Shane slowed, then stopped beside the tree where Molly and Zevy were resting.
"Hold on," he said.
Klaus raised a brow but said nothing, watching with mild curiosity as Shane stepped closer to the hawk. Zevy tilted his head, sharp eyes reflecting starlight.
Shane extended his wrist. "Zevy, come down, boy. Get inside. It's cozier there."
The hawk clicked softly and hopped onto Shane's arm. Shane tapped a ring against Zevy's talon, and with a faint shimmer, the bird vanished into storage. Shane rolled his wrist once, as if making sure the weight was truly gone.
He then turned to Molly, who had been half-dozing. She opened one large eye as he approached.
"You staying with the party," Shane asked quietly, "or do you want a proper rest?"
Molly snorted softly and nudged him with her massive head, nearly knocking him off balance. Shane smiled despite himself.
"Got it," he murmured.
He tapped another ring against her hide. Molly dissolved into light, the space she'd occupied suddenly empty and oddly too quiet.
Only then did Shane turn back to Klaus. "Are we doing it here?"
Klaus let out a soft sigh. "You really are a troublesome man, Shane." He glanced back toward the camp, then ahead into the deeper dark. "Let's walk a little further."
Without waiting, he started off, boots crunching lightly against gravel.
Shane followed, hands clasped behind his back. "I prefer the phrase 'by any means necessary.'"
Klaus stopped abruptly and crouched, turning just enough to glance over his shoulder. He stretched his arms backward, palms open. "Better make this raid a copious one," he said dryly, "or I'll hate you more than I already do."
Shane blinked once, then stepped forward. He hooked an arm around Klaus's shoulder and leaned in, steady and practiced. As he did, he lowered his voice and whispered near Klaus's ear, "Don't worry. You'll get the reward you want."
A chill ran down Klaus's spine. He stiffened. "Don't do that," he muttered. "Or I'll drop you later."
Shane's lips twitched. "You're no fun."
"I mean it."
Shane chuckled softly. "Alright. Time's ticking. No more teasing." His tone sharpened just a little. "Let's go."
Klaus inhaled once.
Phantom jump.
The world lurched.
In a blink, they were airborne—hundreds of meters from where they had stood—wind ripping past them as the ground collapsed into a blur of shadow and stone. For a heartbeat, their afterimages remained behind, faint silhouettes frozen mid-motion before dissolving like smoke.
Klaus didn't let the momentum fade.
Phantom jump.
Then again.
And again.
Two afterimages peeled off him in the span of a blink as he chained the skill without ever touching the ground, covering nearly half a kilometer in seconds. The phantoms shattered in unison, leaving only the real Klaus hurtling forward through the night.
Shane adjusted his grip instinctively, boots tucking in as he stabilized himself. Even mid-flight, his eyes were sharp, scanning the horizon, measuring the stars and the shifting terrain below.
"At this rate," Shane said calmly, voice barely disturbed by the rushing wind, "we'll be there by dawn."
Klaus clicked his tongue. "So it's not enough."
The air cracked as he accelerated. This time, three jumps layered into a single blink, the recoil biting into his legs as space folded again and again beneath them.
Shane exhaled slowly. "That'll do."
They continued sky-jumping for a long while, the land beneath them changing from rocky barrens to scattered trees to darker soil, then forest. Klaus's breathing remained steady, but a faint tightness crept into his shoulders—subtle, but real. After hundreds of jumps, even his mana pool was beginning to dip.
"Shane," Klaus said at last, tone casual but clipped, "mana rejuvenation. My reserves are getting chewed up."
"Figured," Shane replied. He shifted his posture slightly for him to catch the vial once it materialized from his storage ring.
That was when something pressed unexpectedly into Klaus's back.
His spine went rigid. "What the—"
"It's just my pocket watch," Shane said innocently. "I promise."
It was indeed his pocket watch.
Klaus didn't believe him for a second.
"Change position," Klaus said flatly.
Before Shane could reply, Klaus loosened his grip and vanished.
An afterimage slipped cleanly through Shane's grasp, leaving him suddenly falling through empty air.
Shane pretended to panic and screamed exaggeratedly.
Loudly. Dramatically. Arms flailing, legs kicking, a performance worthy of a stage. "Klaaaaus! Help—!"
A hand caught him mid-drop.
Klaus reappeared beneath him, arms locked around Shane's torso as he triggered another phantom jump, the world snapping back into place.
Shane burst out laughing. "I feel like a princess. Saved by a knight."
"Shut up," Klaus growled, "or I'll drop you for real."
Shane, still grinning, produced a mana rejuvenation vial from his ring. "Want me to help you with this?"
"No need." Klaus shifted his knee up to brace Shane's legs, snatched the vial, bit the cork free, and downed it in one go. He tossed the empty glass into the dark below. "Honestly," he muttered, "how does the rest of the party never see this side of you?"
"I only show it to people who can't spread rumors," Shane said lightly.
Klaus shot him a sideways look. "You're saying I won't snitch?"
"No," Shane replied, smiling. "I'm saying even if you did, no one would believe you."
Klaus didn't answer—because Shane was right. Who would ever believe that the composed, dignified merchant was like this?
Annoyed, Klaus pushed harder, chaining his jumps faster, sharper. He wanted this torture to be over.
Hours blurred past. Scenery shifted again and again beneath them. Then, at last, a faint glow flickered in the distance.
"There," Shane said, eyes narrowing. "That's them."
Klaus slowed and angled downward. "You sure?"
"Let's confirm. Then we plan."
They descended onto the thick branch of a massive tree overlooking the camp. Klaus landed cleanly and let go of Shane without ceremony.
Shane hit the branch butt-first. "Ow—! Are you serious?"
Klaus ignored him, eyes fixed on the camp below.
Shane rubbed his side and followed his gaze.
The camp looked peaceful—dangerously so. Four silver-plated guards stood watch while over two dozen more slept, most with helms off but hands still close to their weapons. Seven wagons formed a loose semicircle, horses penned inside with ropes like a crude cage. Three wagons bore merchant markings, two looked plain, and two were clearly refined—each carved with the same insignia: a rose impaled by a sword.
Shane frowned. "Wullock family. This might be it."
Klaus's eyes sharpened. "You're certain?"
"Yes," Shane said quietly. "Solrien soldiers guarded, Wullock led the convoy."
Klaus smiled faintly. "Then I'll need something… large-scale."
Shane stretched an arm toward him, like asking him to be carried.
Klaus stepped away. "No need for that, boss. Time's on our side now."
Shane pouted or pretended to, but still followed Klaus. They both jumped down the tree and walked through the darkness of the forest.