When Elise saw the results of her casual {Inspect}, her mind went into rapidfire mode trying to figure out what to do. He was higher level than her, and probably higher than Penelope too. That made him dangerous. However, he was not displaying any enmity, and his class didn’t seem to be one that was necessarily harmful. He certainly could be detrimental to their efforts, but she doubted he would pose any direct threat. In fact, if they played their cards right, he could be of great help. A “Master of Whispers” sounded like exactly what they needed to find missing people.

“Oh, my apologies!” he called. “My name is Otto, and welcome to my shop! Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“We’re here to sell,” said Elise before Penelope could say anything.

“Wonderful!” he exclaimed, working his way through the disorganized shop toward them. “I love taking a look at other antiques. Do you have it with you?”

“We do,” said Elise, stepping forward with a coin in hand.

“A coin?” he said, stepping forward to get a better look. “Oho! May I?”

He gestured as if going to grab the coin, and Elise responded with a nod.

“Go ahead.”

He took the coin from her hand, felt its weight, then held it up a few inches from his face to get an even closer look.

“It’s in great condition,” he said. “Where did you find it?”

“I can’t tell you that,” said Elise.

For a moment so small Elise almost thought she had imagined it, a shadow of annoyance passed across Otto’s face, but it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

“Well, while interesting and in great condition, I can’t say that this coin is worth too much. It is solid gold, and it makes a good collector’s item, but there are still thousands of these around. Many were melted down to make other coins, but Dokkalfheimr’s trade routes extended far enough that there are still plenty, if you know where to find them. I can give you three gold for it.”

That was less than Elise was hoping, but still enough. If she could get the same price for the others, she and Penelope would likely be set for a little while. However, with the opportunity for some useful information standing right in front of her, she didn’t want to walk away with just a few coins.

“I actually have some more,” she said, reaching into her pocket as she summoned a dozen more.

“Oh, you must have had quite the lucky encounter,” he said. “Are you sure you can’t tell me where you found them?”

“Not for free,” she said.

She felt a sliver of guilt as she prepared to sell information about the dwarves’, but she pushed it aside. She wouldn’t say anything sensitive, and most of what she knew wasn’t even secret. The dwarves’ presence in the forest might not have been public knowledge yet, but it would be soon.

“Not for free,” he repeated, narrowing his eyes. “I see.”

He flicked his wrist and Elise felt an arc of mana fly to the door as she heard a click behind her. Penelope’s hand flew to her sword, but the man already had both hands in the air in a surrender before she could draw it.

“I have no intention of fighting you,” he said. “I just don’t like to be interrupted while doing more serious business.”

Elise glanced at Penelope, who thankfully seemed to have understood what was happening. The knight relaxed her body, removing her hand from her sword and casually leaning to the side so that she would appear unthreatening. Seeing this, Otto lowered his hands again, and turned away.

“Let’s continue at my desk,” he said.

In the far back corner of the room, almost hidden amongst all the other old pieces of furniture was a dark wood desk with a high-backed armchair on one side and two smaller chairs on the other. The man flopped into the armchair, which gave a mighty creak as it took the brunt of his weight, while Elise and Penelope lowered themselves more gently into the two chairs opposite it.

“So,” said the man, his former jolly demeanor gone, replaced by a serious business face. “While I am curious where you found that gold, if your answer is just that you found it in a forest somewhere, I’m afraid it’s not worth much. Maybe a silver or two at best. But I think you already knew that.”

“It’s not that simple,” Elise confirmed. “And I cannot tell you the whole story, no matter what price you pay. However, I can say enough to make it worth your while.”

“Well, I can’t give you an estimate without hearing the information, but I swear on my life that I will give you a fair price.”

“I was hoping for a trade, actually,” said Elise. “We’re looking for some people who have gone missing, and we’d like your assistance in finding them.”

“Well, I can’t promise anything, but if your information is as good as you seem to think it is, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Fair enough.”

“You start,” he said.

“The dwarves of Dokkalfheimr are alive, including the king descended from the original royal line.”

“...Is that all?” he asked.

“I want to see how much that’s worth before I tell you any more.”

“Hmmm,” he said, frowning. “It’s certainly interesting. How many others know of it?”

“Not many,” said Elise. “It will become public knowledge fairly soon, but I believe knowing before anyone else is still valuable.”

“How many is ‘not many’?” he asked.

“As far as I am aware, the only humanoids who know of their existence are us here in this shop and a group even more reclusive than the dwarves of Dokkalfheimr have been.”

“I see,” he said, pulling a pen and paper from a drawer in the desk. “Well, helping find missing persons isn’t my specialty, but I’m still better than most, and I believe that this so far is worth at least a basic search on one of them. Tell me the name and description of the person you’re looking for, as well as where and when they went missing.”

Elise almost immediately started describing Sophie, but stopped herself when she remembered that Penelope had come looking for Nick. However, she didn’t actually need to because Penelope spoke up first.

