The heist, part 1: The preparation

‘It was surprisingly easy.’ Travis thought, taking his steps toward the gate about 50 meters away. ‘I wasn’t expecting the runestone to be so straightforward in how it works. It is a shame that I can’t use it again until at least tomorrow. But chances are we’ll be staying in here for a day or two, so it’s alright.’ he nodded to himself, looking ahead. For some long seconds, he was moving slowly before picking up his speed.

Standing by a building next to the main road, he looked at Leaf. The elf woman was approaching the guards sitting under the gate. Without skipping a beat, she pulled out her MID and handed it to one of the men. Suddenly, however, her eyes shot up at Travis, a clear glint of surprise written on her face.

As the guard let her pass, she didn’t waste a moment, quickly walking over to Travis.

“…what in the world was that?” she asked, her words slow as though she was uncertain of their meaning. “Are you alright?” Leaf added, placing a hand on his forehead and looking all over him.

“I’m fine, Leaf. That was the runestone,” he smiled and started walking away. “Come on, let’s not waste time.”

“W-What? Are you sure you’re alright? I mean, what did that even do? What kind of magic was that?”

“I lets me walk through material obstacles for 10 seconds. Is that enough for you?”

“What? H-How did you even obtain such an item?” Leaf asked, doing her best to lower her voice so as not to let people around listen in on their conversation.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so let’s leave it at that. We have bigger things on our heads.”

The woman squinted her eyes a little but didn’t inquire further.

“So… you know where the mansion is, right?”

“…yeah,” she replied, shaking her head a little. “It’s in the northwest part of Autir. Separated from the rest of town with a fence, it has a large garden around the building itself. It might be a little tough to get in unnoticed,” words flew from her mouth as they reached a marketplace.

“Hmm,” he hummed in response. “It’s not getting in that’s a problem. The problem is getting that earring.”

“I assume you have a plan on that as well?”

“Yeah,” ‘I’ve had enough time to think about getting in. Even though I no longer have <Obfuscation> or <Shadow Steps>, getting into the mansion won’t be an issue.’ “Can you look for something around Goldhilt’s mansion?”

“What exactly?”

“A secondary exit. Specifically something that would connect with backstage of their plot. That’s probably the exit that servants use to move in and out of the mansion.”

“…how would you know stuff like this? Isn’t this some kind of knowledge you’d only have if you were there?”

“It’s nothing intricate, Leaf. I’ve worked in a mansion before. If Goldhilt’s is even half as large as the one where I worked, they will definitely have similar layout.”

“You worked in a mansion?” she asked, slowly taking her steps in a direction. Travis could only guess that she was going toward their destination.

“Yeah,” he nodded, walking next to her. “I’ve tried a few things before. I had been a chef’s helper in Silvana’s lord mansion for roughly 3 months.”

“Oh? Were you cooking?”

“I wish,” He half laughed, half sighed. “I’ve been this type of errand boy that got sent everywhere to get anything. Low on supplies? I was given a list and some money to go and buy whatever was needed. The chef did give me some things to do in the kitchen sometimes, but they were mostly ‘Chop this’, ‘Skin that’, ‘Separate flesh from bone’. I did learn some things, but that job wasn't for me."

“I see. Though… how many classes have you been before, to begin with? Even Crystal asked you about your current class. How often did you change them?”

“…huh, I’m not even sure. 35? 37? Somewhere around that,” Travis shrugged lightly.

“…what?” once again this day, Leaf made a shocked expression. “The most I ever heard from anyone was 6. Did really not a single class fit you?”

“The closest one to fitting was ‘Rogue’ class, I think. Although my growth became stagnant in the end, I really liked it.”

“What about now? How do you feel about your current one?” the elf woman asked, not daring to speak the name of Travis’ class out loud.

Travis didn’t answer for a long moment. His face became somewhat focused as he thought about Leaf’s words.

“…sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s still early to say anything, I imagine.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m just thinking,” he replied quickly, reassuring his companion. “It’s… hard to say anything definitive, true. However, from what I feel like now, this class is on par with ‘Rogue’ for me.”

“I see.”

