Damn, this is a nice house, I thought to myself as I looked at the Grenwich manor. The place was large even for a manor with a tasteful garden in the front. From my vantage place on the roof, I could even make out some clock maidens with their bulky dress-like copper exteriors visible from the lantern light hanging above the gardens as they tended to the various plants in the garden.

Wonderful to look at but sightseeing was not what I was here for... I turned my binoculars upward. "Bingo!" I said in a small whisper as I spotted the open window. Smiling, I pulled out my bag from the little nook in the roof I was perched on. The building Itself was some old abandoned hospital with a roof that overlooked the Grenwich manner; it was a good spot.

I pulled out my disguise from the large green duffel bag, which comprised of a mask and dark cloak, both enchanted so I would make less noise when I moved around; quickly getting dressed, I removed my orphanage issued skirt and blouse to reveal the skin-tight leather pants and breastplate underneath enchanted to ensure no one would notice it as long I wore something over it.

I put on the silver mask first, whispering the incantation "color caeruleo," my vision turning blurry for a second as the magic in the mask turned my green eyes to a pale blue. Putting on the too-large cloak, I checked with the binoculars one more time to ensure no guards were patrolling the hallway the open window led to.... still, none for some reason made me feel less secure.

Finishing up, I begin to tap into my soul, feeling the warmth envelop me as I used my gift to fast forward my body until the enchanted cloak and boots fit. I took a moment to appreciate the almost hug-like feeling of using my gift on myself before pulling out the gadgets I had stored for this Job. I pocketed my lock picks and dagger before pulling out the slick bronze frame of my grappling gun. The sound of gears could be lightly heard as it turned on in reaction to my Mana.

I put the duffel back in its crook while quickly stowing my binoculars in a small pouch stitched inside the cloak. Once I was sure I hadn't forgotten or left anything, I carefully aimed the grappling gun at the window. Making sure I had the angle right, I jumped off the ledge of the roof just as I pulled the trigger, hearing the subtle *click* as the wire hit just above the window. I quickly pressed a bottom on the right side of the handle, activating a mechanism that kicked the gears into action. In a span of a couple of seconds, I felt a pulling sensation as the grappling gun reeled me like a fish towards the window. Quickly kicking my feet forward, I used the moment to thrust myself through the window doing a combat roll Until I came to a stop.

A quick check of my surroundings showed that I was in a large hallway with each window closed, except for the one I used to come in, of course. The hallway was decorated with paintings of forests and old guys who were probably important at some point.

Now it was game time!

Moving quickly and quietly, I checked each room for the artifact I had been sent to steal, all the while wondering why I had not seen or heard any guards. My answer would come when I checked the third room and found myself puking out my lunch.

Pro, I didn't be dealing with any guards! Con that's because they are all very, VERY dead.

"shit" I almost yelled out loud before feeling the cold metal barrel of a gun placed on the back of my skull. Double shit, I thought to myself as I tapped into my soul again, watching the world slow to a crawl as my perception of time slowed down to a near stop, it didn't make me move any faster, but it would at least give me time to think.

I looked towards the bodies hoping to see something I could use, but it looked like they had been stripped bare of everything but their uniforms, nor could I see any escape routes. I had a knife in my pouch, but I couldn't reach it before he could pull the trigger. I mentally sighed, realizing I had no other choice. I withdraw the blessing on my body, watching my limbs grow smaller and daintier, years of muscle development seeming to disappear as I went from a pretty 20-year-old woman in peak physical condition standing about 6'1 to 5'1 petite 14 old year girl I unfortunately was.

Letting time resume normally, I used my sudden change in my height to quickly pull out my knife, spinning around and stabbing the stomach of my would-be murderer, or I at least hoped to the clock lord he was planning to kill me, considering I had just stabbed the man.

"Bitch!" he cried out in pain and surprise, but before he could utter another syllable, I pulled the knife out of his guts while aiming the now bloody knife for his throat missing as he stumbled out of the way, hand on his bleeding wound. Before He could get too far, I tapped into my soul again, aging myself up so I would have more reach, and kicked at his legs, tripping him. He fell to the ground with a thud, and in the same instance, I struck him in the throat with my knife making sure to sever his vocal cords so he wouldn't scream out as he died, but still, I placed my hand on his mouth to be on the safe side.

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Breathing heavily, I took a second to look at the man I had just killed, my heart nearly stopping as I did so. He was dressed in a yellow suit with a red tie but what sent chills down my spine was the tattoo on his forehead. A bleeding crown, the sign noble killers, wore, and I was in the house of one of the most prominent noble families in Atlantis.

