse gives me a deadpanned look for a fraction of a moment until he resumes his silent task. His lockpicking takes a long time. Far too long. After we stand out here for about three minutes, deftly moving from side to side to keep the line of sight impaired, I’m about to call the heist off when a soft clicking sound echoes behind me. Turning around, I spot the Cutpurse opening the door before he slips through.

“About fucking time.” I mutter, ordering my Hoodlums to hurry inside. I leave my Beggar outside to keep more eyes on the door before I sneak in myself.

I find myself in a short hallway with a single set of stairs leading upwards to my side. There’s a single oil lamp on the wall, illuminating the small area. The hallway is pretty narrow, so all my underlings are already halfway up the stairs to leave room for me.

It’s not a great staircase for fighting, seeing as the staircase is only wide enough to accommodate roughly one and a half person. Two people could pass each other, but they would have to squeeze past. It’s not an optimal place for my underlings to fight so I have my Cutpurse scout ahead while the Hoodlums trail him from a safe distance.

Left alone at the bottom of the stairs, I pull out the Acid Trap I looted earlier in the day. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m paranoid, or if it’s because I think traps are freaking awesome, but I’ve been hoping for a chance to place one of these since I decided to pick up the profession. Traps are pretty efficient, but they are purely defensive by nature. It’s virtually impossible to attack someone using traps, but they are good to slow down pursuers. I don’t really have to, but I would feel much safer knowing I have a fallback plan before I go deeper inside this building.

Looking around, I decide to place the trap above the door. It’s a natural chokepoint, and the door will distract the pursuer from the threat of the trap. It’s also easier for me to predict where the enemy will set foot, as their options are severely limited. I place the release mechanism above the door and gently insert the vial of acid. I place the pressure plate below the bottom step of the stairs and hide the framework alongside the wall.

Observing my work, I’m not quite satisfied. The trap is placed in an efficient location, but the simplicity of the trap makes it far too easy to spot. Scratching my head, I decide to snuff out the oil lamp on the wall, intending to cover the trap with darkness. I’m only somewhat successful, but I’ll take it. It certainly could be worse.

Luckily, because of game logic, placing traps only takes a fraction of the time it would take in real life to deploy traps. If I really put my mind to it, I’m certain I could set the trap in less than fifteen seconds. I’m not saying I have a street magician’s level of dexterity… But, you know.

Content with my work, I focus on the task at hand. I move up the stairs and find my two Hoodlums peeking around a corner. Joining them, I look down a dark corridor lightly illuminated by a few sparsely spread lanterns. My Cutpurse isn’t back yet, so I assume he didn't run into any trouble. If he did, then all hell would probably have broken loose by now. The concept of Burglary can be pretty simple sometimes.

We make our way down the hallway, peeking into the rooms spaced out on either side of the corridor. It appears the majority of the rooms on this floor are made up of classrooms. The rooms are mostly barren, with only a few chairs and tables in each of them. I guess it’s supposed to be like this in a medieval school for musicians, where the only things the students need are their own instruments and natural talent.

I don’t bother checking most of the rooms as it’s pretty clear it would be a waste of time. I only notice something out of the ordinary when I peek into the seventh classroom. I almost overlook it, but there’s an object in the back corner of the room, covered by a sheet. With my interest piqued, I sneak into the room and take a closer look. As I unravel the object, my eyes light up in joy.

[Dented Spruce Lute. Uncommon. 2-4 Blunt Damage, +4 Charisma. +2 Dexterity. Requires level 6. *Contraband*]

It’s a guitar! A god damn medieval guitar! I grin as I let my hands caress the smooth wooden limb, gently tucking on the strings with my thumb and index finger. It’s a real beauty.

Man, I should have impersonated a bard. I would have looked so good walking down the street playing on the lute. Bards are tough to play. They are horrible in straight-up combat, but they are also highly valued party members due to their powerful buffs and supporting capabilities. It doesn’t hurt that a skilled bard is also nice to have around when you need to pass time during long-distance travel. If it hadn’t been because I try to keep a low profile, I might have done that actually. Well, if it hadn’t been because nine out of ten Thief Lords masquerade as Bards, I might. I digress; It would paint a more sensible picture to see a Bard walking down the street with a Lute strapped to his back rather than a Trap Maker doing the same, wouldn’t it?

