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Jane shooed the disgusting loot box guy away and turned her attention to Quill. She had no intention of wasting real world money on those boxes. At least not right now. “Ok, new quest. And no poo slimes!”
“Always a good thing.”
“Who or what is the Gold Crusade?”
“I have no idea.” He looked down, thoughtful, then looked up again. “Wasn’t there that area we couldn’t get into? The Gold District?”
“Oh yeah. You think it’s that simple?”
“Have you ever known MMO quests to require much detective work?”
“Good point. All right, let’s see if we can get in now that we have a quest for that area.”
They travelled across the city until they were close to the palace. Next to that towering and magnificent edifice, they found a walled-off area with tall, golden gates guarded by six very large men and women in glorious, high-fantasy knight gear: full plate armour that was flat black with gleaming golden highlights that sparkled in the sun.
Other pedestrians and carriages passed in and out of the gate. Each one showed something to the guards that allowed entrance. Those leaving the Gold District didn’t need to bother.
Two guards crossed their long halberds in front of her and Quill, and one spoke, his voice cold. “Halt. Identification, please.” He held out a gauntletted hand.
Jane still stung from the way that widow, Glory, had rejected her earlier but tried to interact with the guard anyway. “Uh, we don’t have identification. We’re—“
“Only residents of the Gold District and those on official business may enter.”
Quill tried this time. “We’re looking for someone.”
“Do you have a pass?”
“No.”
“Only residents of the Gold District and those on official business may enter.”
“But—“
“Only residents of the Gold District and those on official business may enter.”
“Right.” He turned away, and she followed him as they walked off down the street. “Same as before.”
A man selling apples at a cheap stall on the edge of the street called out to them as they walked by. “Hey, you two!”
They stopped and made their way to the stall.
The apple seller leaned forward and lowered his voice. “You two trying to get into the Gold District?” The man had obviously been planted here as part of the quest to help further it along.
Jane answered, “Yes.”
“That place might look pretty, but it’s dangerous. A nest of rich vipers, that place is.”
“Can you help us get in?”
“Couldn’t do nothin’ myself. You two adventurers? If so, head on over to the Watch House. Ask for the captain. He might be able to get you in on some official business.”
She smiled at him, happy to have found an NPC that didn’t want to spit on her. “Thank you!”
“No, problem, miss. My wife was a street walker before we got married, and she found another career. Got a bit of sympathy for women who’ve done the same.” He smiled kindly, handed them each an apple and waved them off.
Jane was stunned as they strolled away, Quill snickering beside her. “Did…did he just call me a former sex worker?”
“Maybe he meant street performer? Or newsie? Town crier? Or…uh…maybe the city hires really beautiful people to walk around and make the place look nicer?”
“He called me a hooker. Do I look like a hooker?” She looked down at her cotton shirt and pants.
“The…uh, the pants can be a little see-through in bright light.”
She slowly looked up in shock. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” She made to throw the apple in his face, holding onto it at the last second.
He ducked away, laughing.
She snorted and stormed past him. “We are buying underwear. Right now.”
“Aw.” He jogged to catch up to her. “Wait, we’re going lingerie shopping? I’m ok with that.”
“I’ll bet you are.” She looked down at his crotch and did a double take, coming to an abrupt halt in the street. “How come your pants aren’t see-through?”
“They might be. Remember that flag? I cut it up and made underwear out of it earlier.”
“And you didn’t think I needed some?”
“Nobody wants see-through pants on a guy.”
She fought to hold onto her anger, but a damned smile tried to force its way through, and she couldn’t hold it in. “But they want to see see-through pants on a girl, huh?”
In faux innocence, he looked over at a large, gray, stone building with long, white-and-blue banners danging from the roof. Several knights in silver armour with white-and-blue tabards hung around out front. “Hey, look. Isn’t that the Watch House over here?” He skipped away from her and towards the Watch House.
“Quill, come back here!” She hustled after him.
He ignored her. “The captain’s probably inside. We can see him right now.”
She hissed, “Underwear. Now.”
“It’ll be less sunny in there. Nobody will see anything. Maybe we can get you a nice suit of armour or something.”
“Grr. Stupid boys.” She gave up and followed him up the wide stone stairs, through the front of the Watch House, and into the lobby. “But we’re going after this.”
“I don’t know what your problem is. It’s not nearly as see-through as your shirt.”
She tried to smack him on the back of the head, but he playfully ducked out of the way. “Enjoy the view while you can, jerk. Cuz you won’t be seeing any more after today.”
He tried to pretend not to care, but she thought she could see a tinge of disappointment on his face. She didn’t mind that.
The lobby of the Watch House was rectangular, with multiple doors along the sides. At the opposite end of the room from the double front doors was a staircase going both up and down. Constructed of large, plain gray stonework, the room was simple, adorned with a few banners on the walls. An empty receptionist desk sat in the centre of the room.
A woman in a gray Watch uniform was crossing the lobby towards one of the doors on the left, saw them, and approached. “Excuse me. Can I help you?” She was stern-looking, but her tone was polite. She held a sheaf of papers in her hands.
