“Alright! Nia will make the perfect plan for us!”
On a night when the moon was hidden by clouds, the headquarters of Diamond Blade loomed like a massive shadow, piercing the sky. The heavy building, made of pitch-black marble, looked like a fortress.
“Now, let’s start!”
Through the black mask, Nia’s cat ears peeked out.
The walls of the headquarters building were even higher than expected. In the game, I had passed this place with just a click, but now that I was here, it was dizzying. A wall at least five stories high blocked our way.
“How are we supposed to climb this? There must be a magic barrier as well…”
“Don’t worry, Nya! Nia’s already checked everything!”
She pulled out some blue powder from a small pouch. When she scattered it into the air, an invisible magic circle began to faintly glow.
“The barrier renews every 30 minutes. The next refresh is in… 12 minutes!”
Before her words were even finished, Nia started climbing the wall. She moved so lightly, almost as if defying gravity. I was speechless.
“…How is she doing that?”
“Haru, you better climb up quickly! We don’t have much time!”
I couldn’t help but admire her. From the top of the wall, her black tail swayed, enticing me.
“How the heck did you get up there?”
“I’m a cat, after all! …Want me to carry you, Nya?”
“Just drop the rope.”
A black rope fell in front of me. Nia’s plan was flawless. The angle, timing, and even the position of the moon seemed to have been calculated perfectly.
The black rope dropped, and I quietly climbed up the wall. From above, Nia giggled.
“Haru, you’re moving so slow! A turtle would be faster than this!”
We slipped inside like shadows. Mimicking Nia’s movements wasn’t easy, but I tried my best to follow. If I didn’t have the strength of a hero, this would have been impossible.
“Shh! Patrol coming, Nya!”
Nia suddenly stopped. A magical light began to shine from the end of the hallway. We quickly hid behind a pillar.
Click-clack
The sound of leather boots hitting marble grew closer. We held our breath.
“No problem!”
The guards’ voices faded as their footsteps moved away. Nia’s ears perked up.
“They’re heading to the third-floor corridor, Nya. Now’s our chance!”
We moved quickly. Nia led the way, and I followed behind. My heart raced with every corridor we passed.
“We have to crawl through here, Nya.”
Nia pointed to a small vent. It was just big enough for the two of us to fit.
“Wait, you’re not serious…”
“This is the only way, Nya. There’s no magic barrier here…”
Before I could finish my sentence, she smoothly slipped into the vent. Only her black tail swayed at the entrance.
As we crawled through the narrow tunnel, cold sweat trickled down my back.
Nia’s black tail kept tickling my face as we crawled. Once, twice… it was bearable, but…
“Nia, stop…”
“What are you talking about, Nya? Nia’s just moving forward!”
“…Please don’t.”
“Nia’s being very serious right now, Nya!”
Despite her words, a playful tone lingered in her voice. Her tail grew even more insistent, tickling my nose.
Ah-choo!
The sudden sneeze echoed through the vent. Nia’s ears perked up.
“Someone’s here?”
I could hear the guards’ voices below us. Their footsteps grew louder.
“Haru, really…”
Nia sighed and then pulled something small from her pouch. She threw it out of the vent.
Chirp chirp
“Looks like a rat got in.”
The guards’ footsteps moved in the opposite direction. Nia flashed a victorious smile.
“I stole this from the Imperial Treasury. A hallucinogenic orb! Prepared just for times like this, Nya!”
“When did you steal that?”
“Shh! We’re in the middle of a heist, Nya!”
Her tail started tickling my face again, this time even more craftily.
We moved faster. When we emerged from the vent, a huge vault stood before us.
“This is the vault room, Nya. But be careful, there are lots of traps…”
Nia pulled out a small tool from her waist. Watching her dismantle the complicated locks with the ease of playing with toys was nothing short of amazing.
Click
The first mechanism was unlocked. Nia’s movements grew even faster.
It was a good thing I picked up a cat. If I had been alone, I would have only thought about breaking through with the holy sword.
“Nia, you really…”
“Shh! Praise me later, Nya!”
But her ears proudly stood up. Nia was weak to compliments.
Click
With the last lock released, the vault door slowly opened. Inside, all kinds of gold and treasures glittered, but our goal was something else.
“Over there, Nya!”
Nia lifted the carpet on the floor, revealing another hidden door beneath it.
“This is the real vault, Nya!”
