Simi sat with her parents in a quiet corner of the guild building. The three of them had been there for a while, with Simi on the receiving end of a torrent of reprimands—especially from her mother.
Simi had been fuming for the first part of the conversation. Her father had been the architect of all the chaos surrounding Nikolai. Now Azila was gone, her team was gone; they had simply waved their goodbyes to her and left her behind, just like that.
It had been her own decision though... She wasn’t willing to live a life on the run—it was not just dishonorable, but a betrayal of the guild. She would have no part in that. The guild was her life, and she was not willing to give that up.
Her childhood hadn’t been what most kids experienced. She had gone through grueling training, and the expectations had always been extremely high. That, coupled with a father who had always been more interested in his research and a mother who went away for months on end… the guild had welcomed her in. It had become her family, more so than those of her blood, at least that is what it felt like sometimes.
Now, though, that might be ruined as well. At the very least, there would be a black mark on her, and it would take years to erase.
What her parents were most annoyed about, it seemed, was that she hadn’t gone to see Nikolai.
In their view, they had left him with her, had made him her responsibility, and now the old dwarf was refusing entrance to the hospitarium for both of them.
Of course, they could have forced the issue, but since the crypt Nikolai had spent most of his time behind those walls, not coming out. She had heard he had gone out in company with that woman a few times though… Kaelith.
That half-demon made Simi’s skin crawl—those eyes, and her obvious disdain for everyone around her… all except Nikolai for some reason. What the hell had happened to cause that unlikely pairing to occur? From what she had been able to find out, they had even shared a room more than once!
Simi sighed. “I will try again, mother… If he hasn’t contacted you though, perhaps it’s because he doesn’t want to?”
She had made that argument several times over the last few hours, but either they refused to get the message, or they simply chose to ignore it.
Moulin nodded. “Do so, daughter! That dear boy has gone through a lot, but we have given him enough time now. He needs to get back to his training!”
Simi winced at that. Why the hell would Nikolai want to go back to that? She knew her parents were kind of weird, and their care for others usually only extended as far as they could get something out of it—including herself.
If she were Nikolai, she would pack her bags and run for the hills. Actually… she might recommend that course of action to him given the chance. She had hated him at first, still sort of disliked him, but after everything that had happened… she could admit to herself that he probably wasn’t at fault for any of it.
A commotion in the common room distracted her—people shouting and screaming.
Simi shot to her feet, and before either of her parents could protest, she was out the door. In the common room she found utter chaos. The doors had been swung wide open, and young men and women filled the room in various states of undress.
Simi gaped at the scene, and wasn’t completely able to make head or tails of it. “What the bloody hell is this!?” she said, not expecting an answer.
Moulin stepped up beside her, eyes scanning the room. “I would very much like an answer to that myself, daughter.” Then she smacked the back of Simi’s head. “And watch your language!”
Before long, the guildmaster appeared at the top of the stairs, Calim’s team right behind him.
Simi even spotted Kaelith leaning on the railing. She stood on the balcony overlooking the commotion, her mask hiding her reactions.
Vitzer, who had joined them, looked up at her appreciatively. “Hmm, that young woman has quite a dark aura. I approve. Perhaps I should go have a word with her.”
Simi grabbed his arm. “Later, father. We need to figure this out first,” she said, gesturing to the room.
He seemed a bit unhappy at that, but Moulin’s glare had him nodding in defeat.
The guildmaster climbed onto the reception desk then, and his voice roared louder than any other sound in the room. “SILENCE!”
It took a few heartbeats, but eventually everyone was staring at the big man.
He glared at those around him. “What the bloody hell is all this!? No! No one talks. I will choose someone to talk, or we will get nowhere! You—talk!” He pointed to a woman who seemed marginally older than the others.
She flinched slightly, and a girl next to her rubbed her arm gently. Then she nodded and spoke in a low voice. “W-we… we were t-told to come here…”
The guildmaster scowled, but gestured for her to continue. The fear in the woman’s eyes was clear, and despite how the guildmaster looked, he was a kind man at heart. Simi knew that well.
“The man… the man said to come here… to escape… There was so much blood, and we… we listened,” she finished.
The guildmaster jumped down from the desk and schooled his expression. He gave her a gentler smile and approached her. “Tell me, girl—who was this man?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
She glanced at a few of the people around her but hesitated, so a young man stepped forward instead. He seemed at least a bit more solid. He bowed to the guildmaster. “He called himself Nocturne… A demon clad in black. He was a shadow… He came to the brothels, cut down the guards, and… well, he told us to run here. Please—we have injured people, people who are malnourished and much worse. We need healers!”
The guildmaster’s expression was a blank slate, but Simi knew him well. That name—he had recognized it, and the cogs were spinning in his head now. He put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Of course. We will see to that, but first—”
Moulin was suddenly there beside him, her expression stern. “No buts, guildmaster! Treating and caring for them takes precedence! I will take charge of this duty. The hospitarium seems the best place for these children right now, no?”
The guildmaster gave her a look, then nodded. “You’re right, Saint Moulin, of course. Can I leave this to you then? You may use whatever adventurers you need. I will only require a few specific teams to remain.” He spotted Simi standing to the side with her father and gave a nod in her direction. “And Simi—she will stay too. I have work for her.”
Moulin nodded sharply, without hesitation. “Agreed.”
