The moon hung in the sky like a silent specter, casting its pale light across the land. A sharp creak from a shifting Treant could be heard reverberating off the distant mountains followed by the occasional howl of a lone Kobold.
From their perch atop the estate wall, Daisuke and Tiphanna surveyed the perimeter in hushed vigilance.
"Those jerks are still here?" Daisuke muttered, his eyes narrowing at a familiar midget who had audaciously claimed his rightful spot on the humanoid throne while barking orders to the other lackeys. "At this rate, they'll be here all week. Lucky bastards. Maybe I should just mug them and take the spellbooks they're gonna get."
"…Did the job posting really promise a spellbook as a reward?" Tiphanna asked, managing to pick out a few coherent words from his incessant rambling.
"Yeah, apparently everyone gets one as a bonus after working the guard duty for a week."
"Forget it," she said, sounding skeptical. "Spellbooks are rare and expensive. There's no way they're handing them out like that for free."
Daisuke raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Then are they flat-out lying about the rewards in the job listing? Isn't that something the guild could punish them for?"
Tiphanna shook her head. "If they really are giving out spellbooks, it's more likely the low-tier, practically useless ones."
"…Fair point," Daisuke murmured, still a little disappointed. "Anyway, time to get down to business."
Tiphanna watched in surprise as his demeanor shifted abruptly—the playful curve of his lips disappeared, replaced now by the stern set of his jaw. The warm light in his butterscotch eyes darkened, becoming sharper and more intense while his aura shifted into something cold and unforgiving.
A familiar chill crawled down her spine as he donned his mask, and the color of his eyes morphed into a molten gold, gleaming with an unsettling fire.
"Considering what happened yesterday," Daisuke stood, the Phantom Cloak fluttering dramatically in the breeze, "it's no surprise they've fortified security like this."
The small-statured elf let out a startled gasp as the dark specter scooped her up into his arms like a princess, a heady and unfamiliar sense of danger and thrill fueling her pulse. Her heart dropped as he dipped low, time twisting to a crawl, tendrils of her pistachio green hair fluttering against her cheeks as he shot forward like a harpoon shot from a ballista.
Tiphanna gasped again, clinging to him in a frantic reflex as he vaulted from the wall onto a statue in the garden. The leap spanned a distance that left her breathless and wondering how he could accomplish it without the use of wind magic.
From the statue's head, he sprang onto several other walls before landing softly atop the fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
As they came to rest, the nervous elf buried her face in his chest, her fingers curling tightly into the fabric of his cloak. Their landing was so silent that it seemed as though gravity itself had given them a momentary reprieve.
She dared a glance at the nearby guards, only to see them no more than a meter away, oblivious. But before her gaze could settle, they were airborne once again, the cobblestone ground quickly fading beneath them.
The moment Daisuke's feet touched down on the roof of a building, he eased into a swift dash, leaping from one rooftop to the next, his movements fluid and calculated as he avoided the nearly invisible tripwires stretched across the buildings.
Even the hidden pressure plates and magic-based traps failed to slow him down. Effortlessly, he landed atop the roof of their destination, his boots barely making a sound against the stone.
Cradled in his arms, Tiphanna held onto him, her breath steadying after the daring invasion. The moment he set her down, she willed strength back into her legs and moved toward the window she had used in her previous infiltration. Her sharp eyes immediately noted the change—the window had been repaired, the metal bars reinforced.
Daisuke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a smirk playing at his lips. "These guys are usually bored out of their minds, but it looks like they've been keeping pretty busy. Who knew you'd be doing them a favor by breaking in again?"
Tiphanna huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head. Unlike the tension and paranoia that had gripped her before, she felt strangely at ease this time. There was something about his presence—a balance between danger and security—that made her pulse race in an entirely different way.
With a subtle flick of her fingers, wind gathered at her command, swirling around the metal bars. The steel groaned softly before giving way, sliced clean by her magic. She climbed inside first with Daisuke following right behind her.
The corridor ahead was cloaked in darkness. Moving in perfect sync, they communicated through a series of quick hand signs, slipping soundlessly through the hall until they reached their target—a familiar door standing between them and the captive children.
But this time, it wasn't unattended.
Daisuke held up a hand, signaling for caution. From his inventory, he retrieved a small pouch of shimmering powder. With a flick of his wrist, the sleeping agent scattered through the air, settling like dust upon the guards stationed outside the door. One by one, they swayed, then collapsed like marionettes who had their strings cut.
