Garrett strode to the door of his apartment building on Hill Street. Pulling a key out from his cloak he unlocked the door and entered the building. The building was small, only three stories high, and was quite shabby, being the home of several of the city's less respectable denizens. The hallway was lit by the flickering light of a single torch, sputtering in its iron sconce beside the stairwell. Garrett moved up the steps, which would have creaked and shook had anyone with a softer step than him try and climb them. He ascended a second flight and opened the door to his apartment. The place was overall fairly respectable. To the right of the door a ceiling high wooden arch divided the main room into two parts. The right section had the hearth and thin rug in front of it, with two armchairs angled towards each other and the fireplace. A small kitchen area was also part of the room. It held a countertop, some cupboards, a small iron stove, and an icebox. On the far wall was a window, which was at the center of the wooden arch and a full bookcase beside that. The other section held a slanted desk and chair, as well as a two-seat couch. The right section also had a wooden door in it, which led to the bedroom. In the bedroom was a typical bed and nightstand. A closet also stood in the narrow hallway between the door and the main bedroom area. A window was at the foot of the bed on the far wall. Garrett looked around suspiciously at all of these features, even checking in the secret compartment behind the closet wall. When he felt sure that no assassins lay in wait to slit his throat, he relaxed. He quickly shut the door to his apartment and locked each of the seven locks on the door, checking each individually for its functionality. Going to his closet he pulled back his hood. His face handsome and roguish. The mechanical eye looked almost normal except for the off white color it held. However, when necessary he could make himself look absolutely terrifying. He undid the clasp to his cloak and hung it up on a rack in the closet. This revealed his black undersuit. Around his waist was a belt with pouches and straps of all shapes and sizes on it. These held his various tools of the trade. His sword and scabbard also hung at his side, though they seldom saw use. A bow and quiver were both strapped around his chest and though it seemed impossible, all of this equipment fit unencumberingly and almost seamlessly under his cloak. He undid his belt and unstrapped his quiver and bow. Reaching up he grabbed the third peg from the right in the closet and turned it a quarter turn to the left. The back wall of his closet slid up revealing the compartment within. Wooden shelves were set in close proximity to each other down two thirds of the compartment. They held bundles of arrows of every type as well as several flashbombs and mines. There was also a pair of potions contained in green glass bottles. Some scouting orbs sat dormant on one shelf, as did a large collection of yet-to-be-fenced loot. Garrett replaced the three flashbombs and scouting orb in their proper place and put his bow and quiver on the floor along with his sword. His belt he stored on the top shelf and his key ring went right beside it. Garrett also placed the case with the Vestrius here, hidden under the coin pouch from Donovan. He took the two rubies he had lifted from the golden skull at Emilio's and flipped them in his hands for a moment, admiring them. Then he placed them into his pile of collected loot. He closed the compartment. Garrett pulled off the top of his black undersuit and hung this up. His chest was lean and well muscled. A few white lines the reminders of some of his more serious past injuries. He stripped off his leggings as well and hung them up. He changed into a light cotton tunic and trousers. Then closing the closet he went to his windows and made sure they were locked up tight. Then taking the various maps and papers he had brought with him that night he went to the living area and opened his desk. Various drawers were set into the desk and only an inkpot and quill broke a flat space on top. Garrett opened one of the drawers and filed away the papers. He shut the desk and went to the kitchen. He opened up one of the cupboards and pulled out a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese along with a hunk of dried and salted meat. This he placed on a plate and filled a glass with cold water from a pitcher in the icebox. He placed his meal on the fireplace and bent to light a fire using some wood from a small pile next to the grate. He soon had a fire going and sat down to eat in quiet contemplation. I'll have to acquire a map or two of this Richard van Wyker's manor, shouldn't be a problem. I have a few friends who owe me favors. I'll need some fine clothing to, seeing as how Donovan seems to think what I wear at the moment is substandard…huh pretentious bastard. And that witch he employs is no better! Ah well, seeing as how I got 500 from him I may as well put it to use. I should also pay Osgood a visit, pick up some of his latest items and see what he's willing to pay for some of my loot. Other than that I can't see anything else that needs doing. Ugh! He rubbed his eyes sleepily. I should get some sleep. He stood and placed his dishes on the counter next to the tap. He let the fire die down and turned off the oil-lamp above the main room. He went to his bedroom and did the same to his desk lamp before opening the sheets and checking under his pillow. His hands clasped the hilt of the dagger secreted there and he sighed. He got into the sheets and fell asleep. While he slept, the city woke.

