Aaron was giving me a dangerous look but I was distracted by what Bert had started plopping down in front of him. Three dull impact sounds heralded the arrival of large gold bars on the wooden counter as Bert carelessly tossed them out between us. I’d never seen so much gold in my life but I wasn’t quite sure why I was supposed to see them in the first place. Then I remembered the counterfeiting job and Inspected each bar.

Name

Gold Bar

Grade

Uncommon

Description

A standard gold bar, typically used in place of one hundred coins and containing the same amount of gold by weight.

Value

98g - 101g

Name

Gold Bar

Grade

Uncommon

Description

A standard gold bar, typically used in place of one hundred coins and containing the same amount of gold by weight.

Value

10g - 18g

Name

Gold Bar

Grade

Uncommon

Description

A standard gold bar, typically used in place of one hundred coins and containing the same amount of gold by weight.

Value

98g - 101g

As Marcus turned to me and opened his mouth I pointed at the middle bar and said, “That’s the fake.”

Marcus snapped his mouth closed and looked at Bert who gave him a look of surprise and a nod.

“Excellent. Thanks Bert,” Marcus said, “Let’s get moving then.”

Without further ado we walked out of the building and back into the training streets of the courtyard. Instead of walking down the road and between the small houses though, the other two led the way in between the main building and the first house, a little alley that I had completely missed before. We then turned the corner and walked between the very small gap between the large three story buildings at the corner of the block.

Aaron walked out in front and Marcus followed behind, turning his head back over his shoulder to tell me, “All four exits to the compound are warded and our chains are the keys to getting in, so don’t forget to have it equipped when you come back. It’s not pretty otherwise.”

When we emerged from the narrow, dark passageway we ended up behind a merchant’s stall of some sort. It made sense that the entrance would at least be a little hidden, even if it was warded. We moved around a few of the stalls and onto the busy street but the merchants didn’t even glance at us. I couldn’t help but check out the building we’d just left to see what was out front. It seemed like a series of perfectly normal shops. What looked like a bakery was next to a shop full of herbs and a flower shop, of all things.

Marcus saw where I was looking and said, “We rent out the bottom floor to people we trust. They’re all legitimate businesses though and we don’t interfere unless asked. The second and third floors are enchanted to keep people from noticing them too much.”

Interested in the enchantment on the Guild buildings, I turned around to Marcus and lost my train of thought at the sight behind him. It was a massive open air market with people swarming the area. If I thought the street I had seen earlier from my window was crowded, than this was packed.

To my surprise, we headed straight into the market. Our black cloaks and shadowy hoods definitely drew the eye and more than a little suspicion. At first, many of the merchants actually gave nods of respect to us as we passed but after a while of walking through the huge market that changed to looks of suspicion. More than a few passerby walked over as if to start trouble but as soon as Aaron drew down his hood they quickly changed course again. There were also plenty of guards around the place but they seemed to be pretending that the three of us didn’t exist.

The incredible variety of the market took my breath away. Not only were there dwarves, elves, gnomes, and all the other races but there seemed to be every type of product imaginable for sale. It was pure chaos and I had absolutely no idea how anyone could find anything in this place let alone get anything done. Having access to the internet and next-day delivery had done more than a little to spoil me, apparently.

We emerged from the bedlam after a time and the other two turned to me. Marcus said, “Make sure to activate your Suppression again and we’ll go back through.”

Confused, I nevertheless did as he said but I must have made some noise to give myself away because he laughed and explained, “This is training for you. Check your Suppression level.”

I did and was shocked to see that I was already level fourteen. Understanding dawned as I looked back at the massive crowd of people, and all the eyes we had attracted on our walk through the crowds. By the time I got back to the Guild Hall I could probably use my first skill point.

Aaron led the way again through the crowds. This time he just kept his hood down which conveniently cleared a path for us and kept anyone from approaching. It was a much faster trip through the area this time but we didn’t take the same route and ended up going north a bit. After we cleared the busy marketplace we headed down a main street for a while before entering a shop with a painted gold necklace on the sign out front.

Aaron had put his hood back up and let Marcus take the lead into the shop. The owner was holding out a piece of jewelry for a young couple to inspect but upon seeing us she hastily finished with the customers and ushered them out. She locked the door and turned back to meet with us as soon as they had gone.

