My day started off terribly.

Running a stand at local markets rarely failed to lift my mood. The ambient frenzy of sellers doing their utmost best to catch customers in their nets, the spirited haggling sessions, the joy of finally clinching the deal… How could anyone not feel energized when heating up in this boiling mercantile cauldron?

Alas, being robbed left me in such a foul mood that Eris insisted on running the stall with me. I suspected she thought a smile and feminine touch would make up for my grouchy expression. She even covered the Wanderer’s mark with makeup to help us remain anonymous.

Not only did obtaining official permission to sell wares prove difficult to obtain even with Mersie’s assistance, but the Seukaian embargo and the Shinkoku’s dynastic conflict had strangled the eastern sea trade. Half the stalls near us were empty and foreign merchants kept their purses extra-tight for fear of future troubles. Trouble and commerce mixed no better than oil and water.

Then it began to rain, chasing away all but the bravest of adventuring buyers. I’d spent the last ten minutes sitting behind a stall under a roof of hide with Eris for company.

At least the embargo provided a good commercial opportunity when it came to the pearl trade. When we left Graybeach, their prices had already increased five-fold; when we reached Goldport, they sold at seven times the amount I could have obtained a year ago. I’d managed to sell our entire stock in a morning’s time to various speculators eager to sit on them and wait for the price to increase further.

I would have probably done the same in their situation, but we didn’t plan to linger in Goldport too long. Moreover, I wanted to use our extra profits to buy supplies for our expedition and special runestones for the constructed intelligence project.

“You aren’t at your best, Robin,” Eris commented as she greedily counted our morning gains. “You only managed to sell half our fur coats instead of all of them.”

“I’m still sore over yesterday’s robbery,” I replied, my hands joined together and my eyes staring at the black rain clouds. The gloomy weather perfectly fit my mental state. “I feel dishonored, nay, violated.”

“Come on, handsome, don’t look so grumpy,” Eris teased him. “It’s an ancient heroic tradition for the Rogue to steal the Merchant’s stuff. We’ve all gone through it at one point or another, myself included. Shamshir couldn’t keep their hands off my stuff for more than five minutes.”

This didn’t lift my mood in the slightest. I survived having my limbs chopped off by Belgoroth, but getting pickpocketed? Me? Me? I couldn’t stand it. Nobody stole from Robin Waybright and escaped unscathed to boast about it!

The Rogue would pay for this indignity and for ruining my date today.

I considered my options on how to undo this terrible injustice and fulfill my oath of vengeance when an idea came to mind.

“Would you like to make a deal with me, Eris?” I asked my girlfriend.

“Are you going to propose?” She teased me back. “For our marriage contract, I am considering adding a clause where I own two-thirds of everything.”

“Two-thirds?” I scoffed. “Not half?”

“I know what I’m worth,” Eris replied with an impish look. “Is that a dealbreaker for you?”

“Not if I get to choose our vacation destinations.” I quickly followed with a decisive proposal. “Fire Islands in the Watermoon and Archfrost in the Firemoon.”

“You want to go to the mountains during summer and to the beach in winter?”

“I don’t like it when it’s too hot.”

Eris stroked her chin. “You drive a hard bargain, Robin. I will have to think about a counteroffer.”

“This one comes with a limited timeframe,” I replied jokingly. “Think fast.”

“Creating scarcity to tip my hand?” She winked at me. “How ruthless.”

We had deviated from my original plan, but our light banter improved my mood quite a bit. The sky suddenly began to clear as if on cue, the sun shining brightly on Goldport’s Lionsquare. I could finally see the statues that gave the area its name now that the downpour no longer obscured them.

It didn’t take long for new customers to visit our shop, though one couple in particular caught my gaze… and that of many others.

The man of the two made it very difficult to ignore them. I had never seen someone with a flashier yet dashing fashion sense. A purple cloak billowed from his shoulders while a wine-colored vest tightly clung to his muscled torso; the open neckline conveniently gave outsiders a view of his chiseled chest. I noticed that he’d rolled up his sleeves as if to signify he was ready to get down and fight on a moment’s notice. His sharp mustard trousers and lavender loafers were completely untouched by the rain. His wide-brimmed hat was tilted just enough to give him an enigmatic look that would catch suckers like honey, and his short hair showed just the right mix of wild and groomed.

