The too-sweet scent of jasmine filled the room making me feel sick to my stomach. Or maybe it was the fear of being in a room filled with dangerous-looking strangers that were causing it. I don’t know but either way, I wished I’d not come at all.
The man, I still refused to call him Master, guided me to a plush cushion and basically shoved me atop the thing. Then he marched over to join the others, all of them facing me with keen eyes that saw more than my bald patch, my sunburnt face, or my gloriously mismatched clothing. I got the sickening feeling that I was in a job interview, only it was one I was extremely unprepared for.
“So,” I said awkwardly when the silence had dragged on for too long. “What does the Guild of Shadow Walkers do?”
The four people across from me chuckled. The one sitting on the far left turned to the man that had brought me here and said, “really Kendrick, this is the best you could bring us?”
Kendrick. That was a name I could deal with. Much better than Master.
Kendrick turned his sharp eyes on his comrade, his pale face darkening. “You doubt my choice, Warren? Perhaps you would finally like to challenge me for the title of Master?”
The man, Warren, shuffled uncomfortably, his eyes turning toward the cushion-strewn floor. “It is not you I doubt, it is this brute that has me worried. How can such a large, noisy man be a thief?”
I folded my arms and glared at the man though I doubt he noticed at all. It was very rude of him to judge me on nothing but the way I looked. I was getting better at thieving, at least, I thought I was. And what did he mean noisy? I’d barely had a chance to speak yet.
“Hold your tongue and I will show you why I have chosen this one from all the others,” Kendrick snapped. He turned his eyes to me and smiled like there hadn’t been an uncomfortable amount of aggression going on only moments before. “This Guild is a place for thieves to hone their skills to become the very best that they can. There are many Chapters of our Guild throughout this… Country, I believe that is what you and your kind call this island.
If you join us you will be granted the opportunity to gather new and useful skills, you will have access to fences to purchase your stolen goods and, if you are good at what you do, you will have your choice of the more tantalizing quests to assist with your leveling and skill development. There is also a lot of gold to be had, more than you could ever dream of.
There are great rewards in mastering thieving, but great dangers also. If you are caught, your fellow man will not take kindly to your actions. There is no jail in this world, there is only the threat of having your head prematurely removed.
Remember, once you make your choice to join us, there is no going back. You will be subject to our rules and our hierarchy. You may never discuss your involvement with this Guild, no matter how you are pressed by others.
Do you accept my offer?”
My mouth was hanging open at the sheer number of words he’d just thrown at me. My brain was having trouble keeping up with it all. My instincts told me to just say yes, but my brain fought against it. I didn’t like the threat of death if I was caught or the idea of taking commands from shifty strangers.
“What rules and what hierarchy?” I asked.
Kendrick lifted his pet fox into his lap and answered, “there are three rules. Firstly, you must never steal from a member of our Guild. Secondly, you must never tell another soul who is not associated with us about the Guild's existence. Thirdly, you must never kill while on a Guild-sanctioned job; to do so would draw unnecessary attention to our people.
Now, the hierarchy is a little more complicated. You, as a newcomer, will hold the title of Pickpocket. It is the lowest level in our Guild. There are nine other levels that you may obtain if you are skilled enough. We’ll discuss these once you prove yourself. For now, suffice to say, everyone in the Guild outranks you.”
I sat in silence for a while after that which thankfully none of the others seemed to mind overmuch. My brain was jumping from one thought to the next so quickly that I felt like I was spinning. I wanted to be stronger and better so death wasn’t such a given out in the croc-strewn world, but keeping this from the others of my group was going to be a nightmare. Did telling Stella about all this count as breaking the second rule? It probably did seeing as she did have a soul.
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I fingered the grip on one of the blades over my shoulder. If I accepted, would I learn the flash step that Vincent had used against me?
Also, what was the difference between stolen goods and the things I had collected so far? Could you steal from NPCs and the homes of people or was it restricted to other players in this frustrating new world? If it was, that made it less tempting seeing as how I’d barely met any other players that I hadn’t befriended almost immediately. It might be a little stupid since survival should be my main concern, but stealing from friends was just not something I would do.
