Chapter 63 – Shady Business

Turns out the Fence was a better addition to my crew than I thought. Sure, interacting with him isn’t very fruitful considering the guy is as mute as the rest of my underlings, but he is also fairly autonomous. The little dwarven Fence wasted little time in annexing the small storage room in my hideout and started cataloguing all the various items within.

Fences are pretty straight forward when it all comes down to it. It’s one of the only units in the game that can handle and safely sell items marked as contraband. The process is lengthy and he can only sell them for roughly a fifth of the item’s original market value, but it’s a steady income for me nonetheless. After the past week, I’ve accumulated quite a hefty amount of items, most of which I have no use for. I have a couple sets of heavy armor and weapons my underlings can’t use as well as a small mountain of crafting reagents for professions I either have no need for or are unable to learn. Selling these items should net me a decent profit and I have enough items to keep him occupied for at least a week or two.

I also consider selling my collection of random paintings, but I guess I can hold on to them for a while. It’s not like my Fence is lacking work at the moment and it would be nice to see if gathering all of them would grant me some sort of hidden reward. I pick up a painting on roughly half my jobs so I’m starting to get quite the collection. I probably won’t complete it anytime soon, but I guess it’s a nice little side project to have.

Anyways, it’s time for me to take a more proactive role in my development going forward. I have gained a tremendous amount of power over the last few days and it’s about time I use it for what it’s worth. I’m not sure if whoever pursues me has given up yet, so I should probably see if I can get Anna to spill some information. I’m being an asshole for exploiting her friendship like this, and I’m getting slightly worried that I don’t seem to care about it as much as I used to. The information is worth its weight in gold, however, and I would be foolish not to grab the opportunity as it presents itself.

Today is also the day my family finally has their capsules up and running. I can’t say I’m exactly thrilled about it, but I have spent these last few days trying to come up with ways to keep them out of my business while also performing tasks that are beneficial to my cause. That’s for later tonight though, and first of all, I want to head out and find out what the Silver Saints want with me. I can smell the start of a burgeoning quest looming, but I should also come prepared in case it’s a trap of some kind. It probably isn’t, but weirder things have happened before. Like anything that has Anna’s name on it.

A new problem that has revealed itself when I recruited a whole bunch of new underlings is that it’s much harder to hide fourteen underlings moving around in the city’s back alleys than it is to move eight. There just isn’t much room for stealth or subtlety. Bringing all of them is sadly out of the question, but it’s not much of a problem yet anyway. Three of my underlings are still level one, and three of my Spotters are still a little ways off reaching max level. I could always bring them, but I’m probably better off keeping them back for now. It won’t be long until they catch up anyway as my Mentor skill has also risen quite well over these last few days.

I end up bringing both my Lieutenants along with the two half-orcs, the Cutthroat, and both the veteran Prowlers. I don’t really expect any trouble, but I have faith they will be enough to delay anyone trying to pull something. I’m also still a little worried about whoever pursues me, so I’ll head over towards Ulf’s shop on my own, putting all my trust in the Thief Lord’s Signet Ring.

The trip is uneventful, and I soon find myself across the street from Ulf’s store. The windows seem to be boarded up and I can see the candlelight flickering from within. Someone’s definitely home. I surround the building and have my Thugs take up position as close to the outer wall as possible to make certain I have a way out with my Doppelganger ability if the need should arise. I decide to bring my two Lieutenants along inside, because why not? A gang leader is supposed to bring some muscle to secret meetings with criminal organisations after all. I think it’s in the manual. Yup. The Thief Lord’s Guide to Theft and Butchery™.

I don’t see much reason to delay any further, so I have Cobra take point and knock on the door. He slams his fist into the door three times, and the loud thumps echo down the deserted streets. Geez, how very subtle for a thief. I hear someone rummage around on the other side, pressing against the door.

“Who’s out there?” A familiar gruff voice asks.

“Ulf, it’s me. Open up.”

“Tha you, boy? Blasted dimwit! Ya want ta entire city ta hear ya? Get ya arse in here!” He wheezes as he unlocks the door. Quickly shooing us inside, we soon find ourselves in the dimly lit store. Ulf bolts the door shut, cursing a long series of expletives as he goes.

Expecting something to happen eventually, I stand still and wait for the storekeeper to finish doing whatever spiel he has going on. Old people seldom enjoy it when you try to rush them. When Ulf finally seems satisfied that no one is following us or whatever else he is looking for, he turns around with a scowl on his face.

