After Rella informed the driver of the change of plans, the carriage entered the roundabout that led to Dagula's. When the carriage stopped, a valet opened the door and offered his hand as we descended the steps. He looked a bit shocked at my unusual mask, but he quickly donned a business smile.

“Welcome to Dagula's, honored sir.” The valet assisted Taloress next, and when it was Rella's turn to descend, the valet sputtered. “Mistress Rella?!”

“Be a dear and inform the manager of my presence,” Rella said without preamble.

“R-Right away, Mistress,” the valet replied before scurrying into the auction house.

“‘Mistress’? I didn't know you held a position of authority around here,” I commented as we approached the entrance.

“I'm a bit famous around these parts,” Rella replied vaguely with her usual smile.

I didn't bother trying to pry into the woman's secrets. It was already obvious that Rella held a high rank in her company, which meant that she was deeply involved with their criminal enterprises. No wonder the valet seemed a bit afraid when he saw her.

This time around, I was the one taking the lead. I had a very strong feeling that there was something in the auction house Rella didn't want me to see, and after a cursory scan with my fabric sense, I finally found it. I sensed one of the clothes I sold Rella long ago inside one of the rooms in the building, and judging by the numerous people inside, it was inside one of the auction rooms.

My product was being auctioned off right now.

With me in the lead, we entered the large lobby filled with all sorts of people dressed in rich clothing. A lot of them sent amused glances at me and Taloress as they assessed our strange attire, but I didn't give them a single glance as I made a beeline toward the auction rooms.

“The auction rooms in this establishment are invites-only, Mr. Marion,” Rella said as she matched my brisk pace. “I'm afraid we'll only be allowed to visit the rooms not being used as of the moment.”

I glanced at Rella, and in her eyes, I found a hint of worry. Her attempt to try and lead me away from the auctions was laughable, and finally seeing her facade slowly break down felt so vindicating.

“I'm sure we'll be allowed inside the auction rooms with your presence, Miss Rella,” I said with unrestrained glee. “I admire your humility, but I am confident you are an important person in this establishment no matter how much you try to downplay yourself.”

Rella's smile became extremely strained. “I'm flattered by your opinion of me, Mr. Marion, but really, I'm not anyone important.”

I just laughed as I continued walking. Seeing that I wasn't going to be discouraged from my goal, Rella instead tried to get me to enter the auction rooms that wouldn't be selling my clothes, but I staunchly refused.

“They don't look right to me,” I said when Rella asked me why I didn't want to enter the other auction rooms. “They look boring. Let's continue down the hall and see the other auction rooms.”

At this point, Rella's brows were scrunched up as we neared the auction room where my product was. As we walked down the hall, more attendants and employees recognized Rella and donned fearful expressions when they saw her dissatisfied face.

When my destination was in sight, Rella finally changed her approach. “Mr. Marion, we cannot go any further than this without an invitation. This area is for VIPs. Even if the employees respect my presence here, we cannot just force our way inside without repercussions.”

I no longer bothered responding to Rella. Moments later, we arrived at the entrance of the auction room that contained my product. “This auction room looks interesting. Let's have a look inside, shall we?”

“Mr. Marion!” Rella exclaimed in exasperation. “We can't go there!”

The attendant manning the entrance saw our group and paled when she saw Rella. She immediately stepped forth and blocked my way. “I'm sorry, sir, but this auction room is for VIPs only. I'm going to have to ask you to enter our other auction rooms.”

“I told you, Mr. Marion, we can't go in there without an invitation,” Rella sighed as she stood beside me. “Look, some of the employees are already coming, probably to kick us out of here.”

I looked in the direction where Rella was pointing and spotted a large group of attendants and guards approaching. My eyes narrowed when I saw the valet at the building's entrance walking among the group. They were sent here before I even trespassed into the VIP area.

“Let's just go before we make a scene,” Rella said as she tugged on my arm. “There are plenty of other auction houses we can visit. I'll take you to one of them if you want to go to an auction so much.”

I held myself back from violently lashing out at the damnable woman. There was no need to blatantly break the law by assaulting an important person and making things complicated. But if Rella thought I was going to stop here when the door to the auction room was mere meters away, she thought wrong.

Ignoring the hand on my arm, I walked forward towards the door.

“Sir!” the attendant cried out as she tried to block my way, but I easily nudged her to the side.

