Thieves Alike

     -*- Thieves Alike -*-

     A year had passed since the arrangement between the four thieves was set into motion. Their bond grew stronger by the day, and their execution of obtaining items for the Employment Agency remained flawless. Nathan and Zena, who were now completely used to their new aliases, Nadyr and Obsidian, stole from merchants with great finesse. Most times they stole without the use of magic, but they used it on occassion to make things more interesting.

     As a rule, everyone took evenings off when the majority of the shops had closed their doors for the day. Earlier in their career, they would spend that time plotting out their routes for the next day so the local merchants wouldn't catch on to their schemes, especially since Natasha and Grutee were completing even more jobs than normal. But over time, the planning slowly died down to brief conversations as they parted ways for the night.

     Zena usually went straight to the Astrovilla Neolodge, which she now called home. She enjoyed her nightly routine of swimming several laps in the pool after dinner, followed by a quick sauna before bed. The Astrovilla was a huge step up from the cheap hotel they stayed in when they first arrived in Neopia Central. Nathan also stayed at the Astrovilla, but he would either head straight to his room after dinner or take a leisurely walk around the community before turning in for the night.

     Though Zena never tired from her exciting career, Nathan had started to feel like life was becoming a bit too stale for his liking, and the monotony of their daily thievery was feeling too much like a real job. Then one evening, after a few weeks of careful planning, Nathan called the group together to discuss a new strategy. One that would allow them to successfully complete more jobs even faster than they were currently doing.

     "Thanks for meeting me here, guys. I know it's been a long day, but I have some very exciting news that I can't wait to share," Nathan said with a proud grin. Zena, Natasha and Grutee were asked to meet Nathan in the old warehouse where they now stood. It was located not too far away from the old shop owned by the Mutant Quiggle when they first arrived in Neopia Central. It had been vacant for years and had great potential for Nathan's plans.

     "I've been spending a lot of my free time working out ways to make things run smoother for us, and I think I know where to make improvements," the Brown Lutari continued, waving his hand around him to display the empty room in which they were standing. Dust-coated cobwebs hung from the overhead beams, and Zena found that the air tasted stale. It was apparent that the building had been out of commission for years.

     "Did you buy this?" Zena asked. Nathan smiled back without a word.

     "You spent our Neopoints without consulting us?! What did this cost?!" Natasha hissed, blood instantly boiling. Grutee contributed with a snarl. Natasha looked over at Zena. "Did you know about this?"

     "N- No!" Zena answered, shifting her gaze from Nathan to Natasha, then back to Nathan again. "What were you thinking?!" Nathan just laughed it off.

     "Relax, I crunched the numbers and nothing is set in stone. Yet," Nathan said. "I've actually assigned each of us new roles, which I will get into later, so we can be more efficient without an increased workload."

     "Are you feeling okay? What's going on?!" The Green Ixi barked. She was happy with their current operation. Natasha was going to speak up, but she would have only been reiterating what Zena was saying.

     "Everyone's been so busy, and if I wasn't so confident that this would work, I'd have consulted you guys first. I can still cancel the contract if you guys aren't in agreement. I just ask that you hear me out," Nathan said and paused to read the room.

     "It better be good," Grutee said, ready to let his aggression out if necessary.

     "Thank you. It is," Nathan said, smiling confidently again. "As you're aware, there are a number of commonly recurring items that appear on the Employment Agency job lists. Most of these items are sourced in other parts of Neopia and are then resold in shops throughout our Marketplace. If we spread out across Neopia, we could steal those items in large quantities from the source and store them here in this warehouse."

     "How's that possible? That sounds to me like a full operation, which would require more than just the four of us," Natasha said.

     "We expand," Nathan said, followed by indistinguishable mutterings between the other three members. Nathan, who anticipated their apprehension, snapped his fingers. The sound echoed loudly in the large, vacuous room, calling forward his surprise guests. A Hissi, Blumaroo and Skeith approached slowly and casually from the shadows, clad in dark, stealthy clothes. Zena, Natasha and Grutee settled down as they watched their approach. "Meet Garter, Klep and Saber. Our newest members." Zena, Natasha and Grutee looked concernedly at each other.