A few minutes later, Simi was led to a meeting room upstairs, and to her dismay her father followed after her. The guildmaster looked like he wanted to protest, but Vitzer’s toothy grin was a clear challenge to try. Instead, they now sat around the large meeting table, everyone looking concerned… all except her father, of course. He seemed more amused than anything, which was kind of terrifying. He was never amused, not unless he was either doing some kind of experiment, or… She shivered.
For a long minute, silence reigned. Everyone seemed to be gathering their thoughts in the face of a situation that had come out of nowhere. For Simi, the question echoed again—what the hell was going on?
The guildmaster appeared to reach a conclusion. He nodded once, then spoke. “Everyone, it seems the situation has taken a drastic turn, and we can no longer sit on our hands. Since we have a couple of new faces with regard to the current situation, let me briefly recap events.”
He focused his gaze on Simi and Vitzer. “Some days ago, we received a job request and a letter from a previously unknown organization calling themselves Nocturne. They claimed to be on a quest to root out the rot in the city and demanded Kaelith be put in charge.”
Simi opened her mouth to speak, but the guildmaster held up a hand. “Questions later, Simi. They offered us a chance to take part in their plan—but made it clear they would act regardless of our involvement. It would seem they have done just that, and in spectacular fashion. Those people downstairs are all from brothels in the richer parts of town—young men and women forced into prostitution and slavery.”
Vitzer was grinning, but said nothing. Simi, on the other hand, spoke immediately. “How do we stop them!? We can’t allow them to sow chaos in the city like this, no matter how just the cause!”
The guildmaster raised an eyebrow. “Can we not? I would say we can—and we intend to. In fact, we are planning to take an active part. They are not wrong, Simi. The rot goes deep, and we have been provided intelligence indicating just how deep. Now is the time to act, and we—”
A loud knock cut him off, and a receptionist rushed into the room, looking harried.
“Guildmaster, another letter arrived!” she said breathlessly. ‘’It was the same girl that delivered it as before.’’
The room grew tense as the guildmaster tore it open.
He skimmed it, narrowed his eyes, then sighed.
“Well… change of plans. We are out of time.”
Calim took the letter from him, eyes widening. “This is—”
Kaelith slowly stood and held out her hand. “Hand it over, Calim.”
He gave her an unhappy look, but complied. She tilted her head slightly, then read aloud.
‘’To the venerable leaders of the Adventurer’s Guild,
The night grows restless. The masks worn by liars begin to crack, and the filth hidden beneath silk and coin begins to surface.
You will, by now, have met the first wave of survivors—shackled souls plucked from torment and set free. Forgive the sudden burden; we trust your famed compassion will not falter beneath it.
We are Nocturne. And we have struck the first blow.
But now the weight shifts. The next move belongs to you.
Beneath the gilded estate of Algart Gillen, a hidden prison festers—packed with innocents waiting to be sold, discarded, or worse. Recent events have stirred panic among the conspirators. They will try to move their "goods" tonight, slipping them through a concealed tunnel and into the arms of those who thrive on suffering.
We have found the exit. We leave it to you to bar it.
Be warned—resistance is expected. We suspect a force lies in wait near the forest edge. Smugglers, slavers, and worse still. But should you act swiftly, you may yet deny them their escape... and seize the proof that ties them to Charles Keanton.
Let justice have teeth tonight.
We will be watching.
—Nocturne’’
As Kaelith finished reading, she placed the paper gently on the table—then flinched as Vitzer burst into cackling laughter. The sound was so shocking that everyone stared at him.
“That is too rich…” he wheezed between fits of laughter. “I thoroughly like this Nocturne. How have I never heard of them before?”
The guildmaster frowned as he spread out the included map. “They seem to have appeared from nowhere. No one I’ve spoken to knows of them.”
Vitzer grinned. “And this is how they burst onto the scene? City-wide conflict and panic, all to rescue young prostitutes? Oh, I am so happy I came to visit. I will be taking part in this, guildmaster. I will wait at the end of whatever escape they have planned, and I will smile as dear old Algart learns despair!”
The guildmaster seemed relieved and nodded. “I will send Kaelith and a group with you then.”
Vitzer looked Kaelith up and down, sharp teeth bared in a grin. “No. This one needs to be let loose. I shall take Simi and a small group. That should suffice.”
The guildmaster hesitated, then sighed. “Fine. Do so then. Calim—you will comb through every brothel from our previous plan. We need to move fast, which means you are not to show mercy to any resistance.”
Calim nodded reluctantly. “Understood.”
“Kaelith,” the guildmaster said, turning to her. “You’re going to Algart’s mansion. Take it apart if you have to. Get to those prisoners, perhaps we can catch them before they start moving them.”
Kaelith nodded once. “And you, guildmaster?”
The big man smiled grimly. “I will be here. Nocturne kicked the hornet’s nest—and we’re about to shake it even harder. I suspect it won’t be long before people start arriving here with questions.”
Simi looked around the room, a knot tightening in her stomach. How had she not known any of this was happening? How had things gotten to this so fast?
She glanced at her father. He looked more enthusiastic than he had in years.
Simi sighed inwardly. If her father was going to be unleashed, then she would have to be ready. Someone had to be there to stop him if necessary, and she had a better chance than most at least.
She only hoped that whoever the guildmaster sent with them would have the sense to stay out of her farther’s way…
