Times flies when you are having fun, and when you are busy too. A week passed really fast since the tidal weave incident, in the end, the investigation was inconclusive, many believed it was the dungeon self-defense mechanism, while others believed that for some reason deep inside two monster fought and this was the residual energy of the fight... others suggested that it was someone fault, but they didn't have enough evidence to support that claim.
Raven didn't even go closer to the dungeon this entire time, the excuse of going under the radar was a strong drive, but in the end, she was lying to herself, she was just scared of the spirit but wouldn't ever admit it. And also she conducted a series of experiments, under the veil of her masquerade spell she healed people in the slums, and soon the voice of a mysterious girl, a beastkin of the bunny tribe was healing people without asking for retribution spread like wildfire in the adventurer city. Those were bad news for the bandit, since now she had to be wary of the goons and also of the adventurers who tried to find her.
'What is happening this days?' She asked herself while resting on top of a crumbled wall without using her spell, her feline eyes scouted the place, there were more people than usual in this part of the city, some were adventurers or mercenaries, and others were shadowy figures, she didn't wanted to get mixed with neither of them.
Since she beat some sense into that asshole, for some reason more and more guys were after her, or her disguised persona.
'Was him part of some bigger gang or something?' She panicked for a moment, when she gave him a good slapping it was all fun and games, she was too focused on testing her new powers to actually think about the consequences, but she had to put up a strong front in order to keep her bravado going 'It seems like many groups want to recruit me, and other groups want to see me kicking the bucket'
Due to her overuse of her skill, Masquerade has gone up considerably, the skill had reached level 4 surprisingly. Of course, the headaches have been terrible, especially at night, but the plan somewhat worked, since they are looking for her in her alter ego form. But something worried her, and was getting fastly out of hand. She once heard that there were this big criminal network in the city, but since she really wasn't planning on going back to her bandit life, she didn't pay much attention...
'But those masked people... they lurk in the shadows and wear dark tunics, they evade the adventurers too, they are up to no good, since I beat that sucker they have appeared around this place, I have seen them dragging people to the darkness and then they don't return'
The petals kiss is what they call it, a drug fabricated using some flowers found in the dungeon, it leaves the hosts like undead, empty of mind and hollow of soul, people get easily addicted to it, and since she has been stalking and putting more attention, she noticed those shadowy bastards were the ones that gave it to the people.
'None of my business' She thought trying to not think about it too hard.
But even if she tried to not think about it, to fabricate something like that you need some equipment and knowledge... maybe the alchemist was in the middle of this too? If the alchemy guild is beyond that then, this mess was on another scale.
Raven adjusted her position on the crumbled wall, letting her legs dangle over the edge as she watched the bustling streets below. She rubbed her temples, trying to ease the throbbing pain that came with pushing Masquerade to its limits. The headaches were a small price to pay for anonymity, but they were a constant reminder that she was already pushing beyond her limits, sometimes even blood came out of her nose. The more she hid behind her false persona, the more tangled the web became, and the harder it was to disentangle herself from the mess.
'So what's my next goal?' She questioned herself, she got the hang of her healing spells by now.
Her healing magic couldn't regrow missing limbs as she expected, but it could close wounds, and even alleviated fatigue, her shield maybe wouldn't stop a rex monster's full-blown strike, but it would reduce a lot of the damage taken, but mantaining it drained her. Also, she had to take into account that to use her healing skills she had to keep up a false persona, it would be no good if people found it was her, cause then she would have to say bye-bye to any form of liberty.
'I should aim to reach level 3 now... but it won't be easy, not easy at all' Getting from one level to another wasn't easy, she had fought monsters and people since she was 16, and three years have been since that and she reached level 2 only because she entered the dungeon which boosts a lot the growth, but even so, the difference between level 2 and 3 it's immense, and from 3 to 4 is even bigger, even so for many level 3 is the absolute peak in their lives, the push over that is huge, and the exposure to danger is too much... 'Damn as I have found even people at level 4 could get easily killed in the dungeon if they are unlucky or too cocky' There was a reason after all why there aren't many people over level 4.
Raven's mind raced as she mulled over her next steps. Leveling up wasn't just a matter of fighting stronger monsters; it was about pushing her limits, taking calculated risks, and surviving situations that would leave most adventurers broken or dead. She needed to be smart about this. Charging headlong into the dungeon wasn't an option, last time was a perfect proof, and if she found again another monster beyond human understanding she probably wouldn't be so lucky to come back alive.
'Damn it, I need a proper plan…' she thought, biting the inside of her cheek 'If I go in blindly, I'll just end up like those idiots who think they're invincible after one lucky fight... last time just proved that I'm not some kind of protagonist of an heroic tale or some shit'
The tangled web of the city's underworld was becoming impossible to ignore. The masked figures lurking in the shadows, the whispered rumors of the Petals Kiss drug, and the unsettling idea that even the alchemist guild might be involved... it all pointed to something far larger and more dangerous than she'd first realized. The last thing she wanted was to get caught up in some criminal syndicate's schemes.
'If those bastards are really dealing with Petals Kiss, then they're not just any thugs' Raven thought, her brow furrowing 'That stuff's no joke. The alchemy behind it isn't simple either. Whoever's making it has to be skilled, and they've got to be protected by someone with serious beef... and the operation wouldn't be so simple either... how many different groups are behind this? I wouldn't be surprised if the culprits are those bastard mages'
Maybe she already pissed off some people that she shouldn't have. And losing her hideout at The Fat Boar was another strong blow, she had been changing locations every day just to be careful, but as soon as they began to suspect her the game would be almost over. While she was deep in thought she concluded.
'This thing is too much for me, it probably would be a good idea to ignore it altogether or focus on another thing, I'm no hero or savior, and these people don't even want to be saved, to begin with'
Thus she decided to leave the skill-testing behind and not risk it anymore, at least not for now. She was interested in pushing her limits, but not getting skinned in the process. Raven hopped down from her perch on the crumbled wall, landing softly on the cobblestone alley. She dusted herself off, and some people took notice of her but did nothing, starting to walk at a fast pace towards a safer place in the city, surprisingly for her, the slums didn't seem like a safe haven anymore.