“Come along then, boy.” He grunts as he stomps towards his counter. Come along where? I decide not to ask as the grumpy dwarf dives behind his counter and appear to fiddle with some boxes. A soft click sounds and I jump back in surprise as a segment of the floor towards the back corner of the building seems to sink into the ground. Looking towards it, I can spot the top part of a ladder attached to the opening. Oh, yeah. Now we’re talking. Super secret spy stuff! Love it!

“Now get ya arse in there, boy. We don’t have all night.” He grunts as he makes shooing motions towards me. Hmm. I can’t say I particularly enjoy heading into an unknown basement that probably leads to god knows where. I especially don’t like that it most likely will bring me out of range from my emergency escape-Thugs outside, but something tells me I’ll be just fine. For some odd, inexplicable reason, having access to a hidden NPC network just seems natural to the game when you think about it. I would estimate the chance of this being an ambush to be less than ten percent according to game logic. Even then, I don’t expect it to be too insurmountable. I still have my two Lieutenants with me and I sincerely doubt Ulf would have liked me bringing nearly two dozen men with me to the meeting. With a shrug, I order Cobra to once more take the lead.

The ladder leads into a surprisingly spacious basement stacked to the roof with crates and barrels of various sizes. Considering how well hidden this place is, I assume this is where Ulf stores the majority of his contraband. I wonder if it’s possible for me to steal any of this? Perhaps I’ll scout it out at some point.

As soon as Viper drops into the room behind me, the hatch closes shut above us. I frown. “This better not be a trap.” I mutter. No sooner have I started thinking about ways to rob him blind and bust out of here before I hear another clicking sound near the back wall. Turning towards it, I see another hidden panel swing outward. Woah. A hidden path within a hidden room? That’s pretty hardcore.

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The panel reveals a well-lit corridor that leads roughly ten meters deeper in before it turns sharply to the right. Wherever it leads, it’s definitely outside of Ulf’s shop. There’s no need to stop now, I suppose, so Cobra once more takes point down the corridor. I follow at a safe distance and as soon as we cross the bend in the tunnel, I start hearing voices coming from somewhere close. Since I assume whoever is down here knows we’re coming, I abandon all thoughts of stealth and set a determined pace forwards.

The tunnel leads to another basement of an adjacent building. We didn’t walk far enough for me not to make a rough estimate of where we are, but I doubt this short tunnel is anything but a very small part of their operation. It’s most likely meant as a quick escape route for Ulf. This basement seems to be equally stacked with various crates, albeit far less than the previous room. A couple of lightly armed Thugs waits by the ladder, most likely the source of the voices I heard earlier. At least I know they don’t belong to another Villain considering these guys are nothing but mute.

With a grunt, one of the Thugs climbs a few steps up the ladder before he knocks on the hatch three times, followed by a short pause, then twice more. Some shuffling of heavy objects can be heard from up above before the hatch swings open, revealing a familiar face.

“Odin!? What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, surprised.

He snorts. “What do you think? My job.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I mean if you wanted to talk to me, couldn’t we just have done so at your shop?”

“Because I don’t fancy anyone listening in on what we are about to discuss. Now get your lazy ass out of there. We don’t have all night.” He says, adding an intelligible curse at the end. Who the hell are ‘we’ though?

I climb up first this time as I’m now certain this isn’t a trap. If Odin really wanted me dead, he wouldn’t have had to lure me all the way out here to do me in. His level is at least triple digits after all. Even if he is a crafter by trade, I have no doubt he could kill me by the strength of his pinky if he so wished. I poke my head through the hatch and I’m surprised to see that I find myself in a very ordinary living room. The place is cleared of dust, but the furniture is by no means luxurious. If I would have to guess, then I’d say this house belongs to a retired elderly couple living on minimum savings. Very inconspicuous, which means it’s probably perfect for conducting shady business.

Looking around, I notice Odin has taken a seat at a large oaken table with matching padded armchairs. The table houses two other people, one of whom I’ve seen before. “Joe? You too?”

“Tssk.” He snorts, spitting on the floor. “We meet again, brat.”

“We do. Glad to see you again, Joe. I appreciate you introducing me to the Saints. The fence’s have been a great boon to me.” I smile while he just grunts in return.

