The rogue had been keeping his thieving urges under check ever since he joined the Lamia Scale guild. None of his guildmates had any clue as to what the little Wood Elf was capable of. With his innocent wide grin and friendly attitude, he had managed to hoodwink them into thinking he was just another nature-lover. However, ever since he had received the news about the impending demon incursion, he has been feeling his inhibitions waning away. If he was going to die fighting these monsters, would keeping a good rapport with his guildmates really help? If this was going to be his last day, wouldn’t he rather spend it stealing and enjoying the loot?

Keryth shouldn’t have left the guildhall with such doubts in his head. Those questions festered and made him give in to his old habits. He didn’t leave the guild planning on stealing. But when he spotted a travelling merchant selling precious gems—who was entirely clueless about the incoming demons—Keryth felt his goods will be better off on him than the fool. He could just knock the guy out, loot his stuff, flee the town with Zyra, and never return. Maybe it was time to give up on the dagger and just focus on the shiny things that were right in front of him.

Greed took over and Keryth walked into the tent. It was filled with shiny jewellery, ranging from the dirt-cheap duplicates to exotic unique pieces. There were all kinds of people inside. The poor flocked near one section of the tent where they bargained over nickels and dimes. Meanwhile, the extremely rich were taken into smaller compartments where they were attended to exclusively. The tent did its best to close the gap between cheap duplicates and the originals when it came to their jewellery, while increasing the gap between the rich and the poor with the way they treated the two groups of customers. It was amusing to the dark-haired Wood Elf, who aspired to be nobility one day.

Amidst all these trinkets, displayed at the centre was a golden necklace with a glowing amethyst as its pendant. The purple gem glowed softly and was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Upon taking a closer look, he found that the gem was enchanted. Something within it flowed slowly, like it held a mini galaxy within. The necklace was put on display within a glass case that seemed to have a fool-proof magical lock that responded only to the merchant’s mana. Keryth knew this because one of the rich customers had his eye on the amethyst necklace as well and had asked for it. The rogue watched from a few feet away as the merchant unlocked the glass case and took the necklace out.

Lucky bastard! he thought with a sigh, assuming that the rich one was definitely going to buy it. However, it would seem the man decided not to and after a few minutes, the merchant was on his way back to put the necklace back into the case. Keryth didn’t think. His body moved automatically. He swiped one of the duplicate amethyst necklaces from the poor’s section—which was too easy—and then walked up to the merchant from behind him. Once close, he bumped into him like it was an accident. The classic move. One swipe and the original amethyst necklace was in his pocket and the duplicate one in the merchant’s hand. It was smooth. Something he had done a hundred times before. The merchant was annoyed but wasn’t rude. Keryth swiftly apologized and walked away.

The thief walked casually until the exit to ensure he didn’t raise any suspicion. But the moment he was out of the tent, he bolted to put as much distance between him and the markets.