[System] Narrate a dark fantasy text adventure. The setting is harsh and morally complex. Describe scenes vividly, react to player choices with fitting consequences, and never shy away from the reality of the world.

[User] You shoot

[Assistant]
These people are already trying to kill you in broad daylight in front of people, all bets are fucking off.

You sit up and pull out your pistol which causes the closest thug's eyes to widen.

"Shi…" is all he utters before you blast him in the chest.

As he falls, his comrade has already turned and ran, but you fire off another shot as soon as you stand back up and land a hit to the back of his skull.

The one you hit in the chest lies bleeding, clutching his blood soaked shirt and still convulsing. He's dying, but you're not waiting that long and shoot him in the head.

You pass by the other one you shot in the back of the head and towards the one still screaming about his leg. Except now, he's not crying about his leg now so much as he's begging for mercy.

"Wait! Stop! If you kill me, the Ebony Claw Syndicate will continue to hound you! Let me live and I can…" he says before you interrupt.
"Fuck you. You're nobody important and I'd wager the ECS would look MORE favorable on me by culling their ranks of pieces of shit that can't even do their job right." You say, and then shoot him twice in the head.

With your last assailant dead, you grab your dagger out of his leg and get the hell out of the area since you've become more aware of your surroundings which are people screaming, yelling and generally running away. While this place might be a crime cesspit, the fact that you openly killed three Ebony Claw members in front of everyone (Which is something at least one of them was trying to avoid doing to you) you probably look crazier than the usual type of criminal around here, especially since you aren't even in the worst part of the city.

Besides all that, you don't exactly have any protection from the Holgard Watch so they aren't likely to just look away in your case.

You take several side streets and even backtrack a few times, before you eventually just go down one of the sewer openings in the hopes of hiding for a while.

You actually wander down there for a while since it isn't like you're an expert in navigating your way around in the sewers. You run into a few bums, some really destitute Blue Dream junkies, and some oversized fauna, but nobody of any major importance.

Eventually you get to a part of the sewer that seems familiar from the last time you were here and you make your way back up.

When you exit, you find that you're not too far from Hell's Own Inn, so you get back there as soon as possible since you think you need to reconsider an option you were given earlier.

You head straight to Yinen who assumes you're to meet him for business as usual.

"Hey, I got those bullets and that cleaning kit you wanted." Sinin says.
"Yeah, that's great, I might be needing that soon, look I gotta talk to you. Garrick approached me a couple days ago." You say.
"Yeah I know, I told him that I didn't think you'd be interested in joining…wait I hope you're not mad at me for not telling you about having connections to the Guild. I assumed you probably knew somewhere in the back of your mind and I wasn't supposed to be announcing that anyway."
"Shut up for a minute, I'm trying to tell you that I want to join."
"You do?"
"Yeah, Garrick told me to talk to you if I changed my mind."
"Oh, okay. Yeah sure, what caused you to change your mind?"
"I dunno, I guess the safety in numbers thing. So when do I get to go to the big hideout?"
"Hold on there! Just because you join doesn't mean you get to go to the main base of operations. If every new recruit got to go there after they joined, the ECS probably would have discovered its location by capturing and torturing one of them. There's also a process of weeding out potential spies. Certainly hope you didn't run off and join the ECS and then hope to get in good with them by doing that."
"I don't think the ECS is going to let me join anytime soon considering I just shot three of them."
"You what?"
"Three of them jumped me and I had to defend myself."
"Are they dead?"
"I certainly hope so since I shot them all in the head to make sure."

You explain in a little more detail about what happened and Yinen starts to look more concerned.

"Shit. Man, you're going to definitely be marked now. I'm surprised you didn't just leave the city." Sinin says.
"I thought about it as I was stomping around the sewers, but what good would that do? If the ECS is going to be as pissed at me as I think they'll probably be, it's not like they won't send assassins after me elsewhere. If I'm here and join you guys at least there's a chance." You respond.
"Honestly, sometimes I wonder, but I guess I shouldn't talk like that. Shit, I can't believe that you…well I'll definitely inform Garrick. I can't say if this is going to get you into the Guild lair itself, but it probably will make Garrick look favorably upon you. Just stay in this inn for a while, , all your food and drink will be taken care of. Someone more important than me will contact you. Here, take your bullets and kit while you're at it."

You take your stuff and head to your room where you immediately reload your pistol and start organizing your belongings and items, just in case you need to leave in a hurry.

You spend a lot of time in your room basically pacing the floor, wondering if you've made the right decision, but you try not to think about it too much since it's done now and you'll hopefully have new allies that will at least watch your back.

Eventually you get tired of being in your room and decide to go take advantage of your free food and drink.

You find an empty table, put your back against the wall and partake in your meal. You constantly watch the door expecting trouble to come in.

Of course while you were so busy watching the door, you completely didn't notice the person coming up to your table and sits down across from you.

It's the woman that was with Garrick earlier. You still can't quite make out her face, it's as if the hood completely shrouds it in darkness. The white hair still peaks out though.

As she sits across from you, she says nothing. She just stares. Or at least you assume she's staring at you, you can't see her eyes.

"Hey. I remember you. You're Garrick's friend. Guess you're the one he sent to contact me." You say.

You get no answer.

You take a drink and try again.

"Um, never did get your name."

No answer.

You wait for a little while expecting something, but just silence. You're a little on edge as it is, so you fall back to mild churlishness.

"So…is this silent act supposed to shed more light on whether or not I'm in the Guild or not or are you just fascinated by my good looks?"

Suddenly a dagger comes short of severing the finger from your hand while the woman reaches over the table to grab you by your shirt. She's a lot stronger than she would appear since you're partially yanked out of your seat towards her.

You finally see her face due to being so close to her now. She's quite pretty. Unnaturally alluring might be a more accurate word, but obviously she isn't entirely human. Besides her hair being pure white, her eyes now give away an otherworldly appearance and right now her eyes are glowing a reddish color and look like they could twist mithril with the stare they're giving you.

"Listen up, because I'm only saying this once! Maybe Garrick thinks you're an asset to the Guild, but I'm not convinced. You better show me something better than the pitiful displays you've shown since you got here." She says.

Every logical fiber of your being tells you that you should just shut the fuck up, but maybe it's your nerves or you feel like this is some sort of test or maybe its this woman herself…but whatever the reason… you don't shut the fuck up.

"So, been watching me since I got here huh? Good to know."

You see her roll her eyes and she releases you and sits back down.

"Please, I didn't even know about you until recently and that's only because you and that lowly halfbreed foolishly went and half assed robbed a rich Neroth cultist." the woman says.
"Hey that wasn't my idea." You point out.
"Well then you're shit at picking a partner and I question your wisdom."
"Okay, fair, but I'd say I made the best of the situation AND got out of there without getting caught."
"So what? You ended up saving a whore who then blabbed to her fellow whores about the so-called noble thief that saved her life! You do realize that you're probably not JUST on the ECS hit list, but you've probably just made enemies with certain members of what passes for the aristocracy around here along with a cult of fanatics."
"So what you're saying is I should have just left the girl to get tortured and killed. I'll remember that for next time."
"What I'm saying is it was fucking sloppy and you're not half as good as you think you are."
"Okay, but I know I can't be as bad as you're making out either. If I was so horrible, your boss wouldn't be considering me."
"First off, Garrick is NOT my fucking boss. I don't have a boss. Second, if you were any worse, I'd seriously be questioning Garrick's decision on this. Arguably the ONLY thing in your favor as far as I'm concerned is the fact you killed three ECS members. And you did that sloppy as well and it isn't making me inclined to impress me any more than when I first had the displeasure of laying eyes on you."

This girl REALLY dislikes you to a point where you're almost wondering if you did something to her personally or something. Then again you've had people try to kill you for less.

Yet…you can't help it…there's something about her that just…

"Well I hope I can impress you in the future since now that I have laid eyes upon your lovely face, I can definitely say that it has not been a displeasure."

The hooded woman sits back a bit as if you've actually succeeded in making her slightly uncomfortable.

"Maybe you feeble charm works on whores, but you'll find that I'm unimpressed by such attempts." She says dismissively.
"Maybe I need to try harder then." You respond.

At this point you succeed in making her angry again, she actually sits up and snatches her dagger out of the table and waves it at you.

"And maybe you need to learn your limitations." she exclaims.
"Maybe I'm just setting my sights higher. If I'm joining your Guild, I'm going to have to be better than I am. That means taking more risks even when there is potential danger."

