The moon hung low in the sky, partially obscured by clouds perfect conditions for what they were about to do. Rudeus stood in the shadows near the north gate, checking his equipment one final time. He'd left his more distinctive swords behind, opting instead for a single short blade that could be easily concealed. His dark clothing would help him blend into the night, and he'd wrapped cloth around anything that might clink or reflect light.
Glen arrived exactly at midnight, looking far less prepared. He wore dark clothes, at least, but they were ill-fitting and he carried that same leather satchel, which would only get in the way.
"You're late," Rudeus said flatly, though Glen was actually right on time.
"Sorry, sorry! I had to make sure I wasn't followed." Glen adjusted his satchel nervously. "Are you ready?"
Rudeus studied him for a moment. Glen's hands were shaking slightly, and his breathing was already elevated and they hadn't even started yet. This was going to be a problem.
"Have you ever done anything like this before?" Rudeus asked.
"Like what? Breaking and entering?" Glen laughed nervously. "I mean, not really? But I've been watching the guard patterns for weeks. I know exactly when they change shifts, where the blind spots are—"
"Knowing and doing are different things." Rudeus started walking, keeping to the shadows. "Stay close. Step where I step. If I stop, you stop. If I signal you to hide, you hide immediately. Understand?"
"Got it, got it." Glen hurried to catch up.
They made their way through the quiet streets. Most of the town was asleep, though occasional lantern light spilled from tavern windows where late-night drinkers lingered. Rudeus moved with practiced ease, his footsteps silent, his body language relaxed despite the tension of the situation. He'd done this kind of thing before, moving unseen, reading his environment, staying aware of potential threats.
Glen, by contrast, was a disaster. He kept stepping on loose stones that clattered. His breathing was too loud. Every few seconds he'd glance around nervously, his movements jerky and it really started to piss Rudues off.
Rudeus stopped and turned. "You need to calm down," he said quietly. "You're drawing more attention by acting suspicious than you would by just walking normally."
"Right, right. Sorry." Glen took a deep breath, but it didn't seem to help much.
They continued north, toward the area Glen had marked on his map. As they got closer, the buildings changed. They became older, more worn. The streets were narrower here, and there were fewer lanterns. It felt deliberately kept dark, deliberately hidden from the main streets of the town.
Rudeus noticed other things too. The buildings here all had reinforced doors not obviously so, but the hinges were newer, sturdier. Several had small peepholes at eye level. And there were subtle marks on certain doorframes, symbols he didn't recognize but that seemed deliberately placed. Meaning there was definitely some conspiracy between them.
"There," Glen whispered, pointing to a large warehouse-style building at the end of the street. "That's one of the main entrances."
Rudeus crouched behind a stack of crates and observed. There were two guards stationed at the front door, both armed with short swords. They looked bored but alert enough. One was smoking a pipe, the other leaning against the wall.
But what interested Rudeus more was what he didn't see. No other guards visible, which meant either they felt two was enough, or more likely there were more inside. The building had several windows on the second floor, all dark. But one of them had a faint glow behind the curtains, suggesting someone was awake inside.
"The guard shift changes in about ten minutes," Glen whispered. "That's when there's a gap the new guards come from inside, and for about thirty seconds, everyone's distracted."
Rudeus shook his head. "Too risky. If we go in the front, we're trapped. One way in, one way out." He scanned the building more carefully. "There."
He pointed to a side alley that ran along the building. It was narrow, barely wide enough for one person, and completely dark. But Rudeus had noticed something a window on the first floor, partially boarded up but with one board hanging loose.
"We go through there," Rudeus said.
"But that's not.. I haven't mapped that entrance. I don't know what's on the other side."
"Which means they probably don't guard it as carefully." Rudeus started moving, keeping low and staying in the shadows.
Glen followed, less gracefully. They made it to the entrance of the alley without incident. Rudeus paused, listening around No sounds of movement nor were there voices. He gestured for Glen to stay put and moved forward alone, testing each step before putting his weight down.
The alley smelled like rot and still water. The walls on either side were close enough that Rudeus could touch both at once. He reached the window and examined it carefully. The loose board could be removed quietly, and the window itself looked old enough that the latch might be easy to force.
He returned to Glen and gestured him forward. "Slowly," he mouthed.
