Narrow Escape

[Minoas Stratis]

previously [adminapproval= 8268983]

June 203 Valleta, Capital of Malta, Europe

The wispy clouds boasted mystical colours above the beauty and romanticism of the Mediterranean Sea. The sun had drowned in the horizon and Minoas was lurking patiently on the rooftop of the building, right behind the Angiliero Exhibition Center. His grey eyes were fixed on the back door of the particular building while a stone of fiery colors was manipulated by his fingers. It was the loot of a rather long negotiation with a stranger, a wizard apparently, who switched the original stone with a replica before Minoas' eyes earlier that morning. Minoas had travelled all the way from New Zealand to the nation island of Malta, after receiving information from an old duelist that the scroll case left to him by his father, was connected with the artifact exhibited here. Minoas had lost possession of the scroll case when he dropped it in the exhibition center before get busted by the guards and kicked out of the building but he managed to follow the man with the original stone and craftily take it away from him. Now he was back for the scroll case, determined to bring those two artifacts together and get the answers about his father's abduction.

The back door creaked open and two guards exited the building. They were speaking in the native tongue of the country but Minoas didn't need to understand what they were saying as it was enough for him the fact that they were locking the door. "Finally." he mused with a smirk from his lookout, high above the alley where the two guards said goodbye and took the road, presumably back to their houses. "Okay, museum's closed. It's show time." he stood up and squeezed the stone in his grip before putting it in his worn jeans' pocket. Minoas jumped off the rooftop to grab the clothesline rope connecting his rooftop the exhibition center. He traversed his way above the alleyway, making it to the exhibition center's opposite rooftop without being noticed. He ran across the rooftop to reach the other end. Bellow him was a courtyard surrounded by the whole structure. "There it is." Minoas muttered to himself when he spotted the window of the room where he had dropped the scroll case. He jumped again and landed carefully on the tiled roof of the balcony bellow him and walked his way to the specific window. He flourished a pocketknife from his backpack and pushed it on the window's lock, between the window and its frame. He moved the thin blade left and right to push the lock and soon the window opened with a light click.

No alarm went off which Minoas already knew that wasn't installed at the building's windows from his morning visit. Without hesitation, he took a deep breath and made the jump trough the window. He landed hard on the cold floor of the exhibition center's interior but he stood up immediately. "Okay..." he whispered and located the large show case where the dropped scroll case rolled underneath. Crossing the few meters between him and the show case, Minoas hoped that the guards wouldn't have noticed the cylindrical artifact disappearing down there when he was caught and led outside. If they had found it, then Minoas was going to have a really hard time finding it. Luck seemed to be by his side because as he crouched to have a look underneath the heavy furniture, he saw copper glowing dimly in the dark. "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed relieved and reached for the scroll case to retrieve it.

His face had never beamed with a wider smile before as he looked at the cylinder in his hands. It felt like he had gained back a lost part of his own self. Now he was feeling complete that he had it back. His excitement was so intense that he had almost forgot of the stone in his pocket. Suddenly, anticipation wiped the smile off his face and replaced it with pursed lips. His free hand searched in his pocket for the sharp corners of the stone and pulled it out to let the colors of a sun be reflected on his grey irises. The he looked down at the notch carved against the copper, surrounded by ancient symbols he couldn't recognized. Minoas hesitated, his bewildered glance shifting from the stone to the perfectly fitting notch. He was so close, he could feel it. This was going to shed much needed light to the shadows he was living for the past one year. Determination sharpened his grey eyes and he finally placed the stone into the notch, pushing it slightly to fit in it. Mesmerized, he watched the symbols rotating around this fusion, starting shaping something. But Minoas pulled swiftly the stone out of the scroll case's notch, for he had heard footsteps coming from behind him.

 

[Set Chalthoum]

Dressed in sharp-looking and well-fitted, black suits, Set and his younger brother Horus, entered the Angiliero Exhibition Centre's front door. The place had closed half an hour ago and therefore the only people located inside the walls of the building were only going to be guards, checking the place before closing it for the day.
Set had taken part to many operations like this one but it was the first time joined by his baby brother. They were both members of the Elementalists, one of the five Scitorari group and while Set was a member for quite some time, his brother was fresh and an amateur. "Take a deep breath and relax, brother." Said with his deep voice as the main entrance's door closed behind them. "I can smell your fear." He added, without turning around to face his brother who was standing behind him. His coal black eyes scanned the ground floor which was crammed with exhibits. There was no sign of the guards yet but Set knew there should be somewhere around so he walked passed the glass show cases cautiously.

