The sewer of Tarenfall had opened up into a large hall as Marin and Travis approached the front doors of the Scarlet Eye’s headquarters. Around the corner would be the entrance.

  What had used to be a sewer now resembled an abandoned underground fort, most likely used for the military many years ago during some war Tarenfall was involved in. Seeing as the city had now enjoyed relative peace for many years, it became apparent that the rogue organization had adopted the emptied location for their nefarious deeds.

  Travis now had on a black ski mask, fully concealing his face and signature hair he sported. With his entire body now being covered, he didn’t look much different than Marin himself.

  He usually followed the same routine he always had to a dime when it came to infiltrating the joint, but with Marin assisting him, it was a good time to shake up the actions he normally took.

  “There’s a single guard behind this corner,” he whispered to Marin, reminding him. “You know what to do?”

  Marin nodded. He was feeling nervous about the events that would shortly unfold, but he tried his best to remain calm. Travis had no anxiety, and that helped Marin to realize Travis was not going into this blindly like he would.

  “When I give the signal, we turn the corner. You freeze him immediately. I can guarantee the guard will be there,” he explained.

  They hurried down the carpeted hall, dimly lit with torches on either side. When they rounded the corner, Marin noticed a large stone door with a fierce dragon engraving on it. On either side of the door, was a guard.

  That made two guards.

  The two rogues were both in the uniform of their guild. They wore black leathers with dark purple trim, and red bandannas. They both immediately noticed Marin and Travis. Before they had another second to react, Marin froze the one on the left.

  Travis cursed seeing as there was one extra problem than he had anticipated.

  Immediately after Marin froze the first, Travis lunged at the second. The guard who was lucky enough to not be chosen by Marin to be frozen over, pulled his daggers and engaged with Travis.

  Marin was ready to freeze the second, but Travis had already taken the initiative of dealing with him, and Marin wasn’t confident enough to try and freeze him with Travis so close.

  Instead, he watched closely as Travis battled the other. The rogue moved quick, but Travis had a step that was quicker. The rogue went for some reckless stabs, but Travis darted side to side, dodging them, and grasping his arms.

  Flames erupted from his palms, burning the arms of the rogue, even through the tough leathers he wore. He winced in pain, and dropped the daggers. Travis easily maneuvered behind the rogue, and put him into a choke hold, preventing him from catching a breath. He struggled, and tried to pry Travis’s arms from his neck, but it was not happening.

  The two slumped to the ground as Travis hushed him several times in a soft voice before he passed out. After that, Travis immediately let him go, and got up. One rogue was frozen, the other was now passed out on the ground.

  That rogue wasn’t the only one gasping for breath, Travis was now too, due to the exertion from the quick tussle.

  “Damn,” he breathed, lungs fighting the twenty coats of tar that lined them. “I’ve… I’ve never seen them have two guards before. That was… unexpected.”

  “Are you okay?” Marin asked.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He panted for a moment, his body bent down with his hands on his knees.

  “We need to… keep going. It’s time to pick the lock,” Travis added, now approaching the front door.

  He knelt down to the dragon’s mouth. Inside, Marin could now make out a keyhole that was nestled inside. Travis reached into his pockets on either side of his outfit, and produced a lock picking kit that was folded together nicely.

  He unraveled it on the ground, and took not an extra second in grabbing two pieces from the set. Marin watched as he worked meticulously, and in silence, doing his best to pick the stone lock in what he had claimed earlier would be in three minutes or less.

  “I could have froze both of them easily,” Marin offered. “But you quickly lunged for the second, I didn’t have a chance to do so.”

  “I guess I just felt bad about giving you false information,” he responded. “I kind of felt like that extra guard was my responsibility, since I only prepped you for one.”

  “I’m flexible,” Marin stated.

  “I have a feeling we’ll be finding out. Since they had two guards, I have a bad feeling that they’ve switched up most of what I was expecting,” Travis explained while delicately guiding the two metal hooks into the keyhole.

  “I hope you won’t mind going for Plan B,” Travis added.

  “Plan B?”

