“What?”

Tiara looked at her with fear in her eyes “But what about them?!” referring to the everyone laying on the ground.

“What about them?”

“We can’t just leave them yet?”

“Why not? I told you reinforcements are coming soon already… didn’t I? Besides now that I’m here I need to go find the rest of the gang members and their leader before they run away so if you want to have a chance to tell me who Dryan is so I don’t beat him up as much you can come with me.” She replied with the same innocent smile, although it seemed a lot more devious suddenly despite her outward appearance not changing.

“Okay…”

While the commotion was happening inside a small abandoned bar that was currently used for storage a thug interrupted the conversation of his boss.

“Umm, boss…?”

“What is it?!” a scruffy man dressed in a black robe replied with a rough voice filled with irritation. “I told we’re having a very important conversation with the boss and not to interrupt us unless something important comes along!”

“I-I know, which is why I didn’t tell you when the adventurers with the civilian were dealt with, b-but a guard showed up and already defeated everyone!”

He had to take a moment to process that as not even half a minute had passed since his report of them so whoever came is indeed on the level of a guard.

“What should we do…?” he finally reacted to the information.

Their boss, a tall bulky man with a greatsword on his back and a bandana on his mouth simply stayed there with crossed arms, silent in thought.

“We’re starting early. Start moving all the cargo on the second floor to the new location immediately.” He replied calmly, but with force behind his voice.

“Aye, aye sir!” the thug started a salute but interrupted himself once he realised what he was doing. Such was the overwhelming presence of their leader it inspired admiration and loyalty in his members. Even the two other gangsters that were in the room to guard also almost fell to the same.

As the lookout went upstairs to inform the others everyone in the room heard the door suddenly opening and turned around to the back door as the front one was barricaded from the inside along with all the windows. Everyone was watching intensely to see if it’s the other lookouts when they suddenly saw a blond girl casually enter the room with a “Excuse me.” Before turning to the side and started looking at the things in the crates all around.

Her calmness and act as if it’s completely normal dumbfounded everyone before the man in the robe spoke up. “Who- What do you think you are doing?”

He had many questions like “Who are you?”, “What are you doing here?” and “Where do you think you are?” and the way he worded his in his confusion almost mixed everything as he himself didn’t know what he wanted to ask and would have liked a reply to any of them. Truelip of course simply ignored him and continued to rummage through the crates talking to the other girl who was standing at the door.

“W-what are you doing…?” Tiara asked both confused and scarred as she was looking at the room with the scary man.

“I’m just looking at what to buy later. You can go talk to your friend now.”

Of course, she already had locked eyes with him and were awkwardly staring at this weird reunion.

“Enough! Do you think you can just barge here and do whatever you want? Do you have any idea who we are?”

“No clue, don’t care.”

“How dare you?!” the hooded man yelled at her, the veins bulging in his frail arms as he stretched his fingers, like a predator readying their claws to strike. “Do you know what the consequences are of attacking our members?!” he continued speaking in his rage.

“Does it matter? Reinforcements will arrive soon so it’s not like you can do anything about it.”

The caster was fuming at this point and looked at his boss to vent his thrust ration. “DO SOMETHING BOSS!” To his surprise, he was simply looking at the second girl without uttering a word.

Seconds passed as everyone stood in silence in those poses as Truelip was looking through the next crate before Dryan finally responded.

“So you’re back.”

“Yes…” Tiara replied timidly.

“Are you content?”

“…Yes…” an even timider and profoundly unsatisfied reply.

The rowdy man had calmed down a bit as his rage was replaced by confusion once more. Sadly, that’s what happens when Truelip is around, but he quickly focused his attention as even if his leader was acting friendly with them the blond girl had said that reinforcements are arriving so he had no time to waste. He was too late though as he turned around to face the trespassers he saw the guards on patrol already entering the room with spears pointed towards them as he was distracted by the casual conversation.

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He quickly pulled out his right arm from under the sleeve that had fallen over it to ready a spell, but the guards had already gone around Truelip, one went towards the stairs blocking them and making sure he takes out anyone who goes down it without seeing him while another in the opposite side of the room as they surrounded them with two more guards, one of which was the night patrol leader, closed in the other opening, forcing them back against the barricaded wall.

“The girl’s the one who told us about them.” Truelip quickly told them as they had also begun to force her in the enclose with them.

“How can we trust her?” the guard leader asked her, without taking her eyes off their boss and the caster as they looked the most dangerous out of them.

“She’s even weaker than every single one of the sleepyheads outside.”

“What about the dagger on her back.”

Tiara quickly gulped and started shaking slightly as she inched her hands ever so slightly towards it at the mention of it, but stopped herself as she doesn’t want to be considered a threat, even though the convincing was going so well right now.

For the first time, Truelip took her gaze away from the contents of the crates and looked at the leader who was Soarhia Loetarsa, the red-haired girl that scolded her the previous time she was dealing with crates.

“That doesn’t change anything.” She said with her expressionless face, with slight irritation almost unnoticeable in her voice.

