Title: Not A Good Job
Characters: Burglar (OC), Skull Bishop, Dark Blaze Dragon (OC), Haou (referred to)
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 2,758
Genre: General||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing: YGO GX: canon: F52, character fails a target; Include The Word Boot Camp, YGO, #32, moan; Collect the Death Duelists, Skull Bishop; GX Month 2021, day #19, Side Deck
Notes: This takes place during Juudai's rule of Dark World.
Summary: A good thief can steal anything. That's what he's always believed. This time, he finds out just how wrong he really is.
He slipped in through the window, sneering at how easy this was. For all that this Haou had a monstrous reputation as a duelist, he didn't seem very aware of how to keep unwanted guests from entering his home.
Snowdun kept his tail tucked close to himself, ears perked and nose drawing in air, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. But so far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He could tell that there were spirits in the area, but this was the castle of a warlord. Spirits were all over the place.
So carefully he moved forward, finding the areas that would leave no trace of his passing. He passed rooms where people talked to one another about whatever the servants of Haou spoke about, none of them noticing anything as he did so. He sneered to himself again; this would probably be the easiest gig that he'd pulled off in his entire life.
Somewhere around here, he knew, would be Haou's treasure room. He didn't know what sort of treasure it was, but he knew one thing - Haou was a king, a mighty warlord who'd ruled this land for quite some time now, and that meant he had treasure gathered somewhere. Treasure that Snowdun would identify, decide if it was worth his efforts, and then return to take away.
This wasn't even close to the first time that he'd done this. Snowdun enjoyed going around to whatever fortresses he could find, scoping out their most valuable treasures, and taking them away to sell for money. He'd done it to Brron several times; the Mad King hadn't even noticed. There were other as well that he'd dealt with over the years.
Though he wasn't ever going to try sneaking into the Fallen Angel fortress ever again. He wasn't even certain which one of them had caught him, but he'd seen the look in the eyes of Fallen Angel Lucifer, and he never wanted to see that ever again.
He shook his head to dismiss the memory and focused on what he was doing now. Where would Haou keep his treasures? The most sensible place would be down below, where most people would never be able to get to. Carefully he flicked down there, bypassing guards and warriors alike, sometimes having to wait in hidden alcoves for half an hour or more at the time. He found himself quite grateful that he didn't have anywhere else to be. Not to mention that he'd neither eaten nor drunk before coming here. The last thing he would have wanted in this situation was to have a sudden call of nature and not know where the proper area was!
But slowly he made his way downward. He listened to those he passed to determine if any of them said anything that might be useful. Once he stopped, concealed by a fine tapestry, and paid strict attention to the conversation.
"Did you pick up anything interesting?"
Snowdun resisted the urge to peer from behind the tapestry and see who it was that spoke. These voices weren't familiar, but anything could provide him with information.
"A few things." This voice whispered of flame and burning death. Snowdun flinched briefly at the sound. He'd never been fond of fire. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore that and focus just on the words. "I put them in my hoard."
Hoard. Snowdun licked his lips. Hoards were treasure. Now all he needed was a way to get to the hoard. But - that could also mean - he had to look.
Slowly he peeked out, keeping himself as concealed as he could while still seeing what was going on. That wasn't easy but he did have a lot of experience. It mostly involved staying very still, since movement attracted attention.
Two monsters stood there chatting with one another. One he recognized as Skull Bishop - one of Haou's chief servants, his Death Duelists. Snowdun had made a point of ensuring he knew what all five of those, and the two or three others who were known to be close to Haou, looked like. At least this wasn't Snoww, Magician of Dark World or Freed the Dark General.
The other one, however, was even more terrifying to him. He bit back a whimper of fear at the sight of Dark Blaze Dragon, a creature of pure flame. It hovered above the floor, tail twined about itself, voice hissing with the flames that composed it. Snowdun shivered; he'd never robbed a dragon's hoard before, let alone a dragon of fire.
Never robbed a dragon's hoard before. He considered that carefully, then slowly smiled to himself. He didn't know any other thieves who'd done that either. While robbing Haou would be impressive and worth a great deal, robbing a dragon's hoard would be even more so. And if he could do both? They would sing of his exploits forever.
He kept himself back behind the tapestry, listening harder. There had to be a hint of where the treasure would be. Did Dark Blaze Dragon keep their hoard in the castle or did they have somewhere else to store their treasures? What were they even doing here? Did they guard Haou's treasure?