     "New members? Of what exactly?" Zena asked. Something about the three new members made her feel uneasy. There was an unfriendly vibe about them that she didn't like.

     "Of our guild. This will not only be our storage facility, but also our headquarters," Nathan explained.

     "And you didn't think of asking us first?" Zena asked in a lowered, but perturbed voice. And using the term 'guild' to define their kinship frustrated her.

     "Completely unnecessary. These guys are the best of the best. Garter here's as quick as the wind and can slither in and out of a shop without so much as making the slightest noise," Nathan said, pointing at the proud Hissi who briefly demonstrated his agile abilities. "And Klep here's a mastermind at stealing anything without anyone noticing. A pure magician in some ways."

     "You're too kind," the Blumaroo said. A black locket hung around her neck.

     "Hey, isn't that my locket?!" Zena said after feeling around her neck for it. "Give it back!"

     "That was just for demonstration purposes. No harm meant!" Klep laughed, taking off the obsidian necklace.

     "You can keep your hands off of it!" Zena said, snatching it back. "There's a clear distinction between a magician and a trickster." Zena retaliated further with a threatening pounce after Klep quipped a comment her way.

     "Now, girls. Let's get along," Nathan laughed. Zena and Klep reluctantly backed off each other.

     "And watch out for Saber. You too, Grutee. He may be quiet, but he's pure muscle and afraid of nothing. If he wants something, he takes it. And no one stops him," Nathan said. Saber kept his arms crossed, saying nothing, but stared directly at Grutee. Grutee muttered under his breath, but broke gaze. For a moment, no one spoke as everyone studied the foreign thieves in front of them. The only sound flowing through the room was the wind blowing in through the few broken windows.

     "Where are my manners?" Nathan said, breaking the silence. "I talk about you guys all the time that I neglected to introduce you to our new members." He proceeded with introductions before dismissing the three new members. They disappeared into the shadows as smoothly as they appeared.

     "When do you expect us to vote?" Natasha asked.

     "About what?" Nathan asked.

     "You didn't exactly sell us on anything," Natasha said. "You even said there'd be less work for us. I don't see that either."

     "And I don't trust your friends. They look unfriendly," Zena added.

     "Yeah, they appear tough to make a good impression, but they're good and will be faithful members. We are a thieves guild after all," Nathan explained. "Besides, they'll be away most of the time anyway."

     "Some impression," Zena muttered.

     "And we're not a guild!" Grutee chimed in.

     "No, but I think we should be. Come, let me show you around and I'll reveal more of my plan," Nathan said, slowly walking towards the closest door that led to a long hallway. The other three followed.

     Nathan used his tour of the warehouse to explain the potential of each of the rooms and how they could benefit his grand vision. Though it would require more help, he insisted it wouldn't be a problem finding more members. Garter, Klep and Saber may have rubbed them the wrong way, but they had good connections to other qualified thieves.

     Nathan concluded his tour in the main office, where he assigned each of them a role in their new business upon acceptance. Zena and Natasha would organise and monitor the items coming in and going out, Grutee would be responsible for watching over the main entrance and making sure no one stole from their supply, and Nathan would manage the business side of things in the office where they were standing. All of the grunt work would be performed by the future members.

     "And speaking of business, we can increase our revenue by recruiting new members to steal from the shops and completing a larger number of jobs," Nathan said. "And think about it, Tash and Grutee, you guys can retire from doing jobs for the Employment Agency and still make more than you do now."

     "That's a big move. We'd have to think about it," Natasha said slowly, still not convinced.

     "Let's just say we do this and you two do retire. It would create a huge influx of Neopians competing for top spot on the leader board. You guys are currently untouchable. If you complete even more jobs than you do now, Neopians may start to become suspicious.

     "No one would even suspect a thing if we sent in a bunch of our members to fight for top spot, and you two will be completely safe from any suspicion. You can retire and have a bigger income with very little responsibility. And, you guys will retire as legends," Nathan said in his charming manner. The Aisha and Grarrl mulled it over a bit.

     "But if we have a guild, we should have a good name," Natasha said. Maybe retirement from the Employment Agency wasn't a bad idea. It would allow her to try something different.