Suddenly, Rella's grip on my arm turned into a vise and stopped me in my tracks. I looked at her face to see her with a serious expression. “Mr. Marion, stop.”

My already high temper rose to furious levels. This bitch thinks she can stop me?

It was obvious that Rella was using her augmenter strength to hold my arm, but if she wasn't going to let go, then I'll have to drag her with me.

Using Mr. Marion's inherent strength which I boosted further with some mana, I continued to walk forward while forcefully dragging Rella with me, who looked at me with dumb shock. But she gathered her wits and to my surprise, the bitch was actually strong enough to stop Mr. Marion.

But her hold didn't last long. The door was only a single step away, so I briefly empowered Mr. Marion with more mana, and with a surge of strength, I closed the distance and opened the large door.

A blast of noise immediately inundated me the moment I opened the door, and through the entrance, the sight of a seated crowd shouting over each other greeted me.

“Five hundred and fifty gold!”

“Six hundred!”

“Seven hundred gold!”

“Eight hundred and fifty!”

I stopped in my tracks as I watched the scene unfold before me. The room only contained a few dozen people, all of whom were dressed to the nines and wore masks that covered half their faces, concealing their identities. All of them held paddles that they raised every time they made a bid.

And when I laid my eyes on the item on the stage being bid on, my blood boiled. It was a beautiful pink dress that I created and sold to Rella for twelve gold.

“One thousand and six hundred fifty gold!” the host shouted excitedly. “Are there any more bids? Going once! Twice! Sold! To the beautiful madam seated at table eighteen!”

The rest of the audience looked disgruntled but clapped nonetheless as the winner of the bid grinned triumphantly from her table.

“Will you care to explain what I'm seeing, Miss Rella?” I asked with a neutral voice as I faced her.

“What do you mean? It's just a bid for a dress made by an Artisan,” Rella said before pulling on my arm again. “Mr. Marion, we have to go. You've crossed the line when you forced your way in here.”

I scoffed in disbelief. “I crossed the line? Do you think I'm stupid, Miss Rella? I know that dress on the stage was made by me, which they managed to sell for thousands of gold compared to the paltry change I sold them for. Tell me, who crossed the line here?”

Rella frowned when she realized the jig was up. “Even if you made the dress, Mr. Marion, I already bought it from you. The moment I paid you, that dress already belonged to us, which means we can sell it at whatever price we want.”

A powerful urge to strangle the bitch came over me. I felt angry for being scammed out of thousands of gold, but what made me truly furious was how she fooled me into thinking that my creations were worth merely a few gold coins. Back then, I thought twelve gold was already a fitting price for my creations, which Rella didn't contradict. It turns out my creations were worth more, and this bitch sought to fool me.

I already knew of this from my excursions last night, but the anger I felt back then couldn't be compared to the fury I felt right now. To read it on a piece of paper was far different from witnessing the auction itself.

I knew I was mostly at fault for being fooled, which was further proof that I was just a novice merchant. But that didn't mean Rella would get away scot-free.

“From now on, don't expect I'll continue dealing with you,” I said to Rella as I started walking away. Taloress, who had been silent all this time, walked in front of me and uncaringly pushed through the guards who came to kick me out, allowing me to pass unimpeded.

“Wait!” Rella exclaimed as she ran up to me. “I know what we did was shameful, but how about we renegotiate the terms?”

“Give me back all the clothes I've ever sold you and I'll consider it,” I replied as I continued walking to the exit. I knew she wouldn't accept it, so I might as well leave to not waste any more of my time. I already came up with a plan for taking my revenge, and the sooner I get done with it, the better.

“Deal,” Rella suddenly said, which stopped me in my tracks. “We'll also be willing to give you a percentage of all the sales of your products. How about it?”

I turned around to face Rella, but I remained silent as I pondered her suggestion. My plan for taking revenge involved stealing back all the clothes I sold her and killing all the thugs that worked for the Hartman Company to disrupt their operations. But if Rella was already offering to return all my products for free, then it'd make my plan easier since I could focus on just killing the thugs.

“There's a private room upstairs that we could use to come up with a new agreement,” Rella added.

After a few moments of silence, I finally nodded. “Alright.”

Rella took the lead and guided me to the auction house's second floor. As we walked, Taloress sent a mental message. Master, there are a lot of guards following us.

The guards that came earlier to escort me out of the building were following us instead. There were more than a dozen of them, all dressed in fine suits. It was a bit excessive, but I understood Rella's position. She must've turned extremely cautious after I overpowered her grip earlier despite her being an augmenter.

