Eventide Scriptures I - The Shattering of an Era

Chapter 18.3 - Through the Veil of Night (Part III)

Just as the patrol reached the mouth of the gap, a long whistle cut through the air. At first, it was just one, but then other whistles joined.

"Intruders!" the captain shouted. "Quick, over there!"

Accompanied by the jingle of light armor, they ran, leaving them both behind. Ryse smiled, adopting an 'it's no big deal' expression.

"Don't give me that scowl, Varn. Whatever it was, we're safe."

Most city guards ran toward the southern gate, which made it easier for them to reach the house next to the well. Ryse knocked on the door. Varne did not understand the meaning, but his knocks followed a specific pattern. Following that, he opened it without waiting to be invited in.

An elderly couple sat side by side at a table, sipping a warm drink with a lemongrass scent. They continued talking to each other as if unaware of their presence.

"Just leave them," Ryse said as he opened the door to another room. Before entering, he took a lantern from the wall.

The room was a sort of storage filled with broken chairs with torn cushions, shattered tiles, broken rakes, and various other unusable items, including a wooden door with a round knob.

Ryse lifted the door that leaned against the wall and laid it on the floor. A click sounded, and when he opened it, the door revealed a downward path behind it.

"This whole door is the key. Come on. Don't forget to grab that lantern," Ryse said.

They descended using an iron staircase on the wall, about a hundred steps down, ending at the start of a horizontal corridor.

"What is this place? The Thief Guild?" Varne lifted his lantern to light up the darkness. The corridor was wide enough for them to stand upright with arms spread, and it was plastered without a single crack. Air circulation kept it from being hot, though slightly damp.

"This corridor leads straight to Renfru's Thief Guild." Ryse took the lantern from Varne's hand and led the way. "There are other entrances, but I prefer this exclusive route."

About five hundred steps later, they came to the first intersection. Ryse placed the lantern in the middle of the intersection, and after a moment, a gust of wind bent the flame towards the left.

"Left. This way," Ryse said, picking up the lantern again.

"Will this path take us out of Renfru?"

"First, to the Thief Guild. Once we're there, we'll take another path out of Renfru."

"If that's the case, we'd better just run."

"That's not possible. The corridors in the Thief Guild only lead west or north. Even after leaving, we're still trapped by the borders. But unlike us, the intruder only wants to leave Renfru."

The corridor kept branching and branching again. It would rise at times and descend at others. Each time, Ryse used the lantern to determine the correct path. Varne had lost his sense of direction since the fourth turn.

Another intersection. But when Ryse placed the lantern down, its flame was extinguished by a gust.

"What now?" Varne asked. In total darkness, even Prana vision was of no help.

He heard Ryse pressing something in the ceiling. The entire intersection rumbled and rotated. Then one of the corridors connected to a new onward passage. The yellowish light from the end of the new corridor was not bright but sufficient to conceal whatever was behind it.

Varne was awestruck by the sight before him. An underground city!

The entire city was built inside a gigantic cave, circling natural columns as big as a dozen people's embrace. Water flowed from the cave ceiling in curving curtains with soft murmur. The yellowish light enveloped the city and climbed the water curtains.

"Welcome to Renfru Thief Guild," someone said beside Varne. He was so amazed he had not noticed her presence. A fatal mistake, but right now, he did not want to fuss over it. "Please abide by the rules without exception."

"How was all this built?" Varne asked as they made their way across the city street. The hustle and bustle of the place made him forget he was far underground. Weapon stalls, food shops, inns, bars, gambling houses, brothels – everything that existed on the surface was also here.

"The Den was built during Chaos Era Two. Their Artifica was far more advanced than what we've got now. They built it as a war shelter, and then during the Perpetual Night War, it became one of humanity's sanctuaries. Then the first generation Thief Masters came and repurposed it."

Varne continued to discover new things every time he turned his head. Luxurious buildings hung from the cave ceiling, mirroring the structures below. If there was a physician's stall using regular medicine and treatment below, then above there was a Healer's stall – a physician who used Mana. He had never met a Healer before.

The one thing that astonished him the most were the tall, slender blocks on the shoulders of the road, glowing yellow without fire, each as bright as ten torches.

"That's a lighting device. Artifica too," Ryse said. "You won't stumble upon it everywhere, thanks to the Artifica ban."

Ryse stopped in front of a stall with a symbol he had never seen before, a fiery gem. "This is your chance to sell the Lorith. It's a tough sell anywhere else. I happen to know the seller, and he gives out fair deals."

Lorith was indeed difficult to sell, and Varne followed his advice. He spent the proceeds on a high-quality Prana sword, as well as some medicine and bandages. The range of goods here was astonishing considering Isofea was in a wartime situation.

After they finished their business, Ryse approached a building leaning against the cave wall. A muscular guard in neat clothing blocked their way.

Ryse pulled something from behind his jacket. Varne thought he would bribe again, but instead, he took out a small book. Its cover was made of green scales so dark they were almost black. It took Varne a moment to recall that the number on the cover was Ten.

Seeing it, the guard stepped back and bowed. "Forgive my ignorance, Thief Master Phantom. Please proceed."

"What's that book?"

"This is Artenox, The Trade of The Night, proof of the Thief Masters rank. Oh, did I mention that I'm the tenth rank?"

"By showing it, you're recognized as a Thief Master? Foolish. What if I steal it?"

Ryse smiled. "If you can swipe this, it means you deserve to replace me."

The building they entered had a single room. A bespectacled woman sat behind a desk, her back to four steel doors.

"How are you, Master Phantom?" Her articulation was gentle.

"Has anyone used the door recently?"

"Just one person. But she brought an unconscious person in a sack. She specifically asked me not to tell you. Of course, I wouldn't want to trouble you after you helped when my child was sick. There's another door with shorter path if you intend to catch her."

"We'll use that door." Ryse paid two gold coins.

The bespectacled woman stood up. Her thick leather belt hung with four large keys. She inserted one into a cross-shaped keyhole and opened the door. The creak of the hinge echoed down the corridor behind it.

"Please, Master Phantom."