Chapter 49: The Vault?
"Where’s the vault?"
Pip’s head snapped up. "What?"
"The vault. Where is it? Ground floor? Upper levels? How many guards?"
The kid stared at him like he’d grown a second head. "You’re actually going to help?"
"I’m going to try. But I need information, and I need it fast." Nacho grabbed his boots from beside the bed and started pulling them on. "Talk to me, Pip. Everything you know about the Sanctum’s security."
Corsica watched this exchange with raised eyebrows. "You’re planning to rob the Sanctum?"
"I’m planning to acquire a medical ingredient through unconventional means."
"That’s the same thing."
"Sounds better though."
She shook her head slowly, but there was something in her eyes that looked almost like approval. "You’re either very brave or very stupid, pretty Siren."
"Probably both."
Pip was already talking, words tumbling out in a rush of nervous energy. The vault was in the basement level, accessed through a single reinforced door. Three guards on rotation, plus a magical ward system that detected unauthorized entry. The ingredients were stored in sealed containers, organized by type and rarity.
"Phoenix feathers are in the red section," he said. "That’s where they keep the fire-based stuff. I know because my friend worked as a cleaning boy there before he..." He swallowed. "Before the Inquisitors took him."
Marcus. The one who did light shows for kids.
"What about the wards? Any way to bypass them?"
"I don’t know. Nobody does. The Sanctum’s been robbed exactly once in the last fifty years, and the guy who did it was never seen again."
Comforting.
Nacho finished lacing his boots and stood up. His mind was already working through possibilities, analyzing angles, calculating risks. The Sanctum was dangerous. The job was probably impossible. But he had Talents that nobody in this world had ever seen before, and maybe that was enough to tip the scales.
Or maybe I’m about to get myself killed for a kid I barely know.
He turned to Corsica. "I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"The Rat King’s expecting a report from me today. When his people come looking, tell them I’m indisposed. Dungeon sickness. Should buy me a few hours."
Her eyes narrowed. "You’re going to owe me for this."
"Put it on my tab."
She snorted. "Fine. But if you get caught, I don’t know you. Never heard of you. Certainly never employed you."
"Wouldn’t expect anything else."
He headed for the door, then paused and looked back at Pip.
"Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t talk to anyone. When I come back, I’ll have your feather."
"And if you don’t come back?"
Nacho smiled. It wasn’t a reassuring expression.
"Then you’ll know I tried."
The Sanctum was impressive in the worst possible way.
Nacho stood in the shadow of a nearby building, studying the structure through the morning crowds. It rose seven stories above the street, its white marble walls gleaming in the sunlight and its windows flashing with protective wards that made his Apex Senses itch. The main entrance was flanked by two enormous statues of robed figures, their stone hands raised in gestures that might have been blessing or warning.
Probably both.
The building was crawling with security. Guild members in blue robes moved through the front plaza, their eyes sweeping the crowd with professional suspicion. Guards in chain mail stood at every entrance, their weapons visible and their expressions unfriendly. And somewhere inside, hidden from view, there would be more defenses. Magical traps. Enchanted barriers. Things he couldn’t even imagine.
The front door’s out. Too many eyes. The roof might work, but those wards would pick me up the second I got close. The basement...
He circled the building, keeping to the flow of pedestrians, mapping out every entrance and exit. The back of the Sanctum faced a narrow alley, mostly empty except for a few delivery carts and a loading dock where supplies were being unloaded.
That’s the weak point. Delivery schedule means the door’s open at regular intervals. If I can get in during a shipment...
But that still left the wards. The guards. The unknown layout of the interior. He was working with incomplete information, and in his experience, that was a fast way to end up dead.
I need more intel. And I know exactly where to get it.
He made his way to the Drowning Rat.
The tavern was quieter during the day, most of its clientele either sleeping off last night’s excesses or engaged in whatever illicit business kept them fed. Nacho found a corner booth and ordered a drink he had no intention of finishing.
The Rat King’s people found him within minutes.
"You’re early," said the woman who slid into the seat across from him. She was the same scarred enforcer who’d guided him to the dungeon, her expression as flat and unfriendly as ever. "The boss wasn’t expecting a report until tonight."
"Change of plans. I need information."
"About what?"
"The Sanctum. Specifically, how to get into their vault without getting killed."
She stared at him for a long moment. Then, very slowly, she started to laugh.
It wasn’t a pleasant sound.
"You want to rob the Sanctum? The Siren wants to rob the Sanctum?" She wiped her eyes, still chuckling. "I’ve heard some stupid ideas in my time, but this might be the stupidest."
"Can you help me or not?"
"Why would I help you get yourself killed?"
Nacho leaned forward, his voice dropping low enough that only she could hear. "Because when I’m done, the Rat King gets exclusive access to whatever I don’t need from that vault. Rare ingredients. Magical artifacts. The kind of inventory that would make him the most powerful fence in the city."
Her laughter died. Her eyes sharpened.
"You’re serious."
"Dead serious."
She was quiet for a moment, her thoughts hidden behind a poker face that rivaled his own. Then she stood up.
"Wait here. I’ll see what I can find."
She disappeared into the back of the tavern, leaving Nacho alone with his untouched drink. He used the time to pull up his status screen, checking his mana regeneration and calculating how much he’d have recovered by nightfall.
If I time this right, I can hit the Sanctum at full power. Storm Manipulation, Ice Domain, Combat Precognition. Everything I’ve got.