You look at her dead serious when you say this. You actually don't even know where all this is coming from honestly. It's almost like you're under a spell. The hooded woman doesn't even acknowledge what you're saying.

"Tomorrow night, be prepared to go on a job with a Guild member. A REAL Guild member. He will meet you here and from there we'll see if we need to waste anymore time with you." She says.
"It won't be you? A pity, well I'll be looking forward to the day when we can do a job together." You respond.

Without even realizing it, you've touched her other hand that's on the table.

She of course immediately notices this and for a split second she probably considers breaking or stabbing your hand, but instead she just pulls her hand away and then steps back from the table altogether.

"You…you are not going to last that long." She says and then leaves.

As soon as she steps out of the inn, you sit there in a daze for a while, but then you suddenly snap out of it.

"What the fuck was wrong with me? I could have gotten myself killed, flirting like that."

You briefly wonder if maybe you drank too much, but that definitely wasn't it. You'd say it was the woman herself that was causing you to do that, but she didn't seem like she wanted anything to do with you on that front.

You head back to your room and you can't get your mind off of her. You'd visit a brothel, but that didn't work out so well last time. So you take the matter in hand…

By the time the tomorrow night rolls around, you're sort of glad to meet up with the other Guild member since you're hoping it will clear your mind.

The Guild member in question calls himself Sneaks. He's an older man, though certainly still younger than Garrick. Says he's been friends with Garrick for a long time and also mentions that he hopes you're as promising as he's heard.

The job that you and Sneaks are to perform doesn't sound all that difficult, which is just as well since you're still having problems focusing. When he asks if you have any questions, you just have one and that's what's the name of the hooded woman who spoke to you yesterday.

Immediately Sneaks shakes his head.

"Oh for…you saw her face and looked straight into her eyes didn't you? Fuck. Well that explains why she came back all pissed off and not very talkative yesterday. Though she's surly at the best of times. It's a temporary effect kid, try to just focus on the job okay?"
"I don't understand."

Sneaks sighs a bit.

"Okay, real quick. Her name is Tanya and if you want to make yourself happy, you will NOT pursue that one. Just forget about her. I know it's difficult right now, but you'll be better off. Trust me." Sneaks says.
"Is she involved with someone else?" you ask.
"Not exactly, but…look she's got some demon blood in her. I mean surely you realized that she wasn't quite human right?"
"Well yeah, but demon didn't come to mind, but so what? I don't care, I want to get to know her…"
"Hah! I know how YOU want to get to know her! Trust me, you aren't the first to try, and you probably won't be the last, but so far every guy I've seen try has failed. Just walk away. Now get your mind off her ass and back to business."

While Sneaks' advice is well meaning, it wasn't exactly Tanya's ass that was clouding your mind, but rather her face. Fortunately Sneaks is also correct in that the effect does seem to dissipate.

As for the job, it goes a lot better than the one you did with Warts that's for sure.

Sneaks says that it'll still be awhile before you're allowed to actually go to the Guild proper, he says that as long as you keep up the good work, you'll eventually get to see it.

However, at this point you just want to see Tanya again. Looks like she didn't leave your thoughts completely.

Probably for the best that she's still lingering in your mind, because if you really thought about just how deep of shit you probably are as far as powerful enemies you've made, you'd probably be a lot more depressed.

[User] You time passes...

[Assistant]
Year 18

"Yep, Garrick's been very impressed with you. I'd say a few more jobs and you'll finally get invited to where all the magic takes place." Sneaks says.
"I can hardly wait." You say.
"Well geez son, don't sound so enthusiastic. Last year you kept asking me if you were any closer to getting into the Guild headquarters."
"Last year, I was still a bit more optimistic about my choice in joining the guild."
"Oh? And how exactly did we fail you your majesty?"
"That's not exactly what I mean, but if we're going that route, I just thought I'd be doing slightly better while aligned with you lot."

Sneaks starts laughing.

"Well that's your first problem right there. Joining a criminal organization that's currently feuding with another one isn't exactly a stable future son." Sneaks says.
"I know that too, it's just…okay…I'm just a little concerned that we aren't doing too much directly against the Ebony Claw Syndicate. I mean shouldn't we be doing something more to decrease their power? Their presence hasn't exactly decreased in the city and if anything it has only gotten stronger." You respond.
"I dunno about that, I'd say they're probably struggling like everyone else currently. If they were truly stronger in presence they'd be directly attacking us and some of our hangouts more often."
"Well that's still a problem since it's still not progress, it's just keeping the status quo."
"So, what are you going to do? Shoot them all?"
"Well considering how many I have shot, I'd say it's not a bad plan. Not to mention it's something I could have easily done on my own."
"And you would have been dead already on your own. But if you really feel like you could do better on your own then nothing is holding back from leaving. Why stay?"
"Because obviously I'm still an optimistic idiot."
"I don't believe that, I believe its MORE likely you're just sticking around because you're an infatuated idiot."
"What?"
"Don't play dumb with me, I know you still got a thing for Tanya after I told you to just walk away. I remember when we all had to work on that job together three months ago, I swear at one point with how hard you were starin' at her, I thought you were going to whip your dick out and start wackin' it right there."

You laugh at that remark.

"You laugh because you know it's true." Sneaks says.
"Yeah well it certainly is a better reason than anything else I could come up with, and I'm not totally convinced that goal isn't at least as possible as wiping out the ECS as a force in this city." You respond.
"I dunno about that. You've at least killed Ebony Claw members, you haven't even gotten a kind word from Tanya yet."
"Yes I did! She said she couldn't believe I was still alive and that I had to be the idiot bastard son of Yag eternally blessed with more luck than actual ability."
"Hm. Well actually coming from her that IS a kind word. Congrats. At the risk of inflating your ego even more…and she'd probably kill me if I told you…she actually would somewhat agree with you on your views about the Ebony Claw. She sort of wishes we took the fight more to them too. Actually you could probably count me in that group as well."
"So why the hell aren't we doing more then and why isn't Garrick being pro-active?"
"He actually is, just not in the way you think. He thinks an all out gang war would be a mistake due to them having the numbers. He might be right, I don't know. But all that shit we steal and the Guild gets a cut of? That doesn't all just go towards equipment and extra casks of booze for the headquarters. Some of that money goes towards more important things like bribes, paying off the Watch and getting a few underpaid bean counters on our side to muddle paper work on occasion."
"Well that's great and all, but how's that fuck up the Ebony Claw?"
"It doesn't, but it keeps a balance. You don't think they don't do the same thing? Try to manipulate the law in their favor? The only reason why the Holgard Watch doesn't mess with either side much is because they're taking bribes from both sides. They got best racket in this city. They practically never even have to do their fucking jobs! Garrick HOPES that one day he'll be able to manipulate the right people that will cripple the EC, but I can say right now, he's doomed to failure, because at his core, he's too fucking nice. Bribery only gets you so far. To do what he wants to do, he'd need to rely more on blackmail and extortion, which isn't something he's too fond of getting heavily into."
"Surprised nobody's tried to kill him and take power from him."
"I said he's nice, not a pussy. There have been a few who have tried over the years, mostly before the EC established a greater presence, but the man isn't unskilled in the ways of defending himself. Besides the Thieves Guild isn't the Ebony Claw and because Garrick is so fucking nice, people generally like him enough that they'd rather keep him as head of the organization. Not to mention we don't exactly have the most ambitious bunch in the Guild. Most of the really ruthless, kill their own mother types to get ahead join the EC. We're not Joachimites, but I'd still wager that most of us in the Guild have just a few more scruples than the average EC member."
"Yeah, well scruples doesn't win wars."
"No argument there. Look kid, I'm not sure what to tell you, except I do hope you stick with us. I don't care what your reasons are, whether its for safety, or riches or your ongoing failed pursuit of Tanya's demon pussy. We need more…for the lack of a better word…warrior types in the Guild."
"Never considered myself a warrior before, but I suppose I'll take it as a compliment."
"Of course you will, that's how I meant it. Anyway, I gotta go. Garrick's holding some sort of meeting for some of us important elite. Tell ya what, I'll try to convince Garrick to let you in the Guild's inner sanctum already. I know it's not Tanya's inner sanctum, but here's something that might help you in that goal, she's supposed to be casing the Museum of the Ancients tonight. Who knows, maybe if you get there quick enough she might even let you help."

As your eyes light up, Sneaks smiles and parts ways with you.

You of course don't waste any time heading to the Museum of the Ancients.

You've never considered burglarizing that place before, but you suppose it makes sense that there would be some pretty valuable stuff in there. Though you imagine that it's more protected than even some of the banks here.