     "Yes! Exactly!" Nathan said excitedly. He was winning them over. "I never gave it much thought, though."

     "Well, let's see," Zena said, slowly thinking out loud to see if she could think of a good name. She was starting to feel excited herself. "We're all thieves working together.. and even with our differences.. we're-"

     "Thieves alike," Grutee interrupted, to pick up the pace. He was never accused of being a quick thinker, but one of his peeves was when people spoke slowly.

     "Nice one, Grute. I love it! You can be very deep sometimes," Natasha said. Grutee looked initially puzzled, but smiled at the compliment.

     "I like it, what about you, Zena?" Nathan said.

     "Thieves Alike? It has a good ring to it," she said, smiling at Grutee, who was starting to feel proud of his suggestion even if it wasn't intentional.

     "Thieves Alike it is then," Nathan said and slapped his hands together to make it official. They all conversed deep into the night as they made suggestions and preparations for their new guild. Big changes were inevitably coming.

     **********

     The team spent a few days ironing out the wrinkles in their scheme before Natasha and Grutee officially announced their retirement from the Employment Agency. By that point, new members had already been recruited into the guild, several of whom were also good at grabbing job postings. In total, Thieves Alike was already at 23 members, and the count was climbing steadily.

     As Nathan predicted, the market exploded with Neopians trying to compete for top spot at the Employment Agency. Even the job coupon window became overwhelmed with eager job seekers, many of whom were also members of Thieves Alike.

     Zena and Natasha were soon overwhelmed with the sudden burst of activity in the warehouse as items were hauled in from around Neopia to be put into storage. They carefully recorded products as they arrived and again when released until they eventually decided to assign the work to other guild members. As managers, they could focus on overseeing the operation and finalising any necessary paperwork.

     Grutee also kept himself busy by keeping a close eye on the main entrance for any unexpected guests or internally for any suspected mischief. He was also responsible for bringing any new members to meet Nathan to make their membership official.

     Nathan kept himself busy in the office, often behind closed doors, thinking up new ways to improve the business. He was also responsible for screening all new guild members behind closed doors for a final assessment before joining the guild and to get a good sense as to where they would best fit as members. The screening process was also intended to screen out any suspected spies from other guilds.

     After a few months had passed, membership was up to nearly a hundred members, each with an active role in the guild. This caught the attention of several of the top guilds in the area who were steadily losing membership. They blamed Thieves Alike of stealing their members, even though they couldn't explain how they were doing it. Even their members that were sent to spy on Thieves Alike never returned as members, but willingly became members of Nathan's guild.

     Zena found she had more free time than she knew what do with now that she had several members working under her. She spent much of her time in her office checking over reports and updating the inventory in their database. Periodically, she would take a stroll around the facility to see how everything was going. She found it odd how Nathan's door was usually closed and often emitted eerie glows or strange noises from within. On a few occasions, she even noticed how Garter, Klep and Saber would return with product at the same time and often attended private meetings with Nathan in his office. When confronted, Nathan would simply say they were giving progress reports and he had requested that they meet together on the same day for efficiency purposes. But something still didn't feel right.

     But apart from everything going on in Zena's life, something else was nagging at her in the back of her mind. How long had it been now since she left Silver Hills? She wondered how everyone was and if anyone had even missed her. It had been nearly two years since she arrived in Neopia Central.

     Most of all, she missed her brother, Hector. She had promised to visit him at his new home in the mountains, but life had been so busy that she never made time for it. With life calming down, she decided she was going to make that her new priority.

     Zena was on her way to talk with Nathan when she bumped into Natasha.

     "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Natasha asked.

     "I need to talk to Nadyr," Zena said. "You don't mind if I leave for a few days to visit my brother, do you?"

     "No, of course not, Obs, but I don't know if he's seeing anyone right now," she said.

     "I need to see him. I've been trying to talk to him for days. I will barge into his office if I have to," Zena said, laughing.

     "Just be careful. I don't know what he's been up to, but I noticed he's been talking a lot with those three cretians lately. Something's not feeling right," Natasha said.

     "You noticed too? I thought it was just me," Zena said, thinking about the past two years and how much he had changed since they left their village. "I will."

     "Good luck," Natasha winked.

