So that's how we ended up working for Marky the Fence. Three thirteen year old two-bit thieves getting into business with someone who rumour had it retired from a major criminal organisation. For us it ended up being a bit of a dream.
Marky would usually send at least one job our way a month. Sometimes it would be simple delivery, other times we'd have to stake out and rob a place. We learned very early on that you shouldn't ask too many questions. It was better that way so the actual impact of the work was never really known. We could have been robbing anyone really but the money was good and that's what mattered.
Over a three year period, our thieving made massive strides. We were committing some sort of theft on a daily basis. Whether that was burglary, pickpocketing, or snatch and grabs, we were becoming experts in the five finger discount.
This all resulted in a tidy nest egg of sixty gold coins being accumulated. An unthinkable amount to have saved when I'd first started living with Morgana and Dillon. Admittedly it was split between the three of us but it was still a monumental sum. It wouldn't be too long until we could afford to buy their own place.
We'd already realised we had enough to probably move out of the tunnel into an actual dwelling but had opted against it as nowhere in our budget looked especially appealing. Plus the tunnel wasn't actually that bad once you were used to it.
We had added more furniture over the years plus upgrades like better chairs, tables, and sofas. We'd even got lucky and landed our hands on some good board game sets, real high quality pieces. Though the crown jewel in my eyes was the gym equipment.
I was out and about one day, checking out potential spots when I'd come across some rich guy's personal studio. Not one to pass up the opportunity, I broke in and found he had a bunch of stuff just sitting there gathering dust. Good stuff as well. Chief among them were training dummies. Real high quality ones. Not the ratty, half broken sort we got to use in the academy. These bad boys were so good, they even had a small enchantment that allowed them to fight back.
The ones that typically got trotted out at the academy were knackered. You'd hit them a couple of times and straw would start falling down. When we practised with blades, I was scared that I'd chop right through them. They were also pretty much stationary which meant there was much less of a challenge compared to the ones I'd picked up.
Dillon wanted me to sell them to Marky because they were undoubtedly worth a fortune but I convinced him to let me keep them. I argued that the potential gains we'd get from their use would outweigh any coin receive.
I'd taken my martial training seriously since going into business with Marky, signing up to any and all classes I could at the academy. They were mostly duds taught by veterans of a Challenge but every little helps and all that. I figured if I knew a bit of everything, nobody would be able to catch me off guard. A jack of all trades so to speak.
I ended up doing classes on grappling, striking, and using weapons but in all that time, I'd not encountered anything like the training dummies we'd acquired. It always felt like a challenge when I fought them, as if they were constantly at the top of my skill level. It was amazing for my growth.
That growth massively helped with Dillon's requests to sell. He'd bring it up every so often but they somewhat went away after he realised I had improved by leaps and bounds compared to the rest of the regular class takers. I mean I wasn't out-and-out the top of the classes but I was consistently top three, which was still impressive when you thought about the amount of one trick ponies that would come for a class on their specialty.
There was this one kid, a heavy lad called Tomas Mundo, he would only turn up when we did a class that involved grappling. He thought he was a bigshot because his dad was a prison guard and had taught him some of the moves he used to subdue prisoners.
We were the same age so we were always in the same classes which meant I got to witness first hand the effects of early training combined with a heavy bodyweight; spoiler, it wasn't fun for the class. He abused his tricks and weight against everyone he could, including me. Until around the time I turned sixteen.
Since getting the training dummies, I had been keeping an eye on all the future combat classes with the intention to practise for whatever was coming up. So when I saw that there would be a grappling class, I decided I would put my heart into getting good enough to put Tomas in his place.
Although the dummies weren't intelligent, they did have settings that allowed me to select a grapple mode. This put them in a sort of crouched position that I learned early one meant it was easier for them to take me to the ground. It was very similar to the moves that Tomas pulled so I spent three weeks acquiring bruises trying to master it. Boy was it worth it.
At the end of each combat class we would inevitably have a round of fights. Some instructors had tried to avoid it in the past but that only led to us fighting outside in uncontrolled environments, and so now we all knew it was coming. The standard procedure would be to get into two lines, and whoever was your counterpart would be the person you fought.
After the grappling instructions were done, I eagerly got into the opposite queue of Tomas, lining up so that I would definitely be against him. When we finally got into the circle, he looked over at me with a smile on his face. He'd pummelled me a few times over the years so I imagine he was looking forward to doing so again. Only this time, I also had a smile on my face.