I threaded my fingers into my hair and closed my eyes. There was little choice really, no matter how I looked at the situation. “I accept.”
Kendrick leaped to his feet sending his poor fox friend flying. The creature flipped in the air and bolted for a darkened corner. “Wonderful! Now stand.”
I stood. Kendrick stepped up to me and grabbed my wrist just above where my class tattoo was. I yelped and tried to pull away as the skin under his hand burned, Kendrick held me tight, his eerie smile never leaving his face. Finally, after what felt like an hour the man let go. My arm felt numb. I turned it over and was greeted by another tattoo that had been branded into my skin without my consent.
This one was different. It was a fox head wearing a padlock as a crown. As I looked at the thing it faded from black to a color that matched my skin tone. It was almost impossible to see unless I held my arm at an odd angle in the light.
New notifications flashed up in front of my face and I took my time reading them.
Welcome to the Guild of Shadow Walkers! You can now access Guild Halls and Shadow Merchants who may purchase your stolen goods.
New Title: Pickpocket
Title Bonus: +1 Agility
New Skill Unlocked: Pickpocket
While unseen the option to view other players' held goods is now available to you. Be cautious though; looking is fine but touching may cause your head to decorate a pike.
New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Eye
Hiding spots will now appear to you at a greater range. Hiding spots are marked by pretty sparkles. Remember, if there is glitter in the air, you’ll be safe there. Well, most of the time.
It was my turn to smile creepily. I didn’t really understand the point of a title but the added point to my agility made it my highest-scoring ability by two whole points. The pickpocketing skill would be a great benefit if we ever found more players. I was anxious to use it. I wasn’t sure how useful the shadow skill would be. I’d only ever seen one sparkling hiding place. Maybe if I’d had this skill before I wouldn’t have been almost killed by the big ass wolf at the brewery.
I pressed my menu tattoo and scanned the page for any differences from how it had been before. Above and to the right of the little stick figure character that represented me was a little icon that matched my new tattoo. Its presence there, and the abundance of space beneath it, made me wonder if I could be part of more than one guild. I hoped so but at this point, it seemed like the guilds might be class specific. It made me reminisce over all the games I’d played in the past where I’d spent the majority of my time becoming the leader of all the guilds for no other reason than that I could.
I glanced at my abilities, admiring the score of thirteen in the agility section. I couldn’t see a place for my new title which made it feel even more useless, aside from the added ability point of course.
A loud squawk made me jump and stumble back as a large magpie flew through the small open window. Kendrick held out his arm and the bird alighted there, holding out one leg for the man to see the little scrap of paper tied there.
“Now,” the man said taking the offered paper from the bird. “It’s time for your first quest. It is a fine opportunity for you to prove yourself worthy. Here, take it.”
I took the paper and read it.
New quest: Shiny Baubles
Description: Find Bertram the Bard and relieve him of his Amulet of Songbird.
I checked my minimap and thankfully there was a marker to point me in the right direction. Best of all, I didn’t have to leave Stanthorpe to find Bertram. He was on the Eastern edge of the town. Fantastic. I felt my body surge with energy at the prospect of using my new skill. It was also good to know that it wasn’t restricted to other players like me. Not entirely anyway.
I itched to leave this incense-filled room and venture out into the cool night to complete my new quest. I said a quick goodbye to the people gathered but only Kendrick said it back. Again, very rude behavior.
I ran down the stairs, my excitement making it easy to ignore the debauchery around me. I would have paused to try out my new skill in this room but there was no place I could steal from where I couldn’t be seen. It wasn’t worth the risk so soon after getting it. Maybe after I’d practiced on the Bertram the Bard person I’d give it a shot. Something told me this place was always filled to the brim. Stealing from the place that housed the Guild members didn’t count as a rule breach, did it? Hmmm, maybe I wouldn’t risk it at all.
I ran out into the night and turned toward the East but paused before I took a step. I hadn’t realized how long I’d been in the room. The Eastern sky was brightening already. Fuck. Bertram would have to wait. If I wasn’t at the inn when the others woke up, they’d have questions. Questions I couldn’t answer.