Chaos erupted in the Troston Adventurer’s Guild, with the Halverwick Guild shouting through the {Scrying} mirror a half-second behind.

  Eight feet and five hundred pounds of Tarunde accelerated across a dozen yards to the person that was manipulating the room in less than a second. The fox-faced beastkin was hit with the equivalent force of a small family car moving at thirty miles an hour.

  Except he wasn’t.

  Tarunde hit thin air, and suddenly the beastkin was on the other side of the room. The trio of adventurers he appeared amongst flinched, and a dwarf lashed out with a right hook right into the beastkin’s stomach.

  At which point the illusion faded and the dwarf’s friend doubled over in pain.

  Wei backed up to the rear of the room as the image of half a dozen identical fox-kin flickered into being amongst the crowd, and just as many fights broke out as [Dangersenses] went off and instincts built through years adventuring in the dark places of the world roared into action.

  Before five seconds had passed, the room had erupted into a brawl, and only the lack of weapons at hand prevented death and bloodshed.

  That began to change as Skills were shouted out.

  “[Combat Ready]!”

  “{Whip of Fire}.”

  “[Always Another Knife].”

  Over all of it, one voice rang out.

  “[Enforce Control], [Peaceful Negotiations].”

  Xian’toth’s Skills couldn’t entirely quell the violence, not on that many people and with so many high-leveled individuals, but it did cause a split-second pause.

  But it was only being so far removed from the fracas that Wei could spot the movement by the wall - not of a person, but of an item.

  An ornate staff detached from its mounting, and began inching its way towards the door.

  Wei's warning cries went unheeded in the din of the commotion but as he began to wave his arms to get attention, another person spotted the magical item being stolen.

  “{Laruten's Thunderous Blast}, {G-”

  The rest of Bartholomew’s spell was lost to Wei as a peal of thunder louder than anything he'd ever heard rolled out across the room and he went temporarily deaf.

  He clapped his hands over his ears, swaying, as he watched almost everyone else in the room doing the same.

  Including a shape that had materialised holding the staff.

  Even exposed and away from the melee of adventurers, the person was obscured, as though something was blurring their features, and as lengths of fiery green chains flew from Bartholomew’s hands, the thief recovered and made a gesture. The chains unravelled into a mist, which began to turn purple in hue and billow out over the crowd.

  The figure darted for the door as Tarunde and a handful of others began to give chase, coughing as they inhaled the great purple cloud.

  As the figure darted out of the door faster than any normal person could move and whipped it closed as it fled, Tarunde was only a hairsbreadth behind, and shoved the door mid-stride to open it - and instead found himself slamming into it and bouncing off.

  The person behind the goliath - Chyrannia, with a look on her face that made Wei tremble - didn't bother trying to open it and instead yelled out a Skill and kicked the entire thing out of its frame and barreled through.

  With his hearing just about beginning to return, the first thing Wei heard was someone shouting at everyone to get down below the cloud, and as he dropped to his stomach along with the rest of the room, a woman still holding a whip of fire crouched and pointed up to the billowing haze.

  “{Ignite}.”

  In a flash of heat that would have cooked his skin if he'd been much nearer, the cloud burnt up, leaving only an acrid tang in the air.

  “Everybody please remain where you are.” Xian’toth’s voice rang out in the sudden silence, audible over the ringing ears. “No Skills, no spells.”

  People froze in place as the irathian hurried over to the door and spoke in hushed whispers to a pair of guild guards for a minute. Adventurers looked at one another and began to mutter but no one moved.

  With hands clasped together as he returned to the front of the room, Xian’toth turned to the crowd.

  “It seems…” he gazed out over the adventurers, poised on the verge of action, “...that the rumours of an illusionist are no longer rumours. I'm afraid that we’ll have to conclude our auction for tonight - and I'll need anyone who has won an item to stay behind briefly to assess if this person's actions have interfered with the proceedings. Existing winners will be honoured as soon as I can verify what is legitimate.”

  —

  Fifteen minutes later and the identity of all but one auction winner had been investigated and verified. It took another half hour to finalise the deals, double-checking each item at every step, but by the end of it exchanges were made. Almost all the adventurers had stuck around in the main guild hall, which was on high alert as expert [Trackers] and [Hunters] and even a [Bounty Hunter] were called in, and the on-duty guild manager began to coordinate efforts to find the [Illusionist].