     **********

     Zena walked slowly towards Nathan's office. The door was closed and she couldn't help but wonder how many secrets it concealed from her. She dreaded their conversation, but too much time had passed since she last had seen her brother and she had to request time off. She rapped lightly on the door.

     "I'm busy!" A deep, raspy voice answered.

     "Nathan?" She asked. It sounded like him, but his voice was slightly off. She heard him groan, but didn't answer. "I need to talk to you. I want to visit my brother." There was another long pause before the door suddenly opened.

     "We have a business to run!" The Brown Lutari snapped. His bloodshot eyes and ratty fur suggested that he hadn't slept in a few days.

     "I haven't seen him in over two years," the Green Ixi explained. Nathan firmed his lips and nodded to himself.

     "Come in. We need to talk anyway," he said. Zena walked into his office. She had to hold her breath momentarily from the sour, stale air. Sheets of cardboard lined the windows, leaving the room dark apart from a few flickering lights. It darkened further when Nathan closed the door behind her. The room was surprisingly tidy, but everything else about the room seemed unpleasant. She wondered how he was able to work under such conditions.

     "Nathan-," she started before he cut her off.

     "It's Nadyr!" He snapped again. The voice alone made her heart try to leap out of her chest.

     "Are you okay?" She asked. Nathan calmed himself down and sat behind his desk.

     "Sorry, late night," he said, wiping the unpleasantness away from his face. He gestured towards a chair for her to sit in. "I think we should stick to our aliases while at work. No one here needs to start calling us by our birth names."

     "Sure. About my brother," Zena started, but trailed off when she saw Nathan's irritated expression.

     "Is he sick?" He asked.

     "No, I just miss him," she said. She really wasn't here to ask him for permission, but to inform him. Nathan knew that too.

     "I'm sure we could figure something out. But since you're here, I need to discuss something with you," he said and paused momentarily to sort out the conversation in his head. Then he looked her square in the eyes. "Do you remember our conversation that day when you nearly fell over the cliff?"

     "Not quite. That was a while ago," she hesitated, though she remembered the conversation very well. Nathan went on a rant that involved building an army large enough to overthrow Shenkuu's military. It had frightened her, but she had hoped he wasn't being serious.

     "Can I trust you?" He asked, recognising the hesitation.

     "Yes, of course," she forced a smile and nodded. She was moments from leaving when he pulled out the old Morguss Spell Book from his desk. It looked even more worn from the last time she had seen it and she wondered how much time Nathan had spent reading it. Visions of their past flashed before her eyes like the storm they created back in Silver Hills. The created ambiance of the room at the time reminded her of Nathan's office where they were currently sitting. She tried to fight off her body's request to hyperventilate. "You aren't expecting to do another spell with me, are you?" Nathan chuckled in response.

     "I've been studying this book a lot over the past few years, and I'm telling you, you couldn't even comprehend the potential of this book. There are spells that could change the world as we know it. Spells that could make this world a better place."

     "I'm guessing you deciphered the chicken scratch in the margins?" She asked, almost afraid of his answer.

     "No, I believe it's a made-up language mixed with some ancient language to throw Neopians off. Whoever wrote it had a good knowledge of magic, but I don't believe they were the original author of the book. I have a feeling whoever wrote those notes is no longer around.

     "I spent a lot of time trying to decipher that scribble. Several made-up words appeared commonly throughout the book and I was able to figure out enough to know that whoever wrote those notes had discovered some probable counter spells. But honestly, I fail to see the point. At least not for all of them. For example, there's that spell I told you about a while ago that can rejuvenate bones. In theory, it means it's possible to make Neopians younger, or at least look younger," Nathan explained, only pausing for the occasional breath.

     "Kinda scary though. Especially if in the wrong hands," Zena said, unsure if that was the right thing to say. Nathan ignored her comment and continued on."

     "I successfully completed a handful of the simpler spells, but the problem is that many of these spells require ingredients, many of which are rare items. Thankfully, I have a few members out there searching around Neopia for these ingredients."

     "Garter, Klep and Saber," Zena said.

