Testing My Luck in the New World

Volume 3 - Chapter 7

The sliver of moon left in the night sky shone a midnight spotlight over the blackened figure of a man at the end of the street. His back submerged in shadows, this man was once a Farmer named George, but now, as he patrolled the silent streets of Villeverdure, he was something else entirely.

Decked out in a full set of leather armor, he carried the deadliest weapon of them all: a torch whose burning flames caused his shadow to flicker as it stretched across the cobblestone. In the hands of a city guard this late at night, it was every bit as dangerous as the sword on his hip.

I watched, hidden behind the corner of a building, legs tensed and ready to pounce as he turned his torch down an alley. Illuminating the gap for only a moment, he continued on down the street. He stopped again a few steps later to repeat the process and I waited patiently for a chance to make my move.

Up above, a sudden gust of wind slammed a loose shutter against its window frame, echoing a wooden clap across the street. Cursing under my breath, I didn't wait to see if George turned before I ducked behind the building.

My heart pounded against my chest for a moment before I spotted Yua hiding behind another building on the other side of the street. Her cat ears were on full alert as she turned just her head in George's direction. Almost as soon as I noticed her, she let her shoulders relax. I peaked out again, only to find George continuing down the street and away from us.

Shaking my head, I let out a breath as the shutter slammed again.

Technically speaking, we weren't doing anything illegal – there was no curfew in effect and being out at night wasn't a crime – but somehow, the idea that we were doing something wrong kept me tense.

This would've been so much easier if we could tell them about our quest. If we were able to search with impunity, we'd have doubled our progress and called it a night. Unfortunately, Giulio being a member of the guards threw a dump truck-full of wrenches on that idea. We had no choice but to be discreet.

"Big Bro," Mana whispered, tugging on my sleeve. She pointed to Yua, who's shaded form looked to be waving us over. "She said it's safe now."

The sky was mostly cloudless, but what was left of the moon couldn't offer up much in the way of light. This should have been a blessing for those wishing to remain unseen, but were at the mercy of the dark. However, the nightvision our dear cat-kin were born with made this fact more of an annoyance than anything. We made our way through the city with Yua scouting ahead of us, whispering directions only Mana could hear and see clearly.

I nodded and we raced across the street. Thoughts of what might happen if we were caught kept my Sneak skill in the forefront of my mind as I moved. Keeping the sounds of my feet at a minimum, I didn't draw a breath until I fell in line behind Yua.

However, said breath stopped in my throat when a hand gripped my shoulder moments before something incredibly soft crashed into my back, knocking me forward a step. With all our daily sparring honing my reflexes, I spun around without a thought and locked my arms around my would-be assailant, but I could do nothing to stop our fall as she collided with me.

As we'd entered a part of the city that had already been paved with cobblestone, falling with the weight of an extra person sparked a dull pain in my ass that somehow caused us both to grunt.

"Shh!" Yua hushed quickly, turning her ears back to the small house we stood, well, sat behind.

"It was an accident," Elane complained before moving my arms off her.

Perhaps, as thanks for cushioning her fall, she said nothing of the handful of her breast I'd accidentally claimed when I caught her and instead helped me up.