There was less tension in the room and with it I didn’t feel like I had to be careful about every piece of info I let slip out of my lips. I mean so far we only had verbal promises that they’d help us against the Heroes Party, but my instincts told me we could trust them. So I started to share a lot more details of what happened.

  First I told in detail exactly how the Heroes Party killed Lord Eric Lasair. Sure they practically knew at this point, but emphasizing the finer details didn’t hurt. We didn’t want any of these three to suddenly backtrack on their commitment to stop the Heroes Party. Cardinal Stenvall’s forehead gain three more wrinkles when I explained how Heather used casting a cleric buff spell as an excuse to put the mint oil on Lord Lasair.

  From there I explained what happened when we went to the Shrine of Heroes. How Andy nearly decapitated me and only my disguise ability saved me. Eva glanced at my hook as I explained how Fire-Friend sliced off my hand. When I reached the part of Patrick confessing to killing Elane, I could hear Hellene shuffle behind me. I was pretty sure she was looking away from everyone as I explained what I heard.

  With the story of what happened at the shrine explained, I finally asked Cardinal Stenvall a question which was eating away at me.

  "Cardinal Stenvall," I said, leaning forward, "there's something I've been wondering about. Does the church know for certain if The Wish actually sends the Heroes back to Earth?"

  The cardinal's eyes widened slightly, perhaps surprised by my directness. He ran a hand over his weathered face before responding.

  "Yes, we do know," he said carefully. "According to records we maintain about the previous Heroes Party who slew the Demon King, The Wish must be taken to the Shrine of Heroes to be activated. And our archives confirm it does indeed send Heroes back to their world of origin."

  "So it works as expected," Duncan murmured.

  "Yes, but..." the cardinal hesitated, fingers fidgeting with the golden embroidery on his robe. "There's more to it than that. Something we've kept closely guarded for centuries."

  My pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"

  "According to writings left by Cody Carlsen, the Giant Slayer, The Wish grants something extraordinary before completing its primary function," Cardinal Stenvall said, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "For a brief time—perhaps only moments—it gives the user what he described as 'god-like powers.' His exact words were that reality itself becomes the user's plaything."

  A heavy silence fell over the room. I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs as the implications sank in.

  "God-like powers," I repeated, the words feeling strange on my tongue. "As in... they could do anything? Create or destroy anything?"

  The cardinal nodded solemnly. "That was our interpretation of his writings, yes. Though his words were frustratingly vague on the specifics."

  "And this information," I said, a sinking feeling in my gut, "was it shared with Andy?"

  Cardinal Stenvall shook his head firmly. "No. The church decided not to share this particular detail with the current Heroes Party. Since it wasn't clear which Hero would ultimately be awarded The Wish, we deemed it unwise to reveal such information."

  "Unwise?" Hellene's voice cut through the room like a blade. "It would be catastrophic if the Heroes Party got their hands on The Wish knowing it could give them godly powers." Her violet eyes flashed dangerously. "Can you imagine what someone like Jesse or Andy would do with that kind of power, even temporarily? They could reshape the world according to their twisted desires."

  Perth nodded gravely. "I agree. They've already shown a willingness to kill for far less power."

  Eva grimaced as she glared at the floor. "They'd be unstoppable."

  A murmur of agreement passed through the room. I glanced at Cardinal Stenvall, noticing the conflict in his eyes. Despite everything he'd heard, despite his own suspicions, I could see he still struggled with the idea of the Heroes—figures the church had elevated to near-sainthood—being truly evil.

  "I promise you all," I said firmly, drawing everyone's attention, "The Wish will stay safely in my Inventory Box. Even if I die, it will remain there, inaccessible to anyone else."

  “I admire your courage, but let’s try not to let circumstances reach such a tragic outcome,” Perth said with a charming smile.

  Duncan leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "There's something I don't understand. How exactly did the three of you find us? We were careful to avoid being noticed."

  Cardinal Stenvall sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging slightly under his ornate robes. "That responsibility falls to me, I'm afraid." He folded his hands in his lap, his eyes meeting Duncan's directly. "After Perth informed me of his suspicions about the Heroes Party's involvement in your father's death, I took precautions."

  "What kind of precautions?" Duncan asked, his voice hardening.

  "I gave orders to Lady Miriam to report to me if you ever did anything unusual or out of character," the Cardinal admitted. "I feared you might eventually piece together what happened and publicly accuse the Heroes Party of murder."

  Lady Miriam. The name tickled my brain, I heard it somewhere before. The sound of squeaking as a chair shifting filled the room as I glanced to my left. Duncan’s face had gone pale, his fingers digging into the armrests.