“Sophie Gray,” said the knight. “Half elf. 12 years old. Green eyes. Brown hair. She went missing… 3 months ago?”

“Approximately,” said Elise, trying to count the days.

She had spent one day in the tunnels after the attack, followed by a full thirty with the dwarves, then a day with the drow, followed by the forty five days of the prophecy, then twelve after that, dealing with the aftermath, and now another day in the city dealing with the Boss.

“89 days,” she said. “They took a teleportation scroll, and haven’t been seen since.”

Otto had been writing as they spoke, but suddenly stopped and looked up at her as soon as she said the words “teleportation scroll.”

“You said she took a teleportation scroll and hasn’t been seen since?” he asked.

“Yes. Along with her brother and his fiance,” said Elise.

“Well that changes things,” he said, sitting up and putting his hands together. “Your information on the dwarves is useful, but I’m afraid it’s not worth enough for me to tell you everything. Now, you can either tell me a bit more about the dwarves, or you can choose between me searching for your missing friend, or telling you about how the teleportation scroll may or may not have been involved.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“What more do you want to know about the dwarves?” asked Elise.

“Where are they? What is the temperament of their king? How soon will their existence be made public?”

“All of that?”

“All of that and I will tell you whatever you wish to know about teleportation scrolls, and search for your friend.”

“Deal,” said Elise. “They are just outside this city on the west side of the forest. The king is generally calm and easygoing, but cares deeply for his people, and is a capable leader. Their existence might be revealed tomorrow, or it could be another month. No one has found them yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

“No one but you,” corrected the man.

“No one but me,” agreed Elise. “Now, what did you mean about the teleportation scroll being involved in their disappearance?”

“Well, it seems you’re not aware, but it’s fairly common knowledge that teleportation scrolls always have a small chance of malfunctioning and sending their user to an unintended location.”

“I’ve heard about that,” said Penelope. “Are you saying that’s what happened?”

“No,” he said, smiling and leaning forward. “Did you know that this ‘fairly common knowledge’ was unheard of fifty years ago? Before then, teleportation scrolls were just assumed to always work. And teleportation scrolls have been around for centuries. So, where did this problem come from?”

He paused just long enough to make Elise think he was waiting for an answer, then continued as soon as she opened her mouth.

“There are five manufacturers of teleportation scrolls on this continent,” he said. “They are all 7th tier or higher mages with classes designed specifically for crafting such items. The System guarantees the fidelity of the scrolls. Not once has any of their scrolls failed without being damaged.”

“So then the scroll was damaged?” asked Elise.

“Also no,” he said, his smile widening. “A damaged scroll simply does not function. It won’t send its user to a different location. So, if a damaged scroll couldn’t have done it, and the scrolls made by the five cannot malfunction, then what happened?”

“The scroll wasn’t made by one of the five?”

“Precisely,” said the man. “Starting 50 years ago, someone started selling fake scrolls disguised as real ones. This is not common knowledge because it’s nearly impossible to track. The number of fake scrolls is so small, and most are purchased secondhand and for emergency use, and either never used, or only used in dubious circumstances, so it is difficult to trace them. However, enough have been used, and enough of their users have lived to recount the tale that for those of us with our ears in the right places, we’ve been able to piece together what’s going on.”

“So where do the fake scrolls take people?” asked Elise.

“So far, there is no pattern,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s difficult to find one when it’s hard to even tell how many exist, or when they were used. However, to my knowledge, most people who end up on the wrong side of these turn up alive somewhere. So those people you’re looking for are likely alive and well, though if it’s been 3 months, they might be hopelessly lost .”

“That’s a relief,” said Penelope. “Then can you find them?”

“Perhaps,” he said. “However, it’s going to cost you.”

“You just said you’d find them if I told you about the dwarves though?”

“I said I would try to find one of them,” he said. “I make no guarantees about actually finding them, as that might be outside of my capabilities, and your information is only worth one search.”

“That’s-!”

“-Fine,” finished Penelope. “Finding one is finding the rest.”

“Not quite,” said the shop keeper. “In every case with a fake scroll where multiple people were taken, they were invariably taken to different places.”

“So they’re split up?”

“Correct.”

“How much is it to search all 3?” asked Elise. “I can tell you more about the dwarves.”

“Oh, no, you’ve told me enough about them,” he said with a sinister grin. “More would be appreciated, but I’m afraid it’s not worth anywhere near as much. Unless you know some of their true secrets, I can learn everything you know on my own by the end of the week.”

Elise’s mind raced as she tried to think of something worth selling, but quickly realized that everything she knew about the dwarves was also public knowledge. While she had lived in the castle, she was never privy to anything truly confidential, other than her own doings, which she didn’t plan on telling Otto much about.

The only secret she had left of value to him would be Ostra, but telling him about that would be a fantastically stupid way to commit suicide. There was less than zero chance that Ostra wouldn’t retaliate if she spilled everything after Freddy allowed her to keep her memories uncontracted.

