The King of Thieves

You'll probably hear his name if you frequent a tavern. A skilled thief who causes havoc in countless empires for many years. Despite being one of the most wanted criminals, you'll hear wonderful stories about his legacy.

Caleb is his name.

Caleb turned thievery into a hobby. He is a skilled man who works with a monkey named Deither, who wears a worn-out dark brown vest. Caleb is always wearing a black hoodie jacket, a black mask and black gloves, leather boots, and a dark-brown fanny pack.

In terms of weapons, he carries the Orion. Orion is a high-tech multi-purpose weapon that can imitate any type of artillery, firearms, or melee weapon while increasing firepower. It also has extra features like a grappler, net caster, scanners, and more. As long as it has the basic information and data about the weapon you want it to transform into, whether melee or long-range, it can perform with high efficiency and provide you with desirable efficacy during battles. The Orion can frequently be seen clutching his right shoulder.

With the Orion, he became even more difficult to capture. Nobody can even touch a single strand of his hair due to his agile nature and skills, as well as a powerful weapon.

Owners of Battle Droids or Battlers respect him because of the service he can provide for them, in exchange for something he desires. The majority of it consists of money and information for new devices. It took him years of practice to finally master this heinous trade. Other robbers look up to and respect him.

Caleb has mastered the art of thievery, earning him the title of "King of Thieves."

•••

"Deither, do you know anyone who is skilled, talented, charming, strong, brilliant, hot, and attractive?" Caleb exclaimed gleefully.

He stood proudly in the center of the grand double-staircase entrance to a mansion owned by Xenon Marice, surrounded by hundreds of guards with guns pointing at him.

Deither screeches as if responding.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Yes, that's me!" Caleb declared.

He has the kind of personality that can irritate everyone within a 10-meter radius; in other words, he is a nuisance. He is not only skilled at stealing, but he is also skilled at annoying every single brain cell in your body. He is a troublemaker, and he is labeled by all empires not only as a wanted criminal, but also as a disruption, a pest to society.

"Move! Move! Move!" the head of security ordered. "Use any means necessary to bring him down!"

"Is this it? Why are there so few of you?" he complained in front of hundreds of guards who were preparing to take him down.

"You need to triple this number to stop me!" he sarcastically mocked the head of security's desire to bring him down.

"Didn't you get my notification, did you? It said there that I'd be here at 3 p.m. to throw a huge party for myself," Caleb asserted arrogantly.

This nefarious thief had stolen a hard drive containing something vital, something malicious. He has no idea what it is, but he chooses to keep it that way. Someone he only knows as 'Mr. Red' hired him to steal it in exchange for anything his heart desires.

•••

"Borrow Xenon Marice's precious thing and bring it back to me, and you can have anything you want," Mr. Red offered.

"Xenon Marice? You mean the CEO of that well-known food corporation or something at Morr?"

"Yes!"

"And what's the snag?" Caleb doubted as he crosses his arms while leaning on the wall, frowning at him.

"There isn't any string attached. Simply complete your task and you will be able to obtain whatever you desire. Do you desire money or power? Just tell me, and I'll give it to you," Mr. Red promised.

Caleb appears hesitant to accept his offer.

They're up to no good! Caleb pondered.

He then tries to recall if he has any errands that need to be completed the following week. He took a booklet from his fanny pack. He scanned it and agreed with a grunt. He reinserted the booklet into his fanny pack and returned his gaze to Mr. Red, saying, "Okay! I'll take care of it!"

Mr. Red thanked him for his help.

"I'm looking for information on new weapons or devices. And make sure it's worth my time," Caleb demanded.

Mr. Red accepted his condition and said, "consider it granted."

"So, what exactly does this precious thing looks like?"

"It's a unique flash drive. Once you've seen the location, you'll be able to tell where it is and what it looks like. Plus, you're the King of Thieves. It would be child's play for you, wouldn't it?" Mr. Red responded.

•••

Caleb had grown tired of Xenon's security and decided to leave.

"Don't let him get away!" yelled the security chief.

Caleb outmaneuvers and avoids the guards' bullets. Bullets were piercing the walls, pillars, and other furniture as Caleb avoided them.

