The talk with Dalia was unexpectedly pleasant. She didn’t press him for any information or try to interrogate him in any way. It was more of a meet-up between the two strangers trying to get to know each other.

At least, it was until the time to discuss renting this place came. That was when he learned of her ‘business side’. Even he had to take a step back and admit defeat, Dalia’s negotiation skills were truly remarkable, not that Veles could pride himself on possessing any, nor did he really care about money in the first place. Nonetheless, she won, thus making him considerably poorer.

She demanded thirty platinum coins for just a three-month stay. That without Tora’s half. This brought the usual price to ten a month, which was outrageous. Not that Veles didn’t have enough. He had forty-two and maybe a third of that in gold and silver. But considering that it was all he’d taken from the Mayor’s house back in Koria, meaning that a Mayor of a small town could barely afford a month here. That… if talk about other expenses didn’t come into play…

Not that Veles could complain much. They did a full tour, and it was somehow worth its price. The whole estate was almost two acres big. Beautiful gardens and trees that were all around were clearly being cared for regularly. Though the mansion itself wasn’t that huge, it perfectly fit in this large of an estate while providing a decent sense of quietness to it. All in all, it was a great place.

The truth was. Veles hadn’t originally planned to go on like this. The idea was to find someone who knew the ropes of the city and then go on his own way by finding somewhere to settle, preferably in the outskirts. From there, he would slowly work without attracting attention and stealthy raise his strength.

Yet, here he was. Holding a piece of paper that made his eyebrow twitch. He couldn’t help himself but say, “You know, the moment we met, everything went south. I should’ve listened to my instincts and let that damned carriage go.”

His words were aimed at Tora as she rumbled through the basket containing numerous fruits. She skillfully picked strawberries while avoiding everything else. But when Veles’s words reached her, she stopped and looked at him in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

He threw her the piece of paper. She grabbed it skillfully and after reading just a couple of rows, she giggled, “Sis could be a handful something. Don’t mind what’s on this paper much. She let her overprotectiveness take the lead.”

Veles said nothing. Contents of that paper were just numerous ‘don’ts’ while living under the same roof as Tora. While most of them made sense, when combined, it was like a restraining order that even forbade looking Tora’s way. It was ridiculous, no matter how stern and serious Dalia looked when she wrote it.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Veles interrupted as Tora amusingly read all the contents of the paper. “Your sister mentioned that you somehow ‘know’ we aren’t going to harm you? Mind explaining how?”

Hearing this, she pursed her lips, “You paid attention, huh…I shouldn’t say this but I hope my guess about you is correct,” she then took a deep breath. “Ever since I was young, I developed a very subtle gift of empathy. I can vaguely sense if someone wished to cause me some harm or even sometimes if they have good intentions…”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” Veles said with a smile, “Fancy telling me what do you sense about me?”

“Hmm,” Tora hummed thoughtfully, “You gave me the feeling that if I treat you good, it will yield me a good fortune.”

“That,” Veles paused, “is a very particular empathic reading.” He then pointed his finger at the paper Tora held. With a flick upwards, it flew from her hand, rolled itself into a scroll, and gently landed in Veles’s hand. The second later, it vanished inside his ring. No matter how ridiculous its content was, better to be safe than sorry.

Ignoring her stupefied look, Veles decided to ask something that was weighing on his mind, “Tell me about that guy we encountered. He seems to show a very strong interest in you. What’s up with that?”

He didn’t need to point out the bland disregard she showed for that guy’s presence. Her current frown was enough for him to understand that the matter wasn’t that simple.

“Basar has been chasing me for more than seven years,” Tora spitefully added, “However, he was never a genuine person. He showed many times that his only interest is the power my family holds. No matter how many times I’ve rejected him, he never gave up.”

“Seven years?” Veles pointed out. His eyes narrowed. “How old are you now?”

“Twenty-two,” She replied, her face showing she understood where he was pointing at. “You heard sis mentioning my brother Randal. Well, trust me, he tried many times to get rid of annoyance. But the problem is that Basar is the successor to one of the Marquess of Tapion. I don’t even know how you managed to bypass his mental protection artifact, but if sis wasn’t there, you would have ended up in big trouble.”

