Roan climbed down the slope at a brisk pace. His left hand was no longer resting above his chest—he couldn't show weakness here.
He glanced around warily as he passed the garbage dump. Still no people here, but further down the road, he could see figures leaning against the walls or lying asleep on the ground.
Instinctively, he covered his pocket with his right hand—then forced it back down. That motion screamed of treasure.
As he walked down the road, people looked at him with the same wariness he felt. He scanned the alleys for a place to sleep, but every spot seemed to be taken.
He didn't even consider going to an inn. Forget whether a beggar like him would even be allowed in—it'd be suspicious as hell if he had the money to stay at one. A beggar shouldn't have the luxury of a bed.
Eventually, he found an alley with only children sleeping—or pretending to. He noticed how everyone twitched when he approached.
There was an empty corner. But as he stepped toward it, one of the kids stopped faking sleep and said, "This is our space. Find somewhere else."
Roan raised a hand peacefully. "I'll just sleep here tonight. I'll leave tomorrow."
The kid—probably a girl, judging by the long hair—looked him up and down. "Five copper."
Roan snorted. "Why don't you just rob me?"
The girl grinned. "Three copper. Stay or leave."
Roan faked a pause. "One copper. I don't have much left."
The girl gave a fake, exaggerated sigh. "Two. Final."
Roan 'reluctantly' took out three copper coins, careful not to let them clink.
He tossed the coins one by one. "Recent news?"
The girl glared at him as she caught them—barely—and quickly stuffed them into a hidden pocket.
Roan, meanwhile, walked to the empty corner and sat down. He pulled his knees to his chest and raised an eyebrow at the girl.
She seemed accustomed to the dark because she began talking without hesitation.
"Smugglers gang retaliated for their captain's murder from a month ago. As soon as the Lord left the city, they killed every lone shark they could find. After that, there was a huge brawl across the outer city."
"Deaths?" Roan asked casually.
"Fifty-six loan sharks. Eighteen smugglers," the girl replied with the same tone.
Roan let out a low whistle. "That big a difference?"
"More than half died in the surprise attack," she said.
Makes sense. Roan rolled it over in his mind before asking, "How hot is the pot?"
The girl chuckled. "Very. The flesh merchants joined the loan sharks 'cause their guild leader hates the smugglers' leader. The Thieves Guild joined the smugglers—old favor, apparently. That's what they say, anyway. I don't know the real reason. As for the Assassins' Guild… they're staying out of it. Too far beneath them—or more like, they're scared the Lord will finally snap and cut them loose if they go too far."
That sounded about right. The Assassins' Guild was actually the strongest. Unlike the others, which were just local gangs, the Assassins' Guild was a branch of a continent-wide organization. They took contracts across the kingdom, principality, and even the republic.
That was also why they were tolerated in Sha County. Rumor had it, the Lord's mother had been killed by assassins from that guild.
"How's the Lord's army reacting?" Roan asked.
"Most of it's gone. The rest are scared shitless. If they push too hard, the gangs might start a civil war," the girl said with disdain. Some personal grudge with the guards? Roan wouldn't know.
Not that the guards were wrong. The kingdom wasn't as scary as it once was. A decade-long war had shattered that image.
Now that the last barrier was gone, the gangs might rebel no matter what the guards did. In a twisted way, the guards should count themselves lucky the gangs were busy killing each other.
Roan asked curiously, "Which guild are you from?"
He didn't say gang. They hated that term.
The girl snorted. "Beggars' Guild."
"Aren't you guys choosing a side?" Roan asked, amused.
"We're unofficial. No standing, no rights. No leaders either. We just stick together when shit goes down."
"So the rumors about you guys selling information are lies?" Roan said mildly.
"They are." She dismissed it without hesitation.
Roan didn't push further. He had a good enough read on the situation. Tomorrow, he'd try to get into the Beggars' Guild.
He leaned his head against the wall and rested his left hand above his knees. Despite his wariness, exhaustion dragged him into sleep almost immediately.
---
He woke up to someone grabbing his collar.
It was morning.
He blinked in confusion before his eyes locked on the massive man holding him up by his tunic.
Roan almost choked as a feminine voice rang out:
"Beggar-looking face. Beggar-looking tunic. Rich trousers. Rich boots. Missing finger And…"
A slender hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his pouch. He panicked and tried to grab the hand—but a punch slammed into his gut, knocking the air out of him.
"…our money pouch," the voice finished after a pause.
Roan gasped for breath,
staring at the girl from last night—now grinning with all her teeth.
What the hell was going on?