  "The priestess at the manor grounds," I murmured, suddenly remembering where I'd heard that name before. The woman who'd pleaded for Duncan not to leave and was the one who healed my wounds.

  She also knew Duncan was a Fallen Knight and tried to help him with his horrible ability.

  Cardinal Stenvall noticed Duncan's reaction and leaned forward, his expression earnest. "Lady Miriam had no choice but to obey my direct orders. As a cardinal, my authority in the church is absolute for those beneath me. If you feel anger over this breach of trust, it should be directed at me alone."

  Duncan took a deep, measured breath, his hands losing up on the armrests. Surprisingly the anger from his posture disappeared quickly.

  "What's done is done," he said, his voice carefully controlled. "It matters little now."

  I saw Duncan give me a raised eyebrow and I knew what we were both thinking- Lady Miriam hadn’t told the cardinal he was a Fallen Knight. The cardinal would have already spoken about it at this point. She may have been secretly spying for the man, but she wasn’t totally disloyal to Duncan.

  Perth cleared his throat, drawing our attention. "I was with Samuel when Lady Miriam's report arrived. She'd observed you leaving the manor with unusual haste, accompanied by a Hero who wasn’t even supposed to be in this universe." He gave me a knowing smile. "We came to the conclusion that if you were really out to confront the Heroes Party, your journey would eventually lead you to the capital."

  Eva straightened in her chair, her dark eyes glinting with pride. "I used my Thieves Guild connections to set up a network of watchers along the main roads," she said, glancing at Duncan. "I had them looking specifically for someone matching your description. When they spotted the three of you traveling together, they sent word immediately."

  "From there, we decided to rely on Perth's familiars," the cardinal added, gesturing toward the elf.

  Perth nodded, a hint of pride in his expression. "My spirit creatures are excellent for surveillance. Nearly invisible unless you know exactly what to look for." He raised his hand, and for a brief moment, I could see a shimmer in the air above his palm—like heat rising from sun-baked stone. "They followed you discreetly, reporting your movements back to me."

  I tried concentrating on the intuition my new Wisdom stat gave me. I could sense every person in the room, I could even sense there were two people in the neighboring inn room.

  But I didn’t sense anything on Perth’s hand even with the air rippling with something there. Apparently there were limits to this new power I had. I noticed Perth giving me a wink as he lowered his hand and the air turned normal. Did he know what I was trying to do?

  "Then one of my familiars witnessed something rather alarming," Perth continued, his expression growing serious. "Patrick Vester teleported directly inside Hallows of the Crown. Shortly after, everyone simply vanished."

  "That's when we decided to enter the gravesite ourselves to investigate," Cardinal Stenvall finished.

  Hellene leaned forward, her violet eyes narrowed. "And if Patrick had reappeared while you were there? Did you have a plan to fight him?"

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Absolutely not," the cardinal said quickly, just as Eva firmly declared, "Yes."

  I couldn't help but smile at the contradiction as the cardinal stared at the girl in surprise while she simply gave him a stone faced glare.

  Perth chuckled, his melodious laugh filling the small room. "The truth, my friends, is that we were all—what's the expression?—winging it. We had no real plan beyond finding out what happened to you."

  Eva shifted impatiently in her chair, crossing her arms. "This discussion needs to move forward. We've spent enough time on what's already happened." She turned to face me directly, her gaze unflinching. "I want to establish terms for my assistance with the dungeons—what I get in exchange for my help."

  Hellene snorted, giving Eva an appraising look. "My, aren't you unusually candid and direct for someone whose profession involves sneaking around and stealing from people?"

  Perth chuckled again, his golden hair catching the lamplight. "Thieves Guild members always establish clear stipulations and conditions before working together," he explained. "It's practically tradition. And part of the fun is coming out ahead on the job because your partner failed to notice a condition that benefits you more."

  "A game of words, then," Duncan murmured, his voice barely audible.

  I nodded slightly, thinking through the implications. If I wasn't careful with what I agreed to and what I demanded in return, it could easily come back to bite me in the ass later. This wasn't just about forming an alliance—it was a negotiation with real consequences.

  Eva shot Perth a venomous glare, clearly unhappy with how much he was revealing about Thieves Guild practices.

  Perth reached over and ruffled Eva's hair like she was a child, earning a twitching eye from the archer.

  "I'm just giving them a fighting chance in negotiations," he said with an amused smile. "It wouldn't be sporting otherwise."

  Eva slapped his hand away and opened her mouth to retort when Duncan suddenly spoke up.