Shk
When the secret vault opened, legendary items poured out. The ‘Chaos Crystal,’ of course, and many rare items shone next to it.
“Wow… you really are a thief.”
“Of course, Nya! Nia’s a legendary thief!”
The secret vault exceeded expectations. There were not only the ‘Chaos Crystal’ but also legendary equipment filling the space.
“Wow. This is real ‘Mithril Silk’! It’s worth a whole city…”
“Just take what we need.”
“Aww, that’s too bad… This is a giant’s bone fragment, and that’s an elemental stone…”
Nia’s tail swayed in regret, but we had no time.
Then,
Thud
Footsteps echoed.
“Who’s there!”
The guard shouted as magical lights flickered on.
Nia’s movements suddenly changed. The playful cat disappeared, and the legendary thief awoke.
“Haru, follow me!”
We quickly hid. There was no time to think. I clenched my fists. Should I fight… But that would mean spreading the rumor that a hero was here.
Thud thud thud
The footsteps grew louder. My heart pounded in my ears.
“Seal off the entire third floor! Catch them!”
The emergency alarm rang, and red magical lights flooded the area.
“This way, Nya!”
Nia led the way, and we ran down the corridor. But ahead, the guards were closing in.
“A dead end, Nya… Up!”
We headed up the emergency stairs toward the roof. One floor, two floors… The guards’ footsteps grew closer.
“Stop!”
A magical arrow skimmed past my ear. Nia’s black ears perked up.
“Haru, get down!”
In an instant, she threw a small orb. Smoke exploded, spreading everywhere.
“Damn, I can’t see!”
“Call the mage!”
The guards’ shouts echoed from below. We kept running upward.
Finally, we reached the roof door. The cold night wind hit my face. There was no place left to run.
“What now?”
Looking down, the height was dizzying.
“Nyaa, Haru, catch Nia tightly, Nya!”
Nia wrapped herself around my waist. Her black tail tightly curled around my arm.
“Wait, are you…?”
“It’s the leap of trust, Nya!”
We jumped into the air. The wind whooshed past my ears. For a moment, the sensation of falling overwhelmed me.
“Nia? Nia?!”
But instead of an answer, I only heard mischievous laughter. The ground was getting closer.
‘This kid, is she… messing with me?’
Three meters to the ground… two meters…
Suddenly, Nia’s eyes gleamed. Our shadows started to move.
“Now, Nya!”
Whoosh
We were sucked into the shadow. A cold sensation enveloped us before it released.
“Landing successful, Nya!”
The next moment, we appeared in the shadow of an alley. A perfect landing.
“You’re really crazy.”
“Nya? Haru wouldn’t get hurt even if he fell, would he?”
Nia smiled playfully, and I sighed.
“Still, there’s going to be a commotion.”
“Now everyone’s going to be looking at the roof, so we can escape through the underground shadows, Nya!”
“…You’re smarter than I thought.”
“Of course, Nya! Nia’s a genius thief cat!”
As we moved from shadow to shadow, Nia’s breath brushed against the back of my neck. It was strangely ticklish.
No, she’s really licking me. I felt the rough texture of her cat tongue.
“Phew… Finally escaped, Nya!”
“Your breath stinks!”
“Nyaa! Cats like licking things they enjoy, Nya!”
When we reached a safe zone, Nia let go of me. Her golden eyes sparkled with the joy of victory.
“Hah… Hah… We’re safe, Nya…”
With pride, she raised her tail. But soon, her face turned pale.
“Ugh… The shadow leap takes a lot of energy, Nya… I need to rest for a bit…”
I checked the stolen items while holding her. The Chaos Crystal and a few top-tier relics.
“Thanks, Nia. If it weren’t for you, this would have been impossible.”
“Now, what should we steal next, Nya?”
“That’s enough for today.”
“Aww, why, Nya!”
“We got what we needed.”
“Ugh…”
“No.”
“Haru, you’re too inflexible, Nya… There’s so much treasure here…”
“Shh!”
“Still… today was the first time I did a heist with Haru! Nia’s in a good mood, Nya!”
Suddenly, she came close to me. Her golden eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“So… as a reward…”
Nia shyly folded and unfolded her ears. She tilted her head slightly toward my hand.
“…Will you pet my head?”
I sighed and raised my hand. Her soft hair trembled as her black ears twitched.
Purr…
Nia let out a small sound of satisfaction.
I never expected to be stealing with a cat burglar, but… it wasn’t so bad.