Creed of Greed (Thieves, PM for entry)

[Burgid]

Burgid let out a small yawn, tired of waiting. A women had mistaken her to be a real guard and came complaining about a roll thief earlier, after shooing her away with a "I'll look into it." yarn, she went away. Finally, after a seeming long time her mark came out the front. She began her long distance shadowing, keeping a few people between her and her mark when not ten seconds after he left, a blond came out as well in front of her and caught up to her target, getting close. Very close. Way too close. Burgid knew it was unlikely that she was the only one chasing this goose from the start, now she knew for certain that she was not alone in this game for the prize. She closed a little distance, but still had some people between them. She needed to be ready to move in if her target fell for the other's trap.

While they did not go into any rooms and close the door behind them, he still did not break away form her and appeared to be playing back with her. As they neared south gate he drew a dagger and then she lost sight of it. After a short while he tried to break off from her. With a small sigh of relief she continued after him as she slyly put a few coins in a spare coin purse. She even had an excuse now, just in case she was compromised.

[Rogus]

Pet names such as darling and hun? Oh he'd have fun with that. But seriously, how did she come to the conclusion of his sexual orientation? He guessed women who expected men to be their lap dogs simply because of their attractiveness thought anyone who resisted their charms to be same sex oriented. Yes, the whole breathing into his ear thing was highly... seductive, but he had more than enough willpower to resist. After all, how would he create this guild when all it takes to derail him is a pretty face and a well-placed breath to the ear. All he showed in reaction were goose bumps and a slight shiver. Thank Elimine it was dark enough to hide his blush.

Try again another night Myscha, Tonight I'm looking to score something else. He thought.

With a sigh, he quietly, though somewhat clumsily, took his dagger out from his multiple belts. He might be drunk, but he hadn't lost all his motor functions, after all he had eaten quite a bit before hitting the bar. While this would have been very obvious in most other situations, she had no way of seeing it, and best of all he began to play along.

You're right. I'm not that type. He kept his cloak hiding his left arm, the one now holding his dagger, any movements could easily be dismissed as him shifting his trousers for obvious reasons, if felt at all. He turned to face her, while keeping the distance between them as short as possible. This time, it was him who did the seducing.

You're just too "far" out of my league, love. He whispered into her ear, he didn't know how she wanted him to react, but if she expected him being thrown off course, she may be caught off guard herself by this. He was careful to say it as softly as possible, and if she were distracted enough he'd attempt to cut whatever kind of purse she carried. He ran his righ hand over her hip to feel for one, but never directly touched her. He wouldn't dare, a simple shriek and he was running from guardsmen; though if she was only trying to steal his loot, she wouldn't dare shriek.

Whether he got the purse or not, he was within a stones throw of the south gate, right where Ryuzaki was supposed to meet him. If the blue thief saw the two, Rogus prayed he didn't break from the plan. He lingered for a moment, and grinned slightly. Perhaps you'll see me again soon if you're so fond of me "hun". He walked off if he wasn't stopped further. Either with a few new pieces of gold, or simply a smirk on his lips, he'd found his first thief.


((OOC: Nvm on the post order.))

[Ryuzaki]

Dammit, Ryu was sick of waiting. He hopped down off of his perch and almost immediately saw... "What?" he thought. "Well, well, well. Isn't this a departure from the plan?"

The girl with Rogus was startlingly pretty. And from his position in the shadows, he could watch her without her seeing him... That's always a plus. Wait. Another follower? A guard. Shoot. That was not in the plan. Oh well, if the guard caused any trouble, Ryu was sure he could put him out quickly and quietly. A scythe, after all, had a nice long reach. In fact, if this girl was a thief, she'd have a strategy for dealing with the guard as well. Hmm. Then the best course of action was to get the guard to follow them. But something felt wrong; the guard was sticking to the shadows and staying almost out of sight. Very un-guardlike behavior. Interesting.

"Hey, bro," Ryu called, stepping into the light. "What took you so lo... Oh, hey there," he said, winking at the blonde mischievously. "I'm Near. It's always nice to meet new people, especially if they're as beautiful as you are. Anything I can get you? Anything? I'm a master at procuring and reallocating... You want it, I got it. Oh, and by the way... Would you happen to have a place I could sheathe my sword? It's awfully tiring carrying it around, you know." Winking again at the woman, Ryu suavely slid up beside her, wrapping his arm around her and simultaneously tossing Rogus the lockbox. "There ya are, man. Kept the loot nice and warm for us."[/font]

Now... It was time to see what happened.

