They had been gone for less than a day. Less than a day, and someone had come in and taken what could be perceived at the most expensive items visible at a glance.

  “We didn’t speak about this until we reached the Adventurer’s Guild.” Henry spoke to his brother in Ashtari. Ash nodded.

  After they figured out it was likely a burial pyramid, they concentrated on finding anything else that may have fallen into the cave near the front before returning to town and the Adventurer’s Guild. They only spoke about it when they were there, but it wasn’t as if they were in a private room when checking in with the request director.

  The local Adventurer’s Guild wasn’t a large building, like it was in Carthage Harbor, which was in the heart of a sprawling city and had more room and offices. The local Guild building had a lobby area, a check-in counter with the request boards, then tables and chairs for guild members to rest, as well as a small dining area so they could eat on the ground floor. That was standard. The upper floor was mostly an open public space with desks where members returning from or taking on quests completed paperwork, dropped off items, and were paid.

  These desk areas were separated by low walls, so there wasn’t much privacy. Usually with the commotion, no one really paid attention to what was happening at the desk next door. In addition, who didn’t deal with precious items at the guild?

  Ash was hesitant to suspect another guild member. “We’re not the only ones in the room.” There were plenty of non-members who came in and out to post requests or pick up items. Though they weren’t yelling and there was plenty of chatter going on around them while they were meeting with the request director, it wasn’t as if they were keeping their voices low.

  “I thought I smelled torches,” Henry said in Iverian Common.

  “Torches?” The magistrate looked down into the ditch.

  “When we came in yesterday, there was dampness in the cave. It was a musty, earthy scent,” Ash said. “But when we came in just now, there was a lingering scent of smoke. Someone used a torch in here.”

  “We also found footprints around the areas where vases had been lodged,” Henry told them. The Historian’s face fell and he almost tumbled down the embankment to get to where Henry was standing. He moved the light slip in over the ground near Henry’s feet and squinted.

  He raised his head to look at Henry with desperation. “Are these new?”

  Henry nodded. “Look over here.” He led the other man to where the vase had been and pointed out the overturned earth around it.

  “What was here?” the Historian asked.

  “Lunapsar vases,” Henry replied. “Likely from the same time. They’re an interest of mine.”

  “Aren’t those expensive?” the Magistrate asked. He looked towards Ash, who was of Lunapsar descent.

  “The older the more expensive,” Ash confirmed. “But it also depends on the size, style, and detail of the piece. The more cloisonne work done and the more elaborate it is, the more priceless the piece is; however, it’s actually quite rare to find those in caches like this.”

  “Where’s Franz?” Henry cut off Ash before Ash could go into detail about the vases. Franz was the Adventurer’s Guild representative that had accompanied them. Several people exchanged concerned looks as Ash felt his stomach drop.

  He looked at Henry who looked back at him. The brothers swore and darted back up the embankment. Just as they neared the top, several shouts and muffled grunts pierced the quiet of the cave. Ash’s brows shot up as Henry ran up the rest of the embankment.

  He didn’t look back and gave Ash a wave of his hand with the glowing light slip. It meant two things: first, he had to dim the lights. Second, Henry was directing Ash’s attention to Historian Pachezo, who was still standing amongst the funerary offerings below. Ash didn’t hesitate.

  He turned on his heel and almost slid down the embankment, his eyes locking into Historian Pachezo before grabbing hold of the historian and dragging him down. Ash pulled his energy, and deactivated the slips, sending the interior of the cave into darkness.

  “What-”

  “Shh!” Ash clamped his hand over the man’s mouth and pulled him towards the far corner. He looked up towards the embankment to make sure that all the light slips had gone out.

  The faint light from the narrow opening began to undulate with quick breaks between the light, meaning people were squeezing through the gap. Against him, Historian Pachezo seemed to freeze up and hold his breath.

  Ash craned his head up, listening to the shuffling of footsteps and low voices. He saw a faint glow start to move.

  Torches...how low tech. Ash narrowed his eyes. He glanced in the direction where his brother had run in order to move Priestess Yrona and the Magistrate somewhere safe.

  “There are four of them here! Beware of the two younger men!” Someone shouted an order.

