We walked deeper into the direction of the abandoned well of Iacreumor, where a path of dim footprints led.
—It seems to be here...
Fritte muttered, peering into the dark shaft. Something stirred inside, and a second later, the second Veil's Thief jumped out of the well, flapping its chicken legs and blowing dusty air at us. Its eyes glowed with malicious excitement, and a blue coin glinted in its mouth.
—Stop!
I shouted, and immediately set off after it. But the mob was not so simple: it, as if mocking, dived from side to side, hiding in the shadow of the well, and then jumped out and ran through the grassy area.
I ran after it, hearing behind the muffled coughing of Fritte, who was barely keeping up. The chase ended at the old mill.
Thief misjudged his jump, hit the stone wall with full force, and fell to the ground in an awkward tumble. He pretended to lose consciousness, with his legs spread out, his tongue hanging out, and his eyes rolled back.
—Ha, what a bad actor!
And at that moment, the creature suddenly jumped up and leaped right in my face! I barely managed to shield myself with my hand, but Veil's Thief began to spit furiously some sticky gold shavings, which immediately stuck to my hair and armor.
— Damn you!... My patience was gone.
With one sharp movement, I grabbed him by his long dirty tail and, clenching my fingers into a fist, began to shake it like a dusty carpet.
The thief squealed and struggled, but his grip was ironclad. After a few seconds, the coveted blue coin tinkled out of his mouth and fell to Fritte's wings.
—It seems to be working.
He calmly remarked, flying up and picking up the find. The creature, completely exhausted, disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only a cloud of golden dust.
The system message flashed in the corner of my vision:
[You have received the second of the five coins.]
[It remains to assemble: 3.]
I, covered in shiny gold shavings, sighed heavily and muttered:
— If the next one spits too, I won't shake it, I'll throw it into the bonfire.
The third and fourth coins turned out to be in the same place, in an old house that was pressed against the wall of a new tavern with a bright sign that read "Eichel's".
In the tavern itself, voices boomed, laughter and songs rang out, doors banged with the constant flow of players and NPCs. And next, in the half-dark, abandoned wing, dust and silence reigned. It was there, among the warped door frames and creaking floorboards, that the two Thief's were hiding.
I stepped inside first. Fritte perched on my shoulder, nervously fiddling with his fingers of wings. Two red silhouettes flashed through the darkness: twisted demonic dwarves with shiny horns and chicken legs.
Each held a coin in their teeth, which glowed ominously with blue and gold light.
—Two at once... at least not five.
I muttered, clenching my fists in the [Blood Rose Khuckles].
The Thief's fell from the beam and plummeted towards me, squealing and giggling. I dodged the first one, but the second one left a red scratch on my shoulder. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the door creaked pitifully.
From the outside, it looked different. Several players passing by on the alley to the new tavern stopped at the open doorway.
To them, I was just waving my fists in the air. Above my head, they saw only two harmless little bats.
—What's she doing?
— I think she'll bee sitting in VR for too long.
—Or is this a hidden quest?
The third one narrowed his eyes, creating a camera with his hands and trying to record a video.
I saw everything for real: the snarling faces, the glint of claws, and the laughter dripping with saliva. I punched one straight in the jaw, and he crashed into the wall with a groan, knocking off pieces of plaster. I caught the second one by the tail and pulled him down with force.
Fritte jumped on my shoulder and said quietly:
—Don't pay attention... they won't see the truth anyway. Just finish them off!
The monsters squealed, but soon spat out two shining coins at once, dissolving into the air. A notification flashed before my eyes:
[You have obtained the third and fourth coins.]
[Collected: 1.]
I took a breath and looked back at the passers-by. They continued to laugh, thinking they had witnessed a ridiculous show.
—Laugh if you want. But when the last Veil's Thief appears, I doubt you will be as amused.
This task turned out to be much more difficult than I had expected. It wasn't just about the Veil's Thief themselves, who were cunning and slippery creatures, but also about the constant running around the city.
In every new alley, in every nook and cranny, I was met with challenges: darkness, unexpected crowds of players, locked doors, and devious detours. I was already sweating, my fingers ached from the tight grip of the [Blood Rose Knuckles], and my legs felt like they had just completed a marathon.
