Jano was nervous but, at the same time, oddly excited. He finally had something to do. For weeks now, they had just been training. Practicing dissembling walls and creating spears out of rubble. He wasn’t ungrateful, but a little part of him wanted to get on and do something. When the Mage finally told him to prepare for his first job, his stomach twisted and turned.

Still, he couldn’t deny it. Jano was beginning to enjoy his new routine. No early morning walks to the workhouse. No gruelling fourteen hour days doing menial tasks. He got to spend more time at home and with his wife. Overall, it was one of the more relaxing parts of his life so far.

On the way to the stone house in the Middle; the skies were heavy and the driving rain bounced off the cobblestone. He had spent some of the money Darrel had paid him on a new cloak. It was nothing fancy, but it was more than enough to keep the rain off. As he approached the thick wooden door, he could hear two voices. Darrel’s voice was recognisable enough, but the other was a woman’s. He couldn’t tell what they were saying through the door, but it sounded relatively heated.

Jano still wasn’t comfortable hanging around on the streets of the Middle. Even though now, as a Class Seven, he was no longer out of his depth. He knocked on the door and the sound resonated through his body, as the hard wood reacted to his knuckles.

The door opened and Darrel was showing the woman out. Her eyes met his, and Jano felt a sharp tingle down his spine. She was one of the Guard. He stiffened up and nodded to try and say hello, but it was stiff and weird, and she regarded him as a curiosity.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Her words were meant for Darrel but she was still looking at Jano. Then she walked away and he couldn’t help but watch her leave with a gawping expression. She was dressed in black leather armour, the uniform of the Guards, and she had tousled dark brown hair. She wore two long daggers down her back in an ‘X’ formation. To Jano, she looked formidable.

He turned away from the woman and walked into the stone building. Darrel’s face was stoic and warm, as though there hadn’t been any shouting whatsoever. Though his cheeks were slightly pink, betraying him a little. . “Jano! Just the man I wanted to see. Did you bring what I asked?”

Jano pulled out a small dagger from his cloak. “Excellent, excellent. And no one followed you? Perfect. Of course why would they? Come on, come in.”

The door shut behind him and Darrel sat on a comfortable chair at the far end of the room. Jano slipped carefully onto an accompanying chair.

“What a stroke of luck we had there.” He said as the Mage leaned back in the chair, stretching himself out.

“Do you remember what I told you? You’re to find Nara. Well that, my good man, was her.” He tapped his knees and leaned forward erratically.

“So that’ll save me a job describing her. She’ll explain the rest. I can’t be seen to actually go in with you, that would cause a bit of a stir.” The Mage stood up, still moving in odd jerks. “Which is a shame really, as I’ve heard it’s particularly nice there.”

In where? Jano thought as he watched the Mage gather a few things and then he hurried out the door, expecting Jano to follow. Which he did, as Jano shut the door behind him, he heard a thud. The door had locked by itself. He hurried after the Mage.

“Come on, come on. We have places to be. Well you do. We need to get there soon.” The Mage muttered to Jano as he caught up. They left the Middle and entered the Northern Quarter. The stone buildings became bigger, the beggars disappeared and the streets became quieter. Jano grew nervous, after all the last time he had been here...

—- The Mage took a sharp turn and Jano didn’t have time to think of what it meant to be back in the Northern Quarter, he just had to keep up with Darrel.

The rain seemed a little less grim than before, but there was much more shelter in the Northern Quarter. Many of the others milling through the streets kept their hoods up regardless. Jano even saw a few more people in similar robes to Darrel. He grew tense at the sight of them. They would be able to sense his Class, and even though he was with one of them, they might take exception to him being here and ask what he was up to. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be interested.

He was following Darrel as closely as possible. Though the Mage made it difficult by seemingly taking as many sharp turns as he could. They finally stopped down a narrow alley. At least it was dry. Most of the alley was covered by a slate roof and the jagged eaves hung over them, providing cover.

The path was illuminated by ornate lamplights, in the style of fantastical creatures: Hydras, Dragons, Demons. All sorts of twisted creatures were on display. One of the lamplights was cracked and an orange light jerked out awkwardly. In an otherwise pristine section of the City, it looked out of place.

Darrel gave a series of knocks on a metal panel which Jano hadn’t noticed until now. It stood next to a black wooden door. The knock was almost musical - knock, knock knock knock… knock.. Perhaps it was musical, Jano just didn’t know the tune. Either way, it was some form of code. A bolt hole opened and a suspicious pair of eyes sized up the sodden pair standing in the dark alley.

The eyes looked the pair up and down and then Jano heard a click. They obviously passed the weird eye test and the door swung open. A man glared at them both as they walked in, but Darrel didn’t pay him any further attention and so neither did Jano.

The room was small. With many tinctures and glass bottles on the walls and a wooden counter below. The suspicious man took his place behind it and watched the Mage and Jano patiently. Darrel coughed and puffed out his chest. “Gerland Handcrabs.”

Jano looked at him with a wild look. Had Darrel gone crazy? He looked back to the man behind the counter expecting to see a similarly confused face. Though the other man nodded and pulled something aside. Perhaps that’s this man’s name, Jano thought. They walked to the side of the counter. A tiny door, roughly half the size of a normal person appeared from behind a curtain next to where the man was standing. The small man crawled inside, leaving them alone. Okay, this is weird again.

“Well this is where I leave you. Follow our friend there and find Nara. Or perhaps, she will probably find you. She will tell you what you need to know.” He smiled at Jano and held his arm towards the small door.

“If you’re sure.” He replied.

“I am. Now get a move on.” Darrel moved his arm and looked to the doorway with his eyes.