5.6.3502, 09:00, Stean Central Station.

After announcing her departure to the rest of the Stean stationed Arcane Operatives, Blur, together with two auxiliary members was currently boarding the steam locomotive headed for Votal. Having changed her appearance to one of her many fake identities, she now looked indistinguishable from the young daughter of a wealthy merchant family.

Her two companions both donned mercenary outfits, making passerby assume they were hired bodyguards, while she herself wore a beige dress and a sun straw hat adorned with a white ribbon. Having abandoned their names after joining, the two of them, like the other auxiliary members were only assigned first names. And so Caleb and Ethan were trailing the now seemingly 19 year old Blur.

Now onboard, they quickly navigated to their cabin, stowed their brown leather suitcases away and sat down in the roomy booth. The two bodyguards sitting opposite to her, Blur made herself comfortable, sinking into the soft cushion the cabin’s bench provided.

She procured a small mirror and studied her countenance, bright, light brown eyes stared back at her. Inspecting more closely, she didn’t notice any flaws in her disguise, having used this identity on multiple occasions, the transformation had been perfected. Her shoulder-length brown hair cascaded down like a waterfall and fair skin accentuated with delicate facial features lend her an air of natural beauty.

Inwardly criticizing the overt attractiveness, Blur let her gaze drift to her entourage, Caleb and Ethan, both well in their 30s, currently busied themselves with checking the integrity of their luggage.

As auxiliary members they were only a part of the organization, because the pay was abnormally high. However the contract they had to sign, included numerous conditions, which made many candidates hesitant.

One of these conditions, was only feasible through Blur, they had to give up their original face and identity. Interestingly upon hearing of that some candidates became eager to join, but the majority was appalled by it. Because of this most of the auxiliary members were either wanted criminals or mercenaries.

An assertive knock on the door announced the arrival of the train staff. Hearing that, Blur signaled for Ethan to show their ticket. While the middle-aged man followed her command, she let her mind wander.

Her slaughter of the restaurant staff and the torture of the rebellion leader should have sufficiently satisfied the fanatical tendencies, but the incident during training threw her painstakingly achieved balance into jeopardy.

Mentally sighing she took a familiar shimmering phial out of a hidden pocket in her dress and held it against the light of the ascending sun. She swirled it around and eyed the distortion of the blue rays by the fluid, contemplating the risk of using it in her current situation. Already feeling the first withdrawal symptoms she massaged her aching tear glands with her thumb and index finger.

Ultimately she decided that her discomfort didn’t outweigh the value of her current identity and stashed the substance away again.

Time passed by and after around 4 hours and multiple stops at major cities along the way, they finally arrived in the capital of Panderium, Votal.

A bustling scene unfolded before their eyes, as they embarked from the central station. Factory workers passing by on their way to work, while street vendors were peddling their goods. The air was filled with countless voices, forming a deafening cacophony of unintelligible words.

Still the same chaos, seems nothing has changed.

Unperturbed, Blur walked towards one of the massive stone arches marking the exits of the train station, that looked more like a giant arcade with a train track incorporated than the central station of Votal.

Her retinue moved without a word and shielded both her sides, preventing passersby from coming near her.

They made their way to a four-wheeled house carriage that had already been waiting there for them.

The coachman waved towards them with a weak smile on his wrinkly face. His hair had turned grey from old age, but he still carried himself with confidence, making it hard to believe that he could already be a grandpa.

After returning the greeting Blur entered the carriage, followed by Caleb and Ethan. A short ride later they arrived at their destination, the organization's hideout in Votal, a massive five-story complex.

Officially it was the headquarters of the Mireta merchant company, which specialized in import and export of high class goods. But in reality a past family head had joined the Arcane Operatives back in 3042, leading to the absorption of its business.

Through this the organization, which had relied on theft for income, acquired a stable source of funds, allowing for the expansion of its infrastructure. Now it had spread its influence over the entire continent of Arcanterra, with hideouts in most major cities of every country.

Irritated by the withdrawal symptoms, Blur quickly entered the brick construct, closely followed by her two bodyguards and walked to the reception, which she found deserted. Ringing the bell provided for such cases, she looked around, while waiting.

The reception hall was furnished with wooden tables surrounded by comfortable armchairs and the entire floor was covered with parquet.

Currently only one of the tables was occupied, at which a young man, presumably an employee of the company, was engrossed in conversation with a distinguished gentleman.

His numerous intricate rings caught her eye, they were arranged in a asymmetrical manner, which Blur seldom saw. However when she saw this kind of fashion it had always been around trade related venues.

Before she could continue dwelling on this matter the receptionist returned. Recognizing her instantly he hurriedly apologized for his tardiness and called for an attendant to transport their luggage to their rooms for them.

After that he escorted the youngest daughter of the Mireta family to the fifth floor, where he bid her farewell with a respectful bow. Throughout this Blur had grown more and more irritated, the slight ache having turned into a throbbing sting.

She dismissed the attendant with a forced smile and entered her chambers. Her bodyguards were about to follow suit when she turned around and with her last bit of self-restraint told them to head to their own rooms.

