CHPT 154: The new Guild.
Claude walked for over an hour, talking with Arne about the Darkways and what could be inside before he passed the last building that was recognizable to him. He was officially in South SkyHaven.
As soon as he realized he was, he remembered his father telling him the South of SkyHaven wasn't always a part of the city— but a place that later became part of SkyHaven as the city grew from the money gained by Hero's accomplishments and good business in the North.
Where the North was recognized by its well made brick buildings and aesthetically pleasing stone streets lined with performers and merchants, the South was something entirely different.
He didn't know when it happened but the stone street he traversed became cracked and lined with soot or crushed cigarette buds that burned his sensitive nose. The tall and narrow apartments that stood cramped in between shabby places of business matched the vibe of the cracked and polluted street.
"I didn't expect the South to be so different from the North..." Claude said as he glanced down an alleyway lined with people cocoon wrapped in blankets and surrounded by filth and broken bottles.
"[This happens quite often. Areas with no Guild simply can't function properly. The reason the North is doing so well is because of the high amount of Heroes. Not only do they bring
money into the area from Tangent completion, but they also bring people who want to be safe....]"
"Then those people spend their money in said area and everything grows." Claude finished.
"[Exactly. This area seems to have a low number of Heroes— thus explaining the piss poor conditions of the area. Although I will say, I'm surprised money from the North hasn't spread to the rest of the city.]"
"Yea. I don't know much about all this, but it definitely doesn't look right." Claude agreed as he continued to walk down the roughed up street lit by flickering torch lights while others already went out completely.
He walked for a few more minutes before he saw another person that led him to believe he was in the Hero's area of the South— if it even had one.
Ahead of him, a man crossed an intersection and was swallowed up by the dark alleyways of the city. One thing Claude was sure of was that he was a Hero.
The man was tall, almost 6'4 so around Claude's height. A pair of Katana like swords were sheathed at his back and a long black cloak hid his smooth movements. The last thing he saw before the man vanished into the dark ahead of him was the blood red interior of his cloak and the clean white glimmer of the Silver rank tag he wore.
"[Hm. I guess there are Heroes here. Weird.]" Arne commented.
After a few seconds, Claude found himself standing at the intersection in the street he saw the fellow Night Runner cross earlier.
His nose twitched as the air took on a foul aftertaste. It wasn't exactly a smell or distinct scent— but his senses responded to the difference that hung over the area like a sheet of.....wrongness.
He noticed Frosty felt it as well from the wariness the PitWolf communicated to him through their link.
He focused his hearing and tried to make out any sounds in the silent street.
It only took a few seconds for the faint sound of footsteps and chit chat ahead of him to get his legs moving.
A bit further down the street, the noise reached as loud as it would from where he was— but so did the odd vibe. It was now distinct in nature and feeing. Goosebumps popped into existence all down his arms and a foul taste rose from his throat and into his mouth.
These odd feelings increased once his eyes fell on a building that stuck out like a sore thumb on the quiet broken street.
The style of the building was gothic— much like the University with individual portions of the place topped by pointed rooftops and one large main building at the center with a rounded roof. He froze when his eyes scanned over the name of the building.
"M-MidKnight....Wardens?" He whispered quietly.
"[Whats the matter? It's good that a Guild has recently moved in. They'll indirectly better the quality of life here.]" Arne said as Claude noticed the caution tape and missing parts where the place was still being built.
"These were the last people my Father worked with before he was changed....and murdered. The last Guild to accompany him inside a Tangent to do his studies was the MidKnight Wardens. They made him incredibly uneasy— I remember it so well. They moved in around the time I was Reborn and seemed to be giving away odd weapons." Claude explained, remembering his fathers fear stricken face and the smooth black spear inside Bargrins Blades.
"[Its not unheard of for new Guilds to commit acts of kindness when they move in. But I will say, we're hearing an unnatural amount of activity inside the building. They seem to have a high number of Night Runners. Interesting.]" Arne pointed out.
Right after his guide spoke, the large black wooden round doors of the main building swung open and out came two female Night Runners.
".....I know! It gave me such a rush!"
"Those Lizardmen died so—...." The Night Runner trailed off after they both noticed Claude standing in the distance.
They stopped and eyed him wearing wicked smiles and tight leather armor before walking off in the opposite direction.
"I bet you he's pretty handsome without the mask. Hehe." One of the Night Runners said.
"Pfffhahah! You see his rank? What could he do for you? He looked dirt poor."
"[Ouch. This is why I said we need to go shopping.]"
Claude felt his self consciousness rising through the roof as he reflexively wiggled his toes inside the ripped mess that was his shoes.
He looked back at them angrily, immediately noticing the Gold rank tags that dangled from their shoulders as they walked away, smiling and laughing like hyenas in the night.
The sight made him realize something odd.
"I haven't seen a single Bronze Night Runner here— even though I've only seen three Night Runners it's still odd. Where did this Guild even come from?" He asked himself.
"[Thats a good question. Start up Guilds don't usually start out...this well. There's definitely something weird about this place.]"
Claude looked at the building a while longer while he listened to the people inside before he finally had enough of the uncomfortable feeling the place invoked.
"Eh. It's not my concern right now. Hopefully I never have to run into any of them. Let's go Frosty." He said before the two closed the rest of the distance to the gate moving at a light jog, eager to get to the Darkways and do some good.