He knew something was up but the dumb brute only had one move in his repertoire. I ducked his right arm, took a step and threw that sucker down. The pin was easy and the first point went to me.
We reset and went again. He was more cautious this time and we circled each other for a few seconds before someone in the crowd got bored and egged us on. Nobody wanted to see a boring fight after all.
I was happy to oblige the crowd and careened into Tomas before he knew what was going on. Whatever moves his dad had taught him didn't get a chance to appear before I had him with his arm twisted up his back. Two points to me and match over. I went and stood next to Dillon, giving him a high five. After that point my confidence shot up and I felt pretty good about my fighting skills. It was fortunate timing because Marky had let us know he had a new job for us - and this one would get violent.
"I still don't think it's worth it Brandon," Dillon complained for the hundredth time that day.
"You heard what he said Dillon. All we need to do is stick up a cart carrying some rich kids." I told him again. "Just think about all the goodies they're going to have stashed away. You'll be starting a business in no time."
A train was to be going through Radan to take the children of the upper echelons to their posh academy on the other side of town. For whatever reason, Marky had asked us to rob it.
I was actually a bit surprised to find out that was how they travelled to Anshew Academy, as the wealthy districts were no more than a day by foot. I supposed only the best would do for the children that would grow up to lead Radanese society.
The job was actually to rob a very specific person, Rolando Mykov. Son of Lord Mykov, the head of the Brutan House. No reason was given as to why we were targeting Rolando but Marky was clear that we needed to give him a smack or two. He said not to go as far as seriously injuring the little lordling but enough that he knew he'd been hit. I wasn't really sure what that would mean but I figured I'd work it out on the day.
The reason we were doing the robbery on the train was because it would be the only time Rolando would be without his guards. If he was out in the city, at least two bodyguards would be nearby. If he was at home, then his father kept a small army armed and ready.
Due to the ever present threat of the Challenges, war was not common on the Radanese continent. Most other countries saw it as being too much of a problem in case it weakened the protection around the portals.
The only people that really fought were the Houses and even then it was sort of like a game. They weren't full scale wars but a series of battles that often dictated the warring parties positions for the next Challenge.
The wars were usually sanctioned because the crown viewed it as a way to hone the blades of their armies. So as long as things didn't go too far, the Houses would be allowed to do as they pleased.
Of the ten main Houses, Brutan had historically been around the bottom in terms of strength but during the last few Challenges, they'd started making a name for themselves. From what I heard, this was mostly off their elite defensive unit, the Wallowhackers.
Not too many years before the train job, the Wallowhackers had volunteered to occupy a guardpost on the north side of the Fracture. This guardpost was traditionally a weak point in the defences surrounding the Fracture, and had seen more invaders breakthrough than any other spot. It was so bad, it was often referred to as 'The Invader's Gate'. The crown had attempted to fix things multiple times but none of the powerful Houses wanted to be stationed there. Until the Wallowhackers that is.
Since they took control it had gone from seeing the deaths of tens of thousands, to hundreds. It was a monumental shift in the warfront and had catapulted the perceived strength of the Brutan House into the top five.
I imagined this was why we were targeting the heir to the Brutan House but I wasn't sure what Marky's angle was. It was clear he wasn't anywhere close to being retired but I couldn't see how this would benefit him. The only thought that came to mind was that he was getting paid to facilitate it. To be honest it didn't matter much to me.
What did matter was that only the crown could provide guards for Anshew and the train that took them there. The thought process was that none of the kids would get special treatment, and none of the House wars could spill over into Academy life.
The plan was for us to slip onto the train during boarding where we'd blend in because of our age. Once everyone was relaxed and the train was on the move, we would make our way to Rolando's carriage and rob them blind. Marky said he wasn't interested in anything we stole, it was just the act of stealing and the beating that was important for him.
The agreed price was thirty gold coins. Considering the task at hand, it wasn't the best of rewards but we'd been assured the schoolkids would be carrying an equal or more amount with them. We'd also be able to lift their equipment if we had time which was no doubt worth a lot.
Even with the potential gains from the thieving, Morgana and Dillon were still hesitant. The only reason we'd got them to agree was because Marky had promised to help us get away after the deed was done.
