The corridor seemed endless as they moved forward, each step calculated, each breath measured.
Cassandra led the way, with Sakura covering their rear and Matilda between them. The mansion's ornate wallpaper and gleaming floors felt like a maze designed to trap them.
Their cautious progress came to an abrupt halt as they rounded a corner, coming face-to-face with two guards. For a moment, everyone froze, the surprise mutual and complete.
The second guard's hand immediately moved to his radio, but his companion grabbed his wrist. "Wait," he hissed, eyes gleaming with opportunity. "Think about it. It's just hree women. If we take them down ourselves..."
"Lieutenant's position would be open to us," the second guard finished, a slow smile spreading across his face. "How hard could it be? They're just—"
"Just what?" Sakura interrupted, her voice carrying a dangerous edge. Her fingers were already lengthening into claws, her posture shifting to something more feline. "Just women? Just prey?" Her lips curled back, revealing teeth that seemed sharper than they should be. "We're so much more than what you think."
The guards didn't waste time responding. They charged forward, confident in their training and strength. The first guard, a burly man with a scarred face, launched himself at Cassandra while his partner targeted Sakura.
Sakura's fight ended almost immediately. She moved with preternatural speed, her claws raking across her opponent's throat before he could even raise his arms in defense. The wet gurgle of his final breath was lost beneath the sounds of Cassandra's ongoing struggle.
The scarred guard proved to be more of a challenge. He absorbed Cassandra's first punch without flinching, countering with a strike that would have broken her nose if she hadn't ducked at the last second.
Her slime shot out, trying to wrap around his throat, but he seemed to have been briefed on her abilities. He twisted away, using his momentum to drive his elbow into her ribs.
Cassandra staggered back, gasping. The guard pressed his advantage, his fist connecting with her jaw in a blow that sent her sprawling. "Not so tough now, are you?" he sneered, advancing on her fallen form.
But Cassandra wasn't finished. As he reached for her, slime erupted from her hands, coating the floor beneath him. The guard's feet shot out from under him, his triumphant expression turning to surprise as he crashed down.
Before he could recover, Sakura was on him. Her claws tore through his attempt to block, opening deep gashes in his arms.
He howled in pain, but the sound was cut short as Cassandra's slime covered his mouth and nose, while Sakura's claws found his throat.
"We need to move," Matilda urged from her position by the corner, where she'd been watching for additional threats. "That wasn't quiet enough."
"Wait," Cassandra said, wiping blood from her split lip. "We need to think about this. Taking down two trained guards wasn't easy. We can't fight our way through an entire army."
"We need to avoid being seen at all costs now," Matilda agreed. "Sakura, you know this place. What are our options?"
Sakura's features had returned to normal, though her hands still twitched with restless energy. "There are several escape routes. The servants' passages in the lower levels, the old wine cellar that connects to the underground tunnels, the—"
"No," Cassandra interrupted, her mind working quickly. "Sakura, if someone broke into your mansion and stole something valuable, where's the first place you'd look for them?"
Sakura frowned, then understanding dawned in her eyes. "The hidden exits. The secret passages. Anywhere that seems like a perfect escape route."
"Exactly," Cassandra nodded. "They'll have those areas heavily guarded, expecting us to take the path of least resistance."
"So what's your suggestion?" Matilda asked, keeping her voice low as footsteps passed in a nearby corridor.
"We take the most dangerous route," Cassandra said simply. "The one no one would expect us to be stupid enough to try."
"Past Raxus's private chambers," Sakura breathed, her eyes widening. "There's a window in the upper corridor, leads to a maintenance passage. But it's..."
"Right next to the lion's den," Matilda finished. "You're right—no one would expect us to go that way."
"Because it's suicide," Sakura pointed out.
"No," Cassandra corrected her. "It's unexpected. And right now, unexpected is our only advantage. Sometimes to achieve extraordinary things, we have to attempt the extraordinarily dangerous."
They moved carefully through the mansion, making their way toward Raxus's private wing. As they approached, voices drifted through an ornate door—Raxus and Xylar, still arguing about the situation.
"Quiet," Cassandra breathed, pressing herself against the wall. The window they needed was tantalizingly close, but getting to it without being seen or heard seemed impossible.
---
Inside his study, Raxus massaged his temples, feeling a headache building. "I need some rest," he announced, standing from his chair. "This situation will resolve itself."
"Rest?" Xylar's voice dripped with disbelief. "There are intruders in your house, and you're thinking about sleep?"
Raxus turned to him, a confident smile playing on his lips. "My dear Xylar, in all the years I've lived here, no one has ever escaped this mansion once it's gone into lockdown. It's not just a house—it's a cage. Once the doors are sealed, there is no way out." He straightened his jacket with practiced precision. "So yes, I think I'll retire to my room and wake tomorrow to find your prizes waiting for you."
"Your overconfidence is astounding," Xylar growled. "I'll wait here, awake and alert, if it's all the same to you."
"Suit yourself," Raxus shrugged, moving toward the door. As he walked down the hallway toward his chambers, he muttered under his breath, "Paranoid beast. Always making everything more dramatic than necessary..."
---
Outside in the corridor, Cassandra, Sakura, and Matilda were debating how to climb through the window without being seen by anyone approaching from the other side. Suddenly, they heard Raxus's low grumbles and heavy footsteps echoing from the opposite direction.
"Quick, let's hide on the other side," Sakura whispered urgently.
Just then, they heard the murmuring voices of guards coming from the end they had originally entered.
'Fuck, this is bad!'
They found themselves trapped between approaching disasters.
The sound of Raxus's footsteps grew closer from one direction, while the murmur of guard patrols echoed from the other.
The window that represented their best chance at escape was still several meters away. They could try to reach it, but the movement would surely attract attention. Yet staying in place meant certain discovery.
Cassandra looked at her companions, reading the same desperate calculation in their eyes.
Face the master of the house, or risk encounter with his guards?
Neither choice promised survival, but a choice had to be made.
Footsteps grew closer from both directions, and time ran out for discussion.