Nero had one of his brilliant ideas and removed the [Warrior], swapping his Class cards again. He had a plan. Not a good one but one that worked in his head. While he thought, Holmes explained what happened to Bezzias. The rescue, the pursuit, hiding the princess in a Dungeon, and the catastrophe that happened when some of their low-level operatives died in an ambush by the response squads of knights dispatched by the kingdom. It effectively cut their means of communicating with Serena as nobody over level ten could enter that Dungeon.

The two minnids added their own story to complement what happened. How they met Serena, how they gained each other's trust, the months of working together. He intentionally left unspoken where she was in the Dungeon. That tidbit of information had little use for the high-level scholars.

"How exactly are we going to rescue her, Nero?" Holmes asked. "The Dungeon guards are on alert and under scrutiny since the kingdom's investigators discovered we bribed some of the guards to "go to sleep" on the same night the Princess escaped. We did that to several Dungeons around here, so they won't know which one we needed. They might not even know it was to hide Serena. Maybe some loot smugglers did that. It happens from time to time."

"Truly, hiding the Princess inside the rank-I Dungeon with a Dungeon Interference Generator is brilliant. But yes, Nero, how are we going to rescue the Princess?"

Nero walked to the center of the vault and tapped the case of the black Class. "The easy part is here. I need this card. Then there is the moderate part, you'll need to give me some information but for the head of the Dungeoneering department, it shouldn't be hard. And finally, there's the really, really, hard part where my wife and I will do the impossible," he bragged.

"With a little help from Lamuril and you, professor Bezzias. The Lyceum will receive several pieces of information regarding the black cards. Including the text, I can read on this one."

Holmes shifted his view between Nero and the card on display. "You can't equip it. It is bound to whoever picked it in the Dungeon."

Nero glanced over his shoulder at the card. "Yes, I know. The name is James Runner if it rings any bells. But I have a workaround. Could you open this case, professor? I'll show you."

Holmes took a notebook and a graphite pencil from his coat. "Before I do anything, write down here the card's full text."

Nero took the paper and did as requested.

[Idyllic Shelter] - black/unique Skill. Requires black/unique Class. Willpower 15. Intellect 15. Charisma 15. Perception 15. Bound to James Runner.

Acquisition condition: Kill 5 different Dungeons bosses in 24 hours from the first kill regardless of time elapsed inside or outside the Dungeons.

All Attributes +5.

"For those that forsake their home, repose for the restless. As recognition for upstanding service in stemming the tides of evil, a shelter for you."

Special: This Skill does not require a Skill slot.

Special: Whenever the shelter is active, the user must pay two-thirds of their Willpower in mana points at midnight to maintain the shelter. Failure to pay this cost will dump all contents of the shelter around the user.

Special: The first time a gateway to the shelter is created inside a Dungeon, an amount of Essence equal to 1,000*(Rank ^ 3/2) must be paid. The ambient Essence inside the shelter will become equal to the Dungeon's rank until a new portal is open elsewhere.

Effect: Spend 10 mana to open a portal one yard near you to the pocket dimension for 5 minutes and 1 mana to extend the portal for the same duration. If the dimension does not currently exist, create it first. The portal can be closed by the user at any time. Should the user be inside the shelter, the new portal will open in the same location as the previous one.

Effect: Spend Willpower mana to create a pocket dimension. Space inside has a radius of (Willpower + Reason) feet and a height of Perception feet. The user may decide on the type of walls, and roof of this dimension, as well as environmental factors, like the presence of water, illumination, temperature, moisture, and air quality. The floor can be of any common material and is one yard deep. Defaults are grass and a yard of dirt for the floor, the texture of impenetrable woods for the walls, a blue sky with shifting clouds and a day-night cycle as the roof.

"Here you go. Now, can I touch the card?" Nero asked.

Both researchers read the description with great interest. It was a costly card, that was true, but of undeniable utility.