Glen nodded and started into the alley. He made it about three steps before his foot hit something a loose piece of metal that clattered loudly in the enclosed space.
They both froze.
"Did you hear that?" one of the guards called out.
"Probably just a rat," the other replied.
"I'll check it out."
Footsteps approached the alley entrance. Rudeus's mind raced. They were too far in to retreat without being seen, but not far enough to reach the window. And Glen was standing there, paralyzed with fear, his eyes wide and panicked.
Rudeus made a split-second decision. He grabbed Glen by the collar and hauled him deeper into the alley, moving as quickly as he dared while still staying quiet. Glen stumbled, nearly falling, but Rudeus kept him upright with one hand while using the other to feel his way along the wall.
The guard's footsteps got closer. A lantern's light began to penetrate the darkness of the alley.
Rudeus reached a new window and didn't waste time being careful. He ripped the loose board free it made noise, but there was no help for it now and smashed his elbow through the glass. The sound was loud in the quiet night, but they were committed now.
"Hey!" the guard shouted.
Rudeus shoved Glen through the window first, practically throwing him into the darkness beyond. Glen yelped as he tumbled through, landing with a crash on the other side. Rudeus followed immediately, pulling himself through just as the guard reached the alley with his lantern raised.
They were in.
Rudeus rolled to his feet in one smooth motion, he used earth magic to reinforce the window so nobody could follow then. his hand already on his sheathed blade. They were in some kind of storage room crates and barrels stacked against the walls, everything covered in dust. Glen was on the floor, groaning and holding his shoulder.
"Get up," Rudeus hissed. "Now."
Outside, they could hear shouting. The guards had definitely heard them. They'd have maybe a minute before someone came to investigate this room.
Glen scrambled to his feet, and that's when Rudeus felt it something brushed against his side as Glen steadied himself. Something hard and metallic, concealed under Glen's shirt. It didn't feel like a weapon exactly. More like… a badge?
Rudeus's eyes narrowed, but there wasn't time to address it now. "Move," he ordered, heading for the door.
He pressed his ear against it first, listening. Footsteps in the hallway beyond, but they were moving away, toward the front entrance where the guards were presumably reporting the break-in. Rudeus eased the door open a crack and peered out.
The hallway was dimly lit by oil lamps spaced every twenty feet or so. The walls were bare wood, and there were several doors leading off the main corridor. At the far end, he could see stairs leading up and down.
"Which way?" Glen whispered, his voice shaky.
Rudeus was already analyzing the layout. The building was larger than it appeared from outside the hallway extended in both directions further than the building's exterior footprint should allow. Which meant either his estimation was off, or this connected to adjacent buildings. Probably the latter, which would explain how they controlled multiple properties they were all interconnected.
"Down," Rudeus decided. "Whatever they're hiding, they'll keep it in the basement, not where anyone might accidentally see it."
They moved quickly but carefully down the hallway. The floorboards were old and creaked with every step, but the sound of activity near the front entrance covered most of their noise. Rudeus kept his breathing steady, his senses sharp. Every door they passed, every corner they turned, could be a threat.
Glen was breathing hard, struggling to keep up. His physical conditioning was clearly poor he was already winded from just the run through the alley and climbing through the window. Rudeus filed that observation away. A researcher who spent weeks staking out a location should have better stamina…
They reached the stairs. Rudeus held up a hand, signaling Glen to wait, and descended the first few steps alone. The stairway turned at a landing, leading down into darkness. He couldn't see what was at the bottom, but he could smell it unwashed bodies and human waste. The smell of people living in terrible conditions.
He returned to Glen and gestured him to follow. They descended slowly, Rudeus testing each step for creaks. The darkness deepened as they went down, until the only light came from whatever filtered down from above.
At the bottom, they found themselves in a corridor lined with doors. Unlike upstairs, these doors had locks on the outside. Prison cells, essentially. And from behind several of them came sounds quiet sobbing, restless movement, whispered conversations.
Glen pulled out a small lantern from his satchel, keeping it shuttered to just a crack of light. "Oh god," he whispered. "There are so many…"
Rudeus moved to the nearest door and peered through the small barred window. Inside, he could see three women huddled on a single straw mattress, their clothes dirty and torn. They looked up at the light with expressions of terror and desperate hope.
"Please," one of them whispered. "Please help us."