  “What do we do?” the Historian’s voice was faint and ragged.

  Ash asked himself the same question. His first instinct after assessing the situation was to go on the offensive. His eyes looked towards the direction where his brother had run once more, wanting to yell towards him to ask his thoughts, but doing so would give up their position. At the same time, the inside of the burial pyramid was only so big.

  The tomb raiders were going to find them once they got further back.

  Ash grit his teeth. It was best to act now and keep them from getting to the town officials. He loosened his hold on the Historian. “Stay here until we come get you.”

  Before Historian Pachezo could stop him, Ash darted forward. He opened his mouth to call out to his brother, only to hear Henry’s voice echo around him.

  “Keep them alive! We have questions!”

  A huge smile broke out on Ash’s face. It seemed they had the same idea. He released some slips into his hands and then flung them up towards the ceiling.

  Ash took a deep breath and yelled in Lunapsar. “Shut your eyes!”

  He reached the main level of the cave and closed his eyes. Through his shut lids, he could see the bright flash of light, followed by the stunned yelling of numerous people towards the center of the cave.

  As soon as the flash died down, Ash opened his eyes. The light slips embedded in the ceiling lit up the entire chamber, making everything and everyone inside visible. He saw his brother just a step ahead of him, sword unsheathed, and eyes fixed on the dozen or so people rubbing their eyes and trying to adjust after being momentarily blinded.

  Blood surged through him as Ash pulled out his dagger and flooded it with his magic energy. The blade elongated and grew thicker while the guard adjusted to provide more protection.

  “Do they have to be conscious?” Ash asked as he ran towards the nearest wall and used it to launch himself into the stunned crowd.

  “Not right now.” Henry brought his sword down and the smell of blood filled the air.

  His heart raced in his chest as Ash stabilized his footing and aligned himself with the nearest opponent. His eyes glistened with excitement as he extended and cut down, moving aside the blades aimed for him just enough to allow him to safely close distance.

  “Pommel to the face,” he said in a sing-song voice as the force of his sword’s pommel knocked some teeth to the ground before a man stumbled back. “Kick to the stomach....” A grunt was heard as someone fell backwards and into the ditch where Henry had slid into the day before.

  Behind him, he heard yelling, swearing, and grunting over the sound of footsteps, shifting cloth, and weapons colliding. If he was on a quest with another party, Ash would be turning a quarter step here and there, making sure to keep his back covered at all times.

  However, with Henry, he didn’t bother. Henry would make sure his back was covered for him.

  “We could’ve been on the road to Uqi’ichu by now, but no.” Henry chastised between gritted teeth and fluid movements. “You wanted to come here to check!”

  “Brother, this is important! Think about what could’ve happened if we didn’t come!” Ash replied before kicking someone in the chest and sending them back against the cave wall so hard, that their body almost bounced off.

  “This is more than just checking!” Henry yelled. Ash winced. Henry was quite annoyed, as he started yelling at him in Ashtari. “You realize that since someone claims they’re part of the Adventurer’s Guild, this becomes a bigger problem?”

  “Speaking of the Guild, where is Franz?” Ash looked around before he twisted a woman’s arm caught against his sword. A crack was heard and the woman screamed in pain before sinking to the ground.

  Henry wore a scowl as he pulled his sword from someone’s shoulder. “We’ll deal with Franz when we see him, but if the Guild really is involved, we have an even larger problem on our hands.”

  Ash frowned. “We’ll have to report him.” He sighed. “Paperwork is so time consuming.”

  “That’s just the beginning. An investigation will have to be done.” Henry reached Ash’s side, leaving a trail of unconscious and injured bodies behind him. “What if there are more people like him?”

  Ash’s frown deepened. Infiltration of the Adventurer’s Guild by corrupt individuals would weaken the Guild, mar their reputation, and put many people, as well as rare items, at risk. The Adventurer’s Guild had a far reach and was constantly handling valuable objects. If people lost their trust in the Guild, then members of the Guild would lose trust in it.

  It could prospectively turn members against members.

  This needed to be shut down quickly, but going through the Guild would take time and they didn’t have time to spare. There was only one thing Ash could think of at the moment.

  “Vigilante justice.”

