The morning after the "Sacred Ground" event, Oakhaven felt less like a farm and more like a dreamscape.
Valeria stood on the porch, sipping tea made from Spirit Wheat and melted snow. In the yard, translucent, glowing rabbits were hopping through the snowdrifts. A spectral stag with antlers made of mist was rubbing its head against the stone wall Ignis had built.
"It is peaceful," Lucian whispered, sitting on the railing next to her. A glowing blue sparrow landed on his finger. "They don't make noise."
"Peaceful doesn't pay the bills," Valeria muttered, though she didn't shoo the spirits away.
She opened her System Ledger.
Assets:
Gold: 0.
Silver: 58 coins (Bram's bag).
Inventory: 1x Alpha Frost Core, 3x Stalker Pelts, 50 lbs of Spirit Wheat, 1x Silent Crossbow.
Needs:
Salt (Critical).
Oil (Critical).
Cloth (for winter gear).
Iron ingots (for more ballista bolts).
"We are asset rich and cash poor," Valeria announced. "We have a fortune in monster parts and magical crops, but we're eating boiled wheat without salt."
Kael stepped out of the house. He was back in his human form, though he looked different than before. He was broader, his skin had a faint, healthy sheen, and his movements were heavier, more grounded.
"We need to go to market," Kael said. "But the village won't trade with us. Miller has poisoned the well."
"We aren't going to the village," Valeria said, finishing her tea. "We're going to Fort Riven."
Ignis, who was reading a book by the fire inside, choked on his own tea. He limped to the door.
"Fort Riven?" the Dragon exclaimed. "That is the regional capital! It is crawling with Guild agents, Temple Paladins, and the Duke's soldiers. Walking in there is suicide."
"Walking in as 'Elise the Beggar' is suicide," Valeria corrected. "Walking in as 'Madame V, the Alchemist' is a business opportunity."
She turned to them. "The letter we sent has stirred up a hornet's nest. The city will be in chaos. Chaos is the best time to sell weapons and medicine."
She tossed a heavy fur cloak to Kael.
"Suit up, Tiger. You're my bodyguard. Ignis, get your monocle. You're my appraiser. Silas, Caspian, Lucian - you hold the fort. If the spirits get spooked, shoot whatever is spooking them."
The journey to Fort Riven took four hours by sleigh.
The road was treacherous, buried under drifts, but Kael drove the horses with a terrifying competence. His Metal Attribute allowed him to reinforce the sleigh's runners, making them glide over ice without cracking.
As the walls of Fort Riven came into view, Valeria felt a knot of tension.
It was a grim city. Built from grey stone and black iron, it sat at the base of the Northern Mountains like a clenched fist. Smoke rose from a thousand chimneys.
But today, the smoke was thicker.
"Look at the gates," Ignis whispered from beneath his hood.
The city gates were heavily guarded. Not by the usual town watch, but by men in white armor with silver sashes.
"Paladins," Valeria noted. "The Temple has locked down the city."
"They are searching for the 'Wolf Prince'," Ignis murmured. "Our letter worked too well."
"Just stay in character," Valeria said.
She pulled her hood up. She had used a Disguise Kit from the Library (cost: 5 mana points) to alter her appearance slightly. Her hair was now black instead of brown, and a fake scar ran along her jawline. She looked dangerous.
They rolled up to the gate. A Paladin stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of a sword.
"Halt. State your business."
"Trade," Valeria said, her voice dropping an octave. "Alchemical supplies and rare furs."
The Paladin eyed Kael. Even sitting down, Kael was massive. He wore a full face covering, leaving only his golden eyes visible.
"Remove the mask," the Paladin ordered.
Kael didn't move.
"He doesn't speak," Valeria lied smoothly. "And he doesn't show his face. Burn victim. Alchemy accident. Very tragic. Very ugly."
The Paladin grimaced. "Fine. Entry tax is two silver."
Valeria flicked two coins at him. He caught them and waved them through.
As the sleigh rumbled onto the cobblestones, Ignis let out a breath. "That was close. If he had seen Kael's tiger ears..."
"He didn't," Valeria said. "Now, where is this 'Broken Coin' shop you mentioned?"
Fort Riven was a powder keg.
Squads of Temple soldiers marched down the main street, glaring at anyone who looked like a Guild member. Conversely, groups of rough-looking mercenaries, likely Guild hires, loitered in alleys, hands on weapons.
