"You’re going to regret that," The guard hissed through gritted teeth, face still crimson from where she slapped him.

  Dodeka only met his gaze with sharp, defiant eyes herself, lips curling into something cool and unapologetic.

  "Try me."

  The guard's glare darkened even further, anger and humiliation mixed into one at being challenged like that…but before he could even utter another word though, several other guards materialized behind him, gazes hardening as they took in the situation.

  One of them addressed Dodeka sharply first: "Back off, Fennec woman. Now."

  Dodeka glared at the guards for a moment, clearly weighing her options while her eyes flicked between them all…

  Then, finally, she took a step back, though her gaze and stance remained tense and guarded.

  Upstairs on the second floor, four KTB members surrounded two royals bound by aura constructs, communicating with the other members in the building via walkie-talkies.

  "We have the two hostages. Both the queen and the princess."

  "Excellent. We will alert the assassins to handle the 'threat' if she shows up.”

  A beat passed as the words processed, Trixie's eyes widening as the meaning sunk in.

  ...Did she hear that right? The KTB had taken a queen and a princess captive?!

  The thought made her stomach sink, a wave of nausea hitting her at the thought of them in danger.

  Dodeka, meanwhile, had stiffened for a moment before her expression hardened again.

  Then, through her still-unblinking eyes, she called out crisply into her radio: "What do you mean by 'handle the threat?'”

  Static crackled for a second before the voice on the other end responded, cold and clinical:

  "If she comes, we eliminate her."

  Dodeka's jaw clenched at that. "...Understood." Her tone was flat, but something unreadable flickered in her golden eyes now too…like maybe she wasn't entirely sure about this plan anymore either way?

  Trixie stiffened beside her though; face paling slightly as realization dawned: This isn’t just about stealing artifacts back.

  They were using them as bait.

  A long beat of silence passed where neither of them spoke, tension hanging thick in the air while Dodeka seemed to ponder something.

  Then:

  "...We should get going," she muttered quietly, finally breaking the stillness while glancing toward the doors leading to the exhibit halls.

  Trixie hesitated for moment as well; eyes flicking across the marble floor as she considered the implications…but then:

  "...Okay." she mumbled back. "Let's do it then." With that, she started forward first, walking briskly toward the exhibit halls.

  Dodeka moved swiftly behind her, keeping a low profile as they navigated the museum.

  The halls were dimly lit, casting long shadows across polished floors and glass display cases holding relics of all kinds. Somewhere in this maze, they’d find what they were looking for…but exactly where?

  Then, Trixie spotted it: an artifact of the Fennec race, tucked away among other stolen treasures near the end of one corridor.

  Got you.

  She nudged Dodeka subtly with elbow while nodding toward the case silently.

  Dodeka followed her gaze immediately, eyes narrowing slightly before giving a small nod:

  "...That’s our target."

  They just had to get past security now without getting caught.

  The security guard stood like a sentinel by the exhibit, eyes sweeping the area.

  Dodeka eyed him closely, calculating their odds. If they wanted to get past him, they'd have to distract him somehow…

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  Trixie’s mind was racing too, eyes scanning the area around them and landing on a fire alarm.

  It looked innocuous enough, a red box on the nearby wall, labeled clearly "break glass in case of emergency".

  Perfect.

  Trixie cleared her throat to get Dodeka's attention...then jerked her chin subtlety toward the fire alarm.

  "...I have an idea."

  Dodeka eyed her warily for a second before understanding dawned: her eyes flicking toward the alarm briefly as well.

  "...A risky one," she mumbled, more to herself than to Trixie.

  Despite that, though, there was something almost like a glint of respect in her eyes didn't escape notice either.

  "...But it might just work."

  The gears in Trixie's mind started working harder, thinking of the hostages and what that could mean for her little plan. She asked Dodeka: "Before we make a move...are you sure this isn't going to throw off your...plan?”

  There was a long beat of still silence before Dodeka finally replied:

  "...No. It won't affect it." Her voice was low, confident.

  Trixie nodded understandingly. Then it was settled.

  Glancing back toward the guard, she reached out and flicked off the lock on the glass case.

  The glass case's lock popped open with an audible click, drawing the guard's attention immediately. He whirled around, eyes narrowing as he scanned the area.