Garrett awoke late in the day. He opened his shutters to see sunlight streaming through the window. The street below him was a bustle of activity as people went about their daily business. He quickly shut them again, rubbing his eyes. He stumbled out of his bedroom and to the kitchen where he poured himself another glass of water and drank deeply. He went to his closet and started to take out his regular black tunic and gray leggings for daywear when he caught their scent. By the Gods these are ripe! I'd better go to the bathhouse to do some washing; I could use shower myself to. Garrett grabbed all of his clothes off the hooks and put them into a cloth bag he kept on the closet floor. He changed into the pair he had taken out but was careful to liberally coat himself with scented oil he found in the nightstand drawer. He opened the secret compartment and grabbed the pouch he had put there earlier, as well as his key ring. Garrett exited his apartment and walked the three blocks to the bathhouse. The house was a two story marble affair. The windows were blue glass shards pieced together to form the window, each piece was edged in gold creating a spidery web of gold amongst the glass. The walls were a soft green and there was an extensive garden surrounded by a low iron gate around the building. Garrett entered the main lobby, which was well decorated to match the outside. He went up to the woman at the reception desk. She looked up at him through black-rimmed spectacles. "Welcome to the Eastport Bathhouse and spa, what's your pleasure sir?" The bathhouse, in addition to being a wash house and bathing edifice, was also a very high-class whorehouse. Garrett felt no need for such companionship; money was his only love. "I need a private shower stall and these (he placed the bag on the counter) washed." "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer our full body workout treatment o-." "Just the shower and wash." Garrett interrupted. "Of course sir, that will be 200." Garrett took out his pouch and placed roughly 200 coins onto the counter." "Thank you sir, here is your key, room number 4 on your left." She said pointing down the marble hall to his left. The receptionist rang a small silver bell and a servant girl came out through a door in the back. The woman turned to her. "Have these washed and delivered to this gentleman's room." The girl curtsied and carried the bag into the backroom. "Thanks." Garrett said hurriedly as he grabbed his key and went down the hall. "Enjoy your stay." The woman said before looking back at her papers.

Garrett unlocked the heavy green door to his room. Inside the entire room was covered in green marble. In the center of the room was a depression in the floor, set in white marble, shot with gray streaks. A fountain of marble stood in the center of the depression and cascaded a gentle curtain of water just inside the lip of the depression. The depression was about 8 feet deep, and angled inwards towards the center. It was filled with crystal clear water, which drained out through a small brass drain in the center, near the fountain. The water that sprayed around the perimeter of the pool acted as a curtain, distorting anyone whom stood inside of it. There was floor to ceiling windows along the far wall, which allowed daylight to come streaming it but were also distorted, white curtains stood along the edges, allowing for extra privacy should it be needed. Stone benches sat at either side of the pool in the center. Tropical plants and marble busts were placed artfully around the room. A black marble countertop ran along one wall, a large painting of a scantily clad woman hanging above it and a long gold-bordered mirror below that. The countertop had a few potted plants on it and a silver basin set into it, with a hoary pitcher of water beside it. White towels lay stacked in a black cabinet on one wall, along with white cotton bathrobes. Beside them were various perfumes and other beauty products. A gray mat lay near the pool, a pillow of light blue satin, sitting on it.

