Murnia was kept busy ever since the young master was snatched away by some of Vasu’s personal guards. It had been over a month since the Young Master's abrupt departure. Truthfully speaking Murnia felt bad for her young charge. Originally when she was a child she thought nobles were nothing special but just richer people. After joining their circle she realized how wrong she was. Especially when it came to the Kan household. She thought back to the time they picked her off the streets bruised and bloodied.

…

“Murnia… MURNIA,” Alex called looking over at the girl in concern.

Murnia snapped out of her thoughts. She had been thinking over the conversation they had earlier where Ronwick was complaining about the job they were taking.

“This is the last job with him. Once we get the cash, we scram. We do this and we got your daggers. One step closer to our dream,” Alex said with a smile.

“As Ronwick said, Ion like the guy Alex. I’ve been thinking and I'm starting to really agree with him on this one. Just getting a bad vibe right now.”

“Murnia we’re already in position. It's much too late to pull out now. Besides Nicks already pulling up on Rufus stall.”

Murnia turned her head to look and sure enough, Nick was almost upon Rufus’s stall. Rufus sold fruits like Guava, which is why they were always competing with one another. Either they were haggling a better price once someone seemed interested in the other stall or they were doing tactics like now, sending people to harass the other. Murnia takes a deep breath before moving forward. It was too late to back out now as Nick was too close to successfully call him off without being noticed.

Nicks's job was to get Rufus’s attention and lure him a bit out from this stall. Once that was done Ronwick and Rouge would swoop in steal what they could and topple what they couldn’t before scramming out of there. Ivy was the lookout and Murnia and Alex were the escape team. Ronwick and Rouge would head in their direction splitting the loot and Rufus's attention. A simple plan, which is why it was so effective time and time again against their targets. After they finished the job Alex and Murnia would circle back to Guavas shop and collect their payment. Everything was starting in 3…2…1…

Nick swagger up to Rufus looking confident and like he owned the place.

“Hey Rufus you fat fuck, looks like your stall ain't been doing good today. I see too much green still available. Let me take a couple off your hands.” Nick said as he reached forth and grabbed a few of the fruits. He then looked up and froze. Rufus was human although a well-built human. He stood around 210 cm tall and was over 350lb and he was a lot more muscle than fat. The reason Nick froze however wasn’t from a look of fury or malice coming from Rufus's face. Nick froze because there was a look of joy on Rufus's face.

Nick turned to run and in the process screamed out, “It's a tra-“ was all he got to say before Rufus's large hand wrapped around his face.

“I’ve got you now boy. I’ve been expecting you.” Rufus said with a twisted grin on his face as he pulled the struggling child closer.

Murnia face fell and her body was moving before she could even organize her thoughts. They should have listened to Ronwick. It was close to closing time for most businesses so the streets weren't as filled as they usually were, and even if it was midday not many would care to stop whatever was about to happen.

Ronwick and Rouge were already on the move she glanced in their direction only to see two figures running away while being chased by another two figures. Guava had planned well, or did Rufus somehow get the jump them? Murnia had no clue. Alex and she were too far though and Rufus was dragging the struggling Nick to an alley.

Murnia sped up even faster Alex right on her heel. Their sights were focused on Nick, so focused in fact that they had no time to react to the figures that crashed into both of them. Murnia went tumbling to the ground. She just had enough time to put her arms around her head before her body bounced off the pavement. She lay there, disoriented and groaning until a kick sent her body rocketed forward. She threw up the contents of her stomach the moment she landed. Was this how the Slight Hands came to an end? Their story over before it even began. Murnia was in no shape to tell. Her mind was screaming at her to move but her body wouldn’t respond. How did Ivy not spot any of these men? That's when it hit Murnia. Where was Ivy she would have given some type of signal unless… unless she was captured as well.

“Guava… Guava… GUAVA you fucking pig.”

“The little rat is squealing aye boys look at this!”

The man who had to deliver the punishing kick to Murnia walked up to her. Slowly he bent down and grabbed a fist full of her hair before raising her head and body alongside it. The rogue licked his lips.

“Bit young this ‘un but imma enjoy it nonetheless.”

Murnia face showed pure terror then her head dropped back down to the floor. Pushing herself off the ground she saw a severed arm with blood and pieces of hair all over. After a moment she recognized the hair as hers. In another moment she recognized the arm as the rogues that grabbed her. Looking up she stared wide-eyed at the rogue, who, in turn, stared wide-eyed at another figure. Murnia slowly turned her head and looked at the tall man, no magi human who was standing there holding a bloodied blade. Murnia instantly recognized that crest upon the man's breastplate. That was the Duke’s insignia the Shield and the Ax with a dragon in between. Behind the man a young boy, no toddler was staring at her curiously. He gave her a smile then winked.

“My… my friends,” was all Murnia could manage but she let the exhaustion overcome her.

…

The rest was history from that point. The young master dispatched his guards and retrieved every member of the Slight Hands and brought them all back to the castle. Ivy had been captured by Guava and the guards arrived just in time to save her from a fate worse than being stripped. Murnia came out of that ordeal with several broken ribs. The moment she awoke she insisted on seeing the young master. There she took a pledge to return the favor for saving her group and somehow she ended up being trained as his personal maid.

Murnia dodged to the left just barely avoiding the sword strikes aimed at cleaving her from shoulder to the waist. Alex grinned at her.

“Wandering thoughts when we’re training? How are we to accompany the Young Master if we can’t stay focused?”

“Hmph. Behind you.”

Alex slowly turned around and found a dagger at his throat.

“Since when?” He said with a confused look. Murnia chanted silently and the dagger returned to her side, quickly disappearing within the folds of her dress.

“The moment you made that lunge and slightly overstepped in your swing,” Murnia said with a smile as she returned to their starting positions. She must be strong if she was to follow the Young Master.