[Slumbering Dust]
[A finely ground powder stored in a small leather pouch that is infused with potent sleep-inducing properties. When released into the air, it swiftly lulls those who inhale it into a deep slumber.
Skill Effect: Induces sleep
Cooldown: Single-use item]
Tiphanna was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when two guards remained standing, clearly unaffected. Her heart lurched as one of them reached for his weapon while the other bolted toward the alarm bell.
Daisuke moved first.
Like a shadow, he closed the distance in an instant, striking the first guard across the back of the head and rendering him unconscious. At the same time, the second man was mere steps away from raising the alarm.
Tiphanna didn't think—she reacted. Her movements were fluid and incremental, almost like a martial arts dance as she guided a current of wind with her arms.
The rushing air wrapped around the guard's torso, yanking him backward just as he reached for the bell's rope. He stumbled straight into Daisuke's waiting grip, and with one clean strike, the man slumped into unconsciousness.
Wasting no time, they dragged the bodies into the shadows, ensuring they wouldn't be discovered too soon.
Tiphanna's sharp gaze flickered to the door. "Wait," she whispered. "The locking mechanism is augmented with a magic circle. The moment you try opening the door, your mana will be disrupted—it'll throw off your balance and make you disoriented."
Daisuke, clearly undeterred, reached out to take the key from her tentative hand. Without hesitation, he slid it into the lock. The magic circle activated instantly, glowing with an eerie blue light, its energy surging toward him.
Tiphanna tensed, expecting him to waver—
But nothing happened.
He remained completely unaffected. Instead, the runes she had painstakingly etched into the key pulsed in response, neutralizing the spellwork. The energy dissipated, and with a soft click, the door swung open.
The elven blacksmith exhaled in relief, a small smile of satisfaction curving her lips. "Looks like my runes worked after all. But why weren't you affected by the spell?"
Daisuke smirked. "I'm immune," he simply said before moving forward.
But the moment they slipped into the chamber, their smiles faded. The transition from the dim, oppressive hallway to the pristine, pearl-white expanse was jarring. The room was brightly lit and immaculate—too immaculate.
The walls gleamed like polished porcelain and the artificial windows with etched curtains gave the unsettling illusion of a home. A bedroom, kitchen, and dining area were arranged in an open layout, yet the space lacked warmth. It wasn't designed for comfort but for control, like a stage set for something far more sinister.
Tiphanna hesitated before speaking, her voice tinged with sorrow. "This place… it's a grooming facility," she admitted, her hands balling into fists.
Daisuke's gaze sharpened. "Grooming? For what?"
"To train the children. Servants, courtesans… playthings for the nobles," she answered bitterly, her eyes averted as though ashamed to even utter the words.
A slow, cold rage settled into Daisuke's chest. His fingers twitched at his sides and for a fleeting moment, the thought of razing the entire manor to the ground seemed like a tempting solution.
But the children came first.
Forcing his emotions into a tight leash, he scanned the perimeter for traps.
"We secure them first," he muttered as he removed his mask, striding toward a white door at the far end of the room.
Tiphanna's breath hitched. "Wait! Be careful!" she urged, her heart pounding a frantic tattoo as she rushed to follow.
But Daisuke's pace didn't slow.
He was already reaching for the doorknob, unaware of the tiny magic circle etched into the ceiling overhead that was enchanted with invisibility. The moment his fingers brushed the handle, the trap activated.
Tiphanna gasped, her head snapping up just as thin, vein-like tendrils of light slithered across the walls, spreading like a web of poison ivy. A deep, ominous hum filled the chamber as both the entrance and the adjoining door were sealed shut.
The air grew heavy. The lights flickered and dimmed. A mechanical whirr sounded above. Then a trapdoor in the center of the ceiling slid open with an eerie, drawn-out hiss. From its depths, an entity was expelled—
The fiend plummeted, slamming into the marble floor with an impact that sent fractures spiraling outward like ink bleeding into white paper. For a moment, it knelt, as if gathering its strength. Then slowly, ominously, it rose.
The towering monstrosity loomed before them, its grotesque form a fusion of molten rock and jagged crystal that pulsated with a golden glow. Encased in blackened stone, its body was riddled with luminous veins as though magma strained to escape from within. Spiked protrusions jutted from its shoulders and limbs, resembling a walking fortress of obsidian and fire.
Its head, or what served as one, was a faceless, elongated mass crowned with twisted, jagged spines. Across its chest, skeletal-like ridges pulsed with energy, each glow intensifying as it adjusted its stance.
[Sheen | Lvl 85 | Homunculus | HP: 46270/46270]