  “Winging it.”

  As Travis continued to work his magic on the old lock, Marin turned around to be sure no one would drop in on them. When he was sure there wasn’t a rogue lurking, he turned back to check on his progress.

  “You’ve picked this lock a lot?” Marin asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Why don’t they change it out?”

  “They re-key it each time I pick it, but I guess it costs more money than any of these greedy thieves would be willing to pay to get a whole new door.

  I guess they’d rather lose an item or two every once in a while than invest in a whole new security system,” Travis explained while wiggling the metal hook in further.

  “I see.”

  “But they did put two guards out this time, that’s an unwelcoming change I wasn’t happy to see.”

  Click!

  Travis removed the two metal devices, and turned the tail of the stone dragon that lived on the door. It slowly swung open. He had done it.

  As it moved away from them at a snail’s pace, Marin braced himself to face dozens of the order’s members. He would freeze all of them. He had half a mind to warn Travis to stay back, but believed that when the ice started crawling in all directions, he would get the hint.

  He tensed up his muscles, and readied his mind for a complex attack.

  “Stay close. Remember, most of the order is out doing runs. We shouldn’t see too many people, if any at all,” Travis whispered.

  The words were slow to be comprehended, but Marin allowed himself to relax after hearing them. That was correct, Travis had told him that not too many would be around. It looks like he wouldn’t be creating the deadly blizzard he had planned on. Not for now, anyways.

  When the door finally had opened enough for them to squeeze through, Travis took the first entry he could. Marin followed immediately after. They were now inside the Scarlet Eye’s base of operations.

  It wasn’t glamorous or impressive. The interior didn’t differ by much from the sewers outside of the place. The stone bricks were mossy and cracked, racks of old weapons were on display in the entrance hall. There was no attempt to decorate the room at all. Everything inside was for functional use rather than decoration.

  Crates were stacked in a corner, several tables and chairs lined one wall. It was dark and dreary, seeing as the entire establishment was underground. It was all lit by chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, by candles that were in dire need of replacement. Many of the weapon racks were empty, and the ones that did hold a sword or shield, were used and worn.

  It was honestly a depressing look in Marin’s eyes. Seeing as he had spent so much time dolling up Nocturne Castle, he felt that the headquarters for such a prominent organization should look somewhat better than what he was beholding.

  Was this really some fearful rogue guild that had him in a rare nervous feeling? By what he studied, he believed getting back his necklace would be easier than he thought. This organization wasn’t anything to get riled up over.

  “Follow me, stay near the wall. It’s darkest over here,” Travis began creeping to the right of the entrance wall, feeling the bricks against his fingertips as he shuffled by. Marin followed, but didn’t make such a dramatic attempt to sneak to stay hidden as Travis did.

  “It’s not as impressive as I thought,” Marin mentioned.

  “Don’t let that fool you. These guys are killers. Trust me.”

  They crept along the side, listening closely for any movements. Travis reached the end of the hall, and darted his head down the opposing corridor. It was clear.

  “This way.”

  As they snuck about, Travis made not a noise. Even his footsteps were completely silent. Marin’s poor attire however, did a terrible job in keeping him silent. The old rags rubbed up against each other as he walked, creating a dull but noticeable noise of rough burlap fighting itself. He hoped that it wouldn’t get the two of them in trouble. Along the dark corridor, they approached a room with the door open.

  They would need to get past, but seeing as the door was ajar, Travis would need to poke his head in to see if anyone would notice them. He turned around to meet Marin’s gaze, and gave him a signal to stay put until he was ready.

  Travis slowly approached the doorway, and peered inside.

  A rogue who was sorting coins at a desk looked up.

  “HEY!”

  Immediately noticing that this rogue was alone in the room, counting money from some unknown source, Travis sprinted into the small enclosure to deal with the accountant.

  The rogue in turn lunged over the desk, a move that Travis was not expecting. The rogue was ready with daggers to take a stab into him, but Travis reached out, palm open, and created a fire blast that halted the rogue in confusion.

