We split into three groups to go save Neme. The first was Suiz and myself—the infiltration team. Our goal was simple: traverse the underground tunnels, enter the church, and retrieve Neme. A covert mission like this was perfect for two thieves. We weren’t the strongest fighters of the group, but we were going for maximum stealth. The break-in would be easy enough. The problem was getting out. I could probably shake Greater Far Sight with Shadow Runner on the way in, but the moment we reached Neme, our position would be as good as given away to the enemy. I’d also have to carry her on the way back, potentially compromising my speed against Greater Far Sight.
That was where the transfer team, Erin and Force, came in. After we left the hotel, they were going to pack up our things and leave the city under the cover of an invisibility spell. When the time came, Erin would activate Gate—the companion point of which she was storing in my glove—and transport us to their location.
That left our third and final team. Truth be told, if the enemy focused all of their attention on me and Suiz, it would make the infiltration a lot harder. So our decoys, Roslia and Sofie, were going to make a commotion elsewhere in the church. Since we were deploying them as a distraction, we’d have to pick them up with Gate too. That made the escape plan a little riskier, but fortunately, I could keep track of their position with Enemy Search. It shouldn’t be too hard to rendezvous, so after weighing the pros and cons, this was the plan we’d decided to go with.
Force had personally wanted revenge on Cardinal Fuge, but we had to avoid direct combat for this plan to work, so he was sitting the action out as part of the Gate team this time. Apparently the church had priests who could use magic to intensify curses—in other words, they were Force’s worst nightmare now that he only had Purgatory. He was disappointed to be denied his revenge for now, but he had to make do with guarding Erin. That was an important job in itself.
“Here you go,” Erin said, offering my gloves back.
No matter how much we wanted to keep our preparations from Arcia’s prying eyes, we needed the bare minimum to make this plan work. The Gate trap in my glove was part of that. The other Arrivers were spending the evening as they pleased, and Suiz had gone outside to wait by our infiltration point to the church. Basically, we were just waiting on this.
“We’re up against people this time, so I modified my magic a little,” Erin explained.
“You’re so thoughtful,” I told her.
“Well, I didn’t want anyone to end up dead.”
“Fair enough.”
The incredible defenses of dungeon monsters took some serious magic to penetrate, so it made sense for Erin to swap to something more appropriate against human opponents. That said, one of my gloves was already taken up with the Gate trap, so I was curious what she’d done with the other.
“Now, the spell set in your right glove is...”
After hearing her explanation, I accepted the gloves back from her and thanked her.
“I’m just doing what I always do,” she replied.
“And I’m always grateful.”
“I know that. Just make sure you get Neme back.”
“I know that.”
After some light banter, I stuffed my gloves in my pocket and left the room.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Thanks for waiting for me,” I said as I met up with Suiz in the dim alleyway. Things would move quickly from here.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Yup.” I put on my gloves and braced myself. The fight was on now. Erin and the others were already on the move. “Let’s go.”
Guiding us through the underground tunnels was my job with Mapping. We descended into the sewer way and followed along the walls until we reached the tunnels. They were safe to move through, so we ran as fast as we could.
“Mapping sure is a convenient skill, huh?” Suiz remarked as he kept pace beside me.
“Really?”
“Well, yeah. If you wanted to infiltrate the church, you’d normally have to spend ages puzzling over how to get in. But you found a route instantly.”
“The two-slot skill Area Map could’ve done as much.”
“Even so,” said Suiz, holding up the magic artifact he was using for a lantern, “you can run in this darkness without a light thanks to Mapping, right?”
“Well, yeah. If I know the terrain, I can move without being able to see at all.”
“Is that something anyone with Mapping can do?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m guessing so with enough practice.”
The only other Mapping holder I knew was Courie from Labyrinth Knights, and he could use the skill much more effectively than me. A genius like him could surely pick it up, so I didn’t think it was anything that special.
“If I didn’t have this light, wouldn’t you be able to avoid Arcia’s Greater Far Sight just by running through the darkness?”
“Maybe, but I’m not interested in raiding the enemy’s base alone. I’m more comfortable with you here, Suiz.”
The underground tunnel we were in continued straight to Salengre Cathedral, but it didn’t go straight to Neme’s room. We’d be coming out on the church grounds, entering the main building, sneaking through a hidden passageway, and then heading for the sanctuary in the back.
“There are guards by the main building,” I said. “I’ll need to leave them to you.”
“So you say, but couldn’t you handle them by yourself?” Suiz replied.
“No way, no how.”
My main form of attack was Spell Shot, and my ammunition for that was limited. I had a rare style of fighting for an adventurer—one not meant for continuous battles. I had to avoid tangling with the larger groups of guards. If I were to compare myself to another thief, I’d probably pick Eisha, another spellcasting thief. I’d stolen most of my techniques from her, though, so that sort of went without saying.
“We’re almost there,” I warned Suiz.
Before long, we’d arrived directly below Salengre Cathedral. There was a large hole above our heads that connected to the fountain drain in the back garden of the church.
“This is it, huh?” he said. “I’ll be back in a bit, I guess.”
He made a soaring leap, using Climb to pull himself up with one hand while still carrying his magic light in the other. I used the same art to scale the wall and exit out of the drain after him.
“Now it’s time for me to actually contribute...” Suiz muttered as he began stretching.
The enemy was waiting just up ahead. We should have outrun Greater Far Sight in our flight down the tunnel, so they didn’t know our exact location—but a fight with the guards was inevitable.
“Here I go!”
Once we stepped out into the open, Suiz made another incredible leap, this time straight up. He changed direction midair, then disappeared like a flash of lightning.
“That was fast!”
What was that? Some kind of art? He was moving as fast as Jin’s Shadow Runner—maybe even faster. No wonder he was known as the strongest thief.
“Shadow Runner.”
I’d fall behind if I ran normally, so I activated an art of my own and gave chase. By the time I caught up, there were three guards on the ground.
“Huh?!”
Under the moonlit sky, a bolt of light was zipping about the church yard. No, it wasn’t a light... It was Suiz Myran.