Chapter 6 The Golden Gamble

Why was I so sure the dogs would eat the food Scruffy brought them? Simple. Animalkind didn’t understand the concept of storing food for later like ants or squirrels did. I was an exception. Most strays in this city stuffed themselves silly before winter and hibernated in cozy nooks, hoping for the best. Birds seemed to get it with their constant gathering, but the likes of dogs, cats, raccoons, and kangaroos? Not a chance. They lived for the now, and that was their weakness.

Daisy, crouched beside me under the shrubbery, flicked her tail impatiently. “Should we move now, boss?”

I gave her a sharp look. “How many times do I have to say it? Refer to me as Your Majesty or Kaiser.” Then, with a sigh, I added, “No, not yet. We wait for the signal.”

The plan hinged on patience. It would take time for the dogs to eat the poisoned food and for the quick-acting paralytic to kick in. Rushing in now would ruin everything.

I adjusted the two rings on my tail, the weight of them uncomfortable but necessary. One was gold, enchanted with invisibility magic. It let me vanish once a day, as long as no one touched me or hit me too hard. The other, a silver ring, boosted my agility, dexterity, and strength. Handy, sure, but they both drained my stamina over time. Wearing two at once was like running a race with weights strapped to your legs, but I’d trained myself to handle it. Tonight, I needed every edge I could get.

“Are you all ready?” I asked, my voice low but commanding. “Smear your claws with the poison. You know the drill.”

The cats stirred, struggling to open the small vials I’d given them. Their lack of opposable thumbs was showing, but eventually, the soft pops of corks being removed reached my ears.

Daisy, her claws now gleaming with the oily substance, turned to me. “Done. We’re moving top to bottom, right?”

“Exactly.”

Then, finally, the signal came—a bolt of fire streaked through the air, slamming into the far side of the abandoned manor. Chunky, Demo, and Lucky were doing their part, unleashing chaos with the magic scrolls.

“Let’s move!” I hissed.

We darted out of the bushes, staying low and quiet as we approached the building. My heart pounded as we crept closer. The faint sounds of barking and shouting came from the other side. The dogs were distracted, the thieves and adventurers likely scrambling to figure out what was happening.

Our team slipped through a broken window on the opposite side of the manor. Inside, the air was thick with the musty scent of old wood and dust. The flickering light of a single torch cast eerie shadows on the walls.

“Daisy,” I whispered, “take two cats and check the west wing. Look for anything resembling a vault or hidden chamber.”

She nodded, her sleek ginger fur blending into the shadows as she disappeared down the corridor with her squad.

The rest of us moved deeper into the manor, our pawsteps silent on the creaky floorboards. My senses were on high alert, every sound and movement amplified in the tense quiet.

“Over here,” one of Daisy’s cats whispered, her voice barely audible.

I followed the sound, finding them near a heavy wooden door. It was slightly ajar, revealing a staircase spiraling downward.

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“This has to be it,” I muttered.

We descended cautiously, the air growing colder with each step. At the bottom, we found a room lined with shelves filled with trinkets, scrolls, and treasures. But in the center, on a pedestal surrounded by faintly glowing runes, sat our prize—the Golden Apple.

“There it is,” Daisy breathed.

“Stay sharp,” I warned. “This is too easy.”

I activated the invisibility ring, feeling the familiar tingle as my form vanished. Slowly, I approached the pedestal, my eyes scanning for traps. The runes hummed faintly, and I knew better than to touch the apple directly. Instead, I pulled a cloth from my satchel and carefully wrapped it around the fruit.

The moment the apple left the pedestal, the runes flared, and a deafening alarm rang out.

“Move!” I shouted.

Daisy and the others bolted for the stairs, but our escape route was already blocked. A group of thieves and adventurers burst into the room, weapons drawn.

My mind raced. “Daisy, protect the apple! Claw them when you can and fight for time!”

“But—”

“No arguments! Go!”

I leapt forward, claws out, and swiped at the nearest adventurer, using the silver ring’s strength boost to knock him off balance. The room erupted into chaos as the others joined the fray.

I stared at the Golden Apple as Daisy kicked it across the floor, the glow of its enchantments tantalizing and surreal. My paws itched to grab it, my teeth ready to sink into its flesh. This apple wasn’t just a treasure—it was a ticket to something greater. But first, we had to deal with the problem in front of us.

The thieves and adventurers, stunned by the sight of a pack of cats storming their hideout, were scattered and shouting.

“What the hell? Are these cats?”

“That ginger has the Golden Apple!”

“Get her!”

“Oh shit, this cat has incredible strength!”

“Damn thieving cats!”

“I’ll slash you!”

Perfect. Their confusion gave us the edge we needed.

Daisy, despite her smaller size, was playing an impressive game of keep-away with the Golden Apple. She kicked it like a soccer ball, batting it back and forth between her and her squad. The thieves and adventurers lunged after her, only to be met with scratches and bites as her team pounced on them with synchronized fury.

Meanwhile, I had my own role to play. I darted around, clawing at the ones who aimed for killing blows. My goal was simple: make myself the bigger threat. It worked. They cursed and turned their weapons on me, giving Daisy and the others the space they needed to keep the apple moving.

The basement was spacious but chaotic. Shelves toppled, treasures clattered to the floor, and the air filled with growls, shouts, and the occasional magical crackle from upstairs. The manor shook violently at one point—probably Lucky and the squads outside unleashing their barrage of scrolls.

I counted eight opponents in total down here. The rest were likely outside, trying to fend off the magic storm. One thief, his face pale and sweaty, stumbled forward and collapsed, his fingers twitching. The poison was working.

A dwarf and a gnome charged at me next. The dwarf swung his axe with surprising speed, but I ducked under it, my enhanced agility from the silver ring saving me. The gnome tripped over his own feet as the paralysis took hold, his face planting into the dusty floor.

A female elf spun around, her bow half-drawn, but she staggered into a shelf and collapsed, her limbs locking up as the poison coursed through her veins. One by one, they dropped, their larger builds working against them as the paralytic spread faster in their bloodstreams.

I grinned, flicking my tail. “Grab that magic bag!” I shouted. “Stuff it with everything you can find!”

Daisy and her team leapt into action, their movements quick and efficient as they snatched up the glowing satchels. I counted four magic bags in total—each one capable of holding far more than it appeared. What a haul.

Daisy padded over, the Golden Apple rolling at her feet. “Here’s your apple,” she said, her voice steady despite the chaos.

I stared at it, my mouth watering. The stories about this fruit were legendary. It could awaken power, grant immortality, or change fate itself. I didn’t know what it would do for me, but I was ready to find out.

“This is it,” I murmured, picking up the apple with my paws. My reflection shimmered in its golden surface, a perfect little cat face framed by glowing light.

Daisy tilted her head. “You’re really going to eat it?”

I salivated, my heart racing. “Of course I am. To awaken, to rise, to prove that my existence as a cat is a miracle! This is my second life, and I’ll make it worth something.”

The others watched, wide-eyed, as I raised the apple to my mouth.

“Hehehe~! Time to dig in!”

With a single bite, the apple’s sweetness flooded my senses. Warmth spread through my body, electric and alive. My vision blurred, the world around me spinning as power surged through my veins.

This was it. My moment of transformation. My destiny.