Godfrey and I walked out of the back. Iris wasn’t his only server, and so the two others were taking care of things when we came back. My hope was that if I could get rid of the thugs currently bugging them and remove the power of the merchant’s guild, then Iris would stay with her dad.

She was pretty more so than most, and right now, she was throwing herself at me. That said, I knew that it was likely just because of the situation that she was in. After all, she didn’t know me at all. She had no idea who I was or what I could do, only that I had saved her life and promised to take her away to keep her safe.

What she was forgetting was that I was being paid to keep her safe. One with the sword, which I very much wanted. I would need to get it fixed before I started using it because the hilt they put on the katana just wasn’t going to work for me. Second I was being paid with the Legacy Medallion for the adventures guild. It was basically a pass to carry my weapons wherever I wanted. Which was good for me because I was still weak without my equipment.

Godfrey pointed over at a table where there were two men drinking. Neither of them looked like a good sort. One had light blond hair and a scar down his neck. The other had greasy-looking long hair like he hadn’t figured out how to bathe on his own. I could tell from the way that they looked around the room that they were used to getting what they wanted when they wanted it. I smiled and walked towards them.

I pulled a chair out and sat down at their table, and smiled. “So I hear that your boss died tonight, and you are here to celebrate his demise.”

Greasy glared at me and said. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. We don’t have a boss. We are the bosses.”

Blondie smiled and said. “Yeah! We’re our own bosses we don’t answer to nobody!”

I nodded. “Good to here. I thought I was going to have to ask to talk to someone else. But if your in charge then you can help me if you do the things I think you do.”

Greasy smiled. “Depending on how much money you are paying we do just about anything.”

I leaned in. “Look I was told where in the guild house the jewels are kept. I just need someone who can get me in without being seen. Can you do that?”

Blondie asked. “What’s our cut?”

I smoothed my beard and smiled. “Well, I could give you 20%.”

“20% that’s not enough for what you are asking for!”

Greasy said. “Yeah we need at least 25 gold to do that.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Sure I can give you 25 gold.”

They both smiled then I said. “Lets go they are going to move everything tonight.”

We walked out of the inn and into the night. Then we turned and began heading back toward the guild house. I was having problems wrapping my head around how dumb these guys were, but they were just thugs. I was almost willing to bet that thug was their class.

As we walked, I asked. “Is there anyone else that we could get to help us? There’s a lot in there, and the more we get, the better we get paid.”

Blondie asked. “How many do you think we could use.”

I thought for a moment as we walked. “I don’t know my information told me that its a full room. We might need 10 or 20 people. Do you have that many that work for you?”

Greasy answered. “We can get that many where should we meet?”

I grinned in the dark. “I heard there was a secret entrance. That’s would be the best place right?”

Blondie laughed. “Yeah that’s smart. Bart go get everyone and have them meet us there. I’ll stay with our friend.”

Greasy, who I guess was named Bart, turned and ran off. Which meant that I was with the real leader of the two. We kept walking, and I filled Blink in on what we were doing. I would need her to make sure that everything worked out, but I was also wanting her to be in the guild house to loot it a bit beforehand.

We got back to the same gate entrance that I had been at earlier in the day. We had some time to kill, so I figured that I would mess with Blondie a little.

I smiled. “So do you know that pretty little barmaid in the inn?”

Blondie smiled and chuckled. “Yeah. She’s nice. I have had my eye on her for a while. Thought about making her mine today but other things came up.”

I nodded. “I like her too. How much for you to get her for me? I’m leaving town tomorrow and wouldn’t mind having her tied up in the back of my wagon.”

He sputtered. “I umm I don’t know I wanted to kind of tie her up myself.”

“I get it but I mean you could get any woman in this town you want. I’m willing to pay for her how much?”

“You’re right. 5 silver and she’s yours. 10 silver and that girl that’s been with her today you can have too.”

“So cheap?”

“Yeah, she’s just a human and a commoner. If you wanted an elf or beastkin it would be be a gold. I could even get you the count’s daughter if you wanted. I would just need a day or two.”

