From his vantage point on a nearby building, Erik's eyes homed in on his target, the building where the hostage was held.
His eyes roved across the rooftop, taking in the sight of the weathered tiles and the twisted vines that lent an illusion of ancientness to the freshly erected edifice.
Amidst the tapestry of monotonous rhythms that adorned the rooftop, a miniature window beckoned to him. A potential point of entry, perhaps.
The place was positioned slightly askew, its window reflecting the gentle radiance of the sun. Erik peered into the hazy barrier, unable to determine what lay beyond. Yet he was sure of one thing: sentinels would be present.
He had seen enough similar situations to know that no sensible captor would leave a potential entrance unguarded. He was thinking about his approach, but he also knew he needed to act quickly to dispel any danger before an alarm could be sounded.
Even though Erik found himself in a complicated situation, he couldn't help but appreciate the careful plotting that had gone into crafting this elaborate scenario.
The building looked plain on the outside, but inside, robots were pretending to be people so well that it was almost creepy. It was clear that they were being very careful and thorough in their examination.
Erik readied himself, gazing upon the rooftop for a final inspection. His gaze absorbed the arrangement, the position of the window, and the swiftest route leading to it. At this moment, with every passing second, he held great significance.
He inhaled deeply, allowing oxygen to fill his lungs and give him the energy to do what he was tasked to do, before exhaling with a calm and measured flow.
Erik found himself moving over the city's roofs with the elegance and accuracy of a seasoned acrobat. He was wearing soft-soled boots, so there was very little noise made by his movement.
He observed the surroundings of the city. The buildings were crammed together in close proximity to one another and ranged in height but were not higher than four stories. The place was enormous since the arena itself was massive.
The sun had moved lower in the sky, producing shadows that moved and changed positions on the surfaces below him and partially concealed the young man.
However, he continued to direct his attention toward the goal that lay in front of him. To avoid tumbling off the rooftop, Erik made it a point to pay constant attention to the route before him as he proceeded.
When Erik arrived at the most remote part of his intended path, he stopped for a while. Because there was some activity up ahead, he tried to conceal his location as best he could.
Erik moved ahead after the robots were out of the way, shifting his focus to the roof of the target building. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, he sprung into action and began walking toward the intended destination.
Having carefully maneuvered his way across the rooftops, Erik finally arrived at his destination. He jumped over the parapet of the target's roof like a phantom. With catlike agility, he skulked towards the small window that beckoned him to enter the building.
Erik's probing attention was drawn to the inside of the window. From there, he could see a room through the dust-streaked glass. It had all the makings of a storage area—an attic packed with boxes and chests.
The only light source in the room was a solitary hanging lamp that cast twisted shadows across the sloping wooden walls.
Erik could make out two robotic forms in the room, their metal bodies shimmering in the artificial light.
Their rigid motions and exquisite stillness when idle revealed their non-human origins. They were stationed at a door on the far side of the room, their presence indicating that it was a very important location.
It was probably a place where the robots kept their gold and some valuable artifacts. Their metal hands rested on the sheathed sword handles kept at their sides, ready to draw and attack at the slightest sound.
The room was littered with open containers containing a unique collection of counterfeit goods.
These cases were strewn carelessly over the worn wooden floorboards. The containers were filled to the brim with gleaming gold coins packed so high that they spilled over the sides.
Fake gems of every shape and hue glinted at Erik from velvet-lined platters as the lantern light cast an artificial glow; the jewel tones of the fake jewels shone unnaturally brightly, and the robots did not care about the value the false jewels had in this staged environment.
The scenery was breathtaking. Once again, Erik was left utterly dumbfounded due to the degree of detail the guild placed into the phony mission.
The sight indicated the meticulous preparation that had set up this stage for his evaluation, but it was weird to see that it had been done so well.
Erik couldn't help but have respect for the guild after learning that they went to such lengths to make it seem as if the young guy wasn't participating in a mission they manufactured but rather a genuine one.
As he continued to stay out of sight and flattened himself against the roofs, the robots continued to be ignorant of his existence.
As Erik began plotting his next move, his thoughts started moving at breakneck speed. The existence of the robots was problematic since it raised the possibility that his mission might be compromised.
He had to care for them as soon as possible, even though the situation could have been more complex. It was vital for him to pay attention to how he completed the task and the amount of time he spent doing it.
Soon enough, his attention was drawn back to the window itself. That was the only way he could have entered.
Anxiety coursed through his veins as he began to arrange his assault, and his eyes darted between the robots, the valuables, the window, and the door that would bring him downstairs. His gaze was darting back and forth between the locations.
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