Mavenport rose out of the mists of a jagged coast. Soaring cliffs lined a narrow bay, slowly leveling off toward the city at the end. From miles away, Gunnar could spot the tips of sails along the shore ahead, though the city itself was built up the hillsides with all roads leading to a palace at the top of a cliff. It was not until the clouds parted briefly that Gunnar saw what truly dominated the cityscape.

A magnificent tower hovered above the apex of the city. It was not merely set up high, but appeared to literally float above the city. There were small floating islands, each linked by roped walkways, that slowly escalated up, and streams of people traveled up and down from the city below.

“The temple of Agis, goddess of skies and storms,” Em said, marveling at the view from the foredeck.

Even from this distance, Gunnar could make out the soaring forms of cherubs circling the floating temple. The mists shifted, shrouding most of it once more, though this only seemed to add to the majestic view. Once again, Gunnar had to hand it to the developers of this world. He’d gotten so used to the gritty realism of Thailen, he hadn’t fully appreciated the beauty that could be found here as well.

He shook his head. “That’s awesome!”

“What you’d expect from an imperial trading hub,” Niall said. “The Elysian gods are always the epicenter, just like Luka’s temple in Thailen.”

“This one’s a little more badass,” Gunnar said.

“Agis is a little more powerful,” Niall said matter-of-factly.

“Who’s the main god?”

“Goddess,” Em said. “The Elysian Court is real progressive like that.”

Niall glowered. “Krona is as oppressive as any god could hope to be. I see no progress simply because she’s a goddess.”

Em shrugged. “Yeah, fair enough.”

“Does Krona have a city?” Gunnar asked.

Niall looked incredulous. “Are you serious?”

Em shook her head at him, and Gunnar forgot that the man was an NPC.

“Sorry, backwater bumpkin,” Gunnar said.

“So backwater you’ve never heard of the imperial capital.”

“Maybe?” Gunnar said. “My island didn’t really mess around with the empire. What’s the capital called again?”

Niall huffed. “Krona.”

“Oh, well… I feel like a dumbass now.”

“Shocking,” Niall said. “But our business is not with the gods. Not yet.”

“Yet?” Gunnar asked.

“Everything goes back to the gods eventually,” Em said.

“Every quarrel. Every kill. Certainly an imperial assassination.” Niall seemed proud of this. “The old gods of Thailen and the surrounding region were overthrown and left as minor deities. Most of the gods we Nighthawks serve are old gods such as these. The fact you passed your trials is an affront to them. Every victory of the Nighthawks is a similar offense. And they will either turn us against our own, or they will try to stop us.”

Gunnar thought of the messenger from Luka. “Can the gods personally intervene?”

Niall shrugged. “I’ve never heard of it. They move through their servants in our corner of the world. But at higher levels? I don’t know. Make no mistake, if we succeed here, they will begin to take notice of us, and that brings its own dangers. Prepare your squads for your first marching orders.”

Gunnar and Em walked together down the steps from the foredeck to the main deck. Sailors were bustling around preparing goods and rigging.

“Good luck, tonight,” Em said, taking his hand briefly. “Tonight’s the night you become a true Nighthawk.”

Gunnar squeezed her hand back. “Here’s hoping. Good luck yourself.”

“Be careful, Gunnar. You’ve got nothing to prove. Just do good on what they give you.”

He nodded. They’d had no time to speak during the whole voyage, and he realized that even in a day’s time, he missed that. Yet now, he didn’t really know what to say. He still felt like she was keeping something from him. But it wasn’t like they’d made some pact to share everything with one another.

“See you on the other side, Em.”

Gunnar’s crew looked up expectantly as he approached.

“What’s the word?” Rorak asked.

“Quest is coming soon,” Gunnar said. “Hang tight.”

Their ship passed several others anchored far out in the bay. There was a mound of rocks jutting out of the water ahead, and someone with green and red orbs was directing traffic into a harbor far larger and intricate than Thailen. Docks sprawled in all directions along the shoreline. The orbs flashed as they neared. Some sort of code, Gunnar supposed, for the captain immediately changed course for the western end of the harbor.

