//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Novice (Part 3) // Story: Harmony's Creed: Brotherhood // by Gapeagle //------------------------------// "We are the Triarchy of the Thieves Guild!" the three women sang in unison. Octavia raised a brow. "Thieves Guild? I didn't know Canterlot had one." "Still relatively new," Twinks said. "But business is booming." "But enough talk," Minuette interrupted. "We have a job for you. A nice, easy walk in the park. You may have seen Twilight's magic, but you ain't seen our magic." "So the question is," Hearts giggled. "You ready to learn?" "Absolutely," the Novice answered. The three smiled. "Then let's begin." The thieves snapped their fingers, making all the girls and men under the structure stand up immediately. They started to walk around in circles, surrounding the three leaders. Octavia watched them carefully as they giggled and laughed among themselves. Were these men and women thieves as well? There was about twenty of them. When they went by their leaders, only one remained. Minuette and Twinks had disappeared in the small crowds, leaving only Hearts there. The wild woman had a gleam in her eye that made Octavia nervous. The Novice became even more nervous when the thief quickly moved right to her face. "If you wanna survive out here, you need to able to steal. Not everyone just gonna give what you want. Sometimes you gotta take it. That is what I'm going to teach you, lass." "To pickpocket?" Octavia already knew the answer. "Exactly! Canterlotian pockets are full of precious items. Not only bits, but letters and pieces of information. Your Brotherhood needs info without making it look like you're looking for info. Catch my drift?" Octavia nodded. "Yes, we work in shadows." "Yup. Now look around you. You see these gals? Courtesans work for us and so, work for you also. They flaunt their bosoms and legs, so that eyes are not on you. We have brothels throughout the city and gals gather on street corners. They are distractions of the easiest kind." She continued. "Use other people to hide yourself. You see what Minuette and Twinks just did? Yeah, that's what you're going to be able to do. This also gives you an advantage when stealing. When people don't see a hood in the vicinity, they don't guard their pockets." "I see," Octavia acknowledged. "Then let's go. People flood these back streets all the time. You and I are gonna make some quick money." Hearts gestured for Octavia to follow. The courtesans around her smiled and allowed her to walk between them. The thief placed a black hood over her head and adjusted the leather gloves on her hands. She now appeared to be the thief she claimed to be. They soon left the small plaza and went down a street. The morning crowds started to increase as they walked on. Octavia and the thief slithered through the dense streets, nudging Canterlotians out of the way. The Novice had trouble keeping up with the thinner and smaller thief. Hearts seemed to phase through the crowds while Octavia bumped into a man or trip over a basket on the ground. "First thing's first, lass, you need to be specific. Never throw your hand out on instinct. Pick a target before engaging," Hearts whispered above the crowd noise. The Assassin watched the hands of the thief. She had just realized that Hearts had already stolen three coin purses, which were now lining her belt. It all seemed so easy. Hearts snatched another and another. Some people felt their sashes and realized they had been nicked. They all had the same reaction: gasp and then search the area for a suspect. One woman simply cursed and carried on like she was used to be stolen from. Hearts suddenly made a detour that led to a bench on the side. She quickly slid down onto it and folded her legs casually. A satisfied smile was on her face. Octavia wordlessly followed her example and sat on the bench next to her. "One thing you have to accept is that you cannot fool everyone," Hearts explained. "The invisible become visible. You have to be able to go back to invisible." "How do we do that?" Octavia asked. "We are right now. When a sod gets nicked, they look for someone running away. We are inconspicuous sitting right here." She pointed her finger at a woman. "I pickpocketed her just now. You see her? Just looking about and infuriated. Amusing, but I don't wanna start anything. She's so unobservant that she can't even see the thief sitting on the bench, making remarks about her. We are invisible, Octy." It was so simple. It was so straight forward. Octavia had been expecting a training course in tune with an advanced mathematics class. Hearts leaned back with a smug look and waited for Octavia to make a move. The Novice understood that she was up next. With a sigh, she stood up and eyed the crowd. "Don't try to find a rich one or a poor one," Hearts advised. "Just pick one." Octavia scanned the heads of the people until she found one. It was a tall bald man with lopsided shoulders and a stupid grin. His chin was much too large for his exceedingly round head. This is my target. She took one more breath and then returned to the chaos of the shifting crowd. She had picked a good target as he was easy to spy above the heads of the shorter people. She placed her hands in front of her and gently brushed the people in her way off to the side. The pedestrians did not seem to mind the little intrusion on their personal space and moved out of her way. The bald man was laughing with a skinnier companion. She could not tell what made them laugh so she could only assume the skinnier one made a cunning joke. The bald man had his back to her all the time. When she finally reached