[Charlotte]

Charlotte could tell Far was a bit flustered by her approach, but it didn’t faze him for long. Instead, he tried to call her bluff, coming in extremely close to her, with Charlotte feeling his warm, whiskey-dredged breath on her cheek. His voice was surprisingly tender as he whispered, though she knew it was an act. Nonetheless, she was distracted for a split second, which would have been enough time for the man to slice the small purse from her hip with his hidden blade.

The small purse was simply a weighted dummy purse, of course, but Charlotte didn’t expect him to know that. She would feel the purse gone from her waistband, but Far was right to assume she wouldn’t make a sound in response. Gods forbid if the guardsmen got involved in this little encounter; in Laus there were quite a few she had arrangements with, but here not so much. While she considered getting her hands on him again, feeling around as he had done to her, she decided against it, her instinct telling her that whatever he had was elsewhere. Her instincts were also telling her something was off, but she ignored that for now.

“I certainly hope so,” Charlotte grinned, seeing him turn and ready to follow him further. Before she could, another man revealed himself. It seemed he was the brother of “Far,” but of course with a name like “Near,” Charlotte knew the two were likely just close partners. Now Near knew how to play along, and while the woman was almost disinterested by his blatant and frankly disgusting advances, she instead laughed as he slipped next to her, locking eyes with him and holding him tightly as if she needed someone to hold her up, instead using the moment to feel for any loose articles or open pockets she could quickly slip her hand into.

But it would seem the prize was now mid-air, thrown over to the far man. Charlotte’s eyes stayed locked on the box as it glided through the air, landing in Far’s hands. Now that was what she was looking for. But she couldn’t just walk away from the man who had just grabbed her. Instead, another laugh rose from her, looking over to Far before looking up to Near. “So you are the fabled brother I heard about all night? Your brother certainly knows how to talk you up,” she playfully frowned. She paused for a moment, and then appeared to have come up with a grand idea, looking to the two men.

“You know,” Charlotte continued, looking to keep the mens’ attention, “the night is still young! Now that the both of you are here, I bet we could have double the fun. Put back a few more ales, trade some tales, and then maybe find a quiet place to polish those tired swords of yours,” she steered the man she was holding onto over to his brother so that she could put her arm around his back, the three of them now close together. She only let her eyes drop to the lockbox for a moment before looking up to both “Near” and “Far,” laughing as she did. She knew the longer she stayed with the two of them, the higher the chance of her being able to make off with the lockbox.

“Just a few hours, it will be fun boys!”

[Rogus]

Rogus was more than a bit annoyed at Ryuzaki's entrance, especially after he threw Rogus the box and used one of the worst lines he'd ever heard on Myscha. He caught the box clumsily, it was filled with gold after all, and Rogus was too drunk to allow a more graceful reception. Though he was annoyed with his friend, he realized, whether Ryuzaki had meant to put her in one or not, this "myscha" woman was now in quite the predicament. Despite her attempt to seduce him with a less than subtle inuendo, Rogus decided walking away and seeing how Myscha recovered was a far more interesting response. He began to formulate an exit strategy that would hopefully put a large obstacle in front of her.

That's a... generous offer, love, but I'll pass. He replied with a smirk, Besides, I know you were just dying to meet my brother after I told you so much about him! I won't get in the way of the obvious connection you two share. His words were subtly laced with sarcasm, knowing Ryuzaki would catch on, and hoping Myscha would be forced to be a tad bit more clever than simply using her feminine charms to further her own plan.

In fact, why don't you two polish each other's knick knacks after a round of ale? He snickered while watching the body language of the woman to see how she'd react, I have a schedule, and I am much too far behind. Near, meet me in Laus if you don't catch up with me before hand. Since the two were wrapped tightly, he was free to quickly leave. If anything was said in attempt to draw him back, he'd simply wave. He approached the gate with haste, making sure the purse he'd taken was snug in his belt, and putting the lock-box under his cloaked arm. The guardsmen there watched him with both tired and questioning eyes.

"Passes up a vision like that, and I'm stuck watching an over-glorified door..." One grumbled as Rogus tried to pass through. He was stopped, as normally no one left during the night. When he explained he was behind schedule in delivering a parcel to Laus, however, the guards made no arguments in letting him pass.