  Once everything had been secured, Xian’toth called the remaining men and women back into the room.

  “I apologise, my friends, for the interruption, and I take full responsibility over what has happened here tonight.” He waved down the ones who tried to object as each of his eyes scanned the crowd. “No - I do. Rest assured that we will conclude our auction later on in the week, and as an apology to you all I will be distributing a free healing potion to everyone here tonight, which you can collect from reception on the way out.” A wave of appreciative murmurs ran through the crowd. “Moreover, I have {Messaged} the Guild Master and she has agreed to amend the current quest to identify a possible [Illusionist]; the quest is now to track them down and bring them in. I don’t need to tell you how difficult an [Illusionist] can be to hunt, and unfortunately we can only order that they’re brought in alive for verification purposes. We don’t want what happened in Arabtusa to happen here.”

  A ripple of unease passed through the adventurers.

  “Will the reward be updated to match the challenge?”

  Xian’toth’s face went very still for a moment, and despite all he’d been freaked out by the irathian’s many eyes and needle-like teeth before, Wei suddenly felt a surge of terror emanating deep in his core and surging up through his body at the ice-cold rage that passed over the [Arcane Broker]’s face.

  “You can very much count on it, Mister Creel. Make no mistake - I am never lax in my security for these events. The fact that the person infiltrated this room, and got past all the safeguards and evaded the senses of everyone here… I believe this to be a Diamond-rank threat. The guild’s reward will reflect that. But I am personally offering ten thousand gold worth of credit - tax free - for anyone that can bring the bastard in.”

  “We’ll add two thousand to the bounty.”

  The voice came through the crystal from the representative of Halverwick’s guild. Wei didn’t get the same level of menace radiating from the man, but he could read the expression on his face loud and clear.

  He’s pissed.

  The adventurers began to filter out of the room and gather in the main hall to discuss options, or even to head out into the city to get a head start on the manhunt.

  Wei was just about to consider leaving for the relative calm and quiet of The Dented Helm when Xian’toth’s three-fingered hand fell on his shoulder. Wei chose to allow it as the purple-skinned man steered him through the guild and into one of the back rooms - a room where the walls were covered in runic symbols and wards and the floor was covered in boxes.

  The irathian flung himself into a chair behind a desk as he gestured for Wei to take another, and one eyestalk glanced at a bottle of liquor to the side which floated up and poured a generous measure out. Xian’toth offered it to Wei, who declined. The man shrugged and knocked it back himself.

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  “That was some good work in there, kid. Whatever the bastard was doing to us, you must have been out of its range at the back.”

  Wei felt his face heating up and shrugged.

  “I just saw him muttering some kind of Skill and then everything went weird.”

  “That’s good to know. If they have to disguise their Skills to be effective that’s a weakness we can exploit. Are you happy to stop by the reception on the way out and tell them everything you can remember about it? There’s a standing reward - tell them I vouch for you.”

  “Of course, Sir.”

  “You’re a good one, Wei. I was already liking working with you but I now find myself in your debt.”

  For a split second, Wei thought about objecting, but he remembered what every other person had been telling him since he’d found himself in this strange world, and he kept quiet.

  Xian’toth smiled, face devoid of any of the menace it’d held before.

  “Good. You’re learning. This is what I’m going to do for you, Wei. The items you won tonight are yours - no charge, no fees. I’ll make sure the ring goes for a good price too, and when it does I’ll waive my fees on that as well. Call it my thanks for protecting my interests. You’ll get the money you need to take care of your sister, but tell me: disregarding that, what would you like to do? You’re a [Trader] and a [Scavenger] and a [Wagon Driver], right? Quite a range for one so young.”

  “A [Wagon Driver] and [Salvage Trader] now actually Sir.”

  “Congratulations! Is that the path you’d like to pursue though?”

  Wei shuffled on the spot before Xian’toth gestured for him to pull up a chair.

  “I did like the idea of being a travelling trader, Sir. There is so much to see and do and I’ve only seen a tiny part of what there is in the world. I’m just a little wary of the dangers, but I thought if I stick to the main towns and roads…”

  “An excellent option. Certainly good money to be had transporting and trading goods. I left the adventuring life behind years ago so I don’t travel much any more, but if you’re willing, I’d like to propose a business opportunity: one where I run things from here, and you visit other adventurer guilds to bring items back and forth. I’ve been trialling working with the Halverwick guild for a while now, but I’ve been waiting for a trader I could trust, and I think you might be that person. You could have your first job by the end of the week after the auction finishes; there’s already a couple of pieces to take and bring back…”

  Wei let the question hang in the air for a moment, considering.