“I highly doubt that,” said Veles at the last part she said, then continued. “What bothers me is how much of a hindrance he will be. I am very familiar with the gaze he sent me. There is no way he will let today’s matter go.”

Tora helplessly sighed, “I don’t know much about him outside the general stuff everyone does. To me, he is just a nuisance, not worth a second of my time. However, from what sis Dalia told me, when Randal tried to take action against him, our father interfered and stopped him. Apparently, it’s a pretty bad idea to harm that guy.”

“I see,” That’s all Veles said as his hand gently pet Vera’s neck. The mischievous owl acted as if it was beneath her to enjoy his petting, yet couldn’t be bothered to show any protest.

That guy, Basar, he was the perfect person for Veles to test a couple of things. After all, he could recognize an impulsive idiot when he saw one, and their behavior was easily predictable…

Looking through the window of a large relaxing room in the recently rented overpriced mansion. Veles noticed that the dark veil had already covered the sky. Bringing about the quietness of the night.

“I guess it’s time to retreat and finally get a good night’s rest,” said Veles as he handed Tora the key to her own room. Alongside the other minor runic stones that came with the house, their purpose was to interact with numerous wards surrounding this place and differentiate intruders from those living inside.

She took it and said, “You are right. I’m practically exhausted.” After having a small talk, she retreated with a small protest because she didn’t get a chance to get the biggest room. Leaving Veles and Davis alone.

Davis, who was lazily lying down on the couch, stretched and slowly brought himself into the sitting position. “I will also retreat to bed. All that traveling did a number on me.”

Unfortunately, just as Davis was about to grab his key and leave, Veles said, “You aren’t going to help me exterminate the pest?”

“What are you talking about?” Davis asked, his face fell. Probably imagining what crazy chore Veles was going to throw his way.

“There are two bipedal rats observing us for the past hour. It would be wise to get rid of them before getting some rest,” said Veles. Although he doubted he would be able to sleep at all, the sound of space warping and other spatial abilities still grind his mind.

“Wait,” Davis’s eyes widened, “You mean?”

“It is exactly as you thought. It’s time to fully test our advancement to the Fourth Stage,” said Veles after standing up and slowly levitating three daggers with his telepathy.

Hearing this, Davis grinned. The fatigue previously shown on his face was nowhere to be seen. Grabbing his trusted spear, the only thing he asked was, “Where?”

“We can’t really just rush there,” Veles again stroked Vera’s head, “She said they were observing us from the left corner near the gate. Rushing in their direction will just give them the opportunity to escape.”

“Are you certain they are simply observing? They haven’t tried anything else?” Asked Davis.

“According to Vera, they haven’t,” Veles then showed a fist-sized stone tablet. It was literally just a piece of stone with numerous runes drawn on it. “This is supposed to be a ward controller, and according to it, they are still standing outside the range of all the security wards.”

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This small tablet was probably the main reason why this mansion was so expensive. The security provided by all the wards was truly top-notch. Some of the main measures that provide safety consist of intruder alert, protection from direct-range attacks at the mansion, and one golem that could be controlled manually, but what Veles found most interesting was the teleportation preventing ward.

Dalia did give them a very detailed run through the whole system of this place. She even explained how to control all the features and adjust them to one’s liking. So, pouring mana into two bottom right sets of runes on the stone tablet that served as a ward controller, Veles disabled a feature that would hinder him.

“Come here,” Veles gestured for Davis to stand near him. Understanding what was to come, Davis stood next to him with his shoulders slumped. “The moment we appear there, be ready for immediate action.”

Without waiting anymore, both flashed faintly silver before disappearing from their position…

Their appearance was followed by a faint popping sound, heavily starling the two individuals who were entirely focused on their mission.

To Veles’s surprise, these two weren’t ‘assassin-looking’ guys he was unfortunate to face all this time. Instead, the one who was standing far in the tree held a bow inside his hand. He was dressed in casual black, and his widened eyes had a yellow runic circle dancing inside them. Obviously, he used a certain type of ocular spell to spy on them.

The other guy was previously leaning on the tree’s trunk below the ‘scout’. He wore a thick dark purple robe with a hood over his head. His hands were filled with various rings, each giving a different mana signature.