"Fine, Fine, ain't no skin off my back if bandits find you."

Rogus nodded to the man, and a strange figure caught his eye. They dressed like a guard, but seemed out of place. Probably just a patrolling guard who walked too close to the gate, Rogus figured and went on his merry way. He followed the road in a run after walking out of sight of the guards, and settled down just off the road in the nearest clear of trees he could find. He had a few minutes at the least before anyone caught up to him, and thus went to work switching the contents of the lockbox with the purse he'd stolen from Myscha, along with a note he had written with charcoal earlier that day after he formulated the original plan. This way, if Myscha was indeed after his statue and sum of gold, and opened the box she'd find nothing more than her own purse and the invitation to the organization he and Ryuzaki planned to form.

Now all that was left was stashing his loot in an inconspicuous location nearby. He found the rotting trunk of a fallen tree. He cut open a hollow knob with his knife, and placed the statuette, and his own coin purse, now bulging with the extra haul of coin inside, and replaced the bit he'd cut out on top. He carved an "R" into the trunk, and returned to his "Camp". Finally, Rogus placed the box at the foot of a tree, and laid his cloak out by a rock nearby. Now all he had to do was wait, in the mean time he occupied himself by using his knife to carve a fallen tree limb. He hated waiting.

[Burgid]

Burgid watched from a distance as a man came out of the shadows and sungled right up to the rival lady thief. He tossed some sort of box, a lock box to be exact to the man she had been following. Bingo, brother accounted for, target found, now for the main act. Once she figured out how to do it. She had a sneaky feeling that a direct approach would from a guard would scare them off. She muttered under her breath at leaving her entire bag and outfits. But that did not matter now, the rabbit was on the move, out of the gate. As a guard, she would have no reason to leave the city, but the gate was the only way out near by. An idea came over her.

She had not been seen by the gate keepers yet, so they did not know she was watching. She slipped around a corner and then she exhaled harshly and sucked in hard, over and over. She repeated it until she looked winded and came around the corner. She ran past the brother and lady to the guards avoiding eye contact. She came up to the guards and held the decoy coin purse out. She asked if they saw a man leave recently with a box and when they said yes she dashed by before they could figure out what was going on. She had lost sight of him now, but he could not have gone far.

Burgid shifted off the road into the cover of the woods and advanced along the road slowly, looking for signs of recent travel. She was about to give up when she came across a clearing. Looking in it she found the box, under a tree. The man was also there, laying on his cloak, about six paces away. She worked her way around to the back and removed her helmet, silently putting it down on the edge of the clearing, letting her hair go. Then she focused on moving in on the real prize. She moved as quite as possible trying to remove her very existence, each step was careful and seemingly to her getting no closer but she was slowly. She reached the box and carefully coaxed it off the ground into her arms. Then she backed away, prize in hand, and slipped into the woods the same manner she had came. It felt strangely light for loaded with gold but she had the prize. She kept to the woods on her approach to the city.

She had gone a very short distance when she could not take it anymore. She sat the box down on a rock and pulled out a bent fishing hook. She put the hook in and slowly turned it, feeling around the lock. She found the latch and slowly shifted it into place and the lock opened. She eagerly open to box to gaze on all of the wealth that was now hers, all of the single coin pouch and paper that would make her so very- wait. Her mouth moved in silence as she saw what was actually in it. She opened the pouch in desperation, only to find weights. She was about to obliterate the box and scream when she picked up the note her face went from rage, to confusion, to mild humored as she read it. Seeing no need to return the weighted coin purse she put it in a concealed pocket along with the note and closed the box.

She headed back to the clearing where she got the box and boldly steeped into it from the front. She heifted the box at the recruiter's feet. "Well then, i believe this belongs to you. So tell me, why all this trouble?"

[Ryuzaki]

AHA! The woman was feeling him up. Not for swords of either kind, but for a purse or coin-bag. Good thing the bag she currently had her hand on was a small wineskin. But she couldn't tell that. Hehehe, he'd found a thief. Now time to induct her into the fold.

"Hey, I'll stay. Get outta here, man, you got stuff to do!" Ryu said, laughing and giving Rogus a shove along as the other thief left for the gate, box in hand.

As Rogus left, Ryu smiled winningly and began walking with the beauty the other way. Abruptly, he turned and steered the blonde into an alley, where he dropped his hard-to-maintain, gregarious air for his normal cold demeanor.

