Chapter 81 – Thieves Guild

A knock echoed through the narrow alleyway. The man wearing dirty, torn clothes stood before a thick iron door, his silhouette barely visible in the dim light of a nearby lamp. The rats scurried away, startled by the unexpected sound. The man seemed angered by the lack of response but eventually, he heard some movement on the other side. Soon a latch was opened and a pair of eyes appeared through the doors Peephole.

“What do yer want?”

“Let me in!”

The badly dressed man took out a handful of something and dangled it in front of the slit the man on the other side was peeking through. It looked like some cheap jewelry, something that had been stolen recently. The man on the other side just snorted without opening the door.

“What’s the password?”

“Password… ah yeah…. was it? Antwerp?”

“…”

“Sure it is… wait for a moment there, I’ll let you right in…”

The man that looked like a beggar smiled, his yellow teeth showing as he heard more movement on the other side. It sounded like multiple latches were being drawn back from behind the door. The heavy iron door creaked open, revealing a narrow, poorly lit passage that led further into the building. The man who had peered through the peephole stepped aside, giving the dirty-looking figure room to enter. He was a grizzled, burly man with scars lining his face, the kind that said he’d seen his share of brawls. His eyes glimmered with suspicion, but he didn’t press further on the password but instead waited for the man to enter.

“Get in…”

“Sure friend… can I sell it inside?”

“Yeah, just get in…”

The burly man gripped a club in his left hand, hiding it behind his back. As soon as the other man walked through the door, the club was immediately brought down. The door slammed shut behind him, and the thief’s screams were muffled. However, one person was fully aware of what had just transpired. He appeared from around the corner, clad in heavy armor.

‘So that’s what happens when you give the wrong password?’

Alexander remarked to Rusty, who lumbered forward, now possessing the mind of the thieves’ guild member. Through reading the man’s thoughts, Rusty had learned the true password needed to pass through that door. Thanks to the man’s memories, he knew the password changed every week. Every guild member had to memorize the passwords for the correct week and they changed every month. Often, beggars like the unfortunate man he had just seen would pick up an outdated password. When they tried to enter, they were swiftly dealt with.

Rusty, now possessing the body of the bald thug, stood near the entrance to the thieves’ guild. The heavy door ahead, thick iron and layered with scratches from years of use, loomed ominously. The scene that had just unfolded – the beggar being lured in, only to be struck down for using the wrong password- was a brutal reminder of the guild’s ruthlessness.

‘Good thing you got the right one. Just don’t mess it up, or you’ll end up like that guy.’

‘That guy didn’t look that strong, he can’t defeat me.’

‘The thieves in the guild are like roaches, they might not stick together like the adventurers but they will defend the entrance at least.’

‘I’ll be careful then?’

Rusty, still adjusting to the unfamiliar sensation of inhabiting a living body, approached the door, his new body heavy and sluggish. The memories of the thug helped guide him, but it wasn’t the same as his usual strength or agility in his true form. He was probably weaker than when possessing Albert and he wasn’t sure what would happen if this fleshy body was injured. He had left his main body inside of his system and if anything went wrong he was ready to activate one of his loadouts.

His hand collided with the door as he knocked. He could sense some movement inside so he just waited. After a few moments, the small slit in the door opened, and once again, a pair of watchful eyes peered out. Unlike before, the eyes seemed sharper this time with a little blood running through the middle.

“Again? You better not be with this old guy! What’s the password?”

Rusty hesitated, drawing on the fragmented memories of the thug. He mentally sifted through the jumbled information, making sure he had the right answer. Then, in a gruff voice, he muttered.

“Schwertfisch”

“… Come in.”

The eyes behind the slit narrowed slightly, but after a brief pause, there was the familiar sound of heavy locks being unlatched. The door creaked open just wide enough for Rusty to squeeze through. As he stepped inside, the dim light of the alley was replaced by the flickering glow of oil lamps hanging from the walls.

This was not the Thieves Guild but just one of the entrances. The building was one of the local taverns. There was an open door leading to a wine cellar, one way going up and a large sideways-placed Tun that was almost the height of an adult. It had a large wooden tap in the lower midsection but for some reason, it didn’t look like it had been used in a long time.

The beggar he had seen earlier was no longer there, but fresh bloodstains marked the ground. Alexander glanced at the blood splatter and how it trailed towards a large wine barrel. He instantly understood what had happened.

‘The entrance to the guild must be behind that barrel. They must have dragged that poor fool in there after knocking him out.’

Alexander didn’t say anything, unsure of his theory. He had heard rumors of the Thieves’ Guild selling people into slavery, and this beggar might face the same fate for trying to enter without being a member. Perhaps the man’s future lay in the dark mines, or maybe they would simply throw him back onto the street after roughing him up.

‘I hate this flesh… I can’t wait to get back to my true form … what is even that?’

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Rusty muttered to himself, adjusting to a new sensation. Inhabiting a living body was vastly different from possessing Albert’s mummified corpse. As a living suit of armor, he had no sense of smell or fatigue, but now, all sorts of rancid odors assaulted his nostrils. The guard who had let him in reeked of body odor, and the entire place had an intense, unpleasant smell. Rusty had never realized humans dealt with this constantly and wished he could leave the body as soon as possible.