You've only had the fortune of working with Tanya a couple times before and that was always in a group and she of course always limited her contact with you in those cases.

You still don't exactly know WHY you're as drawn to her as you are. Well you do and it's probably due to her demonic heritage and whatever powers of charm she put on you. (Accidently you guess given her stand offish personality towards you)

Sneaks said the effects should have worn off by now since you don't even see her that much. Granted you aren't thinking about her all the time, but if you ever have the chance to be around her (Like you do now) you're going to take it.

Luckily you manage to arrive unaccosted by anyone, the law or otherwise. Now you're just hoping you find Tanya before the fun begins.

The surrounding area outside the museum, the place is more or less empty. There aren't too many other people in the area other than a few Holgard Watchmen patrolling around which you keep clear of.

You look around to see where Tanya might be, but again its possible she already went inside. You bet she went in from the rooftop. Every time you've worked with her, she's always favoring the rooftops.

Of course you prefer a more grounded approach so as soon as it looks safe, you simply run up to the front door and pick the lock, which is a lot easier than you thought it would be.

You look around the museum and mostly see a lot of oversized items that you'd need at least two people to carry to get out of here. Statues, suits of rusty armor, oversized tapestries and the like. While you're sure some of this stuff is valuable to someone, it wouldn't exactly be the easiest to just lift out of here. Though you haven't seen or heard any night guards of any kind at all. Seems weird that this place doesn't have any security.

You try to keep an ear out for anyone that might be walk around, but it's nothing but silence. You start to wonder if she came and left already or maybe this was all Sneaks idea of a practical joke. Wouldn't be the first time.

Since you can't find her or detect anyone else roaming these halls, you decide that you might as well see if there actually is anything here that you might be worth taking.

Eventually after wandering a bit, you stumble into an area that seems more promising.

"Royal treasures of Old Galpatis" you say to yourself as you read the sign to exhibit room.

You don't know too much about Galpatis except shit that your sister sometimes spoke about from some book she read. It was supposed to be a great empire thousands of years ago that destroyed itself as all these ancient civilizations tend to do for whatever reason. Probably had something to do with necromancy or something.

In any case you enter and see in the dim torchlight you see proper treasure that you could actually carry out of here. A lot of old necklaces, bracelets, crowns with gems and similar items behind glass, though some, like the weapons are mounted securely on the wall.

A couple of weapons that catch your eye are a pair of ornate looking dagger. Not even tarnished and definitely still usable. You probably could easily pry them from the walls though you'd have to reach a bit since they're little higher than you.

Of course you do have your trusty glasscutter with you and you could just start getting to work on grabbing what you can from the displays.

[User] You get the daggers

[Assistant]
It suddenly occurs to you that maybe there are traps about, but they're magical in nature. You start cutting the glass and who knows what might happen. The daggers seem like there is possibly less danger involved seeing as they just fastened them to the wall.

Of course it isn't just an easy matter of ripping the dagger from the wall, you grab a prybar from your pack and start to get to work, but given their height above you, it's awkward.

You pry and pry, but don't seem to be making any headway. You begin to think that the daggers are being held in place by magic and you might be right considering that you suddenly feel a force knock the prybar from your hand and as you try to grab it you stumble into one of the isolated stands with a glass case knocking it over and falling on the broken glass.

Fortunately you're mostly protected by your clothing, though you're still picking glass out of bits of your body. However, you don't do that for long since you notice the diamond necklace that has now been released from its cage. You might as well grab that instead.

No sooner have you picked it up and that's when you feel an unnatural chill in the air.

"That's not good." You say and get the hell out of the Galpatis exhibit room.

Doesn't help though, you're still feeling like the unnatural cold is following you. You get the very real feeling that SOMETHING is following you, but you don't dare look behind you, all you want to do is get out of the museum and HOPE that whatever this is doesn't follow you outside.

You see the exit in the distance and then you see a wispy green glow materialize in front of it. A malevolent face briefly appears and then one of the statues closest to you comes to life!

"Shit!" you exclaim and just barely manage to avoid getting your head smashed in.

You look around and see that now several of the statues are coming to life. The exit is blocked by that ghostly thing so even if you could maneuver past the statues, you aren't getting out that way.

"HEY! Grab the damn rope!" a voice shouts from above.

You look up and see Tanya on the second floor throwing a rope to you over the railing. You waste no time in grabbing and climbing up it while she pulls you up.

The statues try to grab you at first, but then soon realize the best way to get you is going up the stairs.

As you grab the railing, Tanya grabs your arm and hoists you over it. You almost feel like she's going to yank your arm off, but of course you see a glimpse of her face again as she's pulling you up and you're almost smitten enough to forget all about the extreme danger you're currently in.

Hurry you fool before I regret saving you!" Tanya shouts and runs towards another rope that hangs from an opening she's made in the glass dome on the roof

Following her lead you make your way to the rope and quickly climb up it where you're staring directly at Tanya's ass the entire time. Again, probably a good thing since your focus isn't on the invisible horrors that are desperately trying to get your attention by whispering demoralizing things in your ears to cause you to give up hope and stop trying to escape.

Doesn't work though, Tanya's ass is literally saving your own. Eventually you manage to get to the roof where you and Tanya both start leaping across the tops of nearby buildings. When you get far enough away, Tanya at last stops to take a breather and then also punches you in the face.

"What was that for?" you ask.
"Do you even need to ask?! Your incompetent bumbling nearly got not just yourself killed, but ME as well! What the fuck were you even doing there? Did you KNOW I was going to be there?" Tanya asks.
"Well…"
"Let me guess, Sneaks told you…I'm going to kill him."
"Where were you anyway? I looked for you for awhile."
"I was in the basement stealing the Tivan Crystal."
"Oh. I didn't think to check the basement."
"Given all the security you set off, it's apparent you didn't think at all! I was just on my way to leave when I heard glass breaking and the scampering of your feet. Did you really think you could just smash and grab shit in a place like that without consequence?"
"I didn't mean to at first. It was an accident. I just wanted to get you something since I couldn't find you. Here." You say and pull the diamond necklace out of your bag.
"You're joking right? I could steal, and have stolen items a lot more valuable than this!"
"Yes, I'm sure you have, but its value is not the point, this is my gift to you. The motivation behind it is important."
"You expect me to believe you stole this for me?"
"Believe what you wish, the point is that it's yours now my dear." You say and put the necklace in her hand. Tanya looks at the necklace in disbelief, and addresses you again.

"So…wait…you REALLY think I'm going to wear this? Surely even someone of your intelligence can see that I'm not some dainty aristocrat who dresses in fancy gowns and adores myself with jewelry."
"You may do whatever you wish with it. You may throw it away, keep it and wear it, keep it and then sell it or just keep it period. It doesn't matter. It was just my way of thanking you for not just saving my life, but also the pleasure of being in the glow of your beauty."

Tanya is now looking at you in disbelief.

"…you…you…I…" Tayna starts to say.
"Yes?" you ask.
"Look! I don't know what the hell your game is, but I'm not playing, and I'm not fooled!"
"But I'm not trying to fool you, it's merely a gift to…"
"Stop it! Stop it right now! And stop looking at me like that, if you want to keep your eyesight! I don't want to hear anymore of your honeyed words! We part ways here and don't you dare try to follow me!" Tanya yells and pulls her hood even more over her head, before leaping to the next building.

You naturally ignore her and start following her anyway. You must hop across three rooftops before Tanya stops again.

"LOOK, this is NOT going to…"

A bolt whizzing by suddenly interrupts Tanya's words.

At first you think briefly that it's the guardian museum and it's followed you, but it turns out to be a more tangible enemy instead.

Several men with crossbows suddenly materialize on the roofs nearby and a few of them even on the roof you're currently on. You both instantly duck down and try to find cover.

Several other bolts follow though fortunately the ECS has not employed skilled marksmen.

"Bah! All those bolts and you lot couldn't hit a behemoth's butt with a bass fiddle! I told you fuckers to practice! Just fucking close in for the kill!" you hear someone shout.

You and Tanya can't go in any direction without facing ECS members, but given the state you're in right now, you're not exactly avoiding a fight and neither is Tanya.

"Looks like some of the EC are begging to be declawed. I'm always up for whittling down their ranks." You say.
"First thing you've said, that I agree with." Tanya remarks.

While the EC might be terrible shots, you certainly aren't, you shoot three of them before they even manage to close in. Tanya on the other hand is perfectly content on taking on five of the assassins in close combat.

