Chapter Ten

“So, here’s what we know. Yesterday a man bought 500 pounds of lead from Toria’s Leadworks. He didn’t say his name, but he also didn’t cover his face, so we know what he looks like. I already went to Toria and asked her all of the relevant questions so that’s one thing we can check of our checklist. Since this is supposed to be your job, I’ll leave the next step up to you.”

Shit, I was hoping I could just tag along and help when needed but it looks like she is expecting me to do most of the work myself. I hope I won’t disappoint her; she actually seems pretty nice.

“Well he must have entered the city somehow right? When I entered through the gates the guards wrote down the names and physical description of me and my companions. Maybe if we got the list of everyone who entered yesterday, we could at the very least get his name.”

“Hey, yeah that could work. Although we’re gonna have to check the teleportation relay too in case he came through it instead.”

“Teleportation relay?” Shuka asked.

“Wow, you really are a small-town kid, aren’t you? The relay is a network of teleportation circles set up by a bunch of magic heads from Lancrin back when it joined the Empire. It connects to all four major cities, but it takes up a lot of mana, so it’s restricted to Empire use only.”

That bit of news caught Shuka’s attention. The ability to instantly travel to Lancrin or Sidus would cut down her travel time by weeks.

The longer I stay cursed the more likely I am to get into trouble I can’t get out of. The faster I get rid of this curse the better.

“Would the Thieves Guild be able to use it? I mean, if you have people in the city guard then you probably have people working for the government, too right?”

“Well, you’re not wrong. But it ain’t that easy to just hitch a ride on the Celestial Empires private teleporter. While the guild has used the relay before, it is not an easy or safe process and definitely not something that would be done for a freelancer like you. You would have to be a full member, and either be owed a big favor, or be working a pretty important job that requires it.”

“…Was it really that obvious I wanted to use it?”

“Yup.” Anirak replied with a cheery smile. “If you are really determined you could try sneaking in without the guilds help, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll be on your own if you get caught and frankly, I don’t think you have what it takes to get past the security of such a secure location.”

Well there goes that plan. I want to get there faster but not if its that risky.

“So using the relay might be out of the question, but do you think you could get the list of whoever came through yesterday?”

“Yeah I could do that. Although it might be a bit… delicate, so it might be best if I do it alone. You could get the list from the guards while I’m gone though.”

“Oh, uh… I didn’t think I would be doing it alone. I don’t suppose they would just give me the list if I ask for it.”

“Sure they will, you just have to ask the right guy.”

The casualness at which Anirak gave her reply scared Shuka a bit.

“Wait, what? Isn’t it supposed to be classified or something? Or at the very least not available to the public.”

“Well ‘classified’ is going a bit far but yeah they just hand out to whoever asks. Luckily your working for the Thieves Guild so you just have to ask for Eric in the east guardhouse, and he will get it for you in no time.”

Anirak was smiling the whole time as if what she was saying wasn’t terrifying for a normal person like Shuka.

Can the guild really just get whatever they want from the city guard? I thought the guards were supposed to protect people from things like the Thieves Guild, not help them.

“Wouldn’t they know Eric is helping the guild if I go talk with him?”

“Well sure, but they already know Eric is a Thieves Guild member, that’s why we go to him for the easy stuff. Since its all out in the open we don’t have to rely on subterfuge or breaking in to get something as simple as a list of names. And the guards are okay with it because it means they will know what to look out for if we do break the law. Its win-win really.”

“That’s… oddly cooperative of you. I kind of thought the guild and the guards were mortal enemies but I guess not.”

“Yeah well it used to be a lot worse but around thirteen years ago the old guild leader in Sidus died and his replacement made some big changes. She kicked out all of the especially nasty criminals and started cooperating with the local law enforcement to take down all of her rivals. Now the guild has a monopoly on crime and the empire can’t even do anything about it because if they take out the Thieves Guild someone a lot more dangerous will just replace us. Of course, its not all good, after all killing is all but prohibited and we can’t piss of the guards too much or the gloves come off. Still, there’s plenty of gold to be made even without some of the really bad stuff.”

Huh. I had no idea this is what the Thieves Guild is like. Although being not as bad as they could be doesn’t exactly make them saints. Still its nice to know that the people I’m working with aren’t complete monsters.

“So, after I get the list should we just meet back up here?”