"Haou-sama said I could keep it," the fiery dragon purred, tail moving back and forth casually. "He has no use for it."
"That doesn't surprise me." Skull Bishop agreed. "Are you going to attend dinner tonight?"
The flaming tail shifted back and forth, possibly in some form of negation given the following words. "I would prefer to hunt for my dinner tonight. I've caught the scent of something interesting and I wish to track it down."
Snowdun winced. He did so hope that it wasn't him the dragon hunted. He thought he could hide enough - he was very good at that - but being chased never set well with him.
The two of them bid farewell and departed, each in a different direction, neither of which were near Snowdun. He leaned his head against the cool flagstones and pondered his options. Tracking Dark Blaze Dragon would probably lead him to the dragon's hoard or maybe even Haou's treasure. Following Skull Bishop might not award such treasures. But continuing downward stood both a chance of finding the loot and doing so without being caught. If he found nothing, then he could take another chance at a later time.
Once he was certain that no one else was out there, he moved onward, looking for a way to the lower regions. He headed down a row of stairs, through another corridor or two, then more stairs. This wasn't the first time he'd had to go so far down to find treasure but by the time he spied a wide set of double doors, reinforced with steel, but with no guards outside of it, he looked forward to carrying as much out of here as he could right now. He had an enchanted bag with him that he'd intended to use to gather a sample of the treasure to carry back and ask his contacts how much they were worth before going back to take the rest of it.
Now he would pick everything up that wasn't nailed down. Haou could and probably would take more from wherever he got this. He didn't need all of it. He didn't need any of it. He controlled his minions through absolute terror. They didn't get paychecks.
Snowdun waited behind a pillar, watching and sniffing. He could still smell hints of fire here, so Dark Blaze Dragon probably came down here a lot. This might even be his hoard after all. It wasn't labeled; it could be anything. Slowly finally Snowdun moved forward and rested his fingers against the door. It didn't seem locked.
In retrospect, that should have sent him fleeing as fast as he could go. But at the moment he pushed the door in and entered, still trying to keep himself aware and yet in awe at what he saw.
Treasure chests everywhere. Each one sealed and locked, but he was a thief. It was what he was, a Burglar. He knew treasure when he saw it, and he knew that these would bring him wealth beyond his wildest dreams, before or after he sold it all. He whisked out his bag and started to drag it over the nearest chest.
One by one each chest ended up in the bag. Snowdun stopped paying attention to what else happened in the room as he worked on clearing it out. Hours must have passed before he finally turned back to the door, ready to leave. He'd done a very good job. There wasn't a single chest or random coin or jewel left. The last item he held and admired, a glorious golden goblet, set with diamonds and rubies. Quite gaudy and probably worthless to drink out of, but Snowdun liked it.
But when he raised his head, ready to slip out, he stood shocked. There in the door stood those two same ones from before - Skull Bishop and Dark Blaze Dragon. Snowdun growled low. This wasn't going to be a good night.
"I told you that I smelled a thief," Dark Blaze Dragon declared, tail lashing back and forth, setting small bits of dust on fire as they did. "A Burglar, in fact." A tongue of flame licked at their jowls. "Dinner."
Skull Bishop chuckled, regarding Snowdun as if he were some sort of dirt beneath his feet. He fingered his great sword. "You were right indeed. Now, thief, set the bag down and I might consider requesting Haou-sama to spare your life."
Snowdun shifted, gripping harder onto the bag. He'd taken this all - he wasn't going to give it up. "Why would I do that? I'm not hurting anyone!"
"You're attempting to take what's mine," Dark Blaze Dragon hissed, tail flashing harder, tiny bits of flame falling from their claws. "And I will not allow that. Haou-sama has assigned me to guard this place and I am free to devour any who enter here without permission."
Snowdun backed off, clutching the bag and goblet close to himself. He didn't have any spare hands to defend himself and he didn't see any other ways out of here. Skull Bishop stalked forward, boots clicking on the floor.
"If you choose not to surrender what you've stolen, then my companion will roast you. Surrender the items and you might be spared. Haou could find a use for you."
That didn't encourage Snowdun at all. He shook his head. "There's nothing that I would want to do for Haou!" He judged the distance between the two of them and darted forward, intent on sliding between them and pelting his way up the stairs. He would figure out what to do after that - but finding the nearest window and jumping out of it remained one of his favorite plans. Most people didn't expect that and while they stood around in shock, he could get to safety.