In short, everything about this man screamed ‘look at me!’ Few could pull that style off without seeming to try too hard, but his sharp green eyes and muscular physique made it work too. He just oozed charisma.

His companion, by contrast, looked a lot more subdued. She was quite the beauty, with long azure hair—the kind one could only encounter in regions graced by the Seacup—tied up by a golden diadem and teal eyes that reminded me of the sea. A sleeved, bare-shouldered gossamer gown espoused her slender frame. Her golden bracelets and the elegant runestone-adorned belt radiated vast amounts of essence. She was a powerful witchcrafter, and if I recognized the silver flame-shaped brooch in her hair, one affiliated with the Everbright Empire’s Imperial Academy.

Most importantly, they both felt incredibly… familiar.

Knowing what would happen next, I waited for them to finish browsing through nearby stalls—the man appeared especially fascinated by a set of Fire Island masks on sale—until they finally reached ours.

“Howdy, young merchant!” the man said with a musical Everbrightian accent. He was hardly a few years older than me, but I let it slide. I could tell he had rehearsed these lines in anticipation. He checked my stall, his eyes lingering on the ivory necklaces, the gemstone earrings, and the fur coats on display. “What splendid wares you have here!”

“Thank you,” I replied with a hypocritical smile. “They all come straight for the northern lands beyond Erebia’s mountains.”

“Marvelous,” the man said before stroking his chin. “I am looking to offer this fair lady a jewel that would rival even her legendary beauty, if you can find any.”

Both the man’s female companion and Eris covered their mouths to hide their laughter. I knew they expected me to become the butt of a joke.

Unfortunately for them, no one pulled a fast one on Robin Waybright. I briefly checked that no one was looking our way before proceeding.

“May I suggest this splendid sapphire ring?” I suggested as I presented the man with a splendid, ornate piece of jewelry that Marika had crafted herself. “It will perfectly match her eyes.”

The man tried to touch my hand while grabbing the ring, but I subtly avoided his fingers and simply dropped the item in the palm of his hand. The stranger blinked in surprise, then quickly corrected his expression.

“Marvelous.” The man studied the ring, then grabbed a purse off his belt and tossed it to me. “Would this be enough?"

“Of course,” I replied without checking. I already knew the count. “I will exchange that ring for this whole purse’s content.”

“Thank you,” the man said, only for his hand to close on empty air.

Now it was my turn to chuckle. The man’s purse was empty, its coins having teleported back where they belonged: into my own war chest.

“Did you truly think that you could pay me back with the very money you stole from me?” I asked him with a wide grin before showcasing the ring, which had reappeared within my palm. How predictable. “I fear you’ve been had.”

“Alas, I should have remembered that proverb.” The Rogue took his defeat with grace and tipped his hat to me. “Fool him once, shame on him; fool him twice, wolves on you.”

“A good saying, but not the most appropriate one,” I replied.

The man raised his eyebrow. “And what would it be?”

I met his gaze. “You don’t mess with Robin Waybright.”

The Rogue’s companion couldn’t contain her chuckle. “Your boyfriend is very amusing, Eris,” she said in a poised, Everbrightian dialect very similar to Therese’s own accent. “You make a lovely couple.”

“He does manage to keep me entertained,” Eris replied with a light tone. She smiled at the Rogue next. “Beware, Rubenzo. Robin still hasn’t forgiven you for the pickpocketing prank.”

“I shall try to steal his heart next then,” the man replied. It sounded like a joke, but the way he looked at me made me wonder…

Wait.

“Rubenzo?” I asked, a scowl forming on my face. “That’s the name of my publish–”

I put two and two together just in time for Eris to laugh at me. She must have waited a long time for this very moment.

“You knew!” I accused her. “You hyena, you knew!”

