Anthony's body shuddered briefly before light returned to his eyes, and he staggered back, squeezing his eyes shut while taking deep breaths through his nose.

Clearly, this was not the first time he had been forced to bear a possession like that. His reaction was too seasoned, and now that things were calming down, he appeared more at ease, as if he knew he had done his part.

Tomcat looked at him with a surprising amount of pity. He didn't seem shocked by what happened either, though he was very cautious of this Changer.

Still, after it became clear Anthony had nothing more to say, he turned back to the spatial pouch, opened it, and cautiously reached inside.

After a moment, he seemed to find what he was looking for, so he pulled back, and in his hand was a glass sphere the size of an apple.

Nick immediately recognized it. It was a bit smaller than the one he'd seen used in Sashara's temple, but there was no doubt that this was a long-range communication device.

Tomcat breathed deeply through his nose, his eyes lighting up with greed at the sight, before the earlier wariness returned with a vengeance.

Yeah, that's way too much. Crystal balls like that are almost unheard of outside powerful organizations like the temples or the Tower; even though this one has a smaller range than the ones used by those groups, it's still a lordly gift. That means the request will be just as big.

It also confirmed that this wasn't just a simple case of someone powerful organizing the gangs. No, there had to be significant planning and resources behind this matter, and it was quickly surpassing the level of a straightforward theft of the auction's goods.

This Tomcat seems to have a working brain, so I doubt he'll ignore the implications. He has to know that if he goes through with this, they won't be able to operate within Alluria anymore. But then again, if he were to refuse someone with this much wealth, he'd be equally at risk, and even worse, he might end up holding the hot potato while everyone else gets their prizes and flees with outside help.

It was a very complicated situation that provided few good options. Either way, everything would change, and for someone who led a gang like the Alley Cats, being forced to leave their territory might be just as bad as being forced to disband.

Still, Tomcat said nothing about this and carefully placed the crystal ball back inside the pouch. "Alright, you did your part, kid. Go home. I don't know how you got involved with this, but you should lay low now."

Anthony nodded gratefully and quickly made his way out of the building, leaving the Alley Cats to contemplate what had just happened.

"Boss," one of the men called, earning a grunt from Tomcat. "I don't like this."

The others quickly echoed that sentiment, but that only deepened Tomcat's frown until he finally exploded. "You think I like this? That I don't know what will happen if we are part of an attack like this?! Some of you might be too young to remember, but the last purge of the gangs was a damn bloodbath! We had Prestige knights walking around the district with their swords out, just looking for anyone who dared wear a sign of affiliation."

"Then why are we doing this? You could have rejected the gift. We'd have made an enemy, but it would save us a lot of grief," the underling, whom Nick was pretty sure had to be a lieutenant of some kind to speak so freely, pressed.

Tomcat's face twisted into a fierce snarl, and his fist shot out, smashing into a nearby wall with such force that it pulverized the bricks.

Breathing heavily, Tomcat turned to the suddenly quiet men. "The fact that I took it should tell you something then, shouldn't it? That going against Changer and whoever is pulling his strings is worse than facing the Duke's wrath."

That was enough for Nick. It didn't seem like anything else would happen tonight, and Tomcat was being tight-lipped about who this Changer was.

With a whisper of wind, he was gone, the owl figurine quickly joining him on his flight back and disappearing inside the ring once more after a quick, affectionate pat.

Under the glow of the moon, the city of Alluria at night was a magical sight, with the Magic Tower capturing most of its radiance, and the Duke's castle taking the rest, but neither was Nick's destination.

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Instead, he jumped from rooftop to rooftop as long as he could, then dropped down as he entered the noble district and ghosted his way through the empty roads, with only the distant glow of the manors and the fading sounds of revelry for company.

When he arrived at Xander's manor, he found the gates already open for him, with Sonya in her uniform, waiting silently.

Nick sighed. "One day, you'll have to tell me how you always know."

She smiled thinly, though he could see the amusement swirling around her. "I don't know what you are talking about," was her reply, before she turned around and led him deeper into the manse.

They found Xander sitting in the garden, gazing up at the moon with a contemplative expression. He turned at the sound of their feet, and his eyes roamed over Nick's figure before relaxing slightly when he saw no signs of a fight. "I hope you haven't been expelled from the Tower just yet. It would be a record, as far as I know."

Nick rolled his eyes. The more he got to know the old man, the better he was at reading his words. Even though his delivery was completely deadpan and could have seemed genuine to those who didn't know him, he could see the warm tint of amusement around him and didn't take it to heart. "Master Tholm has yet to find out about my dastardly deeds; have no fear," he replied, earning a giggle from Sonya and a raised eyebrow from Xander.