  "Do you have a means of getting past a tunnel sealed with bricks without alerting a monastery?" he asked, looking directly at Eva.

  Everyone turned to stare at him, including me. This was the first I'd heard about any sealed tunnel.

  Duncan cleared his throat. "The entrance to the Reflecting Water Dungeon," he explained, his voice low and serious. "It's located beneath an old monastery. The tunnel leading to it has been sealed off with bricks in the basement."

  That’s when I realized I never actually asked Duncan his own findings when checking out the Sunveil Monastery. I was too busy ranting at him on almost getting killed with an illegal System class.

  Eva's irritation at Perth vanished instantly, replaced by a calculating look. "I can handle that," she said without hesitation. Her eyes flicked to the dagger strapped at my side, and her lips curled into a slight smirk. "I can also provide Will with a proper weapon. That little butter knife isn't going to do much against Four Sigil monsters."

  I instinctively touched the hilt of my dagger. It had served me well enough so far, but she wasn't wrong. Against higher-level threats, I'd need something more substantial.

  "In exchange," Eva continued, her voice hardening, "I have one simple condition. When the time comes, I get to kill Jesse Alleway. And I want your full support in making that happen."

  The room went silent. I could feel everyone watching me, waiting for my response. A month ago, I would have been horrified at the thought of conspiring to kill Jesse. I would have stammered out objections, insisted there must be another way, offered some half-baked alternative that preserved my moral high ground.

  Now? I couldn't even summon a flicker of guilt at the prospect. Jesse had murdered Eva's father in cold blood, just as she'd helped kill Lord Lasair and stood by while Patrick murdered Elane. The mental image of her smiling while watching that goblin crawl on the floor flashed through my mind again.

  "I agree," I said firmly, surprising even myself with how easily the words came. "But with one condition of my own." I leaned forward, meeting Eva's intense gaze. "The decision of when we're ready to take on Jesse will be made by the party as a whole. No running off on your own for a shot at her. We do this together, or not at all."

  Eva's expression hardened. She stared at me for what felt like an eternity, her dark eyes calculating. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she weighed her options. Finally, with a heavy sigh that seemed to deflate her entire body, she nodded.

  "Fine," she muttered. "We do it together."

  “Great! Oh and one last thing- we can’t eat the gold fish.”

  “Well I- wait what?”

  ***

  Eva moved through the Crookback District with practiced ease.

  Unlike the marble facades and pristine streets of the nobility quarter, this part of Zephyria was a maze of narrow alleys and crumbling buildings stacked so close together they seemed to be holding each other up. The smell of rotting garbage and human waste hung in the air, punctuated by the occasional whiff of cheap ale and vomit.

  It hadn’t felt like a true Thieves Guild negotiation. If Eva had been creating terms and conditions with another Thieves Guild member, there would have been talk about how to split treasures in the dungeons and first dibs on specific types of equipment. Even clear boundaries on how much time could be asked for when it came to the job. But the negotiated conditions for this were brief and short.

  In the end this wasn’t a Thieves Guild job though, it was a mission for vengeance.

  Dad always said vengeance was a losing game.

  She mentally shook the thought from her head as the butcher shop came into sight.

  This place looked more like a slaughterhouse that had given up on pretending to be anything else. The wooden sign hanging above the door was so faded and blood-splattered that the shop's name was barely legible. Rusty hooks dangled from the awning, some still holding pieces of dried meat so old the flies weren’t even interested.

  As Eva walked in, she was met with scene of a old woman chopping off the head of a dead, skinned Dire Rat with a butcher knife. Hellene may think her grouchy tone and glaring eyes could make a person cringe, but she had nothing on Aunt Ovesen.

  The woman who turned to face Eva had one eye glaring from beneath a leather eyepatch that had seen better days, while the other—sharp as a hawk's—fixed on Eva with immediate recognition. Her face was a tapestry of wrinkles, not just lines but deep furrows carved by decades of scowls and hard living. And settling on her skull was white hair which formed a puffy cloud around her head, defying gravity and any attempt at taming.

  "You done with that stupid mission to do the impossible yet?" Aunt Ovesen asked, as she tossed the rat's head into a bucket at her feet.

  Eva leaned against the blood-stained counter, keeping her face neutral despite the stench of decay that permeated the shop. "Have you told Ms. Mill that the meat pie she buys at discount every week uses rat meat? She's been buying those pies from you for five years now."

  Aunt Ovesen's one good eye narrowed dangerously, but then her weathered face cracked into something resembling a smile—all yellowed teeth and no warmth. She snorted, wiping her bloody hands on her already filthy apron before shuffling toward the far wall.

