Chapter 379: A close call
(Just outside the vault door, Antonio’s POV)
The gate hadn’t even fully opened when Antonio stepped forward, crossing the threshold with the measured calm of a man trained to trust his instincts more than his eyes, as his transcendent gaze scanned the vault chamber in a slow arc, analyzing every flicker of movement, every shift in temperature, every trace of mana that lingered unnaturally in the air.
"Huh? Vice Guildmaster?" Leo asked, feigning surprise, his voice casual as he turned to face the older man with a half-smile, as though nothing in the world was remotely out of place.
Antonio didn’t respond immediately.
His eyes swept the perimeter first, checking corners, checking shadows, checking for breath or heartbeat or heat signatures..... basically anything that would suggest the presence of a second body or clone, but he found nothing suspicious on the surface, which only made him more alert than before.
"Found something you fancy? You don’t have much more time left to choose," He asked Leo, as he looked straight into his eyes.
There was a faint sheen of sweat on Leo’s brow, that was subtle but not invisible, indicating to Antonio that he was anxious.
There was also a slight flutter in his chest that exposed his steady breaths as nothing more than a forced act, which made it seem like he was trying too hard to appear calm.
"You look worried," Antonio said at last, his voice smooth, unhurried and deceptively friendly as he walked the room’s perimeter with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes lazily drifting from one artifact to another. "Everything alright?"
"I’m fine," Leo replied instantly, his tone just as smooth, though slightly brighter, as if he was trying to overcorrect. "I was just worried the oxygen might run out before the timer did, but... you coming in here probably gives me a few extra minutes."
He replied, as he smiled kindly, probably, too kindly, which only deepened Antonio’s suspicion.
*Tap*
*Tap*
Antonio’s boots clicked against the mana-polished floor as he walked over to the corner near the pedestal, where Leo had crouched earlier to retrieve the keychain.
There, he came to a pause, tilted his head, and inhaled slowly through his nose, his expression unreadable.
"Fart here, Skyshard?" Antonio asked with a straight face, as Leo’s face went blank at the question, as he chose not to respond.
Antonio held his gaze for a second longer, then let it pass, moving on with the same quiet gait, though now his path gradually curved toward the far end of the chamber, where the frame floated silently on its new pedestal.
Leo’s breath hitched just slightly, his gaze following Antonio’s every step.
’Fucker suspects something to be wrong...’ he realized at this moment, as he silently began charting a viable [StormFlash Traverse] route in his head, from his current position to the vault door in a straight line, as he began preparing for the worst-case scenario.
The older man said nothing. Just continued walking with calm and deliberate footsteps, pausing only to inspect another piece of treasure here, another glowing relic there, as he walked the full perimeter of the vault, his pupils always watching Leo from the corner of his eye.
Seconds passed, and as Antonio inched closer and closer to the frame, Leo’s heart began to thud louder, however, his fake smile stayed intact.
’Please be dumb. Please be dumb. Just walk past it...’ He prayed with desperation, and to his silent relief, Antonio did exactly that.
Without even pausing near the pedestal, he continued walking as if the frame were just another artifact among many unimportant, unnoticed items, that were simply unworthy of his attention, as slowly, he looped around the chamber and returned to where Leo stood.
"You’ve still got time," Antonio said, his voice low as he walked past. "Take a couple extra minutes since I interrupted, but make sure to get back out in time, I’ll reset the timer to fifteen."
He said before stepping through the door just as it began to seal again behind his back, the hiss of pressurization returning to full force as the internal timer flicked back to 15:00.
’Fuck that was close!’ Leo thought, as he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
*Haaah...*
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, finally letting his muscles relax just a little, as the familiar rush of adrenaline slowly began to taper off inside his chest.
The mission was done and not even the Vice Guildmaster suspected something to be off, as his decision to install the frame atop the pedestal had worked off brilliantly.
’This means I’m clear.... If Antonio didn’t catch me, I’m probably gonna make it out alive!’ Leo realized, as only now, with every obligation and threat out of his way, did he finally turn to inspect the actual vault’s contents, knowing that, at least for the next few minutes, he could afford to act normal.
—-------------
(Meanwhile, just outside the vault, Antonio)
Antonio frowned deeply after exiting the vault’s door, as he did not turn to acknowledge the saluting guards that stood at his flanks.
’Am I suspicious of that boy for no reason at all?’ Antonio wondered, as he tried to think whether or not he found anything objectionable within the vault... But he did not!
Still, something about Leo’s expression, calm on the surface, yet faintly rehearsed, continued to gnaw at the back of his mind like a splinter he couldn’t dig out.
"Make sure he walks out with just one item," he said without turning to look at the guards, voice flat. "Check him extra hard, mouth, throat and everything."
Then, without another word, he walked away, his thoughts cycling in loops that even he couldn’t quite untangle, as he wondered if he was simply becoming too paranoid as he grew older?
For in hindsight, the entire trip to the vault had been a pointless detour, consisting of twelve wasted minutes, and nothing to show for it but a gut feeling he couldn’t shake.