><>

It's been over a month since A.K. descended into the Catacombs. He’d yet to see any graveyards or dead bodies. This entire time he spent fighting and collecting food and water. The guide he received was extremely helpful in showing what foods were safe to consume and what wasn’t. A.K. hadn’t encountered many creatures yet. Just basic bugs although he had to be careful because he was coming up on the poisonous area of the Catacombs.

The guide had explained everything from the bugs to the beast that inhabited the upper regions. It even showed him how to create torches from the materials collected and once he went further down he would be able to collect bioluminescence bugs and plants. The Blue Beetle was one such creature that thrived on mushrooms and water. Mushrooms are everywhere in the Catacombs. On the ceiling on the wall and especially all over the floor.

While he was gathering supplies he was steady maxing out whatever skills he could as well.

‘Status’

Aegeus Kan

Level 30(LOCKED)

Race: Magi Human

Bloodline: Stargazing Magma Drake

Health 330/330 Mana 800/800 Stamina 520/520 Vitality: 33 Intelligence: 80 Endurance: 52 Strength: 45 Dexterity: 46 Wisdom: 43 Will: 20 Attribute Points: 203 Titles: Harbinger - Harbingers received the gift of leveling from [ Beyond ]. Target gets 25% more experience until level 100. Additional effects include increased charisma and faster skill proficiency. Abilities:

Starlight Gazing Lvl 1 - Inborn bloodline ability that causes a single target of focus to fall into an illusion of host choosing. Influences psyche and turns them more favorable to you and your suggestions

Magma Carnage Lvl 1 - Inborn bloodline ability that causes the host to temporarily increase, speed, strength, defense, and perception. Small chance of the host falling into a rage state.

General Skills: Imperial Lvl 5(Max), Common Tongue Lvl 5(Max), Orcish Grunts Lvl 4, Dwarven Stone Lvl 4, Acting Lvl 20, Dancing Lvl 16-> Lvl 17, Calligraphy Lvl 17, Climbing Lvl 15, Charm Lvl 8, Drawing Lvl 9, Mathematics Lvl 20(LOCKED), Running Lvl 13-> Lvl 15, Noble Aura Lvl 4, Swimming Lvl 12, Pain Resistance Lvl 2-> Lvl 4 General Skills (NEW): Iron-Blood Will Lvl 1, Shield Combat Lvl 1, Basic Ax Combat Lvl 1, Fierce Chop Lvl 1, Basic Night Vision Lvl 1-> Lvl 6

Magic Spells

Tier 0 Magic Bullet/Variants Lvl 20(LOCKED), Magic Shield/Variants Lvl 18, Meditation Lvl 15, Cleanse Lvl 7, Mana Sense Lvl 14 Tier 1 Flame Spear Lvl 5, Fire Stream Lvl 3, Earth Spike Lvl 3, Earth Wall Lvl 6

The new skills he received were exactly what he would need for this journey. A basic shield and ax ability would help him utilize the weapons better and more efficiently. A.K. believed he was covering good ground. He had fought many monsters besides a few giant insects or two but according to the guide he was still in the beginning stages of the Catacombs. To keep himself sane A.K. spent the days reviewing everything about himself and everything that had happened since his rebirth.

He was starting to see that he had fallen into complacency. Even though he promised himself that he would strive on the path of strength. It was just so easy though. To get caught up in the life of a noble. He understood why people in positions of power didn’t see eye to eye with everyone else. Their viewpoint on things was entirely different. A.K. was given all that care and command over others that he even didn’t realize how the world outside worked. He barely knew how the people of Ashburn lived.

A.K. promised that he would change himself. Forge a better version of himself through this journey. As he continued downwards, he paused as he came to a fork in the tunnels. He checked the map to see his location. He’d mark every intersection he came across. After a few more weeks of traveling and he is finally entering the main part of the Catacombs. He was surprised at the history of the place. The Catacombs weren’t always called by their simple name. This place used to be a massive volcano region. What A.K. was now walking through were different offshoots of the long-extinct volcano.

He took the left turn as he would be led to a small underground river. This would give him a chance to refill his canteen but also put A.K. in danger as there were dangerous beasts usually found near the rivers. A.K. cautiously crept forth as he arrived near the river bank. The underground rivers were mostly in wider areas of the Catacombs and not only were the creatures in the area dangerous but the ones residing inside of it even more so.

Arriving at the riverbank A.K. opened his canteen and bent down to fill it. Slightly crouching ready to spring backward at any time keeping the bulk of his attention on the water. He had done this twice before and almost lost a hand the first time. The problem was because of the spacial enchantment placed upon the canteen it took upwards of five minutes to fill it to the max. The only time A.K. ever truly paused down here was when he needed to sleep. He would usually clear out 10-20 yards forward and backward of any creatures before he slept. A lot of poisonous creatures reside in the upper layer. As A.K. was reaching the 3-minute mark of the fill he noticed how his surroundings had gone quiet, too quiet. There was always some critter or another making noise and the entire ecosystem lived here after all. He pulled the canteen back and closed it slowly. Keeping all his senses on high alert. Something was here with him. Pushing his bag to the side, he removed his ax from his back. His buckler always stayed ready as it was light.

That's when he heard the chittering. It sounded as if many somethings were coming towards his location and fast. A.K. sprinted to the side away from the bank his bag all but forgotten. That's when he saw it with its many, many legs and its many red glowing eyes. A giant centipede, this one bigger than the last he faced. These creatures were growing more common. A.K. believed he fought a young one as the size of this one was thrice as big.

A.K. warily watched the insect hoping it would stop its advance but know too well that these things were mindless. Far from a level of power to gain sentience. If he had his mana this thing would’ve been burnt to a crisp by now.