He was a rat, after all. Hiding in plain sight was one of his specialties.
He'd scarcely begun to slide between them before Skull Bishop's heavy sword slashed down onto him, knocking him to one side and sending that goblet skittering across the floor and out of sight. Only the fact it was the flat of the blade saved his arm from having been taken off. Snowdun skittered to one side, uncomfortably aware of how close he was to Dark Blaze Dragon, especially when one fiery claw caught onto the back of his shirt.
"Fleeing isn't an option," the flame dragon hissed. "Especially not when you carry what isn't yours with you." A claw of flame wrenched the bag away from him, then the creature sniffed even more at him. "He has more treasure on his person," Dark Blaze Dragon reported. "Search him."
Snowdun wanted to get out of there. But Dark Blaze Dragon shoved him towards Skull Bishop, who wrapped one powerful hand around his throat, choking his air off. The rat creature struggled and squeaked, tail lashing furiously, his metallic claw trying to grab hold of Skull Bishop's hand and get it off of him, but to no avail. If he'd been able to get a grip, it might have been different.
Coldly and clinically, Skull Bishop searched him, pinning him up against the wall with one hand. One by one he pulled out other bags that Snowdun had with him, dropping them with small metallic clinks onto the ground. He shook his head.
"I'd heard rumors of a skilled thief. You might be useful indeed to Haou-sama. This is your last chance. Agree to serve my master or face the consequences of refusal."
Snowdun twitched harder and harder, tail lashing hard against the cold stone, trying not to look too often at the dragon and how the dragon kept staring at him, as if he had a sign over his head reading "good food here". He wasn't doing a very good job of it. "What would he want me to do?" If he could buy just time enough to escape that would be good enough. He had no intentions whatsoever of doing anything that over-arrogant human wanted him to do.
"You are skilled in getting in and out of places without being seen. You can go to where people resist Haou and worm your way into a position to open gates for our army. In return, you would be allowed to live." Skull Bishop informed him.
Snowdun snorted as harshly as he could. Speaking wasn't his greatest strength, especially not not when he had only what air he could get in through Skull Bishop's grip on his neck. But he tried his best to appear unaffected - and knew he still wasn't doing a good job of this.
"Be his little run ahead dog? Why would I do that?" Every word was one more moment that he had to live. Each moment he lived was one more moment to find a way out of here. He thought he saw one, slim as it might be, but he had to walk this carefully. He fought to keep away a moan of fear just at the thought of Haou and having to do anything that he said.
Skull Bishop's lips performed a movement that in someone else might have been considered a smile. Snowdun wasn't so certain about it. He thought it might mean the same thing. Or at least be intended to.
"Because if you don't, then you're going to be killed. You won't even be allowed the honor of a duel - if you even know how."
Snowdun had to admit to himself that he didn't know how. He'd never gone to the effort to learn, not when thievery came so much easier to him. He twitched harder, then sank back against the wall, relinquishing all efforts to get away.
"Do I really have a choice?" He sagged back, hoping this would allow him some air if nothing else. At least he wasn't yet to the point of not being able to speak at all. Though he didn't doubt Skull Bishop would get him there with little effort.
Dark Blaze Dragon's tail swished ever so lightly. Tiny bits of trash on the floor flared up in its wake. "You can choose to serve Haou - or you can choose to be my dinner. I can tell you which one I would prefer."
Skull Bishop shifted his grip so that Snowdun could actually breath but wasn't touching the floor at all. "I'll introduce you to Haou-sama."
Snowdun found himself carried along like a child in a sack. His own sacks were taken by Dark Blaze Dragon into the vault and the last he ever saw of them included the dragon tearing open the bags and starting to sort out the treasure as it tumbled out in a waterfall of silver and gold with thousands of sparkles of gemstones. He wished that he would have the chance to come get it all again.
But he told himself over and over as he was dragged up the stairs he'd worked his way down so carefully that even if he had to open the way for Haou's army, that also meant that he could open the way for anyone who might want to enter into Haou's castle.
If he were stupid enough to trust a Burglar, then Haou deserved whatever he got.
The End
Notes: I do have plans for a sequel. One day. But not today. Also, I love the Death Duelists and I wish we'd seen more of them. Well, that's what fanfic is here for!