Late at night, the Dock District had sunk into utter darkness.
Most of the shacks along the streets leaned crookedly against one another, wooden buildings overlapping with roofs of old sailcloth. Even the few stray shafts of moonlight that slipped through the clouds could never reach the ground in the narrow alleys.
The Sea Elf ran ahead with the Flame-Shaped Greatsword on her shoulder, her footsteps almost soundless.
Selina wore no armor, and her figure slipped nimbly through the darkness. Even when she encountered low-hanging clotheslines, she could turn sideways to avoid them.
The Flame-Shaped Greatsword swayed slightly on her shoulder in time with her strides, its tip always pointing backward without touching the walls on either side.
The Sea Elf's blue-green eyes glimmered in the darkness, letting her see every rut beneath her feet and every obstacle ahead.
At a fork, Selina suddenly stopped. Standing in the middle of the alley, she turned her head from side to side, her nostrils fluttering rapidly as she carefully distinguished the scents in the air.
Despite wearing heavy armor, Renato had kept pace with the slender Sea Elf. He stood behind Selina, holding the Silent Lady in his right hand with its tip resting on the ground, while his left raised the Wheellock Pistol, its muzzle angled upward.
The Swordsman's gaze swept constantly over the roofs of the shacks on either side, the second-floor windowsills, and the cargo crates stacked at the end of the alley, watching every corner that might conceal an ambush.
Dragonkind Senses gave Renato a greater range of night vision than Selina. Even in pitch-black darkness, he could expose every recess and shadow that might hide someone.
So while Selina concentrated on searching, Renato took it upon himself to provide ranged cover.
Although he had practiced shooting for