The moment Veles and Davis appeared, they immediately asserted the situation. The guy with a bow was at the Fourth Stage, while the hooded figure was at the Fifth.

“I will take the hooded guy,” said Veles as the three daggers danced around his body.

Davis nodded. His free hand made an over-shoulder throwing motion. This action caused two uninvited guests to have their eyes widen. Following Davis’s move were dozens of fist-sized earth balls aiming directly at the guy with the bow who skillfully stood on the thin branch.

In a panic to dodge the earthen buckshot, a bow guy had three sets of runes dancing alongside his legs. He jumped skillfully, narrowly dodging Davis’s attack as he landed on the next tree. In an attempt to retaliate, the archer quickly shot three arrows directly at Davis.

Already prepared for an attack. All Davis did was tap his foot on the ground, resulting in three earth boulders jumping in the arrow’s way, successfully intercepting them. In further intention to level the playing field, Davis sent yet another valley of debris archer’s way, which this time managed to force the guy to jump from the tree.

Dashing forward with the spear in his hand. Davis chased the person with the bow, who was constantly trying to gain distance while showering Davis with arrows.

All this time, Veles wasn’t standing idly. He’d tested his opponent with numerous probes, but his speculation proved to be right. His opponent was extremely geared and even experienced. Every black arrow that worked wonders on bandits was now easily stopped by the transparent veil surrounding the guy in a purple robe.

This veil of energy clearly came from the artifacts he wore. Of course, as the first move, Veles tried to hit him with a mental attack, but the person was prepared. His mind was protected by the layers of mana that came from himself and even the artifacts on top.

Veles decided to take a step back in his approach and observe. The hooded figure was some kind of Mage. Ever since Veles and Davis appeared, he’d never stopped working with his arms, drawing a number of floating runes. Each shining bright purple, but instead of floating in the air and waiting for the spell to be completed. They would vanish as fast as they appeared, not giving Veles enough information to figure out what was going on.

However, the next moment, when his opponent finished drawing the runes. It all made sense. Five big purple circles appeared on the ground surrounding the guy, every single one of them brightly shining. From this light was revealed five gruesome-looking beasts. On the first look, they looked like malnourished wolves with a sickly puss covering the portions of their fur. Yet, closely looking, their muzzle structure didn’t match that of a wolf. They looked somehow deranged and twisted…

“I guess you are one of those Summoners…” said Veles. Alongside three daggers that already flew next to him, he’d taken another two in his hands.

The strange wolves didn’t wait for him to act. They lunged at Veles without even receiving any orders from their summoner.

To this, Veles just got into a stance. In the blink of an eye, the nearest beast was already jumping at him with its maw wide open. One of the daggers that was slowly circling around his body suddenly changed course, its tip aimed directly between the jaws that were threatening to bite Veles’s head off. In a swift movement, the dagger zoomed in and pierced the beast’s throat, making an exit at the opposite side of its head.

Yet despite this, Veles, with a distinct pop, vanished only to appear right next to the last beast in the row. He slashed downward and skillfully aimed his blade at the back of the beast’s neck. With a quick movement, he dispatched its head and yet again vanished. Only to this time appear a good distance away.

He frowned when watching the five disgusting things immediately changing their mindless rush and going at him again. Yes… five, because even the one with the pierced throat and the cut head were still on their legs, maddeningly running at him.

“They don’t look like an undead,” mumbled Veles quietly. He eyed the Summoner and noticed that the guy was looking at him in shock. The information he had on Veles’s abilities probably didn’t match whatever the person who sent him here said.

“I should take this seriously. Shouldn’t I?” said Veles to himself. The dagger that was previously used with his telekinesis to pierce the wolf’s throat was back next to the other two. This time, their spinning speed increased, their sharp tips chaotically dancing around his body as they left trails of blackish smoke from their blades.

Suddenly, the three popping sounds resounded. The three rushing beasts stopped in their tracks. Blades were stuck directly at where their brains should be. From the puncture, a black type of mana infected their bodies, slowly but surely eating them from inside.