“Sure, but my jobs probably gonna take a lot longer than yours so how about you give me two hours and you can do whatever you want with the extra time.”

“Okay.”

“Oh and one more thing. Don’t try to run, we will know.”

*

The walk to the eastern guardhouse was thankfully uneventful but Shuka could hardly call it pleasant. The whole way she was plagued with thoughts and the busy streets of Rockmarsh refused to give her a quiet moment to think. Already she was missing Anirak’s little alleyway hideout and the peace and quiet it gave her. Still, all the noise in the world couldn’t distract her from the fact that she was now officially working for a criminal organisation.

Sure, I’m not technically a member of the Thieves Guild and I haven’t actually committed any crimes yet but the more I help them the harder it will be to prove my innocence once I’m free of this curse.

The farther along this train of thought she went the more worried she became until eventually Shuka decided that she could not be seen working with known criminals.

I have to disguise myself somehow, but a full body illusion is still too difficult for me to maintain for long enough to be effective. Maybe I could use a mundane disguise, after all Ralisdor did always say the most effective disguise is one that can’t be seen through with a bit of magic. But where am I going to find stuff for a disguise in this city?

As Shuka was having these thoughts she noticed a merchant selling cloaks and got an idea. A few minutes later She was five copper poorer and hiding in an alley. She put her new cloak on and started weaving an illusion around her face. First, she took her long black hair out of the braid it was in and started turning it blond. Then She gave herself bright blue eyes to replace her old brown ones and as a final touch made her tan skin a few shades lighter. Looking at herself through a puddle on the ground Shuka found she could barely recognise herself. Her face was still the same shape but with all of her most defining characteristics changed there was no way anyone would recognise her from description alone. And with the cloak covering her usual outfit she could now completely change her look with only a simple illusion on the face instead of a much more complicated full body illusion. Seeing that her disguise worked Shuka returned to her normal look and continued on her way to the guardhouse.

Ten minutes later she was standing in front of her destination looking like someone else. The thought of entering gave her enough anxiety to make her feel sick. She didn’t want to go in, but her illusion gave her just enough courage to open the doors and walk in. The first thing she saw inside was men and women looking at her with wariness and suspicion. The next thing she saw was their weapons. There were four guardsmen who seemed to have been chatting in the corner of the room before they stopped to stare at her. The only other person in the room was a secretary. Shuka’s heart was pounding so fast she was worried she was losing years of her lifespan for every minute she spent in here. No one moved to stop her, although they all had their hands on their weapons. Shuka walked towards the secretary as she was the one person in the room who would have any trouble at all killing her. The secretary gave Shuka a forced smile but when she spoke her voice was cold.

“How may I help you?”

All Shuka wanted to do was curl up into a ball and never be seen by anyone again, but she had to reply, or everyone would just keep staring at her.

“I would like to speak to Eric.”

Shit, I forgot to say please. Wait no, they would probably think I was being sarcastic with this curse on me and pissing them off is the last thing I want to do right now. Or would the curse make them think I’m being especially rude by not saying it? Shit, it’s probably both.

The secretary simply got up and started leading the way.

“Follow me.”

Shuka followed hoping that there were less guards deeper in the building. There weren’t. the longer she stayed here the more out of place she felt and the more the anxiety built up. Maintaining her illusion was starting to get difficult but she just barely managed to keep it on.

If only Xorvos was here, at least then I would feel safer. Right now, the only thing keeping me safe is the fact that they think I’m too big of a criminal for them to mess with.

After a short walk the two women arrived at a plain wooden door.

“He’s in there.”

And with that, her job was done, and the secretary left to go back to her desk. Since she obviously wasn’t going to do it, Shuka knocked on the door in front of her and waited. She didn’t have to wait long before the door was opened by a guardsman that looked much like the others that she had seen. He was tall with short blond hair and pale skin that was common in the empire. He wore the standard uniform of the Rockmarsh guard which consisted of a breastplate on his chest, vambraces on his arms, and grieves on his legs. Underneath the armor was a purple and black outfit with steel gray accents. The uniform also had a helmet but that was currently on the table behind Eric rather than on his head.

“Hey, sorry I’m all geared up I was just about to o on patrol. Are you from the guild? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Uh, yeah today is my first day, I’m a freelancer. Sorry, I don’t want to make you late, should I come back later?”

Oh god why did I say that? If he leaves now how am I going to get the list?

