Midnight approached.
Raze crouched in the shadows across from Thornwell Manor. Dark clothes. Face partially covered. His heart hammered steadily.
The manor was three stories of wealth and arrogance. Stone walls. Iron gates. Garden lit by mage lights.
Six guards visible. Rotating patrols. The shift change would happen in ten minutes.
Raze's Inspect skill pinged as he watched them.
[Guard]
Rank: Initiate (Mid)
Perception: C
Status: Bored, Tired
Not particularly alert. Good.
Time crawled. Five minutes. Three. One.
The shift change began. Guards gathering at the front gate. Exchanging brief reports. Yawning.
Fifteen minute window. Starting now.
Raze moved.
He crossed the street silently. His D rank Agility sufficient for quiet movement. Scaled the garden wall easily. His B rank Endurance made the climb effortless.
Dropped into the garden. Dense foliage. Ornamental trees. Perfect cover.
Moved toward the servants' entrance. A small door on the eastern side. Usually locked but...
Raze pulled out simple lock picks. Tools he'd acquired from the black market that afternoon. His hands were steady despite nerves.
His Absolute Genius activated. Analyzing the lock mechanism. The tumbler positions. The pressure points.
Thirty seconds of careful manipulation.
Click.
The lock opened.
Raze slipped inside. Closed the door behind him quietly.
The servants' corridors were narrow and dim. Oil lamps providing minimal light. Most servants were asleep. Only a few still working.
He moved like a ghost. His game knowledge guiding every step. Left turn. Straight ahead. Right turn. Stairs.
His Inspect skill pinged constantly.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
[Maid - Mortal - Asleep]
[Guard - Initiate (Low) - Distant]
[Cook - Mortal - Working]
He avoided them all. Timing his movements. Using his knowledge of the layout.
Second floor. Eastern wing.
The corridor here was nicer. Carpeted. Paintings on the walls. This was the family area. Private rooms. Personal spaces.
Guard presence increased. But Raze knew their patrol routes. Counted their steps. Moved in the gaps between.
The painting appeared ahead. Lord Thornwell's grandfather. Stern expression. Judging eyes.
Raze glanced left. Right. Clear.
He approached the painting. It swung on hidden hinges. Behind it, a heavy door. Complex lock.
This was the hard part.
His Absolute Genius worked overtime. Analyzing. Calculating. The lock was mechanical but sophisticated. Multiple tumblers. False catches. Designed to frustrate thieves.
Three minutes of careful manipulation. His hands cramped. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Click.
The door opened.
The vault was small. Maybe ten feet square. Shelves lined three walls. Filled with valuables. Jewelry. Coins. Documents.
And on a special shelf. Glass cases. Each one containing a skill core.
Raze's breath caught.
Six cores total. More than he'd hoped for.
He moved quickly. Time was running out. Read the labels.
[Combat Reflex] - Pale blue glow. Perfect.
[Scarlet Leap] - Crimson light. Exactly what he needed.
[Instant Transmission] - Violet shimmer. The ultimate escape tool.
Three cases in his pack. Carefully wrapped.
Then he paused. Looking at the remaining three.
[Iron Flesh] - Gray, solid looking. Physical enhancement. Kael would benefit from this.
[Regeneration] - Green, pulsing gently. Healing factor. Even better for Kael.
Both would help keep the alchemist alive. Let him contribute without being dead weight.
Raze took both cases. Added them to his pack.
Five skill cores. Lord Thornwell would be furious.
Good.
One core remained. [Flame Resistance]. Useful but not critical. He left it.
Time to leave.
Raze closed the vault door. Swung the painting back into place. Moved back toward the stairs.
Then alarms blared.
Not from his location. From the west wing. Opposite side of the manor.
Voices shouting. "Intruders! West wing! Move!"
Guards running. Boots pounding. Chaos erupting.
Wait. West wing?
Someone else was robbing Thornwell tonight. Same night. Different target.
Coincidence? Or was the Syndicate moving against Thornwell for some reason?
Didn't matter. The chaos gave Raze cover.
He ran. Down the stairs. Through corridors. Guards were rushing toward the west wing. Away from him.
But some would check everything. Standard procedure.
Footsteps behind him. Getting closer.
"You! Stop!"
Raze didn't stop. Ran faster. His D rank Agility pushed to its limit.
Reached the servants' entrance. Burst through. Into the garden.
More guards. Coming around the corner. Spotting him.
"Second intruder! East side!"
They charged.
Raze ran toward the garden wall. Twenty feet away. Guards closing from behind.
Fifteen feet. Ten.
He wouldn't make it. Not fast enough.
But he had something they didn't.
Raze's hand went into his pack. Grabbed the Combat Reflex core. Crushed it in his palm.
The crystal shattered. Pale blue light exploded. Flooded into his chest. His head. His eyes.
The world sharpened.
Time seemed to slow. Not actually slowing. Just his perception accelerating. Reading movements. Tracking trajectories. Seeing attacks before they landed.
His Perception jumped from F to D. Instantly.
The guard reaching for him. Raze saw the grab coming. Ducked under it. The hand passed over his head in what felt like slow motion.
Five feet to the wall.
Scarlet Leap next.
Raze crushed the crimson core. Energy flooded his legs. His muscles burned with sudden power.
His Agility jumped from D to C.
He pushed off. His body blurred. Distance compressed. He crossed five feet in a heartbeat. Hit the wall with momentum. Scrambled up and over in one smooth motion.
Dropped on the other side. Rolled.
Guards shouting behind him. Climbing. Following.
One more.
Raze crushed the violet Instant Transmission core. Spatial awareness exploded in his mind. He could sense the distances around him. Calculate jump points. Feel the fabric of space in a way that made his brain scream.
He thought: market quarter. Two blocks east.