“I keep everybody’s secrets, Robin,” Eris teased me back. “Let me introduce you to Rubenzo Romero, owner of Romero-Renza Press and the Everbright’s Light newspaper; and Lady Rosaline of House Amoreira, esteemed scholar and astronomy professor at Solara’s Imperial Academy. I suspect we have her to thank for the change in weather.”

The woman blushed shyly. “Please, Eris… you’re embarrassing me.”

“As for myself, I have been called many names,” the Rogue replied, a hand on his chest and the other raised to the sky. He reminded me of those opera divas in Ermeline. “Rubenzo the Playwright, Rubenzo the Publisher, Rubenzo the Wise, Rubenzo the Good, and Rubenzo the Handsome–”

“Rubenzo the Modest?” I asked with a scoff.

“Everyone should indulge their vanity now and then,” Rubenzo replied with unshakable moxie. “Otherwise, they would become flat and forgettable.”

I had the nagging feeling that this man would either become my best friend or an implacable source of frustration. Maybe both.

I knew Rubenzo Romero by name and reputation long before I approached his company to publish Colmar’s journal. The man ran the Everbright Empire’s most popular newspaper, the Everbright’s Light, which had steadily become synonymous with quality investigation into political and financial scandals. Its scriveners helped expose many corrupt nobles and criminal syndicates over the years, enough that their efforts partly inspired my own attempt to take down Sforza’s activities in the Riverland Federation.

Rubenzo was also a pretty popular satirical playwright back in his homeland, though I cared more about the ideals of his papers and their reach. Very few would dare to publish Colmar’s journal and risk infuriating the Arcane Abbey or the Knots’ associates. I’d hoped his company would agree to take up the fight, which they did. I was supposed to meet Rubenzo in person in the Everbright Empire and hammer out the deal before Daltia’s activities forced us to change our itinerary.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I had no idea he had become the Rogue, let alone that he would be like… this.

“In any case, we were about to close shop for lunch,” Eris said. “How about we move to a quieter place together?”

“Are you trying to set up a foursome, Eris?” Rubenzo asked, his brazen question causing Lady Rosaline to blush in embarrassment. “If so, then I will gladly play along.”

“Foursome?” I raised an eyebrow. “Strange, my informants told me you were married to an actress and opera singer called Dolcine.”

“Oh? Have you done your research, Robin?” Rubenzo gave me a mischievous smile. “Clearly, not well enough, or your informants would have told you that my divine and I share everything and everyone.”

“I was more interested in your stellar professional reputation than your private life,” I replied. I did hear that salacious rumors followed Rubenzo Romero wherever he went, but I blamed those on the many corrupt nobles his newspaper helped expose. “But good to know.”

“We, uh…” Lady Rosaline cleared her throat. “We are friends and no more. I insist on that.”

“The Goddess knows my divine and I tried to become more,” Rubenzo replied with a sigh. “The most beautiful flowers are those forever out of reach.”

“I can already tell how Luciette would respond,” Eris said. “‘We are not out of reach, just out of yours.’”

Rubenzo let out a hearty laugh. “She told me those exact words!”

“Who is this Luciette?” I asked, suddenly curious. I smelled an interesting story.

“My twin sister,” Rosaline replied, her fingers fidgeting anxiously. “She’s, ugh, how to say this… it would be best that we discuss it somewhere private.”

Rubenzo then offered to help us take our goods back to the Mersie-owned warehouse where we stocked them so we could go have lunch quicker. I accepted, though I noted to myself to run an item inventory afterwards in case he tried to pilfer anything.

Afterward, my soon-to-be publisher invited us to the Bard’s Singing Home Inn near Lionsquare, which hosted a playhouse in its basement. We stepped downstairs to an underground, popular theater with a gallery for viewing customers and a large, curtained stage for performers. Rubenzo paid extra to give us a table in an elevated position, which afforded us both a splendid view of the place and most importantly, privacy.

“Why did you avoid touching me back at the stall, Robin?” Rubenzo asked me after we took our seats. “Did you perchance learn of my power? Or were you simply suspicious?”

“Both,” I replied. “Our group established anti-Shadow of Envy safety protocols between us. No touching strangers directly, passwords, those sorts of precautions.”

