Rose stared at the glass display and the white scythe resting inside it. Though she was told to get it right away, doing so was easier said than done. They never got to examine the alarm system in the display cases, after all, and there was no time to do so with how little time she had. Ghost mode should make it so none of the sensors detect her actions, but if there were any that weren’t connected to the mansion’s network, there was no way her actions would go unnoticed.
’Need to get the red jian, too...’
Glancing at the hidden door, Rose braced herself then moved. She kept to the floor, moving quickly without making any sounds. Once beside the display case of her desired target, he took one of the rings on her fingers and fiddled with it a little, removing the diamond decorating it.
’Here goes nothing...’
Her hand remained steady despite how nervous she was. Reaching out and pressing the small, fingertip-sized diamond against the surface of the glass, then quickly moving it around, drawing a circle. The diamond was a special tool with one sharp end created specifically for similar purposes.
Once the circle was carved into the case, all she had to do was give it a slight push and the circular part popped off cleanly. Thankfully, the glass itself was of a simple kind. Glancing at the secret door once more, then at the entrance to the collection room, Rose took a deep breath then reached through the hole in the display case.
Her heart was pounding violently, threatening to break her ribcage. In the end, her fear of the room going red the instant her fingers touched the artifact turned out to be unwarranted. She simply grasped and pulled it out of the display case, and nothing seemed to happen.
Once it was in her hands, Rose couldn’t help but stare at the scythe. The white, jade-like blade had a gentle curve that seemed strangely mesmerizing, and the dark blue crystal from which the handle was carved competed for one’s attention. Strangely enough, despite being centuries old, the blade looked brand new, as if it had just been removed from the artisan’s workshop.
Rose recalled what the rich scion had told them about the Moon Dagger, and for a moment there, she was tempted to cut herself and see what happened. Of course, she wasn’t about to do so, at least for now.
Reaching the case with the red jian proved to be as stressful as taking out the scythe, since it was on the other side of the secret door. Rose couldn’t resist stealing a glance as she passed by it, but there was nothing but darkness beyond the entrance.
Glad that no one happened to be coming out at that moment, she continued toward her next target with light steps. The room was full of valuable artifacts so she could’ve just grabbed anything to make up for the costs of the hist, but Mr. Pike was insistent that she bring back the red jian.
Rose cut the glass of the display case as she recalled her previous guess about how the eastern sword had some sentimental value to the suit-loving old man. Just as she was about to push the circular piece she cut so she could reach the red jian, a notification spawned on her OAM, almost startling her.
Twitching to a halt, Rose retracted her hand and quickly docked. The secret door was still in the periphery of her vision and she didn’t see anyone coming out, but just as that thought crossed her mind, the entrance to the collection room split open.
A fur-covered beast rushed in, followed by three people in strange costumes. They were the four members of the superhero team Silver Wind.
Rose docked once more, not daring to even peek. It was useless, however. The four started looking around the room, but the large fur-covered beast began sniffing, his blood-soaked snout twitching as if it was searching for prey. Even without looking, she could feel it on her skin when it turned in her direction.
"I don’t see it." A calm voice shattered the suffocating silence.
"Hey, was a door supposed to be there?" Another one asked, and going by the voice, it was a she.
"No, we would have heard about it if that were the case..." Another female said.
"A secret room, then?"
"Hey, didn’t you hear what I said?" The first one spoke again, sounding irritated. "The relic, it’s not here!"
"We heard you, alright?" Another one spoke, this one female. "They said the display case is in the back, but... It’s empty?"
There was the sound of footsteps as someone walked forward, but it went quiet right away.
"We’re not alone." A guttural voice said, sending chills down Rose’s spine.
She was holding a hand to her mouth, trying not to breathe while debating whether she should make a run for it. Retrieving the red jian was no longer an option under these conditions.
But would she be able to outrun those monsters? The large furry beast seemed especially agile, and the others didn’t seem like they would just do nothing as she passed right beside them.
The prospect of being chased by a team of superheroes didn’t sound like a pleasant experience, and getting away didn’t seem realistic. The only way to pull it off would be if they got distracted somehow, but as she begged for the rich scion and his underlings to come out of their secret room, listening to the furry beast’s slow, heavy footsteps as it approached her, Rose noticed her feet sink into the floor.
Or rather, a wave of light was rising from the floor, quickly swallowing her. Rose recognized the pure white light, and before her mind could question what was happening, her body was already on the move.
The light spread through the collection room in an instant, like a single flash. It was far too fast to mask someone’s movements, but it distracted the heroes long enough for Rose to take off.
Rose didn’t look back, keeping her eyes on the door ahead. The white light blinded her for a second, but it didn’t leave any lasting damage, and didn’t slow how down even by a bit.
"Huh? That’s- STOP RIGHT THERE!!!"
Hearing the heroes shout convinced her that she was about to be tackled. Rose paid it no mind. She continued running, running, and running, and before she knew it, one of her bare feet crossed the threshold to the collection room, and she entered the corridor that led to it.
Though confused, Rose didn’t stop. She didn’t care to hide herself either. Right now, running was her only choice, and so she ran.
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