“Tell me, handsome, what’s your problem?” Sage asked.

  “Amber has been kidnapped.”

  “Oh, so you really fell in love with her.”

  “Mia witnessed it,” I replied, ignoring Sage’s comment. “It happened yesterday morning.”

  “Do you know something about it?” Sage asked Kalista.

  “No,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “And you think that Malvick did it,” Sage said, turning toward me.

  “With everything that happened?” I asked, thinking about the attack at the b. “It’s most likely him.”

  “It makes sense,” Sage commented. “Does Amber have other enemies?” she asked Kalista again.

  “There are a few guys who are not particurly fond of her, but none of them would go as far as to kidnap her.”

  “Okay, let’s assume it’s Malvick,” Sage said. “Let’s go.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Let’s save your princess,” Sage replied.

  “Right now? I mean, sure. But what’s the pn?”

  “You’ll see it in action.”

  “Shouldn’t I know what the pn is?”

  “If you are so boring,” Sage replied. “Malvick has a private residence north of the city. I take care of the protective ward, take down the guards, and find Amber. Easy. You just stay behind and watch my amazing ass as I kick their asses,” she expined and giggled at her own joke.

  “And you think you can handle it alone?” I asked.

  “I’ll have help, but from someone much more competent than you,” Sage replied. “You must understand that my services are first css. Tell me your problem and pay me, and you don't have a problem anymore. It’ll be solved.”

  “And you’re ready to go right now?” I asked. “Don't you need to prepare or contact your help?”

  “I’m always ready,” Sage replied with a wink. “But if you need some warm-up, then go on, but remember that your elven princess is waiting.”

  “Okay, just a moment,” I replied. “Marcy-”

  “Yeah, I’ll pass on that one. Sorry, but that’s a bit too much,” the lioness shapeshifter said before I could even say something.

  “I get it, no problem. Do you want to meet after everything and return together to Ortas?”

  “Sure,” Marcellina replied.

  “Mia and Terra, you should stay back too,” I said.

  “I can help,” the orc offered.

  “Without a weapon? In those clothes?” I asked, gesturing at the shirt and shorts that barely covered her green body. “I have another task for both of you. I’ll give you some cash to buy new clothes, backpacks, and things that you need. Terra, are you willing to go with us to the dungeon?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you have experience with any weapon?”

  “Not really,” she replied with a frown.

  “You’ll learn. Find something you might like to use and that would fit your css, but nothing expensive. If you decide that you want to use it, then we’ll buy you something better.”

  “Okay,” Terra replied.

  “Can I join you?” Marcy asked.

  Rather than answering, Terra looked at me.

  “Your choice,” I replied, shrugging. “But Marcy is part of our team right now, so you might want to get to know each other.”

  “I don't see why not,” Terra said, gncing at Marcellina.

  After exchanging my hundred-coin for smaller ones with Sage, I gave Terra thirty ryns - twenty from the loan I’d taken, plus ten of my own to make sure they could afford everything.

  “We’re ready,” I said, looking at Sage.

  “Let’s go,” she replied.

  We walked out of Kalista’s house and stopped in front of it. “After you finish your shopping, go rent some rooms at the tavern Mia saw me for the first time. We’ll come there,” I said.

  “Okay,” Terra replied.

  “Take care,” Marcy added before we split into two groups.

  “You said something about a protective ward?” I asked, walking beside Sage toward the north gate.

  “I’ll take care of it,” she replied.

  “What does it do? And how does it work?” I asked, realizing that without Sage’s help, I wouldn’t even have thought something like that might be there.

  “I’m more of an offensive type of girl, you know? I don’t care how they work, only how to get past them. And there are plenty of things they can do. They usually alert whoever’s inside when someone enters. They can mark your position, too. Some are dangerous, but you don’t set up that kind of ward around your house unless you’re expecting an attack.”

  “And you can take it down?”

  “Of course. I told you I’m the best,” Sage replied. “That’s why the price is so high.”

  “What about the guards?” I asked. “Do you have any idea how many of them would be inside?”

  “How many can you have in your house?” Sage asked, shrugging.

  “I don't know, but they are probably strong mages. And yes, I know that you’re the best, but can you handle it? Are those people who will help you strong?”

  “Just as strong as me,” Sage replied with a smirk.

  “What-”

  “Enough of the boring questions,” Sage interrupted me. “I have an offer. You can pay back the whole debt at once,” she said, and fell silent. She just walked by my side, clearly waiting for me to ask first.

  “What is it?” I sighed.

  “Give me Zoe,” Sage replied, gncing at the succubus.

  “What?!” Zoe gasped.

  “Are you pnning to make a lot of jokes like that?” I asked, grabbing Zoe’s hand.

  “If I’m in the mood,” Sage replied, chuckling. We moved through the gate, outside of the city, and then just followed her along the road.

  “What do you actually want?” I asked.

  Sage giggled before she replied. “I promise we’ll both have fun. Well… I’ll have fun. You… maybe.”

  “How far away from here is Malvick’s pce?” I asked, deciding to drop the topic of payment and focus on getting Amber back.

  “About twenty minutes,” Sage replied.

  After her reply, we fell into silence, and I decided it was better to just leave her to her thoughts rather than risk her coming up with some stupid idea.

  “You know that her offer was a joke, right?” I asked Zoe.