It's alright, I told Taloress. They're just cautious of us.

They should be! Taloress exclaimed.

Soon, we arrived at a hallway lined with rooms on both sides. With my fabric sense, I knew this part of the auction house was completely devoid of people. Our group was the only one here.

“Over here,” Rella said as she entered one of the rooms.

I expected the negotiating room to be as lavishly-decorated as the rest of the building, but contrary to my expectations, the room was extremely bare. The only furniture present was a simple table and a few chairs in the middle of the room. There were no windows, and the only source of light was a bright magic light bulb on the ceiling.

“Have a seat,” Rella said as she sat on one of the chairs and folded her hands on top of the table.

Taloress and I followed and sat opposite her. The guards followed inside the room, some standing behind Rella while some stood behind us.

This room looks so much like an interrogation room, I thought absently.

A guard outside closed the door and the soft sound of the doorknob locking was heard in the quiet room. Realization dawned on me. Oh.

We were in a room with a single exit that was currently locked. There were ten guards inside, along with an augmenter of unknown power. Two more guards stood outside the door. This entire wing of the auction house was devoid of people.

Rella was not here to negotiate.

“I'll be honest with you, Mr. Marion,” Rella said with resignation. “This wasn't how things were supposed to go.”

I remained silent. Several things were happening at once and my focus was split several ways.

“We were supposed to finish the tour, then you would return to your inn, and when tomorrow comes, you were supposed to establish your company with the help of the Hartman Company,” Rella said, her eyes staring straight at me. “Establishing a company in this city requires a lot of connections, and even a powerful mage like you wouldn't be able to do so easily. We were supposed to offer you our help and in doing so, make you indebted to us, so that in one fell swoop, we would gain a vassal company as well as a powerful mage among our numbers.”

My body trembled not only from rage but from desperation. Taloress and Mr. Marion were furious and they wanted to rip everyone in the room apart, but I was forcefully holding them back. Not only that, but I could feel it coming. I've been trying to hold it back all this time, but its arrival was inevitable.

Another Awakening was coming.

My emotions were in turmoil. Rage threatened to blind all reason and told me to start killing everyone for daring to manipulate me, but my desperation kept it in check for now. I was in the middle of a city, and if I Awakened right now, the repercussions would be irreversible. I had to delay it.

“But you really had to go and insist on going inside the auction house,” Rella continued. “It is unfortunate, but it seems my primary plan has failed.”

As if a switch had been turned on, Rella's aura suddenly exploded in power. My mana sense was going haywire from the amount of mana she was exuding. I didn't know at what Level of Augmentation Rella was, but I was confident she was stronger than Kazimir. Far stronger.

Rella's smile that I always found cute turned sinister. “I'm only going to give you one chance, Mr. Marion. Submit to me. Swear your allegiance to us and I will promise you unparalleled riches and influence. With your power, even the nobles of this wretched kingdom will grovel before you. All you have to do is submit to me.”

I struggled to keep my voice calm as I replied. “And if I don't? Will you kill me?”

Rella suddenly laughed at me. “Kill you? Oh, Mr. Marion. I see that you really were the naive gentleman you appeared to be. You are a mage and an Artisan, too valuable to kill. There are many ways to force obedience from a person.”

Rella's eyes gleamed with sinister light. “If you don't submit to me willingly, then don't expect any of your companions to leave this city alive.”

My inner turmoil worsened as the threat of Belka and Emily's death went to the forefront of my mind. The image of my companions being killed by the thugs of the Hartman Company almost triggered my Awakening then and there, but I clenched my fist so hard my palm bled, the pain distracting me momentarily.

I bowed my head as I reined in my emotions. The situation was bad, but not all was lost. Rella's ultimatum was infuriating, but it didn't spell the end of the world. Even if I swore allegiance to her, I could easily massacre all of them once I made sure Belka and Emily were safe. With my Authority, I had plenty of ways to get my companions out of the city.

“How will I know that you won't just kill them the moment I submit?” I asked flatly.

“Fret not, Mr. Marion. Hostages are only effective when they're alive. It would be pointless to kill them without due cause,” Rella chuckled. “We'll let you see them regularly as proof that they're still alive and kicking. So, will you submit?”

Rella asked the question nonchalantly, but her eyes held a dangerous glint. I knew that if I refused, she won't hesitate to have my companions killed.

