Kaelen drove through the bustling streets of Ravetham with precision, his Audi slicing through traffic like a blade. The morning rush filled the city with a chaotic energy, yet Kaelen maneuvered effortlessly, weaving between cars as though the road belonged to him. The city was alive, its towering skyscrapers casting long shadows over the crowded streets below. Neon signs blinked, and the scent of street food mixed with the metallic tang of exhaust in the air. Despite the noise and movement, Kaelen remained calm, focused—this was his city.

As he pulled up to the curb near Rave U, he spotted Elara leaning against the building, looking more drained than her usual sharp, confident self. Her lithe figure, typically poised and composed, was slouched. Dark circles under her eyes betrayed the exhaustion that had settled over her, softening her normally angular features.

Elara slid into the back seat with a weary sigh, her head dropping back against the headrest. "Guess who I ran into?" she muttered, her voice tinged with irritation. Not waiting for Kaelen to respond, she continued, "Vex. Either it’s my lucky day or a cosmic joke, but he didn’t recognize me as Strike. That didn’t stop him from hitting on me though. Ugh." She rolled her eyes, the frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. "I told him no, obviously, but he pulled the classic ‘Do you know who I am?’ routine." She shook her head. "So I told him, fine, if he could beat my friend Lost Stray, I'd go on a date with him, thinking it’d send him running. Instead, the idiot got excited. Said he was already planning to fight you."

Kaelen’s expression remained unreadable, his violet eyes fixed ahead. He let her words sink in before responding with a casual shrug. “I don’t give a fuck about Vex. I beat him once, I can beat him again. No problem.”

From the passenger seat, Loren, who had been sitting quietly, finally let out a displeased huff. Her blond hair shimmered slightly in the sunlight streaming through the window, her icy blue eyes narrowing. “Elara,” she said, her voice cold and measured, “don’t put Kaelen in any more awkward situations just to save your neck, or I might have to get involved.” Her gaze remained fixed ahead, but the warning in her tone was unmistakable.

Kaelen, caught off guard by Loren’s rare display of frustration, glanced at her, momentarily surprised by the tension. Elara made an annoyed sound, her midnight blue eyes narrowing as she shot a glare at Loren. “Chill, Miss Maid of the Year. Since when were you a high elf and not a druid? Right, you’re a witch—illusion magic and all that. I already apologized. I already feel like shit because it didn’t work, and Kaelen is fine with it!”

Before Kaelen could process the sudden clash between the two, a thunderous explosion shook the air, sending vibrations through the car. Smoke billowed up from a nearby intersection, thick and dark against the blue sky. Kaelen’s sharp eyes immediately scanned the scene, honing in on the chaos erupting just a few blocks away. Goblins, clad in mismatched armor and brandishing crude weapons, were locked in a fierce shootout with a group of kobolds. The air crackled with magical energy and the sharp staccato of gunfire, the two sides exchanging blows in a chaotic blur.

Kaelen barely blinked, his heart rate steady as he recognized some of the attackers. “Bankhands’ goblin goons,” he muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes. “And they’re going at it with Don Cappo’s kobold grunts. Looks like Bankhands caught on that Don Cappo was behind robbing his casino.”

Elara clicked her tongue, her irritation growing. “Great. Just what we need. But even if it does fall back on us, we’ll clean up those goblins so fast we’ll be called Goblinbane.”

The tension between them hung in the air as Kaelen pulled away from the scene and drove through the side streets, his hands gripping the wheel a little tighter. Eventually arriving at Elara’s apartment complex. The building stood tall, its weathered brick exterior contrasting sharply with the sleek modern structures around it. She hopped out of the car, shooting them a quick grin. “Give me a few minutes to get ready,” she called before disappearing into the building, her boots echoing against the concrete steps.

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Kaelen parked the Audi along the curb, the city’s distant buzz filtering through the car windows. He turned on some music to fill the silence, the familiar rhythm calming him as he leaned back in his seat. After a moment, he glanced at Loren, a question lingering on his mind. “So…what happened last night? Was it part of your maidly duties or…personal?”