  Black smoke was left from the dirty fire ball, and as the rogue tried to regain his bearings from the unexpected explosion of fire, Travis cut through the smoke and wrapped his arms around his neck to perform another take down.

  This rogue was stronger than the last, however, and with just one arm, was beginning to pry himself free. Travis didn’t even notice this was with one arm, until he saw his other flying up with a dagger in hand.

  Travis had no choice but to let go of the rogue to steer clear of the sharp metal. Before he could go in for a new attack on the freed rogue, ice instantly formed around the rogue’s entire body, freezing him in place.

  Marin walked in from behind the new frozen pillar.

  Travis breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Marin had come to his rescue, and leaned against the wall, trying to regain himself.

  “Are you okay?” Marin asked once again.

  “He was a bit tougher than I’m used too. Probably a senior member,” Travis explained in between breaths.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “I’m sure you would’ve had him though. I merely hastened the final result, right?” Marin responded.

  “Exactly.”

  “Are we getting close?” Marin asked, eager to switch the subject and end this dangerous mission.

  “Somewhat. We have to get past the living quarters, then…” Travis looked up, and saw the shadow of another rogue sneaking up behind Marin.

  “LOOK OUT!” Travis roared, throwing his arm up with a pointed finger.

  Marin immediately turned around, and barely caught the wrist of the new rogue who had ran down to see what all the commotion was.

  The battle was over after the fact, as soon as Marin made contact with this new foe, crackling ice rapidly engulfed the entire body.

  “Damn!” Travis exclaimed, shocked at how easily Marin was making this mission seem. “I picked the wrong element! Should’ve gone for ice, seeing how easily you can subdue folks.”

  “It’s not exactly easy to get right,” Marin tried. “It’s not the first trick you learn as an ice elemental.”

  Travis gestured Marin to talk quieter with a quick hush. It was a reminder that they were in hostile territory and his voice could easily give them away to more rogues.

  “At least this job will be done sooner than expected, even with the extra members that are present for some reason,” Travis whispered.

  They stopped talking for a moment as Travis listened to see if anyone new was making their way to their location. When it was apparent that was not the case, Travis waved Marin over.

  “Let’s keep moving.”

  Leaving the room, Travis crept down the hall, with Marin following close by. They took several turns and even traveled down a staircase to a lower floor. Travis stopped at every corner, quietly peering around every turn and entrance, looking for anyone who might notice them. Luckily, they encountered no more faction members.

  Minus a few people who normally stayed behind to run the joint, everyone really seemed to be out like Travis had mentioned.

  “We’re getting close,” Travis stated quietly. “This next hall is living quarters, and beyond that is the holding room in which stolen goods are stored. There’s a very good chance your item is in there.”

  Marin nodded instead of responding with anything. His hopes were at a high and feared responding in a tone that might get them caught, so he just acknowledged the statement, and kept moving.

  Rounding another turn after Travis checking that it was clear, they now were in the living spaces of the faction. A long hallway had doors that were shut lining the walls. Each room was an individual living space. The hall opened up into a common room that had tables and chairs, each containing lanterns and several recreational items on them to pass time.

  Marin took note of several games and reading books littering the tables in an untidy fashion. In one corner, a rogue seemed to have unraveled maps and notes out at one point, hinting at a planned robbery he was developing.

  Everything was left in a state as if anyone using them had instantly vanished. Were these all shared items that no one bothered to take away when finishing with them? Marin could ask dozens of questions from everything he took in, but knew this wasn’t the time to ask, even if Travis knew at all.

  Travis gawked in each direction as they crept up to the door at the end of the hallway. No one was here, or if they were, they were sleeping in their unit if not preoccupied.

  “This is it,” Travis stated. When he reached the door, he produced a key from his pocket.

  “You have a key to get in?” Marin shockingly asked.

  “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  With a shining gold key in between his fingers, Travis brought his hand up to the keyhole, and stuck the key in. It was quite a surprise to see that he was in possession of a key that opened up one of the most sensitive rooms in the entire base. Had he looted that key off a rogue earlier? Perhaps he had received it from his parents long ago. Regardless, Marin tensed up as he realized he was mere moments away from recovering his beloved possession.