Rudeus moved to the next cell. Two men, both young, both bearing bruises and signs of recent beatings. The next cell held an older woman, alone, rocking back and forth and muttering to herself.
"We need to document this," Glen said, pulling out his notebook. "We need evidence.."
"We need to keep moving," Rudeus interrupted. "We can't help them if we get caught."
He hated the words even as he said them, but they were true. They were outnumbered, and he didn't know the full layout of this place. A rescue attempt now would fail, and probably get everyone killed. They needed to gather information first, then come back with a plan.
Glen looked like he wanted to argue but nodded reluctantly. They continued down the corridor, passing cell after cell. Rudeus counted at least twenty people imprisoned down here, maybe more. All in various states of physical and mental distress.
At the end of the corridor, they found an unlocked room an office of some kind. Glen's lantern light revealed a desk covered in papers, filing cabinets lining the walls, and a large ledger book lying open.
"This is it," Glen breathed. "This is what we need."
Rudeus moved to the desk and began scanning the documents. They were contracts, just like Glen had described. But seeing them in detail made his blood run cold. The terms were predatory beyond anything he'd imagined. New arrivals were offered "employment opportunities" with "housing and meals provided." The prices for these services were listed in small print astronomical amounts that no laborer could ever hope to earn back.
But it got worse. There were additional fees for everything. "Uniform rental." "Tool usage." "Healthcare." Even "air quality maintenance" they were literally charging people for breathing in the building. And the interest rates compounded daily, not monthly or yearly. Anyone who signed these contracts would be trapped in debt that grew faster than they could possibly pay it off.
He found another stack of documents acquisition records. People who'd been "purchased" from other towns, other organizations. Some of the entries noted "family members held as collateral" or "threatened with violent action if attempting to leave."
This wasn't just debt bondage. This was slavery, dressed up in bureaucratic language to make it seem legitimate.
The ledger book was even more damning. It listed every person currently held in the facility, their "debt balance," and their work assignments. Rudeus scanned the entries quickly, committing names and numbers to memory. He had an excellent memory for details it was one of his few advantages in situations like this.
One entry caught his eye: "Nadia Cornelius - TRANSFERRED - debt assumed by N. Cornelius (sister)." And below it: "N. Cornelius (receptionist) - TERMINATED - contract unfulfilled."
So Glen was right. Nadia had traded herself for her sister, and then I had murdered her. The "contract unfulfilled" was clearly a sign that her sister might have to refufil this contract. A dark shadow covered Rudeus eyes as he looked downward.
"Rudeus, look at this." Glen had opened one of the filing cabinets and pulled out a folder. "This shows payments to the town guard. They're all complicit. The mayor, the guard captain, even some of the prominent merchants. They all get a cut of the profits."
Rudeus took the folder and flipped through it. Monthly payment records, going back years. The conspiracy ran deeper than he'd thought. This wasn't just the mayor's family this was an entire network of corruption that had infected the whole town's power structure.
He was about to examine another document when Glen suddenly grabbed his arm. "Someone's coming," he hissed. "I hear footsteps upstairs."
Rudeus strained to listen. Glen was right there were footsteps above them, and they were heading toward the stairs. Multiple people, moving with the intention of finding them. They'd been discovered, or someone was coming down for another reason.
"We need to leave. Now." Glen was already moving toward the door, his earlier calmness replaced by genuine panic.
Rudeus wanted to grab more documents, wanted to see everything in this office. They might not get another chance at this kind of access. But Glen was right staying would mean getting caught, and that would mean they couldn't help anyone.
He snatched up the ledger book and tucked it under his shirt, then grabbed two of the most damning contract documents. It wasn't everything, but it was something.
They slipped back into the corridor just as light appeared at the top of the stairs. Multiple lanterns, carried by multiple people descending. Rudeus grabbed Glen and pulled him into one of the alcoves between cells, pressing them both flat against the wall.
"Please," a voice whispered from the cell next to them. "Please don't leave us."
Rudeus's jaw clenched. He couldn't respond, couldn't risk making noise. The footsteps drew closer. Three men, from the sound of it, all wearing boots. Guards probably, doing a routine check or investigating the break-in upstairs.
The men reached the bottom of the stairs and began walking down the corridor, checking each cell. They were thorough, shining their lanterns into every window, counting the occupants.