One of the members however is standing back and still blinking in and out of existence. He's obviously using that blasted shadow magic. He's mainly giving orders right now, but if he gets in the fight, you don't anticipate things going well.

You try to take aim at him, but you're stopped by two EC members who both nearly stab you. After dodging their blows, you shoot the pair of them.

Seeing as you've only got one shot left and no real time to reload, you turn your attention back to the EC leader, who is now gone. Tanya is still working on two other EC members and you're about to go over to help her, when a magic missile of some sort hits you.

You drop your weapon and collapse. You almost feel like all the energy has been drained out of you. You're so weak, you can hardly even push yourself back up, though a hefty kick soon stops that attempt.

"Finally got your ass! It's like they always say, you want something done right, ya gotta do it yourself. So you think you can just get away with shooting our members like some cowardly sonofabitch?" the shadow magic wielder remarks.
"You…you just hit me with a fucking magic missile!" you wheeze, pointing out his hypocrisy.

This of course isn't appreciated and you soon receive another kick.

"Silence! I'm gonna enjoy this."

Fortunately, he doesn't get the chance due to all his gloating which was enough time for Tanya to finish off her last opponent and run over to help you again.

However, he's quick enough to avoid her attacks.

The pair of them duel while you lie there trying to gather your strength. You're really woozy and weak.

You eventually manage to stand up, but you feel like you're going to teeter over again. Tanya is still fighting the EC leader, but she's not making much progress. In fact, he might even have a slight advantage since he hasn't been exerting himself as much as she has tonight.

You look over to your right and see your pistol lying nearby. You've got one shot in it and you're not exactly in the best condition as far as accurately aiming anything right now.

Of course you could just try to help Tanya in the more traditional way and try to backstab him. Still not ideal, but if you miss, you're not likely to hit Tanya by accident.

[User] You get your pistol

[Assistant]
In the condition you're in and how quick he's moving, you question if you'll even be able to hit him, but you also know you're currently not much good in a straight up fight right now.

You stagger over to your pistol and nearly fall over just trying to pick it up. You look over at the duel and Tanya's still holding her own, but the bastard's shadow magic is giving him the edge. You try to aim, but you can't get a clear shot and when you do, he's already moved out of the way or you're suffering from dizziness.

You try to get a little closer and every inch of you is struggling to not slip into unconsciousness. You see the EC member block several of Tanya's attacks and then manages to knock her down with some sort of glowing magic from his hand.

He moves in for the kill as she hits the ground, but it's best opening you've got now. You fire and hope the figure in the center is the real one before you collapse again.

You aren't unconscious for long as Tanya soon slaps you awake.

"Hey, get up! We need to get out of here, before more of these assholes show up." Tanya says.
"Guh, did I get that sonofabitch?" you utter and slowly sit up.
"Yeah, you blew half of his head off. Pretty sure that was Mantis."
"Mantis…I think I heard that name before."
"You should, he was one of the Ebony Claw's lieutenants. Explains why he had access to shadow magic."
"Yeah well his magic couldn't stop a bullet. You okay?"

As you ask this, you touch Tanya's arm, which she retracts.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Get your hands off me! And I could have taken him without your help you know." Tanya exclaims.
"I know, just trying to help." You reply.
"Yeah, well your help could have gotten me killed what with you stumbling all over the place."
"Apologies."
"Hm. Well, I guess you did do your part. Almost makes up for the bumbling you did back at the museum. Anyway I highly recommend that YOU go home as soon as you can, I'm going to go report everything to the Guild."
"Why don't I come with you?"
"Hah, nice try, but there are still questions out on you."
"I've been fucking killing EC members since I joined and I just shot one of their leaders in the face. Fairly certain I'm on your side."
"Well it's not up to me."
"Oh, so you're saying if it WAS up to you, you'd let me in?"
"I didn't say that, and I'm going to address something else. While I know its unfortunate that my…ugh… condition has made you more drawn to me, you need to fucking snap out of it. It's been two years and even those I work with closely don't behave this way around me."
"From the stories Sneaks has told me, you've put so much fear in would be suitors that they're too scared to make any advances on you. Just because they're not being obvious about it, doesn't mean the desire isn't there."
"First, Sneaks talks too much and second, well maybe YOU need to start internalizing some of that desire as well. Get control of yourself. It'll get better and go away over time."
"Maybe my feelings are genuine, you ever think of that?"
"Yeah right. You barely even know me."
"Maybe not, but I'd like to get to know you better. I mean you think I'm a complete fucking idiot? I know that your little demon aura or whatever is probably affecting me, but that's really not having as much of an effect on this as you think. Especially since I don't just think about us in a sexual manner. I think about us just talking and…"

Tanya looks at you very irritated by your words.

"Okay, I don't want to hear anymore. Shut up and don't bring up my condition again! Stick to jacking off or get yourself a whore, I don't give a fuck WHAT you do, just fucking do it and get yourself under fucking control! You flirt with me again and it'll be the last fucking time, got it?!"

Tanya doesn't even give you a chance to respond, she just turns away from you and takes off across the rooftops again. You don't follow, not due to fearing for any violent repercussion, but more because you're not exactly feeling up to leaping across rooftops right now. Instead, you go ahead and loot the Ebony Claw members' bodies. Sort of makes up for not getting anything from the museum.

By the time you're done, you feel your strength has returned enough that you can safely climb down from your position and get back to street level again.

You look at your full coin pouch and ponder your next move.

"Well, I guess the night is still young. Might as well."

A few minutes later you arrive at your destination.

"Hey! Haven't seen you here in a long time! How's the scourge of the Ebony Claw?" the madam asks.
"Is that what I'm being called now?" you respond.
"I'm sure in certain circles you are, the EC more likely has more colorful names for you, but let's not dwell on that. You're here for fun. What would you like tonight?"
"Uh, I kind of have a special request. I know it's short notice, but…"
"Say no more! We'll do everything to try to accommodate your needs as long as you have the coin and don't worry, your discount is still in place!"
"Thanks."

You start going into an elaborate description of what you want the girl to look like. The madam nods a few times.

"Yeah, we can accommodate that, and I know just the right girl too. Head on upstairs third door on your right. She'll be with you soon."

You head upstairs feeling a little weird about all this, while you're waiting you almost have second thoughts, then the girl comes in.

You see a girl wearing nothing but a black open cloak. All her fun parts are fully exposed to you, save for her face, which is partially hidden due to a hood over the top half of her head. Long white hair can be seen peeking out though. They did a pretty good job in matching your description.

"Hello. I'm Tanya and…" the girl says.
"Stop. Don't say anymore. Your voice doesn't sound like hers and you're already too friendly. I don't want to ruin the illusion so let's just get to it."

Without another word, fake Tanya approaches you and you waste no time spinning her around, lifting her cloak up, and doing her on all fours, mainly because it's easier to immerse yourself if you aren't looking at her face which might work from a distance, but isn't going work very well if you're staring full on at her.

In any case, the session is pretty intense.

Afterwards you're collapsed on the bed, while "Tanya" professionally starts to collect herself.

"I know you got other customers, I'll get up in a second, I just gotta catch my breath for a moment." You say.
"Take your time, I wasn't shoving you out the door just yet. I know you didn't want me to talk, but I felt like I should at least thank you before we parted ways here." She says.
"Thank me? For what?"
"For saving my life of course."

"Tanya" takes off the hood and white wig revealing her natural brown hair. Now that you've got a full look at her, you recognize her, even if the voice wasn't immediately familiar.

"It's you! You were the one I freed from that cage!" you say.
"Yep, it's me. I actually worried that you MIGHT recognize me and it would break your illusion, glad that it didn't."
"No, you were just about perfect…shit…so how have you been?"
"Oh. Okay I guess. A lot more paranoid, still have nightmares sometimes, but at least I'm still alive and attractive enough to still whore."
"Damn…well let me at least pay full price, I know the madam said I had a discount, but…"
"Oh no. This one's on me. No charge at all and I'll just make up the difference elsewhere. Honestly, I wanted to reward you before, but I missed you the first time you came here and then you never came back here until tonight."
"Yeah, I suppose I've been a bit busy what with fighting the ECS and all."
"Hm. We all got our struggles. Well, I guess we better get going, time and money and all. You did have a good time though right?"
"Huh? Oh yeah! Yes, it was good. There were definitely times where I thought I was with…well someone else."
"Good. I'm glad. That's what I'm here for."

You don't say anything else and just focus on getting dressed. As you start to leave, you ask one more question.

"What is your real name?"
"Naji."

You don't exchange any more words with her and you exit the establishment.

