I slowly get out of bed and sneak across the corridor. I see that Mom is sleeping in her room, so I continue towards the stairs.

I climb down a few steps and look towards the kitchen. Dad is sleeping at the table, an empty jar of alcohol in his hand.

Finally.

I go back to my room and pick up my tools, then I change into my sneaking clothes. This pair of pants and shirt are fairly tight and elastic, but the design stands out, especially because it hugs my breasts and ass really tight. I think the material is called Snow Weave, but I didn't have time to read the tag when I stole it from the shop.

I put on a dress on top and tie a handkerchief to my head, then I put on a cloak to cover it all, and now I'm ready to sneak out.

I slowly and very carefully open my window. I'd oiled it beforehand, but I really don't want to make any noise now, not today.

Once there's a crack just wide enough for me, I slip out and hang on the windowsill, then I drop on the street and activate [Silent Steps] while I scurry away. [Acrobatics] really is useful in sneaking out.

I go south, towards the wall, and I search for the patrols. The priests and guards are the safe spots while traveling through the slums, and I don't want any drunk man trying to feel me up tonight. Unfortunately, the priests stay at the filthiest parts of the slums, trying to clean it up, which is like trying to get a rogue to stop stealing.

I know it, because I'm one.

I finally get to the spot, and see four cloaked men throwing dice. The smallest of them immediately notices me and lowers his hood, revealing a handsome blonde-haired boy with a grin that makes my heart tighten. That's Darean.

The men around him turn to look at me, and their leering reminds me of Dad's, which means they're dangerous people I can't be alone with. If the priests didn't patrol the slums so often, I think these types would've turned Wicked already.

One of them stands in my way, then goes on one knee and glares at me. I immediately jump back and stay away before he has the opportunity to touch me. I also really don't want to smell him.

He has a scar on his cheek from a stab that just missed his eye, and his short brown beard is neatly done, two signs that he's dangerous. "You didn't say she was a kid," he grunts.

"I'm thirteen," I hiss at him and frown.

He snorts. "I can't fuck you without committing a Sin. You're a kid."

"The kid can get you inside, trust me," Darean tries to appease them, then he shows his famous smirk that nearly makes me blush.

"Like that time you cheated under the table?" One of the hooded men teasingly asks.

"Yes, like that time," Darean casually responds without missing a heartbeat.

"Fuck you," the hooded man swears and spits at his feet.

"You wish," Darean confidently quips again and raises his eyebrows suggestively at him.

The hooded man gets actually offended and hovers his hand over his sword, but the scarred man slaps the back of his head, bringing him back to reality, then he glares at Darean and chastises him, "Stop fucking with the others, Darean. If you don't get shanked, I'll do it myself one day just to teach you a lesson."

"Hehehehe…" Darean laughs like a child who stole a sweet roll.

The scarred man turns to me and gives me cold, murderous eyes, then he threatens me, "You fuck up, we leave. You snitch, we kill you. Understood?"

"She doesn't even know your names," Darean defends me, completely serious now.

"She knows yours," Scar warns him.

"She'd never give my name up," Darean confidently states and smirks at me, forcing me to look away so I don't blush.

"You're a fucking stupid boy, alright," Scar mutters and shakes his head disapprovingly, then he sighs and calms down. "Let's get this shit done with, already."

Now that we're together, we avoid all patrols. A group of cloaked and hooded people walking together in the middle of the night is extremely suspicious.

Once we get out of the slums, we avoid any sort of people and stick to the alleyways. If we meet with a snob, it's highly likely that they'll report us to the guards even if we haven't done anything.

It's easy to spot people from the slums for the trained eye, like the guards, for example, who know that nothing good will come from letting us walk freely among the common townsfolk.

We stop by a clean alley, which means that some neat and rich people live around here, but also that it's likely under watch. People don't take care of areas they don't spend time in.

"Two houses down this one," Scar whispers, then they all start playing dice and drinking fake alcohol, trying to keep a low profile.

