Card Thief

Feathers ruffled and wet from the rain recent rain that had pass over the streets of the Avigande, despite the cloak she had covered herself. Her beak shines when the clouds have departed from the moonlight's rays in full view. She waits in the corner, silently waiting as the chilling wind passes. She hugs herself tight to keep herself warm, shuddering from the intensity of the cold.

Likewise, she hears the sound of clopping hooves against the cobbled street and the tweaking sounds of wooden wheels. From the fog, two blurry lights appears and came emerge a dark carriage driven by a stout gremlin in a thick coat with a helm covering his face where his eyes glows yellow in the shadow. She reels back to the shadows behind and watches intently.

He whips the horses to go faster, and the carriage went her way. With that, she's gone in a flash as it passes by. She had to quickly hanged underneath, pulling herself to close to the wooden boards while smelling the dung that makes her barf.

She bears with it for half an hour of clinging for her dear [life.

It stops and she hears the gate opens. In her thoughts, she wonders how is she going to pull this off? This is her first heist, after all. The guild master is expecting her to deliver the stolen goods, to whatever inside the Black Manor.

She knows nothing of the layout of the place. Is the master expecting her to be expendable? Or was this something he hasn't prepared? Was she sent to meet her ends and despair? No… He wouldn't do that, after all, she was daughter to him.

She remembers his words that she's her own now and whatever happens, she must survive as always.

“Yes.” She whispers to herself, “I am my own wing now.”

She breathes deep and the carriage stops, shaking her nerves, but she steels her mind, not to puke. The carriage door opens, and she can see the driver's boots walking towards the guard's humongous feet.

“Is this all of it?” The guard asks with a booming voice.

“Yep, this is the last one, as the Duke says.” The driver says in a broken pitch note.

“Alright, get going then.” The guard snorts.

She gets out of the carriage on the opposite side and takes a peek from the back at the corner. The guard has a large nose and tired eyes. His skin is of that pale blue and almost white because of the moon's exposure.

She sneaks right pass him in front of him as fast she could and peeks again, hiding low with the tall grass. The guard didn't even notice,, and she proceeds further to the side of the staircase that leads to the large entrance.

She's just in time for the driver to open it along with the another couple of guards. She climbs with such agility and mends well within the darkness above, gripping the stone walls with her sharp talons. The guards open the door for the driver, carrying a chest large enough to be a purse.

Her eyes twinkle and enters the door above as the driver enters. It was a hall of stone pillars with torches lined up to light the way to two-way tunnels.

The driver chooses the left, and she follows, but the driver pace went fast. She struggled to get behind, hoping to get a drop on him, but she reconsiders not risking herself to danger, so she can only tail behind.

And an opportunity arrives when the driver stopped somewhere dim around the corner. She jumps her chance and closes in on k-

“Stop, hold it right there!” A shout booms that she flinches back away and catching herself before she falls.

“Uh yes! I'm here for the delivery…” The driver nervously says.

“You aren't allowed here! Who gave you permission?” The voice increases its volume, and she sees them holding out a torch closer to the eyes of the driver.

“Borg's the one who told me to get going and-”

“Ah, Borg… Never mind, hand it to me.” The guard or perhaps the goblin warden orders him and the driver complied.

The driver whizzes past her without hesitation, going back where he entered. Now this is more difficult for her. The warden inspects the chests and goes where he appears an approaches on something on a pedestal where a suction tube connects to pipes leading to a dark corridor.

The chest immediately launches itself, pulled by the air, and away it goes.

She dashes and stuffed out the warden's torch with a flick of their cloak, knocking it out of his hand. She pulled a quick slice to his neck, and he instantly bleeds, leaving him to die.

Furthermore, she runs without caution and ends up where two branching paths laid out before her. The pipes split off, making it harder to figure out which way.

She ponders, tapping on the sharp edge of her beak…

(Thank you, DKRouga!)