"Everything looks normal down here," one of them said. "Whatever broke in upstairs didn't make it down here."
"Better check the office anyway," another replied. "The boss will have our asses if anything's missing."
They were going to discover the missing documents. Rudeus calculated the odds. Three guards, armed, in an enclosed space. He could probably take them, but not quietly. And any fight would bring more guards running.
Glen was trembling beside him, his breathing getting faster. He was on the verge of panic, and if he made a sound, they were finished.
Rudeus did the only thing he could think of. He pressed his hand firmly over Glen's mouth and nose, cutting off his air just enough to force him to focus on breathing slowly through his nose. It was uncomfortable but effective Glen's panicked breathing immediately slowed as survival instinct took over.
The guards entered the office. There was a pause, then angry cursing.
"The ledger's gone! And some of the contracts!"
"Shit. Sound the alarm. The intruders in the building have stolen secret documents."
A bell began ringing somewhere above them. Within seconds, they could hear doors opening, voices shouting, footsteps running.
The entire facility was about to be swarming with guards.
Rudeus released Glen's face and grabbed his collar instead. "We run. Stay with me, and don't stop for anything."
He didn't wait for Glen to acknowledge. He just moved, pulling the researcher along behind him. They sprinted back down the corridor, away from the stairs they'd come down. There had to be another way out a building this size, with this many people, would need multiple exits for fire safety at minimum.
Behind them, the guards gave chase. "Stop! Intruders!"
Rudeus ignored them, his mind working furiously. The corridor ended at a T-junction. Left or right? He chose left on instinct, following the slight draft he could feel moving air meant an opening somewhere.
They ran past more cells, the prisoners inside calling out in confusion and hope. The corridor twisted, and then Rudeus saw it a loading door at the far end, the kind used to bring in supplies. It was barred from the inside, but not locked.
He slammed into it full speed, lifting the bar and shoving the door open in one motion. They tumbled out into the night air, into another alley behind the building.
"Which way?" Glen gasped, completely disoriented.
Rudeus was already moving, dragging Glen with him. The alley opened onto a side street. He could hear guards pouring out of the building behind them, spreading out to search. They needed to get off the streets, get somewhere dark and hidden where they could disappear.
He spotted a gap between two buildings barely wide enough to squeeze through, but that was the point. He pushed Glen into it and followed, the walls pressing close on both sides. They moved through the gap, came out in a small courtyard, crossed it, and found another narrow passage.
They kept moving like this, using the spaces between buildings that most people forgot existed. Rudeus's sense of direction kept them generally heading south, back toward the main part of town. Behind them, the sounds of pursuit gradually faded as the guards searched the wrong areas.
Finally, when they were several blocks away and the immediate danger had passed, Rudeus pulled Glen into a doorway and signaled him to be quiet. They waited there for long minutes, catching their breath, listening for any sign of pursuit.
They heard nothing after a while. They'd lost them.
Glen slumped against the wall, his whole body shaking. and he was breathing like he'd run a marathon. Which, for someone in his poor physical condition, he basically had.
"That was…" Glen started, then had to pause to catch his breath. "That was insane. We almost died. Multiple times."
Rudeus said nothing, just watched the street and listened. His own breathing was elevated but controlled. His mind was already processing everything they'd seen, every detail of the facility's layout, every name in that ledger.
"But we made it," Glen continued, a slightly manic edge creeping into his voice. "We actually made it. And we got evidence!" He looked at Rudeus with something like awe. "The way you moved back there, the way you just… knew what to do. You're amazing, Rudeus. Truly amazing."
Rudeus finally looked at him. Glen's excitement seemed genuine, but there was something else underneath it. Something that made Rudeus remember that metallic object he'd felt earlier.
"We should split up," Rudeus said. "Less conspicuous. I'll take the documents back to my room, hide them. We'll meet tomorrow to decide what to do next."
"Right, right. Good thinking." Glen was grinning now, the fear apparently forgotten in his excitement. "Tomorrow at the guild? Same time as today?"
Rudeus nodded. Glen clasped his shoulder that same shoulder where Rudeus had felt something hard earlier, but whatever it was, it was gone now.
"Partners," Glen said earnestly. "We're really partners now, aren't we? After everything we just went through together. I mean, you saved my life back there. Multiple times."
