Late at night, a loud noise wakes everyone up. It was coming from the kitchen, and when we all went to look, we found Fie trying to open a can of food by himself. An adorable action, but an unusual one, because Fie is a well-behaved cat and we all feed him enough, which can only mean that
"For a group of cats in a cage?" [Diana]
"Is that what Fie said?" [Sas]
"True. He said that these cats were taken by force, some from the streets, others from their rightful owners" [Diana].
"Can you ask Fie to describe this place further?" [Nar]
"Fie, can you?" [Diana]
According to Fie, that place is actually not far from here, in an abandoned warehouse near the dam. Ah, I see, if it's the dam that stores Amleth's water supply, it's not that far away. Still, why would they keep cats there? Not only cats, Fie said that he can detect monsters under the place.
(The cats is a food for those monsters than) [Nar, Sas, Head Maid]
"Shall we go and take a look?" [Diana]
"No, you stay here while we... All right, just don't give us that look" [Nar]
I gave my best "please take me along" look to Nar, who I knew couldn't say no. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't allow me to come, but to my surprise, he actually gave me permission, so I immediately put on my best adventure clothes. Of course, the red dress I usually wear is the best, but I have a feeling we have to be secretive this time, hence my choice of clothes.
Nar, Sas, Fie and I walk. The night is quiet, with occasional guards passing by to greet us and say a few words. We all just told them that we have an extra training for the night, something that doesn't bother the guards. I'm sure it's a secret mission, so I just play along with whatever excuse they come up with.
Along the cold night, where I can see my breath leaving my mouth, where the moon shines ever so brightly, the roads are surprisingly dim, even with all the magical lamps that are there in the roads. The roads leading to the dam are well maintained as it also functions as an attraction for both local and international tourists. I actually went there once with the whole class, and it's a sight to behold.
"Hmm, Alaric? Is that you?" [Nar]
"Ooh! It's Mr. Gloomy Vampire!" [Diana]
"Loud as ever" [Alaric]
One of the special knights of Amleth, basically a colleague of Nar and Sas. I met him once during my visit to the castle. Actually, I met all the special knights of Amleth when I crashed their meeting the other day. They're all nice knights.
Unlike us, Mr. Vampire here patrols the streets. It's not the duty of a special knight, but he does it anyway, to thank Auntie Amleth for taking him and his family into Amleth. He's gloomy like Sas but not as weird as Sas, and I thought he wouldn't really play with me, but to my surprise he tolerates me much more than most nobles. Maybe because he has a little sister of his own.
"A warehouse cat? Could be the illegal hunter" [Alaric]
"We're thinking the same thing" [Sas]
"Hey Mr. Alaric, can't you turn into a bat and scout ahead?" [Diana]
"I can, but why do you ask?" [Alaric]
"Then let's fly together!" [Diana]
"Wait. I won't allow it! It's night, and you might hit a flying creature or two!" (Alaric is a perfect example of a nice, quiet gentleman, but there is no way I am leaving Diana alone with another man in the middle of the night) [Nar].
Perhaps Nar is right about this one, for which the five of us continue walking. There's a spell in the warehouse that keeps the noise from leaking out. The warehouse is quite far away from the dam, so it wouldn't attract much attention, and surprisingly, it isn't guarded.
We release the cats that have been kept here. They look malnourished, so I pull out all the food from my item box magic and start feeding them. They meow loudly in thanks, causing the monster under the ground to growl. Well, the growl didn't last long as the three of them actually slaughtered them all in one go. They forbid me to go in with them, telling me to watch over these cats. I can do that, watching over them is also an important task.
"Sorry we need some time" (Again, I'm glad she didn't see any of the horrible thing) [Nar].
"Sigh..." (Why are people so cruel. They said I was a monster in the war, but I am nothing compared to this kind of people) [Sas]
"Are the cats happy with the food?" (Somehow, even I am glad that we are able to save these cats from their fate.) [Alaric]
"They are, by the way... I found this" [Diana]
It's a shiny object that caught Fie's eye, and I recognize this emblem. An emblem from Marianne's house
With that, our night mission is over. I told the cats that we were leaving, but not without seeing the dam at night. They all meow, excited to go out. I tell them that the ones with owners will be taken to the Tamer Guild to be reunited with their families, while the strays can go wherever they want.
At the dam, the moon reflected on the surface of the water. As we enjoy the sight, a large water snake comes out. It approaches us. It's not an ordinary snake, it's a sea diamond snake, with a skin that literally sheds diamonds and pearls. I asked her why she was here, and she replied that some of her natural prey were here.
(I see. Cats to feed the monsters and those monsters to lure these snakes) [Nar, Sas, Alaric].
"Well, goodbye, Mrs. Snake" [Diana]
(Goodbye, and you might want this) [Sea Diamond Snake]
The snake gave me a powerful mana stone. This is no ordinary mana stone... This is
(Use it to power up the wand beside you, and you can show this stone to the mermaid to gain her trust) [Sea Diamond Snake]