The sound of horses echoed through the streets as carriages rolled forward toward the tall ancient facade of the Academy looming over the sprawling city like a giant over his flock.


    "Fuck you, you''re a murderer, a murderer!"


    Screams emerged from inside a small shop an alley away from one of the large roads dividing the city. The people in the long queue which wrapped around themselves turned their heads toward the front of the line to watch a man, an elderly deckhand scream his finger pointed at the owner as the white chalk displaying the current price of bread was washed away and replaced with a single horrifying digit.


    "One whole gold coin!"


    "Did he go mad? No one can afford this!"


    "I have kids to feed."


    Alexandre winced as the screams echoed off the walls, swelling into a thunderous cacophony. He glanced down at his palm, where a meager handful of silver and copper coins gleamed faintly in the dim light. It was nowhere near the twelve silver required let alone the quadrupled price the shopkeeper now demanded for a small, dense loaf of brown bread that one could only hope was tasteless.


    "There is no flour people. All shipments were rotten. What do you want me to do? Pull some dough from my arse?" The shopkeeper bellowed, his voice cutting through the accusatory buzz of the mob which only grew louder.


    "What''s happening Alexi." An accented voice tapped the thief on the shoulder.


    "The bread now costs a gold piece." The Senchor replied to the voice of a half curseling who kept an illusion on himself appearing like a heavily tanned workhand with black curly hair.


    "Fucking hell, those Sophists sooner starve us all before letting others see Oriripol as it is," San''s fake beer colour eyes stared daggers for a moment before softening. "People there is a soup kitchen in front of the old Red Sword. Go and eat there!" He took a deep breath before shouting over the messy crowd. Before muttering to himself. "Hope you listen to the preachers there."


    "Khalida wanted something?" Alexandre asked as one by one the people began to funnel out of the alley and San wrapped his hand over him and began to move in the opposite direction.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Yeah, she asked to find you. My crew has a hit to do, orders from on high you know, hush-hush can''t say more but she and I recommended you to be part of the job."


    "Can you at least say what am I going to do? Is it another freeing operation?" Alexandre asked, since stealing those documents for Khalida he had been given random jobs from people in the hideout most often involving unlocking something. Regardless of how minor the tasks seemed he remained in a high mood as Khalida told him that they found a ledger of sales with Claire''s name on it. Now the only thing left was to track the person who had bought her and free his little sister.


    "Nah, the heat that would involve is simply too much for now. The guards are on high alert now since the arrival of more nobles for their little tournament," San said taking sharp turns as he led Alex somewhere. "It''s a retrieval job, a Geni''i has some artefact the higher-ups need."


    "You ever met them? The higher-ups I mean." The younger man asked facing toward the fake-faced illusionist. Despite his ancestry, the half-curseling wasn''t a systemait, he had been kidnapped and brought to the city before he could even remember but since being freed two years ago he gained a reputation of being a passionate member willing to do anything to see the mages'' shackles on the city break.


    "Nah, I never met them but Khalida meets with them regularly. Somewhat envious of her."


    "You sure, read in a book that once a person meets their hero they are sorely disappointed." Alex jabbed back at San as the illusionist slowed down as they got closer to their meeting spot inside the merchants'' quarters which seemed unusual to the thief.


    "Alright my Lord of the Streets, I''m glad you can read."


    Alexandre was ushered inside a small cabin used for storing firewood through the winter and was greeted by bored waves as the other people in the room were leaning over a small stand for cutting wood on which a crudely drawn map lay.


    "The picklocker?" A figure with a shaved head asked and by the tone of the voice Alex guessed the figure was a woman.


    "The one." San replied and the grey eyes of the woman jumped to Alex.


    "Looks the part." Another figure of a lanky man with straight black hair and drabby clothes added.


    "Alexandre." He introduced himself as feeling strangely similar under their gaze as he did during his enslavement. "Is this everyone?"


    "No, this is only one group out of many," San clarified. "Don''t worry about them for now, you and I will be working as a duo while others work their magic in other places."


    "And this?" The Senchor pointed at the sketch.


    "The layout of the building we are hitting. I would familiarise myself with it before the sundown."


    "That is not a lot of time to plan."


    "It''s not but we can''t miss an opportunity. In addition, have this Alexi." San reached into his longcoat and pulled out something wrapped in rags making Alex shoot him an eye as he took the object from him.


    Unwrapping the rags the thief''s eyes saw a loaf of bread tightly wrapped with some sort of sausage. He didn''t even want to think about the price of the sausage and he took a bite out of it, letting the meaty flavour fill his mouth.


    "I have no idea how you getting food in. You must be murdering people for this I swear." Alex jested with San while he peered over the sketch.


    "Hahaha, good one," The half-curseling made a hearty laugh before speaking again. "I''m going to get in touch with others so feel free to relax I guess, long day ahead of us."


    "Sure I will."