The mansion was turned into a battleground.

Caleb is gifted with ingenuity, which makes him even more difficult to predict. No matter how hard you try to outwit him, he will always be able to outplay you. He is aware of, and has mastered, the element of surprise. When you run into him, you'll be prepared for the unexpected.

Caleb throws a stun grenade to the ground floor. He was on the second floor, hiding behind a pillar as the flashbang emitted a blinding light that temporarily confused the enemy's senses. He jumps all the way down from the second floor to the ground level without fracture.

He stood up, looked at the stunned guards, and mumbled, "that was quick!"

He appears dissatisfied after taking out all of the guards with a single shot. He was having so much fun, but it came to an end so quickly that he groaned in dissatisfaction. He had hoped that today's heist would last much longer, but it didn't. This is why he enjoys visiting the Bionic Empire because it can satisfy his desire for a longer and more enjoyable visit. He was so disappointed that he relaxed his guard. Someone from the second floor shot him as he mourned in boredom.

It was Xenon.

Deither blocks the bullet, but it pierces through him and strikes Caleb. The bullet was still lodged in his shoulder. He's on his knees, with his right hand covering his bleeding left shoulder.

"Deither!" he mumbled weakly, completely ignoring his shoulder.

Deither was found dead on the floor. He attempted to recover Deither's body, but Xenon's security regained their composure, returned to their positions, and aimed their weapons at him. He stood up and took a step back as more guards surrounded him, guns drawn.

"Get out of my way!" he groaned, aiming the Orion, which had taken the form of a glowing firearm, at the guards who were blocking his path to Deither.

The guards didn't move an inch and kept their gaze fixed on him. He groans angrily as he looks at his partner's dead body. The Orion begins to charge blue energy in the form of a plasma blaster.

"Move or I'll blow your heads off! Choose!" he threatened, aiming his gun at the guard in front of him.

The guards clench their fists around their firearms. They don't appear to be scared. With each passing second, the atmosphere becomes more intense. Because of the tension, the guard with Orion pointed on his forehead was sweating profusely.

"You know, there's no way to escape! There's nowhere to hide, Thief!" Xenon stated emphatically.

Xenon steps down the stairwell, handing his gun to a guard and adjusting his suit. Xenon then approached Caleb without hesitation or concern, despite Caleb's proclivity to shoot him.

"The flash drive!" Xenon demanded as he extended his hand, expecting Caleb to return the item he had stolen. "I didn't expect my competitors to seek your assistance in removing me from the competition. They're acting shady now!"

Is this simply a matter of business rivalry? Is there dirt on this flash drive that could bring his entire business to a halt? Or perhaps dirt on him? Caleb pondered.

"The flash drive!" Xenon frowned.

Caleb aimed the Orion at Xenon's forehead with a death glare as Xenon reached for his hand. The guards aimed their guns and sights at him.

Xenon erupted in laughter.

"You are incredibly amusing!"

Suddenly, Xenon shoved the Orion away, causing him to lose his aim. A loud gunshot rang out in a matter of seconds. He was shot in the chest by Xenon.

"Ugh—" he grunted as blood poured from his mouth and splattered on the floor.

Xenon scoffed at his misfortune.

"Take the flash drive, cement the body in a barrel, and dump him in a lake," Xenon said as he turned his back.

He was about to leave when he heard Caleb chuckle. Xenon returned his attention to the dying man.

"Place my body in a barrel filled with wet cement, then dump me in a lake? That's a very creative and modern way of disposing of someone's body!" he mocked. "You could simply report my death and collect the bounty, you know? Why would you want to get rid of me in secret? Unless you don't want everyone to wonder why I came in here?"

"Caleb, killed at Xenon Marice's mansion! That is the news headline that will keep the media busy for weeks. But…" he paused as he slowly stood up still, as if nothing had happened despite the fact that a bullet had pierced a hole in his chest. "...what brought Caleb to Xenon's Mansion?"