Civilians hurried by with their heads down.
"The economy of fear," Valeria observed. "Everyone is buying locks, swords, and food. Prices will be triple."
They navigated the back alleys until they found a nondescript shop with a sign depicting a cracked gold coin.
Ignis limped to the door and knocked. A specific rhythm: Knock-knock... pause... knock.
A slide shutter opened. A pair of suspicious eyes peered out.
"Ignis?" a voice rasped. "You're supposed to be dead. Or a rug."
"I am neither, Gric," Ignis said haughtily. "Open the door. I have a client."
The bolts slid back.
They entered a dimly lit shop that smelled of old spice and dust. The owner, Gric, was a goblin - short, green-skinned, with ears like bat wings and nimble fingers covered in rings.
Gric looked at Ignis, then at Kael, then settled his gaze on Valeria.
"Who's the dame?" Gric asked, climbing onto his stool behind a high counter.
"Madame V," Ignis introduced. "She owns the contract on my life. And the Tiger's."
Gric whistled. "Owned by a human? How the mighty have fallen, General."
Ignis's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Valeria stepped forward. She placed a heavy sack on the counter.
"I'm not here for small talk," she said. "I'm here to liquidate assets."
She opened the sack.
The blue glow of the Alpha Frost Core illuminated the dingy shop.
Gric's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He scrambled for his loupe.
"Frost Core," Gric whispered. "C-Rank. Pure. No cracks. Where in the hells did you get this?"
"Pest control," Valeria said. "I also have the pelt. And the fangs."
Gric looked at her with new respect. Or perhaps, fear. To kill an Alpha Stalker required a platoon of soldiers. She had walked in with one bodyguard and a cripple.
"I can give you... sixty gold," Gric offered.
"Eighty," Ignis cut in sharp. "Market price is one hundred. We are giving you a twenty percent margin for your 'trouble' in moving it."
Gric narrowed his eyes at Ignis. "You haven't lost your edge, Lizard. Fine. Seventy-five. Final offer."
"Deal," Valeria said. "But I don't want it all in gold. I need supplies."
She handed him a list.
10 Barrels of Salt.
5 Casks of Lamp Oil.
100 yards of heavy wool and linen.
Refined Iron Ingots (200 lbs).
Blackpowder (if available).
Gric read the list. He looked up. "Blackpowder? Iron? This isn't a shopping list, lady. This is a war supply manifest."
"It's a rough winter," Valeria smiled thinly. "Can you fill it?"
"I can fill it," Gric muttered. "But getting it out of the city is your problem. The Paladins are searching every wagon."
"I'll handle the Paladins," Valeria said. "Just load the goods."
While Gric's goblin assistants loaded the sleigh in the back alley, Valeria stood by the counter.
"News," she said, placing a silver coin on the wood. "What is happening in the city?"
Gric snatched the coin.
"It's a mess," he said, lowering his voice. "Three days ago, the Temple raided a logging camp up north. Burned it to the ground. Said they found proof of 'Soulless Trafficking'."
"And the Guild?"
"Furious," Gric grinned. "But scared. A Guild Handler went missing in the same area. Rumor is, the Duke of Ironclad had him killed."
Valeria's eyebrow twitched. Good. The rumors are spreading.
"The Duke is in town," Gric added. "At the Iron Keep. He's calling for a tribunal against the Guild. If he gets his way, the Beast Taming Guild will be outlawed in this region."
"Interesting," Valeria murmured.
Suddenly, the front door burst open.
Kael spun around, hand on his concealed axe.
Three men walked in. They wore the leather armor of the Guild, but they weren't wearing badges. Mercenaries.
"Shop's closed, Gric," the leader sneered. He had a scar running through his lip. "We're doing a collection. War tax."
Gric paled. "I paid the Guild yesterday!"
"Price went up," the mercenary said. He looked at Valeria. "Who's this? Another customer? Maybe she can pay your share."
He reached out to grab Valeria's cloak.
"Don't," Kael growled. The sound was deep, vibrating through the floorboards.
The mercenary laughed. "The big guy talks. Cute mask."
He drew a dagger.
Valeria sighed. "I really hate bullies."
She activated the Merchant's Monocle.
[Target: Hired Thug. Level 5.]
[Weakness: Left knee (previous injury).]
"Kael," she said softly. "Don't kill him. We don't want blood on the merchandise."
"Understood," Kael said.
