NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 19: Three thieves
Chapter 19: Three thieves
A lone fox woman slowly walked toward the mansion's storage.
She hugged herself in a thick blanket and shivered at every step, her lips trembling and her fluffy ears drooping.
She stopped in front of two men who guarded the supplies.
"Me so hungry…" she whispered, looking down.
One of the guards was about to open the storage to help her, but the other grabbed his shoulder.
The second man smirked. "You have a pretty face. Come closer so we can get a good look."
The fox woman took a slow step forward, then thrust her hand out.
A small fire bubble formed on her index finger, which exploded in a bright flash that blinded both guards.
Before they could recover, dark tendrils slithered beneath the light and wrapped around the stunned men.
They fell to the ground, cocooned in a mass of shadows that left only their eyes exposed.
With their faces pinned, the men saw a figure behind the fox woman.
He wore long black robes that extended over the floor, stretching into countless tendrils to weave an orb web and seal the corridor.
More tendrils slithered like serpents toward the trapped guards, who already knew what those threads could do.
They tried to scream, but only muffled whimpers came out.
The man who had demanded a closer look felt tendrils tighten around his neck, as if they would crush his throat.
Tears welled in his eyes, and he silently begged for mercy.
The other guard stayed still, spared from worse harm because he genuinely meant to help.
All he could do was watch the fox woman skip past them into the storage.
A wolf woman followed her, ignoring the sight of the immobilized men.
She helped the fox woman move boxes of meat and vegetables out of the storage.
Those three were none other than Noah, Eleonora, and Athena.
Noah had learned from his fox witch that Night Elves' Nocturnes could take many forms, and he was eager to explore more possibilities.
He stood firm like a lord owning this place and everyone in it.
The guard who tried to exploit Eleonora's plight was close to fainting from the pain.
Unaware that he looked like a grim reaper to the trapped men, Noah continued glaring at them.
"Make a backpack, handsome!" Eleonora teased, stacking three boxes on top of each other.
Noah's robes shifted into a large sack, and Athena loaded the boxes of food inside.
They worked quickly, making Noah smile wryly.
He kept the corridor sealed, unable to move from his spot, which made him think again about evolving Nocturne into a spider form to handle these tasks for him.
The men on the floor whimpered and pleaded with their eyes.
Noah glanced at them and smiled. "She's adorable when she's stealing, isn't she?"
More tears flowed down their cheeks.
They wanted him to stop his women from taking so much food, because failing their post could cost them their lives or get them tossed outside.
Eleonora did not care.
She remembered the group that wanted them out of the safe zone, plus the men who tried to abuse her in her sleep.
Noah had no problem letting Eleonora enjoy herself this way.
He would not allow her to live off thievery forever, but he accepted her mischievous side and loved seeing her have fun.
"Done!" Eleonora clapped her hands in triumph, though Athena had done most of the heavy lifting.
Athena only smiled wryly.
Noah glanced over his shoulder at the massive pack of stolen food.
He looked like a strange Santa, except he was the one stealing.
He led his family out of the mansion, releasing the guards from his darkness threads.
They yelled at the top of their lungs about three thieves, bringing everyone else out.
Others rushed after Noah, shouting, "Show us what's in that bag!" and "That's too much!" and "Not fair!"
Standing by the door, Noah grinned. "You won't attack me now, right? You'd only break the doors and let the cold in. Maybe even ghouls."
Eleonora and Athena smirked.
"Go check your storage if you don't want to be left with nothing," Eleonora said, winking.
Everyone gasped and dashed toward the storage.
Noah blinked at Eleonora. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," she said, sticking out her tongue. "Just gave them a scare."
He chuckled. "Alright. Let's go on a new adventure. Living in the wilderness might be fun."
"We're quite suited to it, especially our ancestors," Eleonora said.
"Indeed," Athena added.
With that, the family of three left the mansion and headed for the distant forest.
Dawn replaced the moon in the sky, yet the air stayed cold.
Noah felt a sting in his eyes as the sun rose, and he wondered what the daylight held for a Night Elf like him.