Heavy Metal: Chapter 81 - Thieves Guild (Patreon)

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 Often, beggars like the unfortunate man he had just seen would pick up an outdated password.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?’

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.

The path in one direction was noisy, leading toward the tavern. However, he wasn’t heading there. Before he could ask for directions, the man he had given the password to walked toward the large barrel. Using the same club he had hit the beggar with, the man struck a hole in the wall. There was an audible click as something socketed into place. A mechanism activated, causing the front cover of the barrel to slide aside, revealing the entrance to the Thieves' Guild.

“What are you waiting for? Go on in.”

He nodded silently at the man, offering no reply, then quickly stepped through the opening. His body was slightly above average in size, so he had to squeeze himself through. Once inside, the entrance began to seal itself, leaving him in a small, dimly lit corridor that led to a ladder descending downward.

‘I see... the guild must be in the old sewers. Makes some sense.’

‘What the hell is that smell…’

‘You better cover your nose, Rusty. This won’t be a pleasant journey.’

Rusty, now just a helmet on the man’s head. When he first entered, his visor had been up, allowing the door guard to see his face. Now, as the stench hit him even harder, he had to pull the visor down, hoping it would help him endure the foul odors. He descended the ladder, arriving in a damp, murky space where the water reached his ankles. Each step felt strange, as if he was stepping into something squishy. He used the man’s recent memories to guide himself. His goal was to reach the black market, but the journey was proving more difficult than he had anticipated.

‘They use these strange markings to indicate the way to the real entrance. I think it’s in that direction…’

Alexander, who was connected to Rusty as his guide, helped him navigate through these fragmented memories. He identified some carved symbols on the walls as secret codes only guild members could decipher. With their guidance, he continued through the sewers. This place reminded him of the dungeon but without any monsters to fight, instead it was filled with flies and rats. 

The air in the sewers grew heavier with each step Rusty took, the stench intensifying as he trudged through the murky water. His thoughts were split between navigating the darkened tunnels and the repulsive sensation of his new, fleshy vessel. Every step felt unnatural, and the feeling of squishy debris beneath his boots only added to his discomfort.

‘Why would people willingly go down here?’

Rusty muttered and Alexander quickly answered his question.

‘They wouldn’t and neither would any guards or knights be willing, that’s why they put the guild here.’

‘I see…’

‘People adapt to whatever keeps them alive. You’d be surprised what they’ll endure.’

After a few minutes, Rusty finally spotted another marking on the wall - a small, barely visible symbol shaped like an inverted triangle. It was etched into the stone and partially obscured by grime, but the thug's memories recognized it as the final indicator. This was the way to the guild’s black market. Rusty’s pace quickened, eager to get out of the foul water and closer to his objective.

He arrived at what appeared to be a dead end, but he knew better. The man’s memories had revealed a way to pass through the wall, similar to the method the door guard had used earlier. To the side, there was a small hole in the wall, just the right size for the black coin he carried. Sliding it into the socket, he heard a familiar click, and the wall began to shift, slowly opening to reveal the path ahead.

‘This must be it!’

He cheered as he moved deeper, the narrow tunnels began to open into a larger chamber. Flickering torchlight illuminated the walls, casting eerie shadows along the uneven surfaces. The faint sounds of voices and movement became clearer the closer he got. His skill to detect life confirmed everything, he was in a place with a lot of individuals and they were quite busy.

‘This is it. You’ve made it to the market, so this is how it looked… It’s similar to one that I visited on my journey… or at least I think it is…’

Rusty paused at the edge of the chamber while Alexander tried to recall his past. From here, he could see the layout: a sprawling underground market hidden beneath the city, with various stalls set up along the damp stone floors. Thieves, smugglers, and black market traders bartered openly, selling stolen goods, rare artifacts, and illicit substances. The place was teeming with activity, but the whole operation was cloaked in shadow. The traders wore hoods or masks to conceal their identities, and even the buyers moved with caution, careful not to draw too much attention.

Rusty scanned the area, searching for the next step in Alexander’s plan. His goal wasn’t just to reach the black market but to find someone of high enough rank within the thieves' guild to register him for future transactions. There were two reasons for this. First, he planned to return here after raiding the Dungeon and robbing more adventurers. Second, he didn’t have much time left. His mana was draining rapidly, and he only had a few mana potions to sustain the possession. Though the potions worked like mana crystals, they were far less efficient. If this place operated like the markets above ground, he wouldn’t have time to haggle so he needed to hurry.

‘This is the black market but they should also register newbies here, if this guy's memories are correct, you just need to pay half a gold coin to register first and then another half of it in stolen goods to be accepted.’

‘That’s a lot…’

‘See it as an investment for the future, Rusty, sometimes it’s better to look at the future rewards.’

‘Investment? People use strange words…’

Rusty glanced at his MP indicator, realizing he needed to act fast. He quickly scanned the area, searching for something resembling a reception desk. The Thieves' Guild was nothing like the Adventurer’s Guild - here, no one would offer assistance. Instead, everyone remained on guard, eyeing each other warily. Bloodstains on the walls and floor served as grim reminders of the frequent fights that broke out between guild members.

The first part of the guild he entered was the black market. It wasn’t just for guild members; sanctioned merchants were also welcome here. These merchants were more valuable than the lower-ranking thieves, as they brought in large sums of money. They specialized in purchasing stolen goods and sometimes even people. Later, they’d smuggle these goods out of the city, reselling them in places that appeared respectable and clean. If something was too volatile they would even take them to other countries or present them on auctions where the profits were usually higher. 

The second part was further away, from the bustling market, where guild members congregated to discuss operations and coordinate their illicit activities. It was also where the guild kept its most valuable secrets, including the identity of the highest-ranking members and the locations of its hidden stashes. If Rusty wanted to be fully integrated into the thieves' network, he would need to make his way there eventually. But first, he had to ensure his registration into the black market so he could freely trade stolen goods and gain access to the guild’s resources.

His destination was a third area, somewhat resembling the Adventurer's Guild above. It featured a small, shabby bulletin board filled with requests for stolen goods, some even providing maps to the buildings the thieves were tasked with robbing. This area was farther from the black market and had the appearance of a rundown bar. Behind the counter stood another burly man, similar to a guild receptionist. This was the person he needed to speak with.

Rusty approached, keeping his face neutral under the helmet, though he could feel the strain of maintaining control over the fleshy body. His mana reserves were dwindling faster than anticipated. When he reached the counter he placed five silver coins down and slid them across the counter without a word. The man glanced at the five coins before him and just grinned.

“Registering a newbie? You know the rules, if they can’t get the merchandise here in a week, you’ll get punished.”

Rusty nodded, he somewhat knew the rules and once this was over, he needed to quickly get back into his old body before his possession skill wavered and it probably wouldn’t last for more than a few minutes now…