Been a weird night for you. Granted you've had more than your fair share of such nights, but this one will probably stand out in your mind.

Especially due to what happens next.

"Don't turn around. Into that alley now. You try anything, and you'll have a bolt through the back. Move." A voice whispers as you feel a crossbow shoved into your back.

You didn't even see anyone around, but you don't have much choice except to comply for now. When you get to the alley you're met by a scarred looking man with an eye patch.

"Ah there you are, we have much to discuss. My name is Rook." He says.

Rook looks like an assassin of some sort, but it's obvious that he's also a man that prides himself on how he looks since even in this dirty alley he stands out as being dressed more like a government official rather than some lowly thug.

His eye patch has a claw symbol on it. His comrade with the crossbow is still unknown to you since you haven't turned around at all. About all you tell is that they're very fond of that crossbow.

After sizing you up a bit, Rook speaks again.
"You've been busy during your stay here in Holgard. Pick pocketing, burglary, and all those other activities that are frowned upon by the law. Not to mention all the Ebony Claw members you've been murdering. So tell me, do you feel that you can just rob this city blind and do as you please?" Rook asks.
"Basically." You retort.
"Why?"
" Because I can."
"Ah, I see. You feel your skills are a waste if not practiced. I can identify with that."

At this point, Rook slugs you in the stomach, dropping you to your knees. You didn't even see it coming since he was standing far enough a way that he wasn't in reach and then suddenly he was in front of you. As you struggle back up, you feel that blasted crossbow still at your back.

"Normally someone like you would be disposed of, however many of my peers are short sighted and don't always see opportunity clearly. The fact that you've managed to survive this long either means you're incredibly lucky or you're more intelligent than you appear. I'm hoping it's the latter since if you are intelligent that means you have untapped potential." Rook says.
"I sure hope so at this point." You respond still trying to gather yourself from Rook's punch.
"I do too, because despite what you may have heard about us, you will soon see that if you're in this line of work, joining the Ebony Claw really is the way of the future. As I'm sure you're somewhat aware, you've come at an interesting time. There are some changes going on in this city. Rebellion in the air, rumors of demonic cultists, but none of that matters. Business is what matters. What matters is that WE come out on top when smoke clears. The best way we can do that, is by controlling as much of the criminal activity as possible. By uniting the Underworld under one organization we will be able to survive whatever chaos is to come. That is the goal of the Ebony Claw Syndicate…well at least one of the goals anyway."
"So I take it you're the head of the Ebony Claw?"

This comment makes Rook smirk a little.

"Oh no. I'm merely one of the more important people in this particular city. There are far more higher ranking people than myself all over, but we all perform our tasks for things we believe in and our various loyalties right?" Rook says.
"I suppose." You answer.
"The Thieves Guild is one of the chief obstacles that stands in the way of my task. This relic of the past still holds on to their shortsighted archaic ideas and morals. Their antics bring unnecessary chaos, which is certainly something we don't need more of in this city. Still, they aren't complete fools as they have managed to hide within the city and we still can't locate their hideout. Surprisingly even the ones we've captured have either managed to kill themselves or been dedicated enough that they have not revealed its location. I also am working with less than ideal resources available. If things were different…but…ah I get off topic. In any case, I am looking for alternative solutions. One of these involves you."
"I hate to break this to you, but they haven't even let me in their little clubhouse yet."
"Oh, I'm sure that will change soon. I mean from what I can tell, you're a rising star in their organization. I have full confidence that you will be soon accepted."
"You're more optimistic than me then."
"You find that in this line of work, optimism helps keep you going at times, which is why I'm also optimistic that when the time comes you WILL see the advantage of joining US."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because, you're not just a mere rogue. You're a killer. You could even be an assassin if you wanted to be. Granted you're not exactly subtle what with your love of firearms, but sometimes that isn't important. The Thieves Guild is limited. The Ebony Claw? WE are everywhere! You have the potential to really rise up in ranks. You want money? Infamy? Power? It's all available if you're smart and skilled enough."
"I feel like this is a trick."
"And you wouldn't be wrong to think that. Paranoia is good and healthy, but I promise you that this is a real offer. I know you'll need to think about this though, so I don't expect you to agree right now. However, if you want some sort of assurance that I'm telling the truth, all hits on you are called off. As of right now unless you're attacking an EC member and they're acting in self defense, you will not be targeted."

Now this really sounds like a trick.

"Bullshit." You say.
"Nope, it's true. Wish I could have stopped that fool Mantis BEFORE we met, but seems like you took care of that. Oh and thanks for eliminating a rival tonight. Anyway, I trust you'll be making the right decision, because it would be a shame if I had to kill you the next time we see each other." Rook then chuckles a bit at his comment.

"What am I saying? You wouldn't see me, if I killed you."

With that last threat, Rook takes his leave, you don't feel the crossbow anymore so you slowly turn around, but as expected nobody is there.

The next day just when you think your life can't get any more complicated…

"Hey kid! Good news! You're in! We were debating about letting you in early and a lot of people were against it since they felt you needed to spend more paying dues as it were, but then Tanya came back and spoke about what you did last night against the Ebony Claw and her opinions pushed Garrick, who was just bending to popular opinion anyway, to make a final decision to let you in! Ain't that great?" Sneaks says.

"Yeah…great." You remark.

[User] You time passes...

[Assistant]
Year 19

"That's the third large group of cultists we've had to evade in our own fucking sewers. Something needs to be done about those shitheads because not even the EC is giving us this much trouble down here." Sneaks says.
"Agreed. They've been spreading all over the damn place. Granted I'm not much for religion, but given what I know from what Yinen has said about Neroth AND seen what these fanatics do first hand, I'm not exactly keen on them spreading any further." You add.
"I understand the concerns, but we're already warring with the EC, the last thing we need is to open up a front against a bunch of Neroth worshipers." Garrick says.
"We don't need to open up a front, because they've already made it quite clear that they've already done so. I don't know about anyone else, but every time I bump into those fanatics they attack on sight." Sneaks says.
"If you're just bumping into them accidentally, then you're lucky because I know by their personalized threats they're specifically targeting me." You add.
"I told you that rescuing that whore would catch up to you." Tanya says.
"That was years ago and they didn't even see me do it!"
"Yeah, but that tart and her friends spread the word about your deeds a long time ago. I'm more surprised they you weren't targeted sooner by them."
"Well apparently they were too busy with other things than bothering with the likes of the kid here. In any case I'm just saying we need to thin out their ranks or something because while I know we aren't officially territorial, we shouldn't have to deal with daggers at our throats right outside our front door." Sneaks says.
"Exactly. And if left unchecked who is to say they won't find this place? Not to mention these assholes worship a dark god. The last thing we need is for them to do is gather enough power to start summoning shit. Last thing we need is demons running around down here." You add.

As soon as you say that, everyone looks at you and then also looks at Tanya who is also looking in your direction with her head cocked to the side almost intrigued by what you're going to say next.

"Shhhhit..." you quietly say which causes a snicker from Sneaks.

Tanya doesn't even address what you said she instead turns her attention back to Garrick.

"Word fumbling aside, he has a point Garrick. They all do. We can't ignore this potential threat any longer." Tanya says.
"Maybe… (Sigh) I just don't want to lose any more people especially when we may need them in the future." Garrick says.

After a brief moment of silence, Garrick speaks again.

"Okay, fine. Maybe we need to do something. The question is what exactly? I'm still loathe to go all out gang war on a bunch of fanatics, because you know they're only going to hit back with more fervor…maybe…wait a minute. We could set it up so it looks like the Ebony Claw is targeting them. That will hopefully draw some heat off of us on both sides." Garrick says.

Garrick begins to go into a plan to start ambushing the cultists, but also to ambush a few Ebony Claws and plant their bodies among the dead cultists so the living ones can stumble upon them and vice versa. In the meantime he says he's going to try to grease the right palms to gain some sort of meeting with Reginald and appear as an "ally" against the Ebony Claw so Reginald will tell his people to leave the Guild alone.

It's not a bad plan, though you're really not sure on the whole "allying" with Reginald bit.

"Um, I'm not sure if this Reginald is ally material." You say.
"Well we need to try, because if you haven't noticed, we are at a bit of a disadvantage. Reginald is Farrad's boyfriend. You know, the baron's son? The one who is probably going to attempt a coup on his father soon? If he's actually successful it's probably best that we're not on his bad side at least." Garrick retorts with annoyance.
"I can see that logic, but I still have concerns if allying with religious fanatics that participate in human sacrifice is a good idea. I mean hell, I'd rather temporarily ally with the Ebony Claw against the cultists at this point…"
"Well it's a damn good thing that YOU don't have to make the fucking decisions isn't it then?!"

