The thief moved quickly through the side alleys, clutching the freshly stolen purse in his hand. His light steps made no sound, and every now and then, he stopped, turning around to check that no one was following him. Only when he was sure he was alone did he slip through a side door, almost invisible to anyone who didn't know where to look.
Behind that door began an intricate maze of passages, with stairs descending into damp cellars and corridors dimly lit by smoky lanterns. The young thief walked the path without hesitation, having taken it countless times before.
In the end, he reached a wide room with a low ceiling, lit by a dozen candles placed on barrels and crates. Inside, about five teenagers sat in a circle, some on the floor, others crouched on sacks, counting coins, laughing, and boasting about their raids.
One figure stood out immediately. Sitting at the highest spot was a girl of about nineteen, watching her companions with a smile.
She had short black hair and two feline ears poking from her head, twitching slightly to catch every sound in the room. A long tail of the same color swayed lazily behind her.
She was a cat-type beastkin, a rarity in itself. In the archipelago, humans were the main race, but occasionally other races appeared, always as outsiders.
This girl, however, was unusual, having been born and raised on the islands, which was strange, since beastkin typically lived in scattered tribes on the continent.
Because of her rarity, she had always done her best to hide, and somehow, she founded a band of orphan thieves right on Vera Island.
"Oh, you finally made it!" said the girl, stretching. "Did it go well, Timmy?"
The other kids greeted him cheerfully.
The young thief, Timmy, was the youngest of the group, only ten years old, but he had a natural gift for stealing.
Timmy nodded with a grin and tossed the purse into the center of the circle. The metallic jingle of coins filled the room, earning whistles and pleased laughter.
"Always a clean hit, huh?" laughed one of the older boys, a scar running through his eyebrow. "How many valis this time?"
"About five hundred," Timmy replied, puffing out his chest. "Easy as stealing candy from a baby."
Of course, they could have stolen much more, but there were two rules no one dared break: first, only take moderate amounts; second, steal only twice a week.
With these limits, they avoided becoming prey worth hunting.
"And guess who I snatched the fattest purse from?" Timmy's eyes gleamed with mischief. "A rookie wearing an Explorer uniform, just a bit older than me. Walking around like he was on vacation! He didn't even notice, I swear."
The others burst out laughing, slapping their knees and joking about how easy it was to rob someone like that. From their point of view, if a kid so young had joined the Explorers, it had to be thanks to connections, and kids like that, who had everything handed to them, never lacked money. So they felt no guilt.
"I wish I'd seen that," chuckled the girl everyone called Violet.
The room was filled with overlapping voices.
"Those guys won't last a week here!"
"Hey Timmy, maybe you stole daddy's last coin!"
"The rookie learned his lesson!"
Timmy made a theatrical bow, basking in the group's attention.
"Maybe he thought no one would dare rob him!" he added defiantly. "And you know what? If I see him again, I'll empty his pockets again!"
"Stealing twice from the same person is reckless, you know?"
"What do you—"
Timmy froze when an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Turning his head, he went pale — and he wasn't the only one.
A sudden silence fell over the room, chilling the atmosphere. Everyone wondered the same thing: how and when did he get in here?
The whole passage was filled with traps, and only they knew where they were.
Violet's fingers twitched, ready to attack at any moment. The others glanced at each other, equally ready to draw weapons.
"Y-You're the guy from the market! H-How did you get in?!"
Timmy was terrified. Not only did he have no idea how this boy had gotten behind him unnoticed, but he also couldn't move an inch under his grip.
"Good question."
As soon as Adel lowered his gaze, Violet threw a dagger straight at his head.
But to everyone's shock, Adel dodged effortlessly. The distraction allowed Timmy to break free, while another boy lassoed him, pulling him back to safety.
"We've got Timmy! Now show him who's boss!" Violet shouted.
"W-Wait, he isn't normal!"