Joe was the first member of the Silver Saints I met all the way back when I started playing. He was, is, the innkeeper of the noob zone and the person who gave me the Silver Saints’ token after he saw me trick Anna and Brian for the first time. I can’t say I was expecting to see him again, and I’m not really expecting a hearty reunion. If anything, the guy acted like a grumpy dick when I first met him and I doubt anything has changed since.

The last member at the table is a gorgeous woman dressed in a dark purple dress and an excessive amount of pearls. The woman won’t exactly win any stealth awards with the amount of noise the pearls make as she moves around, but she seems to be a woman who has enough henchmen to do the sneaking for her. Her brown hair is tied in a strict bun, giving her the gypsy librarian look that I’m not sure anyone else could pull off. She sits in the middle of the trio, so she appears to hold more status than the other two. Impressive, considering Odin’s grandmaster title.

[Human Grandmaster Enchantress - Lucille(???). HP ????/????. MP: ?????/?????.]

Okay, maybe not so surprising after all.

“So you’re the new troublemaker I’ve heard so much about.” She says with a sweet smile, leaning back into her padded chair. A satisfied smile crosses her lips as she gives me an appraising look.

“I don’t think I have caused too much trouble yet.” I say, returning her smile.

“Oh, more than you know.” She says sagely, gesturing for me to take a seat opposite them. I comply and try to sit down as gracefully as possible. I’m meeting powerful people after all. I wouldn’t want to annoy the people who might end up paying me later. Cobra and Viper move behind me, taking up flanking positions. All the good that will do me if this meeting turns violent.

Seeing that I’m seated comfortably, the woman continues. “I’m Lucille, by the way. Current chairman of the Saints’ inner council. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Thief Lord.”

“Pleasure is all mine.” I say, bowing my head curtly.

“Since you have already met Odin and Joe here, I guess we can jump straight to the point. You may wonder why we called for this meeting?” She leans forward, burrowing her eyes into mine. Most likely gauging my reaction. A test of some sort?

“I have my suspicions, but it’s probably best you say it out loud to avoid any misunderstandings.” I say, lying through my teeth. I don’t have the foggiest idea of why I might be here. Getting some sort of reward I hope.

“You’re a good liar, little Thief Lord.” She chuckles, giving me a small wink. Crap. She called me out on it. Is this the NPC anti-lying skill Ulf told me about earlier? God. I want one. “While I find it absolutely adorable, I must insist on you being honest for the remainder of the meeting. Our time is too valuable to waste on such a… cute distraction.” She winks at me.

“Apologies, my lady.” I say a bit sweeter than intended. “Lying appears to have become a bit too natural to me after I took up this profession. I completely forgot about the native’s ability to sense my lies.”

She chuckles. “It’s a good skill to have. Especially for someone in our line of work. But, I digress. Talking about the fine art of deception, as intriguing as it is, is not why we called you here tonight.” She intensifies her stare.

I maintain my easygoing smile, gesturing for her to continue. “As you may know, times are changing around the city with a lot of new forces coming into play. Troublesome forces, considering our line of profession. Troubles such as you and others of your kind. As a result of this, our organisation has suffered quite a few setbacks as of late; setbacks that are not economically sustainable for us. You see, our organisation is all about maximizing profits while providing our clientele with goods that some others may… frown upon. It’s a necessary service to provide, and I see no reason why people’s personal liberties should be restricted because of moralists’ insistence on forcing their values and beliefs upon everyone else.” Her eyes start to wander, seemingly lost in thoughts. It’s only until Odin jabs her with his elbow she wakes.

“Ah, pardon my digression. The reason why we exist is probably of no interest to a man such as yourself. The reason we have called you here is simple. To survive and thrive in this new society that has been forced upon us, we need to adapt and evolve. When conventional means fail, we have to get creative.

Luckily for us, not all Travellers follow the moral code forced upon us by those pesky laws. Travellers like you. My fellow colleagues tell me of your ruthless actions across the city to gain money and power at an absurd rate. An ideal we can certainly sympathize with. You have also shown a willingness to cooperate with us for mutual gain when you disposed of that pesky disgraced noble. Good job on that one by the way. He may not have been the greatest threat to our operation, but it’s more important to remove an infection early or else it festers.”

“So, you want to form an alliance?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.

She smiles. “In short: Yes. We want to form a mutually beneficial partnership with you and others of your kind. We believe that with our resources, and your large potential for growing your power and influence, we can both prosper. So what do you say, little Thief Lord. Do you think we can work together?”

Now it’s my turn to smile. “If the terms are acceptable.”