Garrett looked around at all this a sighed. This is always worth the 200. He thought. To him that kind of money was nothing. To a commoner it was equivalent to their life savings. Garrett placed his key on the countertop and undressed. He pushed through the curtain of water around the pool and walked down the marble steps until he was in up to his waist in the warm water. He waded in further until he was up to his neck near the center of the pool. He grabbed a bar of soap from a silver rack attached to the fountain and began washing. When he finished he lay back a let himself float in the gentle water. Then, he heard the door to his room swing open and then shut again. He stood bolt upright in the water. Cautiously he lowered himself under the water and moved to float behind the fountain. He reached down to his side for his dagger and then realized that it was sitting folded up in his clothes on the countertop. He cursed inwardly. The person was wearing a bathrobe but that was all Garrett could make out through the distorting dome of water that encased him. The person moved to the pool and disrobed, letting it flutter to the floor. They started to walk through the curtain. They never got that far. Garrett had swan soundlessly underwater until he was near the steps. As the person made to step through the curtain, he burst up in a spray of water and leapt through the curtain at his intruder. They both luckily flew through the air together and hit the gray mat near the pool, making it slide across the floor. Garrett grabbed his opponent around the throat but stopped short. Beneath him lay the girl who had taken his clothes for washing. She looked up at him in shock at the sudden attack. She was naked. Garrett could feel her warm breasts pressing against his chest. He rolled off in shock and scrambled to his feet. She stood up and looked at him. He grabbed the girl's robe from the floor and quickly put it on, talking as he did so. "What the hell are you doing here?!" "The girl looked coyly at him and started to advance. "I thought you might need some company, you know someone to help you wash your back." She got closer as Garrett backed away. "I don't need any company." "Everyone needs company, even you though you may say otherwise. Has it been so long that you have forgotten the pleasure of another against your skin?" She moved quicker. "I don't need any of that, now could you please leave?" The girl stopped, she looked hurt. "Alright, I go." She turned but slipped on a wet spot on the slick marble floor. Garrett ran forward and caught her before she fell. She was on him in a flash. Whipping around out of his arms she twisted her body and pulled him into an embrace. Her lips met his and she kissed him with intensity, biting down on his lip and drawing blood. He could feel he warm body pressing against him as her hands struggled to untie his robes. He pushed her off of him. He backed up, touching his lip and seeing blood on his fingers. "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I don't need your services, now get out of my room!" The girl's expression turned angry. "Fine, you nasty little man, you'll regret this for the rest of your life, thinking about all the pleasure you could have had!" She grabbed a bathrobe and pulled it on before storming out the door. Garrett slumped onto one of the stone benches and felt at his lip again. "Damn whore." He cursed. He collected his clothes and put them back on, someone had already come and taken them to wash before bringing back his entire load. He drank deeply from the pitcher before leaving. He dropped his key with the receptionist and left.

He walked back to his apartments and replaced his clothes in the closet, putting the rubies from the skull in his pocket. Then he left again, this time heading for one of the thieves' guilds. There were a total of five guilds in the city, two major ones and three minor. The two majors were the Moonshadows and the Scarlet Daggers. There had been wars between the guilds in the past under various leaders, which were called Darkblades. During each war, the smaller guilds would take sides depending on whom they favored. These guilds were often the deciding factors in any major engagements. The three minor guilds were the Silver Skulls, the Drachens, and the Jade Falcons. The two major guilds each controlled half of the city and decided weather a minor guild would be allowed to work a certain area. If they did allow it then the guild had to take a cut from all of its members to cover the fee imposed. Any thief caught thieving in an area which they were not licensed to be in were usually taken prisoner and either roundly beaten, or have their loot taken and sent back to their guild roughed up. Only in extreme circumstances or during a guild war were they killed. Freelances like Garrett were rare and far in-between. Most guilds would rather bring them into the fold rather than oppose them. If the freelances had fences they were usually left alone (the fence usually paid a large one-time fee for being allowed to dispense jobs around the city). If they didn't have fences they were usually at odds with any guild thieves they met, but the guild thieves never usually pursued a fight unless they had a numerical advantage. Freelance thieves weren't independent because they were weak. Guild Wars were usually fought for extended territory but it seemed that the half-half division of the city was always returned to.

