34 Chapter 23: Infamous Menace (1/2)
The next morning, Magnus who was feeling grumpy thanks to the lack of sleep he got last night got caught up by the older boys.
”Magnus,” Erhan shouted as he waved his hand towards Magnus to capture his attention and run up to him with the other boys silently at his heels.
For a single keen and discerning moment, Magnus noted how they have gotten so used to his new name now, and only a few moon turns ago they kept on tripping all about it.
How adaptable humans are!
”Hey, guys,” Magnus uttered with a shake of his head once they were in spitting distance of him.
”We got all the information you wanted just like you asked, here it is,” Mazhar said as he handed Magnus a few dozen rolled up parchments.
Magnus unfurled the papers and then looked it over, it contained everything he asked of them. On some sheets, he saw Erhan's hand writing as it listed all the guard routed he knew of. Then there was the information that Etkin wrote of, which included all he knew about the gangs.
He also saw Mazhar's writing as he listed all the historic details he knew about the city and any knowledge he could scrounge up from the city's library that he worked at. He even saw listed everything that Tamer and Andrew knew about the city, which was a fair deal since they made numerous friends out hunting.
”Thanks guys,” Magnus said as he showed genuine gratitude on his face. This intelligence would go a long way in helping him and his new thieving friends accomplish much. Even though Magnus knew the city like the back of his hand, that did mean he knew what lay underneath it and all its covenant secrets that it held.
But these young gentlemen have a well of it at their grasps, and he could include himself into it.
Above all else, he wants to prove his worth to his new associates and show them that they did not make a mistake including him into their craft.
”We will bring you updates every week. How does that sound?” Etkin asked in his bland usual tone.
”You got a deal,” Magnus replied. ”Just keep me updated if any changes are made.”
”Still, I can't believe you are working for smugglers,” Tamer stated.
Magnus couldn't tell them what he was really up to thanks to that binding contract. Thus he had to make something up because the stuff he requested of them is a bit suspicious. There was one plausible idea that came to mind and he did sort of find it poetic since their hideout is a smuggling den.
”Well, it pays handsomely,” Magnus said with a shrug, a gold lion a day is a kingly sum to commoners like them. ”Plus,” Magnus added, ”I can use that money to get the kids to find an apprenticeship.”
At that mention of a brighter future for the other kids, all of them had nothing more to say. They knew what awaited them; one of the three holy professions as Magnus likes to call it which they know from experience stinks.
”Still, I should be arresting you for blatantly admitting that you are committing crimes,” Erhan stated in a grave tone, but Magnus could see the merriment in his eyes.
”But you won't,” Tamer pronounce as he playfully smacked Erhan on the back. ”You are already on your way to becoming corrupt.”
That got a good round of laughter out of everyone, except Erhan who humorless. Andrew even decided to add to the mood by saying, ”Now all that is left is for him to become fat and lazy.”
”I hate you guys,” Erhan grumbled at them.
Once everyone got a grip on themselves, Magnus once more thanked them from the bottom of his heart. ”Thanks again guys,” he said. ”With this, I will be safer and I will be worth more to the crew.”
”We owe you a great deal, this was the least we can do,” Etkin remarked as he placed his hand on Magnus's shoulder for camaraderie.
”Even if we didn't owe, we would have done this freely,” Mazhar stated for everyone as they nodded their heads to that.
”Yea, anything to get anyone of us out,” Tamer professed with a shrug.
”At any rate, tread carefully,” Erhan urged. ”None of us-- especially the Mothers, the Matron, and the little ones want to ever find out that you got catapulted off the mountain or even worse yet, publicly beheaded.”
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”Good, you are here,” Soykan announced as Magnus made it down the stone slab steps and into the hideout. He could see that the man was not in the best of moods, Magnus could already guess what was offsetting him; their conversation from yesterday.
It was thanks to that delicate mood that he was in that Magnus did not dare to do a Perception Check on him. The young fledgling thief did not know what powers Soykan had at his fingertips or the Matron for that matter.
Therefore he knew it would not be an easy matter getting their data down. Plus he had this sneaking suspicion that kept on nagging at him that they would somehow feel his intrusive scans.
He did not know how he came to that conclusion, but it was there at the back of his mind.
Ultimately, on one of these days, he will do a Perception Check on either one of them, during an ideal moment that he could find. First to test his hypothesis out, and also because it would be wiser to try it on friendly people who would not kill him on the spot for prying into their secrets.
”Anything new going on?” Magnus asked as he gazed upon the lounging area with the fireplace, everybody was present and attentive today.
”Yep,” Taylan replied as he tipped his chair back a bit, ”We are going out for a bit of information gathering.”
”Oh, really,” Magnus uttered, feigning surprise to hide his excitement and eagerness.
”Information gathering is vital in any enterprise, especially so in our line of work” Shui stated, getting into his role as a teacher, perfectly. ”We need to know what we are getting ourselves into, uncover the location of what we are stealing, get down the particulars of what is guarding it, see about each and every intricate detail and so much more.”
”Yes, Shui is correct!” Bulut remarked with an inclination of his head. ”The more we knew the safer we would be, and all the much more easier it would be to pull off the job.”
”Well in that regard I might have something that would be useful,” Magnus stated as he handed over all the parchments with all the information that the older boys wrote down on, to Shui who was the closest person to him.
”What is it?” Shui asked as he took the parchments into his hands and unfurled it.
”Just read,” Magnus stated, feeling a bit smug.
And then Shui did so, as he read the parchments the only thing that should his astonishment was that his eyebrows slightly rose.
Then without a word he passed it on to the next person which was Bulut. He also showed a nonplussed attitude but Magnus could make out the delight on his face as his lips slightly upturned into a concealed grin.
Though on the other hand, Taylan wasn't as patient or disciplined as his companions, ”What does the parchments contain,” he asked as he tried to look over the large man's shoulder but couldn't make out anything.
Bulut ignored him and his jesting antics then handed over the parchments to Soykan after he was finished reading it.
As Soykan read it, the frown that light his face started to ease up, ”Where did you get this information from?” he asked once he was done reading.
”I have my sources,” Magnus responded with, trying to act all mysterious and the like.
”Wow, so you guys are going to be like that, huh?” Taylan demanded as he crossed his arms together like some drama queen.
”Here,” Soykan simply said, handing over the sheepskin and letting Taylan got to it.
”Wow,” Taylan stated as he looked at the information listed, not hiding his shock like the others. He looked up to face Magnus and inquired, ”Did you gather this on your lonesome?”