Melody squealed.

She walked fast, making her way across the vault in quick steps, circling the car once before dropping to a crouch beside it, studying the body panel at eye level.

Akira jogged over and stood beside her, while Lukas followed at a slower pace, hands in his pockets.

Up close, the bodywork of the car was flawless, and it had been polished to an extent that it almost served as a mirror.

It had been painted a beautiful black, with two white stripes running across it from front to back.

Melody grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. She slid into the driver’s seat, both hands finding the wheel before she’d even fully sat down.

"I can feel it," she said.

"Feel what?" Lukas asked.

"The mechanism." She ran her hands along the wheel, then the dashboard. "It’s like it’s already telling me how it works. I just know."

Morgana had followed them over. She stopped a few feet away, watching.

"That’s intentional," she said. "The cars were built to be intuitive. The safeguards in place impart the knowledge to the driver. It also reads intent, adjusting whenever things feel like spiraling out of hand. Even someone who has never driven before wouldn’t cause an accident."

Akira pulled open the passenger side and dropped in. The seat adjusted under her.

They looked at each other, then they both squealed at the same time.

Lukas leaned down against the open driver’s door. "Melody."

"Hmm?"

"You don’t want a weapon instead?"

Melody shook her head without hesitation. "I have [Cursed Blade] for that."

"But what if it isn’t sufficient when you’re fighting?"

"It will be," she said. "We’re Adepts now. That means the skill also upgraded with us. My [Cursed Blade] is Adept ranked now." She glanced at him. "Same as yours."

"If we meet another Nemean Lion, our swords would carve through it like a hot knife in butter."

Lukas paused. She was right. He hadn’t thought about that.

"What about defense then?"

It was Akira who answered. She leaned over from the passenger seat, grinning. "She has [Hex Shield]. She’s covered."

"Mobility?"

Melody patted the wheel. "That’s what this is for." She looked up at him. "Not every mobility [Item] has to work in a fight, Lukas. Some can be used for traversing through a city without having to sit for hours in a tram."

Lukas straightened. He stood there for a moment, looking at the two of them sitting in the car like they’d already decided this was theirs.

"Listen," he finally said. "This is a free pick from a Le Fay family vault. There are Adept ranked [Items] in this room that we may never see again. We don’t know where they’re gotten, so there’s a chance we might not even see it in a shop, or a dungeon."

He looked at Melody. "If you don’t get the car today, you can always buy one. After all, they sell them in the city. But if you walk past something you want in this room, there’s a real chance it’ll be gone forever. Or a long time at least."

Melody said nothing.

She stared at the wheel for a few seconds, then at the dashboard. Then at her own hands on the wheel.

She sat there for a long moment. Then she exhaled and climbed out.

She stood beside the car, stared at it, then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the roof, pressing her cheek against the metal.

"Goodbye, baby girl," she whispered.

She stood up straight, smoothed her clothes, and stepped away without looking back.

Akira climbed out of the passenger side. She gave the car one last look, shrugged, and turned to face the rest of the vault.

"Good," Lukas said, giving them a smile. "Let’s search. Take your time. Meet back here when you’ve found what you want."

"Alright."

They all nodded and began to disperse.

Lukas turned away and began moving through the vault.

He took his time, letting his eyes drift across each rack and stand. As he looked at each [Item], its information surfaced in front of him after a few seconds.

Most of what he passed were weapons. He saw swords with durability bonuses, axes that added a few points to strength, and hammers with minor constitution buffs.

They were undoubtedly useful, but not to him. He had an abundance of stats that a few more wouldn’t really change much.

Besides, what was the use of new weapons for him? He already had his [Cursed Blade], so he might as well get something else.

He wasn’t keen on getting a defensive [Item] too, so he decided to go for something with utility.

He kept walking, passing a rack of rings, a set of bracers, and something that looked like a compass. He stood there for a moment, letting the information for the compass appear before him. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

It was an [Item] that pointed towards the nearest dungeon entrance. He considered that one for a moment, then moved on.

It was useful, but he already had a guide. He didn’t need an [Item] to help him find dungeons.

Then he saw it.

It sat on a small stand near the back of the vault, easy to miss. It was a red ball, roughly the size of a tennis ball. Its body was smooth, with no markings on its surface.

He stopped and stared at it.

The information appeared.

[Master Ball]

[Rank: Adept]

[This ball allows the owner to capture any beast they have defeated, ranked Adept and below, and control them to fight on their behalf.]

Lukas’ eyes widened in wonder. "This is..."

The ability to capture any beast he defeated and let it fight by his side? And if one died, he could simply find another?

This was much more valuable than a weapon or a stat boost. This was basically having another fighter on his side on a battlefield.

He picked it up. It was lighter than it looked.

He was already grinning as he made his way back to the meeting point.

All three of them were already there waiting. Morgana stood slightly apart, composed as always.

Akira’s eyes dropped to his hand the moment she saw him. "What did you get?"

He held up the ball and explained what it did.

Morgana gave a small nod. "A good choice. That one has been in the vault for a long time. Most people overlook it."

"Their loss," Akira said.

Lukas sent the ball to his spatial ring and looked up at his two wives.

"Alright," he said. "What did you two find?"