  “Was it?”

  “At least for me. Zoe, there are only two situations in which I would let you go,” I said, which caused her to look at me with worry.

  “If you would ask me,” I said.

  “That’s not happening,” Zoe replied firmly.

  “And if your life depended on it,” I added.

  Zoe stared at me with her pink eyes before she replied. “I would rather die than leave you.”

  Overwhelmed by the feelings her answer suddenly caused in me, and unsure what to say, I just squeezed her hand tighter.

  “Stay back during the attack, okay?” I asked after a moment.

  “Are you going to stay back, Master?”

  “Probably, yes,” I replied. “Sage will take care of everything. But I want you to stay behind me,” I added. “Someone needs to cover the back, so we won’t get surprised. That will be your and Azura's job.”

  “Yes, Master,” Zoe said, nodding.

  “Mari, you stay close to me too,” I said, looking at the kitsune.

  “Okay.”

  That was all she answered, not even bothering to look at me. She seemed to be in a weird mood that day. She had gotten involved a few times to help Mia and Terra. Amber too. And had even managed to say a few good words about me.

  But then she had insulted Zoe, saying she was a stupid sve girl who had fallen in love with her master, hoping for a happy end. And that she was stupid to believe that something like that was possible.

  Yeah, it was clear it wasn’t really about Zoe, at least, not only about her. She had been talking about herself, about how everything had fallen apart when her master had been killed.

  Were Zoe and I reminding her of that retionship? Of the love that she had lost?

  Mari was still full of bitterness after her loss, and while I could help to heal her body, I had no idea what to do about her heart - shattered even more than her flesh had ever been.

  My contemptions were interrupted when I spotted a building ahead of us.

  “We’ll enter from the back,” Sage said, stepping off the main road to walk around the big mansion.

  “What about the ward?” I asked as we got closer. A wall surrounded the whole property, but it wasn’t high enough to stop us from jumping over it.

  “Already taken down,” Sage replied.

  “What? When?”

  “My people took care of that.”

  “Where are they?”

  “One of them is already inside, one is waiting a bit ahead of us.”

  As we got closer, I spotted a woman standing by the wall, with someone lying at her feet. When we approached, I could see her more clearly - she wore a mask that completely covered her face, and a hood that hid her hair.

  She was tall and fit, wielding a sword. Dressed entirely in bck, her clothes clung tightly to her body, making her look like a ninja.

  The woman on the ground was unconscious, with a red and purple swelling on the side of her head and a colr around her neck, though it looked a bit different from a sve colr.

  “We need to move in. It’s clear now,” Sage said, then jumped, grabbed the top of the wall, and pulled herself over.

  “Are you coming with us?” I asked, looking at the masked woman.

  She only shook her head and pointed at the woman lying on the ground.

  After throwing my bag and spear over the wall, I grabbed Azura by the hips and lifted her so she could reach the top of the wall, then watched as she dropped down on the other side.

  Mari leapt over on her own at the same time, leaving me with Zoe, who raised her hands, waiting for help.

  “You could just leap over using your skill,” I murmured, grabbing her hips. “Restore your mana,” I added before giving her a quick kiss.

  “Thank you, Master, for helping me,” Zoe whispered with a smile before I lifted her. Her tail flicked against my chest as she jumped over the wall.

  I quickly joined them on the other side and crouched low, running to a bush where the rest of the women were hiding.

  “Do you see that door?” Sage asked, pointing at the building. “We’ll run for it. Zoe, put a silence dome around the handle. I’ll destroy it, then we get inside. I go first and take down any guards on the other side. Understood?”

  After everyone confirmed, she gave a signal with her hand, and we all sprinted toward the door. Without even checking if it was unlocked, she used mana to destroy the lock, and it burst apart without a sound.

  Inside was an empty corridor. I tried to close the door, but with the lock destroyed, it was impossible.

  “This way,” Sage whispered, moving down the corridor close to the wall. At a split, she peeked around the corner, then quickly pulled back. She raised two fingers and waited.

  I could hear muffled voices ahead, growing louder. Tightening my grip around the shaft of my spear, I waited, hoping Sage really could take them down. As the voices neared, Sage crouched, ready behind the corner.

  When two people came into view - a man and a woman - Sage immediately sprang into action. The man was closer, and before he even realized what was happening, Sage smmed her fist upward into his chin. He dropped to the floor like a felled tree, unconscious from a single hit.

  The woman reacted instantly, summoning a mana shield just in time to block Sage’s purple dagger. The impact shattered the guard’s barrier, but Sage didn’t stop. She lunged forward, summoning more purple daggers that spun around them.

  She struck with her fists while the floating daggers darted at the guard from random directions. The woman blocked them with quick mana barriers and managed to deflect Sage’s blows, but she never had a chance to reach for the sword at her belt.

  One dagger behind her shifted into a disk and swept low, aiming for her ankles. The guard blocked Sage’s punch and jumped to dodge, but the disk stopped midair, turned ninety degrees, and shot upward.

  The guard screamed as it hit her square in the crotch, but the sound was cut short when Sage’s punch crashed into her throat, sending her limp to the floor.

  Sage gnced around, then turned to me with a smile, looking more amused than tense.

  “Told you,” she said quietly. “Now let’s go find your elven princess.”