“True…” was the only response she got as Tiara visibly calmed down and got behind Truelip as the guards ignored her and went past her to tighten the enclosure.

The caster was visibly shaking at this point, but with even more anger than earlier. “What now?-” he almost screamed at his boss.

In response was only a long silence before he finally made up his mind. “Do you promise to keep her safe if we surrender?”

Of course Soarhia was confused at who they meant, but obviously, it’s better if they didn’t have to fight so see blindly replied with a confident “Of course.”

“Then I-” Dryan wanted to continue but was cut off by his substitute leader - the hooded man. “What do you mean we’re surrendering?! What was all our work for?! Are you selling us out for this little whore?!” he was yelling so loud everyone could probably hear him in the nearby houses in this quiet night. Of course, they were in their territory so they were all vacant, but he can certainly point passing guards in the direction of the action.

The first time during this entire fiasco did his boss actually bother to run around and looked incredibly pissed at that. Of course, he wasn’t given a chance to respond as the caster put his right hand under his hood to pull something out. All the guards tensed and were about to charge him, but before even he can grab what he was looking for he suddenly shuddered as he was hit in the back and started to slowly lean forward before he fell with a thud, revealing Truelip, who had suddenly appeared behind him with a dagger made out of ice, in her arm, as she stood in the same pose she stabbed him in, right arm raised and close to her face, holding the dagger in reverse grip.

Everyone was more surprised at her sudden teleportation as she didn’t do any incantation, nor was any mana from the spell present in the air.

As he was falling though, she quickly grabbed his robe with her other hand making him fall sideways. She quickly kneeled closer pulled it closer to here revealing a ball shape hiding under it as she moved the cloth to the side to reveal the mysterious item – a black crystal ball with a purple sheen to it.

“What’s that…?” Soarhia asked curious at what the caster was about to do.

“I’m not done identifying what it does yet, but whatever it is its dark magic.”

Everyone who heard that gulped that magic usually takes the enemies life to power it, especially so for items using it. Tiara didn’t know that, but she still gulped as she knew that was a very scary magic type. Dryan looked especially nervous too, uncharacteristically for him since he looked calm the whole time till now.

“H-how do you know…?” The redhead continued her questioning.

“Magic sense.”

Tiara was also getting tired of constantly hearing that the entire night.

“How come you didn’t do it earlier?” Soarhia continued.

“Because the hood had a magical barrier that prevented the detection of anything under it including the wearer himself.”

All the guards looked at her even more concerned now as that would have been very difficult to deal with, had things not gone how they did.

“I know it’s dangerous, but why are you holding it with the cloak still…”

“I’m not confident enough in not activating it accidentally.”

“I see…”

“We should go secure the second floor too.” Truelip changed the subject.

“Ye-es!” Soarhia replied back before ordering the rest. “Quickly shackle everyone here and go secure the second floor, but one stay behind and watch them! But what about them?” she pointed at the girl.

Truelip turned specifically to her. “You go outside where the others are on this floor and scream if anything happens.” The girl just nodded timidly before she ran off.

“Also I checked the crates and they’re all filled with magical items so we should be extra careful.”

She received a nervous nod before everyone turned around towards the stairs and the blond girl spoke up once more. “I’ll take the lead.”

“But-“

“If they attack me I can get behind them effortlessly.”

“She received a second nod, which inclined her to believe she was the only her who had that ability as it would have been brought up otherwise.

“Then let us proceed.”

She quietly and calmly walked up the stairs. As she was high enough to see inside the second floor she saw three thugs quickly moving boxes on top boxes through a magical gate with an active portal in its center. She could also sense two people waiting on her in ambush next the door to the staircase as well as 5 more people hiding behind the crates. She sighed internally and didn’t spend long on what incantation she should use and quickly made up one before she quickly shot herself towards the doorframe, zooming past the two in wait as they were expecting cautious guards instead of a wombat they can’t see.

Truelip started casting her spell midair. “Fallen frigid frost, tightly tie with ice, [Frost Mist]!”

When she landed her feet on the ground, one in front the other for stable footing, she used the confusion to prevent them from reacting on time she quickly stretched her hands forward and pulled them sideways as an icy breeze started emanating from her, freezing the moisture in the air to all surfaces it came in contact, freezing the bandit’s feet in place while they started shivering from the frost forming over their clothes and skin.

Taking the opportunity, the rest of the guards stormed in with their spears once after the other.

Soarhia was of course quick in her response too. “Drop your weapons! Tie them up with the magicuffs!”

Of course, all of them were trying to free themselves from the ground and the ones next to the portal were especially desperate to get near it as they were handcuffed. Frost started to appear on Truelip too while she was standing still in that pose as she was still channelling the ability. Her speaking was slower too.

“Stop… the portal…”

“Quick!” added the redhead.

As one of the guards went to the side of it too, the aptest at magic equipment, to see how he can do so when suddenly a giant fireball went through it, heading straight for Truelip who was standing in the middle of the room facing it.