  “No.” Henry gave him an annoyed look. “Auntie said no vigilante justice.”

  Ash balked. “She said only in dire circumstances! Not never!” He stomped his foot over the flame of a torch that had fallen to the ground, putting it out.

  Henry rolled his eyes and then looked around. Men and women were laying on the ground, a few still moving and groaning after the beating, but most were knocked out and many more had been injured to prevent them from getting up. Ash looked at his brother.

  Henry was efficient.

  Ash followed his brother’s gaze towards the mouth of the cave. “There are probably more outside.”

  Henry’s lips tightened into a line. He looked over his shoulder, towards where Priestess Yrona and the Magistrate were cowering behind two stone boxes at the far end of the cave.

  “Stay here. We’ll make sure it’s clear outside,” Henry told them. Ash saw the two give him small, shaken nods. Henry then looked at him. “Keep your defense up.”

  Ash nodded and drew out the magic from the sword to have it return to its dagger form to be sheathed. He pulled out five slips and followed his brother Henry in clearing the expanse of the ditch with a jump.

  The difficult part was that the mouth of the cave was so low and narrow. Any position they emerged in would be vulnerable to attack.

  Ash narrowed his eyes and activated all the slips in his hand. He dealt them horizontally in front of them, allowing them to float in place like a small barrier row. He concentrated and lowered them, moving them out in front of them as they crawled out.

  Ash managed to get his shoulders out when the sharp whistle of an arrow cut through the air. The slips closest to it crackled with energy before a gust of wind diverted the arrow a few paces to the side to avoid hitting Ash.

  He pulled himself up and added two more slips to the magic barrier, creating a shield covering the small entrance to allow for Henry to come out safely. The small open space around them was vacant except for the two guards, and they were no longer standing.

  “Check on the guards,” Henry said as he stood where Ash was. Ash glanced to the sides and frowned. The two patrol guards who’d accompanied them were laying on the ground. There was some blood, but Ash couldn’t make out if there was a fatal wound or not from their distance.

  As soon as Ash took a few steps towards the nearest guard, his barrier moved with him. From the left, there was a movement in the surrounding forest.

  Ash gasped and looked over his shoulder. He didn’t have time to cry out.

  Henry leaned back, not even moving his legs, and raised his arm. The arrow swept just past his face, making the dark red hair that fell over his face move in the breeze. His hand grabbed the shaft of the first arrow before he turned to the side, and cut his sword down, breaking the second one in half before it could touch him.

  Ash’s eyes widened and his heart raced. Henry’s actions were quick and smooth, almost a singular movement. “Brother, that was amazing-”

  “Focus.”

  “Right!” Ash diverted one of the slips in front of Henry, loading it with magic energy before narrowing his eyes and releasing it.

  The roar of wind whipping through the trees filled the air as gusts flew out of the slip, as if a storm had been released. Branches, small rocks, and dirt were sent into the air as the leaves on trees the slip faced were ripped off. Shouting was heard as several people were revealed, two falling off nearby trees.

  “Behind you!” Henry turned his head towards Ash.

  “I got it!” Another slip moved to be between Ash and several men running towards them from the opposite side. Ash narrowed his eyes and aligned two slips.

  The air grew hot as flames shot out from the cards. The men attacking them screamed and lifted their arms up to cover their faces as they stumbled back, clothes and hair singed by the flames. Ash took the opportunity to check on the first guard.

  Henry remained on guard, eyeing the tree line, but still called out. “Alive?”

  “Yes, but trauma to the head. He needs medical attention,” Ash replied. “Brother, how many more are there?”

  Henry hadn’t taken his gaze away from the forest. “There are twenty.”

  Ash grit his teeth. They didn’t have time to fight twenty more people, and they needed to get the guards to a docter or healer. “We don’t have time to deal with this!”

  Henry growled back. “That’s what I’ve been telling you! Raiju!”

  Hearing his brother summon the thunder beast, Ash quickly slapped two more slips on either side of his head, covering his ears. Henry wouldn’t be affected, but he would. Electricity sparked in the air as it grew dense.

  Ash braced himself as a thunderous roar shook the ground. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Raiju appear beside Henry, ready for a fight. His eyes were glowing white and static filled the air. He opened his mouth and let out another roar, this time accompanied by cracks of thunder coming from all directions.

