"Here it is. I hope they let me through this time."

Grognask, despite being a safe haven for a large number of races—still had a divide in the social classes. As in every other city, the rich lived lavishly, and the vast majority made up the middle and lower ranks. 

Lokim's friend was somewhat in the upper echelons, if he were to compare him to the rest of the population. His wealth, while vast enough to cement a peaceful life, wasn't as endless as the vast pools of gold the richest of the rich kept stored. 

Though, he did have a dedicated security stationed around his mansion at all times to make sure break-ins and burglaries were nigh impossible. 

Of course, that didn't apply to Lokim, who could easily bypass any layer of defense simply through misdirection and his shape-shifting. But for friendship's sake, Lokim decided it was best to actually go through the process to enter, lest he be sent away. 

As Lokim approached the gate to the mansion, he was stopped by two guards. 

"Good morning, citizen," One said. "What is the purpose of your visit?"

"I'm here to talk to Violen. Is he busy?" Lokim replied.

"The master is currently entertaining another guest. Should we call for his secretary to come fetch you?"

"Oh, word? That's a bummer. It's okay, I'll just come meet him another time."

"I see. Have a good day, then. We will notify the master of your visit."

With that, Lokim turned to leave. Of course, he wasn't planning on departing anytime soon. Unable to hide the wide grin that was beginning to form on his face, he made for a nearby alley. 

A few seconds later, he came out. The figure of a guard dressed exactly the same way the security personnel was, came into view. His armor was a perfect replica of the plate mail each one of them wore, with hints of wear and tear being visible in some of the pieces to really seal the hardened warrior look. 

Lokim's face was nowhere to be seen, either. The almost hypnotic outline of his head had been downgraded and dirtied slightly to fit into the look he was sporting. 

Approaching the gate, Lokim merely raised his hand. The two guards did the same, opening the gate without question. He nodded slightly, walking through. 

"Always works." Lokim snickered. 

The greeting he had just enacted was a perfect recreation of the gesture the security personnel had chosen to use to recognize one of their own. Thanks to the countless times Lokim had snuck into the mansion, he managed to pick up on a couple of details regarding the place's method for protection. The gesture was just one of them. 

"I always told him to switch things up every once in a while. Any sharp eyed thief's bound to learn a few tricks. He's lucky I didn't already steal from his treasury."

The area around Violen's mansion had been designed to hold a large garden that encircled it. Plants and flowers of all kinds could be seen in most corners, filling a large majority of the space with leaves and shade. 

Lokim noted the dozens of servants that were currently outside, tending to the plants by watering or replanting them. 

One of them approached him, and within a second he recognized who it was. Sporting long, green hair that was tied into a neat ponytail, and a condescending look on her face, the secretary of Violen walked out to greet the shapeshifter. 

"Mari," Lokim jokingly bowed upon seeing her. "It is so nice to see you." 

"Yeah, yeah," She replied, clearly not buying his act. "The master's in a meeting with someone important, and I can't have you disrupting their talk. Can you at least wait for them to finish?"

"Why, of course! Anything for you, madam."

The atmosphere between Lokim and Mari was a coin flip most of the time. While the former held nothing but deep respect for the secretary, the latter often found it difficult to see him beyond the crook he was.

Still, Mari was indebted to him thanks to a past incident that involved her master, so she decided to tolerate his presence. 

"Good. I'll lead you to the waiting room. Just sit tight, and I'll call for you once talks have finished."

Lokim nodded, and he began following the secretary inside the mansion. 

While the illusion of grandeur would often lead one to believe that owning a mansion and living in it mean that the owner enjoyed life's pleasures like access to exotic food and better plumbing than half of Lower Grognask, Violen's mansion was anything but. 

The man known as Violen was commonly referred to by Grognask as one of its greatest minds. His full name was Violen Envikosk, and from a young age, he had trained to be able to harness the elements via magic. In the wizarding world, one could refer to him as a "prodigy."

That was how Violen managed to build himself up into nobility. His desire to understand the world around him translated to exceptional feats that led him to become a renowned wizard in his twenties.

His accomplishments consisted of single handedly dispatching hundreds of orcs during Arcadia's most recent large-scale war against the Demon Lord's forces, sealing away three separate ley lines that served as spawners for the demonic forces, and helping advance Arcadia's understanding of the arcane through the discovery of a new field of magic.

"If anything, he's the one more suited to join the Hero's Party than me."

Even the cocky showoff that was Lokim found it difficult to compare achievements with one of Grognask's greatest minds. If the Archmage Lohan were the one to have died instead of the rogue Josef, the shapeshifter was sure to have recommended him to the party. 

"By the way," Lokim raised his voice slightly to get Mari's attention. "Who's this so-called important person that Violen's talking to now?" 

"That's not for you to know. Just sit tight and wait for me to call you in." She replied. 

As they entered the waiting room that was directly outside Violen's office and chambers, Mari gestured to the lone piece of furniture that was present—a small couch that was barely large enough to fit two people if they sat side by side.

"Go on. Take a seat. I'll head inside to notify the master of your arrival."

"Geh, fine." Lokim grumbled, but ultimately complied. 

Once Mari pulled the door open and left, he sat still and mindlessly admired the decorations that made up the room. 

The walls had few portaits of Violen—as expected of the wizard's selfless nature. What was abundant, however, were bookshelves stocked to the brim with countless grimoires, texts, and other scriptures Lokim was sure was of the magical kind. 

Already bored out of his mind, Lokim approached the closest one, before randomly pulling out one of the books. He skimmed through its contents for half a minute or so.

"This is… absolutely boring. How in the hell do wizards manage to read this much? I prefer to not think about things too much, thank you."

Placing the book back, Lokim once again sat down. He rested his chin on his palm, and grumbled while waiting. 

His patience never could last long, of course. After ten minutes had passed, there was still no sign of Violen having finished his meeting. In fact, even Mari wasn't coming out. 

"Grr… when is he going to finish?"

Lokim then proceeded to wait another ten minutes. Just like before, Violen seemed to still be busy entertaining his guest. 

"You're not supposed to treat your friends this way, Violen," He sighed, already getting impatient. "I'm about to reach my limit."

Just when Lokim felt that he was about to burst from all the waiting, the door finally opened. Mari's figure walked through. 

"Come, Lokim. The master will meet you now."

"Now? Where's his guest? They're still in there, no?" 

"They have already left. Now hurry, before the master loses his patience."

'Oh, so he's the one losing his patience? Fuck off. Just for that, I'm going to play a prank.' Lokim screamed inwardly. 

As Mari turned to leave the waiting room, Lokim focused his view on her figure, making sure to gather as much detail as possible on her appearance. 

Right as the door shut, Lokim grinned mischievously. He began activating his shape-shifting powers. 

And just like that, he had taken on the form of Mari, Violen's secretary.