‘It’s actually more than that.’ Travis thought. ‘Rogue class was pretty fitting, but that’s also because of how long I’ve had it. On the other hand, this class was much more intuitive from the very beginning. It’s like a snug glove, made specifically for me.’

There have already been moments when he was casting skills quicker than his conscious mind had time to decide to use them. ‘But that’s just an effect of RALS, I’m sure.’

A sigh escaped his mouth as the two of them came to a stop. Finally focusing his eyes around, Travis looked at a fence that separated Goldhilt’s mansion from the rest of the city, nearly 4 meters tall and made with dark metal formed into several beams situated one next to another.

The inside of the plot of land was filled to the brim with green plants, clearly taken care of, as nearly all of the plants were sprouting multiple leaves in neat, uniform formations. Bushes were sprouting in nice, even rows, surrounding small, sleek trees, probably oaks or something of the like. A road was going from the main gate toward the mansion’s entrance, circling a small fountain in front of the main door.

Travis looked to his left, noticing two guards standing next to the closed gate. They could not compare to the kingdom’s professional soldiers but their shiny armor made of steel was most likely enough to fend off any regular citizen.

‘Security doesn’t seem to be their main focus. The guards are only here to take care of beggars that come and disrupt Goldhilt’s peace.’ he realized, noticing how one of the guards shot a glare toward him. It wasn’t a hostile gaze, but rather one that was supposed to try and measure his intentions. Deciding not to bring too much attention, Travis pulled Leaf’s hand a little, and the two of them started walking away.

“Did you locate an entrance?” he asked, looking at the garden whilst walking.

“Yeah. It’s in northern part of the building. But I can’t see any secondary entrance to the plot itself.”

“Then the servants must use the main one. That’s good.”

“Is it?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I’ll explain in a while. First, let us search for a place to stay the night.”

-Roughly an hour later-

Travis sat down on his bed in the room of an inn that they decided to stay at. It was a small inn run by an elderly couple, which didn’t seem to have many visitors despite being clean. Perhaps it was something about the people running the place, or maybe because of the fact that there was a larger inn nearby, neither of the two travelers cared. They weren’t going to stay around for long.

Or, at least, that’s what Leaf thought.

“What do you mean, ‘alone’?” she asked, frowning. One leg was placed on top of the other, and she was also sitting on her bed on the opposite side of the room.

“Two is too many to enter the mansion unnoticed,” he replied. “No matter if it’s a small or large landlord, two people sneaking in without a single cloaking skill is too risky.”

“So what am I even supposed to do? I came here with you to help you with getting in, and now you’re telling me it’s not needed?”

“I didn’t say that. Your presence is very helpful. But I’d like to ask you something first concerning your abilities.”

“What exactly?” she asked, suddenly standing up and coming over to his bed. Sitting down right next to him, she leaned over slightly, making their conversation as quiet as possible.

“If you wanted to summon Berry, how far away from yourself can you do it?”

Leaf hummed for a short moment before shrugging, “I don’t really know. As far as I do know, so long I see the place, I can summon any of them wherever I want. The real problem is that the further the distance, the less control I have over them.”

“I see. So, if you wanted to summon him next to Goldhilt’s plot, would you be able to do it from here by sharing vision from Bill and Jay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’ve done that a few times, and it never posed much difficulty. But… how would that help?”

“My plan is simple, Leaf. You’ll follow me with Bill, and I’ll find a suitable place in the dark. Then, you’ll summon Berry, and I’ll climb onto his back to jump over the fence. Once on the plot, I’ll make my way into the mansion and get the earring. Then, when I’m ready, I’ll give you a signal, and you’ll help me get out the same way. Sounds simple?”

“…Is it really the best plan? What if something goes awry? I won’t be there to help you, and I can’t guarantee my guys will be that useful.”

“It’s alright. If anything goes awry, better if they only catch me than us both.”

Leaf looked to her side, a slight sense of guilt emanating from within her sapphire points. “If anything seems off, just retreat, will you? Better fail a quest than risk your life.”

“I’ll remember that,” he nodded.

“So… when will we be doing it?”

“At midnight,” Travis answered. “In the deep of night, it’s unlikely that anyone will notice anything. And even if, a black bear in the middle of a city doesn’t seem too believable, does it?”