  Ash felt the air begin to move as Raiju arched his back. The thunder spirit’s fur began to bristle and flashes of lighting surrounded him.

  Ash grit his teeth. Here we go...!

  An earth-shattering roar filled the area, shaking trees and sending birds fleeing as white-yellow lightning shot down from a cloudless sky and landing in various different locations around them. Ash stood as still as possible to keep from getting caught in the crossfire.

  He couldn’t hear people screaming and he didn’t notice them falling to the ground, unconscious and burnt.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  It wasn’t until he felt the tense air dissipate did he dare to turn towards his brother. Henry’s hair had come out of his neat ponytail and floated around his face, as if still caught in the whirlwind of energy exerted by the thunder spirit.

  “Did you get them all?” Ash asked, looking at Raiju. The golden wolf’s eyes had returned to normal.

  “It was a simple matter, Second Young Master!” Raiju said so Ash could hear him. “We’ve got them all!”

  Ash let out a relieved breath, but Henry remained frowning. “Not yet,” he said as he sheathed his sword. “There are more of them. They didn’t come from nowhere.”

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  There were barely enough space in the local jail to lock up the thirty something people they’d dragged from the burial pyramid and its surrounding area. It had taken half the morning, as Ash had to take the carriage with the Magistrate, two injured guards, and an injured carriage driver back to town, and to the patrol house to get more guards and wagons to transport the attackers.

  Henry had Raiju assist him to gather the attackers in the forest. With no rope to tie them up, Henry had no choice but to incapacitate them by dislocating one of their knees. If they were lucky enough to remain unconscious, they were laid out in rows to be picked up.

  Henry had questioned those who were awake on who they were and where they came from, possibly who was backing them, but no one would talk. Someone even became belligerent and it wasn’t until Raiju reappeared that they were silenced.

  Though he attracted a lot of attention, Raiju guarded the prison wagons as they returned to town.

  He paced behind Henry, occasionally curling his lips up in a slight snarl as Henry stood by the Magistrate and looked over the prisoners. Since it was such a small space, the large group was split amongst five cells, including two larger ones. Several people hadn’t been brought in yet, as they were getting treatment for injuries.

  The Magistrate’s face was flushed red and he trembled with fury as his eyes swept through the cells.

  “Mr. von Sails, tell me...is this many people needed to raid a tomb?” he asked in a low voice.

  Henry was quiet for a moment. “That I don’t know, but they certainly weren’t only planning on raiding the tomb considering they knew we were there, and this one.” Henry’s hand darted between iron bars and grabbed the hair of a bearded man sitting near the bars. The man let out a hiss and grit his teeth as Henry pulled his head back. “This one even warned them that we were inside.”

  “Who are you working for!” The Magistrate let out a yell that made a few people shrink back, but no one said a word. This only made his face redden to almost purple.

  Henry released the man on the other side of the bars and let out a low breath. “It seems that they really are willing to suffer.”

  “Guards! Take them out, one by one, for questioning!” the Magistrate called out to one of the few patrol guards who were in the jail with them.

  Henry’s eyes settled on a thin man, probably a few years older than him. Raiju leaned forward and sniffed the air. A low rumble escaped him, making the prisoners whimper. He also eyed the thin man.

  “Master, he is also a summoner,” Simir’s voice spoke inside Henry’s head.

  “A summoner...?” Henry raised a brow and leaned forward. Summoners were quite rare to begin with, and most were only able to summon low level spirits. There were usually able to summon more than one, but those spirits cowered when faced with divine elemental beasts like Raiju.

  Though he wasn’t as powerful as Simir, Raiju had a mastery of lightning, which could only be used by high level thunder spirits. The strength of one’s summoned spirits reflected the strength of the summoner.

  The man who would be the summoner seemed to realize he was singled out and let out a choked gasp as he curled up and tried to lean further back in the cell. He swallowed hard and looked around at his compatriots. He took a deep breath and lifted his chin, attempting to look defiant.

