Chapter 12: Operation: Save The Princess [4] The sun peeked cautiously over the horizon, casting a soft glow over the dirt-stained cobblestone of Kraken Town. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 Early risers were already gathered downstairs at the inn, clinking mugs and trading hushed gossip, while the scent of burnt toast and meat stew lingered in the air. Azel was seated at a corner table, absolutely demolishing a plate of food like it had personally wronged him. Eggs, bread, salted meat — nothing was safe. Across from him, Steven nibbled at a piece of toast, his expression calm but mildly exasperated. "You should’ve woken me up," Azel said with a low growl between bites, cheeks puffed with food. Steven raised an eyebrow and sipped his lukewarm tea. "You wouldn’t have woken up. You were drooling all over your pillow like a dog in heat." "I was tired!" "You were snoring like a wyvern." Steven took a bite of bread and stood up. "Now come on, scarf down the rest. We’ve got work to do." After a few more bites and one last gulp of water, Azel followed him out. The moment they stepped into the sun-soaked street, Steven led them into an alleyway and then further down toward the slum border. A faint sour odor already clung to the air. "Here," Steven said, pulling out two sets of tattered clothes from his storage ring. They looked — and smelled — like they’d been resurrected from a landfill. Azel held up the ragged shirt. "Is this a shirt or a fishnet?" "At least you get a shirt," Steven muttered while adjusting his own tattered cloak. "My chest is literally out." He took a handful of fine dust from a pouch and rubbed it into their hair. "We blend in or we don’t come out." Reluctantly, Azel changed into the outfit behind a barrel. His skin prickled as the breeze met his bare chest. "If I die, I want it known I went out looking like a broke man’s scarecrow." Steven chuckled as he tucked their real clothes into the storage ring. "You’ll be fine, drama queen." Together, they walked toward the slums. ... The Stench Hit Like a Fist. Azel’s eyes watered instantly. It was like someone had mixed rotting meat, urine, and wet socks in a cauldron and let it boil for weeks. The narrow paths were lined with skeletal houses made of mismatched wood and rusted nails, while the people — they looked like ghosts who’d forgotten they were supposed to die. Their clothes hung off their frames. Many had missing teeth. Some looked at them suspiciously. Others didn’t look at all. It was a place of forgotten souls. Even the guards wouldn’t set foot here without backup. The pair moved cautiously, sticking to the shadows and speaking as little as possible. Steven used his Aura Detection in small bursts — short-range pulses of energy designed to locate life signs without alerting other sensitive users. They searched for an hour. And then — Steven stopped suddenly, eyes narrowing. His pulse of aura detection had picked something up. Azel paused too, wiping sweat off his brow as he tried not to gag again. The alley opened into a grimy cul-de-sac. At the very end of the slanted street stood a crooked house. Its wooden beams sagged like broken bones, and moss grew along its damp walls. A crooked porch jutted out from the front like a sneer, and around it loitered five men. They were dirty, armed and had sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Steven’s eyes brightened. "I can sense her." Azel blinked. "For real?" Steven nodded, gaze fixed on the decrepit building. "She’s inside, her energy is weak — but alive." Azel felt something in his chest tighten. After all the planning, the sneaking, the filth — they found her. He turned to the sword saint. "So what’s the plan?" Steven’s hand moved to the hilt of his massive sword, the metal glinting faintly from within his ring. "I’ll go loud. Draw their attention. You sneak in through the side and find the girl. The ones inside should be weaker. Get her out. I’ll meet you at the east alley." Azel nodded, tightening his grip on the daggers holstered behind his back. "Got it." Steven smiled. "And, Azel?" "Yeah?" "Don’t die." Then he burst forward. Chaos erupted Instantly. Steven’s legs glowed with pulsing blue aura as he kicked off the ground. The street cracked beneath him as he closed the distance between him and the first guard in a heartbeat. "WHO THE HELL—?!" The man didn’t even finish the sentence before his chest split open. Steven’s sword sang through the air like a reaper’s whisper, cutting cleanly through bone and flesh. Blood sprayed. Screams followed. "WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!" "IT’S A FUCKIN’ MONSTER!" "ALERT THE OTHERS!" The loitering guards scrambled to respond. One drew a spear and hurled it toward Steven, but it simply shattered against his aura-cloaked body. Another man launched forward, swinging a spiked chain — but Steven caught it mid-air, yanked the man into a punch so strong his skull cracked like an egg. Azel used the chaos. Slipping around the side of the crooked building, he found a narrow, rotted window slightly ajar. He slid it open and slipped inside, landing silently on dusty floorboards. The air was thick and every step creaked like a scream. Azel held his breath and crouched low, twin daggers drawn. This was it. It was finally time to save the princess and prevent a calamity.