Chapter 18: Midnight Prowlers.
Alper POV
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“Waaah!” I screamed as I flew through the air, landing with a thud on the cobblestone street. Another guild had kicked me out. Not metaphorically—literally. The guild master had grabbed me by the collar and waistband like I was nothing more than a sack of potatoes and hurled me out the door.
“And stay out!” he bellowed before slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
I groaned, dusting myself off as a small crowd of onlookers stared. Their judgmental eyes burned into me, but I was too annoyed to care. “What the hell is their problem?!” I shouted at no one in particular.
“That’s the twelfth guild to give you this kind of treatment,” Nove chimed in, ever the voice of reason. “Maybe it’s time to change our approach?”
“Gee, you think?” I muttered, rubbing my sore backside as I limped toward an alley to escape the crowd’s prying eyes. The onlookers dispersed, shaking their heads. At this point, they probably recognized me—the kid who keeps getting thrown out of guilds like a bad coin.
“Could they not have just said no like normal people?” I grumbled, ducking into the alley. The dingy passage was littered with trash and reeked of stale beer, but at least it offered a bit of privacy.
“Maybe it’s your attire?” Nove suggested helpfully.
“My attire?” I glanced down at my clothes. They were filthy—streaked with dirt and dried blood. My so-called “shoes” were cobbled together from scraps of stone and mud. Okay, yeah, maybe he had a point. “Hmmm… But no, I think it’s because they all keep saying I’m too young.”
I thought back to my recent string of rejections. Some guilds didn’t even let me through the door. Others laughed in my face or told me to “grow up” and “take a hint.” The last one? Well, he skipped straight to throwing me out.
“It’s like they’re all just biased,” I muttered as I trudged deeper into the alley, kicking an empty tin can. The streets here were narrow and grimy, a far cry from the bustling main square. “And it’s not just the guilds, either. The nomads wouldn’t take me in, either. They all said the same thing—too young, too short.” I clenched my fists. “What do they want me to do, age faster?”
I even tried to sell monster parts to different shops, at the very least I could still be able to earn money, but…
I groaned as I remembered that even all the shopkeeper were refusing me, they wanted to see a license card. Either from the nomads or a guild. But since no one will take me in, guess what I don’t have? I kicked another can in frustration. The alley stretched on, each step crunching over broken glass and discarded scraps of food.
“I know I’m fourteen, but I’m desperate! Come on, what’s the problem here?!” I yelled, though it was more about venting my frustration than expecting an actual answer. Every plan I’d come up with had failed spectacularly. Forget getting the information I needed—at this point, my basic survival was hanging by a thread.
I let out a long sigh, leaning against a grimy wall. “What now?” I muttered. The only viable option left seemed to be taking some menial job, like a janitor. But even thinking about that felt like a waste of precious time. I needed something, anything, to get me out of this mess.
“Nyahaha, so you’re the kid who keeps getting tossed out of guilds, huh?”
The voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. It was haughty, dripping with a mix of mockery and condescension, like the speaker didn’t even need to try to sound insulting. It was the voice of someone who had mastered the art of being a brat.
I turned to look for the source, but saw no one. “Up here, idiot.”
I glanced up and blinked. Perched on a fire escape above me was a small figure—a kid, maybe my age. Before I could process anything, he vaulted over the railing and landed with the grace of a cat. And speaking of cats…
He had a tail.
It swished lazily behind him as he straightened up, adjusting a blue beret that sat cocked on his head. I squinted, trying to spot cat ears under the hat, but I couldn’t see any. What I did notice, though, were his striking golden eyes with those sharp, unmistakably feline irises. His skin was a warm tan, and his outfit—a black-and-blue shirt and matching pants—looked practical but stylish. The kid was about my height, too, which was almost more irritating than the smug grin plastered across his face.
“Nyahaha!” he laughed again, performing an exaggerated bow. “The name’s Dix. At your service.”
I raised an eyebrow, still trying to process the situation. “Can I… help you?” My tone was cautious, a mix of suspicion and confusion. My brain was struggling to reconcile the fact that there was a literal cat-person standing in front of me.
Dix smirked, clearly picking up on my scrutinizing gaze. His golden eyes sparkled with amusement as he tilted his head. “Nyahaha~ You act like you’ve never seen a demi-human before, nya!”
A demi-human. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. Of course! I was in a completely different world. Why hadn’t it crossed my mind that demi-humans might exist here? The thought was exhilarating.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Still, I crossed my arms and kept my face neutral. “Lift that cap, and maybe I’ll believe you’re a demi-human,” I challenged, trying not to let my inner excitement show. Inside, though, I was grinning like an idiot. Demi-humans existed in this world too—this just got so much more interesting!
Dix’s tail flicked behind him as he laughed, the sound dripping with smugness. “Nyaa~ Let’s pawse on that, shall we? Aren’t you even a little curious why Nyaone picked you for the job?”
His speech occasionally slipped into cat-like puns, which might have been charming if not for the infuriatingly superior tone he used. Any semblance of mercy I might have felt for him was promptly squashed.
Still, my years in the underworld had taught me a lot on how to act and react, so, keeping my tone professional, I said, “Do enlighten me.”
Dix’s grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting as he looked down at me—quite literally. “Nehehe, it’s because of House Luminari.”
The air around us seemed to shift. My arms dropped to my sides as I straightened up, my eyes narrowing. House Luminari. That was my clan’s name—a minor clan, but still a name of importance. If Dix knew about them, this wasn’t just a casual encounter.