  The key turned, and Marin heard a metal rod move over inside the door, signalizing its unlocking. Travis swung the door open.

  Marin was greeted to an empty room.

  Travis followed behind, gazing inside.

  This was obviously a dummy room, Marin gathered. Travis must know of a secret wall door that would grant them access to all the stolen wares.

  “It’s EMPTY!” Travis cried out.

  “What?!” Marin demanded.

  “It’s all gone! None of the stuff is here!”

  “Are… really?! This is where it all normally is?” Marin asked to make sure.

  “I’m telling you this place has been cleaned out!”

  Marin’s heart sunk in his chest. All this effort to end up in an empty room.

  “Well, what does this mean?” Marin asked.

  Travis shook his head, speechless. His eyes darted around the room, checking every corner, as if the loads of items were secretly packed into one of them. His brained raced with thoughts.

  It was unbelievable. Had they been duped? Perhaps the rogues finally took action with Travis constantly stealing from them, and had changed the location of the loot. That would make the most sense.

  Seeing as Travis was still in a daze, trying to figure out what had happened, Marin offered a question.

  “You think it could have been moved?”

  “Obviously its been moved! What, do you think it grew legs walked itself out?! I’m trying to figure out where they put it!”

  Alright, Travis was definitely thinking the same thing Marin was, and was much angrier in doing so. Marin stayed quiet after the fact, letting Travis brainstorm.

  A moment or two passed, but not any longer than that, the doorknob to the storage room began rattling.

  The intruding sound caused both of them to jerk their heads at the door, realizing someone was trying to get in.

  Travis cursed at the fact, now having to react to the impending danger before them.

  “Marin, whoever comes through that door, how ever many, can you freeze them all like you did at the tavern?” Travis desperately asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then do so.”

  The both readied themselves as the rattling moved from the doorknob, to the key lock below. Whoever was on the other side was now unlocking the door.

  Marin gripped his hands. His previous thoughts echoed once again. They would know ice.

  After a clicking sound, the door swung open. Before the Scarlet Eye rogue could take a second step in, he was frozen in such a hasty manner, that icicles from the frozen body pointed in the opposite direction.

  It was just one rogue, and he barely had time to react to seeing the duo in the empty storage room.

  Travis slowly advanced, checking the status of the newly created thief popsicle.

  It was no contest, and it always seemed to be that way. Every time someone tried encountering them, Marin would just subdue them in less than a second.

  “Wait a second,” Travis stated. He continued to study the frozen rogue. “This… this is the same guy I fought earlier. The accountant.”

  “Are you sure?” Marin asked.

  “Yes! Did he melt that fast? What is the ice timer you’re using?” Travis demanded.

  “Several hours, at least.”

  Travis scratched his chin in thought. “Then someone is freeing them. Breaking them out of the ice.”

  He then looked beyond the body who stood in the doorway to see if anyone else was coming. The outer hallway was empty, but Travis couldn’t shake a creeping feeling.

  “We really have to move. I think one of the leaders knows we are here, and Marin, that’s not someone you want to fight.”

  “Do you know where we’re going? Do you have any ideas where the stuff could be?” Marin quickly asked.

  “My only theory is that it was all moved closer to the leadership offices. They knew that would deter me from getting to the stash, seeing as I’m not strong enough to fight one of them. My only hope is we can get your cross while they’re not there.”

  “But how do you know they won’t be there?” Marin demanded.

  “I don’t. And since that’s the case, you might very well have to prove to me what being a wizard is,” Travis stated morbidly. “At this point, I’d call the mission off. But since you’re so persistent to getting your item back, including joining me on this endeavor, we’re going to finish it. Let’s go.”

  Travis pushed the ice statue over to clear the doorway, and both of them moved with much more haste than before.

  They would have ran if not for trying to still be silent. At any moment now, a leader of the faction may be around a corner ready to deal with them. The mission had gone south, and at this point, Travis was enacting his Plan B, a plan to just go with what he best saw fit.