him, she inspected his belt. There, jiggling on his round waist was a small pouch of bitpieces, probably only four or five inside. She quickly reached for it and then pulled her hand back, the pouch was shaking up and down with the man's laughter and was not easy to get a grasp of. She gulp and turned 90 degrees from him. When the man stopped laughing, he wiped a tear away and shifted his stance so that he was even closer to Octavia. His companion told him goodbye and then wandered into the swarm of people. The small bag was no longer moving. She kept her eyes off of him and reached once more, but the man started walking away. Her hand snatched nothing but air. Bloody Hell! She rolled her eyes and started to follow the large man through the crowd. He was like a boat on the ocean, cutting through the water and leaving a wake behind. Only, the water was people and the wake were people he bumped into accidentally. Smaller men and women bounced off him much like one would bounce off a tree, which meant they did not bounce off, but more of take a step back as they recovered their senses. Octavia pushed these ruffled people out of the way harshly, sending more than one to the cobblestone. Every time the man bumped into a person, he uttered a sincere apology. "So sorry. My bad. Didn't see where I was going," he would say. Octavia hesitated no longer and ripped his purse off his rope belt. With one fluid motion, she took the bits from his belt to her red sash, where she hid them. It seemed like a clean steal and she hummed with satisfaction. She turned on her heels and started walking away from the man. His footsteps paused. "Did I jus' get nicked?" he grumbled. Octavia made the amateur move of looking back. The massive man was looking at the absence of his money bag. His happy face was red with an anger that made her squeak internally. His eyes flew to her and her guilty stare. A moment of realization went over him and his face began to shake with rage. "She nicked me! I'll rip her apart!" he thundered. Like a bull out of its cage, he roared and charged after her. Her feet were frozen to the ground and she watched him run at her. Think, Octy, think! She quickly reached in her sash and pulled out the purse. She stretched the hand out and shielded herself with the other. The man's roaring stopped right before his massive fist was about to collide with her head. She held her eyes shut and prayed that he would forgive her. "My purse..." he uttered strangely. "I apologize sincerely for stealing from you, good sir," Octavia squealed. "You can have it back. Just...don't eat me." He took the bag from her outstretched hand. "You be smart, girl." He then sighed. "Do you need the bits?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. The question was undoubtedly a sincere one. He was still standing there, his face red, but the anger left him. "Umm...not really, good sir." "Do you?" he asked again. "Do you need it for food?" "No sir. I was..." she cast her eyes to the ground. "Just doing it for sport." "Then you should reconsider your company, lass," were his words before he walked away. Octavia kept her eyes to the ground. She was now considering if being ripped apart by the giant would have been an easier punishment than what he did. A sarcastic clap rang from beside her. Octavia glanced to her right to see Hearts there will a big, mocking grin on her face. It was the sort of grin that deserved to be punched for even existing. "That's never happened before," she laughed. "Ya supposed to run away, Octy." "Shut your hole," Octavia growled. "I'm not a thief like you." "And you don't have to be," she leaned on the Novice's shoulder. "But now ya know just how easy it is to get close to someone. If he was your target, he would of never seen your blade coming. That's what matters here." Octavia shook her head. "Is there a lesson on dealing with the conscience afterward?" "Yeah, but that's self-taught." "Looks like I'm next for you, my dear," Twinks winked at the Novice. "Are you going to teach me how to lockpick?" Octavia mocked. Twinks giggled. "That's a good subject, but no. I'm here to show you what good move or two can do. You Assassins have a nice way of getting about. Some call it parkour, some call it free-running. Either way, it's a lifesaver. You wanna stay alive right?" "Of course." "Then you have to be able to run like Hell." Twinks and Octavia were between two tall buildings. Hearts was already on top of one, looking out to the city. Whiplash was also there, but he was casually speaking with a shopkeeper on a street corner, ignoring Octavia's lessons. They had picked a spot that would be easy for a beginner to run about. There were ladders here and there, stacked wooden crates, and the rooftops were uneven. "First thing's first," Twinks began. "You have to get your momentum going. This art is all about keeping your momentum even if you have obstacles in your way. People, fences, boxes, windows, stands, and gaps between buildings. If you clear your mind and focus, you'll always find a way around something." "I think I can handle this. Just takes practice," Octavia said hopefully. "Yup, and building up strength. This type of stuff isn't for the weak. You may be in shape right now, but you also are a woman. We gals aren't built with a lot of muscle in our upper body, which is definitely a must. You're going to have to build muscle, Octy." "I'll have you know that was trained like a Royal Guard when I was with the Two Sisters," Octavia stated. "Bullshit," Twinks replied. "I'm the weakest of my friends....except Twi. I bet your fancy training has still left you weaker than me!" "You want to bet?" Twinks