Of Thieves and Tails - part 5 - Grand Theft Maneback - RPLOG
Participants
Date
20/7/478
Log
A soft rumble sounds, as a feline rests herself against a tree somewhat away from the farm. Right now, it's broad daylight, and she's simply waiting for her newest protege, an adaptable-folk salamander. Still dressed in that same black leather, she's not particularly recognizable as her usual self, but she should stand out to Zuri, in any case...
Said salamander, a short-statured and jovial looking being, approaches slowly as he crests over a nearby hill and walks down towards the area where he was told to go. He spots Katrina and corrects his course to head towards her directly. He's clad in a fairly standard-looking garb today, simple canvas trousers and a shirt, the kind your average country bumpkin being would wear. Nothing like hiding in plain sight. He smiles at Katrina as he makes his final approach and stops near her and gives her a curt nod in greeting.
A smile, a tailflick, and a soft rumble as Katrina gestures to a small casket besides her left paw, propped up against the tree. "Your new equipment. You will need it. Today," the she-cat rumbles with a faint smile, a flick of her ears.
Zuri walks over to the contained and kneels by it. He peers up at the feline with a smile. "I brought my own gear you know? A good thief always is always prepared!" Still, he opens it and peers inside, smiling brightly as he sees the contents. "Then again... never hurts to have extra, huh?" He reaches in to retrieve the objects inside, inspecting them one by one.
"A Sanguine Claw," the cat notes as Zuri pulls out the first item, a dagger, meant for the dominant hand. "Careful. It contains a reservoir that is currently filled with quick-working venom, the she-cat rumbles, before pulling out a similar dagger from her coat, and pressing the gem in its pommel, following which a small compartiment opens. "To refill with a poison of your choice. Keep in mind that opening the reservoir also drains the blade's contents, as you can see," she rumbles, before gesturing at the slow stream of liquid that pours from the tip. "Yours contains venom, please do not open it... This is water, for demonstrating."
Zuri nods, keeping his eyes on the dagger in his hand, and giving it an experimental twirl to check its balance. "Very nice... similar to mine, but much more sophisticated, and the venom is a nice touch indeed." He smiles up at the feline. "Hopefully won't be necessary, but it pays to be prepared!" He looks down and reaches in to grab another item.
"The accompanying Finger. A swordbreaker, as you can see. No venom, as it is a defensive weapon," the cat notes. "Meant for the off-hand, to aid in the usage of the Claw," she simply continues, before gesturing at the casket. "One more item, which you did not ask for. A Needle."
Zuri nods. He's familiar with the concept of parry-blades and swordbreakers, tho he hasn't used one in a long itme. He gives it a quick twirl, smiling as he finds it to be just as well-balaced and expertly crafted as its companion. He looks up at Katrina and nods. "A Needle?" He looks down and retrieves the third object.
"A Sanguine Needle. Yours, of course, is a basic model. Should you desire any modifications, you may feel free to write a request and leave it in the usual place," the cat notes, before gesturing at the device strapped under her own forearm, before pointing the arm to a far-away three. A short, familiar whizzing sound, and everything goes quiet again.... Other than a soft *thunk* from the further tree.
Zuri blinks after watching the demonstration, and looks back down at the device. He straps it to his arm, mimicking how Katrina is wearing hers, and nods. "I see! This is how you did it the first day we met then. That's really clever!" He stands back up, tucking each dagger into his belt and turning to face the feline. "Thank you! I'll put them to good use, I promise." He smiles. "So, did you call me here for just presents, or is there another job in the works?"
"A job, yes," the she-cat rumbles, gesturing at the nearby farmyard, then the farm-building. "The being that lives here owes the family money. You are going to make sure we recieve it," she explains, her ears flicking softly, her tail swaying behind her slowly as she watches the salamander with a smile on her lips.
Zuri smiles brightly. "A simple go-in-and-grab-the-loot huh? Yea I can do that." He peers over at the farmhouse. "Mm.... figure they keep their goods in the top floor if anything, bedroom perhaps? Do we have an idea if they have a vault in there or a safe of some kind?"
"That is not your job for today. If we send you to take the money, we have to send you to take the money every month, and eventually, you'll be caught. No, we're sending you to send a message," the she-cat rumbles, before gesturing at the building again. "The farmer has two manebacks, one male, one female, each one very dear to him," the cat notes with an almost disconcerting coolness, before waiting for Zuri to finish the train of thought.
Zuri blinks, and nods slowly. "So you want to send a message. Hobble them? Kill them maybe? Bit harsh but.. I guess that will get the point across. You'll have to leave a calling card, or otherwise make it obvious that it wasn't just an accident." He wiggles his nose, trying to figure out how this is going to pan out."
"The male, dead. The female, in our custody. A female maneback is still a valuable commodity, should our farmer not get the message," the she-cat continues with a smile, a soft purr, and another flick of her tail. "And this letter, delivered. Complete this assignment, and you are officially a part of the Sanguine Hand."