I breathe in deeply, then I activate [Quiet Steps] and cautiously walk down the alley. I need to keep an eye out for anybody out there, otherwise, someone could spot me while I sneak around, which would be very bad.

The men cough, and I immediately hide behind a beam. A patrol passes by, and I can just imagine the guards glaring at them. Thankfully, nobody plays the clown and they keep their heads low.

I reach the target house and inspect the door for any enchantment. My [Sense Mana] is still level one, but it's enough to detect anything magical if I concentrate enough.

I sense a few mana particles from a sort of magic I don't recognize, so it's better to just avoid the door. Since it's emitting mana, I believe it's a low-quality enchantment, but it's better not to risk it.

I look up and see an ornate jetty with a few protrusions that I can grab onto.

I take my cloak and dress off, then I take a few steps back and prepare. After taking a few calming breaths, I run forward and up the wall, then I jump backward and grab the jetty with both hands.

I'm so light that it's easy to pull myself up, then I climb the timber frame until I reach the roof.

I start taking out the tiles, opening an entrance into their attic. I don't have [Quiet Action], so work carefully to not make a sound.

The advantage of being so small is that I can easily fit through small holes, so it only takes a short while until I can get through the roof.

I gently land on the attic and look around. There's a bit of moonlight, allowing me to see the outline of things after my eyes adjust. I cover my face with my handkerchief so that I don't sneeze from the dust and mold.

I find the door, then I slowly move towards it, checking every step for creaking or fragile boards.

I cross the attic without a problem and stop before the door, then I pull out my oil flask and pour it on the hinges. I brush it a bit to make sure that it penetrates, then I open the door without making a sound.

There's a faint night light illuminating the interior, so I can see the steps on my way down.

On the second floor, I find a single man sleeping in a wide bed. His home seems rather well-made but a bit bare, so I bet he's involved in smuggling. Since Darean and Scar are targeting him, there's no way he's not a cartel member.

I see an expensive-looking vase, so I take out the flowers, pour out the dirt, and store it in my [Item Box]. I have only a little more space left, so I'll save it for something small.

I go down to the first floor and cast an extremely small [Spirit Light]. I confirm that there's nobody else in the house, then I take a look at the back door in his kitchen.

There's only a sound alarm protecting it, but it was enchanted in a piece of iron, so it's so crude that it's not even worth it to steal.

I believe the man living here has found his wealth no more than a half-cycle ago. Either that, or he's extremely stupid to rely on such weak security.

I disable the alarm, then I pick the many locks on the door. It takes a little while, but the purpose of locks is to make a thief waste time, and I still have most of the night to spend.

After I unlock the door, I look into the kitchen cupboards and find some silver cutlery, so I fill my [Item Box] with it.

Now I need to finish my job. I start searching the first floor for a hidden hatch, and I quickly find one under the carpet, so I unlock it and open it up, revealing a heavy chest.

I won't dare open this chest since I'm sure it's enchanted, so I open the kitchen's backdoor and whistle.

Darean and the men finish their game and casually come in.

Scar stops before me and ogles my body, making me feel almost naked with these thin and tight sneaking clothes. "Where is he?" He whispers, and I use my dress and cloak to hide my body.

"Second floor, last door. The chest is over there," I whisper back and point to the hatch.

"Wonderful…" He breathes.

"Told you she was the right one for this," Darean whispers smugly.

Scar chuckles in a low, sinister tone, then they all pull out clubs and sneak up towards the second floor.

I put on my clothes and wait, then I hear muffled screaming coming from upstairs. It's not my job to know what they're doing, so I just cover my ears and wait.

They finish it quickly, then they pick up the chest and carry it outside.

Now we have to avoid all patrols. Scar and the other rough-looking men hurriedly carrying a large chest away is absolutely suspicious. I'm sure that the guards would force Scar to go through an Inspection Crystal, and his "Crimes" definitely isn't empty.

With the help of my scouting, we return to our base in the slums without a problem, then they take the chest to the basement and set up the "Buster."

