"Fortunately for us," Began Borus. "The High Priest Alivandel has a very good reputation and no one suspects him of doing anything strange. That is why his security is rather lax, but it's still a bit difficult."

Evarius waited for his partner to finish before he continued, "From the intelligence we gathered so far, we only have to worry about the dogs as they're a special breed and have a very sensitive sense of smell and of course the guards."

Borus picked up from where his friend stopped, "As we have mentioned Evarius is a Druid, so you can leave the dogs to him. As for the guards, you'll have to find a way to enter the mansion without being detected and achieve the objective we came here for."

"Understood," Melvin said with a serious expression as the danger of what he was about to embark on started to sink in. "I have to look for something akin to a basement? A dungeon? Something where they might imprison their victims, correct?"

"Precisely," said Borus.

Melvin hesitated a little as he looked from one person to the other before he finally gritted his teeth and questioned, "Why can't you help me once again?"

Evarius chuckled and said, "I understand your worries but you have to understand that the situation is rather sensitive, especially for us. The Church's power is second to none. We aren't entirely sure about our suspicions in this particular case, much less proof. That is why we want to know what's inside without the slightest offense if you will, without raising any alarms. That is why there needs to be someone like you to do that job for us because you'll be leaving the city soon and it won't affect you."

Melvin's face morphed into one of shock as realization finally dawned on him. Not that he hadn't already reasoned what was said, but more so the fact that it was only at that moment that he realized that yes he would be leaving the city soon. If all went smoothly of course.

"Alright, I understand." He said after a short while as he looked at the two. "What if I don't find anything?"

"It doesn't matter," Borus said. "We'll still follow with our end of the deal, and tomorrow night you'll be able to leave the city."

Melvin gulped and gently breathed in and out as his head turned left gazing at the vast majestic mansion with well-maintained bushes and beautifully green trees lining the grand path from the outer gate to the main door leading inside. "Let's begin," He said with a serious tone.

The two nodded and the three of them separated and went in different directions. Melvin and Firrol walked toward the left side of the mansion whereas the other two went right, in the direction of the black steel gate.

Melvin continued advancing on the vast grassy field where the mansion lay, and the sky overhead had already started losing its brightness and was gradually becoming darker by the second. The mansion was situated in a green and open field, and so as he continued walking there was quite a distance between him and the houses in the other directions. Fortunately, there were some very big trees with numerous branches holding rich and thick foliage that made his presence less noticeable as he made way for his position at the back of the mansion.

"Like we talked about," Melvin whispered to the alert cat walking beside him who nodded in understanding. Once they were behind the mansion, Melvin pointed to a certain tall tree by the white-colored cement fence and said, "This one."

Firrol heeding his orders, skillfully and easily climbed into the tree and nestled into one of the branches as his piercing eyes gazed at the mansion. The loud barking of dogs continued, the leaves rustled as a cold night breeze by, and the nocturnal birds sang in this small green forest in the heart of Nightmond.

Melvin leaned against the cemented fence and awaited the cat's cue, which didn't take long to arrive.

"It's time," Firrol said as he gazed beyond the fence into the bustling insides of the mansion with a serious expression.

Melvin took a deep breath in and out as he closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come. His heart had quickened its pace in response to his nerves, and he could feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through his body. His eyes jolted open with a determined look, and without wasting any more time, he jumped into one of the nearby trees by the tall fence and started climbing. Firrol masterfully walked along the branches of the tree he climbed and jumped above the fence.

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After a bit of struggle, Melvin jumped from one of the branches into the tall fence as well, prompting the cat to jump down and lead the way as per the plan they had constructed. The human dutifully jumped down and followed after him.

There was a long paved path leading to different small houses, gazebos, and other facilities along the mansion. However, the duo's path was parallel to the main brick paved road, hidden beside the tall rich well-maintained bushes and the tall trees.

Melvin's gaze was locked into Firrol's tail as everything would depend upon it. His tail was pointing sharply to the right, and anyone would've noticed that there was something peculiar about that form. Melvin's ears were strained and taut to the limit as he did his best to catch anything that might endanger his life.

He could hear the sound of distant people talking, the occasional barking of dogs, and the curious chirps of the small birds in the trees he was walking underneath.