“Very wise,” Rubenzo commented. “I hope this taught you a lesson in paranoia. Imagine if it had been the Shadow or a hired killer who gently brushed your hand instead of a handsome, friendly fellow such as myself.”

“I won’t thank you for pickpocketing me.” I still held a small grudge over it. “I certainly won’t forget it.”

“I shall do my best to buy back your forgiveness,” Rubenzo replied coyly. “What of the coins and the ring? How did you know it would work?”

“Simple. I figured that stealing does not create ownership. Since you tried to pay with money that did not belong to you, my power canceled the deal and automatically returned all the goods to their proper owner, namely me.”

“What a fascinating piece of insight.” Rubenzo stroked his chin. “I did not know my power possessed such a limitation, but I am thankful for it.”

“How so?” I asked with an eyebrow raised. This sounded like a very large weakness in the Rogue’s power, and something we could exploit against the Shadow.

“If I believe what you say, then if I try to sell you what I’ve stolen it will return to its original owner,” Rubenzo said. “Thankful as I am for my Class, I have encountered an issue I can hardly ignore. Namely, I cannot get rid of what I steal. I can lose physical objects easily enough, but knowledge, skills, memories…” A deep scowl spread across his face. “They stick with me whether I want them or not.”

“I see what you mean.” I recalled an unpleasant event when I tried to buy a criminal’s memory of their crimes. The mental backslash of absorbing part of someone’s identity nearly gave me a mental breakdown, to the point we started recording confessions in objects rather than inside people. “You put your hands in the filth and it sticks to you.”

“Very much so,” Rubenzo replied with a subdued expression I wouldn’t have expected from such a bombastic man. “I used to steal the evil of my targets or collect information from their minds early in my career, until they began to overcome me. I would have likely gone mad without my divine’s emotional support, and I am still haunted by those ill-gotten curses.”

I was impressed by his moral fortitude. I hardly lasted a minute with a murderer’s memories before I had to seal it away elsewhere. Rubenzo was a stronger person than his behavior suggested.

“Just draft a list of what you wish to get yourself rid of and I will lighten your burden,” I promised him.

“Marvelous.” Rubenzo snapped his fingers and put a group order for everyone to the nearest waiter. “How about we show our marks once the spectacle begins? Everyone’s eyes will focus on the scene then.”

“Let me guess yours, Lady Rosaline,” I said. “Since Eris said we owed you for the sunshine, I’d wager you’re the Shaman.”

Rosaline nodded slowly. I immediately identified her as the demure, soft-spoken type of person more at home with listening than taking the spotlight. “You are quite correct. I am the Shaman, and I can command the weather-essence patterns over an area.”

I smiled upon remembering Selestine. “Do you need the Artifacts’ agreement to do so?”

“Oh, no.” Rosaline chuckled lightly. “Thank the Goddess I do not. I wouldn’t be able to do anything otherwise.”

Very interesting. I’d seen Selestine achieve similar miracles by petitioning and haggling with the Artifacts. It made sense that she could mimic the feats of other Classes if her patrons allowed her to; after all, they created them in the first place.

“Her sister is the Necromancer,” Eris added. “They make quite the formidable pair.”

“And a lovely one,” Rubenzo said. “How about you introduce us to Luciette before the waiter returns?”

“Oh, of course.” Rosaline took a quick look around us. It suddenly occurred to me that her seat was positioned in a corner of the gallery, with Rubenzo’s taller body obscuring her from the other guests’ sight. “Not for long.”

She transformed before our eyes.

The change was both subtle and awe-inspiring. Her teal eyes gained a tone closer to lilac, while her hair darkened until it became blacker than a crow’s feathers. The silver flame brooch in her hair radiated essence and turned golden in response.

However, it was her change in demeanor that I found most striking. Her slumping shoulders straightened, and she boldly looked into my eyes rather than focusing on my nose like she did beforehand. She winked at me with newfound confidence.