  "Who's over there—”

  Dodeka didn't wait; lunging forward and slamming open the case just as the guard turned back around.

  In the blink of an eye, Dodeka had grabbed the artifact: a silver bracelet adorned with tiny gemstones, and tucked it away into her bag.

  The guard's eyes widened as the case slammed shut again, turning back to see the case now missing its priceless contents.

  "Hey!" He yelled angrily. "What do you think you're doing?! You're not supposed to touch the exhibits—”

  Dodeka didn't hesitate, kicking the fire alarm hard with her boot.

  The glass shattered instantly, sending shards skittering across the floor as a loud blaring siren erupted through the entire museum.

  Trixie winced at noise but wasted no time in grabbing Dodeka’s arm and yanking her toward the nearest emergency exit while shouting over the alarms:

  "RUN!"

  Guards began shouting orders to each other nearby, some already sprinting their direction, while others were still scrambling to figure out what's going on.

  Time to go.

  ...

  The guard pounded on the door a few times; the sound of the alarm still blaring in the background as he tried to get in.

  "I know you can hear me in there, let us in!"

  The Queen and Princess exchanged uneasy glances as the guard continued pounding on the door and repeating his demand even louder this time…

  The door began to rattle on its hinges, the guard's pounding growing even harder and more furious. He called out again:

  "...Open. THIS. Door. NOW!"

  The Queen clenched her jaw; frustration mounting in the face of his increasing impatience. She called back coolly:

  "We can hear you just fine without the door slamming, thank you!"

  The guard let out an irritated huff at that, but seemed to stop pounding for a moment:

  "...Right. Then open the door, please."

  His tone was polite now, but still sharp...clearly getting more agitated by the second.

  The Queen's eyes narrowed at that, not falling for his thinly veiled impatience.

  "And why should we? You haven't given us any reason to trust that you have peaceful intentions here."

  The guard let out an exasperated sigh at that, voice growing more and more snippy now as well:

  "What kind of question is that? We're the ones in control right now. Now are you going to obey orders, or not?"

  "She's not going ANYWHERE," a KTB agent barked.

  The guard’s expression twisted into something dangerous, his grip tightening on the doorframe as he bared his teeth.

  "I wasn't asking." His voice dropped to a low, venomous snarl now too. "Open this door before I break it down myself."

  A beat of silence passed where no one moved…until finally? The KTB agent shifted slightly, eyes flickering toward the Queen and Princess with unreadable intent for moment too before responding coldly:

  "...Stand back."

  He then raised his rifle toward the lock mechanism; finger hovering over the trigger while waiting to see what would happen next.

  The Queen's heart began to race at that, but she forced herself to remain calm on the surface. Carefully, she shifted, placing herself protectively in front of her daughter.

  "You wouldn't." She said tightly, voice cool and measured.

  The guard's lips twisted into something cold and mocking now as he fired back sharply: "I would."

  There was another beat of stillness where nobody moved, the only sound was the loud blare of the alarm and the tension hanging in the air like an electric current.

  The Princess let out a sharp gasp, eyes widening in sudden epiphany as she exclaimed:

  "Wait! I have an idea…”

  Every eye was on the Princess now; even the Queen looked over her shoulder in surprise.

  "...and just what idea might that be, exactly?" The guard asked, voice dripping with condescension.

  The guard flinched, his grip on the rifle loosening for a split second as his face went pale.

  "...What?" He choked out, voice cracking slightly now too while staring at her like she'd just grown another head right then and there…

  Then, his expression twisted into something furious instead: "You're lying."

  But even as he said it? His hand was shaking around the trigger now; knuckles white from how hard he clenched down.

  He knew.

  The guard’s face twisted into something furious, his grip on the rifle tightening even more now as he barked out:

  "LIAR!"

  But before anyone else could react? The Princess suddenly lunged forward, grabbing his wrists with both hands while shouting back defiantly:

  "You think we wouldn’t have a failsafe?! Look behind you!"

  For one split second, pure terror flashed across the man's expression...because he didn't know if she was telling the truth or not. And that hesitation cost him.

  In the next heartbeat, a blade pressed against his throat from behind.

  "Drop it."

  It was a woman belonging to the Xerosi Clan. She'd slipped in through vents like a phantom seconds ago without making a single sound until now.