“Yes,” I said simply.

Rella grinned. “Welcome aboard, Mr. Marion.”

“May I know what my job is?” I asked.

“Eager to start, eh?” Rella said with amusement. “We plan to send you back to Wildpost so you can continue making us Artisan-quality garments. Since you'll be one of our more important assets, we took over the village and turned it into one of our outposts to keep a better eye on you.”

“…What do you mean by ‘took over’?”

Rella grinned. “Just how it sounds like. From now on, the Hoods will be the ruling body of Wildpost. Don't worry, we don't kill people for no reason, although I'm afraid it's inevitable to have casualties if the villagers choose to fight back.”

This time, the image of Selise dying under the hands of the thugs appeared in my mind. I knew her personality, and I knew she wouldn't hesitate to protect the village even if it costs her her life.

Bran, Mr. Bersk, Terence, Ned, Luth, Kath. Most of the people I knew in Wildpost were just acquaintances, not even close friends. But imagining their deaths still shook me to the core.

I wasn't close to most of the people of Wildpost, but that didn't mean I didn't care if they died. I was a part of the village, and I wouldn't accept some filthy criminals killing them just so they could keep an eye on me.

Rella's recent revelation was finally the straw that broke the camel's back. My hold over my emotions broke, and the Awakening commenced. The primal instincts of my Authority came to the fore and took over.

…

…

…

…

…

“Oi, Mr. Marion,” Rella called out after I remained silent for a long time. “Don't tell me you're having second thoughts just because some villagers died.”

“Oh, no no. Heavens, no,” I said with a shake of my head. “Everything's fine.”

●●●

Rella stared at the masked man in front of him. She was waiting for him to lash out or shout in anger, but no outburst came forth. A strange one.

Rella expected Mr. Marion to react violently upon learning that Wildpost had been taken over by the Hoods. A background check on the masked man revealed that he had contributed to protecting the village during a major monster attack free of charge, even going as far as healing the injured. Which meant there was a likely chance that he cared for Wildpost's well-being.

Eliciting a violent reaction from him by revealing their plans was part of Rella's motive. She intended to crush his will by overpowering him the moment he tried to fight back. It was an effective measure in cowing powerful members of the Hoods who thought they could fight back.

But it seems Mr. Marion was the type to bide his time. The annoying type, Rella thought. They'd have to keep a close eye on this ‘new hire.’ Based on Mr. Marion's performance when dire wolves ambushed their caravan in the Wild Woods, he was capable of casting third-circle magic. Decent strength, but not enough to deserve closer observation.

But when Mr. Marion easily overpowered her grip earlier, Rella realized the man was hiding his strength, and Mr. Marion was strong. To overpower a Fourth augmenter's grip as a mage? That meant Mr. Marion had cast some sort of powerful body-strengthening magic, and Rella did not detect any signs of spellcasting during that time. Either he has monstrous levels of mana control to hide the spellcasting from me… or he's an Ascendant.

Rella immediately discarded the latter possibility. Ascendants had weird abilities that could explain why she wasn't able to detect Mr. Marion's spellcasting, but aside from purposely attracting the attention of one, meeting an Ascendant through sheer coincidence was virtually impossible. The number of Ascendants in the Gigas continent alone could be counted on one hand. Which means Mr. Marion is probably on par with an Elder Mage. At least.

The risk of keeping Mr. Marion within their ranks was high, but so were the benefits. An Artisan like him could net them thousands of gold. Rella lamented that their goose that laid golden eggs had teeth, but all they had to do was to keep a close watch on Mr. Marion.

“I guess we're finished here, then,” Rella said with a clap as she stood up. “From now on, ten guards would be keeping an eye on you at all times, Mr. Marion, not including those hidden from plain sight. So don't think of doing any funny business. Got me?”

“Of course, of course,” Mr. Marion said.

Rella felt a foreboding feeling in her heart, but she waved it away as she moved to leave the room. “I'll be leaving first. Wait ten minutes before you leave the room.”

With that, Rella moved towards the exit. With Mr. Marion taken care of, her next task would be handling the preparations for stamping down the revolution the moment it occurs. What the hell is Razar even doing? I swear I'll knock that necrophiliac's teeth in if he keeps lazing around.