“Surprised much, Mr. Waybright?” the woman said with a bold tone and a very different voice than Rosaline. “My name is Luciette Amoreira, imperial scholar at Solara’s Imperial Academy of Magic. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Consouled twins,” I whispered, utterly astonished.

I’d heard of these vanishingly rare cases. The essence of siblings often fused in the womb in places heavily affected by witchcrafting experiments. This resulted in two souls sharing a single body that could undergo morphic changes depending on which of the minds controlled it at a given moment.

“Exactly,” Luciette said with a flirty smirk. “I do love educated, handsome men… perhaps you and I could have a private drink together another time?”

“Back off, Luciette,” Eris said, politely but firmly; which quite pleased me. “I saw him first.”

“How would that even work with your sister?” I asked her, amused.

“With either heavy logistics or a package deal,” Luciette replied with an impish look. “You’d be surprised by what Rosaline can go along with.”

“I appreciate the proposal, but I’m strictly monogamous,” I replied before searching my travel bag and bringing out Colmar’s journal. “I have this book to thank for teaching me about consouled twins.”

Luciette all but snatched it from my fingers, though she didn’t open it. She instead put a hand on the cover and meditated on it, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“What an incredible story,” Luciette said with profound respect after returning the book to me. “This Colmar was truly a genius ahead of his time. A shame he died his second and final death before I could meet him in person. I would have loved to pick his mind.”

“How did you know that he had died twice?” I asked with a frown. “You couldn’t have learned this information even if you’ve somehow read the book at this very moment.”

“You bore witness to the Necromancer’s power,” Luciette explained. “I can learn the history of anything or anyone that I touch. I draw the essence echoes slumbering within them. It’s like reading a book’s worth of text in a second’s time.”

“An echo, you say?” This reminded me of something else. “We encountered a similar phenomenon at the Deadgate in Archfrost. The dead left life-like echoes of their essence behind it.”

“Interesting. My ability works along the same lines, enough that I can compel ghostly apparitions to answer my questions.” Luciette chuckled to herself. “I make the dead speak, in a way.”

The waiter returned with our drinks, at which point Luciette had transformed back into Rosaline. The change happened so swiftly that no one noticed it, myself included.

“Is this the book you wished me to publish?” Rubenzo asked before taking the journal. Unlike his fellow Hero, he browsed through its pages. “I shall have a copy prepared and then sent back to Solara for immediate mass distribution.”

“You understand that you will take many risks publishing this document?” I asked. Colmar’s revelations would anger many, many powerful individuals. “I wouldn’t have approached you if I expected you to censor or ignore this book, but I don’t want to sugarcoat the danger you’ll expose yourself to.”

“Please, Robin, do not tempt me so intimately.” My warning only filled Rubenzo with enthusiasm rather than dread. “Do you believe in people?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. I always did, and our fight with Belgoroth only solidified my conviction. “When people work together, they can do anything. Even overcome demons.”

“Then we are kindred spirits, you and I,” Rubenzo praised me, his hand snapping the journal shut. “Yes, this document’s revelations will infuriate the Arcane Abbey and many power players. I am certain that the Fatebinder and many of this world’s rulers have their own good reasons to keep these secrets for themselves, but the fact remains that they think they know better than those they consider lesser. I do not want to live in a world where the powerful decide my destiny without my knowledge or consent, and neither should anybody else.”

His words brimmed with genuine, unshakable conviction, which I recognized as a reflection of my own. This man was on a mission long before he gained his mark and powers.

“A man poured his life and soul into this document in the belief that people could indeed live with the truth and learn from it,” Rubenzo said. “I intend to honor his wish, come what may. Not all will believe in what this Colmar had to say, and fewer will accept it… but some will, and one day, I am convinced that this will make a difference for the better.”

“A house founded on lies is not built to last,” I said.

“Good words, Robin, I’ll borrow them someday.” Rubenzo relaxed his shoulders. “Besides, I’m used to playing with fire. You can’t fathom the number of nobles and merchant-princes who want the head of Rubenzo the Bold served to them on a silver platter.”

