-=Shiona POV=-

I reached the top of the spiral staircase and landing in front of a wooden door, light flowed through the keyhole of the door.

*click* Sounded Cy’s talkbox as I fastened it to the copperwood belt using a clip at the back of it, then before I look into the keyhole I prepare myself by eating one of the fruits growing from the belt.

This fruit was new, it had started appearing about a week or so after the necromancer incident.

The fruit was grey and dry to the touch.

*Ksh*

Like all the other copperwood fruits biting into the grey fruit gave off a feeling almost exactly like chomping down on a cherry tomato, however unlike the other fruits this one had a very peculiar taste.

‘Ugh, tastes horrible…’

As the color and dryness of the fruit would suggest the taste of the fruit was like dust or gravel, it truly felt like some sort of punishment game.

As I swallowed the chewed up remnants of the grey fruit that very same color started spreading across my feathers, skin, hair, eyes and talons, it made my entire body look it was covered in dust from gravel.

Speaking of dust, from my entire body fell exactly that.

Whenever I moved dust would fall down from my feathers and hair and down to the floor, however mere seconds after landing on the floor the dust disappeared.

I’ve been calling it dust all this time, but would it be better to maybe call it sand? It wasn’t dust as in bits of hair and such stuff, but rather it was the kind of dust you would get on your shoes from walking on a path of gravel.

The important thing about this fruit wasn’t the dust however, rather it was the fact that this is the only fruit which didn’t dye my feathers in bright and easy to see colors, it was the only one which let me be even the tiniest bit hidden in a place as grey and dreary as this castle.

I shake my wings a bit to try and get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that comes with having your entire body be covered with a layer of dust, though to no avail, before finally looking through the door and seeing what was happening inside.

‘I wonder if there’s any royalty here in need of some convenient saving?’

Having planted my face firmly against the door I look through the keyhole and try to find the two people inside.

‘Is that the assassin?’

In the room was a… a very… a very “developed” woman who was for whatever reason wearing baggy pants over a skin tight black body suit, she also had a small black cape.

The assassin also had half her face covered by a black cloth and a black turban, again, for whatever reason.

‘But...why is the assassin the one laying on the floor in a pool of her own blood!?’

The assassin was laying on the ground, clutching the grip of a wavy knife in her hand while glaring at another woman in the room.

The assassins eyes then turned blank, and with a soft thud her head fell to the floor.

[She’s dead.] Said Cy through the talk box, she had been looking at the map since there was only one keyhole.

The princess then dropped a knife which she was holding and simply went back to bed, she didn’t check the assassin’s pulse to make sure she was dead nor did she check if there were any more of them, she hadn’t even gotten worried about the rest of her family.

Not really sure what to think of the princess I walked away from the room with only two things on my mind, one being that I ate the disgusting grey fruit for apparently no reason, the other thing on my mind was the princess’s peculiar clothing.

‘Should a princess really be sleeping in a blue onesie with a blue santa hat? Well to each their own I guess…’

After sorting out my thoughts I use the clear fruit to return to normal before flying halfway down the tower, then while standing in front of where a hidden room is supposed to be I pull on of the torches which was sitting in an indentation in the wall like a lever.

*click*

*rumble rumble rumble*

“With all the sound this is making we’re actually pretty lucky everyone’s asleep.”

[...]

“Cy?”

[I don’t…]

“What?”

[I don’t understand how a single assassin could possibly make everyone in this castle fall asleep, especially when they weren’t even stronger than a princess.]

“Who knows, maybe the princess is just really strong?”

[And also…]

“?”

[How the fuck did you know how to open this!?]

During our little conversation the wall in front of us had been unraveling brick by brick into a doorway.

“You know…”

[Reasons?]

“Yeah, that.”

[...]

After that we simply waited for a while as the doorway slowly but surely opened before entering.

[You’re really doing this?]

“Doing what?”

[Stealing from royalty.]

“They probably don’t even know that this room exists, no one will mind.”

[...]

“Look! Shiny!”

After walking through a short corridor we soon arrive in a small room with a single yellow torch lighting up a number reflective objects.

“... But how are we going to transport all of this?”

[What do you mean we?]

“Oh please, I wouldn’t have been able to find this if it wasn’t for you so you’re already an accomplice.”

That was a lie, the part of the stairs where the door was was suspiciously flat as well as being the only place in the entire tower with a torch, my videogame instincts would have no doubt helped me find this place either way, though Cy doesn’t need to know that.

[*sigh*]

“Hey, that almost sounded like an actual sigh, the box is getting better!”

[Well then I have an ide-]

“Oh! What’s that!?”

In my hands I held a…

‘A D20?’

It was an object seemingly made of brass that looked eerily similar to the familiar dice, though it was as large as a fist.

[...]

“... Sorry”

[Anyways, can’t you just carry what you want the most in your bag and leave the rest?]

“Hai…” I say, somewhat disappointed we didn’t have any kind of do-it-all spell that could help us carry this stuff

At that point I get an idea.