Loren’s face flushed slightly, a soft pink coloring her normally pale cheeks. She averted her gaze, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. “A…little of both, maybe,” she admitted, her voice quieter than usual. “I might’ve taken it a little too far. Sorry.”

Kaelen felt his heart skip a beat, a rare sensation that caught him off guard. For the first time in a long while, his usual guarded composure faltered. Before he could respond, the car door swung open, and Elara returned, now dressed in her full Strike costume. The black armor hugged her frame, the hood covering her face, and the dual daggers strapped securely to her legs. She slid back into the seat, her movements quick and efficient.

She pulled out her phone, tapping away as she spoke. “Got the directions from Warptor. We’re heading to Ravenwood. It’s not far.”

Kaelen shook himself from his daze and punched the address into the GPS. As the car hummed to life, something clicked in his mind. Ravenwood… isn’t that where Valerian Drakov and Mason live? Funny how you can live somewhere your whole life and not know your neighbors.

They made a quick detour back to the Midnight Mirage Motel so Loren could change into her battle maid attire. As Kaelen waited, Elara handed him his wolf helmet, the metallic sheen catching the light. He slid it on, feeling the familiar weight settle over him as his armor enveloped him in an instant, the magic within the helmet activating as it usually did.

Elara, her sharp eyes studying him from the back seat, spoke up, her voice low. “You trust her?” she asked, the question laced with concern. “Because I’ve got a million reasons why you shouldn’t.”

Kaelen responded without hesitation, his tone even. “I don’t trust anyone. But I know she’s loyal. That’s good enough for me.”

Before Elara could press further, Loren returned, now fully dressed in her druid-maid disguise. The canine ears atop her head twitched slightly, and the tail that swayed behind her completed the illusion. Without another word, Kaelen drove toward Warptor’s mansion.

When they arrived, the mansion loomed before them, an imposing structure nestled deep in the heart of Ravenwood. The sprawling estate was surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns, each blade of grass meticulously trimmed. Crystal-clear fountains flanked the grand entrance, their water shimmering in the sunlight as it cascaded down into gemstone-encrusted basins. Silver-leafed trees lined the stone pathway, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. Glowing orbs floated lazily in the air, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the pristine estate.

Kaelen parked his car, and they stepped out, feeling the weight of the mission ahead. Each fountain sparkled in the morning sun, casting shimmering reflections onto the gemstone-encrusted walkway that gleamed beneath their feet as they approached.

As they neared the entrance, Kaelen’s eyes narrowed on the front door—an odd, futuristic panel with no visible handle or knob. The seamless design looked almost alive, smooth and metallic, pulsating faintly as if reacting to their presence. A soft mechanical hum filled the air, and without warning, thin beams of light shot out from the door, scanning each of them from head to toe. The beams left a tingling sensation in their wake, as if the estate itself was judging them.

The door shimmered before a calm, robotic voice echoed through hidden speakers. “Please wait. The owner has been notified of your arrival.”

Moments later, the door slid open with a quiet hiss, revealing Warptor.

Warptor stood in the doorway, his presence commanding instant respect. The regal figure was like no other. A bipedal raptor with sleek, iridescent feathers that shimmered in the light, their color shifting from a deep blue to a metallic green as he moved. Jagged crystals jutted out from his skin, glowing faintly with an internal energy that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. His sharp, intelligent eyes glinted beneath his brow, assessing them with a piercing gaze.

Standing a good foot shorter than Kaelen, Warptor’s height did nothing to diminish the aura of power and authority that radiated from him. His movements were smooth and deliberate, each step an example of his control over his body and the space around him.

With a clawed hand, he gestured for them to enter. His voice was smooth, almost hypnotic as he spoke, the undertones of a predator in his tone. “Welcome,” Warptor said, his eyes gleaming. “I’ve been expecting you.”

The light from the estate reflected off the crystals embedded in his skin, casting fractured rainbows around the entryway as they followed him inside.