Reality blinked.
Suddenly he was fifteen feet away. The guards behind him. Between buildings.
Disorientation crashed over him. His stomach lurched. His head spun.
But it worked. It actually worked.
The guards were searching the wrong area. Confused by his sudden disappearance.
Raze ran. Used Scarlet Leap twice more. Covering blocks in seconds. His enhanced Combat Reflex tracked pursuit. Told him when to turn. When to hide.
Instant Transmission again. Across a crowded street. Impossible to track.
Five minutes of running. Ten.
Finally lost them in the warehouse district.
Raze collapsed in an alley. Gasping. His whole body shaking.
But he was alive. And successful.
Three skill cores absorbed. Two more in his pack for Kael.
His Status window flickered into view unbidden.
[Status Update]
Perception: D (Increased from F)
Agility: C (Increased from D)
New Skills:
[Combat Reflex - C]
[Scarlet Leap - C]
[Instant Transmission - D]
The skills were integrated. Part of him now. He could feel them. The enhanced awareness. The explosive speed. The spatial sense.
Raze stood on shaking legs. Started walking toward the warehouse.
Dawn was breaking. Pale light filtering over the city.
By the time he reached the warehouse, full morning had arrived.
He pushed through the door.
Kael looked up from the work table. Not alone.
A young man sat beside him. Silver eyes glowing faintly in the lamplight.
Aslan.
Both stared at Raze. Taking in his disheveled appearance. The pack slung over his shoulder. The exhaustion on his face.
"You actually did it," Kael said quietly.
"Three cores absorbed. Two more for you." Raze dropped the pack on the table. "Iron Flesh and Regeneration. Both should help keep you alive."
Kael opened the pack carefully. Pulled out the two remaining cores. Stared at them.
"You stole five skill cores from a noble's vault."
"Yes."
"And absorbed three of them."
"Yes."
"You're insane."
"Probably." Raze moved to a chair. Collapsed into it. "But they work. The synergy is perfect. I can see attacks now. Move faster. Escape if cornered. I'm actually useful in combat instead of dead weight."
Aslan stood. Approached Raze carefully. Extended his hand.
"I'm Aslan. Kael told me about you."
Raze took his hand. Aslan's grip was gentle. Controlled. The grip of someone afraid of breaking things.
"Raze. Idiot with a plan."
"Weapon trying to be human." Aslan smiled. Small but genuine. "We should get along."
"I think we will."
Kael was still staring at the skill cores in his hands. "You really want me to absorb these?"
"We need you functional. Able to defend yourself." Raze met his eyes. "You're not just support. You're part of this team. That means being able to survive the fight."
"I'm an alchemist. Not a warrior."
"You're whatever you need to be to survive." Raze's voice hardened. "Absorb them. Now. While I'm here to help if something goes wrong."
Kael looked at the cores. Then at Aslan. Then back at Raze.
"Alright. But if I die from neural shock, I'm haunting you."
"Fair."
Kael crushed the Iron Flesh core first. Gray light flooded into his body. His skin seemed to darken slightly. Harden. Physical resilience increasing.
He gasped. Doubled over. Then straightened.
"That felt... strange. Like my whole body just became denser."
"Any pain?"
"Some. But manageable." Kael looked at his hands. "I feel heavier. Sturdier."
"That's the enhancement working. Your body is literally more durable now." Raze gestured to the second core. "Regeneration next. That one might hurt more."
Kael crushed the green core. Light pulsed. Spread through his body like veins of emerald.
He screamed.
Aslan caught him as he fell. Lowered him to the floor.
"Kael!" Raze knelt beside him. "Talk to me. What's happening?"
"Everything." Kael's voice was strained. "Every cell. Rewriting. Hurts."
"It's the healing factor integrating. Your body is learning to regenerate." Raze checked his pulse. Fast but steady. "Breathe through it. It'll pass."
Two minutes of agony. Kael writhing. Aslan holding him steady.
Then it stopped.
Kael lay on the floor. Gasping. Sweating. But alive.
"That was horrible," he managed.
"But it worked." Raze helped him sit up. "How do you feel?"
"Like I was torn apart and put back together." Kael flexed his fingers. "But also... better? Stronger?"
"Check your Status."
Kael's eyes unfocused. Reading his internal window.
"Endurance increased. Constitution increased. Skills: Iron Flesh D and Regeneration D." He looked at Raze. "I'm not going to die in one hit anymore."
"Exactly. Now you can actually contribute to the raid without us constantly protecting you."
They helped Kael stand. He wobbled but held steady.
"So." Aslan looked between them. "We have a Mercurian, an enhanced alchemist, and an insane strategist with teleportation. What's next?"
"Next we rest. Recover. Tomorrow we gather materials for my core reconstruction." Raze moved to another chair. "Day after tomorrow I undergo the procedure. Day after that we finalize recruitment with Mariabel. Then we prepare for the raid."
"Tight timeline," Kael said.
"It has to be. The Syndicate knows we're interfering. They're hunting us. We're on borrowed time." Raze closed his eyes. "But we're stronger now. We have a chance."
"A small chance," Aslan added quietly.
"Better than no chance."
They sat in silence. Three broken people choosing to fight. Each one enhanced. Each one dangerous in different ways.
Outside, the city woke. Unaware that in a dusty warehouse, the pieces were coming together.
Lord Thornwell would discover his vault robbed. Would rage. Would report to the Syndicate.
The Syndicate would intensify their search.
But Raze didn't care.
He had his skills. Kael had his enhancements. Aslan had his strength.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. But tonight they'd won.
"Get some sleep," Kael said. "All of us. We'll need it."
Raze didn't argue. Just closed his eyes.
His last thought before exhaustion took him: Untouchable. In the game, this combination made players untouchable.
Time to see if it worked in reality.