Caleb only has two well-known goals: stealing highly valuable and dangerous technological devices and locating people's dirt that can be used for blackmail. If no device was stolen, it is likely that he was hired by someone to find any information that could be used to bring down their enemies. Caleb had no intention of gathering secret information about people. However, it became part of his service when high-profile individuals began to persuade him by providing information on new devices worth millions of starcash.

Xenon doesn't have anything worth stealing. His reputation and his company would be jeopardized if the media learned about his heist at Xenon's mansion and no high-tech device was stolen. The guards, like Xenon, couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Do you really believe I'm that easy to get rid of?" Caleb chimed in.

He then pulls something from his jacket.

"I think something is stuck in my chest!"

He made an obscene hand gesture as he slowly drew his hand out.

"How did this get here?" he wondered. "I believe this is for you!"

He then points his finger at Xenon.

"Kill him!" Xenon commanded.

But before they could even pull the trigger, he and Deither began to glitch and then vanish, leaving them perplexed.

"What happened?" Xenon yelled, perplexed.

"Do you like my new toy?" asked a voice, followed by a monkey's laugh.

They looked up and tried to figure out where the voice came from. They eventually found him after looking around.

There he was, the real one.

Caleb was just standing there, unnoticed, leaning against a wall near a window on the third floor. He was just looking out the window, at the entrance gate to the mansion, which had a lovely garden. He wasn't trying to hide or flee. He was just waiting for them to catch on that it was all a ruse. He has a bored expression on his face as he looks down at them.

"Well…"

He comes to a halt when they hear a ring, indicating that someone is calling him.

"Someone's calling," he said, as if he were pleading with them to be quiet while he answered the phone.

"Hello?… Is there a problem?… Huh?… Okay, I'll be there."

He hung up the phone and returned to Xenon.

"I apologize for that. Anyway, where was I... Oh, I was about to tell you about my new toy," he explained.

"That's the HoC, modified by yours truly. It generates holographic clones," he added.

The HoloCloner, or HoC, is a watch that creates holographic clones. It is so strong that the clone thinks, moves, and speaks like the original. Everything on the user's body is replicated and copied, including its capabilities. The HoC has the ability to produce two different clones at the same time, but only for a short period of time. HoC can create a duplicate of yourself. HoC can also be used to create identities.

Two canisters fall unexpectedly.

"You're a dull person," he sneered.

It was a stun grenade. It rendered everyone below immobile. He jumps down in front of Xenon, who is suffering from a temporary loss of sight, and yanks him by the collar after the grenade bursts a blinding light.

"You just wasted my time!"

The second canister, a smoke grenade, explodes instantly, filling the area with a thick cloud of smoke. Caleb pushes him away and walks out of the building with ease.

•••

"Here you go."

Mr. Red received the flash drive from Caleb.

"You aren't known as the King of Thieves for nothing," Mr. Red praised.

"It's not really my concern, but I'm guessing Xenon will be looking for you," he explained.

"Don't be concerned! Everything I require is already in my possession!" Mr. Red was confident.

Caleb was skeptical of what he had just done for Mr. Red. He doesn't care about the outcomes as long as they keep their end of the bargain and don't mess with him.

"So, what you got me?" he inquired impatiently.

"According to sources, Darryl is currently developing a powerful device. Rumor has it that it is a protective shield. Some have also claimed that it is an armor with features that you will enjoy," Mr. Red informed as he hid the flash drive in his coat. "It would be worth the risk."

Caleb scoffs as he hears his words. He glares at Mr. Red while pointing the Orion, which has transformed into a pistol with a silencer, at Mr. Red's head in displeasure.

"Is this all you got for me? Rumors?" he exclaimed with disdain in his eyes. "I didn't just show off my new device in front of hundreds of people to hear rumors!"

He deepens his aim on Mr. Red's forehead.

"The Battlers have already irritated me. Don't even think about adding yourself to the list," Caleb threatened.

"I… I can assure you that this is true. My sources never lie to me. If you require proof..."

"This has to be worth it. If not, I'll hunt you down," he threatens as he lowers his weapon and walks away.

"Oh, there's one more thing! Bionic's security has been enhanced," Mr. Red adds as Caleb comes to a halt and stares at him.

"I appreciate the warning, but I don't need it!"