did not answer and brought over a wooden crate. After setting the crate down, she went down on her knees and placed her right elbow on it. Octavia knew what the thief wanted. Not ever willing to back a challenge down, Octavia went on her knees as well. "This'll show you what it takes to survive," Twinks remarked while folding her sleeve up. Octavia and her clasped their hands together and prepared to test their own strength. The thief's hand was calloused and so rough that Octavia felt she could cut herself one it. Twinks popped her neck once and then started a countdown from three. Their hands tightened as the numbers grew smaller. "One! Go!" In less than an instant, Octavia's larger hand was planted firmly in the wooden crate. Minuette almost fell off the roof as she was laughing loudly. The Novice was already forming excuses in her head, but she knew they were all lies. Twinks was much stronger than she was. "I see your point," she uttered in defeat. "Good," the thief smiled. "Now let's climb some buildings!" "Come on! Ya can make this one!" Twinks jeered. Octavia cursed and ran at the wall. Jumping up, she forced her foot into the wall and used it to propel herself upwards. Her hands caught the ledge of the wall and pulled herself the rest of the way. It was a simple climb, but not an easy one. "That's how ya do it," Twinks patted her on the back. "Do that a couple million times and I bet you'd become good at it." "Your sense of humor does not help..." Octavia panted. "Did you think I was trying to be helpful?" Twinks asked mockingly. Octavia wiped the sweat from her brow. They had been scaling buildings for hours. Her lack of rest was now catching up with her. Her arms burned and her hands bled from grabbing onto every jagged surface imaginable. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, her face facing directly at the rooftop. The sweat on her body was dripping onto the stone and she could only watch it. "I think ya did nicely, actually," Twinks continued in a more sincere tone. "You could be really good at this in no time." "Thanks..." She lifted her head to see Minuette, who was now wearing a blue mask. The mask had a wicked grin of a dragon and the eye holes were surrounded by bright red. She spun a dagger in her hand like it was some toy. With the light blue hood on, she had a slight resemblance to Vinyl, but far more imposing. "Now that's Twinks got you all mangled and tired, it's time for the grand finale," she giggled behind the mask. "You mean we aren't resting?" Octavia growled in shock. "Of course not. Do you think Assassins take lunch breaks?" Minuette asked in a mocking sweet voice. "Listen Novice, it doesn't matter if you're tired or not. The clock is ticking. It's always ticking. Every piece of sand that falls through the hourglass is a piece we can't get back." "Fine. I have yet to know who my target is," Octavia stood up. "His name is Hardspike. Scum in these parts of Canterlot. He's been running a child slave organization in the East District, selling them to the miners in the Mountain. Now, I don't care about that. Our business doesn't collide there. It's that his group, the Hardling Gang, is taking customers away from the Guild. We don't like competitions. He's taking contracts from my boys and we are losing more money than we can steal. without Hardspike, the Guild is back on top." "He's not Templar?" "Not that we know of. He has made arrangements with Lady Poloman, a name you know I bet. So we know he's at least dealt with Templar. If that helps your reason for guttin' him, that's fine." "Why don't you kill him?" Minuette laughed. "Good question, but the Hardling Gang is looking out for us. Killing their leader will put the Guild in a rough patch. The customers between the factions are gonna go crazy, if you get me. If we have a third party kill him, it'll make it look like his business went south by dealing with the wrong people. It'll also make it look like he didn't hold up to a bargain, thus ruining his gang's reputation. Besides, he's a total lump head. He'd be good practice for you." "Killing people should never be some form of practice," Octavia objected. "Say that all you want. This guy needs to die, alright? Are you ready to stop wasting time and kill this bastard?" "Fine. Where is this Hardspike?" Mineutte pointed at the streets below. "Twinks has been leading you right to him this whole time. His tavern is down there. Now, you don't have to go inside. We've been watching him for some time and we know his favorite place to drink is on the back patio where it is open. Just get above him and fall on him. Nothing else to it." Minuette reached into her pouch. "Also, take these. They are smoke pellets. After you kill him, throw these down and run." Octavia took the pellets and put them in her sash. She then looked at the old tavern before jumping down to a lower roof. The late afternoon sun was shining brightly over the valley, giving thick, dark shadows of the spires. These shadows smothered the eastern parts of Canterlot and thus the tavern had no sun hitting it. She glided over to the tavern's roof. Her body was kept low to the rooftop to avoid immediate attention. Her eyes searched the patrons of the tavern. The back patio was far from empty. There was at least two dozen men and women enjoying drinks down there. One large man caught her eye. He was bald with a large scar running down from the top of his head to his cheek. He was sitting at a round table with another man who looked just as weathered. Octavia crept along until she was as close to above them as possible. She did not know how Hardspike would look, but she felt confident that