[Ravenfall: Hydra(luce), Leviathan(lev), Phoenix(ishaan), Griffin(veer), Valkyrie(avni), Cerberus(sayaka), Kraken(erik), Wyvern(raiden), Nymph(saira), Sphinx(dev). Others: Amber(isolde), Azure(damien), Basilisk(Vance), Pegasus(Sol)]
The Aurelius Grand Auction Hall thrummed with polite applause as another priceless relic was wheeled off stage. Crystal chandeliers glimmered above, casting golden light over the cathedral-like space. Waiters glided between tables. Guards kept their eyes on every shadow.
Hydra stood near the edge of the floor, wine glass in hand, tuxedo perfect, every inch the quiet elite guest. His gaze, however, was locked on Lot #77—the Umbra Codex—resting under a domed case at the center dais, ringed by Vatican Guard and Auction security.
“Status?” Hydra murmured, lips barely moving.
Nymph: “Voice bug planted on Savoy. He’s talking about the Codex’s ‘true key.’ Passed something to a man in silver. Still tracking.”110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfP7cBuJqfA
Griffin: “Kitchen’s hot. Weapons staged in the service corridor. No one’s sniffed them out yet.”110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd57DXMIegi
Basilisk: “Smoke bombs in place. Guards none the wiser.”110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HeiKt2qvh
Phoenix: “Valkyrie’s father is staring holes into my head. I’m pretending not to notice.”110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZu1IofV0S1
Valkyrie: “You’re pretending badly.”110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmaG9JF1jR
Leviathan: “Are we stealing the damn thing or hosting a family reunion?”
Hydra let the chatter wash over him. He’d done this enough times to know the real mission started in the moments people thought nothing was happening.
A bell rang. The auctioneer’s voice rose:110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPqVuOpVDw
“Lot number seventy-seven—Ecclesiarch’s Journal”
A low murmur rippled through the crowd. Cameras from three networks turned to the stage. Every guard stiffened.
Amber’s voice came soft but urgent over comms. “Hydra, we have sixty seconds before the first bid. That’s your window. After that, eyes will be glued to it, and we’re done.”
Hydra set down his wine, slipped into the guard perimeter with Basilisk falling in beside him. They moved like they belonged—calm, efficient, unhurried. Basilisk subtly pressed a folded napkin into Hydra’s hand. Inside: a micro-cutting torch.
Step one: Disable the case.
Hydra crouched as if inspecting the pedestal’s base, thumb sliding the torch’s switch. A thin beam hissed silently against the tempered glass latch, slicing through it in under five seconds. The magnetic lock’s light went from green to dead.
Step two: Distract the room.
“Chefs, go,” Hydra murmured.
In the kitchen, Kraken tipped a pot of boiling pasta onto the tile—steam roared up, triggering the fire alarm for the east corridor. Griffin shoved the hidden weapon crate into the hands of a catering runner—Pegasus—who immediately wheeled it toward the auction floor like it was just another dessert cart.
The guards twitched, looking toward the noise, radios crackling. Hydra stepped closer to the Codex.
Step three: Create chaos.
“Guards,” Hydra ordered.
Leviathan, Wyvern, and Basilisk each palmed a smoke canister from their belts. On Hydra’s count—three, two, one—they rolled them across the marble. Smoke burst in neat white plumes, curling like incense through the crowd. Guests gasped, some laughed nervously, thinking it was part of some elaborate presentation.
Step four: Swap and vanish.
From the dessert cart, Hydra lifted a duplicate Codex—crafted by Azure to be flawless under casual inspection—and slid it into the display as he tucked the real one under his arm, wrapped in a linen cloth.
The auctioneer coughed through the haze. “Ah—ladies and gentlemen, just a minor… situation, please remain calm—”
A voice cut him off, sharp as a blade:110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JN8yQaT85
“Stop him!”
The man in silver—Savoy’s companion—was pointing directly at Hydra. The calm bubble shattered. Guards surged forward.
“Extraction!” Hydra snapped.
Phoenix yanked Valkyrie into a spin, knocking a table into the nearest guard. Leviathan and Wyvern closed ranks at Hydra’s flank, blocking Auction security with practiced elbows and knees. Cerberus slipped through the smoke toward the eastern exit, clearing stragglers with surgical takedowns.
From the balcony, Nymph’s voice was cool. “Front gate just sealed. Rear courtyard still open. You have thirty seconds.”
“Make it twenty,” Hydra replied, breaking into a sprint down the side aisle.
Behind him, chaos bloomed—Griffin kicked the kitchen door open, Kraken shoving guests toward the safer corridors. Basilisk lobbed a flashbang into the main hall, its deafening crack masking Hydra’s footsteps.
The rear corridor was blessedly empty—until a Vatican Guard stepped into view, shotgun leveled. Hydra didn’t break stride. Leviathan vaulted forward, slamming the man against the wall so hard the weapon clattered across the marble.
They burst into the courtyard. Two Auction black cars sat idling. Hydra tossed the Codex to Leviathan and drew his sidearm, firing twice at the nearest driver. The man dropped; Wyvern slid into the passenger seat, hotwiring the ignition with speed that spoke of very little respect for luxury vehicles.
Amber’s voice over comms: “Five seconds until pursuit.”
Hydra dove into the back seat as Leviathan gunned the engine. Tires squealed on cobblestone, the car fishtailing onto a narrow street that spilled toward the Tiber.
From the shadows, a figure stepped out, raising a rifle—Savoy’s man in silver. Hydra leaned out the window, aiming for the man’s legs. The shot cracked, the man staggered but didn’t fall. He just… smiled.
“Leave him,” Hydra ordered. “Codex comes first.”
They didn’t slow until they were deep in the labyrinth of Rome’s backstreets, the smoke of the gala long behind them.
Hydra unwrapped the Codex on his lap. The leather was warm to the touch, the lock ancient but still sealed. He traced the Vatican seal with one finger.
Leviathan glanced in the rearview. “So what’s inside?”110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRMKeheKjc
Hydra smirked. “We’ll find out. But first—let’s get paid.”
and then Add to home screen.