“I suppose it doesn’t,” she chuckled lightly. “Any plans until then?”

“In terms of preparation, I don’t think there’s much more we can get to help us out. So, I don’t think there’s much. Why?”

“Well, just thinking. Want to hit the bathhouse and then go to the marketplace with me and grab something to eat?”

“…sure,” he shrugged lightly. ‘Can’t train abilities, can’t go to the mansion yet, might as well fill my stomach a bit.’

-1 hour later-

After coming back to the room, Travis didn’t waste time, sitting by the table and putting down the few things that he carried. Leaf locked the door and placed the rest of the stuff in front of the two as she sat down opposite the man.

They have bought quite a few things to eat. With Leaf’s recommendations, Travis picked out the most bizarre things that he came across. There were pieces of roasted wolf meat, and some fruits glazed in molten sugar, taking on a golden color. On the side, there was a tiny wooden container filled with something called ‘ghalnoa’, which Leaf said was a type of orcish snack.

But the most important item was precisely between them.

It was roughly 25 cm in width and half as much in length, about a finger thick, similar to a wooden board, but its color was deep brown, almost black, even. When Travis first noticed it, he half-expected it to be soft, as one would expect of a piece of cake. Surprisingly enough, it was far sturdier than it looked, and even when hit, it barely got dented. It seemed to be meat, but it hardly resembled any he knew.

“So… what is this thing?” he asked, poking at it lightly with a dagger. “And why the hell was it so expensive?” 'Almost 20 gold pieces for this much... You could stockpile enough'

“That’s wyvern meat,” she replied, saliva almost dropping from her mouth as she eyed the piece. “And trust me, the taste is worth every last coin. It’s a rarity, after all. I’m surprised it’s in here.”

“Hmm. So, what’s so special about--“ Travis asked, preparing to stab at the meat and begin cutting it. However, as he brought the blade down, he paused, feeling **** resistance.

[Warning! You’re cutting through a material with **** physical resistance! The weapon’s durability will begin dropping rapidly if you keep going!]

‘???’ his eyes widened at the notification. Quickly bringing up the information of 'Pacifist', he could only confirm how its durability dropped from 85 to 81. Quickly, he retreated his blade. ‘That’s a new one.’

“You won’t cut it with that,” Leaf commented. “This meat is extremely resilient, even after **** and roasting. But this will cut it,” she added, pulling a large knife from her backpack.

Without waiting for his response, she placed the knife by the surface of the meat and began to slowly and methodically cut at it. The process was slow, but after a dozen or so seconds Leaf was holding a piece of the meat in her hand. She tossed it to Travis.

“Chew it very carefully and diligently. It’s super chewy and quite hard. But don’t worry, it’s also super tasty!” she smiled.

‘She looks a little scary with that knife.’ Travis thought before looking at the piece of meat in his hand. ‘…what’s there to know about this thing?’

[Wyvern meat

Rating: Unknown

<Unable to analyze the object. Raise your Sense stat or obtain an appraisal skill to analyze.>

Weight: 10 g]

‘…this must be quite an exquisite thing if I can't see even its rating...'

Still, he decided not to ponder too much. Instead, he bit into the piece of meat and felt the explosion of taste. Just like Leaf said, the meat was difficult to chew through, but even just licking it was enough to make him see the stars. It couldn't compare to anything Leaf had made in their travels. The meat itself had little scent but was definitely rich in flavor.

“Haha, I had the same reaction when I first tasted it,” Leaf laughed at his expression. “This type of meat is something one shouldn’t pass by if they haven’t eaten it yet," she continued, preparing to cut a piece for herself.

-Roughly 15 minutes later-

Having finished munching through the food, Travis looked at Leaf, who brought all the leftovers and put them into a small metal container. As she finished, she put it into her backpack and brought out a small towel, which she used to clean her mouth.

