Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 17: Speculation

Naereni

I watched Dusk bound up the wall of the building, his cloak trailing behind him. Once I was sure he was gone, I relaxed slightly.

"Do you think he's going to act on that info?" Hofal asked, rearranging his axe and buckler. He moved to the edge of the alleyway, tapping his foot on the ground lightly as he went.

I thought over the past few minutes. Dusk, as he called himself, had very clear motives. "The first thing he asked us about was if Blood Joan was in our sights," I answered as I continued to mull over the scenario that lead us to this point. "And he intervened only after I said the Rats would try the Joans again." I twirled an ice dagger through my hands, an idle habit that helped me think. "The man's got a bone to pick with the Joans."

"Actually, he attacked that shield right after that striker said he would kill us all," Hofal added, still tapping the ground. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He pressed his foot down on the brick, and a slight rumbling heralded a small passage opening in the middle of the street. "And said 'Blood Joan wouldn't kill anybody while he was there.'"

I looked regretfully back at the bodies of the mages we'd just defeated. One had a satin shirt, which was sure to be worth a few coins. Another had a sword that was clearly of good make, using mana beast materials. The lead striker Hofal and I fought actually had a silver necklace around his neck. I wondered what I could get for that?

I had been distracted by my interaction with Dusk, so I didn't get the time to paw through their things. I could feel my lips pulling into a pout as I stared longingly at all those items.

Hofal looked at me pointedly, making me sigh. I couldn't stay to nab even a few things.

I dismissed the ice dagger as Hofal and I dropped down the shaft. I landed with a splash of water, ignoring the stench on my nose. The sewers under Fiachra weren't the most pleasant place, but that was what made them perfect for travel. I was glad I didn't have to use our last resort item to mask our presence. That was another thing I could thank Dusk for.

"You think he's from a rival Blood? Out to stall the Joans' interests?" I asked quietly as Hofal and I quickly traversed the sewers. It was well-known to both of us. We wouldn't get lost, even in the dark. "He was pretty good in that scrap, from what I saw. Professionally trained?"

Hofal was quiet for a moment. "Maybe. He caught us all off guard there with that entrance. How much of his fight was the surprise and how much was skill?" I could just make out Hofal shaking his head. "But he's probably not from one of Joan's rivals. We've spit in most of their faces, and any who openly support the Rats at this point will get attacked from all sides."

Hofal's thoughts made sense. Dusk was probably an independent, then. Or acting without the permission of his Blood.

I frowned. "Do you know what gave us away?" I asked quietly. We were practically done with the heist when some sort of alarm tripped. I had just unlocked the safe–

Realization struck me like the tail of a barkskin grohd. "Damn," I bit out, interrupting whatever Hofal was going to say. "The safe was probably baited all along. It was never meant to be opened."

A sour feeling arose in my gut. Karsien wouldn't fall for such a cheap trick, but I had. Maybe Kars would be able to point out how I'd messed up if he could find the time.

The big shield didn't miss a step, likely having reached the same conclusion long ago. "We'll need to inform Karsien about this," Hofal said, avoiding a particularly viscous bit of sewage. "Blood Joan was expecting us."

I sighed, the wind taken out of my sails by the realization of my failure. "Yeah, maybe. But we've been on a bit of a spree lately. It makes sense they'd see us coming. We keep succeeding! Can't be good for their image."