Rella felt stressed with all the things on her plate at the moment. The Shadow's movements, the revolution, the mysterious deaths of some of her thugs, the Governor trying to impede the Hoods' operations, the presence of Night Wardens in the city. She was just thankful that one of her Purplehoods, Fang, gave her a list of traitors and moles within their ranks a long time ago. If not for him, she'd also be worrying about spies among her men right now. He's a good candidate for a promotion.

When the door finally closed behind her, neither Rella nor the guards spotted the few strands of thread snaking out from Mr. Marion's body and discreetly slithering on the ground.

●●●

Belka scrunched her nose as they walked along the grimy street. She regretted wearing her premium hunting boots made from warg leather. How could she forget that Halros' outer city was dirtier than Luth's stinking tannery? She'd be lucky if all she stepped on so far were piss and shit. She wouldn't be surprised if she already stepped on some old corpse that rotted so much it blended in with the rest of the shit and grime that caked the streets.

Belka looked at the young huntress walking beside her whose face was so scrunched up as if merely looking at all the filth around them was a personal affront to her. “Finally regretted coming here?”

Emily harrumphed at Belka's question. “Of course not. If you think seeing piles of feces strewn everywhere is enough to discourage me, then you thought wrong.”

“I know,” Belka said nonchalantly. “You haven't seen the corpses yet, after all.”

Emily frowned. “Corpses?”

“What, you think people around here are rich enough to buy a spot in the cemeteries when they die?” Belka snorted. “Most of the dead are buried among the piles of trash around here. Cheap and convenient, although it smells.”

“Doesn't that make it easier for criminals to hide their victims from the authorities?” Emily asked.

Belka laughed derisively. “Criminals don't need to hide their victims. With a low price of a few silvers, the authorities would keep themselves out of their hair.”

Emily's face soured even further. “How about the undead, then? Surely the corpses rise into undead when left alone without ceremonies. With no Gravekeepers to bury them, the city should be littered with the undead.”

“Why do you think there are so many guards wandering the streets? They're not there for capturing criminals, they do a Gravekeeper's job instead. At least they have some use in that regard,” Belka muttered.

A bone-thin man that looked more like a zombie shuffled toward them, his bloodshot eyes trained on Emily's expensive bow. He didn't get to step within five meters of the girl when a wall of muscle blocked his way. He looked up to see a glaring Belka. “Fuck off, junkie.”

“Hey, who you callin' junkie?!” the thin man slurred angrily.

“If you don't get your shit together right now and walk away, I'll let you have a taste of my fist and help you sober up,” Belka growled.

“Head Hunter, stop, he didn't do anything,” Emily said with exasperation as she tried to pull Belka away.

“Not yet,” Belka said as she glowered at the man, who glared back. “Still not scramming?”

“Hey, what seems to be the problem here?” Kazimir asked as he approached. He and Samantia had been walking in front of the hunter pair earlier, but seeing the two caught up in some altercation with a homeless man made him intervene.

“None of your business, Night Freak,” Belka said.

“You're picking a fight with someone clearly weaker than you right in front of Emily, Head Hunter. You're setting a bad example for her, and as a prospective Night Warden apprentice, anything related to Emily is my business,” Kazimir said with a glare.

Belka glanced back at Emily, who was giving her a dissatisfied stare. The large woman sighed, a bit of shame creeping up in her heart for displaying such behavior in front of the young huntress. “Fine, fine. This bastard's not even—”

The bone-thin man spat at Belka's armor. The spit dribbled down her pristine leather armor, leaving behind a green trail of phlegm. Belka only wore this armor on special occasions, and seeing it defiled by a junkie made her see red. Without another word, Belka slugged the man in the face, knocking him out instantly.

“What are you doing?!” Emily shrieked as she crouched beside the man's prone form. His eyes were rolled back to his head, but after a quick check, the man seemed to be fine aside from being unconscious.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Kazimir exclaimed upon witnessing the event. “You could have killed the man!”

“Unlike you, I have complete control over my strength, greenhorn,” Belka scoffed.

“If you love acting like a ‘veteran’ so much, then why not act maturely for once,” Kazimir spat.

“You mean letting the man go after spitting on me like that? You don't know the rules of the streets, Night Freak,” Belka said with a low voice as she poked Kazimir in the chest. “You don't let anyone push you around or else they'll think you weak, greenhorn. That's a good way to get your ass robbed and throat slit in the night.”

“No one here can hurt augmenters like us,” Kazimir growled. “There's no need to abuse our strength on the weak.”

