Daego put his thumb and pointer finger in his mouth and made a piercing whistle. The woman working behind the counter stopped pouring a mug of ale to face him. "Gimme a sec, Daego," she called out from across her workstation. As she finished filling the glass, Daego leaned back against in his seat, nodding and smiling at the two women sitting to his sides.

"What are you so smug for, lad?" Tamma inquired.

"I'm smiling because I'm about to help out a pair of lovely young women. Nothing brings me more joy than giving a bit of assistance to those that really deserve it."

Tamma leaned in towards Miwah's ear, cupping her hand over mouth as she began to whisper. "I'm already getting tired of this guy." She pointed at him with her thumb, drawing his attention. Despite being aware that he was the subject of the conversation, the smug grin remained.

"Let us just hear what he has to say, Tamma," Miwah whispered back. "It is time that you practice what you preach! You went on and on about how harsh I was with Alson." The seamstress leaned back and eyed Daego from the corner of her vision. "We came to this inn looking for help. Daego is our best chance!"

Daego continued to give his typical, friendly smile. "Thank you, ma'am. All I'm asking is for a chance."

Tamma opened her mouth, one finger raised in protest, but before a word could leave her lips, the bartender stood with her hand on her hips across the counter from Daego. "What is it that you need?" she said stiffly.

Daego hopped off his stool and maintained his confidence. With outstretched arms, he placed both hands on the women's shoulders. Tamma shrugged her arm away while Miwah's head turned in the opposite direction, hiding her crimson cheeks form view. "These two girls are looking for a room. Just thought I'd show them around, you know? Farrowport isn't exactly known for its hospitality."

The worker rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just as long as you don't disturb the paying customers on your way up there."

"You know I was raised by folks with class." Deago reached into the pouch on his hip, took out a shiny coin. With the flick of his thumb, he sent it spiraling through the air, right into the worker's hand. He gave the woman a wink. "Thanks. We shouldn't be too long."

Daego patted Miwah on the back of her shoulder as he walked towards the wooden door next to the bar. "All right you two. I can give you ladies a special tour if you want. Maybe you can find who you're looking for."

Miwah began to rise out of her seat, only to stop halfway to turn around and look at Tamma. The hunter's arms were crossed in front of her chest while her irked glare jumped between Miwah and the mysterious man standing in front of the stairway. "Are you coming along?" Miwah asked.

Tamma looked up at the ghost floating between the two of them. She raised an eyebrow, asking in silence what his thoughts were by the way she looked at him.

"I say go for it," Yalch replied while shrugging his shoulders. "You two still have your Purifier forms to fall back on." His antennas twitched faster. He raised his hands to stop them from moving only to have the appendages slip through his intangible fingers. "There really is another Purifier in here. I can feel it! At the very least it's worth a shot."

Disgruntled Tamma rose from her seat and caught up with the other two. Daego pulled the door open to stairway and held it open with one hand. He stepped to the side and formally bowed. "You two may enter first," he said cordially. Miwah accepted the invite, returning the bow with one of her before entering the stairway. A less than enthused Tamma followed in her wake, paying the man that held the door open no mind as she walked past.

The cracked wood of the floor was sticky, as if beer had been spilled and was never wiped up. Each step taken was accompanied with the sound of their footwear peeling off the ground. The thick scent of alcohol lingered through the narrow hallway. To the left was a long and narrow staircase. The railing was thin and looked ready to wobble from the slightest touch. The area beneath the stairs was dark and damp; the only thing immediately visible underneath it was a few dusty cobwebs that long outlived their arachnid creators.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Some place ya got here, lad," Tamma said. "I'm guessing the dust is part of the experience?"

Daego took his pointer finger and swiped the side of the railing and created a long brown streak in the dust. "It's all authentic.”

"Would you want to lead the way, Daego?" Miwah said. "You are the one that offered to show us around. Perhaps it is best for you to be up front."

"Of course, of course." Daego squeezed by Tamma then Miwah before using the bottom pillar of the railing to swing onto the first step. As he held onto the railing, the entire structure shook and creaked. "Stay close to me, ladies. Some of the regulars can be unruly when their alcohol-induced stupor is disturbed by outsiders."