  “Da...da...dandelion-”

  “Don’t bring your grass sprite into this.” Henry cut him off with an angry voice and a glare. “They’re just a child.” If they were to really fight, Raiju could crush the spirit out of existence, and Henry didn’t want to destroy a spirit because their master made bad life choices.

  The other summoner shrank back once more and flushed with embarrassment.

  One of the lesser injured prisoners was dragged out by two guards. “You can torture me all you want! I can take it! Brothers! Don’t be afraid!”

  The door to another room slammed shut and the Magistrate turned to glare at the prisoners who remained. “You can stay silent all you want, but we’ll find out.”

  The door that connected the jail to the patrol house opened and a uniformed officer walked in. He gave the Magistrate a small nod of his head in respect.

  “Sir, Mr. von Sails is here to see you.”

  Henry glanced at Raiju who let out a low rumble and disappeared with a few sparks of lightning. Ash had gone to make a report with the local Adventurer’s Guild and do a little observation. “We should go,” Henry said to the Magistrate with a casual wave of his arm towards the door.

  The town official let out a gruff breath, still scowling in frustration as he was escorted out. Ash was waiting in the office of a patrol house leader with a slight frown and eyes focused on the ground as he tapped his fingers on the top of the desk he was sitting in front of. As soon as the door opened, he turned and stood up.

  “Brother, Magistrate.”

  “What did you find out?” Henry didn’t bother with the pleasantries and closed the door behind him and the Magistrate.

  Ash took a deep breath and exhaled. “There is good news and bad news,” he said, looking from his brother to the Magistrate and back. “The good news is that while there is someone named Franz at the guild who works as a site auditor, he was present when I went to make a report.”

  At this, the Magistrate stood up straight. “Then, who is that man who came with us?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine and the Guild’s,” Ash replied. “When I described the man who went with us posing as a Guild member, several staff told me that there was no one there that met that description. Considering the situation, the Magistrate’s authority, and my own ties with the Guild, they allowed me to review the current staff roster. Everyone except two people are working at the Guild building right now.”

  “What about the other two?” Henry asked.

  “Both women, one of whom just had a baby and is on maternity leave,” Ash replied. He turned to look at the Magistrate. “Can you tell us how you picked up Franz this morning?”

  The Magistrate nodded his head dumbly as a lost expression settled on his face. “The Adventurer’s Guild notified me yesterday about the burial pyramid and asked that I and Historian Pachezo go to the guild to fill out the sign over paperwork, which would relieve the Guild of responsibility for upkeep and excavation of the site. I said I’d go in the morning.

  “After we went to the inn to invite you, we first headed to the Guild to sign the paperwork, but it was too early. It was still closed. We considered postponing until the Guild opened and were about to come and tell you, but Franz - that man who says he’s Franz, came around the corner, apologizing for being late. He said that the paperwork wasn’t ready yet, but he would escort us as a representative of the Guild.”

  Ash stared at the Magistrate with disbelief and a hint of disgust. “And you just brought him with you?” His incredulous voice rose and Henry raised a hand to calm him.

  “They were in a rush at the time, after all. We were only giving them so much time. A Guild imposter isn’t something that would immediately come into one’s head, either,” Henry said.

  The Magistrate nodded. “Yes! We were in a rush and he was wearing an apron.”

  Henry pursed his lips. Part of him should’ve been wary. Depending on a Guild’s location, their work apron uniforms differed in style, but there was always a logo and crest of the Adventurer’s Guild somewhere on their uniform. Now that he thought about it, Henry couldn’t recall seeing the symbol of the Guild.

  Ash looked back at Henry. “It’s possible that he had overheard it and planned to continue raiding it, but we got involved.”

  “Why hadn’t they raided the tomb earlier? Why did they only get the vases?” the Magistrate asked.

  “The vases were the only items exposed. The rest were in stone boxes that require more manpower to open and remove. That man might have been waiting at the Guild to find out how soon the town would get involved in securing the burial pyramid,” Henry answered him.

  Ash frowned. “And wanted to stop us from spreading its discovery to secure it for themselves.”

  The Magistrate seemed to understand what ‘stop us’ meant and lifted his trembling hands to his neck. “You mean...?”

  “That many people to deal with four people in a cave?” Ash said, looking over at him. “They absolutely planned to kill us.” The Magistrate paled and Henry pushed a seat closer to him. The middle-aged man took a seat, his face almost colorless as he sat there, stunned.