They were heading for the stairs leading to the second floor. The object they were going to obtain today was located there. The two brothers weren't alone. Two more of their partners where there, possibly already dealing with the guards at the back exit. The last the wanted was a sloppy job so they had to make sure that the muggles were first out of their way. Setting his foot at the first stair, a voice speaking in Maltese made Set stop and turn around. The muggle guard was pointing a gun at the two brothers, something that made Set let a menacing laugh. "Muggles and their toys." He said and moved his hand circularly with his index and middle fingers pointing at the guard's weapon. Metal turned into sand and the solid shape of a gun flowed through the muggle's fingers while he was watching astonished. Set walked towards the man and blew a cloud of dust all over the guard's face. "Go keep watch at the entrance." Set commanded the guard with the now glazed eyes who nodded and strode towards the entrance's door. He turned around to give his brother a smirk of content and took the lead for upstairs.

Knowing already that possibly there were a couple more guards left for their partners to take care of, Set emerged from the staircase's shadows and into the second floor's chamber first. Someone else was standing in front of the show case that was swarming that evening the Elementalists. It wasn't a guard as he would have expected but...a boy. Set stood there nonplussed, not sure of how to react to this. A teenager wasn't included in their plan and the other partners weren't there yet. Set's cold eyes locked on the objects the boy was holding. The stone they were there to get and something far more intriguing. The scroll case they were looking for so frantically the past couple of years. The Elementalists had thought that it was owned by a man they had abducted few years ago but here it was, in the hands of this teenager. "Two birds with one stone." Hissed Set with his black eyes glowing triumph. His lips had stretched into a wide sardonic smile. Their leader was going to richly reward him and his brother when they were going to bring him both the stone and the scroll case. He approached the boy but halted a few meters away from him. As much as he wanted the objects in his hands, he wasn't going to do that by force. Not just yet. "Take the stone off the scroll case and give them both to me." He ordered and opened his hand. "We won't hurt you if you comply. We'll let you leave and pretend we never stumbled on you." He lied with a sinister smile.

 

[Horus Chalthoum]

From the moment he stepped with his brother inside this building, Horus had this feeling of uneasiness and tightness settled inside of him. It could be suit he had to wear for this operation or just because it was his first assignment involving other, high ranked members of the Elementalists. He hadn't found the exact source of his alarm but the feeling of something going wrong was their haunting him.
"I'm not scared." he replied curtly to his older brother. "I just-" he paused and let a sigh. "I just have this feeling. Something is going to turn out wrong." he revealed his concern to Set who really didn't look like to be sharing the same angst. Horus didn't say anything else when he saw that his speculation wasn't taken seriously by his brother. He followed Set who looked far more confident than him. Usually, his older brother was making him feel comfortable and safe. They had looted together numerous tombs in Egypt, dozens of temples in India. But now, he had that urge to leave like a rat abandoning a sinking ship. Though he couldn't leave his brother here. The last think he wanted was to let down his own blood and dishonor him in front of the other Elementalists.

Just before the two brothers were able to move on to the upper floor, the voice of a third person stopped them. Horus felt his heart skipping several beats and turned around to see a muggle pointing his gun on them. His brother once again was calm enough to handle the guard. Horus watched impressed as the muggle obeyed and headed to the entrance to keep watch. He might have never openly showed his affection towards his brother but Horus was really looking up to Set. Horus replied with a chuckle to his brother's smug and shook his head before following him upstairs.

Contingency after contingency. On the next floor there wasn't a guard who could be easily taken out by Set. A teenager was there holding the stone they were there to take as well as the artifact the whole organization was hysterically searching for a couple of years. His surprised, jade eyes had a good look of the boy who looked no older than seventeen years old. It had him wonder how exactly the teenager had broke in the building and how these so coveted objects had ended up in his hands. Once again, Horus' brother took a step forwards and tried to negotiate with the boy. Horus on the other hand, was started getting paranoid with scary thoughts flooding his mind. There was no boy included in their plan. The plan was to take care of the guards and take the stone, nothing more nothing less. Horus thought of flourishing his wand and back up his brother but this move could cause the boy react unpredictably. The other two partners weren't there yet. Getting the stone back to their headquarters would ensure honor, glory and a place among the most high ranked member of the organization. They had to get it before the whole team was there. "Do as he says." Horus broke his silence and took a step forwards as well. Confidence had suddenly returned. "You'll have a lot to worry about when the rest of us will arrive here." Horus made an honest statement. The head of their team wouldn't be so tolerant with this unexpected turn of events.