At this moment Garrett was headed for the Drachens guildhouse, which he was on slightly more friendly terms with than the others. Garrett walked up to an otherwise plain looking house squeezed between countless others like it. He knocked on the solid wood door. A few moments later he heard movement and a narrow slit opened at eye level. "Password?" A gruff voice said from behind the door. "Spilled blood is red, a strangled man is blue, open the door or I'm coming for you." Garrett recited. The slit slammed shut and Garrett heard the sound of the door being unbarred and unbolted. It opened a crack to admit him. He stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind him. He was in a dimly lit, low ceilinged room. He could make out the dark shapes of sacks of flour and grain piled against the walls, boxes and barrels cluttering the room and small narrow shelves filled with dusty glass jars lining the walls. A man dressed in a black leather jerkin and hood finished bolting the door and turned around to face him. "Hello Garrett haven't seen you in quite a while, so how's Cutty doing?" "Cutty's dead Thomas." Garrett said plainly. "Must have been longer than I thought, oh well go on in." Thomas reached under a shelf and pressed a hidden catch. Part of the stone wall at the back slid aside to reveal a narrow wooden staircase descending. Garrett walked in and down the steps. A long hall waited at the bottom, lined with torches. At the end was a wooden door, which Garrett opened. This lead into a square stone room, which was illuminated by the light of many iron candelabra's set around the room. There were four stone pillars supporting the roof, each placed a little off from its corner. Three stone archways led off from the room, one on each wall. A plain wooden table sat in the center; a man sat behind it with ink, a quill and several sheaves of parchment lay out on the desk. He was relatively skinny with short black hair and a very round face. He looked up as Garrett entered. "State your name, status, and business with the guild." "Garrett, freelance, and I'm here to purchase some maps from Llass." The man recorded all of this on his parchment. "Straight ahead, fifth archway on your right, through the left door in the gambling hall, and from there it's the second door on your left." With that he ignored Garrett and looked back at his papers. Garrett took no notice. He made his way through the gambling hall, which was empty of players at the moment and into Llass's shop. It was a small wooden room, which was lit by a large lamp suspended from the ceiling. The room was divided by a wooden countertop. Behind the counter the walls were covered in shelves, compartments, and tables all filled with parchment. They littered the room, covering almost every surface. Behind the counter sat a young looking man. He was hunched over a stack of parchment studying it intently, a looking glass pressed close to his eyes. He didn't seem to notice Garrett entering his shop. Garrett tapped him on the shoulder. The man looked up in surprise, his normally large eyes made even larger by the looking glass. He put down the looking glass and smiled. "Garrett! You startled me for a moment." "I have that effect on people." He replied the tiniest of smiles creeping into his normally dour expression. "So, what is it you need from my shop this time?" "Richard van Wyker, you ever heard of him Llass?" He asked the shop owner. "Garrett, there isn't a single person in this city whose-." "House, mansion, tower or garden you don't have mapped, I know Llass." This was Llass's sales pitch; Garrett had heard it a thousand times before. "Umm, yes well I assume your not here to ask me for his personal details, so let me get out his map…if I could only find it." Llass got off his stool and started looking around the shop, sliding parchment onto the floor as he sifted through his wealth on knowledge. After several minutes of searching he pulled out a set of sheets rolled up and bound with a red strip. "Ah ha! Here we go…Richard van Wyker, collector, artisan, and archeologist." "I thought you knew everyone by the layout of their house, what gives?" "Occasionally a map will come with an occupational marker." He replied offhandedly. Llass came back to the counter and handed the scroll to Garrett. "75 for the set, that includes the map maker's notes, and the location names, not to mention the quality of the map." "Fair price." Garrett said as he paid Llass. "Anything else?" "No, goodbye Llass." Garrett turned and left. He exited the thieves guild, next stop Osgood's.