“I don’t have anything else,” she said. “How much would it cost to do the other searches if we paid in gold.”

“Well, those coins you showed me would be enough.”

“That’s absurd!” exclaimed Penelope. “40 gold to look for two people with no guarantee of actually finding them?”

“I don’t think you fully understand your situation,” said Otto, smiling smugly. “You are sitting before one of the most skilled information gatherers in the country. 40 gold is cheap. And there’s no guarantee of success, but if I fail, that will still tell you plenty. If I can’t find them, then you can be certain that they are either not in an inhabited place, or not on this continent. That should narrow down your search quite a bit.”

“40 gold is still too much,” said Penelope. “30.”

“40 is as low as I’m willing to go,” said Otto.

“40 is fine,” said Elise before Penelope could say more. “We do need gold though, so I’d like to sell you more coins.”

“That’s fine with me,” said Otto. “Though in light of the information you’ve just brought me, I’m afraid they won’t be worth quite as much. If Dokkalfheimr still exists, then these coins will become much more common in the coming years. I’ll pay you 2 gold per coin.”

“That’s-!” started Penelope.

“Also fine,” finished Elise, shooting the knight a pointed look.

Elise wasn’t happy about it either, but the longer the conversation went on, the more she realized that they needed to leave as soon as possible. Otto was clearly a very clever businessman, and if he was as skilled at gathering information as he claimed, he could know that Elise was a changeling by the end of the day. It was no secret amongst the dwarves, and her disguise was quite conspicuous. They needed to get to the teleportation hub before he found out and was able to do anything.

She pulled out another 20 coins from Astrid’s Star and set them on the desk.

“Excellent,” said Otto, reaching for the coins.

“Not yet,” said Penelope, reaching over to stop him. “The searches first.”

“Alright,” said Otto, shrugging as he picked up the pen and paper from before. “You said Sophie Gray, 12 years old, half elf, brown hair, green eyes, disappeared 89 days ago after taking a teleportation scroll?”

“Correct,” said Elise.

“Just a moment.”

Elise sensed a miniscule amount of mana enter the paper, and as she watched the words slowly faded into nothing. For about a minute, nothing happened. Then, a single line of writing appeared at the top of the paper reading “NO RESULTS”.

“Well, your young friend is not anywhere that I have ears, and I have ears all across the continent,” said Otto. “I recommend checking high tier spawn zones, remote islands, the Northern Desert, and if those all fail, then another continent. Now, describe the next one.”

Elise and Penelope both frowned, then Penelope launched into a description of Nick. Otto wrote down his details just below the “NO RESULTS” line, and then repeated the same process. This time, the result contained dozens of lines, but before Elise could read any of them, Otto snatched the paper back and held it to his chest.

“Apologies,” he said. “I’m afraid I can’t show you the results of that search.”

“Bullshit!” said Penelope.

“It’s outside of my control,” said Otto, leaning back. “Your friend is alive, but he’s in a place that I am being paid quite well to keep secret. And I assure you that unless you have another ten thousand of those coins on you, you can’t afford to make me talk.”

“There are other ways we can make you talk,” growled Penelope, putting a hand on her sword’s hilt.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said Otto in a warning tone. “I have three guards upstairs listening to every word we say, and all three are stronger than you. If you try anything, you will die.”

Penelope hesitated for a few seconds, then lifted her hand from the sword. “Fine. But you owe us.”

“Of course,” he said. “I failed to uphold my end of the deal, so I will, of course, repay you accordingly. Also, while I can’t give you his location, I can tell you why. This Nicholas person is currently in the custody of the Blood Syndicate.”

“The Blood Syndicate?!” said Penelope, slamming her hand on the table. “Are you certain?”

“Yes,” said Otto. “And I believe you now understand why I can’t tell you where he is.”

“Fuck,” said Penelope.

“Who is the Blood Syndicate?” asked Elise.

“I’ll explain later,” said Penelope, still looking at Otto. “Can you tell us any more?”

“I cannot,” he said. “I will refund you the full price of this search. Whatever I buy your other dwarven gold for, I will add another 20 to it. “

“Fine,” said Penelope. “Let’s do the last one then.”

“Of course.”

The final search for Bianca had the same result as Sophie’s search.

“Dammit,” muttered Penelope.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” said Otto. “Is there anything else you need?”

Elise and Penelope looked at each other, exchanging a few quick facial expressions.

“No, that’s all,” said Elise. “Just the gold and we’ll be off.”

Otto nodded, opening another drawer and counting out 60 gold before sliding it across the table. Elise glanced at Penelope, who nodded, then she deposited all the gold into her “pockets” while secretly transferring it all to the necklace.

“A pleasure doing business with you,” said Otto standing up and holding his hand out.

“Yes, you as well,” said Elise, shaking his hand.

“Before you go,” he said. “I am curious about one thing.”

“What is it?” asked Elise, feeling a slight twinge of dread.

“What is a knight doing traveling with a changeling?”