The woman’s name was Debra according to what was shown above her head, which I had to remind myself may or may not be her real name. She looked a bit nervous but not overly so, especially not seeing as how there were three members of the Thieves Guild in her jewelry shop. Since we all had our hoods up she looked to be at a bit of a loss as to whom to address, but when Marcus showed his face she turned to him immediately and said, “How can I help you, Guildmaster?”

“I need to see the bars you have ready for the payment today,” he said without preamble in a neutral tone.

She nodded once and disappeared into the back room. My first thought was that if she was going to do anything it would be now but the other two didn’t move so much as a muscle. It wasn’t long until she came back with a small crate. She set it down on a counter near us and took a step back without saying anything.

Figuring it was my time to go to work, I stepped over to the crate and Inspected each of the ten bars. All of them showed the right value and looked to be legitimate so I said, “All good.”

Since I wouldn’t have had much time to do more than take a glance at the bars Debra looked shocked but didn’t say anything. Aaron moved to leave and Marcus thanked the woman then we followed Aaron out the door. I was more than a little curious about who that was and what the bars were for but I didn’t want to ask about Guild secrets in public. It could wait until we got back to the base.

We visited three more jewelry shops, all in the nearby area, and all but the last with the same results. I was beginning to think we weren’t going to find any evidence of counterfeiting and even started to doubt the ability of the ring Miris had given me. The last shop was the smallest of all the ones we had visited, it was located almost directly south of the large market, and Marcus told me it was our last stop.

The owner was named Westin and he smiled at us when we entered. When Marcus revealed his face the smile slipped for a moment before he could catch himself. However he didn’t waste any time greeting us and said, “Welcome, welcome, Guildmaster. What can I help you with?”

Marcus asked to see the bars again and a similar process to the previous shops played out with a crate full of gold bars set on the counter. When I checked them out, however, it was clear that they were all fake. I turned to Marcus and just shook my head, the change in our routine enough to tell him the truth.

Aaron was nowhere in sight but Marcus just looked at the shop owner sadly and asked, “Why? After all we’ve done for you Westin?”

Westin’s face drained of all color and I thought he might actually faint. He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again they were empty of life. In almost a whisper he said, “Please. End it quickly.”

“I don’t know if you deserve it, but you shall have it,” Marcus said and nodded. Just then Aaron appeared behind the shop owner and in a move I was intimately familiar with, stabbed him in the back of the neck, killing him instantly.

Marcus sighed and shook his head. He looked down at the floor for a moment before he turned to me and said, “Take what you want but leave the bars. And be quick.”

I was standing in the middle of a jewelry shop and just told that I could loot it to my heart’s content. In any other circumstance I would be overjoyed but the cooling body on the floor, the smell of feces and fresh death, and the all too real sensations that came along with witnessing the murder in front of me sapped whatever pleasure could be found in it. Still, the man had clearly known what he was getting into based on his reaction and I had a job to do and so I got to it. Without pausing to really look at anything other than to see it was all just plain jewelry of various precious metals and gemstones, I shoved anything worth more than a gold into my bag.

While I mindlessly looted the store I saw Aaron bending down over the corpse. His dagger was still out and he leaned over and stretched out the man’s thumb. Bile rose in my throat as I thought he was going to cut it off but instead he scraped at the area between thumb and forefinger and flakes of skin fell off revealing a crescent tattoo. “Razor Moons,” he muttered.

Marcus cursed and started stalking back and forth in the middle of the room. I quickly finished looting the store but hadn’t touched the body. As much as it pains me to admit it, I’m not sure I had the heart to. When I returned to the center of the room and nodded at Marcus he pulled out a small metal cylinder. It looked to be about the size of a short tennis ball bottle but made of two sections and painted red. He twisted the thing sharply and I could clearly hear a snap from within the contraption.

It emitted a low humming noise that was quickly rising in pitch and volume. All kinds of instincts were telling me to get moving and as that’s exactly what the other two were doing we all made haste for the exit. Shortly after we left the building I turned to look but Aaron pulled me forward without stopping.

A loud blast and a shockwave nearly knocked me over. We kept moving but I looked over my shoulder and saw that the shop was engulfed in roaring flames. Nobody said a word as we made our way back to the compound.