Belka laughed loudly. “‘Not a greenhorn’ he says! No wonder your boss sent you to the boonies. If you're arrogant enough to think that nobody can hurt you here, then that constitutes a greenhorn in my book.”

Kazimir scowled and started walking away. Belka shrugged and walked over to Emily. “C'mon, kid. Sunset's coming and you don't want to stay out in the streets when night comes.”

Emily gave her the stink eye. “Are we just going to leave this man out here?”

“Fine, fine, we'll put him somewhere safer,” Belka grumbled as she slung the man's limp form over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and started following the Night Wardens. “Not like he's gonna last long, anyway.”

“Why do you have to be so negative about everything?”

“I'm not being negative. I'm telling the truth,” Belka said bluntly. “Have you seen the bastard's eyes earlier? This junkie's a drug addict and he's out of his mind. Why'd you think he approached our group when it's obvious we're all armed and dangerous? I bet he blew all his money on drugs and his cravings convinced him he had mysterious powers to rob us blind in broad daylight.”

Emily remained silent for the rest of the trip, casting pitying looks at the unconscious man on Belka's shoulder now and then. Before they arrived at their destination, Belka dropped the man in a secluded alley and covered him with old newspaper scattered around to keep him hidden. When Emily asked why, Belka said that some of the gangs picked up nobodies from the streets and sold their organs.

By the time they arrived at the Jumping Wench, Emily's hand constantly hovered over the hilt of her knife as she scanned their surroundings with paranoia.

“This is where your captain stays at?” Belka asked as she scrutinized the small inn. “The Keepers of the Night must be dead-broke if all you could afford is a musty inn in the outer city.”

“We're keeping a low profile,” Kazimir grunted.

When the group entered the inn, the patrons seated at the bar and at the tables glanced at them. All conversations immediately ceased and the room was plunged into silence. The people in the room eyed the group warily.

“Belka, is that you?” a man at the bar asked unbelievingly as he stood up from his seat.

“Well, so much for keeping a low profile,” Belka muttered.

“It is you!” the man exclaimed. The man looked intimidating. He sported tattoos all over his body arms and piercings decorated his lips and ears. The man addressed the rest of the room. “Hey, no need to get nervous, guys. That right there is my partner, she's one of us.”

With the tattooed man vouching for Belka, the rest of the patrons lost interest in their group and went back to their hushed conversations.

“Belka! C'mere! I'll buy the first round, eh?” the man said with enthusiasm as he waved at Belka to come over.

“Uh, you know him?” Emily asked hesitantly.

“Y-Yeah,” Belka muttered with some embarrassment. “Just stay with the Night Freaks. I'll go talk with him.”

Belka left the group and approached the grinning man at the bar. “I didn't expect to see you here, Knuckles. Long time no see.”

“Didja miss me?” Knuckles asked as he signaled the bartender. “Old man, two pints of your best beer for me and my friend over here. Put it on my tab!”

Two mugs of frothing beer were placed in front of Belka and Knuckles, and with familiarity, the two clinked their glasses and downed their beers in one go.

“Aaaah! Nothing beats good ol' beer after a hard day's work,” Knuckles said as he slapped his mug down on the bar. “Just like old times, eh?”

Belka smacked her lips as she finished gulping her beer. “Like old times.”

“Say, how's the life out in the boonies?” Knuckles asked as he asked the bartender for a refill. “Enjoying the slower life?”

“There's nothing slow about killing monsters every day to keep the bastards from approaching the village,” Belka replied. “But at least it's better than staying in this blasted city. Beating up punks and thugs all day gets tiring.”

“You can curse this city all you want, but you gotta admit, you fit here like a glove,” Knuckles said as he received his second mug of beer.

“I know,” Belka muttered with a somber expression.

Knuckles realized the change in mood and quickly cleared his throat. “A-Anyway, what brings you back to the city? I would have thought you wouldn't ever come back. Ever since you left, Stinky Pete has been running the gang. Everything went downhill from there.”

“Oh, I could see that,” Belka snorted. “As for why I'm here, I'm accompanying one of my apprentices. She wants to take a look around Halros or something.”

Knuckles whistled. “Apprentice, eh? Look at you, teaching kids and all that shit. I'm glad you managed to start a new life outside the city.”

“Thanks,” Belka said sincerely. “So, how's Halros been lately? Anything you can tell me?”