Light broke through the mists letting rays of light pour down, as though shining forth from Agis’s temple itself, casting the entire waterfront in a golden glow.

But they would change all that come nightfall.

“Hey, I got something,” Rorak said.

“What?” asked Kid Killer. “I don’t see a quest.”

Gunnar noticed his MiniNav was gently flashing, and went ahead and pulled it up.

[You have received a map from Leilani Kerkova. Do you wish to accept? Yes/No]

Without hesitation, Gunnar accepted.

The map of Mavenport was incomplete, with only one sector near the waterfront showing any information, but there were about a dozen streets with detailed highlights, including various establishments, and notes about where Red Cloaks generally patrolled.

“Damn…” Sauvage murmured. “That’s splendidly detailed. I take it this is where we’ll be all quest, then?”

“I’d assume so,” Rorak said.

“No high nobles around there, that’s for sure,” Kid Killer said.

Rorak shrugged. “The captain already so much as said we weren’t getting the big kills. Be patient, kid.”

“Every quest I’ve had has changed in someway or another,” Gunnar said. “A quest this size, who knows where we’ll end up. This is our starting zone. Make sure you get the layout down pat.”

After a few minutes of study, all of them glanced away from their maps at once as the quest notification arrived.

Quest Update - Chaos Theory

Description: It’s finally time to kill, kill, kill! Well, not for you… but hey, you can get a nice assist, which is almost just as fun. The Nighthawks have an elaborate scheme of assassinations and mayhem—the ultimate target: Rupert Mousseau, Imperial Governor of Thailen. Several other high-ranking Thailen nobles are also in town for the fun, but none of that glorious slaying can happen without a diversion. That’s where you come in!

Objective: Sow sufficient chaos in the trading districts to draw away the Red Cloaks from Guard Towers Five and Seven (see map for details)

Reward: Prove you’re worth a damn to the Nighthawks. And Niall, especially him!

Do you wish to accept? Yes/No

Once they had all read their prompts, the members of the Beta Squad looked to Gunnar. He pulled up his map again, and after a couple minutes, located the guard towers. They were situated on the north shore along a jutting bit of land at the entrance to the harbor. Across a small inlet was Guard Tower Six, which Gunnar presumed was on another squad’s hit list.

Kid Killer scowled. “Why can’t they just tell us the big plan? So we know how this fits in.”

Rorak shook his head. “We know the big target. We know what we need to know.”

“If everyone knew the big plan, anyone could give away the big plan,” Gunnar said. “It’s smart to split us up like this.”

“What do some towers down here have to do with anything?”

Gunnar pointed to the skies behind them, which had once again swelled with looming clouds. Only now did he begin to understand what the meeting last night had truly been about.

“We’re diverting attention away from the guard towers at the harbor entrance,” Gunnar said. “Presumably, so an even greater diversion can take place. One that’s going to pull Red Cloaks from all across the city.”

Shivers raced down his arms as he realized how epic of a quest this might turn out to be.

Sauvage’s eyes flashed with excitement. “That storm skirted past us outside the Spawn’s Va-Jay-Jay last night.”

Realization dawned on Kid Killer’s face, and his eyes lit up. “Pirates? Here?”

“So how do we draw attention away from those towers?” Rorak asked eagerly.

Gunnar spent a few more minutes studying the map before he spoke. There were a number of sailor’s pubs in that part of the city, several clustered together near the mouth of the harbor. For whatever reason, Cork’s sarcastic idea for Hank the Kobold had stuck in his mind. It might not have worked for the Mermaid, but in a shimmering city like this…

Slapping his palm against the railing, he said, “I think I know exactly how to sow sufficient chaos.”

“What?” Kid Killer asked.

“A plague,” Gunnar said. “We’re gonna make people think there’s a plague.”