The Legends of Valeron: Into the Unknown

Prologue: The Rat's Nest

The Rat's Nest was found at the end of a shadowy alley on the lower side of Saltriver City. It had once been the location of the local Thieves' Guild, but an inability to pay back their debts had left the guild with no choice but to abandon their former home, leaving it to whatever unseemly individuals came across it. As it were, the Rat's Nest was now a hideout and hangout for mercenaries and bounty hunters. It was a place for lodging and dining, as well as a good place for the shady patrons to find their next jobs.

As such, it came as no surprise for Vexx that his contractor had decided this would be where they would meet up again. Theirs was a business best done in secret, under moonless nights and cover of darkness—but finding an unoccupied room within the Rat's Nest was just as good an option.

The mercenary quickly made his way along the cobbled street that led to the alley that hid the Rat's Nest. He kept his head low and his cloak close around him, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. However, even if it had been broad daylight and a busy day when he'd made his trip to the alley, no one would've stopped him. From his dark clothing and even darker hair, to his haunting, hawkishly golden eyes, it was clear to anyone who crossed him that Vexx was not a person you wanted to bother.

Getting into the Rat's Nest wasn't too much a problem—at least, not for Vexx. The entrance was hidden, of course, so as to keep casual passerby or—more importantly—the local militia from discovering it. But this wasn't his first time visiting the former Thieves' Guild base. Standing at the end of the alley, hidden by the shadows of the buildings to either side, Vexx quickly tapped on a series of stones on the wall and slipped into a sudden opening that disappeared just as soon as he passed through it.

Inside, the Rat's Nest looked just as dingy and dusty as the last time he'd visited. Tables and chairs were set up throughout the room, worn and cracked from years of hard use. A few dishes and scraps of food were left behind on a few by whoever had last sat there. The room was poorly lit—only a few torches sat upon the walls of the hideout, with no windows to cast in light from the full moon that would surely be shining down on the city outside.

The only other person in this part of the Nest was the bartender, an old half-orc with a crescent scar under his eye, carefully cleaning whatever dishes he'd gotten to. Vexx ignored him, though, crossing the room with quick and silent strides and carefully making his way up the set of stairs that led to the rooms up above. The floorboards creaked a bit under his weight, but it didn't seem to bother the bartender, who just continued his work.

Once on the second floor of the Nest, Vexx made his way down the hall to the room that his contractor had mentioned they'd meet at. He checked the letter he'd received when he'd first accepted the man's job, making certain that this was, indeed, where he was meant to go, before straightening himself and knocking the specific pattern of knocks that the contractor had listed in the letter.

There was a silence from inside the room, and then Vexx heard a clear voice call out to him.

"Come in."

Vexx did so, opening the door and stepping inside a room that was even less well lit than the rest of the Nest. A single candle was lit and set on the center of the table, leaving the rest of the room in shadow. Sitting at the far end of the table, mostly obscured by shadow, was the man Vexx assumed was his contractor. He couldn't make out much of him, but he could tell he was wearing some kind of elaborate robe, the hood of which was pulled down over his head, keeping the top half of his face concealed.

The robed figure smirked as Vexx entered the room, and he tapped his fingers against each other in a certain way that belied his impatience with the mercenary. "Well, it's about time, my dear friend," he murmured, his voice soft and smooth, yet somehow filling the entire room. "I must admit, I was beginning to think you would not show."

Vexx huffed silently at the robed figure's words and walked towards the chair set across from him. "I'm sorry for my lateness, I suppose," he replied dryly, pulling back the seat and slowly dropping down into it, keeping his sharp gaze locked on the man across from him, "but when you pay for the best, sometimes you must expect them to take a little while longer to ensure their work really is the best in the end."

"Hmmm," the robed figure hummed in thought, his fingers tapping a bit quicker. "I suppose that's only fair. After all, since you are here now, I can only assume that you do indeed have the artifact that I asked of you, yes?"

"Yes, I do," Vexx muttered in return, his tone taking on a bit harder edge—he was finding dealing with this mysterious contractor more and more irritating with each passing minute.

Still not taking his eyes off of the robed figure, Vexx pulled the rucksack off his back and laid it out on the table before him. He rustled inside it for a moment, grasping around for the item his contractor had hired him to procure. Finally, after a few minutes of unsettling silence—cut only by the sound of him rustling in his bag, and the tapping of the robed figure's fingers—Vexx felt his fingers wrap around a familiar object. As soon as he had, the mercenary pulled the object free and slid it across the table.

The robed figure's hand snapped down to grasp the object as it reached him, and he slowly lifted it up for him to inspect. The object was an odd bronze cube, just about the size of an apple. It had several intricate runes etched into bands that ran along the edges of the cube, and each side had a different symbol carved into it. It was all unintelligible for the mercenary, but he didn't bother too much on trying to understand it—all that had mattered to him was getting it to the contractor.

The robed figure, though, looked quite pleased with Vexx's work, and pulled his hand back to slip the odd cube into the satchel he had at his side. "Well done, my friend," the robed figure murmured, turning to face Vexx once more, "I must thank you for this job well done."

"You can thank me with the payment you agreed on," Vexx sharply replied, crossing his arms.

"Ah, yes, your pay," the robed figure nodded, standing from the table and reaching inside his robes. "All things in good time, my friend—I have promised you payment, and you will indeed be paid, handsomely in fact. But first, I have another job I must ask of you."

"Another job?" Vexx asked, his eyes narrowing and his hand wrapping around the hilt of the dagger he kept hidden up his sleeve. "Even though you haven't paid me yet for the job I just did for you? You'd better have a damn good reason for this—otherwise, I may just remind you of how many times I had to slit throats to get you that damned artifact in the first place."

If the mercenary's threat had any effect on the robed figure, he didn't show it. In fact, he simply chuckled in reply, as though the thought of the skilled killer and thief coming at him was merely an amusing thought to him. "Oh calm yourself, my friend. There's no need to be so perturbed. I promise, you will be paid after this mission—and, perhaps you'll even find that you'll enjoy it, too. Especially given your...history..."

With a smirk, the robed figure pulled out a folded piece of paper and slid it across the table to Vexx, in much the same way that the mercenary had done so with the cube. Vexx frowned and picked up the paper, looking over the details written on it for a moment, before looking back up at the robed figure, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. Behind his cowled hood, Vexx swore he could see the figure's eyes gleam suddenly, a pure and pearly white against the shadowy darkness that concealed the rest of his face.

"Tell me, my friend...have you ever worked with goblins before?"