Cursed Bonds

Jumping at Shadows

Wayne climbed out the window and up onto the top of the roof. He could still see the figures below. They were going through the pockets of the sailors. Once they were done pilfering the sailors' pockets; The thieves darted into the alley they had jumped out of.

Wayne quickly followed jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He was keeping up as they weaved in-between buildings and occasionally crossed a street. Wayne followed from above, careful not to be spotted by the rear thief that would occasionally glance back to make sure they weren't being followed. Wayne noticed the man's gray eyes darting up at a rooftop he had jumped from a moment before.

Wayne continued to follow them until eventually, he had to duck behind a chimney stack as the group of thieves made their way behind a building. They had gathered near a cellar hatch and each was on the lookout for anyone watching. The one in front opened the cellar door and disappeared inside. The others followed.

"Well it seems I've found a rat's nest," Wayne said to himself as he stepped out from behind the chimney.

Wayne began heading back across the rooftops, he had memorized the location of the cellar for later. He didn't quite know what he'd do with the information, but he was certain it would come in handy. He and Devyn had once been members of a Thieves guild in Bloodheim. It was in their early teens, that they had been accomplished burglars. Their Uncle Alucard despised their nightly escapades but did not stop them. Just before they left Bloodheim, the guild had disbanded. The members decided the competition was getting too tough and many of their members had already died.

Devyn and Wayne had been members for years. They wanted to keep the guild alive but, they knew they would soon be traveling. Alucard had spoken to them of the amulet and the two agreed they would search for it rather then stay and keep the guild together.

Wayne jumped across the snowy rooftops taking his mind off the old guild and focused his attention on the buildings below. He was looking for the magic shops, he has already been planning on checking them out before his brother woke up, the thieves in the alley were simply too good an opportunity to pass up.

After hopping a few more rooftops he found what he was looking for. Above the door to a shop, a wooden sign hung above, it depicted a cauldron, and above was written The Bubbling Cauldron. Wayne quickly jumped down from the rooftop into a nearby alley.

Though not as strong and durable as his brother, Wayne was still half-vampire and could perform small feats ordinary humans would never dream of trying, such as landing from a fifty-foot fall.

Cloaked in the shadows, Wayne stood at the edge of the alley checking to make sure a squad of guards wasn't coming. Quickly he ran across the street into the alley adjacent to The Bubbling Cauldron. He quietly crept to the side door. He began to concentrate on the door using the Hex's power to detect any magical alarms or traps that might go off. Satisfied there weren't any traps on the door, he pulled a small leather case from his pocket. Pulling his picks from the case, he eyed the lock.

Carefully he placed his picks inside the lock and began probing the simple lock. After a few tries and a quick twist of the rake, he slowly cracked open the door. He scanned the room and detected a few magical traps placed on some of the glass cases storing various items on display.

He crept into the shop, quietly closing the side door behind him. A staircase led up to the next floor, the shopkeeper's apartment, he guessed as he perused the various items on display. Each had a piece of parchment with the item's name and description. None of the items was the amulet he was looking for but one item did catch his eye. A set of leather bracers, the parchment had the name their name written at the top. Bracers of Arcane Blades, under the name a description of what they could do, was written. Wayne grinned mischievously as he read what they could do.

He concentrated on the magical trap set on the glass as he began whispering a spell to dispel the trap. Sweat rolled down the side of his face as he recited the intricate spell, creating symbols of pure arcane energy in the air as he waved his hands in motion to the words. As the final word of the spell slipped from his lips, he pressed his hand to the glass and watched as the glass cracked. Carefully he lifted the glass and grabbed the bracers.

Wayne slowly crept back to the side door. Slipping into the alleyway, he took a long deep breath. Steam spread around his face as he let out a long sigh. It's going to be a long night, he thought to himself as he walked down the alley. long the way he put the Bracers of Arcane Blades on. He was pleased to feel them adjust to fit around his wrist and change to the black color of his armor, a side effect of them being magic

The snowstorm was still raging on as he climbed up a nearby building. The ice pelted the hood of his fur cloak as he stood atop the building, lightning flashed across the sky, bringing a thunderous boom close behind it. Wayne continued searching for another magic shop.

Wayne stopped for a moment, closing his eyes, visualizing what he wanted the bracers to do. A faint glow of blue light pierced through his eyelids as he felt daggers appear in his hands. He looked down, he was wielding two daggers, they faintly glowed blue along the dagger's edges. He grinned as he threw one into the roof of a nearby building. Moments later its faint blue glow disappeared. Wayne willed another to appear in his hand, then he decided to will them away. He watched as they left a soft blue glow, fading from his hands.

Continuing with his search he came across another shop, The Magic Box. Unlike the other shop, this one only had a single entrance. Wayne felt tired from dispelling the trap from The Bubbling Cauldron. He debated to himself whether he should try to break into this one or not. Deciding it was best not to push his luck, he moved on.

Continuing his quest to find all of the magic shops in the town before dawn, Wayne jumped from roof to roof, leaving boot prints in the snow as he ran. Mentally noting the location of each shop, and the ones he was confident he could break into later, Wayne ran across the rooftops jumping across alleyways as he moved further into the city.

Unaware of being followed, he did not notice the cloaked figure below, darting from alley to alley.

Wayne was satisfied he had scouted enough for one night. He sat with his feet dangling from an inn roof. The snow falling on him, he looked up at the storm. The dark clouds flashed with lightning, sometimes a bolt of lightning would strike a few miles from the city. Perched on top of the roof, he watched as a squad of guards huddled next to a small fire, warming their hands as they grumbled about the cold.

Wayne began heading to The Ice Queen's Tavern when he noticed the cloaked figure following him. He quickly jumped from the roof he was on and landed in the street below, rolling as he landed he quickly regained his composure and walked confidently down the street.

The cloaked figure darted from alleys, shadowing Wayne as he made his way through the streets. Wayne knew he was behind him, even though he hadn't glanced back during his stroll. Quickly changing direction, Wayne led the cloaked figure into an alley.

The cloaked figure cautiously followed Wayne into the alley, peering around the corner before following. Wayne had disappeared. Confused, the figure began running to the other end, thinking he had tried to give him the slip.

Wayne watched from a dark shadow in-between the buildings, he had cloaked himself magically. Wayne recognized the cloaked figure from earlier that night, it was the thief in the rear of the group. He was shorter than Wayne, stocky in build, his face was hidden under a piece of black cloth. The only noticeable feature that Wayne had spotted was the gray eyes that seemed to take in everything as he glanced around, searching for Wayne.

He must have spotted me. Wayne mused to himself as he watched the thief pass by him, completely unaware Wayne was an arm's length away.

Watching the thief disappear around the corner of the building, Wayne stepped out of the shadows. Grinning, Wayne went the other way, back to the main street. As he walked, he began whistling an old tune the bards of Bloodheim would play to the royals. It was a tune that was accompanied by his favorite tale, The Tales of The White Mage.

Slipping back through the open window, Wayne stepped onto the floor of his room in The Ice Queen's Tavern. Devyn woke to the slight creak of the floor. His glowing red eyes cracked open.

"Where have you been?" Devyn asked as Wayne brushed the snow off his cloak.

Wayne grinned. " Just had to do a little shopping."