Isabella continued, her tone growing more serious as she leaned in, her emerald eyes piercing through the room. "Listen, kid, nice to meet you, but let's be real. I could dispose of you with a wave of the hand," she said, smirking. "What do you have to say for yourself? I heard you messed with our operations. Why shouldn't I just kill you?"
Unlike Dex, she didn't mince words, and I appreciated her directness. After all, from her perspective, I had interfered with her operations for no apparent reason. I maintained a confident smile. "I already know you won't do that, or else you wouldn't have brought us all the way here," I replied calmly. "I imagine your goons here could have taken us somewhere away from prying eyes and killed us there." Isabella thought for a moment and then let out a hearty laugh, appearing younger than her actual age. "You're a funny kid. I once knew a man like you; he's dead now, but he had the same baseless confidence you have," she said. "What's your name, kid?"
I spoke confidently, "Lucius Evergold, a simple artisan and merchant whose name you will hopefully be hearing a lot more in the future." In response to my confident declaration, Isabella slammed a dagger down onto the desk, leaving a large impression on the boxes and making me flinch slightly. After her display, her face grew serious. "Listen, kid, you won't have a future if you don't listen to me. You made a big mistake when you messed with our operation. I was mad when I heard the news, still am, but I will give you one chance to make this up to us."
I frowned, realizing that I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of this situation easily. I asked with a more serious tone, "What would that be?" Isabella's demeanor softened slightly upon hearing my willingness to cooperate. "Listen, the Steel Serpents is a group I founded. We are a gang of criminals, and I won't pretend that we're a noble group. Those vials are serious business; they have harsh addictive properties, as I'm sure you've gathered," she explained. "I won't tell you who, but we have a client that supplies us with these drugs. He wants them spread through the city. I never cared to ask why; the guy practically gave us the stuff for free. I have an offer for you, and it is something I can't do myself."
My ears perked up, uncertain about what she was about to suggest. Isabella continued, her voice laden with frustration, "The reason for that is I want out of our deal. Our client tricked me. He said the drugs were harmless, but I'm not blind. I see what's happening out there. I grew up in this city, in this poor side of town. I'm not a good person, but this drug, it's truly vile. I don't think I've seen anything like it. I want out of the deal; the scale of its effect on this town is far more than I could have predicted. I'm sure you've heard the rumors—travelers disappearing? Most people have probably linked those disappearances to us, damaging our reputation. I'd never try to harm potential customers; travelers are how we make a lot of our profits. No, the answer is simpler: those drugs we gave travelers turned them into what you see out there. They became addicted to the drugs and have now lost all sense of themselves, now nothing more than walking corpses."
I had a growing suspicion about where this was heading, and if I was right, our interests might align more than I originally thought. I smirked, "Let me guess. If you cut off the deal, he'll take something from you? Since it can't be someone from your gang, you want me to take care of them? Either talk them out of it or gather evidence to turn them in to the guards." Isabella reached for her knife on the desk, her eyes locking onto mine. "You're a smart kid. Yes, that's exactly what I want. We can't raise our knives to the bastard he has power in a lot of places, but I will leave that to your imagination."
I stood up, resolved to do the right thing. "Well, to tell you the truth, something about the other day didn't sit right with me anyways, but I guess I'm being forced to do the right thing this time." I held out my hand for a handshake. "I wouldn't want you to get a wrinkle over this client. Consider it done." Isabella looked at my hand, then gripped it firmly. Even here, she was trying to assert some kind of dominance.
Dex led us out of the room, and we followed behind him. Era seemed to be silently contemplating something next to me. Once we sat down, Dex began to explain, "Wow, Lucius, you're the first person to walk out of that room in one piece in a long time. I guess you really must have made a good first impression." I chuckled. "One of my many good points is my charm."
Dex got straight to the point. "Right. Now, more to the point, I will provide you with two pieces of information. First, the client is an official in this city. His name is Samuel Blackwood. He's a politician trying to gain favor among the public, as he wants to run for mayor in the upcoming election. Second, he often holds public rallies in the town square around 12:00 p.m. almost every day. I won't suggest how you can deal with him, but I will say that if you aren't going to kill him, have him arrested instead. I'll leave how to do that up to you."
I nodded, the plan seemed straightforward: head to the town square in a few hours and deal with Samuel Blackwood personally. I responded to Dex, "Right, thanks. I'll handle him myself. If there's nothing else, I'll report back once it's done." Dex gave his usual grin, "Right, nice working with you again my good fellow"
As we made our way towards the exit, Era followed behind me, and none of Isabella's goons stopped us. I noticed that some even nodded at me with respect, understanding that it was rare for anyone to make any sort of impression on Isabella. After all, Dex did mention it was rare for anyone to come out in one piece after entering her room. Era spoke up, "Well? Got a plan, Lucius?"
I affirmed, "Yeah, I know it hasn't been long, but it seems like I've dragged you into something unexpected already. I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but I do have some idea of how to approach this." Era sighed, "I did agree to ally myself with you, a promise I didn't make on a whim. I trust that you'll be able to get us out of this. After all, if nothing else, I am at least aware you are good at thinking on your feet." I looked back at her and gave her a reassuring grin, "Right, you are. Thankfully, his speech isn't for two hours; we still have time. First, we need to gather some information. I think the best plan is to know what kind of person we are dealing with."
We made our way back to the marketplace, I spot a small fur stand in the marketplace. I decided it would be polite to make a purchase. I bought a small pelt I could use potentially use later. The shopkeeper was a young man with black hair and deep olive-green eyes. I asked him once we got done talking business, "Say, who exactly are you planning on voting for, out of curiosity?" The man looked at me with a curious expression, "Well, Blackwood, obviously. He's going to clean this place up and get these drugs off our streets. If you ask me, anyone voting for Lightheart is a complete fool. Blackwood is going to get these gangs out of Veilstead for good, I tell you what." I nodded, "Seems like a good man. Guess he has my vote." I chuckled and moved on to another person nearby who was studying a map.
It was a woman dressed in green with bright blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She wore light armor, a clear sign of an adventurer rather than a citizen, perhaps one that was taking a rest here. I approached her with a confident smile, "Hey, are you a traveler by chance?" The woman looked up from her map, her careful blue eyes meeting mine, "Yeah, sure am. I'm just stopping here for a while for business." I continued, "Best be careful; I heard this place is dangerous. Hey, but can I ask you quick a question? Have you heard of a man named Samuel during your stay here?"
The young woman considered it, "Yeah, I've heard he's going to be the next mayor. From what I've heard, he's sure to get in uncontested. Most of his competition has resigned as of late, but there is one girl running against him. I think her name is Vestia Lightheart. Personally, I don't think she has a chance. I heard she is trying to gather supporters near the southern gates, but I can't imagine she is having much success." I got similar results talking to other people in the market, so I thanked them, and left the area. Before it was too late, I decided I needed to meet with this Vestia. Era commented, "You planning on trying to get this Vestia girl on our side?" Her question lingered in my mind.
With newfound knowledge and a potential ally in mind, I turned to Era with a determined look. "I think it's time we pay a visit to Vestia Lightheart," I said, my voice filled with purpose. "If she's the only one standing against Blackwood and his corrupt ways, we might just find ourselves on the same side of this fight." With a shared understanding, Era and I began to plan our next move, ready to take our first steps into the world of Veilstead's politics, a world filled with intrigue, danger, and the potential for change.