Two figures dashed from rooftop to rooftop under the cover of darkness. Well, one did. The other stumbled every once in a while.

Giggling, Nora slowed to a stop, looked back, and said, “Looks like you’re the dead weight now.”

In return, she received a hard glare from Liam. As he passed her, he said, “I’m getting used to it now.”

Smiling back in good humor, Nora began to run again, but noticed light coming from a window on the other side of the alley. Normally, she would have ignored it, but the scene on the other side of the window caught her attention. In fact, she practically forgot about where they were heading.

When Liam noticed Nora had stopped, he clicked his tongue and turned back. Upon reaching her, he quietly asked, “What the hell are you doing? Let’s go.”

“Check that out,” she replied, pointing at the window without removing her gaze.

Following her finger, Liam looked through the window. Inside, with backs to the window, a young blonde woman was bent over a bed while a young man hammered her from behind. Raising a brow, Liam asked, “What about it?”

“They’re mating,” Nora answered.

“Yes, they are having sex. Leave them-” Liam paused. He took a closer look at the young man whose facial features were somewhat visible. Raising his brows in surprise, Liam muttered to himself, “Isn’t that the kid I saw on my first day here?”

“You know him?” Nora asked.

“More like saw him try to do something stupid… to think he’s already going at it with someone. Little punk.”

“Have you ever done it?” Nora asked, looking up at Liam.

“A few times.”

“Oh,” Nora replied while lowering her head.

The two of them remained silent until Liam said, “We should go. It would be awkward if they changed positions and saw us.”

“Changed positions?” Nora asked with a puzzled expression.

“Is it such a foreign idea?” Liam asked as he began walking along the rooftop.

Following him, Nora bitterly replied, “Remember my ‘curse’? You think any of my kind would mate with me?”

“Didn’t need such information,” Liam muttered.

After that, the two traveled to the central clocktower in awkward silence. The first one to break it was Liam.

“How do we get up?” he asked while observing the clock tower that stood at least five stories tall in the middle of a wide courtyard. A circle of shops and stores surrounded it.

“This way,” Nora whispered, hopping down to the ground between buildings. Liam followed suit.

The two crouched low and dashed across the street to the courtyard centerpiece. When they reached the base of the tower, Nora grabbed a boulder and began to move it but stopped. Through the fabric of her hood, Liam saw her ears twitch. Even before she could send a glance in his direction, he knew what it meant. The two locked eyes. They stayed perfectly still.

A man walked out from a nearby alley with a scantily clad prostitute under his arm. Both Liam and Nora waited for the two passersby to enter a nearby building.

“Okay,” Nora whispered as she moved the rock to reveal a hole. Inside, a five-rung ladder led down the wall of a primitive sewage system. Before climbing down, she whispered, “Can you pull the stone back into place before coming down?”

Liam raised his brow and quietly responded, “You plan to take advantage of me again, I see…”

Nora simply gave him a cheeky grin and jumped into the hole. Rolling his eyes, Liam stepped onto the ladder and pulled the stone back into place with only one hand, much to his surprise. Over the past few hours, he realized more and more that he needed to get used to the absurd change in his stats as quickly as possible.

However, the sudden darkness was now the more pressing issue. Nearby, he heard the sound of flint and stone as a few sparks flickered into and out of existence.

“Let me do it,” Liam said.

“You can’t even see the candle,” Nora replied.

“Then bring it here.”

“Not like you can do any better,” Nora said.

Rolling his eyes, Liam snapped his fingers and generated an orange spark bright enough to light the area for a brief moment.

“Was that a skill?” Nora asked.

“Yes, so hand it over,” Liam answered.

“...Fine,” she replied with a slightly disappointed tone. “Put your hand out.”

Liam did so, but his fingers brushed against her hand.

“Ow!” Nora exclaimed, recoiling. “What was that?”

“My fingers.”

“It felt like a really rough stone… Okay, hold out your hand again.”

Again, Liam held out his hand but felt nothing. However, he suddenly felt the soft touch of skin against his fingers and asked, “What now?”

“So it’s a mutation skill…”

“And?”

“Can I… feel it for a moment? It’s interesting.”

Slightly perturbed by the question, Liam muttered, “We need to get your stuff. You can feel it later.”

“Alright, here.”

Finally, she put the candle in his hand. He grasped it and felt for the wick. Then, he snapped, lighting the candle. The resulting glow revealed the small section of damp tunnel they stood in. Although Liam thought of using a merediem crystal instead, he decided to keep them secret for now. No need to show this woman any more of his cards than he already had.

“Up here,” Nora said, climbing up another ladder a few meters away. At the top, she pushed up on a stone above her head and slid it to the side. It led straight into the bottom floor of the clocktower.

Once both of them made it inside, Nora immediately began walking up the stairs that rounded the inner structure. A few small windows along the way allowed trace amounts of moonlight to filter through. At the top, they reached a room full of gears and machinery. Honestly, it surprised Liam. While he studied the clockwork, Nora pulled a stone away from the wall and retrieved a few things from behind it. Then, she replaced the block.

Returning to Liam’s side, she held up the few items and said, “Well, here’s all my stuff.”

Staring at the items, Liam only saw a decently sized money pouch, a knife, and a small, ornately-carved rectangular box. Blinking, he asked, “Is this it?”

Nora nodded and answered, “There was also a sleeping pad, but it’s kind of… dirty. I don’t need it since we’ve got a bed now.”

We… hmm… Liam thought.

“So… I guess we can head back now?” Nora inquired, looking up at Liam with her shining red eyes.

“Mhm… yeah.”