《Help, It's Seven Wives For One Duchess, And That Duchess Is Me!!!》You're Good For It, Right? (Part 3)
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Okay. The door wasn't loud when those two opened it, so we're both fine on that front, and the hallway... Well, crap, one set of stairs. If they're near the bottom, we're done for.
Still, the building looks well maintained, so we shouldn't give ourselves away accidentally with creaky floorboards or the like, so long as we're quiet. Karen looks at me, and I gesture to the stairs, and make tiptoe motions with my fingers.
We don't really have a choice. And each step feels agonising. Not just the tension, but those ropes were uncomfortable, and we didn't have time to fully get rid of those pins and needles. We can't hear anything right now, but that means nothing.
I hate it. I hate feeling this helpless, even though we've gotten this far. We're almost there, there's two rooms in sight, and-
"IhatethemIhatethemI'mgoingtokickhiminhisdumbstupidcrotchuntilhe-"
She catches herself, and looks at me sourly. Where did she get such a mouth, I wonder? Who was her etiquette tutor? I want to kick them in their dumb stupi-
"Hey, do you want a drink, boss?"
"Don't call me the boss, idiot, even when we're out of earshot. You give the game away, you're dead, got it?"
"Y-y-yeah. So, umm... Do you want a drink?"
"Lemme think about it for a minute."
I was right. He's the mouthpiece, and nothing more. But we don't have time to go anywhere but the nearest room. I point toward it, and we scurry toward the door, opening it as quickly and quietly as we can.
It's only when we've closed it behind us that I realise we're cornered.
This is the kitchen.
You know. Where you get water from.
And I can hear their door open. Dammit, dammit, where, where... Karen hisses to me from a cupboard, and I dart inside. Good job, Karen!
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Footsteps. Wait, two sets of footsteps? I'm confused, but we don't dare open the cupboard, even a fraction. All we can do is listen, stay as quiet as we can, and hope they leave.
"Why did we pick those two anyway, bo- ummm..." An irritated sigh.
"They were simply targets of opportunity. Someone pointed them out while they were frolicking, the sheltered little lambs, and they'd make a win for us. Either we got the money, and left them here for their families to find, or we strung them up somewhere prominent, and left the kingdom for a few years and screwed over some other nobles."
Karen's turning purple, and I put a hand over her mouth, staring at her warningly. It's not that I'm not pissed off, because I am. This seems like a stupidly petty reason for things, and whoever "pointed us out" may have done so to hurt us. But getting out is the priority here.
Running water. Good. They might be leaving soon.
"But... I'm confused. Why are we going after noble kids anyway? I know this was off the cuff, bo-... But... Isn't this kind of dangerous?"
A laugh, surprisingly warm. "Danger's part of the fun! And besides... They've got lots of money, and there's no such thing as a truly good noble. A good merchant? Possible. A good freeman, or knight, or adventurer? Possible. A good peasant or slave? Possible. But nobles are at the top of things. They're responsible... Remember Hayes?"
I'm not paying attention, and nor is Karen, because we're both lost in thought. Baroness Hayes and her husband. I remember father talking about them, how they swore blind that they weren't in the slave trade, despite the evidence they'd foolishly revealed. But was it actually the-
"Good job, that. Heh, idiots. They didn't check the warehouse just before it was inspected, so we moved some of one kind of 'merchandise' from one warehouse to another, and the lesser crime they thought they were admitting to suddenly became the bigger crime." She's smug, and I almost admire her for a second. Then I remember that she's targeting someone who doesn't engage in such awful practices (and, judging by Karen's expression, hers don't seem to either), and I get angry again.
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Another tap sound. Jesus, folks, just get out, my legs starting to cramp, and Karen's looking fit to explode!
"Let's check up on our little chicks, mmm? After all, if they've done something stupid, they'll be paying for it. I wonder how these privileged little shits are going to enjoy my rope skills, eh... Boss?"
A loud gulp, and the door finally opens. There's no real option now except to rush for the front door, and so that's exactly what we do. Run run run, so long as they're not quicker than we are, we can get out, worry about the rest later.
Oh, thank god, the door's not locked! Freedom never looked so-
A pain in my lower back, and a scream from Karen. Oh wow, freedom looks like hitting cobbles kinda hard and bouncing, huh? Looking back, I see Karen in midair, struggling as she's held up by that tall thug, and...