“Don’t worry about it, I still got a few more minutes until I have to go. So, you said you’re a freelancer, who sent you? Oh, and come in, I don’t want you standing in the middle of the hallway like that.”

Shuka walked in the small room and closed the door behind her and looked for a place to sit. Sadly, the only two options were the bed and a chair by a small desk with important looking papers on it. The bed felt a little too personal and if she sat at the desk he would probably think she was snooping. Instead, she just continued to stand awkwardly in front of the door. It was admittedly better than standing awkwardly in the hallway but it still wasn’t great.

“Anirak sent me. I’m looking for the list of people who entered Rockmarsh in the last few days.”

“Did Korro give you this job?”

He is certainly asking a lot of questions. He probably doesn’t trust me.

“He didn’t tell me to get the list or anything, but he did tell me to do the job I need it for.”

“And what is your name?”

“Shuka.”

“Alright, just give me a minute then.”

Eric opened a drawer on his desk and took out a small stone. He then turned his back to Shuka and started speaking into the stone in his hand. He was speaking quietly so she couldn’t quite hear what was being said but she could swear she could hear two different voices. After a few moments Eric turned back towards her with an expression that Shuka did not like the look of.

What’s with that look he’s giving me, did I do something wrong?

“What did you say your name was?”

“Um, Shuka.”

“Oh really? Because apparently ‘Shuka’ looks nothing like you so either I’m getting pranked by the infamously humourless Korro Rockhammer or you’re not who you say you are.”

Fuck! I still have the illusion up.

“Wait, wait, wait! It’s just an illusion, see.”

Shuka dropped her illusion and backed up against the door, ready to run if it turned into a fight.

“I’m sorry but I just didn’t want to be seen by the regular guardsmen, I never meant to trick you or anyone else in the guild. Please forgive me it was just a small mistake.”

The pure fear in her voice was enough to cause Eric to hesitate, even through the curse. After a tense moment he let out a heavy sigh and picked up a piece of paper from his desk.

“I will be speaking with Anirak later and if she tells me you did anything shady with this information, you’ll need more than some petty illusion to save yourself. Got it?”

“Yes, I got it and again I am sorry, and I won’t happen again.”

“Good, now get out of here.”

Eric held the paper out to Shuka who promptly took it and left before he changed his mind. After she was back in the hallway, she quickly put the illusion back up and hurried back to the entrance of the guardhouse. Only when she had left the building entirely did Shuka begin to relax.

That was pretty close, but I managed to pull through. I just wish that wasn’t the third or fourth time I’ve almost had a heart attack today. The rest of this job better be a lot less stressful than that or my body might kill me long before Validus does.

Shuka dropped the illusion after she got a few blocks away from the guardhouse and started making her way towards Anirak’s hideout but was interrupted before she got far.

“Shuka! Hey over here!”

She winced at the volume at which her name was called and turned to see Xorvos making his way through the crowd. There weren’t that many people who wanted to get in the way of someone as big as him, so he made quick progress. Shuka was relived to see a friend for once instead of a potential enemy.

“Hey Xorvos, good to see you.”

“Yeah, you too. So did the guild give you a job?”

How does he know about- no wait he means the adventurers guild not the Thieves Guild.

“No, uh, they didn’t have anything.”

“What was that look? Did something happen?”

Shuka only had a look of panic on her for a split second but it was enough for Xorvos to notice.

Shit, I cant let him know about the Thieves Guild.

“No, it’s nothing. There was a bit of a misunderstanding because of the curse but its been delt with.”

“Are you sure? You looked pretty worried there, maybe I can help. What happened?”

“It’s nothing really. Don’t worry about it. Sorry I’ve got to go.”

“Wait!”

Shuka ran of into the alleyways in hopes of loosing Xorvos but she needn’t have worried about that. Xorvos just stood there wondering what had gone wrong. Even so, Shuka didn’t stop running until she made it to the hideout and buried herself in pillows. Shuka was far too old to throw a tantrum so instead she just curled up into a ball and thought about how everything was going wrong.

FUCK! Why can’t at least one thing today go right? I can’t even talk to my friend anymore. I’ve been cursed for less than a week and near-death experiences are a almost daily occurrence. I’m making deals with criminals behind my friends back and now he doesn’t even trust me. I just fixed my last fuckup with him and now I’m back to square one. Worse even. Why cant this day just end already?