Garrick's sudden snap causes you to shut up immediately and everyone else to stand in silence. You certainly weren't expecting it, but then Garrick in general has been less than friendly with you, as your time in the Guild proper has come about. He's certainly nowhere near like he was when he first offered his hand to you in joining.

You have some theories about why, but for now you just answer:

"Your call. Apologies."

Garrick gives you a dirty look and starts assigning tasks to people. He doesn't give one to you though.

As everyone starts to leave, you go up to Tanya and offer to help her on her assignment and that's when you get a scolding voice again.

"Hey! Leave her be." Garrick orders.
"But I was just…" you start to say before you're interrupted again.
"Did I assign you and Tanya to work together? No I didn't."
"Garrick, it's actually okay, I can…" Tanya says before Garrick interrupts her as well.
"Stay out of this Tanya! Everyone get to work! Except YOU."

Tanya looks at you a little sympathetically as she leaves with the rest, which is definitely not the norm, and part of what you imagine is the problem Garrick is having with you.

Soon it's just you and Garrick and he wastes no time in speaking.

"You know when I brought you in, I thought you'd be an asset to us. Sure you weren't exactly what I normally look for, but your actions against the Ebony Claw couldn't be ignored. Your ongoing work to prove yourself worthy of becoming one of the inner circle couldn't be ignored. Granted, I was still a little hesitant at the time since I was starting to have some doubts since so many thought you should continue to prove yourself, but Tanya's words in your favor…well those couldn't be ignored either."

You don't say anything.

"I also can't ignore how you look at her and more importantly how she looks at you." Garrick says.
"I don't think she looks at me with anything but scorn." You say in an effort to deflect.
"Bullshit. Maybe at one time she did. Not anymore. You're not so stupid to not realize that. Hell, she tried to speak up for you just now. I don't know HOW you did it, but you've actually been getting through that normally solid brick wall she puts up to shield herself again all would be suitors. I have seen MANY try and while I imagine that she leaves a lasting impression due to her nature, I have seen NONE continue to pursue her, or those that have, have met with physical violence that either put a definite stop to it. Somehow you have miraculously avoided that. Somehow YOU have defied what shouldn't be possible."

You continue to stand there and say nothing, which only causes Garrick to throw something at you, which you narrowly dodge.

"WELL? Aren't you going to say anything?!" Garrick shouts.
"I'm not sure what to say. Anything I say, you're not going to like." You answer.
"Well permission to speak fucking freely then."
"Okay, well I don't see how this is any of your concern. Tanya, from what I can tell is a full grown woman that's MORE than capable of taking care of herself and dealing with the likes of me. And as far as I know, you're not her father either even if you see her as some sort of surrogate daughter."
"It…it doesn't make sense! WHY YOU?! There have been FAR better suitors in the past!"
"You mean like you?"
"W…what?"
"Oh come on! I think given your increasing hostility towards me this is going beyond a father-daughter type of protectiveness. You're acting like a jealous boyfriend or something. I'm succeeding where you and so many others obviously failed."

Garrick just starts shaking his head.

"No, I…I never…I never…"
"Or maybe I'm succeeding in something you never had the guts to do at all? That's it isn't it? You've never made any sort of advance on her, and just admired her from afar since you were always secure in the fact that she always drove everyone away. I'm guessing perhaps you thought one day Tanya would come to you of her own accord and…"

Now Garrick lifts up the table and flips it at you. For an older guy, he's certainly fit.

"You think you know everything don't you? Well let me tell you something, you don't know shit. YOU are still a BOY and YOU are not worthy of Tanya." Garrick says getting in your face.

"Okay. Then what would make me worthy…in your eyes?" you ask.

Garrick starts laughing.

"Are…are you actually asking me? You seem to have all the answers, you figure it out. But while you're trying to figure it out, go do what you're actually good at and go kill our enemies. GO! Get the fuck outta my sight!"

You leave Garrick and exit the meeting room somewhat expecting there to be a few people hanging around outside listening to the conversation, but it would appear that nobody wanted to be around for Garrick's anger to be directed towards them as well. Not even Sneaks lingered behind.

Since you didn't even get paired up with a full fledged Guild member, you suppose you could just go gather a few associates to help you, though you believe you're probably more than capable of performing the task yourself.

Honestly though, you're ready to just dispense with the plan and do something else instead like try to kill Reginald. Those assholes have been targeting you anyway. Also seems like it would solve the problem a lot better than trying to be friends with him. Cutting off the head of a cult usually results in it falling apart. The problem of course is he isn't as easy to get to anymore. The secret passage to his home no longer exists as one person in the Guild soon learned when he tried to break in that way thinking that it would be an easy job and nearly got himself killed in the process. If there's another secret passage to the house, you have no idea where it is and it's probably better protected now.

Which would mean a more traditional approach, but again, he's got security up the ass and has his own personal retinue of guards around his home. Perks of fucking minor nobility you suppose.

In any case, you'd be doing this alone though because nobody would help you in this task. Say what you want about Garrick, but everyone listens to him and this would definitely be going against his plans.

Though you do have another option, and that's going to the Ebony Claw Syndicate for help. Rook called off the hit and so far other than a few unavoidable skirmishes here and there, the EC has not been actively targeting you.

You never thought you'd feel this way, but you've actually considered joining them lately mainly because things have been just so miserable in the Guild. If it weren't for Tanya, you probably would have done it already.

Rook has never followed up on your last meeting, you don't know exactly what his game is, but you imagine if you come in for help, he's going to want that inside information on the Guild.

[User] You kill Reginald yourself

[Assistant]
As much as you've been toying with the idea, you're still not quite sure about throwing your lot in with the EC yet. You're walking a pretty traitorous line as it is just by not telling anyone that they ever approached you, but then it isn't like you can exactly tell them, can you?

Killing Reginald is going to take some scouting and planning. As far as you know the man is rarely ever leaving his house anymore or if he is, he's not seen doing it.

Since you're not exactly getting any further with Tanya at the moment, Garrick's pissed at you and you're essentially doing your own thing, you might as well stay somewhere other than the Guild while you do this. You head to Hell's Own Inn since it's at least some place that you know and can consider hospitable.

Bruno, the innkeeper nods when he sees you. Funny how you never really learned his name until after you stopped living here on a regular basis.

"Hey Bruno, I'll have a room. My old one if it's currently available." You say.
"A room? Thought you were living in the Guild quarters ever since they let you into inner circle." Bruno says.
"Yeah well I've got something I need to do on my own and I can't be creeping in and out of sewers to do it. Where's Yinen, I might have a few things to trade with him."
"Yinen? Haven't seen him in days."
"You haven't seen him? He practically never leaves this place."
"I know, which is why it's weird that I didn't even see him leave. Unless he left in the middle of the night, but none of the staff saw him leave either."
"Nobody has thought to look into this?"
"What am I going to do, call the Holgard Watch?"
"No, but we could at least get somebody from the Guild or even one of the associates to look in on this. I mean he's one of our best fences. Seems like for all the Guild's talk of solidarity, they're dropping the ball on this one."
"He hasn't been gone THAT long. I figured maybe he had a special delivery or deal to take care of elsewhere. If he's gone for much longer I guess one of the associates can go look for him."
"What about Warts? He tends to not have much to do."
"He's been gone longer than Yinen. Though I think in his case he's deliberately staying away. Last thing he mentioned to me is that bad things are going to happen here soon and he doesn't want to be around when they do. Can't say as I blame him either. I'm still surprised this place hasn't gotten hit yet by the Ebony Claw. What the hell is Garrick doing about them anyway? Because as far as I can tell, they're not dropping in presence."
"I dunno, we've been taking the fight to them, but the rumors are that they're getting reinforcements from the Delantium Kingdom. Also, we've been having problems with cultists running around in the sewers."
"Yeah, I've been reading about a couple of brutal murders in the paper that are thought to be the work of Neroth cultists. Actually, maybe that explains Yinen's disappearance. He always was a little nervous when it came to anything relating to Neroth. Maybe he took off like Warts did."
"Maybe so. I feel like he might have told someone first. Guess he might have been really scared though."
"In any case, you're in luck. Your old room is available, but I'll be needing some rent for it. Business is a little slow what with not many folks coming to visit the city as much now."
"Are you kidding me? (Sigh) Fine. Whatever. Here, take this, but not a silver more."