"You're a thief.

But then again, so am I. Take a look at the 'purse' you cut from me. Fancy a drink? There's plenty of good wine in there for us to go around. I just stole it not three days ago.

As you probably figured, my name is not actually Near. I am a thief of the highest caliber, and, along with my partner, have been working the dark 'profession' for many long hours every day of the recent past. However, we're bored. We want more. Better. Grander. That's where you come in.

You see, we're forming a... guild, of sorts, m'dear. Actually, can I get your name? You may call me Ryuzaki, or Ryu if you prefer. Anyway, an association of thieves would be much more effective, and allow us not only the possibility of taking on more lucrative heists, but also the very enticing idea of controlling the Lycian underworld, and maybe the world. But that's in the future. Right now, we need man-and woman-power. We need good thieves. Promising youngsters. Bright lights to conspire with. We want only the best.

So... I assume you'd want to be a part of our organization. If you do, I have one simple task for you.

Get the box."

Ryu gave a quick laugh. "It shouldn't be too hard. I'll tag along, to watch, of course. Just head out the south gate. Very suave move, I will say, with the swipe. If I wasn't a thief, you'd have gone undetected. Now go get it!"

The blue-clad thief slid to the side, melting into the shadows and watching the woman. This was her moment of truth.

[Charlotte]

"Aww, you'll be missing out!" Charlotte called after Far as she laughed, still clinging to "Near" as she did. Now, she had no intention of sticking around the man for long, knowing the prize lay in the other brothers' hands. She'd gotten herself out of stickier situations before, though, so she would find a way. In the meantime, her grappling of the man's body produced results, her hands on some sort of bag, which she was able to artfully lift from his person.

Before Charlotte could make the move to stash it away in the folds of her skirt, though, Far began to walk them off in the other direction. She stumbled after him for a moment as she watched Far walk towards the gate before looking back up to her new companion, a throaty giggle erupting from her as she continued to play her part. "So where to next, love? There's a tavern that serves an exquisite blackberry ale a stone’s throw from here, and-"

In an instant Near's gait had shifted from playful and confident to rushed, almost clinical. His grip on her tightened ever so slightly, and for a moment Charlotte believed it was possible she had finally been made by the wrong person. Instantly her thoughts exploded into how she could get away, how many escape routes she had, how fast she could run in her slightly heeled boots... But as soon as Near - rather, Ryu, as she would learn - began speaking, she realized she had been part of an even bigger game than she thought.

As he finished his speech, Charlotte couldn’t help but chuckle, looking down to the wineskin in her hand. She’d never been the kind for making allegiances, but she was willing to see where the night went, considering how amusing the night had been so far. So she lifted the wineskin to her mouth, biting the cork out and taking a few sips before tossing back the wineskin. “It’s Myscha,” she cheekily smiled, turning on her heel and gesturing over her shoulder as she walked away, hips swinging. “Just keep up if you can.”

Charlotte took off at a quick pace, navigating the back-alleys away from the main gate and towards an old, supposedly “paved” over entrance in a thinner part of the fort’s wall. She knew she couldn’t make it out the front gates at this time of night. Instead, there was a small gap about a foot high from the ground where the wall had been broken through at one point, covered by a tarp that one of the resident homeless always claimed as his spot. A handful of smugglers and black-market merchants used the place as a drop-off/pick up point, only having to pay the old bum off to keep him quiet. Charlotte normally brought him a small bottle of grain alcohol from town, so when she showed up without she prayed he hadn’t turned in for the night.

As soon as she emerged from the alley by the wall, Charlotte was relieved to see the tarp was empty. Taking a quick look for guards, she swiftly slipped herself under the tarp, ensuring it still covered the spot, laying on her back and, holding her breath, pushing herself under the wall. For a moment all she could see was darkness, but as soon as Charlotte felt the cool night air on her face she pulled herself up and took off. The hunt was on.

[Rogus]

Can't have every thief with a greedy eye join upp can we? He answered dully without looking up. Wait, the voice was different from Myscha's. He looked up and smiled to see an entirely unknown player holding his things.

Well, well. I haven't met you yet, how long have you been watching me? This WAS unexpected. He thought only the blonde woman had been intrigued by his story. But this blue haired one had come out of nowhere... Was this the same bookworm he'd seen in the bar? He was impressed, but not that she'd taken the box, he knew that was gone the minute she took it. He was too drunk to stop her, but he still hadn't managed to get a good look at the thief when she first took it. Rogus was more impressed that she'd followed him with more patience than Myscha, and put up with the antics long enough to steal the "prize".