Zuri nods. "Never stole a live creature before, but there's a first time for everything huh?" He smiles. "Alright, you have yourself a deal!" He reaches over to take the letter and pockets it. "Anything else I should know about the farmhouse or the owner before I set off? I imagine it shouldn't take too long.."
"He's home," the she-cat rumbles with a smirk on her lips, hidden behind the mask, of course...
Zuri giggles. "Well, that just makes it more fun then." He nods and rolls his shoulders, popping a crick on his back. "Well, I'll be back soon then!" The small salamander offers Katrina a bright smile before walking off, back towards the road, then down the path and past the farm. He takes the opportunity to study the location from afar as he walks, noting the farmhouse itself and the barn, and proceeding down the road until he's out of sight. He then divests himself of his travelling clothes and reveals his much more practical outfit underneath, something better suited for the kind of work he's about to do. He approaches the farm again, this time from the cover of foliage, and tries to get close enough to be able to observe the goings-on.
A smile upon Katrina's lips, as she moves off into the distance, her tail swaying. "Should you be successful, you can deliver the maneback to this address," the she-cat rumbles with a smile, offering a slip of paper with a description of the location of another farm of sorts.
Back at this farm, it is obvious that the operation may be a tough one, as farmhands are ever-present, working along the farm, taking care of business. The farmer himself may be among them, or he may be inside of the house... Who knows?
Zuri purses his lips as he keeps watch on the movements of the farmhands for a few minutes. With this many of them it isn't a case of will he be spotted, but when. First.. he must locate the two Manebacks, that's the first order of business so he can formulate his plan and how to approach this unseen. He stalks along the foliage towards the barn, expecting the two animals to be in there.
So far, at least, Zuri hasn't been spotted yet, though neither have the manebacks, which do not appear to be present within the barn. As the two presumably large, canid-like creatures are hard to miss, it seems Zuri is simply looking in the wrong place, even though there is no shortage of different animals in the building.
Zuri stays observant for a bit longer, noting the creatures are not in the barn. This is good actually, this is really good. A plan begins to form in his devious little brain as he circles around towards the farmhouse proper, checking the movement of the farmhands over there from the cover of foliage. Maybe these Manebacks will be more housepets, and be in the farmhouse as well.
So far, so good, and Zuri manages to avoid most, if not all of the farmhands, as he makes his way over to the farmhouse proper. Once, a rat-being nearly spots him, though fails to notice the salamander in the end...
Zuri huffs to himself. It's going to be hard staying hidden for long in this busy farm. Still, he's managed to make his way to the farmhouse, and now starts observing it quietly. If the manebacks are being treated as housepets they're probably inside. Maybe in the kitchen.
No manebacks in the kitchen, either. Still, the house is quite large, and so far, the coast seems clear, with no beings visibly present within the building. Meanwhile, the farmhands continue their work, tilling the fields and working to keep the farm running smoothly...
Zuri looks side to side, waiting until it looks clear, then makes the short dash towards the farmhouse. He ducks into the building and peers around. It's only a matter of time until he runs into another being in here so he has to act fast. He assesses his surroundings, looking for a good hiding place in the first room and a way to head upstairs.
The first room Zuri enters is the living room, with a small couch, a rocking chair, and a fireplace present, along with a closet of sorts. Along the furthest wall, three doors, the first leading to the hallway and the stairs, the second to the dining room, and finally, the third leading to the kitchen...
In addition, the fireplace houses a large portrait of the farmer, a mouse-being, and his two manebacks, one much larger than the other...
Zuri counts his lucky stars that there was noone in the room to cause him trouble right from the get-go. He figures the two pets will either be in the kitchen or upstairs in one of the bedrooms, depending on how affectionate the farmer is with his pets. And based on the picture.. he picks the stairs first, and heads upstairs as silently as he can, watchful for both movement and sound that might indicate he's about to walk into another being - or a maneback.
As Zuri moves up the stairs, a mixture of sounds comes from the bedroom, with a low rumble being the overwhelming overtone, a soft snoring following every other sound... Meanwhile, in another upstairs room, the sound of footsteps can be heard...
Zuri makes his way to the upstairs landing, peering around to get the layout of the room. He could cause a distraction, but that is just as likely to distract the owner as it is to wake the pets. He creeps towards where he hears the footsteps, hoping that the mouse being is currently alone and distracted enough that he could be quickly and silently disabled.
As the salamander moves towards the door, those steps become louder, heavier as the mouse-being behind the door comes closer and closer...
Zuri reaches into one of his pockets with his left hand to grab a fistful of knockout powder, the potent mix of herbs he concocted that he also had used previously during his 'trial' at the silkenfur manor. He aims his arm-mounted Sanguine Needler and hopes he understood enough of its functioning to make it work as he flicks his wrist to loose a bolt, wanting to make it impact on an object across the room just as the being emerges through the door. Hopefully this small bit of misdirection will buy him the split second he needs to leap on the being unseen and cover his mouth and nose with the powerful narcotic.
Nothing. Nothing at all happens with the Needle... Even so, the mouse-being's door opens to the outside, in Zuri's direction, and Zuri gets a moment to work his magic on the poor farmer, the salamander currently hidden behind the door... But not for long, as a hand already stretches out towards the handle...
