Murder in the Bathhouse
The Chameleon Beast's Attack
Steam drifted lazily in the bathhouse, tiny bubbles rising on the surface of the water. The conversation between the four guild leaders and Andras had just fallen silent for a moment when the future‑sight crystal in Andras's right eye suddenly began to vibrate.
A flash.
A shadow.
A movement.
A deadly stab.
The vision struck him:
The head of the Dolermo family gasps, an invisible blade plunges into his chest, blood splashes into the water, the body collapses forward… and the killer immediately turns toward Andras.
Andras's heart thumped.
"Assassin. Invisible. Knife strike. The head of the Dolermo family… is going to die."
He snapped his head up, scanning the room — but saw nothing.
Future‑sight showed only the consequence, not the location.
"Where are you…? Where…?"
The steam was thick, the ceiling high, the lighting dim.
The other three guild leaders noticed nothing.
The head of the Dolermo family was just about to speak:
"The alliance—"
And then it happened.
The Murder
A soft, barely audible sliding sound from the ceiling.
Andras looked up on reflex — but too late.
The chameleon beast‑man was crawling across the ceiling, its skin perfectly blended with the marble pattern. Its body was nearly invisible, only the faint distortion of movement gave it away.
With a single silent leap, it dropped down.
The head of the Dolermo family didn't even comprehend what was happening.
The chameleon landed on his back and drove the poisoned dagger into his chest with lightning speed.
"Kh—!" The man gasped, blood spraying in a dark streak into the water.
The others shouted in shock.
Andras clenched his fist.
"Damn it… I couldn't stop it. Too fast. Too well hidden."
The chameleon was already turning toward him.
The Attack on Andras
The beast‑man's body blended into the surroundings again.
Its skin shifted colors: marble white, steam gray, streaked with water‑blue patches.
Its movement was silent, predatory.
Andras's right eye vibrated again.
The future showed:
The chameleon jumps from his left.
The dagger aims between his ribs.
Water splashes.
Pain…
Death.
"No. Not today."
Thanks to future‑sight, he knew exactly where the attack would come from.
The chameleon surged forward through the steam, dagger already swinging — but Andras stepped half a pace aside before the attack even began.
The blade sliced through the air.
Now! Andras thought.
He thrust his left hand forward, channeling lightning magic into his fingers. Standing in the water made the conduction perfect — the lightning practically begged to be released.
The chameleon attacked again, but Andras grabbed its wrist.
Lightning surged into the beast's body.
The chameleon convulsed, its skin losing its camouflage, revealing its true form: greenish scales, long limbs, yellow eyes.
It collapsed from the shock, the dagger slipping from its hand and clattering onto the marble.
The Interrogation — And the Seal Activates
Andras leaned over it, water dripping from his arm, lightning still crackling faintly at his fingertips.
"Who sent you?!" he growled. "Who is your employer?!"
The chameleon's throat trembled.
Its eyes widened.
Its mouth opened as if to speak.
But then the magical seal on its chest ignited.
A red glow raced across its body in an instant.
"No!" Andras shouted — but it was already too late.
The seal crushed the chameleon's windpipe as if an invisible hand were squeezing it shut.
The beast gurgled, thrashed, then went limp.
Its body lay motionless on the marble.
Dead.
The Beginning of Chaos
The water turned red with the blood of the Dolermo family head.
The other three guild leaders jumped up, shouting.
"Who did this?!"
"This is an assassination!"
"Someone among us wanted him dead!"
"This could mean war between the guilds!"
Andras slowly straightened.
The future‑sight quieted.
The lightning faded from his fingers.
The steam of the bathhouse now mixed with the scent of blood.
And he knew:
This was only the beginning.
The murder had triggered an avalanche.
The city's political balance was shattered.
The guilds would turn against each other.
And someone in the shadows was pulling the strings.
Andras took a deep breath.
"I'll come back tonight. Masked. And I'll find out who's behind this."
The Black Raven was already on the move.
And the dark streets of the city held more secrets yet.
Nighttime Return to the Bathhouse
The city was already deep asleep when Young Wolf stepped out of Wolf Lodge once more. The moon's silver light glimmered on the cobblestone streets, and the air was cool and quiet — so quiet that every step echoed between the walls.
This time, Andras did not set out with his own face.
His cloak was dark, the hood pulled deep over his head, and a simple black half‑mask hid his features. His ring held his weapons, his staff, his daggers — but he hadn't summoned them yet.
"The murder in the bathhouse cannot go unanswered. Someone wanted to silence the head of the Dolermo family. And if I don't find out who… the city will burn."
His thoughts were sharp as blades.
The future‑sight crystal was quiet now — but Andras knew it could show him something again at any moment.
The Bathhouse at Night
By day, the bathhouse was luxurious and full of life.
At night… it was like a tomb.
The gate was locked, the torches extinguished, only the moonlight glinting on the marble. But at the back entrance, there was a small gap in the wall — a servant's door used by the staff.
Andras glided toward it silently and burned out the lock with a tiny spark of lightning.
The metal popped softly, and the door opened a crack.
Inside, darkness greeted him.
The steam had dispersed, the water's surface was still, like a black mirror.
The site of the murder was still stained with red.
Dried blood on the marble, dark shadows drifting in the water…
Death still lingered in the air.
Andras knelt and touched the marble.
"The chameleon jumped from here. From the ceiling. Professional work. Not some street assassin."
The stat‑lens in his left eye activated, glowing faintly as it traced heat signatures, footprints, magical residue.
And then—
another heat signature moved in the darkness.
The Black Raven Appears
A shadow swept across the edge of the pool.
Light, silent movement.
A black cloak.
A mask.
And a long, thin dueling sword in hand.
The woman stepped into the moonlight.
The Black Raven.
Andras slowly straightened.
"Come out," he said quietly. "If you're an assassin, you can still run."
The woman laughed.
Her voice was clear, young, but full of confidence.
"If I were with them, I would've tried to stab you already."
Moonlight glinted on her mask.
Her posture was perfect — that of a trained duelist.
"I followed you," she said. "I saw you return. I thought I'd see what the young mage of the Wolfwood House is doing at a murder scene in the middle of the night."
Andras did not move.
The lens in his left eye activated:
Name: Vanessa Dolermo
Age: 19
Race: Human
Class: Dueling Rogue, the Black Raven
Element: Fire
Note: Heir of the Dolermo family
"So it really is her. The Dolermo girl. The Black Raven. The city's secret vigilante."
But he did not reveal that he knew.
"I'm not an enemy," Andras said. "I'm looking for clues. The murder cannot go unpunished."
The woman stepped closer.
Her movement was graceful, like that of a dancer.
"The murder concerns my family," she said quietly. "The head of the Dolermo family was killed. My father."
Andras's heart skipped for a moment.
"I knew. But hearing it from her… is different."
The woman continued:
"And if someone thinks they can get away with it… they're wrong."
Her voice was cold as a blade.
The Alliance of Two Masked Figures
Andras nodded slowly.
"Then we want the same thing. To find the one who ordered it."
The woman raised an eyebrow behind the mask.
"You want to work with me? With a stranger?"
"You're not a stranger," Andras said. "You're just… wearing a mask. Like me."
The woman smiled.
"Hm. I like your style."
The two masked figures stood facing each other in the moonlight, above the blood‑stained water.
The city's dark secrets swirled around them.
And from this moment on:
a mage and a dueling rogue — two masked vigilantes — set out together to uncover the criminal organization behind the murder.
The investigation had begun.