Suddenly, the tail he had been eyeing as if his life depended on it changed its form and pointed sharply to the left, and Melvin's steps as he stealthily walked there in a crouch came to a sudden halt. Firrol's form became even darker as it seemed to intertwine with the shadows and the darkness of the underbrush.

After a few seconds, Melvin could hear rhythmic footsteps to his left where more than two people walked with rough boots above the paved road. He could even make out that they were in the midst of talking about something. They swiftly passed by where he was as he held his breath and hid behind a bush, and they continued their walk into one of the distant small wooden houses at the edge of the path.

...

On the opposite side of the mansion, Borus was standing upright by a tree, his face alert, ears taut as he paid attention to every little detail in the darkness of the now descended night. Evarius on the other hand sat cross-legged leaning against the cemented fence as his sparrows circled the air above them with both determination and an oriented glint in its small beady eyes.

Strange light green symbols emanated out of Evarius's mouth as it opened and closed. The symbols would gently fly upwards like a soft feather carried by the morning breeze and eventually disintegrate into smaller strands of energy that spread out in every direction.

Following one of the small strands of the energy one would notice that the slender big dogs with pointy ears inside the mansion would become restless. Their sniffing would increase considerably as they gravitated towards the strands of energy with a budding growl in their throats as if they were both attracted by it but also afraid and thus angry.

There were around a dozen dogs in the whole mansion that were previously separated into different areas of the expansive abode, but after Evarius's magical involvement in the matter, they all congregated at the front of the mansion leaving the backside wide open. Something that one of the guards by the tall dark steel gate in his small wooden cottage seemed to swiftly notice.

He stood up from his comfortable chair with a rolled emberleaf in hand staring at the dog's behavior. If it was anyone else they wouldn't have noticed anything differently, because as things stood the dogs merely ran around the area like they usually do, chasing after one another, growling, and barking to their hearts' content. However, he of all people was different because all of those Fiendish Black Hounds were trained by him.

Just like the other guards, he wore the exact same uniform. A dark brown vest, simple black pants, and dark boots. He had a buzzcut, broad shoulders, and a relatively large nose. As he took another hit out of his emberleaf, his face was twisted into a deep frown as he gazed at everything before him. Deciding to ease his worries, he called one of the nearby dogs with a rhythmic click of his tongue which the dog seemed to immediately recognize and heed as it wagged its tail cheerfully and approached him.

In a cool voice, he spoke, "Come with me." Picking his pace, he left the other guards by the gate and made way for the back of the mansion as the big black dog dutifully followed after him.

Overhead, the small brown sparrow noticed this anomaly and chirped aggressively before it dove down and landed above the cemented fence as it continued its impatient song.

Evarius's eyes jolted open and the light green symbol crumbled into nothingness as he spoke with a worried voice, "A guard had just left and took one of the dogs with him." He raised his head glanced at Borus and said, "Should we do something?"

"No," Borus said from the darkness of both the tree and his dark cloak. "He's plenty strong, he should be able to handle it. At the same time that cat is very intelligent. Just continue what you're doing."

Evarius sighed and continued singing his wordless song that attracted the dogs.

...

When Melvin noticed that Firrol's tail was pointing to the right, he felt more at ease and continued following after him with a slight crouch that managed to completely hide him beside the tall bushes.

The grass under his feet was unimaginably soft and as the crickets chirped in the darkness of the night and the birds sang, he felt a tremendous sense of...life! Although the situation was rather dangerous, his lips couldn't help but widen into a beautiful smile as he followed after the cat. The mansion was infinitely beautiful with its well-kept bushes, tall magnificent trees, and masterfully crafted houses. An intense sweet smell clinged to the air from the nearby fruit trees and the numerous flowers underneath them.

Lost in that sense of wonder and beauty, Melvin didn't quite notice Firrol's tail that was pointing directly down, the most dangerous signal they agreed upon. When he finally came to and noticed, it was already too late.

A vicious tall black dog with barred fangs was running in their direction with a dangerous glint in its canine eyes, catching Melvin off guard. Behind the guard noticed their presence as well and he retrieved a steeled short staff from behind his clothes and followed after the dog with gritted teeth.