Of course the Rogue would be someone whose entire job revolved around digging and exposing the powerful’s dirty secrets. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

Nonetheless, I found myself gaining greater respect for this man. Rubenzo believed in something greater than himself and the limitless potential of mankind, just as I did. He simply did it in another way: he taught the powerful to be humble, while I inspired the weak to stand proudly.

The curtain proceeded to unfold, causing the guests to all look at the stage. I used the distraction to briefly remove my glove and reveal my mark to our guests. Rubenzo quickly pulled up his sleeve until it reached his left arm, revealing a golden mark representing an open, grasping hand with the Erebian numeral for twelve.

As for Rosaline, her cheeks turned scarlet as she pulled down her neckline just long enough to give me a view of her breasts. The left one bore a silver mark representing a spiral bearing the Erebian numeral for four, the Shaman’s symbol; while the right showed the faint, hardly visible outline of a skull adorned with the number three. I suspected that the latter regained prominence when Luciette assumed control.

We quickly covered our marks by the time a merry troupe of actors stepped on the stage. At the forefront was an elegant, eye-catching blonde woman with daring emerald eyes, a scarlet dress, and a rose in her mouth. She quickly opened the spectacle with a daring dance that left the audience clapping and whistling.

“Isn’t that your wife dancing on the stage?” Eris asked while pointing at the blonde actress.

“Please, Eris, my divine would never show herself in such an establishment,” Rubenzo replied before blowing the blonde dancer a kiss, which she reciprocated. “Not under her true name at least.”

I studied the stage and noticed that many of the actors appeared to recognize Rubenzo when they looked our way. He didn’t come to Goldport unaccompanied.

“How many people did you bring with you?” I inquired.

“My whole troupe, of course.” Rubenzo slouched in his chair. “How did you think I could get close enough to pickpocket you, Robin? You have to thank my makeup artist and wardrobe supervisor for it.”

I was wondering about that too. I should have seen this peacock coming from a league away, yet he managed to sneak up on me and Mersie easily enough. “You didn’t use your power?”

“I could change my face with it, but magic is best reserved to give a finishing touch to one’s artistic composition,” Rubenzo replied. “That way, I won’t grow dependent on it.”

“Smart,” I said before joining my fingers. “Do you plan on joining us, Rubenzo? You must have plans if you brought so many assistants with you.”

“How could I call myself the Rogue if I ran at the sight of my own Shadow?” Rubenzo replied with a chuckle. He sounded quite proud of his own wordplay. “Eris informed me that you intended to infiltrate the Shinkoku Empire.”

“We have good reason to think the Devil of Greed gathers her coins there,” I confirmed, “And that the Shadow follows the trail.”

“I’ve discussed the subject with Rubenzo, and we agreed that it would be too risky if we all entered the country together in one group,” Eris said. “We would be too easy to track.”

“While your group infiltrates the country from the sky, we shall do so from the sea,” Rubenzo explained. “My troupe has already secured an invitation to play in the Shinoku’s capital, under false identities of course.”

“Can they handle themselves in a fight?” Eris asked with a frown. “We’ll encounter many demons, Ruby, and not the funny folktale kind.”

“They are all well-trained, my dear, worry not.” Rubenzo sipped his wine. “I’d hoped to meet my Vassal Heroes and travel with them though. Are they with you?”

“They’ve been cleaning Goldport of any Knot cultist they could find with the Hunter’s assistance,” I replied. As for Beni, Soraseo, and Marika, they’d spent most of their time working on our new golem project. “We were waiting for you to proceed with the Salvadoreen Manor’s purification.”

“My sister and I shall do our utmost best to help,” Rosaline promised before clearing her throat. “However, we, ugh… we won’t be able to come with you to the Shinkoku Empire afterward. We are due to meet with Professor Chandraj in order to secure the Pit of Apocris in Irem.”

“That’s fine for us,” I replied, having expected as much. Having a team of Heroes in Irem reassured me in case we had misjudged Daltia’s intentions. “Would you be all available to run the operation this evening?”

Rosaline and Rubenzo both confirmed their participation with an enthusiastic nod, which we celebrated with a toast.

We would soon put Mersie’s past to rest and move on.