Just another successful heist. (Open)

[Diabolical Clockwork]

It had taken time for all of this to work out smoothly. To intercept the note from one merchant to another, to find out the path the caravan group would be taking and getting into the correct position in order to strike quickly and effectively. The sound of her boots crunching on the crisp snow were accompanied by the more frequent but softer sounds of Nix padding along side her, as the duo made their way towards the ambush location. What made this shipment so special compared to the others she had so idly dismissed, was the cargo it was apparently carrying and the status of the shipment itself. A large collection of smithing materials had recently been traded for a substantial amount of gold, you see. Now usually just the mere mention of the word gold would grab her attention, but today it wasn't the currency she was after.

 The carts were filled with rare metals and crafting equipment, and that was the prize she was after today. Finally reaching the top of the hill they had been steadily climbing, Catherine, or Seeker as she was infamously known as, looked down upon the other side of the mountain trail and into the valley below filled with snow topped pines. After deciding upon a tree she deemed suitable for her purposes, the ranger signaled Nix to go take position nearby in case things went sour. A caravan of this size undoubtedly would have a fair amount of people with it, but she wasn't worried. Attacking a caravan with such a large quantity of materials would not go unnoticed, and if it were any other situation like this she'd of come up with an escape plan to accompany it. But the beauty of this heist was that these supplies had been acquired under legally questionable circumstances. The authorities wouldn't be a problem this time. It was perfect.

 Climbing the frozen bark of the pine using one hand to grab onto branches and a sword in the other to pull herself up, Seeker perched on a branch that overhung the road and began to wait. All it would take was a well placed shot, a few stabs and a sprinkle of magic. The forest fell silent again as her and the dire wolf remained still. However, this returned state of tranquility only lasted for a short while, and as soon as the sound of rattling cartwheels hit her ears Catherine quickly muttered a few words before vanishing, her invisibility spell kicking in. As the carts rumbled beneath her and began to pass by, Seeker quickly muttered a few more words and shot a small bolt of magic at the lead horse. It was a simple fear spell, tuned just enough to make the creature halt abruptly in fright.

 The three of the eight men moved up to take a look at what was going on, and began to try and calm the panicking animal down. Seeing her opening, she slipped down off the tree and landed with a thud. The fourth caravan driver looked up from his seat in her direction with squinted eyes as he tried to locate whatever had made the thud. His life was cut short, however, as she neatly placed an arrow between his eyes, angled so he'd tip back through into his cart. Nobody else noticed. Good. The other four that hadn't moved up were also claimed by death with a few swift slices of her sword.

 Finally moving up to the front of the caravan, she drew her second sword and ran the two men at the front through, before fading visible again as she canceled out the spell. Looking back at her handy work, Catherine quickly counted up the carts and bodies. Four carts, seven dead...wait, seven? Where was the eighth? Alerted by the sound of a battle cry, the last man she had missed emerged from the other side of the large cart and ran towards her with sword raised. Seeker was fairly certain he was going to say something, but had been cut off short as Nix barreled into him, pushed him to the ground and in a frenzy tore into his neck. Such fools. Surely they were aware of the dangers that lurked around these mountain trails? Apparently not.

 A few hours later, Catherine was more than happy with her haul. She'd kept some of the nicer items for herself, but had fenced most of the other good stuff to various contacts in the nearby town, including several sets of armor and half of horses that she had lead back. Her blood thirst companion had killed the other two. Weaving her way through the crowded streets, she eventually arrived at her establishment of choice; The Barn Owl. It was a poor excuse for an inn in her opinion, but she wasn't here for the food or rooms. Just the ale. It was already terrible place full of wash ups, so nobody really seemed to pay much attention towards the wolf that followed her in as she ordered one of the more expensive ales from the bar keeper, and made her way over to a stool and table in a darkened corner. With a little chuckle of satisfaction, Seeker leaned back against the wall behind her and took a sip of her ale as Nix slowly surveyed the room, his amber eyes narrowed dangerously.