You missed the real prize by a minute or so. I hid it, but we can talk about that later. Go on take a seat, I expect we'll have more visitors soon... Oh and be a dear and put the items back in the box. You'll be compensated for your troubles later.

[Burgid]

Burgid watched and waited for the man to finish talking. He seemed rather calm for having someone dressed as a guard come to him for a thief. He also seemed to have been expecting someone else, perhaps that lady from earlier?
And why was he telling her that the real goods were near by why he knew that she was a thief? And exactly who was coming? And what did he mean by she will "be compensated for your troubles later."? Her paranoia started to kick in as the whole set up seemed more and more like a high end trap. She was in hostile land after all, and it was very possible. But what about the other thief? She was the sole thing that conflicted with the idea of this being a set up. Even if it was, this was too good of an opportunity to simply give up. She just needed to be careful. After a short stare down she answered him. "I have had my eye on you since you spun that yarn at the bar. You may call me Juniper. What would you have me call you?" With that she picked the box up and replaced the note and weighted coin purse and closed the lid. She walked over and put the box back, recovered her helmet and put it on. She leaned against a tree on the edge, scanning around the area with her eyes.

[Ryuzaki]

"Man, she can move. Well, well. That makes her even cuter!" His nonsensical mumbling to himself finished, Ryu took off after her, keeping a respectable distance and trying hard to focus on the thief's composure and sense of surroundings, instead of her luscious hair and tantalizing gait. He had to focus on the task at hand.

Following Charlotte, Ryu slipped through the secret exit, and, after emerging and following her down the road, silently drew his scythe, holding the large weapon across his body as he ran onward. Better safe than sorry, right? Rogus wouldn't have any dirty tricks prepared, but... He couldn't say the same about any opportunists on the roadway. Thankfully, it was dark and silent so far.

[Charlotte]

The cool night air prickled Charlotte's mostly bare skin, though she barely noticed as she entered the tree cover that was the nearby woods. She was careful with her steps, looking to make as little sound of possible as she continued on. She stayed off the main road, instead electing to tip-toe behind the thick, tall bushes that basically lined the side of the roads. With her eyes narrowed, she looked for any sign of the box that she had been tasked to obtain, though she hadn't spotted anything yet.

It didn't take the young woman too long to see the clearing that both Burgid and Rogus had already been through, and Charlotte assumed he was getting closer to what she was looking for. Feeling confident enough now, she stepped out onto the main road so she could get a better view of what was in front of her. Like Ryu, Charlotte drew a long dagger from a hidden sheath on her upper thigh, hoping to be ready if anything unexpected happened.

As soon as she stepped into the clearing Charlotte spotted the gnarled stump with the small box placed neatly in front of it. Charlotte paused mid step, looking all around her to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the area. Was this too good to be true? Why would their box be simply sitting out? Was this some sort of trap? She moved closer, not wanting to touch the box yet as she examined everything around the box, including the knobby tree stump behind it.

Were these two men trying to play her? It certainly seemed like it now, seeing this obvious set up in the wide open plain. She delicately ran her hand over the top of the trunk, both seeing and feeling the "R" that seemed to have been carved into it hastily. Could this be a marker of some sort, a pick up point for something else? Maybe these men really did have some sort of treasure they were looking to guard. With that thought, she looked over the stump with much more scrutiny than before, her hands and eyes examining every inch of the stump. She had been here an awfully long time, but she had to know, had to find the truth behind this ruse...

And then she felt it: a veritable seam that had been cut around a knobby protrusion in the tree. It wasn't immediately noticeable, requiring at least a few minutes of feeling around the dead trunk, but she'd found it! She carefully wedged her knife into the seam to pull out the knob to claim her prize. She already knew what she would do next: she would grab whatever was inside, replace the knob, and then make haste back to the city...

"Hey YOU! What are you doing out here?" Charlotte froze, her knife still in the seam, knob still in the tree. The silent night air had shattered with the man's voice behind her; she looked back, seeing three burly men standing a few yards behind her. She wondered for just a moment if she might be able to smooth talk her way out of this one. As they drew their weapons, however, she realized she recognized at least one of them as being from the tavern Far had boasted of his conquests in. Had they come looking for the treasure too?

