Rescue Mission

In the middle of Rodena Town, a luxurious structure emerges in the middle. Intimidating walls surround it and enormous gates prevent any unwanted guests.

What the designers and builders of this structure didn't take into consideration is the skill one man has which allows him to move past such obstacles.

Nox with his shadow spell blends in and becomes one with the existing ones that the full moon above him provides without reservation.

The young man in his shadow form sneaks in undetected and explores the mansion. During his rounds, he finds his way back to the gates, the place guards patrol, defeating them, one after the other.

[10 Exp gained]

[10 Exp gained]

[10 Exp gained]

He finds a cabin with two guards standing in front of it. Their stoic posture can intimidate anyone from getting too close.

Their pressure doesn't apply to the young man, who at this point is invisible. He materializes behind them, smashes their heads together. He walks into the cabin and finds another set of guards.

[10 Exp gained]

[10 Exp gained]

With every level up he goes through, his speed and strength increase, making it easy for him to defeat them with a few punches.

[10 Exp gained]

[10 Exp gained]

Inside the old cabin, there's a lever that Nox pulls. As if the gears have fallen into place, a click sound reaches the young man's ears. He peeks outside and sees the gate opening.

He continues to observe and lets out a sigh of relief when he sees a silver-haired girl run inside and taking cover behind some bushes in the garden.

Under the veil of darkness protecting them, Nox and Mirena meet up at the cabin after hiding the guards' unconscious bodies.

Without exchanging a word, they nod at each other and go their separate ways. Mirena goes after her family whereas Nox tries to infiltrate the palace harboring the hero.

'Grimmy, do you mind scanning ahead?"

{Loading…}

['Very well']

{Scanning…}

['No life forms detected in a 10-meter radius']

'Good! Do it again in ten meters…'

The young man with limited time for his shadow spell conserves it for later. He hides and moves forward with his back against the wall.

The cooldown will probably reset it and give him more time to use it when he needs it.

After the old wooden cabin, is a few meters dash to reach the walls of the palace. With his current speed, a few meters isn't a considerable effort. He takes in a deep breath and runs with all his might.

It takes a few seconds for him to reach it and glue himself against the wall.

{Scanning…}

['Two life-forms detected with a 10-meter radius']

'Can you pinpoint where they are?'

Nox calls for the map. The areas scanned by Grimmy appear on it without the fog, whereas the rest of the place still has it.

['There is one behind the next corner and the other is approaching you']

Grimmy lights two moving spots on the map with their direction marker.

Closest to Nox is the one approaching him.

The guard halts and turns around. Nox seizes the opportunity and attacks him, banging his head against the wall.

[10 Exp gained]

The thud notifies the guard behind the corner who comes running.

Nox hides the guard and himself behind a bush.

Once the guard turns around to leave, Nox grabs him and pulls him behind the bush. He punches him twice and knocks him out.

[10 Exp gained]

The young man pops his head around the corner and looks around. He verifies that it's clear and moves close to the wall.

{Scanning…}

['Life forms detected within a 10-meter radius']

'Alright, how many?'

{Loading…}

['Eighteen']

Nox's mouth opens slightly in shock. There are no second chances. If they spot him, it's over.

The young man regains his composure and tries to figure out how to defeat the guards and be as stealthy as possible.

Meanwhile, Mirena, who is on the other side of the mansion, has her own battle with the guards, all the while she remains hidden.

The silver-haired girl is familiar with the palace. Before this whole thing happened, she visited with her family and had a tour. She knows her way around and where to go.

From the tour, she remembers that there is a wooden door to the floor that leads to the dungeons beneath the ground.

Since the last time, one thing isn't the same. A wooden house. She approaches and knocks with caution. When there's no reply, she enters.

Once she steps in, in front of her is the entrance to the underground prison.

She pulls the heavy door with every ounce of strength she has.

She succeeds and lets it drop. A thud shakes the house in its foundations and raises a cloud of dust.

After the dust settles, with one foot in front of the other, she descends the murky basement. The stairs are close to collapsing. With every step they tremble and particles of rotten wood fall.

Slimy mold covers the walls left and right and Mirena tries her best to hold in her tears and disgust.

The further down she goes, a faint light from a torch reaches her. As if it blinks at her, the dimness is enough for her to see where she's going.

There are no guards in sight, and the cells are empty. She walks for several meters and she can't see her family anywhere. Before losing all hope, a male groan reaches her slightly pointy ears.

She hastens her pace and finds the last cell, which is the only one with a lock on.

Inside there are a few people and among them, her family members. A middle-aged man in a weak constitution and a girl close to her age sharing the same situation.

Tears form an endless stream as the girl grabs the bars of the cell with her slender hands. "Uncle! Maya!"

She regains her composure and looks around. Since she doesn't have a key, she looks for a way to free them.

Inside the old cells, Mirena finds a pole. She examines it before going back to the cell with her family members.

She finds a rock she can use and places it next to the cell's door. She uses the pole as a lever and pushes down.

The prisoners understanding what the girl is trying to do, approach the door and pull up.

They join forces and pull the door off its hinges. It's still locked, but now there's space for the prisoners to go through and escape.

Prisoners help each other through the dim-lit corridor until they reach the moldy stairs. Mirena climbs first and makes sure it's safe for the others.

{Loading…}

[Level Up]

Nox is still battling with the guards. He takes one out and goes back into hiding. He tries to keep a low profile as to not alert them and ruin the plan they have to free Mirena's family.

The young man gasps for breath and leans his back on the wall to rest. He crouches so they won't spot him and thinks of his next move. 'Grimmy, how many guards left?'

{Scanning…}

['Three life forms detected within a 15-meter radius']

'Oh, nice! The range is bigger now...'

He peeks over the bush and scans the area with his eyes. He picks up a marble and throws it at the guard.

It doesn't hit him, but it falls next to his feet, startling him. He turns around in a panic. "Who's there?"

When there's no response, the guard walks closer, but not close enough. Nox's hand searches for another marble but in vain. There's none.

As the guard turns around and walks away, Nox jumps out of the bush and grabs him, like a lion grabbing its prey by the neck. The young man drags the guard behind the bush.

'One down, two to go…"

He sneaks around, finds the other two guards, and punches his way through them, rendering them unconscious.

{Scanning…}

['No life forms detected within a 15-meter radius']

After his long battle, Nox takes his time and secures the guards. He rests for several minutes before getting back up.

He's at the palace's entrance. Enormous gates keep intruders out, but for Nox this means nothing. He once again blends with the shadows and enters the imposing building.

Once inside, he gives a push to the door and opens it ever so slightly for some silver light to pour in.

He turns around and in front of him, expands a stairwell leading to the next floor.

With Grimmy scanning his surroundings, the young man moves forward with confidence.

He reaches the next floor. Before taking that final step, he looks around and familiarizes himself with the area. A door to his left gets his attention. He climbs the last step and walks towards it.

He pushes the door and peeks in.

He sees a girl close to his age, sleeping in a luxurious king-size bed, with a single sheet covering her slender body.