I walk up to a large pile of objects, one that doesn’t let you see what hides below the surface.

I start rummaging around in the pile.

“If only we had a magic bag.”

*clink clink*

I feel my feathers touch something made of leather and pull out-

“...”

-an old boot.

[...]

“I said: If only we had a magic bag!”

*clink clink*

“...”

[...]

“Well it was worth a shot.” I say and give up as I pull out another equally old and worn out boot.

I mean, plush had told me how the book had changed to fit his needs whenever he thought he needed something, so I thought I might just get as lucky as he does once in a while, however now that that silly idea had been dispelled I instead started properly looking through the pile for things that stand out before leaving the room and closing it once more with the torch-lever.

After that I spent a majority of the night skulking about through the large castle, locating and re-locating anything “interdasting” into my shoulder bag before finally deming my work finished and returning to the inn.

-=Ronnie POV, just as the dryad left=-

“UuuwAAAAAaa…!” I mightily yawn as I get up from my short power nap.

“You’re incredibly loud you know.” Complains Lizz

“Your point is?”

“...”

I grin at Lizz as she turns away from me, she probably thinks the argument was too pointless to put any more effort into.

‘Ha! Leaving and forfeiting like that means that I win!’

I get out of my bed with a gloating grin plastered across half my face.

“Well that aside, any special plans for tonight Lizz?”

“Just the usual.”

“Sweet.”

I take out a sandwich from one of the folds in my gi and eat it, after that both I and Lizz prepare ourselves for another night of “alley cleaning”.

It’s a very fruitful job you know? We get to make the town better, improve relations with the law forces so it gets easier in the future, make money, and, most importantly of all, kick the shit out of people!

I think Lizz has even started doing this for her own enjoyment rather than just to appease me, it’s great!

Both of us having finished our preparations we leap out the window once again and go from roof to roof to reach the guard corp.

* * * * *

“So then this place is next huh?”

“Yes!” Answered the energetic guard captain.

In fct it was the very same guard captain who had cried out in anguish about having too few guards for all the crimes that are happening, after our first night of “alley cleaning” we came back here with all the people we’d, ahem, subdued, must’ve left a real impression on the lass.

The guard captain spoke again.

“This is a big one, these guys have been weaseling around the city, going from alley to alley and doing whatever they want! Killing, kidnapping, bribery and blackmail, you name it and they’ve probably done it!”

“Huh… Well alright, but we might need some help transporting them, doubt we can carry all these dudes.”

Yes sir! Here, blow this whistle when you’re done and we’ll move in and transport them to prison!”

Lizz grabs the small wooden whistle that the guard captain gives me.

“Really? So you guys are going to be staying nearby then?”

“No sir!”

The young guard captain then takes off her blue guard hat and a pair of fluffy dog ears fall down.

“I’ll be able to hear the whistle as long as you’re somewhere in the town! That way you don’t have to worry about staying in one plays and not pursuing any stragglers, sir!”

“I see.” Answers Lizz.

The explanation seems to have been enough to satisfy Lizz, however I decide to take on a more hands-on approach.

“Yoink”

I take the whistle from Lizz’s hand and blow in it as hard as I can.

“...”

*whimper*

Neither I nor Lizz hear anything from the whistle, the guard captain however fall to the floor, clutching her ears in pain.

*crack*

Then-

*crumble*

-the whistle cracks, crumbles and breaks into small pieces.

“...Oops.”

“...”

“Is that, is that blood coming out of her ears!?”

“Make way.” Says Lizz as she shoves me aside and approaches the guard captain.

“Here.”

Lizz reaches out her hand above the poor captain, in her hand a red jelly, and she pours energy into it, liquidising it before dropping it on the guard captains head.

“That should do it.”

“Ha!? A single health jelly!? They shouldn’t be potent enough to heal something like shattered eardrums!”

“Well it did, problem?”

“Yes, actually, I didn’t pay it much mind before but this happened with Plush and master as well, what up with that!?”

*sigh* “The more energy you pour into the jellie the more potent they become, satisfied?”

“Oh… But then why haven’t I ever heard about that before?”

I pick up the fainted guard captain and put her down on in her chair with her upper body sprawled on the table.

I then take out a bottle of wine from a cabinet in the room, take a swig before pouring the rest out on the table, after that I put the empty bottle next to the captain’s hand.

“That should do it.”

“You really do have a knack for those kinds of things.”

“Thanks Lizz.”

That wasn’t a compliment, such a retort was most likely being held back by Lizz.

“Oh well, we’ll just have to tie all the bodies together somewhere and leave a note.”

I take the map of the town that showed our target and leave through the window with Lizz.

“Actually, why leave a note? Let’s just leave them somewhere where they’ll be found easily.”

“And where would that be?”

“I dunno, a kindergarten maybe?”

“Remind me to never let you take up babysitting.”

“Sure thing.”

Lizz was probably holding back some kind of retort again, though to me it didn’t matter.

In fact, judging by the wide grin on Lizz’s face I doubt it matters much to her either.