  The scrapyard was bringing in a small but steady stream of income, and it meant he was around to look after his sister in the morning and evening…

  …not that he was the only one looking after her. Paulie and Clip and some of the others at the inn dealt with the more personal aspects of caring for someone: parts that he couldn’t face doing for his sister. They had practice with it; with all the adventurers that used the tavern, there were inevitably some like Naila who had to recuperate there, injured, and needed help...

  …maybe there was some additional fee he could pay for fuller care if he was travelling. He was coming into a lot of money, and if the job paid well enough…

  “That would be an amazing opportunity, Sir. I think I would like to take you up on it. I just need to make sure everything else is taken care of.”

  “Excellent!” The irathain clapped his hands and insisted Wei join him in a toast this time. The liquor was sweet and fruity and sparkled on the way down. “Let’s talk big picture now and dive into details tomorrow - just enough tonight to get the wheel rolling, as it were. What’s your vision for this sort of work, and what Skills do you have to use for it.”

  “Oh, well, I’ve only driven the Vanguard of Valour’s cart before. They had quite an old, large one drawn by two ironback boars. So far I’ve got [Basic Manoeuvring (Wagons)], [Keep to the Path], [Burst of Speed (Wagons)], [Basic Maintenance (Wagons)], [Smooth Ride] and [Teamster’s Momentum].” Wei felt the Skills come into his head as he spoke, and Xian’toth’s smile encouraged him to go on. “I suppose I thought maybe something a little faster, and maybe more compact. There was a lot of room for the team in the back, and you could sit two or three people up the front, but if I was just taking goods, I thought perhaps the Dimensional Chest would save space.”

  “Excellent ideas, and a solid foundation of Skills. They certainly point to the potential for longer journeys; if you made sure you had the tools and materials for basic repairs you’d be quite self-sufficient, and the further you go the more use you’d get out of [Keep to the Path] if you needed to nap on the way, and [Teamster’s Momentum] of course speaks for itself. I certainly laud your foresight on the Dimensional Chest purchase - all the best teamsters use them, or have Skills that make up for them. Preservation of perishable goods is the only concern, but you don’t have to engage with those sorts of cargos.”

  The irathian steepled his fingers in thought.

  “What I would say though, is not to underestimate [Smooth Ride] and the potential for transporting passengers. Adventurers in particular can make a lot of gold and like to enjoy the luxuries, and unless they have mounts or their own travel Skills they often bemoan having to trudge all the way to wherever their quests take them.”

  Shifting uneasily in his seat, Wei hesitated.

  “I… suppose I could help transport people. But I wouldn’t want to go anywhere…dangerous. I saw what kind of places adventurers go to. I barely made it out alive. My friends didn’t…”

  He pushed the echoes of images and sounds into the back of his mind as Xian’toth bowed his head in apology.

  “Of course. But even simply transporting adventurers between guilds as they look for new opportunities could be lucrative, and travelling with such people can be a deterrent to any [Robbers] or [Bandits] or roaming orcs and goblins and the like. I would, of course, not send you along any dangerous routes or to any far-flung, ill-protected places, but nowhere is entirely safe, as we saw tonight.”

  That makes sense.

  Xian’toth took a minute to go through Wei’s merchant Skills as well, rubbing his hands in anticipation at the mention of [Silver Tongued] and [Customer Insight].

  “I have a few of those myself, and although I’d like to employ you to transfer specific items, I would encourage you to branch out and consider picking up your own trades and passengers as you go. I’ll wager you can even pick up some extra work with your salvage abilities. Most towns will have stuff to throw away, and you never know what people might get rid of, or even be happy to pay people to take off their hands. I once had an adventurer swap me a book of second level spells for a healing potion because he wasn’t interested in reading it.”

  “[One Man’s Waste].”

