Side Story – Keyla - Chapter 1

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Side Story – Keyla - Chapter 1 Sewer Dealings

Keyla lazily moved her tail, behind the chair. She hadn’t expected much from this dirt hole but at least an acceptable light source would have been nice.

She didn’t want to make her own quite yet.

[Rogue – lvl 152]

[Warrior – lvl 132]

The rest of the five people standing close to the moist and dirty brick walls had similar levels. It would have impressed her a few years ago but since meeting Ilea a lot of things had changed.

Shadows had already been common in the Drake but she had never even considered offending or actually fighting one. Now she herself was at one seventy and quite confident she could at least hold her own for a short while.

Not that these people were Shadows.

They were criminals. Assassins, thieves, murderers.

Most importantly, they were people who wouldn’t shy back when it came to backwards laws that intended to protect people.

Alchemists at least had rich and influential guilds representing them. Cooks on the other hand? No. Cooks were the bottom of the barrel, the most hard working, most important, and least appreciated of all craftsmen and women.

Keyla didn’t care that much. With Ilea and her alias’ influence, she could do and get nearly whatever she wanted. She had however already a massive debt to the woman and tried to help herself whenever possible.

The connection to Lilith wasn’t a secret of course, nearly half the city was employed by her in one way or the other. At this point the Golden Drake was more worthy a mention than knowing Lilith.

Something she was a little proud of.

“When is he coming?” she asked.

By now she had some experience dealing with the Rat’s ass, or how they called themselves, the Vermin hunters. One of the major criminal organizations both native to Ravenhall and still remaining.

She knew that many had left because of the demon invasion and after that the independence thing, a major headache for her and the Golden Drake but they managed with conventional ingredients and thankfully extensive storage units.

Keyla sadly had to postpone some of her more exotic ideas in favor of more boring dishes but that was just life.

This was only one of two meetings she had to attend in the underworld but it was taking longer than usual.

Something’s not right.

The guards had always been numerous but they seemed too tense, as if they knew something was coming.

When she saw the man approaching her, she knew this wasn’t her everyday deal.

It wasn’t Vaan who came but someone she didn’t know.

A bald man with a downright ridiculous amount of muscle, wearing leather armor that would more fit a rogue or assassin.

[Rogue – lvl 185]

A surprise, to be sure. She was confused why he worked so hard for a build like that and then chose a rogue class.

He spread his arms and smiled at her, his eyes remaining cold and unfeeling.

“The cook,” he said with disdain.

Keyla noticed that the group was surrounding her now. Foolish. To confront a fire mage down in the underground.

They were actually in the sewers below the normal sewers and the underground. Well it was complicated. There were many layers to Ravenhall’s constantly expanding size down below the surface. This part was as old as the city, from back when one of the governors tried something similar to Claire’s current expansion plans. He didn’t get as far with the lack of funding but these sewers remained, far below anything else.

This place too would be uprooted and changed by the Council now ruling this city and the whole mountain range but right now, it still provided shelter for some of Ravenhall’s less respectable citizens.

“And who are you? I expected to meet with Vaan Sidrak. Or was there a change in leadership?” Keyla asked. If he was now in charge, it meant she had to play nice.

The man chuckled to himself. “No. Not quite yet. They call me Dread. Soon, the Vermins will answer to me. And then Ravenhall.”

Keyla started coughing, a bit of heat and fire flashing out of her mouth before she managed to calm herself down. Ravenhall? This guy is crazy!

“What are you doing?” the man asked, annoyed to be interrupted in his victory speech.

“An allergy, apologies,” Keyla lied. The changes done to her often made it hard for people to read her body language and even the sounds she made. It had its benefits.

“Hmm. Either way, you’ll be coming with us. Beaten bloody and tied up, or willingly,” he said.

“To what end exactly?” Keyla asked, a little confused why they had targeted her specifically. She was bringing them a lot of business after all. Sulivhaan even unofficially approved of their presence as long as they kept worse gangs out. Why would they risk all that? Or is it just this idiot?

“We know who you are, cook,” he said and continued, seeing her lack of reaction. “You are the mastermind behind Lilith. The group of Shadows calling themselves the Ashen Retribution and healer of Ravenhall.”

“What?” Keyla exclaimed. She had expected something stupid but this was beyond ridiculous.

“Well of course… that’s the same way I reacted when I first heard it. Lilith… such a ridiculous notion… stories cropping up all around the kingdoms. It must be an organization. It only made sense. And who would suspect a level one seventy cook to be behind it all? Well I’ve seen the orders you made, the shipments you received… many of those ingredients are powerful alchemical substances, forbidden roots, and even cursed monster parts. You control them all through your cooking, groomed them up to become mindless killers that wouldn’t shy back form hunting high level creatures just to gain levels,” he explained.

Keyla blinked a few times trying to process all of that information. “Now that’s a stew!” she exclaimed and laughed.

“Then, my dear Dread… why wouldn’t I send my mindless Shadow creatures to hunt down those ingredients? Or send them here to make this deal instead of risking myself?” Keyla asked.