"If you can equip this card, I can see how you'll rescue Serena. Let me open the case," Holmes went around the display case, removing a key from a coat pocket. he unlocked the case and removed the card. "Here it is. Now, how will you equip it when it is bound to another person?"

"That is the easy and stupid part, professor." Nero smiled and held the card in his hand. He placed the card in a slot but didn't push it all the way in. "[Card Trick!]"

Holmes panicked when he recognized the Skill being used. Bezzias watched as the card vanished and an aura of blue energy surrounded Nero, vanishing soon after.

"One hundred and five mana!" Nero shouted, feeling a bit tipsy and high on the overcharge of mana. "It means the black card is considered one tier above the oranges."

"What have you done!" Holmes yelled. "You destroyed the card!"

Nero shrugged. "Of course I did. How would I reset the acquisition if I didn't destroy it? Now comes your part as the head of the Dungeoneering department. Find me five Dungeons tiers one and two that Altia and I can clear. We will delve into the longest one now, exit at dusk. Delve on three others until midnight, and finally delve again tomorrow morning, killing the last boss before eighteen hours pass."

Holmes was angry. Bezzias was once again holding the senior professor.

"You are insane!"

Altia stood next to Nero and held his hand. "And Serena's best friends," She said.

Nero threw an arm around Altia's shoulder, "With that said, before we regain our sanity, let's plan how to raid some Dungeons."

They left the vault behind and went to the Dungeonneering and History building. Bezzias tasked a student to run to his home and call Lamuril and the carriage while Holmes sent a messenger to fetch Chrysopae and led everyone to his office.

During their walk from the administrative building, Nero paid attention to conversations and tried to understand why Bezzias jumped in their little conspiracy so easily. The Lyceum was pissed with the kingdom, the fact the Dean along with the masters of the most important guilds went before the King to tell him that much more than enough proof. After the fight in front of the dorms and all the needless deaths, the students that didn't leave the institution, the teaching staff, and everyone else were beginning to consider the Lyceum an independent enclave.

He took a map of the Dungeons around the capital and unfurled it on a table. There were a lot of Dungeons around the city, some inside even.

They were finishing some plans for Nero's crazy delve when Chrysopae barged into the room, completely out of breath.

"Uncle! Is it true?" She shouted.

"Close the door, student Chrysopae,"

Holmes chided her with a serious face. After she closed the door and greeted the occupants with a nod, she looked at the map and the notes they were taking. She couldn't contain her worries and excitement, the two emotions tugging at her core.

"Now, what is going on? You sent me the code word for... that, but I don't know these people!"

Altia reached out and grasped the half-nereid-elf girls' hand. "Nice to meet you, Chrysopae. I'm Altia, this is my husband Nero."

Nero smiled and waved. "We are currently engaged in a conspiracy against the Bast kingdom, to safeguard some VIP. Care to join us?"

She looked at the map again, trying to understand what was happening. Bezzias cleared his throat.

"Student Chrysopae, we are currently planning how we are going to rescue princess Serena from the Dungeon your group hid her in. Nero and Altia met her yesterday and they left her in good health and well-stocked with supplies."

She looked at Holmes for confirmation, the half-elf-lupine just nodded. She took a moment to gather her strength and put both hands on the table, determined to help.

"What can I do?"

"We intend to act fast," Nero said. "We need to clear four Dungeons in a single day and then clear a fifth the next day. Ranks I and II. We also need them to be close enough to each other we can travel between the first four in less time than it takes between dusk and midnight."

Nero was certain that if it was a Dungeon like the Goblin's Den, they could clear it in less than one hour.

The group of six talked and measured distances. Bezzias calculated the time to move the carriage between one Dungeon and another. In the end, they had only one option.

"You'll have to volunteer to aid the war effort and use the Dungeon mines the kingdom controls," Holmes decided. "They are close enough to one another and between Bezzias and me, we can have enough clout to get you in and out. You'll have to relinquish all loot to the kingdom but I think that doesn't matter. I can compensate you for the loss."

"No need," Nero mused. "We are doing this for Serena. That's it then. We are going with this plan."