"Tomorrow," Rudeus repeated, pulling away. "Get some rest."
He didn't wait for Glen to respond, just stepped out of the doorway and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Glen behind.
As he made his way back to the inn, Rudeus's mind was racing. The facility, the corruption, the sheer scale of the operation it was worse than he'd expected. But there was something else bothering him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. But for now he'd keep his observations quiet and think on it.
Rudeus touched the ledger hidden under his shirt. At least they had evidence now. Solid, undeniable proof of what was happening in that facility. The question was what to do with it.
He slipped back into the inn through a window he'd left unlocked earlier no point in going through the front door and being seen at this hour. His room was dark and quiet. Sylvia's bed was empty, her things still neatly arranged. She was probably out on whatever mission she'd taken with that other party.
Rudeus carefully hid the ledger and documents under a loose floorboard he'd discovered on their first night. Then he sat on his bed, his mind still processing everything.
Something was wrong. He couldn't shake that feeling. Glen's story made sense, the evidence was real, but there was something underneath it all that didn't quite fit. A missing piece they were missing.
But he was too tired to figure it out tonight. He lay back, fully clothed, one hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed blade.
Tomorrow he'd figure out what was really going on.
The next morning, Rudeus woke early and made his way to the guild. The sun was barely up, but the place was already showing signs of activity. A few early risers were checking the mission board, and the kitchen staff was preparing breakfast.
But Sylvia was nowhere to be seen.
Rudeus scanned the room systematically, checking every table, every corner. Her distinctive presence usually impossible to miss was simply absent.
"Looking for your partner?" Glen's voice came from behind him.
Rudeus turned to find Glen at a table near the back, looking remarkably well-rested for someone who'd spent half the night running from guards. He was dressed in clean clothes, his hair neatly combed, sipping coffee like nothing unusual had happened.
"She left about an hour ago," Glen continued cheerfully. "Took a mission with a party heading east. Clearing out some bandits that have been harassing merchant caravans. Should be gone most of the day."
Rudeus sat down across from him without being invited. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep. Too excited about last night." Glen leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I've been thinking about our next move. We have evidence now, but we need to decide who to show it to. The town guard is compromised, obviously. The mayor too. We need to go higher maybe send word to the regional governor, or—"
"What was in your shirt last night?" Rudeus interrupted.
Glen blinked. "What?"
"When I grabbed you in the alley. There was something metal under your shirt. What was it?"
Glen's cheerful expression was still present. "Metal? I don't… oh! You must have felt my hip flask. I always carry one for emergencies. Dutch courage and all that." He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small silver flask. "See? Though I have to admit, I forgot I even had it until just now. Could have used a sip when we were running for our lives."
Rudeus watched him carefully. The explanation was plausible. The flask looked real, looked worn from use.
"Where are the documents?" Glen asked. "Did you hide them somewhere safe?"
"Safe enough."
"Good, good. Because I've been thinking we need to make copies. Can't risk having only one set. If something happens to the originals, all that risk would be for nothing." Glen pulled out his notebook, already filled with new observations and ideas. "And we should probably go back. There was so much more in that office we didn't get a chance to examine. If we're careful, if we wait a few days for things to calm down—"
"No."
Glen looked up, surprised. "No?"
"We're not going back. Not without a plan, and not without more people. What we did last night was reckless. We got lucky." Rudeus kept his tone flat, factual. "Next time we won't be."
"But the people down there—"
"Will still be there whether we rush in stupidly or take time to plan properly." Rudeus cut him off. "We have evidence. Now we need to figure out how to use it effectively. Running back into the same place they'll be expecting us is suicide."
Glen deflated slightly but nodded. "You're right. Of course you're right. I'm just… I'm impatient. Knowing those people are suffering, knowing we could help them…"
"We will help them. By being smart." Rudeus gestured to Glen's notebook. "Show me everything you have. All your research, all your observations. If we're going to do this, I need to see the complete picture."
Glen's face brightened immediately, and he began laying out his notes maps, timelines, observations about guard patterns and the comings and goings of the facility. As he talked, Rudeus listened and watched, committing it all to memory while simultaneously looking for inconsistencies, for anything that didn't quite add up.
Because despite everything they'd discovered last night, despite the genuine horror of what was happening in that facility, Rudeus knew that if he wanted to save these people he'd have to take it slow.