Capítulo 66: 61: Field Action
— The Moore Mansion —
"Voros, wait!"
"Trusting humans… that's what gets me… stupid Voros… stupid Animal!"
"Voros, I am talking to you."
"Leave Animal!"
"You are not an Animal!"
In the eventful dramatic life of Vivian Moore and those around her, things get to be emotional way too often, this time it was Voros, whose sole reason for working for me is to find his wife whom he was separated from for fourteen long years.
As a Master Metallurgist, he was a very valuable asset not just to ViTech but to the entirety of House of Moore. That's why my father has connected Voros and me with someone from the metropolitan police headquarters of Archester.
The investigator came to the Moore mansion this evening bearing sad news as it seemed that after managing to find an excuse to look through the content of the slaves' ledger of the Blackguards, the name Anastasia surfaced and…
"I am sorry, Voros. It has been fourteen years, you'd never have known."
"NO! YOU DREW CARDS! DRAW NOW!"
Voros roared at me, his long beard shaking as his spit flew with his raging frantic actions.
"Voros… the cards… they only show us what we want them to…"
"Please… Cards!"
In the front garden leading outside the mansion, Voros looked at me with his disheveled self broken in pieces from within as the sad news of his wife's demise filled him with nothing but a hole growing in his soul.
Fourteen years it has been, she could have died, he could have died, and the cards gave him hope, hope that I regret feeding him.
"I can't do this to you." I said, knowing how poisonous hope can be.
"Then… do this… for me." Voros said and approached me, imploring me to help him one last time, "Chief… if cards say death… I won't ask… I won't go…"
"And if the cards give you more hope?"
"I have to… my love…"
"All I fear is false hope, Voros." I didn't want to do this but the look in Voros' eyes, a friend whom I had only known for two weeks by now, said he was ready.
"…"
"Fine." I spoke and pointed towards the garden, "Let's sit over there."
It was already evening and unlike humans, the duergar became really active at night. They see better, hide better, and fight better when it is dark. So my duergar friend and I headed through the dark garden with him on the lead and as we found a lit spot by the artificial pond, we sat around a stone table over there.
"Since I don't know Anastasia, the only reading I can do is for you, Voros. It can't be as accurate as you may hope."
"I know."
"Good. Here I go bankrupt again."
I looked at the SP she had and it said 4597, a sum that I was proud of saving so spending it on tarot reading was painful. After all, each tarot card costs 100 more than the one before it and I had drawn 9 cards till now.
And so I drew the first card from the system shop menu.
Death!
Oh dear!
"My friend, while it may seem that the universe is playing a cosmic joke on you, may I remind you that I am drawing a card for you, not her." I said right away but seeing Voros' face, I couldn't help but pity him.
« Since you drew this card once before, only 100 SP will be deducted! »
Sir System, you are a true gentleman among all systems.
And for the second card…
The Moon.
« -1000 SP »
« 4497 SP → 3497 SP »
Good Lord!
Seeing the SP meters roll down so fast caused me physical pain. These aren't just SPs I bought with Magic Crystals, these are ones that I had to shed sweat and tears for doing push-ups, set-ups, blanks, and running laps.
The third card was…
The Fool, reversed!
Interesting!
« Since you drew this card once before, only 100 SP will be deducted! »
Finally the fourth card…
The Hermit!
« Since you drew this card once before, only 100 SP will be deducted! »
"I must admit. Something about these cards doesn't make sense now." I blurted out.
Voros looked at me waiting for my interpretation. I knew he understood them and we came to the same conclusion but since these are my cards, I must clarify them.
"Death, not the worst card despite the name. It is a force of change, the old you and the new you are different. Voros, no longer Voros the Animal, now Voros the Master Metallurgist of ViTech. You have been through change.
The Moon is the card that speaks to your present, it is a card of deception, illusion, and secrets. Your search for your wife has led you to either a lie or a secret, I guess you'd want to do something about that.
