"Libra, please bless me with great riches!" Athelei hissed as he pried open the jewellery box.
p o p !
The posh-looking, silver-trimmed box opened up in a satisfying spring of its cover. Athelei looked inside its velvety interior and found a pair of sparkling white jade earrings. The pair weren't identical, however. One was a drop earring with a long silver chain suspending a jade-like crystal in the air while the other was of the dangling type, with at least two crystalline spheres of jade connected by a silver chain.
Athelei's eyes shone, admiring the artistic sense placed into the asymmetric pair.
=} Executing Analysis Skill: Judgment {=
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White Jade Earrings
- Made by an Illum jeweller.
- Contains unknown properties.
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'I'm going to have to use Inspect on this later...' thought Athelei as he closed the box back with care.
He then looked up and noticed Lisa's expectant eyes gazing at him.
"...What?" Athelei asked, slightly bothered by the attention.
"Did you get something good?" Lisa asked.
"You could say that... I just need to get my ears pierced if I want to use it myself." Athelei chuckled then said, "How about you? How much did you get?"
Lisa then poured out the contents of the pouch as she began counting. Athelei waited for a few moments as he watched.
"I got about two silver coins worth of coppers and large coppers," Lisa answered happily before donning a conflicted expression. She then asked with a finger on her lips, "...will we be doing this again in the future?"
"Perhaps..." Athelei smiled, "If we find a good target, then why not? We're young, after all. Looking for a lucrative job will be impossible until the adults deem us useful enough."
Athelei then saw Lisa close her eyes in thought. A second later, she put on a big smile and said, "Alright! If I find a good target, I'll make sure to tell you so we can make plans."
The two kids then laughed as the joy of thievery slowly dissipated from them. If they got older and got into gambling, then they might notice just how similar the feeling of satisfaction would be. Skirting the edge has its charms for the reckless or the brave.
Athelei and Lisa then stayed indoors for the rest of the day to keep a low profile. They went back to their studies for a few hours, had dinner, and then went to bed.
.
.
.
{[ March 17, 102 A.A. ]}
{[ Aren City, Outer Ring ]}
An angel was sitting on one of the city's many rooftops. He sat under a dark night sky, unblessed by silver moonlight.
The streets were quiet, unlike the smaller, yet boisterous Colsi Village. The drunk pedestrian was rare, and so were the horse-drawn carriages.
Athelei was playing with the earrings he had stolen as he thought about the details given to him by Inspect.
With his Trinity Analysis Skill at Level 3, Athelei wished that the level ups granted bonuses. Unfortunately for him, he could only wait until those 'level requirements' are met to bask in the skill's growth.
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White Jade Earrings
[ "Rejuvenation's Dissonance" ]
- Adjusts the wearer's body.
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How exactly does it adjust the wearer's body?
Athelei had no idea.
Would that stop him from wearing it? Of course not.
He'd find out the answers to his questions if he tested things himself. There was no need to wait for Inspect's cooldown.
For now, though, Athelei wanted to visit a certain wall. A wall that had been stared at by some seemingly random thief.
FWOOSH!
Athelei spread his wings, still not growing tired of the magnificent feeling he felt when he fully stretched them. After completing its growth, Athelei had felt his body change with the unknown mutation, as well as the effects of his DNA's connection to the Starless. He had experimented a bit during the trip from Colsi to Aren and discovered that he could manifest his wings even without going to sleep.
His wings had assimilated with his physical body.
It made Athelei quite pleased, as that meant he had another weapon that could keep him alive. Especially since he had been practising how to turn his wings into tails, or perhaps tentacles that grew from his back.
Athelei did a few stretches as he riled himself up. He then bent his knees, ready to fly up with a forceful flap of his wings.
But he just dispersed into a thin fog, betraying the expectations of nonexistent observers.
Athelei drifted toward the familiar alleyway where he and Lisa robbed a man. He passed through several streets as well as many buildings like a ghost. He ended up seeing a lot more than he initially realised.
'The things humans do at night...' Athelei shivered as he buried memories-that-which-must-not-be-remembered in the depths of his mind. He should've drifted in the sky, just like what he had been doing when exploring the villages he had been to.
Eventually, Athelei arrived before that curious wall. He re-materialised into an angel, but then turned his wings into a pair of long, tentacle-like tails. He then gave the wall a good, long, look.
He stared for five minutes straight.