The train to Anshew Academy would go over Sea Drop Gorge. Eloquently named for the sea water that… you guessed it, dropped into the gorge that went through the east side of the city. People said that the gorge had been created by a single invader hundreds of years ago but I'm not sure I bought that. Yes, people had some powerful abilities but even the King couldn't cause something like the Sea Drop Gorge.
To escape from the train we were going to jump off the back as it began crossing the bridge. We could obviously do this without Marky's help but he was going to arrange it so that there would be someone to smuggle us back to our side of the city during the ensuing manhunt. Afterall, you can't attack and rob the city's richest kids whilst they're under the crown's protection and expect to get away without a fight.
So there we were, heading to the platform that would begin our greatest crime. The streets were consistently flat on this side of the city which was a nice change compared to a lot of the cobbled paths that made up our district.
Whenever we were running around where we lived, there was a constant risk of rolling your ankle. It's so uneven, I'm convinced it's the reason my balance has become so good. Where we lived, the city just replaced the path with any old rock they could find. Whereas in the rich area, I bet they ensured everything was as flat as possible so no lords could risk a slip.
"Have you noticed the smell here?" Morgana asked us, her nose pointed up to the sky, nostrils twitching.
"Smell?" Dillon responded, his eyes scrunched in confusion. "What smell?"
"I don't smell anything either," I said.
"Exactly! There is no smell. No faeces. No urine. Just clean air." She told us, her tone dreamy.
"You're right there's nothing," I said, a little shocked. I couldn't remember the last time I walked down a public street and didn't smell something awful.
"Is this how they live here?" Dillon asked, "If so, I could get used to this."
I was in agreement with him. It would be nice to live somewhere without any stench but getting to that point would be a lot of jobs for Marky. A lot of things would need to be stolen. If I wanted that sort of life, I'd need to move up in the criminal world.
"I'd live there," Morgana said, pointing at a house with crenulations like it was a castle. "It'd be my own mini castle."
I laughed as Morgana did a haughty wave like she was royalty, throwing her shoulders back in an exaggerated pose.
"That one there would be mine. The archway would have my name above it, and the purple tree is where I would read," Dillon told us, pointing out a house that must have at least ten bedrooms. A real upgrade from the tunnels. I could see Dillon living in a house like that one day though. The guy was a natural businessman and would have killed it if he had been born into wealth.
"I could totally see you sitting under there reading the latest trade reports. Deciding your next business move whilst you look out on your garden," Morgana gushed as she clung to Dillon's arm, a smile beaming on his face.
"What do you think it's like on the inside?" Dillon asked.
You couldn't really see through the windows because they were so far back and the sun was shining on them but we took turns guessing what might populate a lord's manor.
"Do you think it's got its own games room?" I asked.
"I've heard that every big house has its own games room. Sometimes they even have a whole wing dedicated to it." Dillon answered, much to my disbelief. Just how many games could they be playing to need a whole wing? Then again I'd definitely have a whole wing if it was me.
"I'd like my own games room. And my own stable." Morgana said. It made me think that I'd never actually ridden a horse. It's not like I could store one anywhere if I managed to buy one, and I never felt the need to steal one because I got to most places just fine by foot.
"We'd definitely have to get our own stables. Maybe two so that we could have mounted guards," came Dillon.
Mounted guards were very common amongst the wealthy. It was seen as a source of pride to have them because the cost of having a horse was exorbitant. None of our jobs had ever taken us into a confrontation with them but I felt like they were mostly for show. What could they really do if I climbed up a building? I have to give it to them though, they did look impressive.
"Yes! A stable for guests as well. They can have their own because we'll be that rich," Morgana told us, trying to speak our wealth into existence.
They continued on for a bit longer, discussing various things they were going to do when they were rich. I didn't really.take part though. The more they spoke about money, the more aware I was of how much we needed to gain. If they wanted to live in big manors, I'd need to make sure they could afford it. That would begin with this mission.
"Here it is," I said. We'd been able to hear the crowds for a while but now the building itself came into view. It was one of the longest buildings I had ever laid eyes on. It was so long, it wouldn't have surprised me to learn multiple trains were in there.
"Wow," Morgana exclaimed.
"I doubt we're going to struggle sneaking in," I said. We had been worrying about how we would get onto the station itself during the planning phase. Now that we could see the massive open door, all our concerns were eradicated.