  With practiced ease, she pulled on one of the hanging hooks. A soft grinding noise followed as a section of the wall slid sideways, revealing a narrow passage beyond.

  "I assume you're here to collect your tools of vengeance," Aunt Ovesen said, her voice flat and disinterested. "Be quick about it. I've got two more of these rats to process before noon."

  Eva simply nodded as she stepped into the passage. The wall slid closed behind her with a soft thud, sealing her in darkness.

  The familiar smell of dust and mildew replaced the butcher shop's stench. Eva didn't need light to navigate; she'd been through this passage countless times since childhood. Fifteen steps forward, turn left at the pipe that jutted from the wall, then another twenty-three steps to the iron door.

  Everyone paid dues to the Thieves Guild for gaining the perks of the guild, but not everyone paid by gold. Sometimes they paid with magical equipment of all sorts from a whip made out of acid to shoes which would let you walk on water. And often times an old thief would leave all their possessions to the Thieves Guild after death because the guild was the only family they truly had.

  All the treasures and gifts obtained this way went to the Vault. But the reasons for what items went into the Vault differed from what reasons items left the Vault. Usually there were two reasons something of value was removed from the Vault. One reason was because someone offered something of equal or greater worth for an item in the vault, the leader of the Thieves Guild would decide if the exchange would happen.

  The other reason was if someone in the Thieves Guild was murdered. Then another member of the Thieves Guild could offer to take the job of avenging the killed member. There would be a vote to decide if the volunteer was sincere in the offer. If the vote favored the volunteer, they would be offered items from the Vault before they started their hunt for the culprit.

  If a regular guild member was killed, you could take one item from the Vault. If a member with twenty years of seniority with the guild was killed, you could take two items. If the leader was killed, which according to Aunt Ovesen only happened once before in the last couple of centuries, then you could take three items.

  Eva reached the iron door at the end of the passage and pushed it open with practiced ease. Immediately, a creature of pure shadow lunged forward, its form like liquid darkness sculpted into a humanoid shape with elongated claws reaching for her throat.

  "The Guild is family, and family protects its own," Eva said calmly, not flinching as the creature froze mid-lunge.

  The shadow entity retracted its claws and shrank back, its form becoming less menacing as it settled into a docile guardian stance beside the doorway. Eva watched it for a moment, remembering how her father had shown her this secret when she turned sixteen.

  Lucky for us Jesse never stayed long enough to learn about the Vault.

  The thought left a bitter taste in Eva’s mouth. Even a level thirty-five Shadow Guardian wouldn't have stood a chance against that murderous bitch. She would have slaughtered it and ransacked everything, just like she'd done to her father.

  Eva moved past the guardian into a long hallway lined with identical iron doors. She walked with purpose, counting doors until she reached the fourth one on the right. It opened with a soft creak, revealing a chamber filled with chests of various sizes.

  She knew exactly what she needed and where to find it. In the smallest chest, nestled in purple velvet, lay a tiny silver bell only slightly bigger than her thumb. Eva lifted it carefully, feeling its surprising weight as she slipped it into her pocket.

  The next room contained an array of weapons displayed on the walls. Eva ignored the gleaming swords and exotic spears, heading directly for a glass case in the corner. Inside lay a dagger with a blade which looked freshly sharpened, its hilt wrapped in crimson silk that appeared almost wet in the dim light. A beautiful sheath with blood red flowers painted on it laid in the case as well.

  She quickly sheathed the dagger and tucked it into her belt without testing its edge.

  For the final item, Eva entered a chamber that held only a single stone pedestal. Atop it rested an arrow made of what appeared to be solid gold, its shaft gleaming despite the dust that had gathered around it. Eva hesitated only briefly before taking it, her fingers closing around metal that felt oddly warm to the touch.

  When she emerged back into the butcher shop, Aunt Ovesen was waiting, her single eye gleaming with curiosity. The old woman wiped bloody hands on her apron and gestured impatiently.

  "Let's see what you chose then," she demanded.

  Eva placed the three items on the counter between them. The tiny silver bell caught the light, proving items of powerful magic came in all sizes. The crimson-hilted dagger appeared at home in a butcher shop smelling of blood. The golden arrow laid furthest away, beautiful but conspicuously impractical.

  Aunt Ovesen nodded approvingly at the silver bell, grunted with satisfaction at the crimson-hilted dagger, but when her good eye reached the golden arrow, her wrinkles scrunched together in a deep frown.

  “Girl, do you realize you’ve just picked the most useless weapon which ever resided in the Vault?”

  “That is the point of why I picked it.”