For our own protection, they set up a rope so they can activate it from a distance, then we all hide upstairs.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Darean offers the rope to me with a grin.

The men taunt and holler, but Scar doesn't say anything, so I take the rope and pull.

The chest is split open by an anvil, then its security enchantment activates and explodes.

We wait for a minute before taking a look, then we enter the basement and see how every single surface of the room has been covered in metal shrapnel. The loot is crushed and shredded, but there's still enough gold and silver to last us a long time.

"Now, it's time to share the profits," Scar whispers, then hums in delight.

Darean escorts me back to my house in silence. I hold my pouch of money close to my chest because I can't store it since my [Item Box] is still full with the vase and cutlery I stole.

We stop at the back alley behind my house and awkwardly fumble around, not wanting to say goodbye yet.

Darean pulls something out of his [Item Box] and offers it to me. "Here, for you," he whispers with unusual gentleness. I look up and see a very sharp-looking steel dagger in his hand.

"What is it for?" I ask with a confused frown.

His voice is gentle, but he's completely confident in his words, "For your Dad. If he comes for you, pull it out and kill him."

I grab the dagger and sheathe it, then I hold it against my chest and stay silent.

I'm not sure I'd have the courage to kill him.

He pats my head and ruffles my hair. "I know he's part of the Townsguard, but my brother and I will find a way to kill him without making the priests mad, but we need time, so you must stay safe until then."

I nod weakly. "Alright…"

I can trust Darean.

I suddenly get sleepy as his rough touch actually makes me feel comfortable and safe. I know he plays with other women, but he never looked at me like the other men, and I know he'll never hurt me. Even when we were kids he was always kind to me, and when we stuck together, we accomplished more than we ever could alone.

The boys like him because he keeps them in line without breaking their arms. The men like him because he can stand his own even against someone like Scar. The women like him because… well, I only know rumors, and I don't really like to think about them.

But it doesn't matter what I think about him or what he does to others. He's good, and I want to stay with him. That's all.

A horn along with the ringing of bells takes us out of our comfortable moment. It's coming from the south wall nearby. It's a monster attack.

"Fuck! They came earlier than I expected!" Darean suddenly yells angrily, then he stops patting me and suddenly pulls me into a hug

"H-huh?!" I make a silly noise, confused.

"Come with me, Farana. I've reserved a spot right next to the wall for us to soak Experience."

I look up at him and see that he's completely serious, and half-insane. "That's dangerous! What if we get found by a monster?!" I chastise him.

He gives me his usual handsome grin and pats me again, trying to calm me, but that just makes me more annoyed, so I pout at him. "Don't worry. The hatch protecting us is so heavy that only an ogre would be able to get through."

"Hm…" I frown, unconvinced.

He lowers his head and whispers in my ear, "We don't have time to argue, Faf. We need the levels and more skills to keep you safe." A pleasant chill runs along my spine as his "Charisma" caresses my mind.

"Alright…" I mumble.

He grunts heavily as he pulls the thick metal hatch over our heads, then I cast [Spirit Light] so we can see.

"Thanks…" He mutters, then he uses multiple heavy padlocks to secure it.

I snuff my light out, and we stay silent, nervously paying attention to the sounds of chaos coming from outside. It seems it's a wyvern attack, and there's a few trying to kill the men on the wall, but most of the fighting will happen outside the town. Still, it's free Experience for us, so we can't complain.

We hear the death cries of both monster and men; heavy things fall nearby or crash on the flimsy houses of the slums; harsh voices order the men around and encourage them.

The absolute darkness makes it easy for my mind to wander, and I start to imagine the carnage going on outside. I'd once heard so many monsters were killed that the top of the walls became red with blood.

Darean pulls me into a hug, then I close my eyes and try to sleep, but I'm so nervous that I don't succeed.

The fighting goes on for an hour, then things start to calm down.

"You are now level 5," the Goddess of Growth announces.