Veles wanted to get this over with. He flashed silver and appeared like a ghost behind the summoner, simultaneously striking with his two daggers from both sides horizontally. Unfortunately, to Veles’s surprise, the summoner poured mana inside two of his rings like he'd expected him to appear there. Out of thin air, the transparent mana plates appeared directly to stop Veles’s attack, and it didn’t end just there…

Before Veles could stop, his dagger collided with this mana plate. It caused a reaction he’d kind of expected. The sheer recoil of the collision knocked daggers from his hands and even injured his wrists. It was obviously backed by the spell to enchant the kinetic force of the recoil, forcing him to be more cautious.

Taking a step back, Veles burst into silver light before appearing twenty meters away. He frowned while rubbing his wrists—they hurt like hell. He luckily managed to lose the hold on his daggers on time, or his hands would be done for.

Using the telekinesis, he levitated another three daggers he’d hidden under his clothes. Yet again, he sent two to finish the headless and the last wolf. He thought that dealing with this mindless summons would be the end of his opponent, but it looked like the Summoner had numerous tricks under his sleeve.

“How about we forget about this and go our ways?” The summoner suddenly spoke, his voice rough and sandy, “If I had known that I would be facing the Spatial Master, I wouldn’t have accepted this job.”

“I have to refuse,” replied Veles. “It’s too late to accept your offer.”

That’s all Veles said before he extended his left palm, wanting to test something. His mana flared, all poured into a tiny black dot spinning above his palm. Not even a second later, a tiny silver coat surrounded this pitch-black dot.

The Summoner noticed an immediate danger. He frantically started drawing runes that took instant effect and surrounded his body in a purplish dome that served as a shield. But what Veles was sending his way could hardly be blocked…

Veles snapped a finger with his free hand. A loud sound, like someone had torn a piece of paper, resonated. A small dot that was previously in his palm now floated next to Summoner’s right shoulder, and before the guy could react, the dot rapidly expanded, engulfing half of his face and almost his whole right hand.

Everything happened in less than a second. The round blackness consuming part of Summoner’s body just burst apart into the fog. Leaving behind a gruesome sight.

Half of the Summoner’s face was nothing more than a bare skull. His whole right shoulder was just bone. This lack of flesh almost reached his heart, showcasing some of his ribs, while what was left of his right arm was just the hand and a tiny bit of forearm. Practically, the whole upper right corner of the body was just gone…

“Should’ve dodged that,” said Veles with a shrug. The guy was actually skilled enough to vaguely predict his teleports. It wasn’t that hard, actually. When he teleported, there was always a tiny burst of mana where he would appear. And the Veles was sure most of the Mages could predict his teleports rather easily, but this guy was just overconfident in his little artifacts and shield he’d cast…

Knowing that the guy was done for. Veles thought about Davis. He teleported nearby, where he’d previously heard the sounds of battle. But just as his eyes caught the situation, he relaxed.

The guy wielding the bow was obviously dead. Yeah, obviously… considering that he was practically nailed to the tree with Davis’s spear, directly in his heart.

“What’s with you and the spear throwing?” Asked Veles, but then he scanned Davis more clearly. “Oh, he got you?”

Davis, who was sitting on the ground, grimaced. His hand was putting pressure on the puncture wound he’d sustained by the arrowhead.

“His arrows curved in the middle of the flight. I was some kind of spell… I don’t know, I just got surprised,” said Davis while trying to stand up. “But I got him good when he was trying to reach for the tree again.”

“You sure did,” replied Veles. “Need help?”

Despite the obvious pain, Davis shook his head. “No, I can handle myself. I just hope Tora has something to fix this.”

“She must have,” said Veles before switching his attention to the one specific place amidst the trees. His eyes matched those cyan ones of his favorite owl. “Come one girl, do your job! If I can’t sleep tonight, neither can a person who sent these two.”

Vera, his little arrogant owl, made an eye gesture that was strangely similar to when a human grins. She then closed her eyes completely, and if one didn’t have knowledge of where she previously stood, nobody would be able to sense her presence.

Turning around toward the mansion. Veles strove casually while rubbing his wrists. Behind him, Davis followed limply.

“Are we going to clean the mess?” Asked Davis.

“Don’t worry, their bodies would disappear before morning,” replied Veles. He saw in the distance that Tora was rushing their way. Their exchange was a loud one. It was almost impossible for her not to notice.

But seeing her expression. Veles prepared himself to get an earful…