"Damn it, this thing barely fits through here." "Careful with the proboscis, you nearly took my eye out." "Shh, they'll hear us."
"Liora is going to hear it from me," Larissa smiled maliciously. "What 'thing' do you think they're bringing?"
As if answering her prediction, a long proboscis with a metallic gleam emerged first through the crack, followed by the head of a Deep Assassin.
Everyone began to take defensive positions.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Suddenly, a flash of blue light appeared beside Taro, and Liora materialized as if she had been there all along. Her clothes were covered in dust and there were dark stains on her sleeves, but she maintained her composure with a noble's dignity.
"Lady Liora!" The guards exclaimed in unison.
"Hello," she greeted casually, as if appearing out of nowhere was perfectly normal. She looked toward the crack and then at the girls surrounding Taro, shrugging in a gesture that clearly said "oh well…"
