The cold weight of the dilemma settled over Jai as he watched James approach the cart. Their reflections shifted faintly across the grimy surface of the nearby bar window.
James, usually composed and self-assured, looked unusually tense. Every few seconds, he checked his reflection, almost as if expecting the disguise to suddenly fail and reveal his true appearance.
"We need a plan to rescue her," Jai murmured. "And I don't want us directly fighting those two men unless we have no other choice."
His gaze shifted toward the girl inside the cage.
Small.
Helpless.
Terrified.
"And we need to make sure she gets out without suffering any injuries."
James stepped back from the cart.
"Bro, I understand what you're trying to do, but we have another problem."
Jai looked at him.
"Our disguises."
James lowered his voice.
"If those men are stronger than Tier 7, their spiritual perception might see straight through the illusion."
Jai's lips curled into a familiar, mocking smile—an expression James had learned to distrust.
"I know a way to make the disguise more stable."
James immediately frowned.
"What's the catch?"
"It's risky."
"Of course it is."
Jai ignored the comment.
"You already know that with our Tier 10 cores, we can't keep these disguise artifacts active forever. Sixteen hours is probably the longest we can safely maintain them before the strain becomes noticeable."
James crossed his arms.
"So what do we do?"
Jai's expression became serious.
"The normal method is simple. We pour our blood into the artifact and activate it through our cores."
James nodded.
"But if we refine the disguise artifact directly using our own core fluid, it will bind more deeply to us."
James stared at him.
"And that helps?"
"Yes."
Jai continued.
"It should reduce the instability in the illusion. And because the artifact constantly interacts with our cores, it can also slightly increase our core growth rate."
James's eyes widened.
"So it can help us advance faster?"
"Potentially."
Jai raised a finger.
"But there's a problem."
James sighed.
"There always is."
"We'd have to constantly control how much core energy the artifact consumes. If we lose concentration or push ourselves too hard, the disguise could destabilize."
James looked back toward the two men.
"So we'd be rescuing the girl while trying not to collapse internally."
"Pretty much."
James stared at him for a long moment.
"This is a terrible plan."
"It's the best one we have."
The two stood in silence, recalculating everything.
The rescue was no longer simply about stealing a key and opening a cage.
It had become a race against time, stronger enemies, and the limits of their own cores.
"First," Jai said, nodding toward the brightly lit bar, "we observe them."
James looked over.
"We need to know who we're dealing with before we do anything."
They secured their small cart and moved closer.
James tried to approach the traffickers' wagon to get a better look at the girl.
Jai immediately grabbed his arm.
"Bro."
James stopped.
"Look at that."
Jai pointed toward the cage door.
Mounted directly into the thick steel was a black metallic disc shaped like the head of a crow.
Its curved beak looked almost alive.
There was no visible keyhole.
Instead, three concentric rings of tiny glowing runes rotated silently around a dark depression in the center.
James's face changed immediately.
"The Chronos-Cage Latch."
Jai nodded.
"Tier 8."
James swallowed.
"That's bad."
"Very."
The artifact was notorious.
Without the proper key, anyone attempting to force it open would trigger a crippling aura capable of damaging the user's hand and disrupting their core.
At Tier 10, Jai and James had no chance of breaking it through brute force.
They would need the key.
And they would need to use it carefully.
Jai looked toward the bar.
"So now we know what we need."
"The key."
"Exactly."
They entered the bar.
It was crowded, warm, and filled with smoke, laughter, and the heavy smell of alcohol.
Jai and James ordered a drink each and chose seats near the two men they had been following.
Up close, the traffickers looked even more dangerous.
Both were broad-shouldered and heavily built.
One had a thick neck and scarred arms.
The other kept most of his face partially covered beneath a dark hood.
Jai approached them with a friendly smile.
"Hey, gentlemen."
Both men looked over.
"My name is Arthur."
Jai gestured toward James.
"And this is my brother, Clement."
James gave a small nod.
"You two looked like travelers, so I figured we'd introduce ourselves."
The men studied them carefully.
After a moment, the first man shrugged.
"Vystan."
The second followed.
"Berlin."
Jai smiled.
"Brothers?"
Vystan nodded.
"Something like that."
Jai laughed lightly.
"Same as us."
The conversation continued.
Nothing serious.
Travel.
Road conditions.
Trade.
Rumors.
Enough harmless conversation to make them appear ordinary.
During the exchange, Jai carefully reached into his coat and removed a tiny vial.
Inside was one of Mable's preparations.
Miracle Powder.
A fast-acting sleeping agent.
Jai waited.
One moment.
Two.
Then, while Vystan and Berlin were distracted by James asking about trade routes, Jai slipped a small amount into both of their drinks.
The movement was quick and subtle.
He glanced at James.
James gave the faintest nod.
They returned to their own table.
Minutes later, Vystan lifted his mug.
Berlin did the same.
Both drank.
The effect was almost immediate.
Berlin's eyelids drooped first.
Vystan tried to continue speaking, but his words became sluggish.
Then both men slumped back against the wall.
Asleep.
Jai stood.
"Now."
They moved quickly.
Jai searched Vystan's clothing and immediately found a strange metallic key inside a pouch at his waist.
He reached for it.
The moment his fingers closed around the metal—
Pain exploded through his arm.
Jai nearly shouted.
He pulled his hand back.
"Dammit."
James rushed closer.
"What happened?"
"The key."
Jai gritted his teeth.
"It's protected."
The key itself radiated a draining aura.
Because Vystan had been the one bonded to the Chronos-Cage Latch, the artifact recognized him as its proper owner.
Anyone else attempting to hold the key experienced immediate backlash.
Jai forced himself to grab it again.
Pain surged through his hand and into his core.
