Challenge #04562-L178: Under the Thumb of Justice

After a lifetime of flaunting and breaking the law, this rapscallion has reached the end of the line. But that doesn't mean there won't be one last fight... -- Anon Guest

Law should not be allowed to lay traps, strictly in my own, not so humble opinion. Citizens are definitely allowed to protect their treasures with locks and wards, that's just respect. Those who can afford greater security gain greater attention. That much risk is easily associated with fantastically great rewards.

I never stole from anyone whose security was knotted cord holding the door shut. The treasures guarded there aren't worth the effort of a blade. And I never stole from Wizards. That's just self-preservation.

City treasuries used to be easy pickings. Anything that big had a lot of money to spare. And I only ever took what I needed. It's honestly not fair that this happened to me.

Yes, I was warned. I tend to view warning signs as a cheap replacement for good locks and armed traps. I was expecting that sort of hazard to my work.

I was not expecting the vault to close behind me. Or vanish without a trace. Neither was I expecting an empty room. Damn treasure chests vanished the instant I tried to touch one.

All that was left in the room was a copy of the city budget. And enough magical light to read it.

What in all the hells was I supposed to do with that?

There was air, so the plan wasn't to suffocate me. There was light, so the aim was not terror. There was nothing else but the budget, and everything I brought with me. Maybe they planned for me to starve? Or die of thirst?

I tried pissing in a corner. It vanished as well.

I tried attacking the wall and floor with my dagger. That was a waste of energy.

There was nothing else to do except nap. Which was difficult with all the light. So. At last, I read the damn budget. Which was pretty gods-damned granular. Right down to the cost of replacing individual cobblestones.

I learned a lot about the price of gruel in the orphanages. The cost of kids' clothing. Laundry fees. And how much hospice care costs per patient.

So... yeah. I'm not complaining about the sentence. Public service seems to balance out public theft, but--- Twenty years? I only aimed to take enough to last me twenty days!

[Photo by Sam Jotham Sutharson on Unsplash]

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