The man squinted. “I don’t know what’s going on in your sick mind, cook. I just know that you control them. They can’t speak or follow precise orders.”

He just made that up. Gods I hope he didn’t kill Vaan yet.

She didn’t hesitate any longer, knowing that this man was entirely too far gone to have a reasonable conversation with. Keyla was quite good at reading people. Working as a cook and restaurant owner did that to you.

A fireball formed in front of her mouth as three kitchen knifes appeared, one of them held in her tail.

She three them while still sitting, two hitting their marks with dull thuds before the fireball exploded close to the man calling himself Dread.

She dodged to the side and slid away, turning before a spray of fire rushed out to meet the surprised opponents. Another three knifes flew out and then another. She really liked the ring Ilea had gifted her. Another debt, she thought but smiled. She would repay her with new and daring recipes, things the woman had never experienced before.

Keyla met the onslaught of blades with another series of thrown weapons, a sword deflected before she bit down on the man’s shoulder, her sharp and long teeth biting through the flimsy leather piece and his flesh with ease.

The man reeled back at the unexpected move as she grabbed him and turned, using her tail as leverage.

A spell hit his back before she slammed a dagger through his eye and into his skull. The blade had a maroon handle, she noted, one of her favorites.

She left it there and jumped back, forming another fireball as she prepared for more attacks.

Nothing came however and she soon heard clapping and a familiar voice resounding through the hollow sewers.

“Most impressive, Keyla. I’m surprised. It’s quite fortunate that we never tried to scam you,” the man said. Vaan Sidrak, leader of the Vermin Hunters.

“Rat king,” Keyla said with a grin, focusing on the fireball to dispel it.

The man bowed, his slick black hair not moving in the slightest, both hands holding on to his black trench coat. He reminded her a little of a ghostly spirit with his pale complexion and often fully black eyes.

She knew the latter was just a magic trick but it had the intended effect.

Three men were holding down Dread, at least a dozen cuts preventing him from moving freely. He was bleeding to death.

“I’ve suspected his intentions for a while now but it’s always good to have proof, even among criminals,” he said. “You took out his most loyal followers for us, a debt we will deduct from your most recent order,” he said and bowed deeply, snipping his fingers.

Four men came from one of the tunnels, carrying a large wooden chest.

It turns out this wasn’t useless after all, Keyla thought and ripped out the daggers she had thrown into the assailants.

The men put down the chest and took a few steps back.

She glanced at Vaan who gave her a nod.

Keyla opened the box and closed it again, storing it within her ring.

“It proved quite difficult to obtain. Fifteen percent more than we agreed on but because of your help, let’s say this one if on the house,” the man said.

This is a sewer.

Keyla nodded. “What about the man I asked you about?” she collected the rest of the knifes and stored them. Vaan knew it was a bad idea to attack her, not just because of her skills and influence. A storage item wouldn’t be as profitable as trading with her over the span of years.

“Yes… the bladesmith known as the Sharpened Spirit. His name is Hatsuo and luckily for you, he recently moved to Morhill and opened a store,” Vaan explained.

Keyla hadn’t expected him to be found so quickly. Should I go today… no. The witch has priority. She’s going to nag again if I’m late.

“I’ll seek him out then. Thank you for the service,” Keyla said with a smile.

The man nodded and snapped again, all of his people retreating with a moaning man in tow. His death would have been quicker if Vaan hadn’t appeared but she wouldn’t get between a hunter and his prey.

Three figures clad in black armor appeared as soon as Vaan had left.

“Are you injured, mistress?” Anna asked. The Shadow was just one of her many loyal customers. She often worked with the Shadowguard and even trained some of the recruits, as well as Keyla. It was nice to have her around whenever she went to meet with dangerous people. A meal for a favor.

The same was true for Theodore, the old noble from Asila joined the Shadow’s Hand mostly to get away from his annoying children, fighting amongst each other for his inheritance. Keyla assumed he had feared for his life and staged his own death with some help of the Hand. Now he was enjoying his retirement here in Ravenhall, with every last piece of copper from his hard earned endeavors.

He mostly thought it irresponsible for her to meet criminals, stating that a wonderful artist like her should not be left without protection.

Fiona was the last of the three and likely just as old as Theodore. Neither really looked it due to the high levels.

The woman liked the Golden Drake but Keyla wasn’t the only one thinking she was here because of old Theodore more so than herself.

Keyla could protect herself but she knew that having a guard around could save her life. One guard. Three was entirely too many but she didn’t complain. It was not in her power to command their every move, though she wasn’t ignorant of the irony Dread had provided with his conspiratorial tale.

“I’m fine,” Keyla said. “Complications arose and were resolved.”

“As expected from the head chef of the Drake,” Theodore said and bowed lightly.

Fiona giggled but didn’t add anything.

“One more meeting?” Anna asked.

“Yes, and then it’s back to cooking. It’s the weekend after all,” she said. By now Keyla could trust her cooks to manage the restaurant alone but a skill like hers had to be honed every day, lest she lose her edge and inspiration.