Zuri is grateful for the split second of extra time he has to execute this. He knows the mouse being will likely be looking at the handle as he reaches for it, so he quickly darts out form behind the door and leaps up, his jump assisted by a burst of air mathemagic. His outstretched arm reaches out to the mouse being's nose and mouth, even as the other arm is hooked around the mouse being's neck to put the salamander's weight onto him. It's a desperate move, but it's the only way the small thief will avoid being seen.
Success. Zuri manged to complete his maneuvre, and soon enough, with an audible *THUD* the farmer-mouse drops to the floor like a ragdoll, out cold for the time being... Now, it's time to complete that mission...
Zuri huffs out a sigh of relief. He's used to doing this in the dark, when beings are nice and asleep. That was close.. He reaches into his pocket and retrieves the letter, sliding it into the mouse being's hands. He stands up again and withdraws his dagger, then starts once again creeping across the hall, but this time towards the other end, to the room with the loud, rumbly snoring.
The snoring continues, and as Zuri opens the door, he's greeted by a huge maneback, most definitely the male of the two, curled up on the bed... Well then, time to send the farmer a message...
Zuri stalks quietly along the edge of the bed, silently reaching for the dagger he was gifted. He clenches his hand around the hilt in a reversed grip as he tries to find the best angle of attack. He wants to finish this in one blow, and to make it as.. shocking as possible when the farmer sees this when he wakes up in an hour or two. He raises his hand and brings it down, knifepoint aimed at the maneback's jugular, ready to inject the venom as soon as the dagger plunges into the creature's neck.
A quick swipe is all it takes, and soon, the snoring ends, and blood seeps from the maneback's neck slowly but steadily, soaking the beast's fur and the sheets it's resting upon, and Zuri is left standing in front of the now-deceased creature... Just one more thing left to do... Find the other maneback, and escort her out, unseen or otherwise...
Zuri huffs, pulling the bloodied dagger out of the creature's neck and cleaning it on the bedsheets before sheathing it once more. He heads back towards the farmhouse's foyer and decides to check the storage room before moving on. Nothing special in here, as expected. He paces down towards the hall and living room downstairs and decides to check the rest of the house. With the kitchen known to be empty all that remains is the dining room...
Within the dining-room, the smaller maneback - still a good deal bigger than Zuri is - is resting upon the floor and chewing on a bone of sorts, and looks up at the unfamiliar being with a curious gaze, and a low, suspicious rumble, waiting for Zuri to make a move... Or a misstep.
Zuri takes one cautious step forward towards the creature, and gets down low, trying to appear non-threatening. He smiles and clicks his lips at the beast. "Easy girl.. I'm friendly, you see?" He takes another cautious step forward and reaches out one hand, palm up, inviting the creature to come take his scent.
The maneback seems relatively calm, taking a moment to get up, before slowly but surely striding towards Zuri, taking in the scent of the salamander, and the scents of her fellow maneback clinging to his hide still... Even so, she does seem quite relaxed as she looks up at Zuri...
Zuri reaches forward a bit more to pet the female maneback under the chin, his tail flitting playfully. "Good girl, you're really friendly aren't you? Yes you are!" He smiles brightly and scritches the creature a bit more. He considers how to get the creature out of here. He takes a step back away from the creature after scritching it for a bit more, trying to entice it to move forward. "Come here.. come on..."
A hesitant step, then another, and slowly, the large cretin sets into motion, following after Zuri and nuzzling against the salamander with a rumble, a wag of the tail behind its body as she lumbers into motion...
Zuri pets the playful creature affectionately. "Good girl! You're making this easy for me!" He smiles at the maneback as he leads her towards the door. Since they are pets, maybe.. he peers around the living room, looking for a collar or least for the dumb animal.
No collars, no leashes. Just Zuri and the animal, it seems. Still, she obediently follows after the salamander, sitting exptectantly in front of the door...
Zuri huffs. He turns towards the wolf creature. "Well, we're definitely going out for walksies, but.. hm... " He experimentally reaches towards the wolf, petting her affectionately. "If no leashes or collars, then maybe your owner had trained you as a mount.." He scritches behind her ear before trying to hop up on top of the creature, trying to ride her bareback.
No, the creature had most definitely not been trained as a mount, as it takes a few moments to try and throw Zuri off, though it fails to do so effectively. Eventually, she relents, and leans into the scritching once more, before bounding out of the door rather quickly... At least she seems to get the idea!
Zuri lets out a woah as the creature bolts out the door, and tries to steer her towards the outer boundaries of the farm. He hugs the beast close, both to hold on for dear life and to hide his overall frame and profile in case he is spotted by a farmhand - fact that is almost inevitable on account of the bounding creature underneath him. He tries to spur the creature on, urging her to go faster!
Soon enough, the duo of salamander and maneback are being chased by three farmhands, none of them able to keep up, especially once the maneback speeds up and dashes off into the distance. Eventually, the chasing beings give up, and Zuri and his new friend are left alone, ready to be delivered to the 'tails.