"We need to buy potions," Altia commented. "Not cards, real potions."

"The Lyceum's alchemy department has enough in stock," Bezzias answered.

"Then we are going to do this today. We need to act fast or the kingdom will suspect. We are also going to need better gear to get back in Rafflesia's. There's no way we are going to fool the guards again if we enter that Dungeon unprepared."

"We have one card press available," Bezzias said. "And the department of Dungeoneering just requested special permission to use it out of their own budget," He winked at Holmes.

Bezzias' message was clear. It was Holmes' mess, he was footing the bill. The two academics nodded at each other and they traced their attack plan.

"We are going to send you to the 'Pudding Cube's Swamp' first. It is a rank-II Dungeon that has slimes as their main monster type. It is one of the worst mines in the kingdom and usually a punishment on top of a punishment for prisoners that rebel. Then you are going to the 'Tomb of the Skeleton Lord'. Rank-II too, skeletons and zombies. Fire magic works like a charm in there. Forty-five minutes to get from the first to the second Dungeons. The third one is an hour away, the 'Verdant Ruins of Amara-Khan'. This is a historical site, a rank-I Dungeon and rumored to be the palace of ancient kings that turned into a Dungeon during a cataclysm two thousand years ago. The boss is a specter of the mad mage that triggered the cataclysm. The last one for the first day is a half-hour ride from the ruins, the 'Dire Hyena's Caves', rank-I too. Best-type monsters. Moles, Badgers, and the Dire Hyena.

"You can take your time inside the swamp as the timer only counts from when you kill the first boss but you can't take too long because you need to exit at dusk. The best would be if you enter it right after midnight. It can be arranged. Then you will have three hours and forty-five minutes to clear each of the other three before midnight. The tomb is rank-II but it is short. There's a risk of group fights though. You'll need an area Spell.

"For the day after tomorrow, you won't go straight to Rafflesia's as it is a purple Dungeon. Too risky. You'll go out of town and into the 'Spider's Nest', rank-II. The main risk there are the venomous spiders. We'll keep you well-supplied with [Antidotes]."

While Holmes showed them the plan, Bezzias was making a list of cards he'd need to create in the press for them. Holmes started to cross some of them and created a second list to be supplied by the institution's own stockpiles. Then he compiled another list of those that could be bought in the city without raising suspicion.

While the two professors worked on their card lists and negotiated the cost of making the cards they thought would be necessary, Nero and Altia were talking to Chrysopae. The half-nereid was very interested in the stories about the princess and Nero had to nudge Altia a few times to keep her from oversharing. Some secrets need to be kept that way. And Nero had one goal. He needed to know their motivation. They didn't risk their lives to steal the princess from the palace out of kindness.

"So, how did you meet Serena?"

"My aunt works as a maid in the Palace of Waters," Chrysopae answered. "She owed Serena several favors for protecting her from abuse. We were glad to repay."

"That's cool!" He replied faking his enthusiasm.

That was a weak excuse. People died. Were they all Chrysopae's cousins who loved their aunt? And how exactly does one make in and out of the castle with all the guards? Given the blatant lie, they decided to not press the subject. Chrysopae was happy to oblige as she started to ask things about them.

"Now tell me more about you! How was hunting with her? Did Serena talk about me?"

"At first she was very shy, afraid of Nero," Altia replied. "But she warmed up to us. It was tense until we could gain each other's trust. Serena talked too little of her past. I think she didn't mention you until the very end because she was afraid we would tell the King where she was."

"Only at the end she showed us one purple Skill card she knew you'd recognize and had us memorize the text," Nero added.

"Oh, yes. That card was a treasure of the Coriander Royal Family for generations. They were waiting for the perfect build. Then Serena was born and they obtained the other cards."

That made Nero feel an itch behind his ear. What did Serena say about coming back home?

"Yes, she did warn us that it was useless to kill her and loot her cards. We could try to fence them but they were so rare the Royal Family would get word of them and come after us."