this was him. "And did he talk?" The other laughed. "Of course he did." Hardspike said through a swig of his drink. "I'm the best at makin' them talk!" "Indeed. When the others catch wind of the news, we'll be rich." Hardspike stopped drinking. "Be quiet. There are ears everywhere. The Thieves Guild could already be after us." "So what? What can they do to us?" "Many things!" Hardspike said. "Do not be overconfident." The other leaned back. "Nothing wrong with stating facts." "Perhaps. However, just like us, they have allies. It's best we keep our eyes peered and our ears sharp." "You worry too much." Hardspike did not seem convinced. His companion chuckled and gulped down his drink with vigor. He was so cautious to expect an attack, but he did nothing to prevent it. Octavia was right above him, preparing herself to strike him down. She extended her hidden blade. Where should I hit? she wondered. Her eyes inspected the weapon she was about to utilize. It was slender and long, not meant to slice through bone or even penetrate armor like most stabbing weapons were. It had to be applied to a soft spot on the body. "Then it shall be his neck," she said to herself. He and his companion continued to chat, but she lost interest in their topics. She tried to jump off and assassinate him, but she hesitated. This man was a criminal, but was she the true act of justice he deserved? It was odd feeling of guilt rising in here. She was not defending the Brotherhood or fighting a Templar. He was simply a nuisance to a group of thieves. Why should she care? She sighed and looked away. To her surprise, Whiplash was on the roof with her, watching her. His hands were resting behind his back and an encouraging smile on his face. With one hand, he silently gestured for her to carry out the orders. Octavia did not answer and leaned away from the edge. "Why do I have to be the one to carry out his sentence? I am not affiliated with him in any way," she told the Den Master. "Perhaps you are," he answered. "You can find a lot about your target after your blade has killed him. Octavia, kill him and show that you can follow the orders of the Brotherhood. So us that you have the will to rid the world of scum. Use your blade to send a menace out of this world. It does not matter where his affiliations lie. If a man or woman preys upon the innocent, they are subjugated to our wrath." Octavia nodded. Perhaps this was the best action to make? He would only continue his cruelty by living. She could save lives by ending his schemes here. She took a deep breath and returned to the edge. Hardspike stood up from his chair and began to walk away. In not a moment wasted, Octavia leaped from the roof at him. She extended her arm, making the blade the first object to collide with him. His head was slowly turning around. He must have heard her jump. Octavia's blade dug deep into the back of his neck, sending red blood spewing out. Her legs pushed him to the ground. The next moment, she was standing on his corpse in front of wide-eyed people. "What! What happened?" Hardspike panicked. "I killed you," Octavia answered him. "You? I do not know you. Why did you slay me like that?" Octavia started pacing around him. "Because it was my duty. You are...were a horrid man. You believed your strength gave you a right to harm the weak. It would be an injustice to let you breath for a moment longer." "What you speak is ignorance!" he pointed at her. "I took children off the streets! Made them do something with their lives. Is it wrong that I made it into a business? Was it wrong that I tried to stop the Thieves Guild from robbing people blind and making families bitless? The only way I could destroy the Guild was by taking their business away. How else could I defeat a group that's off the papers?" "You made slaves! I could care less about the Guild's financial success, Hardspike." "Is it better to starve on the streets or have food in the mines?" he snapped. "Those brats die from disease in the Canterlot slums. As slaves, they at least get medical treatment!" He did not let her speak. "And you, you ruined all this! What right do you have to take a life without notice? Only a coward stabs a man in the back! I don't even know you, but I know what you are. You're an Assassin. The very thing that plagues the city. You all kill those who disagree with you. At least the Templar give us a chance first!" "The Templar are nothin-" Octavia quit when she saw that he had stopped breathing. She shook her head at him. "You try to deceive yourself in your false self-righteousness. I Hope Tartarus serves you well." Octavia pulled her blade out of Hardspike. The patrons of the tavern stared at her, stunned and in shock. The women hid behind any large man they had the chance of standing next to. The men had their jaws tight and their temples pulsing in either fear or rage. Hardspike's companion had already fled the scene. "Oi! Ya gonna die for that!" a man yelled at her. "What demon flies upon a man like that?" a woman gasped. "Let's get 'er!" A few of the patrons drew their swords. Octavia took out the smoke pellets and threw them at the ground. The next instant, smoke was all around, making the patrons cough and gag. The Novice rushed out of the tavern and into the busy streets. She shoved a man out of her way and vaulted over a fountain. She took a turn and coruched down in an alley. She took a peak over a barrel and watched the entrance of the tavern. The armed patrons ran out of it, looked about and then ran down the street, away from her. Upon seeing that they had lost her, she leaned on the wall with a sigh of relief. "That went better than I expected." ~