However, my efforts were not in vain. As I followed the trail of the thieves, I had already collected over five thousand veils. The system issued dry notifications about the coins I had picked up, but it was a small comfort for me, a kind of compensation for all the sweat and fatigue.
The last coin remained. And it was the most difficult. The Thief who held it was more cunning and experienced than his fellow thieves.
He hid among the narrow alleys of Iakreumor, as if he knew every nook and cranny of the city better than any cartographer. At the slightest attempt to approach, he slipped around the corner, jumped on boxes, disappeared into the shadows, only to immediately appear somewhere from the side and mockingly giggle.
—Stand still, you bastard!
I exclaimed, turning sharply after him, but again only seeing an empty corner. Fritte, on his shoulder, nervously fiddled with the cloak-leaf with his tiny fingers and jumped at every demon's screech.
—He's... he's stronger than the others! I can feel it!
And then, at the most inopportune moment, a debuff kicked in. An icon flashed on the screen:
[The Weight of Metal – active]
Effect: -30% movement speed, hearing distortion, and weight in the limbs.
My legs felt like they were made of lead, my movements were slow, and the demon's light steps turned into a hollow, almost mocking stomp.
A ringing sound began to grow in my ears, as if thousands of small bells were ringing at the same time. My heart was pounding, and my breathing was sharp.
The thief, sensing my weakness, became more brazen. He stopped running away so far and started showing himself right in front of me, popping out of the shadows and sitting on the edge of a trash can, wagging his chicken legs.
He pulled the coin out of his mouth, tossed it in the air, and caught it with his teeth again, as if to say, "See? You don't stand a chance."
—...Even if you're twice as fast, I'll still get you.
I was breathing heavily. My legs were weak, and my ears were still ringing from the persistent debuff, but The Veil's Thief continued to taunt me, showing me the shiny coin and then slipping away.
The endless chase was clearly leading nowhere.
Then I stopped, closed my eyes, which were bulging with anger, and took a deep breath.
—Okay, you little bastard... If you want to play, we'll play by my rules.
I opened my inventory and poured all 5,000 Veils I had accumulated onto the stone pavement. The coins rolled along the ground with a soft tinkle, forming a sparkling placer like a golden stream in the moonlight.
Fritte gasped, his wings trembling.
—Are you serious?! This is all your gold!
—It will return, as long as I catch it.
As expected, Thief arrived instantly. His eyes lit up with a crimson fire, he squealed in delight and rushed into the gold-placer.
Paws clicked on the rocks, the tail twitched, it was as if he had gone mad with greed, grabbing handfuls of coins at once.
—Now…[Fragrance of Petals]
A subtle pink mist spread around me, as if the breath of spring had escaped from invisible buds. The air was filled with a delicate, sweet scent that gently lulled my senses.
Thief froze in place, his eyes began to close, and his body weakened. He couldn't bear it and collapsed into a pile of coins, clutching them to him like a beloved toy.
Without hesitation, Fritte rushed forward. A wooden wand slipped from his tiny hand, and he waved it and spoke words in a strange language, like the whispering of the wind in the grass.
—Fiora enthalis!
Thin stems and vines sprouted from the ground around the coins. They wrapped around the body of the monster, tightening around his paws and neck, and then closed into a tight knot. The demon struggled, but he couldn't escape, as the plants held him firmly like iron chains.
I approached him, crouched down, and looked into his golden eyes calmly.
—Let's do this the easy way. Give me the last coin, and I'll let you go.
Thief only hissed, muttered something in a foreign, demonic tongue, and stuck out his tongue at her, flicking it mockingly from side to side.
Fritte frowned and stomped his heel indignantly on her shoulder:
—You're rude, and you shouldn't say such things about her! They're always like this... if not by force, then by cunning!
I looked at the Vail's thief, still struggling in the vines, my heart pounding in my chest. My patience had long since run out.
—Okay, I've tried to be nice.
The Blood Rose's brass knuckles glowed with a crimson light. One swift blow, followed by another, and the demon's small face was flattened against the ground.
The Veil's Thief shrieked, his body shuddered, and the same shining coin of crystallized aether flew out of his mouth with a dull ring. It rolled across the stones and stopped at my feet.
[System notification: You have received a special coin (5/5). The "Let's Play Hide and Seek" quest has been completed.]