  “Historian Pachezo said that there are other burial pyramids in the area, around the far reaches of the valley, didn’t he?” Henry asked.

  Ash nodded. “Before he went back, he told me that two years ago, his mentor was called to excavate a small burial pyramid north of the river, in Kessu territory. It had been overtaken in a landslide, so it wasn’t until heavy rains revealed the stone beneath. In between the time it had been found and the time that he and his mentor reached it to begin excavation three days later, it had already been raided. The ground had been completely overturned, remains were scattered, and there was a strong smell of torches.”

  Henry’s eyes crinkled up and he crossed his arms over his chest. “They never found the contents of that burial pyramid, did they?”

  Ash shook his head. “It happened so quickly. Three days was all it took. The stones that had sealed the entrance had been moved to the side and the ground was trampled. For the burial pyramid to be raided of goods in three days, there must’ve been many people involved.”

  Henry sneered and looked towards the door, in the direction of the jail. “Well, there is clearly no shortage of people.” His shoulders rose and fell with heavy breaths. “I take it this is also the bad news?”

  Ash nodded, but the Magistrate looked at them with confusion. “Bad news?”

  “For there to be this many people, it means that there is quite an operation happening, and we don’t know for how long or how much they’ve taken,” Henry told him.

  “It’s not a secret that there is a large, underground market for stolen loot, but not just any stolen loot. Burial sites tend to have a lot of valuable items, so they’re prime targets for thieves,” Ash said. “It’s possible that there are more burial pyramids in the area that are buried under hundreds of years of dirt somewhere in the surrounding forests. Knowing this, there are people who are likely paying close attention to the Guild and the government to find out when a pyramid is discovered.”

  There were more burial sites than just the burial pyramids, of course, but the pyramids were of the Goran Period’s wealthy elite. Smaller tombs of commoners, while not as richly adorned, could have things of value buried with their dead, but it was likely not worth the trouble.

  “Then...you think there is an entire network of thieves here?” the Magistrate asked in a tight voice.

  The brothers nodded.

  The Magistrate looked down and shook his head. “You know...the people of this valley, in this principality and our neighboring ones...we are descended from the Goran Period survivors who returned.” His eyes reddened a bit. “These are our ancestors. Do they not care?”

  The two brothers looked at each other. It wasn’t as if they didn’t understand the Magistrate’s feelings.

  “If you care, then you must do your duty to preserve them and keep the dead honored,” Henry said. “Notify the neighboring principalities and kingdoms. Let them know of your concerns. I’m afraid this is beyond us now, sir.”

  The Magistrate looked at them beseechingly. “Are you leaving?” It was clear he wanted them to stay. Henry and Ash both nodded, and the Magistrate’s face dropped. He stood up and looked at each brother, almost clasping his hands together. “I understand that you are en route with a quest, but can you not spare another day or two to assist us? We still don’t know where those...those...those thieves came from!”

  Henry looked at Ash, who lowered his head. “I’m sorry, but we just don’t have time to spare. We should be halfway to the next overnight location by now, sir. Any more time, and we won’t meet the deadline.”

  “What if we pay-”

  “Sir, I signed a contract.” Ash cut him off as gently as possible. “I need to deliver this product.”

  The Magistrate took a deep breath. For a moment, Henry thought he would beg them and began thinking of ways to leave, but the Magistrate stood up straight and nodded. Though there was clear disappointment in his eyes, he still extended his hand for a shake.

  “Then, I can only thank you for your assistance thus far,” he said, forcing a tired smile. “At the very least, we may have managed to salvage one burial pyramid.”

  One by one, the brothers shook his hand. “Good luck to you, sir,” Henry said.

  Ash nodded. “Considering what’s going on...you will need it.”

  ﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

  The patrol house and its connected jail was located at the edge of the town, and also acted as a guard house. There were a small handful of guards who patrolled around the edge of town at night, but their focus was outside of the patrol house, not inside.

  As such, in the middle of the night, no one noticed the crack that appeared between the sturdy mud bricks in one back corner of the patrol house, right where the jail was.