"What are you going to if one of them tries to start some trouble, eh?" Tamma asked from ground level. "You know how to deal with a drunken man with nothing to lose?"

"Of course I do! Just tell them that you'll cover their next drink. Not like they'll remember once they sober up."

Miwah nodded her head. "Sounds correct." The seamstress followed Deago up the steps, prompting Tamma to come along. Halfway up the first flight of stairs and the sound of the floor became clear. The noise of several conversations merged into a single loud and momentous murmur. Once on the second floor, the condition of the building was the same as the bottom of the staircase; time had taken charge, leaving weathered walls, cracks in the wooden floor and dust on nearly every surface.

Seemingly endless rows of doors lined either side of the corridor. Daego walked towards the right of the hall, and with a wave of his gestured towards the girls to do the same. "The employees are going to need some room to get by," he said just loud enough to overcome the noise of chatter. Both women obliged by placing themselves as close to the walls as possible.

"Is this going to be a long walk?" Tamma called out from the rear. Daego turned his enough will keeping the group moving forward.

"No. The owner of this inn likes to hire women to take care of the housing duties. You'd be surprised how easy it can be for a pretty face to convince a poor man to make himself even poorer. Some are even desperate enough to spare their last coin just for a few moments of friendly conversation."

Tamma's arm brushed against the wall, coating her skin in a thin film of dust. She brushed it with the palm of her hand right before taking in a deep breath for a sneeze. "I think the workers here—" The hunter closed her eyes and placed her mouth into the corner of her arm, silencing her sneezes. "I think the workers here need to put more time into maintaining this place rather than chatting with the guests."

"They're too busy cleaning up after all the drunkards that crash here. The rooms are tidy at the expense of... everywhere else. Besides, the average guest here doesn't mind the dust. And the kind of customer that would be bothered by it wouldn't be caught dead in this part of town anyway. You might not know, but a big of part of business is catering to your market."

"I know all about business!" Tamma shot back. "I run my own stall down in the Market Center!"

"Ran," Miwah interjected.

"What?"

"Ran. You ran a stall."

"I thought you were on my side, Miwah."

"I am just being honest." The seamstress shrugged her shoulders.

"What happened to it?" Daego slowed his walk to look at Tamma's peeved face. "I know competition can be tough there. Did one of the big conglomerates run you out of business."

"Robbed, unfortunately," Miwah replied.

"Ah, that's a shame," Daego replied with a sigh. "Such a shame that someone would treat others in such a brutish way. That's why a couple of young ladies such as yourselves should invest in some kind of protection service."

"We're more than capable of taking care of ourselves, lad," Tamma shot back.

"If that's the case then how did you manage to get your entire stall stolen then, eh?" Daego unsheathed the knife from his side pocket and twirled it around in one hand with grace. "Because if I were down there at the time, you'd still be selling whatever is you specialize in!"

"Even against Cutthroats?" Tamma asked coldly.

Daego froze, his body flinching at the mention of the last name. "You said the Cutthroats?"

"You don't seem so confident now, do you?" The hunter kept her arms crossed as she tapped the toe of her boot against the wooden floor. "All of them were there. Including that twisted snake of Narrita's."

"Oy, that might have been some bad decision making on your part then. Took the shortcut through the alleys, eh?"

"We did," Miwah began. "But it is not like we just let them get away with robbery."

"You told the Farrowport Guard or something?" Daego asked.

The seamstress took her thumb and slid it across her neck. "We took something of theirs in return."

Daego turned around and cocked his head to the side. "What did you take from them?"

"Pierce." Miwah's eyes went cold. Daego stepped back, his face baring an expression of worry.

"You're not serious." his voice lowered. "You must be pulling my leg. No way you managed to do... that... and still be around to talk about it."

Both Miwah and Tamma nodded simultaneously. "The lass is right. And I helped her," Tamma said.

Daego faced forward again and continued his walk. His friendly demeanor transformed into one of urgency. "If that's the case, I better help you ladies. And quickly."

"Why the sudden change in tone?" Tamma asked.

"Because. We don't want those troublemakers around here causing chaos searching for you."