At the same time, the energy maintaining his disguise flickered.
His vision blurred.
"We have to move."
He threw the key toward James.
"Take it!"
James caught it.
His expression immediately twisted in pain.
"Fuck!"
"Open the cage!"
James forced himself toward the wagon.
The longer he held the key, the more aggressively it drained his energy.
Jai followed closely behind.
"My disguise is starting to destabilize."
James looked at him.
"Mine too."
"Then hurry!"
They reached the cage.
James shoved the key into the black crow-shaped mechanism.
The rotating runes stopped.
SHUNK.
The lock released.
The cage door opened.
Inside lay the girl.
She was unconscious.
Her hair was snow-white, and even beneath the dirt covering her face, Jai could see the faint blue tone of her skin.
Her features were unmistakable.
A Dwarf.
James stared.
"She's really from the Dwarf Kingdom."
Jai nodded.
Dwarfs were highly valued across Aethelon for their endurance, craftsmanship, and deep understanding of artifacts.
That same reputation, however, had also made them targets.
Criminal groups often kidnapped them and sold them as servants, forced laborers, or into other forms of exploitation.
Jai's expression darkened.
He knelt beside the girl.
"Hey."
No response.
He gently shook her shoulder.
"Wake up."
Nothing.
James looked worried.
"Is she dead?"
"No."
Jai checked her breathing.
"She's alive."
He looked at her thin arms and pale face.
"Probably starving."
Jai carefully lifted her.
"I'll carry her."
He looked toward James.
"You take my bag."
"Got it."
For the first time since entering the bar, relief started to appear on James's face.
Then—
WAAAAAA-OOP!
A piercing metallic alarm screamed through the alley.
Both froze.
James looked at the lock.
"What the hell?!"
Jai's face tightened.
"The key."
The Chronos-Cage Latch had recognized that someone other than its owner had used it.
Inside the bar, chairs scraped violently across the floor.
"They're awake."
Vystan and Berlin came rushing outside.
Their eyes immediately found Arthur and Clement.
And the girl in Jai's arms.
"You!"
Jai didn't hesitate.
"RUN!"
They bolted.
A fireball tore through the air behind them.
Jai ducked.
BOOM!
The spell exploded against the wall, showering the street with stone fragments.
Another attack followed.
Then another.
Jai and James didn't fight back.
They couldn't.
Every exchange would drain more of their limited Tier 10 core energy.
And the two men were clearly stronger.
So they dodged.
Turned.
Jumped.
Ran.
A blast of fire tore past Jai's shoulder.
Another spell shattered the ground beside James.
"We can't outrun them forever!" James shouted.
"We don't have to!"
Jai suddenly pointed toward a narrow street ahead.
"Right turn!"
James followed.
"Why?!"
"There's a river!"
James nearly stumbled.
"How the hell do you know there's a river?"
Jai's patience snapped.
"You motherfucker, how many times do I have to explain the Noise Specter?!"
James stared at him while running.
"It lets me hear the surrounding area within one kilometer!"
Another blast hit the street behind them.
Jai jumped over the debris.
"I CAN HEAR THE WATER!"
James immediately shut up.
They turned.
And there it was.
A wide, fast-moving river cutting through the outskirts of the city.
"JUMP!"
The three of them plunged into the water.
The cold hit instantly.
Jai tightened his hold on the unconscious girl.
James reached into his storage artifact and pulled out a small blue crystal device.
"The Breather."
Jai recognized it immediately.
A Tier 10 Water artifact.
James activated it.
A faint barrier of blue light formed around the three of them, creating a pocket of breathable air beneath the surface.
The artifact could maintain oxygen for approximately one hour.
Above them, Vystan and Berlin searched along the riverbank.
Jai and James remained motionless beneath the water.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
James checked the artifact.
The air barrier slowly weakened.
Forty minutes.
Fifty.
Almost an hour.
Finally, the voices above disappeared.
Vystan and Berlin had given up.
They had likely assumed the fugitives had drowned.
Jai waited several more minutes.
Then he nodded.
They surfaced.
The three dragged themselves onto the riverbank.
Jai collapsed onto one knee, breathing heavily.
James deactivated the Breather and rolled onto his back.
"Never..."
He gasped.
"...doing that again."
Jai ignored him.
He carefully placed the girl on the grass.
Her breathing was weak but stable.
He gently shook her shoulder.
"Wake up."
The girl stirred.
Her eyelids slowly opened.
Bright azure eyes stared back at him.
She immediately looked terrified.
"It's okay," Jai said.
"We're not going to hurt you."
The girl slowly relaxed.
Jai glanced at her features again.
"You're a Dwarf, aren't you?"
She nodded weakly.
"Yes."
James moved closer.
Jai asked, "What's your name?"
The girl hesitated.
Then she whispered:
"My father is the king of the Dwarf Kingdom."
Silence.
Jai and James looked at each other.
James slowly sat upright.
"Your father is... who?"
"The king."
Jai stared.
"King Borin Stone Head?"
The girl's eyes widened slightly.
"Yes."
Jai felt his exhaustion disappear.
"What is your name?"
The girl took a weak breath.
"Morisa."
She paused.
"Morisa Stone Head."
Neither Jai nor James spoke.
They simply stared at her.
They had not rescued an ordinary kidnapped girl.
They had rescued Princess Morisa Stone Head.
The Second Heir of the Dwarf Kingdom.
Jai slowly looked toward the distant stone walls.
A simple rescue had just become something far larger.
If the princess of the Dwarf Kingdom had been kidnapped and transported openly through the kingdom's own territory, then someone powerful had allowed it to happen.
Someone had planned it.
And if Jai's instincts were correct...
they had just stepped directly into the middle of a conflict that could ignite an inter-kingdom war.