Then he stared for ten minutes straight.
Before belatedly realising that the wall wasn't special at all.
Athelei sighed as he thought, 'I bet this is some secret door...'
He then executed Inspect.
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Stonewall
- Secret doorway (Requires password).
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'Yep. I was too stuck on the idea of looking at the wall because of that guy.' Athelei inwardly chuckled in resignation.
He then took a few steps forward and walked through the wall. He felt the cold, lifeless stone brush against every particle of his fog-body. He also felt a faint Mystic Pattern's presence and assumed it to be what allowed the secret door to function.
Athelei was met by a one-person wide stone stairway that led down into the darkness. A few patterns drawn on the walls gave just the bare amount of light so that any comer and goer could navigate the uneven steps.
He walked down the stairs without making a sound. His foggy feet sank into the stone ever so slightly each time he took a step.
'This stairway is headed into the plateau,' Athelei thought to himself, and after a dozen or two steps, he made it to a slightly wider corridor of carved stone. It looked like someone just punched his way through to construct the place. Only the floor was smooth as it was built with smooth stone bricks.
Athelei kept walking as he followed the path. There were no turns nor were there any junctions. There was only one way forward.
He walked for a few minutes until he began to hear the faint sound of chattering voices. Athelei picked up his pace and when he made it to the end of the tunnel, he was greeted by a huge underground space.
Buildings and streets were present here and were messily constructed. Many pillars of carved stone could be seen littered throughout the area, keeping the city above from falling in. It was also likely that those pillars were what the buildings above used as their foundations.
Athelei was dazed for a moment before dispersing himself into a thin grey fog.
He did it at a timely moment as well, for a person suddenly passed through him and began to walk through the stone corridor.
'Is this the widely talked about underworld? The Information Network said that every city has their own unique underworld.' Athelei inwardly grinned, 'A tourist attraction for those capable of holding their own in a grey zone... I wonder where the iconic black market is?'
Athelei drifted around near the ceiling of Aren City's underworld. He observed the cloaked figures walking around and eavesdropped on a few transactions between masked individuals.
In the centre of the underworld, there seemed to be a stadium-like building wherein a small auction was being held. Athelei wondered if he could steal stuff from there but he resolutely concluded that he could not.
'If only I could turn inanimate objects into fog like the Nefarious Icon...' Athelei sulked for a few moments before drifting towards another place.
It was quieter here, and the people seemed to move in hushed footsteps. The restrained actions of each cloaked figure drew Athelei's attention. So, he stealthily infiltrated the building all these shady people were going to.
The building was rather small, about the size of a basketball court and had two floors.
Athelei found a cloaked figure and decided to stick to them. His presence brought this person a mysterious aura because a barely visible fog now flowed and churned throughout their cloak.
The cloaked figure stepped into the establishment and moved towards a bar counter with great familiarity.
"I'd like a copy of the daily news," A silvery voice spoke as a hint of a curvaceous figure sat down on a barstool.
Athelei identified the shady figure as a woman and he watched as a fair and slender finger placed a large silver coin on the counter.
"And the usual Absinthe."
Clink,
A gold coin was placed on top of the large silver.
Athelei breathed in a sharp breath. 'She's rich!'
Very quickly, a scroll tied by a thorny rose was placed in front of the rich lady. A deep, bass voice then shook Athelei's fog-body as it spoke.
"The ace's room is free, and the drink is waiting for you there, madame."
Athelei then noticed the masked bartender had taken out a small sacrificial knife and gently offered it to the cloaked lady. The lady seemed to freeze for a split second, but Athelei observed that she quickly regained her composure and received the blade.
She then stood up, scroll in hand, and went up the stairs near the bar. She went on a few turns and walked the soft carpet before making it to the front of a gilded door. The symbol of an Ace of Diamonds shone in gold on the door.
The lady seemed accustomed to all the procedures, as she drew a small symbol with the light of the Mystic Patterns.
'Is this how one enters a password?' Athelei wondered as he followed the rich lady into the private room.
The lady closed the room and a few crystals lit the room like different-coloured torches.
Athelei saw the drink that the lady had ordered was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. There were four luxurious couches surrounding the small table, and a bookshelf filled with books sat at the very back of the room.
Athelei thought that the rich lady was going to continue her practised routine but he was jolted by the words she suddenly spoke.
"What do you want? I know you're there, whatever you are."