The mercenary lunged.
Kael moved. He didn't draw a weapon. He stepped inside the dagger guard, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted.
SNAP.
The mercenary screamed as his wrist broke. Kael spun him around and kicked the back of his left knee. The leg buckled with a sickening crunch.
The man hit the floor, wailing.
The other two thugs froze. They looked at the massive, masked figure who had just dismantled their leader in one second.
"Get him out," Kael ordered. "Before I break the other one."
The thugs didn't argue. They grabbed their sobbing leader and dragged him out the door.
Gric stared at Kael, then at Valeria.
"You..." Gric stammered. "You just assaulted a Guild squad. They'll be back with twenty men."
"Then we should leave," Valeria said calmly. "Is the sleigh loaded?"
"Yes! Just go!" Gric shoved a heavy pouch of gold coins into her hand. "And don't tell anyone you were here!"
They drove the sleigh out of the back alley, heavily laden with barrels and crates covered in tarps.
"That was reckless," Ignis hissed as they merged into the street traffic. "Satisfying, but reckless."
"It established reputation," Valeria said. "Gric will talk. He'll tell people that 'Madame V' has a bodyguard who breaks bones like twigs. Fear is a currency, Ignis."
They approached the city gates to leave.
But the gates were closed.
A crowd of angry traders and carts was blocked by a line of Paladins.
"Gate is sealed!" a Captain shouted. "By order of the High Priestess! We have received intelligence that a Guild shipment of illegal artifacts is trying to leave the city. All wagons will be searched!"
Valeria's heart skipped a beat.
"Illegal artifacts," she whispered. "Like... a C-Rank Frost Core?"
"Or," Ignis said, looking pale, "Like a Tiger Beastman?"
If they searched the sleigh, they would find the supplies. Suspicious, but legal. But if they made Kael take off his mask...
"We can't turn around," Kael said. "It looks suspicious."
"Hold," Valeria said. She scanned the crowd.
She saw a carriage near the front of the line. It was black iron, bearing a crest: A Gauntlet gripping a Hammer.
[Target: Carriage of the Duke of Ironclad.]
"The Duke," Valeria realized. "He's trying to leave too."
She had an insane idea.
"Ignis," she said. "Take the reins. Kael, stay down."
Valeria jumped off the sleigh. She adjusted her hood and walked straight toward the Duke's carriage, weaving through the angry crowd.
"Halt!" A Duke's guard blocked her path. "Back away, citizen."
"I have a message for His Grace," Valeria said, her voice steady. "Regarding the 'Wolf in the Woods'."
The guard froze. "What did you say?"
"Tell him Madame V knows where the missing Handler went," she lied. "And tell him I have the crossbow to prove it."
The guard looked at her, then turned to the carriage window. He whispered something.
The black curtain moved. A face appeared.
It was an older man, scarred, with steel-grey hair and eyes like flint. The Duke of Ironclad.
He looked at Valeria.
"Let her approach," the Duke commanded.
Valeria walked to the window.
"You have thirty seconds," the Duke rumbled. "Before I have you arrested for wasting my time."
"I don't need thirty," Valeria said. "I need safe passage out of this gate. In exchange, I will tell you that the Guild Handler you are looking for isn't missing. He's dead. Killed by a trap near the Oakhaven ridge."
The Duke's eyes narrowed. "And how do you know this?"
"Because I found his crossbow," Valeria said. "And I saw the letter he wrote."
"The letter implicating me," the Duke said dangerously.
"A forgery," Valeria said. "To frame you. I can prove it."
The Duke studied her. He saw the intelligence in her violet eyes. He saw the lack of fear.
"You are playing a dangerous game, girl."
"I'm a merchant, Your Grace," Valeria smiled. "Risk is part of the job."
The Duke leaned back.
"Captain!" he shouted to the Paladin at the gate. "This sleigh is part of my convoy! Let them through!"
The Paladin hesitated, then bowed. "Yes, Your Grace!"
Valeria bowed to the Duke. "Pleasure doing business."
She ran back to the sleigh and hopped on.
"Go," she whispered to Ignis. "Follow the carriage."
As they rolled out of the city, flanked by the Duke's iron-clad knights, Ignis looked at her as if she were a ghost.
"You just blackmailed a Duke," Ignis whispered.
"No," Valeria corrected, patting the bag of gold in her lap. "I just secured our first political alliance."