Knuckles frowned. “Things are about to go to shit. I'll be honest with you, I suggest you leave the city soon while you can.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shit's about to go down, Belka,” Knuckles whispered. “The people's had enough, and talk of rebellion is spreading through the outer city.”

Belka widened her eyes in surprise. “A rebellion? That's impossible. The kingpins would've stamped down on it as soon as they heard about it.”

“Yeah, they did try to do that,” Knuckles muttered. “Some of the kingpins tried to dissuade the people from joining the rebellion by making brutal examples. It did not end well for them. Who would've thought that someone out there is crazy enough to arm a bunch of beggars with military-grade weapons?”

Belka's jaw dropped open.

“And it gets worse,” Knuckles continued. “The Governor had announced a curfew for the outer city starting tonight. Anyone caught outside, regardless of affiliation, would be executed on sight. And they're not taking bribes this time, Belka.”

“The Governor and the gangs are at war?” Belka asked.

“Not yet,” Knuckles murmured. “But soon. I suggest you get out of here first thing tomorrow.”

“We just got here yesterday,” Belka said. “And my apprentice is too fucking stubborn to leave. How long do you think we have before everything goes to shit?”

“Shit can go down anytime now, Belka. The people are just waiting for something, and the moment it arrives, the revolution will start,” Knuckles said darkly. “The city's a fuckin' powder keg right now, and when the spark finally arrives, nobody's leaving unscathed.”

“Then come with us,” Belka said as she looked straight at the tattooed man's eyes. “I'm going to convince my apprentice to leave. I'm gonna have to drag her out of here if I have to, and you can come with us. Bran is going to welcome you with open arms.”

“Can't believe you're on a first-name basis with the Old Man himself,” Knuckles chuckled. “But sorry, I can't come with you.”

“Why? Even if Stinky Pete tries to stop you, he won't be able to do anything once you're out of the city,” Belka said.

“I can't. I've got responsibilities to do,” Knuckles replied somberly. “Just… forget about me and continue living your new life. I'm just going to mess things up if I go with you, anyway. I've gotten too involved with things in the city, and it'll follow me wherever I go.”

“Oh no,” Belka said as realization dawned on her. “You joined the Hoods for good, didn't you?”

“…Yes.”

Belka stared at her old friend for a few seconds. “What do you do?”

“I'm a Redhood now. I handle one of our smuggling operations at the north gate,” Knuckles replied as he stared at his beer blankly. “You know how things are with the Hoods. Once I'm in, the only way I could get out is in a closed casket.”

Belka sighed loudly. She and Knuckles abhorred the Hoods a long time ago when they ruled the streets, but now her old friend was a part of them.

Without another word, Belka ordered a refill and chugged down her beer. She could feel Emily's heated stare on her back. They were seated on one of the tables near the entrance, away from the rest of the patrons.

A moment later, the entrance to the inn opened and a large hooded man entered. All conversations hushed again as the hooded man approached the Night Wardens' table.

“Better stay away from that man,” Knuckles warned beside Belka. “Bastard straight up beheaded one of the patrons with a sword after the idiot tried to rob him. He proceeded to spread salt and stuff on the corpse after that while muttering some gibberish. That man's sick in the head. It's better if— hey, where are you going?”

Belka ignored Knuckles as she made her way to the Night Wardens' table as well. She wouldn't leave Emily alone with a true Night Warden. Kazimir and Samantia were just cheap copies, but Belka was sure the hooded man was one of the real deals.

Belka and the hooded man arrived at the table at the same time, and the atmosphere seemed to freeze as they stared at each other for a few moments.

“C-Captain,” Kazimir stuttered as he stood up, Samantia following after him. “We're finally glad to—”

“Who are they?” the hooded man interrupted. “I told you to meet me alone, didn't I? Who are these two with you?”

“The young woman wants to join the Ni— us, Captain,” Kazimir explained.

The hooded man stared at Emily for thirty excruciating seconds before grunting. “And her?” He pointed at Belka.

“She's uh…”

“I'm Emily's guardian,” Belka said. “I'm here to make sure you Night Freaks don't do anything funny with her.”

The hooded man looked at Kazimir. “Can you tell me why she knows who we are?”

“I-I, uh…” Kazimir stuttered as he struggled to explain.

“We'll talk about it later,” the hooded man finally said as he took down his hood. “We've got more important things to do.”

The moment Belka saw the face underneath the hood, her vision narrowed and she charged at the man with blazing fists, her eyes screaming with murder.