  “Precisely.” Xian’toth shuffled sheets around his desk and cleared his throat. “Now, whilst I had been planning to make this offer to someone along with a considerable monetary investment, I find myself in the position of having promised a rather substantial reward for the capture of this [Illusionist], and the healing potions as recompense won’t come cheap either. Unfortunately, it’s also necessary. Free piece of advice: as a trader, your reputation is everything. When something happens that impacts it like it did to me tonight, if you don’t make good in a big way, fast, people lose trust in you, and when you lose trust, you lose business, and in the long term things get even harder. Does that make sense?”

  Wei nodded.

  “Customer satisfaction. A good reputation is more valuable than money.”

  “Wh- yes. That’s a good phrase. Unfortunately, whilst I can afford to give you some advice and a reasonable payment, I’m not going to really be in the position of helping you out with buying or renting a cart or horses or the like. And I won’t have much to give you to transport beyond the items I’m dealing with in the immediate future, although I hope you appreciate that I’m giving you the auctions you won tonight for free too. Will you be okay to obtain everything else you need to start up?”

  A subtle warning flashed in his head. What had Mira said to him?

  Keep my eyes open. Don’t fully trust anyone… but this is what I was planning on doing anyway. If anything, it’s giving me guaranteed work when I start out.

  “I can do that.”

  “Good man. Now, what I can help you with, is a few more bits of gear to get you started. Let’s treat it as a teachable moment.” He went to rummage in a couple of the boxes and pulled out, amongst other things, a small flask swirling with darkness, and a pair of goggles. “Let’s see what you can get me to trade for these.”

  —

  Xian’toth had kept the bartering short and intense. It was late, and both of them had things to do, but he insisted that Wei take every chance he could to practice his skills and his Skills.

  “-and not just with me, or when you’re looking for goods or transporting. Every inn you stay at, every meal you purchase, every opportunity you get to haggle over a price, take it. Offer less money, or offer to trade for an equivalent value of goods, or less. Push the limits. If you’re polite and friendly, most people won’t mind, and those that do are a warning sign in and of themselves. Any experience you get, good or bad, will help you grow, and if you’re not taking risks you won’t level.” His needle teeth flashed a grin. “Of course, no risks with my goods please.”

  Wei grinned right back.

  “For the right price, I’m sure I can deliver them safely.”

  “Now you’re getting it, kid. You’ll be level 20 before you know it. Come on now, cough up payment and I’ll give you these.”

  Xian’toth pushed a pile of minor magic items over the table. A pair of goggles that would help him see in the dark - excellent for longer journeys or where time was of the essence - and also cool as hell. A bottle that billowed smoke when the stopper was removed; it could obscure a warehouse in less than a minute and was a cheap, effective escape measure if he was even being chased. A cylinder of pellets which would each refill the bottle when it ran out. And a set of scales that would detect basic forgeries of goods or coin placed on them. It was a few essentials the irathian had insisted anyone starting out would need. They were in fact, the very ones Xian’toth had used himself.

  Of course, that meant they were second hand, and Wei had got them for a steal, although the [Arcane Broker] seemed more than happy with his payment: the last mana potion that Dorric had made.

  Wei pulled it out of his satchel and passed it over the table. Xian’toth wore a solemn expression as he took it, but smiled as Wei pulled all of his new purchases into his [Scavenger’s Satchel].

  “Excellent. I look forward to working with you Wei. I think you’ll find my Skills benefit you too, even if I haven’t invested in the business like I normally would. I’ll speak with you tomorrow about getting a cart and draft creatures; I’ve got a few contacts that could help. If you can get something ready by the end of the week, I’ll have your first delivery waiting.”

  “I just had one last question before I go, Sir.”

  “Ask away.”

  “The [Illusionist] that disrupted everything, he got the staff on the wall before he left.”

  Xian’toth’s face darkened.

  “Yes. Another reason why I’ll be cash-poor for a while. It was a rather potent Gold-ranked staff. We were calling it the Arcane Conduit. Not a great name I know, but it fit. Pulled in a lot of ambient mana and powered up the kind of spells that blasty-type mages love so that they hit with a real punch. Bartholomew almost put a hole through the guild wall when we were testing, and that wasn’t at full strength.”

  “Okay, I get why a mage would want that, but what I don’t understand is…why did he want my ring too?”

  Xian’toth went to reply, then stopped, mouth half-open as he considered the question. It took a minute for him to respond.

  “Honestly kid? I have no idea.”

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