[Thievery] Sneak to the commander's room undetected

You and the two saintesses moved carefully through the alleyway until you reached the building you were looking for: the barracks.

The guards may have made this barracks several times larger than it had been at its conception, but you suspected their overconfidence probably meant they were still using the same old lock that this side door had when the place was put up. It was outdated and no match for your lockpicking skills. You produced your trusty thieves tools and made quick work of the first barrier to entry, wiggling your lockpick until you heard a satisfying click. You pushed open the door quietly to enter.{if Helmid = True}

"Oh dear... You have some experience with lockpicking, do you? You and Belit will be thick as thieves. Pardon my humor," Helmid chuckled quietly. You motioned back, pressing one finger to your lips to indicate now wasn't the time for jokes.{endif}{if Rosary = True}

"Oh goodness... do you h-have a lot of experience, breaking into places like this? I do hope you wouldn't use such a skill to... to do anything ungentlemanly with other locks. There are some locks that are in place for a very good reason, like a nun's ch-" Rosary began, then shook the rolls of her hair furiously. "Her diary! L-Like her diary!" You gave her a quiet shhh, letting her know that this was exactly the wrong time to be panicking.{endif}

The coast was mostly clear, proving less than a challenge for your superior sneaking skills. You managed to find just what you were looking for, not that it was well-hidden: the door leading to the quarters of Guard Captain Mertz. Unfortunately, it was guarded by two security measures: a padlock and a surly, over-sized guard. At the guard's hip was a key, which could only be for the padlock behind him.

You had a lot of experience lifting key-rings, but this would take more than that. Luckily, with just one guard, you could rely on a tried and true strategy. After ducking into a nearby room belonging to some nameless soldier, you grabbed a coin from your pocket and flicked it into the main hall with an attention-grabbing clink.

The guard scratched his head for a moment, then moved to check it. You took the brief moment when he passed by your doorway to cut the keyring from his pocket with your knife, then motioned for your saintesses to follow. The three of you scuttled quickly to the door, undid the padlock, and moved inside. The padlock remaining on the door, even if it wasn't properly secured, should deceive the guard into thinking nothing had happened once he returned.{if Belit = True}

"I could'a done that!" your party's thief pouted, crossing her arms at her chest.

Yeah... but you wanted to show off a little.{endif}{if Liens = True}

"Good work. Now let's search. Quickly. The padlock may fool him. But keyring. Missing. He'll notice that's gone before long," Liens remarked quietly.{endif}{if Bangaal = True}

"How boring! Sneaking isn't fun at all, Lavender Vin. Wouldn't you rather be, how do they say, the center of the attention? Bangaal knows she would!" Bangaal's voice came from somewhere nearby, a little more loudly than you'd have liked.{endif}{if Amulette = True}

"Well done! Twas worthwhile to witness you at work," Amulette applauded you with a startling pat on the back. "Now now, don't jump out of your jerkin. We have much to mull over before we make clear this man's misdeeds."{endif}