     "Yes, I told you they'd be useful. I gathered enough ingredients by myself to master a hypnosis spell, and successfully used it on them to obey my commands. They are literally the best of the best, but they were completely caught off guard when I hypnotised them," Nathan laughed, wiping away some tears.

     "Hypnosis?!" Zena said, standing up out of her chair.

     "Sit down," Nathan gestured to the chair again, but she refused. "I didn't want to, but I really didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to go ahead with our plan."

     "Who else?" She demanded.

     "Initially, I only hypnotised the spies we encountered from the other guilds, then I did the same to our members who I didn't trust. Now, it's protocol for any of our members who are sent out to do any business on behalf of our guild. The Defenders of Neopia have been a bit more active lately because of the increased amount of crime in the area. I do this so they can't trace any of our members back to us."

     "That's deceitful!" She protested. Initially, she wasn't in favour of the guild, but she didn't anticipate this. Especially from Nathan who was supposed to be her best friend.

     "It is, and we are," he smiled. "The problem is I only have enough energy to hypnotise a few members a day."

     "How many more members do you plan on hypnotising?"

     "We are thieves!" He spat, pounding his fist on the spell book. "We can't be trusted! I plan to hypnotise everyone eventually. We are near 500 members, so it will take some time."

     "That's imprisonment! Neopians have a right to choose their guild. They should be allowed to leave. Why do you need so many members!" She shouted. Until now she didn't understand how their membership could grow so quickly. Her arrogance told her that it was because it was a great guild and no one wanted to leave. To her knowledge, no one had ever left since they started up.

     "To build up my army!" he said, his eyes began to look fiery and aggressive at her.

     "What?! You were serious?" She gasped, referring to the conversation they had moments before she slipped off the edge of the cliff.

     "So you do remember. And to make things more advantageous, I just discovered a way to turn anyone Mutant without the use of a transmogrification potion. The army I'm planning on building will become much more powerful than any other army in Neopia!"

     "This is madness!" She shouted, and turned around to leave. She had heard enough.

     "Obsidian, you're supposed to be my friend! I thought you'd be my right-hand mate," he said, trying to keep her attention.

     "I could never stoop so low. I never thought you would either," she said, still looking away.

     "Pathetic. I saved your life! You owe me one!" He hissed.

     "It was your fault I slipped!" She turned around and hissed back.

     "Fortunately enough for me I've yet to use up any of my energy today," Nathan said as a bright ring of purple encircled the irises of his eyes. He snapped his fingers after shouting out a series of commands in an impeccable speed. Zena tried to resist the spell with a basic counter spell she learned from Malvus during their stay, but her body suddenly went limp. Nathan laughed cruelly when Zena obliged to sitting in the chair after his command.

     Zena tried shouting back at Nathan, but realised she was no longer in control of her body. Yet she was aware of everything. Did the counter spell allow her mind to be free? Nathan continued to test her by rhyming off several orders and as much as she tried to resist, her body obeyed fluidly as though completely obedient.

     "Obsidian, you are under my control now," Nathan started. Zena quieted her thoughts to hear what he had to say, guarding her mind in case of another attack. "You don't want to visit your brother. He has made no effort to see you and that is why you don't want to see him. Do you understand?"

     "Yes," Zena's body answered effortlessly, even though Zena's mind tried hard to stop her mouth from answering.

     "Good. I want you to meet me in the outskirts of town tonight. In our training field. Do you remember where this is?"

     "Yes, by the western walls next to the Soup Kitchen," she said unwillingly.

     "Exactly. I have big plans and I need your help. Meet me there at seven o'clock sharp. Not a second later," he said. She agreed. "Good. You will not reiterate anything from this conversation, but will obey my every command unless I release you of this spell. And from now on, if you ever get caught by an authority, you will forget everything you know about this guild, and of me. Including our childhood."

     As emotional as Zena got, no expression appeared on her face as Nathan continued with his commands. Zena never thought he could be so heartless. This wasn't the same Lutari she grew up with. It was as though someone else was in his head. But she was defenceless to do anything about it.

     "Oh, and one last thing. Send Natasha and Grutee in here. I'd like to talk to them," he smirked. "You are dismissed."

     "I will. Thanks, Nadyr," her body said before standing up and leaving the office.

To be continued…