The bell tingled in a small, musty shop as the door swung open. Garrett entered, staring around the dimly, lit room. The shop looked a lot like Llass's at the guild except instead of maps there was just about everything else. Items of all shapes and sizes sat piled, stacked, dropped, or set on shelves, countertops, and drawers. A very small, beady eyed man stood behind the counter, a cresent of grey hair the only adorning feature on his otherwise bald head. He wore plain, black spectacles and old plaid clothes. He regarded Garrett as he approached the counter with a very buisness-like gaze. "Garrett, what brings you to my humble shop? Here to purchase a few more…tools? I've just received a shipment from a contact overseas and it contains some items I'm sure one such as yourself would be interested in." "What have you got Osgood?" Garrett replied. "Ah, it would be more productive to show you, wait but a moment." With that he entered a door behind the counter. He exited moments later, carrying a wooden chest. He set this on the counter and beckoned Garrett closer. Osgood opened the chest. Inside were two things, a pair of boots and a grappling hook. The boots were black leather, quite supple, they shone with a polished gleam. The hook was plain dark metal which refused to shine, no matter the lighting. The metal seemed quite soft, but when Garrett put his hand on it, it felt incredibly strong. "These items are quite valuable Garrett. The boots are boots of swiftness, the wearer will be able to jump very high and run very fast. The hook is also magic, when attatched to any surface it will to conform to the shape of the surface and then stick fast to it until commanded to release itself." "How do I know these aren't just clean boots and a hook?" Garrett said, regarding the items dubiously. "A demonstration would calm your suspicions would it not?" "Yes" "Then come with me." Osgood led Garrett through the backroom and out into the alley behind the shop. He told Garrett to put on the boots. He did so, and as he put his feet in he felt a certain lightness grip him. "Now, run to the end of the alley and back, and when you are returning jump to grab the fire escape on my building." Osgood instructed. Garrett started to run he felt his feet nearly fly across the cobblestone, yet he had barely exerted himself. He reached the end of the alley and dashed back, leaping as he ran. He soared upwards a good six or seven meters his fingers brushed the railing of the fire escape and then he caught the bar. He hung there for a moment and then pulled himself up. He lowered the ladder to Osgood and climbed back down. "Are they satisfactory?" Osgood said, apparantly very pleased with himself. "They are, but what about the hook?" "Of course, here take it and throw it at any wall." Garrett took the hook and whipped it as hard as he could at the wall. The hook slammed into it and stuck in head first, then the hooks inverted themselves and jammed deep into the wall. Garrett walked over and yanked on the hook. It didn't move and inch. "You need only say release." Osgood told him. "umm…release?" Garrett said. The hooks immediately came free and the hook dropped to the ground. Garrett picked it up and turned it over in his hands. "Are the items acceptable?" Osgood asked. "Yes, how much?" "For both the boots and the hook I am taking 2000." He stated. "Will these suffice?" Garrett asked. He pulled the rubies from his pocket, they gleamed in the daylight. "Osgood took them and looked them over with an appraising eye. "These I deem will pay for 1700 of the cost." He said. Garrett took out his pouch and handed it to Osgood. "There's 225 in there, I can get you the 75 tomorrow." He said. "Very well Garrett, but until you do, the items will be staying in my possession." "Then, in that case I will retrieve the rest of the payment and return here today." Garrett replied striding out of the alleyway. He returned later in the day and payed Osgood his money. He put on the boots and walked rather quickly home.

In the few days leading up to the party at Richard's estate, Garrett appropriated a fine looking black satin outfit, with silver buttons and trimming. This also came with a black pace stick with a small silver globe as the handle. The suit he had bought from one of the finest tailors in town and was actually quite pleased to wear it. He also restocked his kitchen, as food was getting scarce. During the evenings he would sit with a glass of water at his elbow, looking over the maps of Richard's manor by the light of a single candle. He had found the study and ballroom easily enough. The difficulty was that the study was located on the 2nd floor of Richard's three story house, in a small tower near the side of the main building. The ballroom and the gallery were on the first floor of Richard's house, at the other end. Now, his manor was deeper than it was wide, so the distance was not to much to cross. But it was still quite a bit of space, and there would be guards. Being a guest of the lord of the house would give Garrett a certain amount of leeway but not enough to be walking through rooms in plain sight. This was his plan. Garrett would leave the party via the balcony on the gallery level, overlooking the dance hall. From there he would proceed towards the middle of the house to the nearest staircase which he would ascend to the third floor. After that he would exit through a window in a nearby lavatory and climb to the roof from which he would enter the tower window from the outside, thereby bypassing the gaurds at the doors. He would find what he required and then exit and climb down to the ground where he would sneak back into the house and rejoin the party. There were likely going to be guards around the inside of the house and the patrols would be even more heavy and alert than usual, due to the guests. But, Garrett had observed the routes that had been mapped out on for him and found that by taking a certain route through the house to the stairs, he could avoid much of the guards. Garrett had also decided on his gear required for the mission. A sword was out of the question, as was a bow. He could carry his blackjack and lockpicks in without anyone noticing. With a bit of experimentation he was also able to fit a fairly short coil of black dyed rope onto the inside of his jacket. The grappnel was to bulky and oddly shaped to conceal properly. He also took one of his daggers, a flashbomb, his map, a gas mine, and his boots he would be wearing. This was already quite a bit of equipment in his eyes, but he had to prepare for mishaps. It was on one of these nights of preperation that he was paid a visit.