"And the guards would confiscate them at the exit inspection," Altia sad.

Nero had almost everything he needed to figure out what was going on. He just needed to put it all together but he was too tired of all the healing he received. Holmes's friendly pat didn't help. His ribs still itched.

He let the two women talking and shifted his attention to the map and the bestiary Holmes took listing the Dungeon monsters. Nero copied the rough sketch of where the Dungeons were and also read about the monsters they would face. It didn't seem like it would be too hard. The travel time they stated seemed to match the distances. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong. Something he wasn't seeing.

it might be his paranoia. He worried the same way about Serena and everything turned out fine.

Nero almost didn't notice when Holmes sent an assistant with a purchase order to obtain the cards in the city. After he finished copying the monsters' data, it was already late. They said their goodbyes to the two half-elf cousins and left for the gadgeteering building. On the way, Nero approached Bezzias.

"Bezzias, I want to ask you something. More like I have some doubts, I want to use you as a sounding board, is that okay?"

"Of course, Nero. We are now co-conspirators," he chuckled.

"What do you think was their motivation to get the princess out of the castle? And hide her in a way she could be considered technically dead."

"Well, if you had to guess, which probable answers would you try? The solution to any problem is to lay out all the variables and all the possibilities in front of you. So, what do you think?"

"They could be friendly, not loyal, to Coriander. Rescuing Serena would earn them favors with the Royal family," Nero proposed.

"That is a valid possibility. But what do you have that clashes with this view?"

"Serena said her family would wish to see her dead to use her as a martyr for the war effort," Altia replied. "That she couldn't go back home or she'd be killed."

"A lot of effort and money was spent on this war. Many soldiers, many provisions, many expenses, and promises. Favors were called, favors were given. To stop now would require buying off all that. And the loss of prestige. Because people would say anything about them and they couldn't refute. The war is inevitable now. What remains to be seen is how long it will take, in equal amounts of time, money, and lives ruined."

"They could've done that do destabilize the Kingdom," Altia suggested. "After all, she was the catalyst for the student mutiny, the schism with the guilds,"

"Yes, that might be correct," Bezzias joined both hands together, "And do the two theories contradict each other? They could be supporting Coriander by sabotaging the kingdom's relationships."

"But they would need to be behind the mutiny."

Bezzias stopped and turned around to see his pupils' faces. "And who said the one to drop the [Berserker Totem] had to be one of the loyalist students?"

"That's dark," Nero gasped at the possibility. It would mean the loyalist students were manipulated into literally killing themselves to provide a spectacle.

"But there are many things you can assume just because it makes sense that may not be true. It pays to be wary of illusions."

"What do they have to gain with all that?" Altia asked. "Because one thing Nero was thinking and it makes sense, they aren't related to Coriander or the loyalists would use that as an excuse instead of just racial bias. And they don't have much to gain by turning Serena in. What are their motivations?"

"And why did they send her to Rafflesia that is already in the countryside?" Nero added. "It is out of the city walls, if they got past all the checkpoints till there, they could just keep going and disappear in the countryside. They could even send Serena alone, with her Charisma and abilities, she could make it back home alone."

"Yes, we are getting somewhere. You said the cards she has and can't use yet are valuable, right?"

"You heard that?" Altia was surprised.

"Don't underestimate a race that once used their ears like they were eyes," Bezzias smirked.

"It couldn't be money, could it?" Nero pondered.

Bezzias stopped. He scanned around and found nothing wrong. Nobody spying on them. He called the two assistants closer.

"I'll tell you. I want to keep you both safe, that's why I joined this charade. I believe saving your friend from the bowels of a purple dungeon is a just cause.I also believe that your stunt with the black card might show us how we can obtain them in a reliable way. If you can obtain that Skill, it will be worth the risks.

"But now you are asking the right questions. Be wary and keep your wits about you. And remember, two possible motivations don't have to be mutually exclusive. Or three, or four."

Bezzias paused and pointed one finger straight at Nero's forehead. "Think."