Bruno takes your payment and you head to your old room. You take a quick inventory of your equipment and make plans to go case Reginald's home, but then you hear noise outside and a quick peek out your window reveals that the Holgard Watch are putting down a group of dissidents and decide to stay put for a little while.

That's been a more common sight too nowadays. Even on your way here, you were trying to avoid getting caught up the various groups of protesters that have been more frequent. Part of you wonders if Warts doesn't have the right idea, but at this point you've got a few loose ends that need to be tied up first.

One of which is killing the head of this cult that's been trying to kill you. It's odd that you feel so strongly about this given that the EC was trying to kill you for years, but then maybe that's because you knew the EC was an enemy that from you can gather is much bigger than you could ever hope to fight. You consider it a victory that you even managed to get them to stop attacking you though you know you're going to have to deal with them again eventually. You just don't know how yet.

These fanatics however, there's a limit to their power for now. Right now they've grown and if left unchecked, who knows, they may take over the city. Sure you could flee and maybe you'd be fine. But you might also be running for the rest of your life as cults tend to not be satisfied with staying in one place and love to spread. Add their desire to summon demons and such into that mix and it might be best to nip this in the bud right now.

It's funny how you never really used to think that far ahead before, but you suppose you've seen and done a lot since your simple days in Teckleville.

"Certainly hope you're having an easier time of it than I am sis." You say to yourself.

Over the course of the next three days you make visits to Reginald's home and spend hours watching the place. You never see anyone come in or out of the place though. Indeed, you've never seen Reginald at all except from descriptions of him. Holgard Watch patrols the grounds night and day, but you don't see them ever enter the home either. You wonder if they even know what's going on in there or more likely they do, but don't care.

Eventually you spend an entire day and night on a nearby rooftop watching the place, hoping that you'll see him come out. He never does though. In your state of weariness, you barely react in time to hear someone approaching.

"You can put that away, it's just me. Glad to see you're more alert than you appear though." Tanya says when you spin around pointing your pistol at her.
"What're you doing here? I sort of thought if anyone was going to check up on me, it would be Sneaks." You say putting your weapon down.
"Hah, like you'd get him to climb up on rooftops, let alone jumping from them nowadays."
"Guess you're right. So what do you want?"
"What do I want? No comments about my beauty? No flirty statements? If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd finally shaken off the effects. So you must be in a really shitty mood."
"What's the point? You've made it quite clear you're not interested and others have also made it quite clear as well, so why bother beating my head up against a wall?"

Tanya doesn't answer you immediately as your answer has caught her off guard a bit.

"What happened between you and Garrick after the meeting?" Tanya asks.
"Nothing." You answer.
"Doesn't seem like nothing considering you're disobeying orders. It seems to me you're trying to figure out a way to take out Reginald directly. That's why you've been spying on his house for the past few days."
"Looks like I'm not the only one that's been spying."
"I've been keeping track of what every main group is doing, don't flatter yourself."
"Be that as it may, I thought the Guild was supposed to just be a loose alliance anyway and Garrick wasn't officially our boss. And if he isn't our boss, then that means I can do what the hell I want."
"You know that's not exactly true."
"Maybe not, but I'm not following orders this time. And it's not ONLY because these fuckers have been targeting me. These Neroth cultists are a bigger danger than the EC. Maybe they haven't been fucking with us as long, but if their leader or high priest or whatever is fucking the Baron's son then who is to say their goal isn't to turn the city into a theocracy? If something like that happens I can bet that there won't be any freedom to do anything here and they certainly aren't going to be dealing with the likes of us and quite frankly Garrick's an idiot if he believes he can somehow reason with them on some level, I've seen what the hell they do."
"I see your point, but I somewhat understand his logic for attempting to make an alliance. However he's relying on something that I already told him isn't going to make a difference."
"What do you mean?"
"Well you said it yourself. They worship a dark god and are probably trying to summon infernal beings if they haven't done so already. I believe Garrick thinks that having me by his side if he ever got to meet with Reginald, would help since y'know…being half infernal and all."
"Hm. Didn't consider that. Would that work?"
"Probably not. I even told Garrick as much when he first approached me about the plan earlier. At best Reginald might temporarily ally in an effort to separate me from the rest of the Guild and probably attempt to convince me to join them and embrace my heritage or some shit. I don't even like…my condition. Last thing I want to do is embrace it. Already had to deal with that once before, don't feel like dealing with it again."
"Deal with it again?"
"Yes, and we're not talking about it. In any case, I'm here to help you in your plan, because I believe you're completely right about this. These cultists need to be destroyed and taking their leader out will at least severely lessen their power."

You nod silence and with a somewhat uplifted spirit.

"Thanks. I didn't expect any help, least of all from you." You say.
"Well, we're on the same side aren't we? However, I do think YOU should get some rest before we attempt this. So you head back to Hells Own, get some sleep and tomorrow night, you and I will meet up outside here. In the meantime, I'm going to talk to Sneaks and few others to see if I can't get them to make a bit of extra distraction for Neroth's most loyal. I'm not going to let too many in on this plan though for obvious reasons." Tanya remarks.
"Good idea, again thanks. I really appreciate this."
"Hm, well off you go. We've got a big night tomorrow so be prepared as much as you can."

You bid Tanya goodbye who just nods an acknowledgment and leaves. Since you've got your orders to rest, you climb down from your spot and head back to the inn.

You get a couple of blocks and suddenly you feel like you're being watched. You start to look around, but nobody is around. You quicken your pace and a couple seconds later, you feel a crossbow in your back.

"Shit." You say.
"Don't turn around. Alley. Now." A familiar voice says.

Once again you obey the man with the crossbow and enter the nearby alley where once again, you see Rook.

"Glad we could meet again." Rook says.
"It's not like I ever had a choice." You answer.
"Not true! You could always choose to escape, I wouldn't bet on your chances, but you can't say you don't have a choice. You also have a choice to give me information on the location of the Thieves' Guild or not. I know for a fact you've long been a member of their inner circle so you should have lots of information on the layout along with the location."
"Um…well…I don't know ALL of the layout…you see there was some debate about even letting me in, so they still don't trust me completely and as such they haven't allowed me full access."
"No problem. Just the location will do. It's not ideal, but I have more than enough confidence that we'll be able to take it anyway."

You're silent. You can't think of anyway to lie or stall. It's either betray the Guild or die. You feel the crossbow still in your back, Rook inspects you as you struggle with the morality of this decision.

"Tell me, why do you hesitate? Do you have close friends in the Guild? I can only imagine that the answer is yes, because if the answer was no, you would be spilling your guts right now. In fact, you probably would have done so on our first meeting. It's obvious you have no real love for the organization itself because if you did, you wouldn't even be considering any of this in the first place. You would be a good little Guild soldier and tell me how you'd never betray Garrick or the Guild. At which point I'd stop wasting my time and kill you. So you must have emotional attachment to someone there. Tell me who it is, and perhaps an arrangement can be made." Rook says.
"What sort of arrangement?" you ask.
"The Ebony Claw doesn't like to waste potential talent. Or at least I don't, hence why we're having this pleasant conversation. If you can convince your friend or friends to join you in seeing that the future is the Ebony Claw, then I have no problem with them joining as well. Quite frankly, we'll probably need the manpower."
"I don't think she…"

Rook interrupts you and you realize you've already given away too much.

"She? Oh wait…." Rook chuckles. "Of course. It's her isn't it? Garrick's little demonkin. This explains everything! Did you fall in love with her?"
"Well I…"
"Ha ha! You poor silly enchanted fool! She's half succubus you know. That's why you're all fucked up and not thinking straight. Why I'll bet if it wasn't for her charming everyone, Garrick wouldn't have half the people in his Guild."
"She didn't enchant me! In fact she doesn't even like using her powers like that!" you say getting agitated and temporarily forgetting that you're at Rook's mercy.
"Oh of course she doesn't. That's all part of her act. The puritanical demon seductress. Gets everyone hot an bothered and keeps them on a string by not actually putting out. How better to control the average man? I'll tell you what, we could use someone like her in the EC. Would make things easier to a certain extent."

You don't say anything, while Rook continues to chuckle.

"Okay, I'll give you a little more time because you seem to believe that yours is true love. If you do manage to convince the demonkin to join though, well that will just prove I was right in seeing your potential. However, I can't walk away from this meeting without nothing, so I still need you to do something for me or at least provide some sort of information." Rook responds.
"What did you have in mind?" you ask.
"I don't know, you tell me. A plan of some sort perhaps. I'll decide if it's important enough or not."

