"Pick up the key," Amir ordered. 

Goldilocks begrudgingly crawled on the dungeon floor in search of the golden key. His fingers sifted through kilograms of shit before he felt the rough surface of rusted metal. He wiped the key on his leggings and presented the loot to Amir. 

The key did not meet Amir's expectations. There were no mana crystals powering the key. It looked simply like a scrap of metal that could be sold for peanuts on the market. If there was something abnormal about the key, it was its ridiculous weight. 

Is this precious ore? 

"Oi, tranny. Why was this key lodged up your ass?" 

The chains clamoured as the emaciated harem queen lifted her face. Many weeks had passed since Amir's initial visit. The Prince had completely forgotten about her. 

Her eyes rested on the golden key for several seconds. During this time, her facial expressions changed from horror, to hope, then finally to ecstasy. 

"Let me go," were her only words. 

Amir nodded his head towards Goldilocks and pointed at his scabbard. Goldilocks unsheathed the long sword, placing the hilt in Amir's hand. 

Ta. Ta. Ta. 

Amir took a few step forwards and stopped a metre from the tranny. He lifted the sword above his head and swung down with his pitiful strength. Blood splattered across the dungeon floor, a few specks landing on Amir's cheek. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

The cheese grater had her bone grated. 

"It seems this sword is of poor quality," Amir muttered to himself. "Let's try that again." He struck the tranny's left arm yet again. This time, he penetrated through everything. 

"One limb down. Three more to go. You'll be free in no time."

The tranny spat her blood and saliva at Amir, but her dismembered arm affected her aim. Instead, the ball of filth was swallowed by the yawning Goldilocks. The tranny had taken his first kiss. 

You also think I'm a pushover. 

Amir ruthlessly struck her right leg repeatedly with the blunt edge. The tranny's screaming had quietened down significantly after the fiftieth strike. In her eyes, he was evil incarnate. Only 2 limbs remained.

"Next time I'm aiming for your neck." 

This session was like therapy for Amir. He had spent the last few weeks throwing gifts at Ophelia's face and sending she-cubs for King to play with. Despite his efforts to reconcile, neither spared him a glance. How he wished he could beat them into submission. 

Your mother is dead. So what? Her ghost can join my harem and you'll be able to see her every day. I'm always thinking about you, yet you're not thinking about me. 

Amir raised his sword one final time. 

"Stop... please," the tranny had finally learned some manners. "I'll talk." 

"I... am a member of the A-Anti-Royalist Party. Each member has an id-dentical key," her face paled considerably. She had lost too much blood. 

So it is just scrap metal. 

"Your Highness, we must report this at once!" Goldilocks had finally recovered from the shock of swallowing the tranny's fluids. 

"Who else is a member? Who is the leader?" Goldilocks bombarded the tranny with questions whilst flailing his arms. He couldn't stand by and watch a band of criminals rebel against his King. 

"The d-," the tranny coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her chapter was coming to a close. She wanted to drag down her fellow accomplices, yet she couldn't. 

Goldilocks rushed towards the sack of bones, holding the tranny's limp body. "Tell me! Who is the leader!" Goldilocks shouted. His breathing was heavy and his face was full of worry. The kingdom was at stake. 

The harem queen consumed the last reserves of her energy to lick the hero's lips. The spark in her eyes extinguished, leaving behind a dark abyss. 

Goldilocks released the lifeless corpse. 

"Let's go, Goldilocks. To the Thieves' Market ." 

***

Amir's level had stagnated after the incident with Ophelia. He had redirected all his efforts into reconciling with her. He would rather take a beating from her than be ignored. It was a foreign, unpleasant feeling. Amir only remembered about the tranny and the golden key because Goldilocks had mentioned the Pink Claw Gang. 

Rumour spread that the gang had dissolved and the members were absorbed into other underground organisations. A rival gang had taken over their part of the district. 

Anti-Royalists... those bloody commoners. I'll show them. 

Amir and Goldilocks had arrived at the Thieve's Market. The usually crowded market was even more rowdy than usual. 

"LISTEN UP! LISTEN UP!" a skinny merchant roared. He seemed to be at the centre of the crowd. "WE HAVE A RARE ITEM FOR SALE!" the merchant lifted a glass vial above his head. A grey liquid swirled inside the vial. 

"THIS PRECIOUS ELIXIR CAN DOUBLE YOUR INTELLIGENCE!" Gasps escaped from the crowd though many remained scepitcal. If true, this elixir was priceless. High intelligence would significantly increase a mage's ability to comprehend new spells and practise them. Unlike fighter skills, magic had a chance of failing. If you had superficial knowledge of the spell, it would fail multiple times. If you had unravelled all its secrets, you would always succeed. 

"ONLY 5 GOLD COINS!" 

"5? Conman!" the crowd grew upset with the outrageously low price and quickly dispersed. Many had already diverted their attention to a hunchbacked hag selling aphrodisiac for a few coppers. 

The skinny merchant sighed, pocketing the vial. 

"Stickman, I'll buy the elixir," Amir tossed over a hefty coin sack. The merchant untied the strings. He was blinded by rays of glorious gold. There were at least twenty gold coins!

"Young Master, may this one know your name?" the merchant took the sycophantic approach.

"Call me Harem King," Amir winked at the stunned merchant, snatching the vial. 

"Is there anything else you're looking for?" the merchant decided to squeeze this fool dry. He began rambling about the various elixirs and pills he had for sale. 

"Have you heard of the Anti-Royalist Party?" Goldilocks interjected. 

"An-Anti- NO!" the merchant shook his head left and right ferociously. "Get the hell out of my shop!" 

 This insect is obviously hiding something. 

"Would you know for 100 gold coins?" Goldilocks asked. 

"I may be a miser, but I'm no idiot! 500 gold coins!" the merchant's 'fear' disappeared. Was he an actor in his past life? 

"Deal," Goldilocks nudged Amir who completed the transaction. 

This was supposed to be your mother's dowry...

The merchant patted his brimming pockets in satisfaction. His family would eat well this year. He quickly glanced from side to side before leaning in, "The Anti-Royalist Party runs the Thieves' Market. They've been slowly raising funds to overthrow the monarchy. For Freedom, they say." 

His voice dropped to a whisper, "A big trade deal is set to happen on the next full moon. Some of my most loyal customers are members, trust me."

*Cough* *Cough* 

The rat coughed in their faces, then returned to shouting slogans at the top his lungs. 

***

The Sol had long set. A rat-like merchant weaved through the narrow alleyways of the Thieves' Market. He had the unnerving feeling that he was being watched. The rat had the [Scout] Class so he was especially sensitive to espionage.

Almost home... 

THUD!

As he was making a sharp right turn, he had collided with a a muscular brute blocking the alleyway. 

"Please move aside, Sir." 

The man's face was hidden in the shadows of the alleyway. The clouds slowly drifted to reveal the luminescent moon. Its dazzling rays reflected off the man's face. 

... 

... 

The merchant was at a loss for words. 

The creature in front of him was victim to an acid burn. His face resembled a bubbling pot of stew. His eyes were... an ominous silver, like the moon. His arms were thicker than the merchant's head. 

"May I know why your Esteemed Self was searching for this lowly scum," the merchant managed to muster a sentence despite the intimidating atmosphere. 

The man raised his large palms towards the merchant. Freedom was clearly tattooed in black ink on his wrist. 

The merchant was no idiot. 

"Please don't kill me!" the merchant sank to his knees and grovelled. 

"I just fabricated those lies to sell to those fools!" he cried out. 

Bzzt!

The disfigured man fired a beam of electricity from his palms.

Thuk!

The merchant's heart would never beat again.