Noticing how Travis glanced at her, she smiled lightly and arched her hand, preparing to throw it toward him. However, at the last second, she hesitated, bringing her hand back to herself. After a short second, she formed a tiny, somewhat mischievous smile. Quickly getting up, she walked to Travis and said:

“You know, you got some on your cheek,” she leaned forward and scrubbed his cheek slightly with the towel. “And on the other one, too.” this time, however, she reached for it with her mouth rather than her hand. As she nudged his cheek with her nose, she walked over to his legs and sat on them, facing him face-to-face.

Travis felt blood rush to his face (among other territories). It was surprising to see Leaf like this. She moved her legs ever so slightly against his as she nudged herself a little closet, pushing her huge breasts into his upper chest.

Leaf smiled gently in response to his flushing. It was one of those smiles that Travis had not seen yet on her. It was… not energetic nor ****. It looked… tender, in a way.

“We don’t need to be going anywhere for now, right?” She asked in a sultry tone, leaning in and kissing Travis on his lips. “Why won’t we fill in the time, then?”

Travis felt his body tense up for a long moment as he sloppily returned the favor to Leaf. He was definitely not expecting her to do this, and for a split second, he felt his body reach for The Pacifist by his waist by instinct. But…

…he didn’t. He couldn’t explain it, but he didn’t feel endangered by Leaf. Not anymore. Realizing this, he became slightly more aggressive in their kiss, leaning into the elf woman slightly and getting hold of her buttocks.

For long seconds, their kiss lasted, the elf woman bringing her hands up and cupping his face, feeling the slight beard that grew on his face within the days they’d been traveling together. She wiggled her hips on his, trying to hug him even closer.

Travis got up from the chair, shakily lifting Leaf with himself as she locked her legs behind his back. With a bit of difficulty, he carried her to her bed and laid her on her back.

Releasing her hold on his face, Leaf broke the kiss, letting him lean back. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before they clawed away at each other’s clothes. Within seconds, Leaf was already on her knees, blowing Travis’s shaft as he combed through her hair. After she did so for some time, she laid back on the bed, and Travis ate her out. Leaf moaned time and time again as the two kept going at it. Releasing her breasts from under her tunic, she kneaded her flesh in rhythm to Travis’ tongue licking her lower lips.

It didn’t take her long to orgasm. Squeezing her legs slightly, she almost screamed into a pillow, holding Travis by his hair in her cunt. After a dozen or so seconds the high of pleasure subsided a little, letting her control her limbs fully again.

She pushed Travis away from her slit and brought her hand down, pulling her lips apart. She didn’t have to say the words; he understood instantly.

He came closer to her, bringing his cock in line with her pussy. There was heat beaming from it and pure lust in the woman’s eyes as she moaned in approval, prompting him to spear her insides.

Slowly, Travis entered, feeling the tightness of Leaf’s insides hug him from the tip of his cock to the very base. Pulling out, he got hold of her left tit and started playing with the nipple as he brought his hips forth again. And then back again. The rhythm was quickly set in place.

A slight grunt of pleasure escaped his lips as Leaf locked her legs behind his buttocks, forcing him to speed up and increase the strength of his thrusts. The lying elf woman moaned time and time again in sync, kneading her other tit for some time before she brought it to her face, nibbling on her nipple.

“…I’m gonna… come…” Travis grunted, looking at his partner.

“…Inside!” she replied. “Come on,” she encouraged as she felt him slow down at her words. “Don’t worry! Ah!” Leaf moaned, feeling vibrations of impending orgasm start to take over. “Cum in ME!” she raised her voice, constricting her legs and pushing Travis all the way in.

Travis let go of his worries for a short moment. The moment the release came, he didn’t care about the risk of doing so inside his companion. Truth be told, she didn’t seem to worry, either.

Leaf moaned lightly, feeling her legs shake from the pleasure. For a moment, she released her hold, letting Travis retreat slightly. As his penis exited her slit, he felt his heart beat stronger. This was not the way he expected anything to go.

“Leaf?” he asked, sitting on the bed.

“…hmm?” she rose slightly, supporting herself on her elbows. “What?”

“I, uh… you know. Inside.”

“???” the woman looked at him, and then a little downward, and chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry. I have herbs for preventing pregnancy.”

“…is that so?”

“Yeah,” she gave him a smile. “But, seeing you all fine after that, how about round 2?” her smile turned a little mischievous once more.