As the guards receded into the distance, the two men ran across the courtyard towards another set of statues. They were playing it safe here, so as to not be caught off guard by a group of guards. At this point, their disguises would be seen through in an instant if any Tier 2s came looking for them.

Another group came marching out a half minutes later, and the two men took that opportunity to run across as they passed. In this way, they crossed the courtyard in a matter of minutes, eventually ducking into the palace. Looking at it from the outside, they had both assumed that the palace complex was a large array of different buildings, but now that they were looking at it, it all seemed to be one gargantuan edifice. Their goal would probably be secreted away in some treasury somewhere.

As they hid behind another set of statutes, Jonathan took the opportunity to take a look around himself. The palace hallway was far larger than it needed to be, extending up for almost a hundred feet into the air. All of the doors that led to other rooms were similarly gargantuan, and the whole thing was bathed in the light of dozens of floating balls of fire. This was the palace of a true god among mortals, a being that was so strong that he had ruled these lands unopposed for millennia, or perhaps longer. Even worse, Jonathan was expected to fight him.

He bit his lip to get rid of the encroaching dread, and kept moving. Now that they were in the palace, there were less shadows to hide in, and they would have to start acting like actual guards. Hiding in here would be more suspicious than simply walking through the halls. Edging out of their shadow, the two men started down the hallway, acting as if they were assured of their place in the world.

A few minutes later, the noise of a patrol came down the hallway, and Jonathan gulped. It was time to see if their disguise was up to muster. As the group of guards rounded the corner, Jonathan noticed that their leader was Tier 2. It was time to see if they could talk their way out of this. As the group of fifty or so guards neared Jonathan and Edgar, they stopped, and regarded the newcomers.

“Why are you two on your own?” The Tier 2 asked, in deep and rumbling tones. It seemed that a lot of the people directly under Granath were made from the same mold.

“Our captain sent us to check on something in the treasury,” Jonathan said, keeping the tremor out of his voice with great effort. “However, we have never been there before, and as such don’t know where it is. Tell me, sir, are we going in the right direction?” Jonathan stood still, looking directly at the Tier 2 in front of him. Beside him, Edgar was fidgeting slightly, unable to contain his nervousness. The guard captain looked at them for a few moments, and then nodded.

“Hmm. Well, the treasury is ten doors down the hallway, and to the left. After that, you have to go down the first set of stairs. Be quick though. Tardiness is not appreciated.”

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Jonathan saluted, and Edgar followed suit a few moments later, just in time to allay suspicion. The two men started down the hallway, but were stopped by a cough from the guard captain.

“There is something off about you two, but I can’t tell what,” the guard captain said, beginning to turn around. Jonathan poured his mana into his mask, and the other man suddenly paused, and then waved his hand. “I’m sure it's nothing though. Carry on, soldiers.”

As the man trudged off with his platoon in tow, Jonathan let out a breath that he hadn't been aware of holding. That had been quite stressful indeed.

The two men continued without any further incident, making their way past the arched doorways and counting them carefully. When they had reached the tenth one, they had passed by the other platoons, none of which had even looked at them. Perhaps they assumed that any suspicious activity would have already been noticed by now.

They stepped through the arch, and found themselves in a markedly smaller passageway that sloped downwards gently. There was a staircase on the right side, illuminated by the same floating balls of light as outside, and Jonathan started down it. Neither man had spoken since the encounter with the guards, as they were both too apprehensive about what they would find.

The staircase was long and narrow, and it continued downwards for over a thousand steps. The two men sped up at the midway point, and reached the bottom a few minutes later. They found themselves on a large landing, facing a series of desks, each of which was manned by a studious looking accountant, poring over lists and bills. Nobody looked up as they entered, and Jonathan kept walking, looking straight ahead. They had made it to their destination, but whether they could safely abscond with their stolen possessions and escape the city before they were found was another story altogether.

The treasury itself was behind a large metal door at the back of the accounting room, and it was guarded by two powerful Tier 2 fighters, clad in ornate plate mail that positively vibrated with power. The same went for their weapons, which were in good shape and were clearly not just for decoration.

As Edgar and Jonathan neared, however, the guards stepped back, and the door opened behind them. Flashing his companion a look, Jonathan stepped inside, and waited for Edgar to follow him. That had been entirely too easy.

The treasury itself was an awe inspiring sight, a thousand foot wide room filled to the brim with treasure. Columns and pillars supported the ceiling, giving the entire thing an ancient look. Floating lights cast their illumination over the room, giving it an ethereal glow. The interior of the treasury was filled with piles upon piles of Leviathan Marks, and other goods, which somehow were not as imposing as Jonathan had been expecting, mainly because of the drab color of the coinage of this realm, as opposed to the gold that he would have expected in any other world. However, it was still quite a bit of money, and when he reclaimed his storage pouch, he would take some of it with him.

The strata of the piles seemed to be organized by age, with the dustiest items at the back, and the newer ones at the front. It took Jonathan almost no time at all to pinpoint the location of his belongings, and for Edgar to find him. Their goods were unceremoniously piled on top of one of the mounds of coins, and Jonathan quickly walked over to it, his shoes causing the carpet of coins to clink.

“I guess we found it then,” Jonathan said, as he picked up his storage device.