Dix’s cocky expression faltered when he saw the change in my demeanor. I saw some movements under the cap as well. “N-Nya, that’s right! It’s because they’re searching for… uh, a fugitive.”
“A fugitive?” I tilted my head, slightly confused.
“Yes, nya! I think his name was… uh, Batman?”
I stared at him, resisting the urge to slam my head against the nearest wall. Batman? Seriously?
“And what does… Batman… have to do with me?” I asked carefully, playing dumb. No way was I going to admit that I might, just might, know something about this so-called fugitive.
“Nya, well, no one knows what he looks like,” Dix explained, waving a hand dismissively. “His face is hidden. No one even knows if he’s a man or a woman—or what his voice sounds like! But…” He leaned closer, a sly grin creeping across his face. “There’s one thing we do know.”
“And what’s that?” I asked with my eyes narrowed.
“He’s short! Just like you and me, nya~!” Dix said, his voice practically purring with delight.
“Huh?” The word slipped out before I could stop it. “Is that really the reason?”
Dix nodded enthusiastically, his tail swishing like he’d just shared the most brilliant piece of information. Meanwhile, I felt my eye twitch. This was shaping up to be more ridiculous than I’d anticipated.
“Yes, nya!” Dix nodded emphatically, his tail swaying behind him. “That’s why no one will hire anyone of our stature until they’ve caught the culprit, nya. No one wants to get on House Luminari’s bad side. And even with alchemy, you can’t exactly change your height. It’s the only solid lead they’ve got.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to make sense of this absurd situation. “Why do you…” I paused, then shook my head. “No, let me rephrase that. How do you know all this?”
Dix’s face lit up with a smug grin, and he puffed out his chest like he’d just been handed a trophy. “Nyahaha! Nothing happens in this city without us knowing about it. For we are… the Midnight Prowlers!”
I blinked. “The Midnight Prowlers?” I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like… a group of thieves.”
His tail bristled instantly, and he practically shouted, “We’re not thieves!” His sharp teeth flashed as he pointed an accusatory finger at me. “We’re a group that prowls the streets, making sure nothing happens without us knowing about it!”
“Sooo… like a guild? Or a team of Nomads?” I asked, half-genuinely, half-teasingly.
“Nyo!” His ears twitched, and he looked genuinely offended. “Don’t lump us in with those slowpokes, nya! They’re useless! They couldn’t track a snail if it left a glowing trail behind it!” His voice rose as his anger built, his tail stiff as a board. “We work day and night, without rest! We’re everywhere and nowhere at the same time, nya!”
By the end of his rant, Dix was breathing heavily, his tail still straight up like an exclamation mark. Meanwhile, I was trying to piece together if he was delusional, overexcited, or both. Before I could respond, Nove’s calm, indifferent voice echoed in my head.
“Alper,” she said, “it’s highly probable this ‘Midnight Prowlers’ group is nothing more than an unregistered guild. Which means they operate outside the law and may dabble in less-than-legal activities. Should this information reach city authorities, they would likely be detained.”
Huh. I scratched my chin, my mind spinning with possibilities. If they weren’t registered, that meant they weren’t bound by the same rules. Maybe, I could use these guys?
“Alright, Dix,” I said, placing my hands on my hips, adopting the most businesslike stance I could muster. “What do the Midnight Prowlers want with a kid like me?”
Dix looked at me for a moment, then burst into laughter. “Nyahaha! Is that your idea of a joke? I almost believed… that you’re… a kid… nya?” His laughter slowed as his golden eyes narrowed, confusion creeping across his face. My expression stayed neutral—no hostility, no amusement, just blank.
Dix’s grin faltered. “Wait… are you actually a kid?”
“I’m 14 years old,” I said with a shrug.
“What?!” Dix practically yowled, his tail puffing up in shock. “There’s no way you’re just 14 years old, nya!”
“How old are you, then?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nya! I’m 18!” he declared proudly.
“You’re 18?” I shouted back, unable to hide my disbelief. I raised my hand to compare our heights. There wasn’t a single inch of difference between us.
The gesture wasn’t lost on him. “Hey!” Dix shouted, his tail twitching with indignation. “We might be the same height, but I’m older than you!”
“Yeah, for now,” I said, smirking. “Give me a few years, and I’ll be looking down at you.”
Dix made an irritated nyayaya noise, his tail whipping around as he clenched his fists. It was honestly kind of funny watching him try to assert his authority. But there was something nagging at me. “Dix,” I said, cutting through his tantrum, “why did you think I was older than 14 in the first place?”
“Nya?” He tilted his head, his ears twitching in confusion. “I thought you were, like, 20!”
“20?” My eyebrow shot up. “Why on earth would you think that?”
“Or 25,” he added, shaking his head dramatically as if the entire situation was just beyond him. “Maybe even older.”
His words hit a strange nerve. I tried to brush it off, but deep down, it struck a chord. I was 28 before I got here…
“I still don’t get it,” I said, crossing my arms. “Why would you assume I’m so much older?”
Dix’s tail swished as he looked at me thoughtfully, then pointed a finger in my direction. “It’s the way you act, nya. You sound, react, and carry yourself like someone older. Like, way older.”
I rubbed my chin, falling into thought. That could be both a good and a bad thing, depending on how I used it. Maybe I needed to adjust how I acted, depending on the situation. There might be times when seeming more childlike would work to my advantage.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I dropped my hand and asked, “Okay, let’s say I was older—what would you need me for anyway?”
Dix’s grin returned in full force, his earlier frustration forgotten. “Nyahaha~! You’re looking for work, right? And we’re looking for a workforce!”