I have to say though. I love how much Bards and Thief Lords have in common gear-wise. We are both reliant on Charisma, as well as being two of the five purely support classes in the game. The weapon is actually perfect for me, and it’s going to look nice and shiny in my hands as soon as I level up.

We head further down the hallway and peek inside a few more classrooms. We don’t come upon any more useable items, but it doesn’t take long until we find the first signs of life.

My Cutpurse has been scouting ahead diligently, and he located a small office on the other side of the floor, next to the stairs leading up to the fourth floor. I’m actually surprised I haven’t run into anyone yet, but I suppose the game is tweaking the job parameters a little bit. Sneaking ahead, I notice the light from an open door stretching out into the hallway from an office at the end of the hall. I can spot the staircase on the other side, and I don’t think I can reach it without passing the open door.

There are a couple of voices coming from inside the room. I can’t make out what they are saying from all the way over here, but their voices sound calm. Perfect. That means they don’t expect company.

I lead my little thief squad forwards, tiptoeing carefully across the squeaky floorboards. We’re not completely silent, but I believe we’re quiet enough for the voices not to hear anything. Coming up on the room, I lean in closer, trying to get a quick peek inside the room.

There are two men inside, one halfling and an elf. The halfling is sitting by a desk facing the door, but he seems occupied writing something on a parchment. The elf is standing to his right, organising a bookshelf. Good. It doesn’t look like anyone is watching the door. I inspect the two.

[Halfling Secretary(4). HP: 90/90.]

[High Elf Secretary(4). HP: 90/90.]

My mind is torn on what to do here. From how I see it, I have two options. I could try and sneak past the two, heading upstairs without looking back, or I could try and quietly murder the two. The former option should be the easier one, but it also carries a risk to leave loose ends along my only escape path. Who is to say the two won’t eventually leave the room, either heading downstairs and triggering my trap, or go upstairs and run into my underlings and me while we are in the middle of delicate burglary stuff?

The latter option should therefore be safer, but neither this one can be considered optimal. They are only level four after all. Killing them would make it easier to proceed, but I also run the risk of them calling the alarm, which would put a quick and efficient end to my heist before I even manage to properly start it. Sure, I managed to at least get a nice weapon out of it, but that’s not why I came here.

I frown as I consider my options. My brain tells me to sneak past and focus on the main objective which is the armor that should be located somewhere further ahead, while my gut tells me to attempt the assassination to make sure I don’t leave any loose ends. Either option is tough, and there isn’t any right answer. So far, both of my previous jobs ended up in me mindlessly murdering all my targets. Mrs. Davvins, Greg and Kevin, Theodor the Alchemist, and the nameless beggar. By this account alone, I can hardly call myself a master thief. I’m more like a thug than a thief at this point. I know I’m supposed to be the Villain here, but do I really have to choose the most villainous option I’m presented with every time?

Hell, it doesn’t really matter what I do. This is still a game, and I have hundreds of thousands of digital lives on my conscience as it is. Two more is nothing to me. There’s just something about this fucked up scenario though. I don’t really mind killing NPCs as they are just a few lines of computer code, but I still want to enjoy playing the game. I’ve never played a game that feels as realistic as this game does, and I usually look upon myself as a virtuous kind of guy, opting to play as the good guy rather than not. I’m not averse to playing the bad guy, and I’ll slaughter a whole town of innocent NPCs as long as I can benefit from it, but something just sits wrong with me murdering every innocent being I come across just for the coin in their pockets. I’ll definitely benefit from it, but it’s still a weird feeling. Personally, I’d rather just slaughter heaps and droves of mindless monsters if I’m given the option.

Alas, this is the hand I’ve been dealt, and I will see it through no matter what. My goal is not to be the digital Virgin Mary, but the strongest player. How I get there is of little relevance, but I’m not narrow-minded enough to not enjoy my way to the top.

Still, I should try to be rational here. The choice is tougher than I thought.