The quiet hum of Tharien's Gate felt deceptive in the aftermath of the gang's attack. Nyx stood in the corner of the Tamer's Guild office, her sharp eyes scanning the scattered notes and maps spread across the table. Zerin lounged against the far wall, arms crossed, his usual smirk replaced by a grim expression.
The coded message sat at the center of the table, its cryptic script a stark reminder of the cult's shadowy plans. The flickering lantern light made the twisted symbols seem alive, as if they pulsed with their own malevolent energy.
"Any progress?" Zerin asked, breaking the silence.
Nyx exhaled sharply, not looking up. "Barely. This code isn't just obscure—it's layered. Whoever wrote it didn't want anyone without a key to understand it."
"Typical cult nonsense," Zerin muttered, pushing off the wall. "Hide their dirty secrets behind gibberish while they plot to burn the world down."
Nyx shot him a glance. "This isn't gibberish. It's deliberate. And we need to crack it if we want to stop them."
Nyx's panther, curled near the desk, let out a soft growl. Zerin glanced at the sleek beast before leaning over the table. "What about that part?" he asked, pointing to a cluster of symbols repeated several times throughout the message.
Nyx narrowed her eyes, studying the pattern. "It's familiar... almost like a name or a title."
"Shadow Tamer's nickname?" Zerin offered, his tone light despite the tension.
"Or a location," Nyx said. "It matches some of the symbols we saw near the gang's hideout."
She grabbed a map of the city and surrounding areas, spreading it across the table. Her dagger traced a line from Tharien's Gate to the jungle's edge, near Mossmere. "If this message is connected to their ritual, it might hint at where they're operating from."
Zerin arched an eyebrow. "So, while Kaelron and Eryk wander through the jungle, we're stuck playing spies?"
Nyx smirked faintly. "Something like that."
---
A sharp knock interrupted their work. A Guild courier stepped into the room, bowing quickly. "Lady Nyx, there's someone outside asking for you. They say it's urgent."
Nyx frowned but gestured for the courier to lead the way. Zerin followed close behind, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his dagger.
The visitor was a young woman wrapped in a threadbare cloak, her face pale and drawn. She glanced around nervously before speaking. "You're the Guild tamer, right?"
"Yes," Nyx said, her tone firm. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
The woman hesitated, her gaze darting to Zerin. "I... I don't know if I should be here. If they find out—"
"Take a breath," Zerin said, stepping forward. "We're not going to hurt you. But if you've got something important to say, now's the time."
The woman swallowed hard. "I used to work for them—the gang, I mean. I did... deliveries. Messages. But things got worse after the Shadow Tamer came. People started disappearing. And now... now they're saying the cult is still here. In the city."
Nyx exchanged a sharp glance with Zerin. "What do you mean 'still here'?"
"The gang didn't leave entirely after the attack," the woman whispered. "Some of them stayed behind—hidden. They're working with... someone important. Someone high up in the city."
Nyx felt a chill run down her spine. "Do you know who?"
The woman shook her head. "No. But they're meeting tonight. In the old foundry near the eastern gate. I overheard them talking about it before I left."
Zerin folded his arms, his expression grim. "Sounds like a trap. Why tell us?"
The woman hesitated, then pulled back her hood to reveal a deep scar running across her cheek. "Because I've seen what happens to people who cross them. I don't want that to happen to anyone else."
Nyx nodded. "Thank you. We'll take it from here."
The woman hesitated again but eventually fled into the night.
---
The old foundry was a crumbling structure on the outskirts of Tharien's Gate, its once-thriving furnaces long since cold. Nyx and Zerin approached cautiously, the panther prowling silently beside them.
"You really think this is legit?" Zerin asked, his voice low.
Nyx glanced at him. "It fits. If the gang still has people here, they'd need someone inside the city to cover their tracks. This might be our only chance to find out who."
The two slipped through a broken side door, the interior dark and silent. Shadows stretched long across the walls, and the air was thick with dust and the faint scent of rust.
They didn't have to wait long. Voices echoed from deeper within the building—low, tense murmurs. Nyx and Zerin exchanged a glance before moving closer, keeping to the shadows.
Near the center of the foundry, a group of figures stood huddled around a table illuminated by a single lantern. Nyx recognized the sigils on their cloaks immediately—symbols of the Maw's cult.
But it was the man standing at the head of the table that made her blood run cold. Councilor Lirra, one of the city's most vocal opponents of the group's warnings, stood among them, speaking in hushed but fervent tones.
"We've stalled them long enough," Lirra said, her voice sharp. "With Kaelron gone, the Guild distracted, and the jungle shrine nearly ready, we can proceed as planned."
"Are the preparations in place?" one of the cultists asked.
Lirra nodded. "The Shadow Tamer will handle the rest. But you must ensure that no further evidence reaches the Guild. If Nyx learns the truth—"
"She already has," Nyx said, stepping into the light, her daggers gleaming.
The cultists froze in shock, but Lirra recovered quickly, her expression twisting into a sneer. "You're too late, Guild tamer. The Maw's will cannot be stopped."
"Funny," Zerin said, flanking Nyx with his blade drawn. "Because stopping it is exactly what we're here to do."
The cultists attacked with brutal precision, their weapons coated in a dark, venomous substance. Nyx and Zerin fought back fiercely, their strikes precise and deadly.
The panther leapt into the fray, its claws raking through the nearest cultist as Nyx disarmed another with a swift kick. Zerin, grinning despite the chaos, spun his dagger in a deadly arc, cutting down a third.
But Lirra was already fleeing, her cloak billowing as she disappeared into the shadows.
"She's getting away!" Nyx shouted, but a cultist lunged at her, forcing her to deflect the blow.
Zerin cursed under his breath, dispatching the last of the cultists with a quick thrust. "We'll catch her," he said, wiping his blade. "But we've got bigger problems."
Nyx glanced at the table, where a map of the jungle shrine lay alongside scattered notes. One phrase caught her eye, written in bold, jagged letters: "The Guardian Will Fall."
---
As they regrouped outside the foundry, Nyx clenched her fists. "Lirra's betrayal runs deeper than we thought. If she's tied to the Shadow Tamer, she knows more about their ritual than anyone else."
"And she's on her way to warn them," Zerin added grimly.
Nyx nodded. "We need to get this information to Kaelron and Eryk. If they're heading for the shrine, they'll need to know what's waiting for them."
"Assuming we make it out of the city alive," Zerin muttered, glancing toward the shadows where the cultists might still be lurking.
Nyx sheathed her daggers, her resolve hardening. "Then we move quickly. The jungle shrine won't wait for us."