Currently the Guild doesn't have any plans other than the one involving the Neroth worshippers and making it look like the EC are attacking them. The only other plan you can tell Rook is your plan directly against Reginald, you just aren't sure Rook's going to find that one important enough and you'll end up having give out the Guild's plan anyway.

[User] You give away the Guild's plan

[Assistant]
Rook might be testing you to see if you'll lie to him or not. You'd rather not take that chance so you better just come clean now.

"We're mounting an attack on the Neroth cultists because they've been fucking with us. More specifically, we're mounting an attack on the Neroth cultists and going to make it look like Syndicate did it. We're also going try to ally with them, though to be honest that's the shit part of the plan." You say.
"I see. Well that is a very important bit of information. I thank you for telling me, though it would have been more impressive if I didn't have to initially pull it from you. No matter, give me the details and how you're involved exactly."
"I'm not. I'm doing my own thing because I'm not really into Garrick's plan in the first place. The Neroth cultists have been targeting me specifically longer than they've been fucking with the Guild, so I was going to just go take out Reginald and be done with it."
"Interesting. To be honest those Neroth worshipping assholes DO need to be dealt with. While some in the Ebony Claw don't consider them top priority, I see them as a potential problem in the future. Especially since we've started to have our own run ins with them. Though I may be a bit biased considering they did kidnap my cousin once. Oh, by the way, always meant to thank you for rescuing her."
"Wait…you mean…Naji is…"
"A whore that doesn't know what the hell she's doing with her life, but she's still my cousin and she should finally get a little justice. This city already has more than enough gods competing, and as a dedicated disciple to Fel, I see no reason why I shouldn't aid directly in their fall. Consider the Holgard Watch taken care of by tomorrow."
"What, really?"
"Yes. Obviously you're still going to have to kill Reginald and whatever fanatics he has in the house with him, but the Holgard Watch? They can always change loyalties and those that can't, well they'll be dealt with. Consider this another favor from your friends at the Ebony Claw."

You silently acknowledge Rook's words. While this is certainly going to help you out, you're not sure if you're going to be able to afford all these "favors" when it comes time to pay up.

"Well then I guess this concludes our business again. I suppose I'll be sending some of my people to start actively hunting down groups of Guild members based on the information you told me. Next time we see each other though, I trust you'll have that other vital information for me. Time is growing short you know, and I would hate to see you on the wrong side." Rook says and pats you hard on the side of your face a couple times before walking away.

You soon no longer feel the crossbow at your back and that's when you know it's okay to move again.

You make your way back to the inn where you're supposed to be getting some rest like Tanya suggested, but after your encounter with Rook, you're more wound up than ever. Eventually you do fall asleep and by the time you wake up, it's night and you're rushing to go meet Tanya.

When you get the place you were going to meet you find that she's not there. You wait around for awhile, but still no sign of her. You wonder if she changed her mind, then you wonder if she went in already because you also noticed that Reginald's house doesn't have the extra Holgard Watch security around it. (Rook was true to his word)

"Shit, I hope not. I've been standing around like a dumb ass if that's the case." You mutter and rush back down to street level again. You open the gate (which the guards helpfully left unlocked) and go to the front door which you lockpick with ease. You'd think even with the guards he would have gotten a better lock, but whatever makes your task easier.

You slowly walk into the dimly lit foyer with your weapon drawn. You search the downstairs cautiously and methodically, but don't find any one. In the back of your mind you wish this was just a simple breaking and entering job because you're seeing a lot fancy decoration and you're sure Reginald has more portable valuables laying around in a safe or something somewhere.

Still no sign of Tanya. You begin to worry if something happened to her if she came here at all. It also crosses you mind that it's possible she got held up before coming here. Rook did say he was sending some of his people to go actively hunt Guild members. For all you know she ran afoul of one of those groups or had to help other Guild members.

While you're looking around for stairs to the cellar, you hear some thumping coming from the upstairs. Things have been more or less silent so far, so this it cause to give you alarm.

You immediately head back to the large set of stairs that lead up in the foyer. As you're heading up the stairs, you notice that the lighting is becoming much darker. It's almost as if the candles from the chandelier are going out.

You get to near the top of the landing and then it goes completely dark. You then feel several hands grab at you You manage to fire off your pistol once before several hands take it from you.

"Fuck!" You say and begin to struggle.
"Restrain the unbeliever!"
"Don't kill him, this infidel must be properly sacrificed!

Since you have no intention of going quietly, you fight your assailants. It's hard to see in the dark, but you're doing the best you can. Eventually you manage to get your arms free and draw your blade. You slash blindly, hitting someone before you try to make your way back downstairs.

You're half way down the stairs with footsteps and yelling not far behind. You then suddenly feel a force of a person grabbing and tackling you with abandon. The pair of you goes rolling down the stairs and don't stop until you hit the bottom.

You feel a sharp pain in your right leg when you try to move it. Doesn't take long before you realize it's broken. Your assailant was less lucky and managed to break his neck during the tumble down the stairs. That doesn't help you that much though since his body is partially holding you down and his buddies are already almost upon you.

"Shit, he killed Daniel!"

Gotta love the "outrage" by a bunch of demon worshippers, not to mention the fact that Daniel killed himself by tackling you in the first place!

You crawl the best you can from out under Daniel's body and swing your blade at anyone coming near, but it's no use. There are just too many and despite hacking a couple of them at the legs, they soon begin stomping and kicking you.

The best you can do is try to cover yourself until eventually one person tells them all to stop.

You raise your head and see a man with a goatee in a red robe. A couple of other larger men in red robes stand behind him. Granted everyone around you is wearing red, but it's obvious that this is the one you were looking for. This is Reginald.

He motions the others to pick you up which they do despite you struggling and the agony of a broken leg.

Reginald walks towards you.

"So, you've returned. I know you're the one that so rudely broke into my home and stole that girl years ago. We were a little pre-occupied in nabbing you before and you seem to be skilled enough to fight off our recent attempts. Not sure why you stupidly decided to believe you could get away with walking in here alone again, but you'll soon learn that was a very grave mistake. Going to have something very special planned for you."

Before you can answer with some sort of defiant reply, two of the red robed assholes holding you go down to throwing daggers in their faces from above! Of course this also means you fall to the floor as well since your leg is broken and you can't stand.

It's still dark, but even from your prone position and in your one eye that hasn't closed shut you can see a figure running about on the second floor balcony and throwing more daggers. It has to be Tanya.

"Damnit, it's a full on assault! Take this asshole to the dungeons, the rest of you get whoever that is and be on the look out for others!" Reginald orders.

Several cultists try to pick you up again, but you do everything you can to prevent them from doing so. Eventually you get walloped and kicked in the head enough times that you're unable to do much of anything except struggle to stay conscious.

You're dragged across the floor and down some steps while the chaos of shouting and running is around you.

Eventually you no longer feel a wooden floor but cold stone. As you are continually dragged across the cellar area, you are now starting to black out. Your only thoughts are that you hope Tanya will be okay and save your ass on top of everything else.

Unfortunately, those are the last thoughts you ever have. The cultists dragging you to the dungeon cell aren't exactly being the most gentle and your already battered head takes a few more hits, then when they throw you in the cell, they give you a couple more kicks as well. You don't feel the pain any longer since you're unconscious by this point.

It's just as well that you soon die from internal head trauma since Tanya isn't even successful in retrieving your body.


[System] Narrate a grim fantasy text adventure. The Empire's world is brutal, its people hardened. Respond to the player's choices with immersive storytelling and let consequences flow naturally.

[User] You open the door engraved with a Penguin

[Assistant]
You open the door to see nothing but darkness before you and the sounds of several different creatures fill the air once again, only now they sound louder, and angrier. "Sorry kid." The games keeper says to you as the sounds draw nearer. "Even I can't stop them now. They're just so hungry."

Suddenly you feel a sharp pain in your foot and you look down to see that a rat has come in through the door and bitten your toe. You manage to kick it away but more rats appear and you stumble backwards trying to keep them away from your feet. An owl flies at you out of the darkness and it's talons scratch at you eyes. You try to shoo it away but see that your arms are covered in tiny black spiders which you frantically try to shake off. The spiders are the least of your worries though, since standing it the doorway is a great black bear which rises onto it's hind legs and lets out the most terrifying roar. You are so distracted by the bear that you don't even notice the wolf that is circling you until it sinks it's teeth into your throat.

As you lay dying on the ground, ripped apart by wild animals, the ghost of the games keeper steps over your body and shakes his head. "The Penguin door?" He asks himself with the most baffled expression on his face. "Why? Why would you choose the Penguin door?" I suppose he'll never know.