"Ahhh, figured this might happen. Sorry, chicks, I could hear you from the moment you went down the stairs." The lady is grinning widely now, and I'm terrified. This is not the smile of someone who wants to be reasonable. This is the grin of someone who's going to enjoy making you suffer. "So... We're going to plan B, which is to string you up anyway. You're good for it, right? Because if you aren-"
WHBOOM
The thug goes flying through the air, and Karen rolls away as he hits a wall. Huh, swordsmanship lessons actually taught something, who knew? But we don't have time to worry, we've got to-
"Run!"
It's Liz's voice, and we both take off.
Sorry, Liz. I'll try to get help.
Even if I don't think you're going to be there when it comes.
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The Joy of Evolution
"Alright, so I have this idea, a completely original one by the way, never done before." I say. "Alright, lets hear it." You reply happily. "What if you got trapped in the body of a tentacle monster that looks like a virus in a world that is like a videogame, with skills and... whoops slip of the tendril there, what I meant to say is Mutations and Levels as you evolve your way up from being that lowly creature into a slightly better lowly creature, all the while, an evil devil person watches over you for entertainment purposes." I say making weird hand gestures across the table. "Oh and that main character used to be a human male and uses its past experience as one to survive in this new world as a little mass of flesh." I pull out a little ball with suction cup tendrils and show you. "So, what do you think?" " I dont know seems, a little sameish, I think Im gonna go." You say as you start to get up from your worn but still plush velvet chair. "Wait" I sigh, " I didnt want to do this but you leave me no choice, I promise you an extremely diverse harem..." The door closes as you leave. "They'll come back." I say hopeful. Cover: https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=21073
8 232The Crew: Gathering the Lads
A half dozen demonkin, three heists, and a criminal shortage of tea. Elizabel is competing for promotion to head of the infamous Equalizers group. All she needs to do is beat out her two competitors. The catch? In order to ensure they are qualified to lead, all three are taken out of their comfort zones and expected to lead a motley crew in a few high-stakes heists. The first to three wins the grand prize. Not an easy task in the best of circumstances, and this is far from it. After arriving to her new hideout, Elizabel finds one of her underlings in jail, and the other two to be overconfident and under-competent. With the jobs rushing in, can Elizabel rein herd over her undisciplined mob? Or will the chaos drive her to exasperation and out of the competition? Either way, there's going to be a whole lot of mayhem. And it's going to look absolutely aesthetic.
8 97Dust 2: A New World Order
It can always get worse… A new world order is coming, one that will pit one species against another. Life is about to become very hazardous—for anyone who gets in Dust’s way. With every day that passes, Dust is more afraid of what he will become. His powers are growing far beyond what he can predict, and he is reluctant to tell his make-shift family that he isn’t sure when—or if—it will ever stop. His goal is to get to Portland, Oregon and find his aunt and uncle. Ideally he would get there alone, because he’s far too much of a danger to the people around him, but they aren’t willing to give up on him, and an old enemy isn’t far behind. When they reach Portland, Dust discovers a line has been drawn between those who have been changed and the unchanged ones who want to control them. Can Dust protect his new family from being used or will the power within him become a force that will not only destroy his enemies, but the ones he loves?
8 450Moon Rabbit: Threaded Fate
Alternatively known as 'Mr. Moon Rabbit, I'm Not Yours' ( Romance in Urban Cultivation Background ) Taking in a legendary spirit is no small matter as they attract a lot of attention... Her name is Chan Lee. A young university student living a rather quiet life-if not a lonesome one. Until he arrives. He's the peculiar man who ends up on her roof one fateful night. The so-called Moon Bunny, who mistakes her for Chang'e. It may seem like all fun and games, but hiding from cultivators, secret societies and other interested individuals is harder than you may think. This is their story. Warning: Sample Book Fifty-nine chapters will be available on RoyalRoad to read entirely for free but the rest are exclusive on Webnovel. It starts out with a relatively slow pace first and will be quite a slow burn romance.
8 183A Tingle Later: A Different Kind of Hero Tale
A classic tale of a summoned hero.A classic tale of defeating the evil demon lord. ...but what if the demon lord loved peace? What if the demon lord didn't know he was supposedly gathering an army to invade other lands, until one of his loyal subjects told him about a rumour like that circulating around in their capital and causing panick about a summoned hero within the public?What is a demon lord to do? Meet the Hero: the alpha bitch clarinetistMeet the Demon Lord: the nerdy mathematician A start of a very unlikely tale.
8 161Twitter | cellyu
Aonde Rafael Lange e Flávia Sayuri se conhecem através do Twitter.~~~~~Obra concluída.
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