"Is that why you're here, then? To seek refuge before these deeds are exposed to everyone?" Xander asked, gesturing for Sonya to leave, which she did with a quick bow, then moved back to the house.

"Unfortunately, no, it's not," Nick replied, adopting a more serious tone. "I've been enjoying my time in the Tower and wanted to keep doing that, but I seem to have come across something quite concerning."

Nick wasn't used to going to someone in authority to resolve his problems. His class represented the opposite of such behavior, and he could feel his distrust of the establishment hum in the background, but he had little choice in this instance.

Whatever the truth of the matter was, it was now undeniable that something significant was happening. Something he couldn't allow to occur, nor could he confront directly, which meant making sure those with the power to stop it knew about it.

Xander sensed his seriousness and shifted, eyes going dark. "Explain."

And Nick did. From his first encounter with Anthony to his relationship with One-Ear, all the way to that night's events. His hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly as he spoke, and he had to push himself to be honest for once. It would have been easy to leave out some details, like his ring or the constant exchange of information he had with One-Ear, but he knew the ball was out of his hands by now, and if he wanted to come out of this smelling like roses, he had to avoid triggering any alarm bells himself.

By the time he finished speaking, Xander's face had become as hard as stone. They sat silently for several minutes while the old man thought, and Nick didn't interrupt.

Eventually, Xander stood up. "You did the right thing coming to me. Now let's go," he said as he began walking toward the exit.

Nick fell into step with him, reducing the wind resistance and making it easier to keep pace. "Where are we going?"

Xander side-eyed him without stopping. "To tell the Duke what you told me."

Nick had seen the castle. It was hard not to, since it dominated a large part of the city's skyline, and it was so massive that it could be seen from nearly everywhere if nothing blocked the view.

But the closest he had gotten to it was when he went to the public training grounds with his brother, and even then, it was only on the periphery of the massive building.

Walking through a side entrance he hadn't even known existed and hadn't been able to sense until it appeared with a whisper of spatial magic wasn't how he'd imagined his first time inside would go.

At his side, Xander walked with unwavering calm, but Nick could see his mind racing wildly as he considered the implications of what Nick had discovered.

He didn't seem the least bit intimidated by the thought of meeting the Duke, probably because of his status as a War Hero and his familiarity with the man, but Nick himself wasn't in the same boat.

He'd expected a big reaction, of course. Had even hoped for it. But he hadn't considered the possibility of being brought before the most politically powerful man in the West to explain his nightly wanderings.

I hoped he'd take the whole thing off my hands, if I'm honest. If I had known it would come to this, I would have gone to tell Tholm first. Hopefully, he won't be too mad.

He doubted the Archmage would take offense, especially since things would probably be pretty hectic from now on if the reaction was what Xander seemed to believe.

Personally, Nick had trouble believing that the Duke was completely unaware of this. Maybe he didn't know all the details, but he had to be aware of the strange gang movements, right?

I'm not sure which would be worse: that an enemy capable of fooling the Duke has decided to organize an attack, or that he's too incompetent to realize it. Neither option is good.

After several minutes of walking, they finally emerged into a well-lit corridor through a wooden door that vanished the moment it closed behind them.

The castle's interior was as lavish as Nick had anticipated. Ornate tapestries depicting the ducal family's history adorned most of the walls, while soft carpets covered the stone floor.

Two guards greeted them as they entered, both possessing enough mana to be considered elites in the Royal Army. They nodded respectfully to Xander and looked at Nick with curiosity but didn't ask about his presence, simply telling them to follow. "The Duke has been informed of your arrival, Grandmaster. He will be with you shortly. Please ask anything you might desire to the servants. They will provide it for you."

The room they were led into was, if anything, even more luxurious. The furniture was crafted from a wood that naturally shimmered like gold, dense enough to resemble the material but much harder, and it seemed to block mana rather than conduct it.

A low table inscribed with countless runes on its sides and perfectly smooth on top sat in the middle of the sitting area. Nick was halted from studying it by the appearance of two beautiful maids, who bowed deeply. "My lords, should you wish for anything, from refreshments to a meal, you need only ask."

Nick was about to ask for some water when Xander swatted his arm so quickly he couldn't react, leaving only a slight sting. "We're fine," the old man grunted, and the maids stepped back, almost blending into the walls.

Nick contented himself with subtly observing them while they waited. They seemed to be much more advanced than Sonya, and if it hadn't been for his significant sensory abilities, he probably would have forgotten they were in the room, so stealthy were their movements.

Truly, servant classes could be scary in their own ways.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again.