Garrett had almost finished fitting the rope inside his jacket when he heard someone rap sharply on his door. He dropped the jacket and swept up a dagger. He went to his door and pressed his ear against it. "Who calls at this hour?" he said, his fingers tensing around the dagger handle. "Galen." Garrett pulled away from the door and looked at it strangely. He unbolted all seven locks and pulled the door open. Galen stood on his doorstep, she was dressed in her usual red attire. "Yes?" Garrett said bemusedly. "I've come to talk to you Garrett, may I come in, or do all your guests spend their visits on the threshold?" He moved aside to let her enter, muttering under his breath "I usually invite guests." She removed the red coat from her shoulders and draped in over a coathook beside the door. She went to the grate and sat down in front of it, in one of the chairs. "You house is so dark, we shall have light." She pointed her finger at the fireplace and said some words of magic "Nialaruth nos fieremos!" Fire sprang up in the hearth, burning on nothing but air itself. "Sit, I would discuss the particular's of our task with you." Garrett sat, still looking at her warily, he placed the dagger on a table beside his chair. "Firstly I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you before, I have no doubt in your abilities." This surprised Garrett, he didn't let it show however. "Somehow I don't think you're sinciere." He said coolly. "What! Why would you have any reason to doubt me?" "Your relationship with Donavan is too equal, I think you're trying to sell him out on whatever you two are planning to do with the Vestrius once I get the second half. Why is the Vestrius so important? What does it do?" he pressed "That is not your concern!" She snapped. "Oh but it is. I am your link to it, if I am dissatisfied with your explanation I may refuse to do this." He said, smirking "Your threat is empty Garrett. Your desire for wealth certainly overrides any curiosity you may have as to the use of your comission." She said plainly. "You seem to know me well Galen, yes I will take the job, even if you do not tell me about the Vestrius. But, I am perfectly capable of making things much more expensive for you. Now, what is the Vestrius for?" "Your arrogance astounds me! You will not demand anything of me you conceited bastard!" She snarled. "Now there's the Galen I know." Garrett said. Galen stopped herself short. "Very well, I apologize for my outburst, but I cannot reveal the use of the Vestrius to you, not yet." Garrett let it drop for the moment.

She sighed. "I will be frank with you Mister Garrett I had another motive for coming here tonight." She looked up at him, the cold intensity gone from here eyes to be replaced by something quite strange…warmth. "You see Mister Garrett I have an…attraction to you." She stood from the chair and advanced on him. "It is one that I find hard to control, I felt I must see you, it is a desire I have felt the moment I laid eyes on you." She gripped the arms of the chair and leaned her face in close to Garrett's. He could smell her perfume, the cloying scent that stirred even his dead nerves. For a moment he felt the desire grip him, deep in the pit of his stomach he wanted her. Then he saw it, beyond the temptation of her body, his guess was right, she wanted his loyalty, if he got the Vestrius piece and handed it over to her, she could have whatever it would get her and Donavan, all for herself. She could avoid any unplesantness through dealing with Donavan by aquiring the pieces through Garrett. As he thought this she pressed her lips against his. He held this for the briefest of seconds before breaking away from her. She tried again to kiss him, he ducked and slithered out of his chair and stood up. "This is incredible! First you're angry, then you attempt to seduce me, and throughout it all you believe I am so stupid as to not notice your trickery?! I know exactly what you are trying to do Galen. It won't work, my body feels no need for physical pleasure. As for the Vestrius, my payment lies with Donavan, I am loyal to my employer. Now, get out." She stared for a moment at him in disbelief. Then the burning intensity flared in her eyes. "Very well, I will not jeapordize my chances of appropriating the Vestrius by doing anything foolish here, but mark my words." She said, driving every word into him. "You will regret this." With that she yanked her coat off the hook and stormed out the door slamming it with a crash. Garrett just stood in the centre of the room, staring. Then he slumped into a chair. Damnit. Twice this week I've pushed away two women. I feel no guilt or loss, they are foreign terms to me. Yet somehow I feel as though I've made a mistake somewhere. He stared into the fire, the magical fire. He watched it for a long time until its magic flickered and died, thinking. Finally he stood. I'm getting my money and that's all that matters. To hell with feeling. With that he continued to prepare his equipment, unperturbed.