I didn't get much time to contemplate this as I heard stomping coming from downstairs, "SHIT!" I cried out loud, slowing down my perception of time again, feeling the painful burn on my soul from overusing my gift. Desperately I looked around the room for an escape Noticing a vent I had missed in my haste to deal with my potential killer.

I resumed time, quickly making my way to the vent using my knife to pry it open. Then, tapping into my limited mana reserve to boost my strength and agility and quickly releasing the effect of my blessing on my body, I climbed into the vent. "glutinum," I cast as I placed the vent cover back on.

I followed as the vent veered to the left, leading into the stairwell. If I remembered the map correctly, peering outside the vent cover leading to the stairs, I counted 12 more men making their way up the stairs shouting out orders and could hear them slamming open and shuts doors as they presumably looked for me.

Prying the vent cover open, I dropped down to the ground, and the runes etched on my cloak and boots, muting the sound. Sneaking towards the bottom of the stairs, checking on each flight to make sure there weren't more of those killers hiding as the different I finally made it to the bottom level seeing two things of interest.

One was the tied but still alive body of Jarold Grenwhich, the current head of the Grenwhich household. The other was the artifact I had come to steal, a clockwork sliver heart clicking and clanking and worth about 30'000 thousand gold coins which would be enough to hire a train out of this city and make my way to the Americas, "the land of no gears."

Also, a front door leading out, but that wasn't as important as what lay in front of me in the red-carpeted atrium.

I tried to sneak my way to the heart, the glass casing it had been in laying as broken shards on the ground. Sadly, the old bastard woke up and noticed me.

"Help..." Jacob said, looking before coughing blood on his suit. Now that I had a good look at him, he was very handsome in an odd middle-aged gentleman way, his suit was ruffled, but clearly, this guy had access to the good suits. It had some tasteful images of the royal insignia, a gear with two swords crossing each other.

I looked back at the heart, willing my conscience into shutting up as it screamed at me to save the poor guy.

I barely suppressed a groan as I moved away from probably the best score I would ever get and cut the rope holding the guy down.

"My name is Elizbeth. Please tell me, can you fucking walk? ...." I asked him, and as an afterthought, I added, "oh, and you owe me.... big time!" I emphasize the last part, hoping to really hammer that particular point home. After all, If I were gonna his sorry ass, I would at least make sure I got paid for it, dammit!

He shook his head at the first part and gave me a simple nod at the second.... sighing, I put my arm around him and helped him hobble to the front door.

Before I could make it, though, I saw the door burst open as the large mechanical form of a Brutas stepped inside, blocking my way to the outside and also killing any hope I had of getting out this unharmed. I could see the gears sticking out of pieces of the Brutases flesh, I did not know a lot about them but what I did know was that the crown hunters, the dumb asses upstairs, made them hard as hell to take down killing machines, and, to top up the fear factor they just had to use the bodies and souls of dead nobles to make these monstrosities.

Looking down at my knife and back up at the undead clock monster capable of bending steel.

"This ant gonna cut it," I said With all the wisdom I could muster. Money bags gave me a look that just screamed, "well, duh."

It began to walk its way toward us slowly, however more pressingly, I heard the cocking of guns being loaded and barely managed to slow time long enough to judge the trajectory of the bullets. As I resumed time, I spun Jacob and me out of the way getting behind the Piller, barely moving us out of the way as the Brutas smashed the pillar and the costly heart with it.

I felt a bullet tear through the side of my mask, breaking it, and felt the blood slowly pour from a cut that could have been a hole in my head. Things were REALLY not looking great for me.

I turned to moneybags and decided to try my terrible luck at gambling with fate!

"Hey, moneybags, get ready to carry me!" I yelled as I moved us behind another pillar closer to the door just in time to hear the gunfire rip and tear through wood and break the glass. Some of the shots even made it into the pillar! I tapped into my mana using my last spell to heal him, and then yelling out in pain, I used every inch of my soul to stop the flow of time around me.

It felt like I was burning from the inside out. But I had to push through if I and moneybags were gonna make it through the night.

"W-h-hat!!!!????" Jacob exclaimed, confused as he saw the world around stop. Even in my pain, it was still funny to see someone so powerful look so bewildered by something I had done. But sadly, I had about 30 secs till the pain of using up my soul would force me to pass out. Already I could see dark spots clouding my vision.

I quickly moved us through the front door and made it to the grass before my vision become completely obscured by the black dots of pain. I felt money bags carrying me as he hopefully ran for the gates, so at least He didn't leave me to die.... it was with that nice though that I felt enough pain to make me rethink that same thought before passing out.