Quill slowed to talk to her. “Hi. We’re looking for the captain.”
“I’m sorry, the captain is unavailable. However, the vice-captain is in her office.”
“Ok. Can we see them?”
“Right this way, please.”
The helpful woman led them to the door she’d been headed toward a moment ago.
Through that portal, they found a warm, cozy office lined with brown bookcases and a large picture window that filled the room with bright sunshine. A few flowering plants in pots sat on a shelf under the window. A rapier and a wooden buckler hung from the wall next to the door.
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A woman in a green version of the Watch uniform tunic looked up from a semi-circular desk near the window, the work surface covered in papers. She looked stressed out and very busy.
“Madea, we have visitors.”
“Here to see the captain, ma’am.” The woman placed the papers she’d been carrying next to the three piles already awaiting the vice-captain’s attention.
The vice-captain saw them and groaned. “Madea, please! Have mercy on me. It’s not even lunch yet.”
The woman in gray tsked. “With the captain missing, there’s no one else.”
“This is why I’ve been advocating for more staff for ages. How is it there’s always more funds available when the army wants it and never enough to go around when we need it?”
“Perhaps you can ask the king the next time you see him.” The woman in gray nodded to the vice-captain, then to them, and exited, closing the door behind her on her way out.
The vice-captain gave the two a weary look but smiled and stood, revealing the fact that she was wearing skin-tight white leather pants that went rather well with the emerald green of the jacket. “Good morning. I’m Jeanne L’arcenciel, Vice-Captain of the Knights of the Storm.” She was pretty and in her thirties, with a tumble of golden locks around her shoulders and confident green eyes. “Unfortunately, the captain is unavailable. Can I help you with something?”
Jane smiled, hoping her low Charisma wouldn’t put the lovely woman off. “We’re trying to get into the Gold District, tracking a killer. They won’t let us in without some kind of pass. We were hoping we could get one here.”
“A killer?” Jeanne’s attention focused like a razor. “What happened?”
Quill explained, his words short and to the point.
Jeanne nodded. “This is definitely a matter for the Watch. I’d…” She sighed. “I’d like to investigate immediately. We can’t have a murderer on the loose. But with the captain missing and us already shorthanded…” She growled with frustration and paced in thought.
Jane sensed another quest. “The captain’s missing?”
Jeanne absently looked up. “Um, yes. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Quill spoke up. “We saw the killer’s face.”
That got the vice-captain’s attention. “You did? Hmm. Well…” She grew resigned and then checked them over. “Are you two adventurers?”
“We are.”
“I hate to do this, but we are very short-staffed, especially with a number of us trying to locate the captain. If you really can identify a killer and you’re prepared to go after them, then perhaps I could ask for your help, just this once.” She returned to her chair and sat. “From your description, it sounds like the killer was a member of the Gold Crusade. As much as I hate to admit it, they’re too powerful to confront directly. But if you could find and apprehend the killer directly, the Crusade wouldn’t be able to block our efforts.”
“We’re not familiar with the Crusade.”
“They have three branches: merchant order, knight order, and rogue order. All three are dedicated to amassing as much wealth as possible. The merchants do it through commerce, the knights through conquest, and the rogues via any underhanded means they can come up with, from shaking down businesses for protection money or outright stealing anything they can get their hands on.”
“Sounds like organized crime.”
“The Gold Crusade has a long history and a lot of influential friends. Not even the royal family can challenge them too much. The last monarch that tried was found naked and dead in bed, painted in pure gold from head to foot1.”
“That’s awful.”
“They’ve long used their knights to maintain order in their district and prefer to handle things themselves there. Trying to issue you a security pass to get into the Gold District would be troublesome and time-consuming. However, there might be another way.”
“We’re open to new ideas.”
“Visit Guang’ning2. She’s known as the Vessel of Serenity. She’s the top merchant in the city who is not a part of the Gold Crusade. Very influential. Go to her and tell her I sent you. She’ll loan you a merchant pass. With that, you should be able to look around a bit. Your best bet is to locate the killer and follow them back into the city proper. Then alert me, and I’ll bring the Watch to arrest them.”
Jane and Quill left the Watch House and found Guang’ning seated in the streetside terrace of a beautiful tea house across the street from a bustling store selling a wide variety of goods. The customers flowing in and out of the store were almost all lower and middle class. The tea house was filling up with lunchtime patrons looking eager as charming staff in pink skirts swooped from one table to another, delivering towers of sweets and sandwiches and steaming cups of tea and coffee.
Guang’ning was tall and willowy. She had long, flowing black hair and wore a stylish blue-and-white dress with irises on the hem. She dealt with a line of clerks armed with papers and clipboards, coming in off the street from the store across the street and probably the offices above it. As each stopped by her table, she was brisk, no-nonsense, and commanding in a way that made her underlings’ eyes shine with respect.
When Quill explained who’d sent them, a small wave of her hand cleared a wide bubble around them, the clerks deferentially backing away and allowing Jane and Quill to sit down at her table.