The Fool reversed, that's one I didn't want to see. Honestly, it means you are being taken advantage of, I think this card speaks to me telling me that I don't want to let you go out of personal greed… which is true, you're a treasure, Voros.
Finally, the Hermit. That is the card that tells you what to do."
I collected the cards and stored them away with Voros' gaze still lingering on the table.
"Wait for me. I won't take long."
[A/n: The Hermit is a card that urges to search for the truth and seek understanding especially when it comes last in a four-card layout.]
***
Vivian retreated to her room and said goodnight to her knight and her maid. Tomorrow will be an eventful day at ViTech since she will be working on an assignment directly from her father.
But Vivian didn't go to bed.
She stood in front of her bed, shedding down every piece of fabric on her, and bathed her naked body with the warmth of the nearby candles against her large mirror. She traced her fingers on her smooth skin and her curves trying to imagine something and nodded to herself.
The training is going well and with her physical attributes, she is confident her body can endure what she will put it through. She couldn't resist the urge to turn around and check her heart-shaped bottom that coordinated well with her thigh gap.
"This young lady has won the genetic lottery indeed. I'll still carve the perfect shape out of you, Vivian." She said to herself and then turned to the system shop window.
Seeing the shopping cart and the cost of 1800 SP in front of her, Vivian was feeling doubtful before pressing purchase.
A new outfit was added to her out list, it looked like the typical one she'd go out with but it was in all black, and on top of that, she had customized one of its pieces with enchantment. She called it "Night Stroll Outfit!" and unlike her normal outfit, it had a Reinforced Armored Vest (25% damage reduction), Anti-Cut Gloves (50% slash resistance), Light-step Boots (50% Noise Cancelation), an open knee skirt over the pants for the sake of modesty and rather than a coat, she had a shoulder mantle and a hood.
That alone cost her 1200 SP. As for the remaining 600 SP, they were for this…
————————————————————
[ Grappling Hook ] < Common Gadget >
— Part of the Thieve's Toolkit.
— Comes with a 20-meter-long rope.
— Bound to User.
— Cost: 200 SP
————————————————————
[ Lockpick Set ] < Common Gadget >
— Part of the Thieve's Toolkit.
— Comes with the Triangle, Rake, Hook, Wafer, Round, and Warded picks.
— Bound to User.
— Cost: 400 SP.
————————————————————
"Worth every point!"
Vivian had all that she needed for tonight's mischief. She's finally going to do real field work and it all begins by climbing down the window with the grappling hook.
If it wasn't for trusting Vivian, Voros would have left on his own but he decided to wait as he wasn't really good at making plans.
When Vivian emerged back from the thickets of the garden, Voros was waiting for her with a curious set of items laid on the stone table.
"Where did you get those from?" She asked and looked at the many amazing blades lying about.
"Metallurgy." He replied.
"Wait… you crafted all those while I was gone?" She asked with a seriously shocked face.
Voros turned to her with a frown.
"No!" He replied and then displayed a skill she saw for the first time.
Each piece of weaponry he had on display was in fact some sort of mechanical wonder of its own. Each of them can be folded, realigned, and equipped back on Voros's body serving him like armor under his jacket. [A/n: Bloodsport style.]
"You promised me a sword, right? Can I switch it for something this cool?" Vivian asked while trying to hide the grappling hook she was going to show off to Voros out of pure embarrassment.
"No." Voros' reply was firm and he started walking without the intent of discussing it.
And she thought she was well-equipped after spending so much SP. Still, comparing herself to Voros, a Master Metallurgist, is a bit like going too hard on herself.
Back to the matter at hand, Vivian and Voros walked through the garden in the dark with little lighting as Vivian's vision slowly adapted once they reached the edge of the outer walls. Vivian has researched this matter ever since the day she arrived in this world and aside from the secret passages that only the head of the family knows about, her best bet is to jump over the wall from certain places with a grappling hook.