  Marin knew this, and witnessed a Travis who no longer had his cool. Travis’s concern and fear was palpable, it was similar to what he saw when the blonde haired man first stepped into Eisen’s household.

  Travis took them down a different route, one that lead to an isolated section of the underground base. Every corner was met with a quick glance before turning. They passed by several waterways, including a common room, before heading down another staircase to a lower floor.

  Travis had brought them down to the leader’s headquarters. The narrow hall they walked down would lead into an open area where meetings were held, and behind that, another hallway that lead into a large storage room that hadn’t seen proper use in quite sometime. That was Travis’s best bet where everything had been relocated.

  Travis turned around to brief Marin. “I believe that no one will be in this room up ahead. I think they’re out looking for us in the base. If that’s so, we can sneak by here and into the backroom. I will have to pick the lock, and then we can get your cross.

  After that, the storage room has a run out that can get us out of the sewers. We will be outta here easy,” he explained.

  “The treasure room has a run out? It wouldn’t make sense to put the stuff there,” Marin reasoned. “Anyone could backtrack into it and steal from it.”

  Travis did a dramatic nod. “Exactly. And I’m betting that’s what they think I would think. But I know them well enough to pull a trick like that.”

  Travis didn’t have any more time to explain, as he realized that time was short. They could get caught at any minute if a leader came back to their office.

  He approached forward, with Marin creeping closely behind.

  The room was dimly lit, a single torch near the opening. The back half of the room wasn’t lit at all, as it should have been. Travis became suspicious, but didn’t have time to brainstorm a new plan. He walked in as he scanned the entire room. No one seemed to be inside.

  Marin cautiously walked in too. Everything was quiet.

  Then there was a chuckle.

  It caused Travis’s neck hair to stand up straight. Marin felt his guts churn, even though they couldn’t possibly.

  Marin knew that voice.

  It was her.

  Marin couldn’t see her, but knew that one of the leaders of the Scarlet Eye was in this room. It was the same one who drove a poisoned dagger into Gus, the one who he planned to kill.

  It wasn’t possible to freeze her without his sights focused onto the target, but he did the next best thing he could, to stop her from escaping again.

  Marin spread his arms out, and ice wrapped around the walls of the entire room, sealing off any entrance or exit, any doorway or hole.

  Travis jerked his head over in response. “Marin, what are you doing?!” He asked.

  The cold, hardened, devilish voice of the woman echoed from the shadows. “Now, now, Marin. No need to react so hastily. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Show yourself, now.” Marin demanded as he took a step forward.

  “And give myself away so early? I know what you’re capable of. No, I think I’ll stay hidden until the right moment.”

  “You’re not leaving here alive, I can guarantee that,” Marin stated, talking to the shadows in front of him.

  “What are you talking about?” Travis asked Marin. “You haven’t been killing the members.”

  “She is the one,” Marin told Travis back. “She is the one who tried killing my friend. She dies.”

  Travis was speechless. “It was… her?” He asked again with dread.

  Marin didn’t answer. He stood ready, with his guard up, fully prepared for an attack that would launch from the shadows.

  “Travis, throw some flames up in the shrouded area. Give me the sight,” Marin ordered.

  Travis didn’t respond, or take any action.

  Marin turned to him. “Travis? Are you okay?”

  “I’m not doing it,” he said.

  “What?!” Marin asked, astonished. Was Travis now turning on him? Was this indeed a trap? Marin readied himself to freeze his hired guide at a second’s notice.

  There was more laughter from the shadows.

  “Awww… you still hold a sweet spot for me, Travis dearie?” The woman’s voice cooed.

  Marin’s head jerked. It looked forward, then back to Travis, then forward again. In that moment, Marin realized, there was a lot of vital information he had missed out on, some back stories Travis had kept secret.

  “What is she talking about?” Marin demanded.

  Travis sighed. He removed his ski mask, showing his straight blonde hair down to the bottom of his neck.

  “Man, this is really, really, unfortunate,” Travis admitted with a heavy heart, and disappointed tone. “I’m not allowing you to kill her.”