Quill explained the nature of their quest and why they needed a pass.
Jane found it difficult to tear her eyes off the beautiful terrace, the adorable serving staff, and the mouth-watering food and drinks they were serving. Her stomach rumbled.
Guang’ning noticed. She crooked a finger at a nearby server who rushed over. “Sandwiches and tea, Sheryll. For three.”
“At once, Mistress Guang’ning.” The server vanished in haste.
Jane gave the merchant an appreciative smile. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. And an investment. Once you taste the food here, I’m certain that you’ll be back often enough on your own.”
Jane’s brows rose. “You own the tea shop?”
“I own many places in Stormstadt. That is to say, the foundation I established and oversee does. While I direct operations, I have no interest in accumulating vast tracts of property or obscene wealth. Profits earned by the foundation are turned back into our businesses in order to improve the lives of our staff and customers.”
Quill barked a surprise laugh and looked over at her. “I don’t know how this got approved by the development team. There’s no way the guys who trapped us in here would have allowed it.”
“I know, right?”
Guang’ning did not comment on their non-quest-related speech, but for a brief moment, a look of confusion passed over her normally serene features.
A trio of servers appeared at their table with a three-tiered tower of ornate sandwiches, another of sweets, and a tray with carafes of tea and coffee and water.
Jane bit into a sandwich and moaned. “She’s right. We’re coming back here. Everyday.”
Guang’ning looked pleased and spoke as they dined. “I’m glad you like it. Now, as to your mission. A pass into the Gold District is easy enough to loan you. The two of you will pose as adventurers I’ve hired to deliver something. The killer you seek will likely be found in the Enclave of Shadows, the rogue order’s main building. Those narcissistic criminals are so full of pride and so well protected by their wealth that they don’t bother to hide the way our Thieves Guild does. You won’t be able to enter by any means, and even if you could, without being a member, it would be your death to try.”
Quill brought a cup of coffee with milk to his lips. “We’d like to avoid dying, if possible.”
Guang’ning’s own lips quirked. “I should hope so. My advice is to watch the place, covertly, and see who comes and goes. When the one you want emerges, track him. Try to follow him out of the district.”
Jane agreed. “Right. Then we contact Jeanne.”
“A wise move. The Gold Crusade’s members should not be underestimated. Here, I will draw you a simple map to help you find your way in the Gold District. Best not to draw attention to yourselves or you may never come out from that place.”
They finished lunch. Quill bowed to their host, and Jane felt the urge to follow suit. Then she and her partner headed for the Gold District once more.
This time, one flash of the pass and they were allowed through the gates without issue. It felt almost too easy and rankled her that they weren’t challenged.
Quill nodded at the fancy armour worn by all the Gold Crusade knights at the gates. “I hope we don’t stand out too much here.”
His fears proved unnecessary. While the merchants, knights, and rogues of the Crusade might be rich, all that wealth was only possible when made off the work of an army of dirt-poor labourers and clerks and others, all of whom filled the streets as they hurried about the business of their employers. No one took any notice of a pair of poorly-dressed adventurers merging with the throngs.
Jane craned her neck in awe as she took in the sights while they walked. “Damn. Look at this place.”
While the bulk of Stormstadt was made of gray stone and brown or blond wood, the walls of buildings here were of black marble, windows and doors gilded. Every building had knights in front, silently guarding it. Businesses stood on the main thoroughfare, but down side streets, they could see fabulous estates behind tall, spiked walls with more guards.
Quill shook his head, his voice tinged with disgust. “People here are rich. And I think that might be an understatement.”
“Yeah. All the black and gold kind of reminds you of the Horde, doesn’t it? The architecture is beautiful but also kind of evil-looking.”
“You don’t become this rich by being a good person.” He pointed at a pair of guards standing in front of a building with a sign reading Glimmerfeld Imports & Exports. “See the armbands? There seem to be different ones on different knights. They all might be Gold Crusade, but I’ll bet they belong to different factions.”
Jane saw the way a nearby knight followed her, helm turning her way as they walked. It was very creepy. She crossed her arms over her chest as they walked. “Ok, we really have to go clothes shopping soon. I need a cloak or something.”
“Ah! Nice idea. Probably cheaper than buying a whole new set of clothes.”
“I’d still like underwear.”
“I’m totally on board with that.”
“I’ll bet you are.”
Male
36
QUILL KRAU
Class NONE, Level 2
STR
1
STATUS
DEX
3
Currently not not thinking about what Jane would look like in a lacy thong.
HEA
7
SKILLS
INT
2
WIS
17
ITEMS
STA
14
CHA
11
Official Adventurers Guide
Female
26
JANE EULA
Class NONE, Level 4
STR
6
STATUS
DEX
11
Currently wondering how Quill would react if he saw her in a g-string. Or one of those pearl thongs.
HEA
19
SKILLS
INT
18
WIS
18
ITEMS
STA
2
Gilded Armour of the Nature Goddess (unique); knife
CHA
5