Suddenly, we hear heavy footsteps right next to our hatch followed by heavy breathing. There's a wyvern outside.

It scratches the hatch, and Darean covers my mouth just before I let out a squeak of fear.

I grab his hand and feel silent tears of fear running along my cheeks, wetting both of our fingers.

A few muffled war cries of men come from afar, and the wyvern decides to attack them.

They have a short battle, and it seems that the men win, but we don't hear any more from them.

"I need [Spirit Light]," Darean sternly requests.

"What for?!" I whisper-shout.

"I need to get outside, now!" He demands, and I obey.

I give him light, and he quickly removes the padlocks, then he opens the hatch and jumps outside, but I remain in place, frozen by fear.

"Faf! Come here!" He shouts assertively.

I peek my head out and see him looming over the body of a guard, then I hear a groan and realize that the man is alive.

"Quickly!" Darean hurries me.

I jump out of the hatch and scurry towards Darean, ignoring the dead and bleeding wyvern, then I stop beside him. The man at our feet has his entrails out, bitten by the wyvern, yet he's still alive, though he's bleeding profusely.

I've seen a soldier like this before, but the priests achieved a miracle and brought him back to life. He became a healer after that, though not a very good one.

"He needs help…" I mutter and look away.

"No, he's going to die," Darean immediately responds sternly.

I look around and shake my head. There's a few collapsed houses and a few have caught on fire, but the damage is small enough that the priests and mages could contain it easily. "The fighting is almost over, there must be priests about, searching for the wounded," I reply with a frown.

"No… he's going to die…" Darean whispers grimly.

"What-…" My question is interrupted as Darean draws his sword. Before I can even ask what he's doing, he stabs the man in the throat. "WHAT?!" I shriek.

"Quiet!" He hisses, then he goes to another fallen man and stabs him in the throat, too. "They were both going to die."

"You are now level 6."

"You are now level 7."

"You are now level 8."

"You are now level 9."

My mouth opens and closes in shock. I've seen a lot of blood and gore around the slums, but murder is a Sin, and the priests that constantly patrol around here make sure that everyone fears becoming Wicked.

Darean cleans his sword on the tabard of one of the guards and turns to me, his handsome face is cold and his eyes are severe. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm not Wicked," he states.

I turn around and frown, starting to feel sick.

"Think, Faf. How many levels you got from monsters and how many from these men? We need more skill points to survive!" Darean presses me.

"Alright, I get it, I get it!" I yell and clench my fists in anguish.

He grabs two sticks of wood, then he shows them to me. "Light these up, then we're getting out of here…"

I do as he says, and he burns the corpses, then we run.

We return to my house, then I give Darean my money before I peek inside.

Dad's still passed out from drinking too much, and Mom's still hiding in the basement, so I go warn her that the battle's over.

She's shivering in fear in a dark corner, her figure so small she could've been mistaken for a child or halfling, her eyes so wild that she could be mistaken for a female goblin, her elven inheritance completely hidden under her disheveled brown hair. I remember that people used to mistake her for an actual elf, but now it's all gone, both because of Dad and her addiction.

She realizes it's me and narrows her eyes in confusion and annoyance.

"You didn't wake up your father for the battle?" She questions me sternly.

That is the first thing you ask me? Not where I was or if I was safe…?

"He'd have tumbled and died from falling off the wall if I did…" I respond flatly.

She shakes her head and stares at me angrily. "It doesn't matter, he'll punish you for this… or me."

I stay silent and give her a hand for her to get up, then we both leave the basement.

Before I wake up Dad, I open the window to my room, then Darean throws me the bag of money.

I take a few silver coins out and hide the rest under the floorboards along with the vase and silver cutlery, then I wave goodbye to Darean.

"Remember the dagger…" He whispers worriedly, and my hand hovers over the weapon hidden under my shirt.

"I will…" I whisper back, and he finally leaves.

I make sure that the dagger can't be seen poking out of my clothes, then I jingle the coins in my hand wistfully. It's time to wake up Dad.