“Wow, so you could capture anyone in the city?”

“Yup, the old boss didn’t want us to move on everyone but we could have. That’s why we are in charge now.”

“If I wanted to charter a boat and fill it could you make that happen tonight?”

He laughed. “Yeah I could but everyone who can pick someone up will be here to help with the gems. Once we have the gems then we can talk about the girls.”

We waited around for about an hour before everyone showed up. There were twenty-five, not counting Blondie and Greasy. They all looked to me to be low-level enforcers and thugs that were used for kidnapping. Not the people who were the fronts or the brains.

I turned to the group. “So none of you know me but I have been told how to get to the gems in the main building. I know how to get past the magic that they have sealing it. So because the guild leader is gone it’s time to go get everything. It will set you up nicely. All we need to do is get into the main building okay?”

Blondie smiled and pointed into the tunnel. Several of the thugs had brought torches with them, and we headed in. I wasn’t sure if they knew what was up ahead or if they just knew something was behind the gate.

We moved quickly through the tunnel. The first gate was unguarded. We pushed on through the basement, and it became apparent to me that Blondie knew his way around. The tension started to skyrocket as they saw the dead around us and the blood in other places.

The group of thugs was talking about just taking everything with them. Once they got the gems, they would come and take the best of what they saw. As we went, the thugs changed out weapons as they found new ones. The guards’ rooms got looted a second time, and the looter would run to catch up.

They all got quiet as we got close to the hole in the ceiling and the pile of bodies. There were no people up in the main house. All the servants had left, and I could tell that there had been looting already.

As we got to the main house, I said. “My directions start at the front door but it’s always guarded. Which way do we go?”

Greasy pointed in the direction that the fully armored guards came from. So we turned and started heading that way. The whole group was nervous. They knew who we were messing with, and as much as they said they were the bosses, now they knew that was a lie. We were going to be stealing from their boss. At least, that’s what they thought.

I reached out to Blink. “Have you found the treasury yet?”

She showed me a room full of potions, coins, and fine clothing. “I is takings potions fors you. Lots of pretty ones.”

I thought back. “Make sure to grab some rings and other jewelery. I have some things I am wanting to make.”

Blink responded back. “See Huntings Coins funs.”

I shook my head. We turned a corner, and the main doors were right ahead of us. There were two of the guild’s real guards there. When they saw us, they leveled their spears. Both of them were wearing full plate.

I looked over at Blondie. “Opps looks like we might have to fight to get the gems.”

Greasy yelled. “Get them boys!”

Then the stupid idiot ran forward with his recently looted mace. Behind him, the rest of them charged, including Blondie. The first to get there was Greasy, and he was the first to die. He was just a dumb thug running at a trained guard. My money was honestly on the two guards winning the fight if I didn’t mess things up.

I let the fight go on for a while before I made my play. I skirted the edge of battle till I was close to the main hall. Then I pulled out a dungeon seed and told it to activate. It snapped open, with its first phase being big enough to get the main hall from where I was standing to the entrance and up both stairs from the door.

That was before it even noticed where it was. The merchant’s guild had a ton of magical items and the like just lying around. They also seemed to be sitting in a higher mana area than the rest of the town. So when the dungeon clicked into expanding, it took about half the building.

I smiled and claimed the dungeon. Then I directed it to create the top floor as a natural dungeon. I sealed off the dungeon so that the guards couldn’t leave, and then I started to fire festering wound at the armored guards. I didn’t even mind when some of them missed. As I hit the guards, they slowly started to slow down.

There were still about 10 of the thugs including Blondie. Blondie still being alive kind of surprised me. One of the guards got killed with a lucky dagger through the helm. I reached out and turned him into a zombie, and then I claimed him. I started doing the same to all the thugs who died.

I had my zombies stay on the ground, not moving. Then when the second guard died. I started to clap. The thugs turned toward me and looked at me like I was crazy.