To Vivian's surprise, Voros had a grappling hook of his own and it seemed rather advanced and with moving parts as well whereas hers looked like the ones used in ships. But on the plus side, her rope was longer and would later assert its dominance over Voros' short rope.
After climbing the mansion's stone wall, the two descended quietly and moved quickly under the cover of darkness through the nearly empty streets. Voros hid his features with a hat and a scarf and even though he was short, not all humans were really that towering and a really short human or a humanling wasn't a strange sight to see.
Vivian, however, had a few extra outfits on her so she could hide, switch, and keep going. She made some extra outfits with some old clothing to blend in as a commoner or a married lady with a few variations on top. The power of the outfit slots in the hands of a woman can be overpowered when handled right.
The Moore Mansion was in a high-class area to the west of Archester, it had many buildings surrounding it which were all occupied by rich people. For such a quality of residents, these large and luxurious apartment buildings were equipped with Mews, a hybrid between a stable and a parking garage for both horses and carriages, which were the leading means of transportation at this time.
In the large quiet street lit by hazing gas lamps and glimmering reflections of rain, Vivian sped through the dark and found a gate leading into a tunnel under a luxurious residential building. With Voros covering her back, Vivian used the grappling hook once again and climbed the gate to access the passage beyond. She then felt the location of the lock and began using the triangle pick to feel the inside of the lock before switching to the rake pick and rapidly moving her hands until it popped.
"Skillful…" Voros watched Vivian's action and commented as he opened the gate and walked in, "However… shaky."
"Still rusty, I'm afraid." Vivian complained a bit because of her body's lack of proper strength and control but just as she was about to turn and go in…
"Who's there?!"
Yet as they were moving the gate quietly, the building guard appeared from the other end of the passage, shedding light at Vivian and Voros… or where they were supposed to be.
The place was empty and the guard could only see the gate which he had locked just an hour ago was open. He narrowed his eyes and proceeded forward while aiming his old hooded lantern at the front and grabbing the bludgeon stick from his side.
Vivian and Voros watched the man approach and the light he was shedding with his lantern drew nearer and nearer. Vivian was hiding behind the canopy of her tactical umbrella while crouching on the ground and stepping very carefully around the man who was heading toward the gate. As for Voros, his sneaking skill was a wonder.
The duergar moved in the shadows like he belonged to it. He walked against the wall and as soon as Vivian lost sight of him he wasn't there anymore. A second later, he appeared behind the guard from an angel Vivian could hardly see or understand how he got there.
Voros looked in the direction where he knew Vivian was hiding and pointed at the man with a gesture on how to deal with him. Vivian, on the other hand, has already stepped past the area into the guard's shadow and closed the canopy of her umbrella silently before sneaking up without a sound behind the guard and…
Thunk!
With the butt of her pistol, Vivian hit the guard's head at a very critical point causing his head to blackout in an instant. The man collapsed like a stiff log but with his dwarven swiftness, Voros immediately grabbed the man and laid him down slowly while Vivian caught the lantern and snuffed its light out.
Vivian and Voros grabbed the man inside and she kept checking every corner and looking from every angle in order not to get any surprises. A place like this is bound to have a hound or two but lucky for her, it seemed not the case and the security was rather lax, this would only be the case for tonight though.
After making sure it was all clear, Vivian immediately grabbed the guard's keys and threw them to Voros who opened the mew and got in. As for her, she took the guard's belt, tied his legs with it, took his shoelaces, and tied his wrists behind his back, then grabbed his cap, squeezed it tight, and gagged his mouth.
Perfect method, perfect execution, she was proud of herself…
« The Dormant Record [Thief] has reawakened. »
« New Trait: [Novice Thief?] »
"Awe, Sir System!" Vivian was touched by how her favorite Sir System was proud of her too.
Little did she know this was the first of many proud system messages she would be seeing tonight.
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