Realizing she only had a second or so more to act Charlotte slipped her blade out of the trunk and snatched the box up, holding it above her head momentarily and waving it at the men. "Looking for this boys?" She didn't want them to know there was another treasure here, so she took off at a sprint into the woods with the lockbox held tightly against her chest, intending to draw them as far as possible away from the stump. From the clamoring and heavy footfalls behind her, Charlotte could tell that her plan was working. Now to figure out how she could lose these guys...

[Rogus]

Had your eye on me eh? He grinned, but quickly sighed when he felt the effects of the whiskey ebbing away. Most call me Far. You may call me Whatever you like for now, love. He led her away from where he left the box, whoever found it next would likely be with Ryuzaki so he didn't mind leaving it alone. He walked over to another clearing in search of fire wood, Burgid probably had followed him but he didn't check to look. Thats when he heard the heavy footsteps of someone else in the woods. Juniper, Hide. He ordered. Rogus followed the sound until he saw the three pull out their weapons to intimidate a blonde woman he could only guess was Myscha. Something else was amiss besides the three newcomers, obviously they weren't thieves, Myscha had her knife stuck into a tree trunk... Shoot. She must have seen the "R". Thats when Myscha took off running toward where Rogus was watching. He stepped in front of her as she got close, drawing his dagger and throwing his cloak away, Myscha had already proven herself a more than capable thief simply by noticing the "R" carved into the tree. He wasn't about to let three ruffians harm a possible addition to the group.

You know, you look the type to play damsel in distress... He said, he realized he would look like he was another assailant, and quickly indicated he was going to help. I'm no Knight in shining armor milady, He offered his hand, if she took it he'd pull her behind him, but I have impecable manners, and letting you get chased by ruffians is simply rude.

Sure they outnumbered him, but with Myscha, who hopefully wouldn't stab him, and Ryuzaki likely not far behind, Rogus wagered he would be able to handle the wanna-be bandits.

[Burgid]

So he went by "Far". The fake name did not surprise her at all, she would have been worried if he told her his real name. She let Far lead her away to a near by clearing, judging by the way he was looking around, for firewood. She heard foot steps, and Far did also.

" Juniper, Hide."

"Hide? Got it." Hide? That was boring, but she was willing and she was quite good at it. Following orders she dashed to the nearest tall tree and in a single bound into it and climbed a bit. She sat in the tree and tried to spot the source as Far went after it. Her helmet would sometimes glare as the tree branches were blown from the wind. She reflected on what had happened so far this day, and it could be something grand. She gazed around where Far disappeared, occasionally the she could she him with... The lady thief. Looks like she might not be the only new recruit. But what were they doing?

[Ryuzaki]

Ryuzaki was moving through the trees, silently and carefully, as he followed Charlotte. Suddenly, there came noises of branches breaking and poorly hushed talking as three men burst through the foliage, missing the male thief, and accosting the woman. Three men... Not much of a threat. Hehehe. Perfect time to try out the weapons he'd bought earlier that week. "Turn... Turn and face your death..."

As Rogus appeared by Charlotte, the men stopped, frightened by the new apparition, and apprehensive. This woman had just been alone... Then, when they heard Ryu's voice, and turned... They were terrified. With only his silhouette visible in the faint moonlight, the men's eyes would perceive... A form. Cloaked, and with two crossed scythes. Moving slowly and silently towards them. Closer, and closer, and closer.

"I am Death... Death is Near." With the cackle of one possessed, the specter uncrossed its scythes, moving forward and bringing the deadly blades in like a pincer, horizontally. The left blade and the right moved in tandem, two sections in the concerto of carnage. The scythes cut through the unarmored man's plainclothes like a hot knife through butter, burying themselves deep within his abdominal cavity and traumatizing the vital organs, sending him to the ground in his death throes before any of the three could react. The other two instantly were on their guard, weapons raised in readiness, but the grim shadow simply moved backwards, recrossing its scythes and uttering the same cackle.

Ryuzaki smiled, slowly relaxing his tense muscles as he waited. Scythes were heavy, especially when wielding two. But hopefully, the element of fear would be enough to allow his comrades to decimate the rest of the intruders. What fools, what fools. Together, the thieves were strong. This was their element; they thrived on the dark of night and the smell of fear. It was good to be back in the shadows, whetting the appetite of one's blades with the blood of a victim.