A tower of smoke danced along the starlight while the twin moons hung on opposite sides of the sky. Not a single cloud blotted out the light that shimmered on the three perfectly positioned canvas-covered wagons arranged in a tight ring. From between the wooden frames, a golden glow waved with the wind. Kuro looked over to Karen, veiled by the forest’s edge, alongside him. She nodded and drew her dagger clenching the grip tightly.

“There is one patrolling in armor, and another one on this side I could probably take care of,” Milly advised.

Resting over Milly’s eye was a strange tubed device. From the veil of the trees, Kuro squinted to sharpen his vision, but he couldn’t find what Milly pointed out.

“How could you tell? I can’t see a thing from here?” asked Kuro.

“From this handy tool here, it lets you see things that are far away using a glass like a magnifying lens, but with an eyepiece that is curved inwards on both sides. With them both working together you can see very far away,” Milly bragged.

She handed her tool over to Kuro and pointed where she spotted them. Kuro mimicked Milly and was amazed to see how big the wagons looked through the tube. Indeed, he saw the two figures of men standing on opposite sides of the camp.

“I’m ready whenever you are, Jeff,” Karen declared.

Kuro scanned the area and saw there were no other figures that moved amongst the tall grass-covered field where they made camp. It was a ways off from the road that ran through the area but was still an even distance between returning to traveling or running into the forest. It was a natural spot for wagons to pull over if they did not reach the safety of town walls before nightfall.

“Jeff, did you hear me?” Karen tugged on Kuro’s arm to get his attention.

”Huh? No, sorry I was lost in planning this out,” Kuro stuttered.

Karen’s hand still rested on Kuro’s arm making him notice for the first time the girl before him. Her dark hazel eyes shimmered like starlight above her rosy cheeks touched by the cool night air. Kuro’s face was flushed twice over after between the cool night air and the longing look she gave him. Kuro was dragged away as he was pulled in the opposite direction from Karen by another hand on his other arm. Karen’s fingers curled in and rested on her face as they lost contact. It must have been Kuro’s imagination seeing Karen look disappointed.

“So what’re you thinking, JEFF?” Milly prodded.

“Right! We do this quietly! We knock out the guards that are still awake, make sure the rest stay asleep, and retrieve the locket. A simple snatch and grab," Kuro coughed out. “Do you know which wagon it might be on?”

“It should be on the furthest one from us. Your plan sounds easy enough, but how do we do it all quiet-like then?” Karen asked, readying her dagger.

“Leave that to me, we just need to get a paw up on them,” Kuro proclaimed.

All was quiet that night on the field. The sways of grass in the cool wind, the crackling of the fire, and the stars above dotting the sky begged for all to ease into sleep.

Rustle! Rustle!

The armored man peered at the movement and pointed his spear at it. Grass shifted from an aggressive zigzag that darted from side to side until it came to a rest in front of the man. A small head popped out panting heavily at the guard who trained his weapon on the intruder. Without a care in the world, it left the tall grass to sit before him. It stared into the man’s very soul panting heavily before raising its leg to scratch its ear.

“Aw, are you lost little guy? Come here, I’ve got treats for you!” the armored man greeted the dog while taking a knee.

Perked ears at the kind words brought the small dog in front of the man. He reached out to put his hand between the pup’s ears when he found himself holding his breath with anticipation. From behind, Kuro jumped onto the soldier’s shoulders wrapping his arm around their neck.

Words had no room to pass from his lips as the armored man pulled at the arm that wrapped tighter and tighter with every struggled move. He pushed and pulled until sleep finally came, dropping to rest beneath the starlight. From across the camp, Kuro confirmed Milly had completed her task at the other end. It wasn’t shocking for Kuro to see the other guard on the ground while Milly retrieved her lighting arrow from him with his leg twitching.

The group joined together once more. Karen led them towards the wagon she had ridden in with her father, before boarding it with Milly behind her. Last to go in, Kuro peeked into the middle of the camp. Five others were under blankets snoring in a circle around the fire. Some of them even slept in their armor confusing Kuro as to how comfortable that may have been. He shook his head before joining the other two in the wagon.

“Any luck?” Kuro whispered.

Karen shot a disappointed look at Kuro as she dug through the crate. Milly on the other hand looked satisfied with stuffing her bag and pockets full of riches. Kuro chuckled at her attempts at walking with so much weight in it stretched her pockets. To her disappointment, she returned some of the coins in favor of more precious materials.

“What does it look like? May I help in some way?” Kuro offered.

Karen responded with a raised hand. She moved towards a small chest sitting in the front corner of the wagon and smiled from ear to ear. From her pocket, she pulled out two small pieces of straight metal that she shoved into the lock and made quick work of it with a few twists and rakes. Inside the box was an ornate necklace shaped like an eye with a brilliant green gem in the middle. Milly’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Karen admiring it and slipping it over her head. In a rush, Milly turned the light on her coat and pointed it through the inside of the wagon. On all the boxes was the familiar symbol of the Empire.

Sheepishly, Milly pulled on Kuro’s arm for him to take notice. His eyes grew as wide as hers at the reveal that every box and crate they searched had the imperial symbol on it. A deep pit grew in his stomach while his throat felt like his heart was in it.

“What is the meaning of this Karen? You said they were bandits disguised as soldiers?” Kuro questioned.

“So… I’ve been caught,” Karen responded with a shrug. “Well, whatever, I was getting tired of the innocent act anyhow.”

Karen put her hand to her chest to pull away her disguise in one swift motion. Under the torn dress was an outfit that revealed her slender frame and short dark purple hair that bounced on her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless lavender top and a black pair of shorts that screamed freedom of movement. What stuck out the most were the gemmed objects that hung off her vest along with the dagger she had tucked behind her belt.

“My offer still stands you know, you can take whatever else you want,” Karen mused in an unfamiliar playful tone.

“Who even are you? Is your name even Karen,” Kuro interrogated.

“Hmm… no. That was just the name of an entitled lady that annoyed me in town one time. Ah, and as for my name, you can call me Violet,” she told them, seemingly unconcerned by the lies she had told.

A growing sound of metal pounding together in the distance signaled that their time was up. Violet took one large scoop of coins and placed it in her pockets as she approached Kuro.

“You know… despite how you look, you two are actually pretty useful,” Violet teased while she placed her finger under Kuro’s chin. “How about you join me in this line of work?”
From the corner of his eye, Kuro could see Milly staring death into him silently. He did not need her to say a word since he knew their thoughts were the same at this moment.

“Sorry, Violet, but we’re going to have to refuse,” Kuro declared.

Violet let out a long sigh and shrugged her arms once again. She approached Kuro and kissed him on the cheek with a wink. From behind Milly began to let out angry cat-like noises and pounded on Kuro’s shoulder repeatedly.

“What a shame, think of that as extra payment for what comes next,” Violet mused.

The sound of metal and yelling drew ever nearer. Violet pulled out her dagger and waved as she disappeared in a puff of cool mist. Stunned, Kuro stood there and let Milly continue to beat on his shoulder with his hands over his face.