With this she closed the door behind her and swiftly satisfied her body's craving.

Eyes now sizzling with neon green flames she found the room unchanged from her last visit. Which wasn't surprising given her frequent commuting between the two locations.

Even through Mimicry's training she often left him alone for up to a week, with instructions to continue on his own, since she was one of the Arcane Operatives head executives and needed to partake in important meetings.

The room was nothing short of luxurious, befitting of a rich merchant families’ daughter and as Blur walked towards one of the floor to ceiling windows to appreciate the view, she felt a familiar presence enter the room.

You came earlier than I expected.

Sliver remarked from behind her, his baritone voice resounding throughout the vast chamber.

Blur didn't bother turning around to face the Lynxio. And instead beheld the scene before her, with a serene expression etched in her face. The city of Votal, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, seemed to be stretching on forever no matter in which direction she looked, the only limit being the horizon.

Noticing her nostalgic mood, Sliver walked to her side and too relished the fantastic view. In this shared moment of tranquility he decided to start a conversation, his feline jaw not moving despite his words.

When this city was a fraction of its current size, you were there, were you not?

Indeed I was there when it was nothing, but a small town and now that it has become the capital I'm still there. Didn't you also witness this city's rise?

You were a part of this organization long before me. When I first stepped foot here it had already become a major city.

Long silence followed their short interaction, during which they watched the sun slowly rise.

An indefinite amount of time later, Sliver's furred ears twitched slightly and shortly after a knock resounded from the door.

In the end it was Blur who answered.

Come in, Dupe.

The wooden door slowly creaked open and a young woman stepped through, entering the room. She looked unremarkable, to an uncanny degree, the kind of face that would make people forget she was there and she also carried herself like that.

But her most unnerving feature was that she didn’t have a shadow, it almost looked like the light was phasing right through her.

The moment she stopped moving her surroundings seemed to hid her on their own. Dark green eyes dull like a doll she stood still, like a puppet having its strings cut.

Blur, having turned around, scrutinized the newcomer with amusement.

Your acting has improved significantly, so much emotion, I love it.

Dupe cracked up at this remark, unable to stop her lips from slightly curling up. Her posture shifted dramatically, now appearing human, but the passive sinking into the background remained and when she talked her voice carried a minimal amount of emotion.

So I will be your stunt double for the next two weeks?

Yes you will and with your acting skills it will come naturally. Not that you need to do much, besides looking pretty and attending social events.

With this Blur approached her and reached for her face. Upon contact Dupe's face and body rapidly shifted until she was indistinguishable from Blur's current disguise.

After having gotten a closer look at her handy work and assuring herself of the quality she made her way toward the door. In the process she changed back to herself, outline warping and black wavy hair falling down her back.

You will find plenty of fitting clothes in the closets, see you in two weeks.

Finally free of the restraints imposed on her by the disguise, Blur felt refreshed, as walked down the corridor in the opposite direction from which they arrived earlier. Reaching the end of the hallway she turned right, produced a brass key and unlocked a plain wooden door with it.

As she pushed it open there wasn’t another apartment revealing itself before her, but a staircase going all the way to the building’s basement. Constructed out of stone it spanned six-stories and boasted platforms with another door on each floor.

Sparsely illuminated by sunlight falling through the few windows adorning its walls it exuded the vibe of a haunted house. The stairs clinging to the walls and leaving a gap in the middle like a bottomless pit straight into the abyss.

Unimpressed by the aura this gave of, Blur leaped over its metal handrail headfirst and fell into the darkness, she couldn’t be bothered to take the stairs.

Her hair was ruffled by the rapid descend and just as she was about to plunge into the stone floor at the bottom face first, she spun her body around. The air rippled for a brief moment, her speed decreasing significantly and her feet hit the floor in a near soundless manner.

Fixing her grey eyes on the metal basement door that was before her, Blur heard the familiar voice of Sliver from the shadows to her right.

And they say I try to show-off.

His voice carried a tinge of mockery and when he stepped closer, his six-legged figure quickly outlined against the grey stone. In comparison to their earlier meeting, there was now a pouch slung over his back.

Blur saw this in her peripheral vision and snickered.

Maybe because you are the only one, who permanently stays in an animal form and went through all that trouble to get that body.

Touché.

Lacking a better counter to this the Lynxio simply trotted to the metal gate and took a key with the texture of black steel out of his bag. He propped himself up by using two of his paws to press against the door and standing on two.

With his front pair he clicked the key into the lock and the heavy gate swung open.

Blur had caught up to him in the process and together they entered the underground of the Mireta merchant company’s headquarters.

The darkness of the staircase promptly made way for bright light, a room akin to a oversized bar laid before them. Its many seats were only sparsely occupied, after all the members in Votal weren’t exactly known to be early risers.

Walking up to the bartender and taking a seat, Blur got herself a cup of strong coffee, holding it up to her nose she savored the rich smell. She watched Sliver gracefully leap up to the bar stool next to her from the corner of her eye, the large feline barely fitted on the for humans designed seat.

One cup of milk please.