Don't get me wrong, there were lots of guards around but with the amount of people pouring in, there was no way they knew everybody. Besides, to them the biggest threat was probably a fight between the House members, not some random children trying to sneak a ride.
"How is security so lax?" Dillon commented.
"It must be because they take their oathsworn with them," I posited.
Oathsworn were a lord's closest knights. In the culture of the upper echelons, they raised their knights alongside their children so that they could form lifelong bonds. Then when they came of age they would swear an oath to the lords and the Houses.
"I don't know why I assumed it would just be the lords, of course their oathsworn would be with them," Dillon exclaimed, hitting his head with the palm of his hand.
"Don't worry," Morgana told him, "none of us thought about it. At least it makes things easier though."
"Lets go towards the back," I said. "Marky said the lordling usually has a carriage in the lower middle regions of the train so we should be able to get to him fairly quickly."
The train itself was a metal monstrosity. I would have expected it to be sleek and refined but it looked like something that could bore through a mountain. If I didn't know its true use, I'd have assumed it was a vehicle of war.
Clearly no expense had been spared when putting it together but those funds were definitely favouring safety. From the outside, the only look that matched my expectations were the colours used for the paint; a light green for the bulk of it with a gold trim. No doubt it would be real gold. Maybe I could snag a handle or two to sell.
Getting on did end up being incredibly easy. We were able to slip between two groups saying their goodbyes, and managed to get on board with no fuss. Straight into the monster's maw.
The inside looked much more like I had been imagining. Soft red carpets, chandeliers powered by magic, and art on the walls. Forget robbing the kids, just robbing the fixtures would be a score. I started wondering if I could actually hijack the whole train but the thought of selling it put a damper on my dreams.
We settled ourselves down on a table at the edges between the carriages. There were some rooms still open but we were concerned someone would come to claim it and then we would be in an awkward position. The seats between the carriages were typically the worst in a train because of the noise and general foot traffic but we weren't too concerned about that. The fact that they were comfier than anything we had ever sat down on helped.
"How long do you think we should wait?" Dillon asked, his hands fidgeting with the table cloth.
I shook my head to show that I wasn't sure. "Maybe ten minutes after it gets moving. That should give them time to settle whilst giving us more than enough time to find Rolando."
Dillon nodded in response and continued fidgeting with the cloth. Morgana was also looking a bit nervous but as I was about to say something three boys carrying gigantic bags started coming towards us.
"Terribly sorry my friends, my idiot cousin here made us board further to the back than is proper," the first one said with an apologetic smile. He looked surprisingly sturdy for a rich kid and I remember thinking that I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out this guy knew how to fight.
"It's not my fault! The letters are too small and that big lump Bosecco was standing in the way," the second boy huffed, which I presumed meant he was the cousin.
The first boy rolled his eyes before shouldering his bag and offering me a hand, "I am not sure we have had the pleasure. I am Emmanual LaVeen, and these are my cousins Pierre, and Theirry."
Pierre was the cousin with the bad eyesight and Theirry was the one who hadn't taken his eyes off of Morgana.
"Lovely to meet you," I replied, shaking his hand. "My name is Brandon Horlock, my friend here is Dillon, and the beauty in the corner is Morgana."
He shook Dillon's hand next before giving Morgana's hand a dainty kiss which made her blush and me get my hackles up.
"Wonderful to meet-" he was interrupted by a whistle and the train engine starting up. "Well I guess that's our cue to find our carriage. Apologies for this but we just need to squeeze by you."
With that the three of them awkwardly squeezed past us with their big bags, offering apologies as they did so but still managing to push Dillon into Morgana, much to the dismay of Thierry when he noticed.
"What was with those massive bags?" I asked after I was sure they were out of earshot.
"Could they not have put them in storage like everyone else?"
"I'm sure they had their reasons," Morgana said as she looked towards where they'd gone, clearly smitten.
"Stupid reasons," I muttered maturely.
"A big bag means a lot of goodies," Dillon added, which immediately got my mood up.
"Hopefully we run into them on the way out then. A bag that size could do wonders for our net worth."
"We can't rob them, they know our names," Morgana admonished as she gave me a pointed look.
"Why did you tell them our names anyway?" Dillon asked.
"I figure they're not gonna know who we are anyway so what's it matter? I doubt it'll come up again."
With that the train picked up speed and we lapsed into silence.