  First, it was just a thin crack. Then, it grew longer, and flakes of material came down as a tender green shoot managed to make its way out of the mud brick. The green shoot grew thicker and longer, though its growth wasn’t smooth and consistent.

  Every time there was a slight sound, it would seem to stiffen and stop growing. Then, after a few moments, as if it were holding its breath, it would start growing once more. Another green shoot appeared and squeezed out of the crack, making another chunk of material fall to the ground.

  The girth of the grass grew thicker, rounder, and in doing so, chipped away at the brick.

  One of the bricks that had been damaged began to jiggle forward. Like the growth of the green stalk, if there was too much noise being made, the movement would halt. However, eventually, the brick worn down to the size of a foot was pushed out of place.

  Another brick began to be pushed forward, creating a gap low on the wall. In the darkness and behind some shrubs, no one would notice it.

  The gap grew large enough for a thin adult to crawl through.

  They were sure of the size, as Henry and Ash laid on the rooftop of a building overlooking the patrol house, and watched as the summoner Henry had identified earlier pulled himself out of the hole.

  He first stuck out his head, looking around, and then wiggled through, only stopping, and freezing in place when he heard footsteps of patrols passing.

  Once he was out, several others followed. Henry had incapacitated several thieves that attacked them, but a few had been knocked out in the middle of the fight, and made it to jail without an injury that made it difficult for them to walk. A total of six people, five men and a woman escaped, easily climbing over the low wooden fence that was there to keep animals out.

  Henry raised a brow. “It’s always interesting to see how other summoners use their spirit’s powers.”

  Ash rolled his eyes. “Can we just get going? I thought you were in a rush.” For all of Henry’s nagging, they were still in town. They pretended to leave, hid their horses, and returned just after sunset. Henry was convinced they would try to escape, and when they did, it would give them the opportunity to track them to their base.

  They didn’t tell the Magistrate this, either. This was purely off record.

  In addition, Ash had been living off of snacks in his preservation bag, waiting for what felt like ages until there was some movement. He was almost starting to think his brother was too confident of the thieves abilities.

  Henry let out a small snort. The two slipped away from the town and into the forest. When the sun set earlier, Ash had given Henry an adjusted form of the eye drops they used when diving in the Samelu Shallows. While it made things visible in the darkness, it wasn’t as clear as day as it was when they were diving.

  This also allowed it to make the eyes less sensitive to sudden bright lights.

  The brothers followed well behind the six people, keeping the last one just within sights so as not to be heard and noticed. The escapees were still careful, as they began to split up without a word, as if it were common practice.

  Without confirming with each other, Ash and Henry split, as well.

  Following people was a slow, steady, and silent matter. Ash was careful where he stepped and how he moved, making sure to avoid dead branches, leaves, and loose gravel on the ground to avoid revealing himself.

  However, the walk through the forest only lasted so long.

  His tight lips pulled into a frown as he watched the two people he was following turn away from the forest and get on to a road. Not a simple, narrow dirt path used for herding sheep or something, but a wide gravel packed main road.

  This is the same one we took when we reached the town.... Ash felt his skin begin to curdle as the thought crossed his mind. How strong was this thieving network that they had no fear of walking down main roads?

  Ash remained at the edges of the forest and was careful to keep a low profile when they began to pass fields and farms. Once they were out in the farmland, they were out in the open. Criminals out in the open meant one thing: they weren’t afraid of being found out and punished.

  The two people turned into a narrow dirt road. For a moment, Ash almost let out a breath of relief. Perhaps he’d over think it. They were likely just taking a short cut to their hidden den.

  His jaw clenched as he watched them walk up a gravel road, right to an iron gate connected to a stone wall that was taller than him. The guards flanking the gate let them in, and Ash craned his neck and squinted to get a better look.

  His mouth was dry as his jaw dropped just a bit.

  Hidden den be damned. What was beyond the gate was a sprawling mansion with a manicured garden. The two thieves walked directly to the front door and were let in. A moment later, another of the thieves arrived and did the same thing.

  “I really hoped they were living in a dilapidated cave in the hills.” His brother’s voice came from behind him, but Ash didn’t take his eyes off the mansion.

  He let his shoulders slump down and shook his head. “Organized crime?”