Timmy's cry was drowned by the chorus of kids charging at Adel. Instead of worrying, Adel wore a nostalgic smile.
"It's been a long time…"
He tilted his head, dodging a heavy metal pipe swing that could've cracked his skull. A bigger, more aggressive boy tried to tackle him, but ended up flat on the ground, unable to move Adel even a centimeter.
Violet snarled, her golden feline eyes narrowing to slits as she analyzed every movement of the intruder.
"Don't let him scare you! He's just one guy!" she yelled, while two more teens circled Adel, attacking from opposite angles.
Adel let them try. Raising his right arm, he easily deflected a dagger, while with his left, he grabbed another girl's wrist and twisted it sharply. She screamed and dropped her knife.
"You're overconfident. Just because you've never been caught doesn't make you invincible," Adel said calmly.
"SHUT UP!"
Violet lunged forward, claws sprouting from her fingers like natural blades. She leapt at his throat with feline agility. Adel simply stepped aside, letting her land off target.
It had to be said that beastkin bodies were a world of their own. Even without being awakened, her agility matched that of a mid-tier Grade 0 fighter specialized in physical stats.
Violet spun instantly, slashing in a flurry of crescent claws, but Adel intercepted them. When she tried to kick him, his hand shot forward, grabbing something.
"NYAAA!" A strange cry escaped Violet as Adel grabbed her tail. "H-How dare you grab my tail! I'LL KILL YOU!"
But every attack was stopped as Adel tightened his grip, making her shudder until she finally collapsed, exhausted.
For cat-beastkin, tails were highly sensitive, not only biologically but emotionally. Only family was ever allowed to touch them.
"Calm now?"
Violet nodded, eyes brimming with tears, then pointed at her tail. "I-I'll behave, b-but please… let it go."
Adel thought for a moment, sighed, and released her tail.
"HAH! Got you, bastard!"
Violet sprang like a coiled spring, her index and middle fingers aimed at Adel's eyes. But her satisfaction didn't last. Adel blocked her hand with just one finger, holding it in midair.
Violet's face went pale, finally realizing the boy she had underestimated was an awakened, and a strong one.
Adel slowly pushed her hand down, resting his chin on her fingers with a smile.
"Any other tricks?"
Violet flushed slightly; his face was annoyingly cute, then she shook her head violently to chase off the thought.
'Exactly! He's ugly and he's a jerk, don't get distracted!'
The real problem was that she couldn't do anything against him. And her instincts told her he wouldn't fall for any surprise attack either.
Adel's gaze shifted to the other kids still trying to recover.
Seeing his look, Violet instinctively stepped in front of them in a defensive stance, heart pounding in fear.
"They're just orphan kids trying to survive! I'm the leader of this gang! I planned everything! If you have to take someone, take me!"
Adel noticed Violet's pale expression and felt a pang of guilt. He got ready to explain the misunderstanding, but was interrupted.
"No, it's me!"
"He's lying, I'm the boss!"
"I'm the biggest, it's obviously me!"
"I-It's me!" Even Timmy joined the chorus.
Violet bit her lip, seeing her companions willing to sacrifice themselves, but she wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't let any other member of her family disappear.
"Don't listen to them! You saw it yourself, I'm the strongest, so I—"
"Can you all shut up for one second and let me speak?"
Adel raised his voice, finally silencing everyone. The whole situation had gotten out of hand, more than he expected.
"Seems like you're all misunderstanding. I'm not here to arrest you or anything. But it's true, I was looking for you."
"…Really?" Violet asked, suspicious.
"Think about it. Why waste time talking when I could just subdue you by force?"
Violet had no comeback for that. She slowly moved closer to her group, never breaking eye contact with Adel.
With a sigh of relief, she made sure no one was hurt, only to notice the intruder staring at his wrist with a complicated expression, muttering to himself.
"It's really reacting to all of them? I figured as much, but this… this is depressing."
'Yep, confirmed. This guy's got a few screws loose.'