I smiled. “Okay so now that we are all here. Tell me the truth. Who else in this messed up guild of yours was part of the kidnapping and slaves? Were you the ones that tortured people? And what caused the women who got out of this place to be broken?”

Blondie smiled. “They weren’t broken they were remade. We held them here while the new ones were out there. That way they could be enjoyed in here and work out there. I wasn’t lying when I said I was the boss. All the girls came from me. I didn’t do anything in here but I got them the girls.”

I paused. “Remade?”

Blondie laughed. “Flesh golems, you just had to get enough memory out of them to work. It’s best to get those thoughts through pain. If the wizards were here we might be able to get them to keep going. Do you want to work with us on this?”

I shook my head. “Good to know. Now die.”

With that, all my zombies attacked. It was long before all of the thugs were dead, and I was on my way. I turned the zombies over to the dungeon, which let it expand even more. I sent it down into the basement. I marked the secret gate as the future exit and told it not to move into the rest of the city or beyond the gate. But to dig down.

Then I headed upstairs to where Blink was still looting. What we were doing would put a hamper on the Merchant’s Guild in this city in a major way. It would be a bit hit to the city’s coffers as well, but I was counting on having a dungeon in the city as a reason the adventure’s guild would send people.

When I got to the treasury. I was kind of shocked by what I saw, not by the money but rather by who was in there. There were dozens of kids who all looked like orphans. Street kids like I used to be but even worse off. Blink was standing in the middle of them, pointing where to take things.

I asked. “Blink who are the kids and where did they come from?”

She gave me her best lizard-girl smile. “Theys new followers of Chaos. I talks with thems last night. They needs so much. We helps. Sisters Happy.”

I raised one eyebrow. “Both sisters?”

Blink rolled her eyes and pointed at an elf boy. “Order”

I nodded. The young elf had a piece of paper and was standing there taking notes about what was going on. As things would move past him, he would write more down. Then he would yell where something should go as the dozens of kids ran off with stuff.

I knelt down next to Blink. “Do they have a place to stay?”

She shook her head. “Theys like mes free sleepings everywhere.”

I nodded and thought back to my childhood. Blink was a ropola, so sleeping in the streets was fine. These kids weren’t while the money would help. It could just be taken from them whenever someone strong found it. Which meant that they needed protection and someone who cared. They also needed a place that was warm and safe.

I might not be able to make sure that they had someone that could protect them and care about them, but I could arrange for them to have someplace that was safe and warm where they could live in. It was the least that I could do for them, and I expected that I was going to do more for them as well.

I found the sleeping wing of the building and adjusted it so that it wasn’t part of the main dungeon. Dungeons were training aids, and just because most of them were used for combat didn’t mean that was the only option. Dungeons could form floors that were used to train support as well. So I took the sleeping wing and turned it into a support dungeon.

Support training didn’t have a party size requirement. As there wasn’t combat inside the building, there was less than was needed for energy, and the dungeon would get a good bit off of people using skills. Then I adjusted who could enter and placed it as no one over the age of 15 could go into the support dungeon. I adjusted it to make sure that it was peace-bound, like the safe room.

I turned to the elf and said. “The east wing of the building will now only let people under the age of 15 in. It’s peace bound so there is no fighting there and there are three crafting rooms in there. The place will help to support your growth in non-combat skills. Make sure the others know.”

He smiled at me, bowed, and said. “Shaman. Order. Thank you for looking out for the youngest of the followers.”

I rolled my eyes and felt the dungeon expand again. It now had the whole building and had already leveled up to level 5. I would love to have kept the wyverns for my trip, but I needed to get this dungeon leveled and get it some good guardians. So I called for them to land on the roof. Once they did, I handed them over.

I reached into the interface, and once the kids had moved everything we wanted to keep from the treasury over to the east wing. I told the dungeon that the rest of the things inside it could eat. I felt the power spike several times, and then it hit a room which it paused. I felt that there were dozens of skill books and other magical items. I took the books and moved them into the dungeon master’s quarters. I didn’t know what they would do, but it would be nice to take a look.

With that, I headed out the exit and back to the inn.

* * *