  “Very likely organized crime,” Henry replied. “This area has many burial ruins, and as Historian Pachezo said, there are only three or four burial pyramids found completely intact since they first started excavating them. There must’ve been a long-established illegal trading ring here that systematically raided tombs and sold the loot.”

  Ash took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face. “Do the local governments have enough power to stop them?”

  Henry shook his head once, his eyes also fixed on the mansion. “I doubt it. The Magistrate only governs a section within the Issu Principality. This area has territory belonging to at least four others in the region.”

  “They’re all allied, aren’t they?”

  “They are, but it would still take time to notify the principalities and organize a joint effort to deal with this thieving ring,” Henry replied. “And that’s presuming that some of them don’t have ties to it.”

  Ash sneered. “With so many powers at play, there must be at least one that is getting a benefit from this trade ring being here. They’re not even hiding.”

  “If this goes on, other sites will be ransacked,” Henry said. “...and people like them won’t stop even after the entire valley is looted.”

  Ash’s glare hardened. Once more, he thought of Samelu and the artifacts hidden by the water. An entire civilization had sunk to the ocean, and to this day, the survivors yearned to take back what was lost, even if they could never get the land back. Family memorabilia, cultural items, and religious relics lay on the seafloor.

  His family’s artifacts still remained. Like many families, the remains of their family altars also still lay beneath the waves.

  He drew his lips inward and bit them. “Even if the victims are long dead, they should not be desecrated...especially by a group of people who were willing to kill us in order to buy time to rob the burial pyramid.”

  “Then....” Henry looked towards him. “What do you want to do?”

  Ash jerked his head back and looked at him. “You’re asking me?”

  Henry nodded. “You technically got us into this mess.”

  Ash choked. “I didn’t....” His brother stared at him and he grimaced. “Okay, I did.” He looked back at the mansion.

  On one hand, such an organization needed to be stopped before more crimes were committed and people were hurt. On the other hand, there was only him and his brother, and they weren’t even supposed to be there. Ash frowned.

  No one asked them to come and dismantle an illegal trading and tomb raiding operation, it’s just that they couldn’t bring themselves to leave without doing something. Doing something proper like arranging for a raid with the backing of the local principalities would require time and effort to organize.

  By then, the thieves could easily pick up their illegal wares and flee the area. Something like this, even if they didn’t completely end it, had to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently, and that wasn’t something government bureaucracy was known for.

  Henry turned towards the mansion in the distance. “I think Auntie would be okay with it.”

  Ash snapped his head towards his brother again, his mouth dropping. “What?” He must’ve heard wrong.

  Henry didn’t falter. “I said, I think Auntie would be okay with it.”

  Ash’s eyes dilated as his face lit up. He stood up straight and almost shook with excitement. “Really?”

  His brother shrugged. “Considering the circumstances-”

  “Vigilante justice!”

  “Keep your voice down!” Henry hissed and shot him a glare. “Even if we can’t stop them, we can slow them down while the authorities are notified and organized. We’ll also need to report to the Federation that there are stolen antiquities circulating in the markets.”

  Ash nodded his head enthusiastically. “I know.”

  “In the meantime, we should deal with this quickly. We still have a deadline.” Henry sighed and rubbed his forehead. “What do you suggest?”

  Ash looked back at the mansion and narrowed his eyes. “Get in, relieve them of their goods, and damage their equipment.”

  “And what about the people?” Henry asked. “I’m sure there are more than the thirty we arrested there. There may also be those who are support workers.” In such a large-looking organization, there were bound to be maids, cooks, perhaps even back-office workers that didn’t do the actual raiding or illegal trade, but were inherently involved in the system.

  Ash scratched his head. “Assess and make judgment as we go in.” Henry kept looking at him. Ash sighed. “All right, we’ll do this the proper way and survey the site before we attack.”

  “Good.” Henry gave him a nod in agreement. “Just because we are going to destroy things and ruin lives doesn’t mean we need to do so inefficiently.”

  ??

  Henry: ...go home, Ash. You're drunk.

  Batman: The Animated Series was the OG GOAT of the DCAU, which I think is saying something because I think the DCAU is pretty fantastic.