An Uneasy Partnership

“Alright everyone, Niko here is going to be helping find the killer,” Mia announced to the party, before pushing me forward and going back to her office.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Lucille.

“Not entirely, to be honest, but I’m not convinced she’s a murderer, just a petty thief. It’ll clear her name, so she’s gotta be invested. Besides, if we’re to find a killer with connections to the underworld, who better to give us a hand?” I said.

“What do you know so far?” asked Niko, annoyed, as she walked over to the table with everyone else.

“The murderer had to have been a fairly experienced wizard, as they used dark magic at the scene,” said Sofia.

“After that, our only big lead is a few people the victim lended money to that have underworld connections,” said Flora. “You wouldn’t happen to recognize any of these names, would you?”

The catgirl leaned over, inspecting the record book and the circled names within. She sighed and her shoulders dropped before she looked back up and shook her head.

“No clue...but I may know someone who might,” she said, fidgeting.

“...well?” I asked, slightly impatiently.

“We’d have to meet with one of the underworld brokers,” she said, a slight shiver running down her spine as her ear fur stood up on end.

“Underworld brokers?” I asked.

“The seven most important members of the underworld. The seven underworld brokers are each in charge of one of the major trades of the underworld: ****, smuggling, assassinations, slaves, and prostitution; then the two we’re interested in, loansharking and illegal magic,” said Niko. “As a moneylender, our victim would have had a run-in with the Loansharking Broker, even if his operation was legitimate. And anybody looking to learn dark magic in Regnus would have to deal with the broker or his people.”

“See, told you she’d come in handy,” I said, bragging a bit. “So, that fence from before, I imagine he’d be part of the underworld system as well, right?”

“Yeah. Fences are part of the Smuggling Broker’s operation,” she said.

“Where do these sorts of people meet?” asked Alice.

“If you’re thinking of some grand secret underground market, go ahead and forget it. A place like that would scream illegal activity. These people are careful, it’s how they’ve retained their power for so long,” said Niko. “Most appear perfectly above board. Now, the only broker I’ve ever met is the smuggler, so we’ll have to talk with someone to arrange a meeting with the other brokers.”

“Alright, lead the way. Flora, would you hold onto those records?” I said.

“Of course,” Flora smiled, picking the book up from the table.

“Eh?” said the catgirl, poking me on the chest.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“You don’t seriously think we’re bringing everyone along, do you?” she said, like I was an idiot.

“Well-” I began.

“We’re not. No criminal in their right mind would willingly meet with a full party of armed adventurers,” she said, facepalming.

“That’s...a fair point,” I said, feeling like an idiot.

“I’ll bring you along, and you alone. Have your little ‘friends’ go find some other way to be useful,” she said mockingly.

“Fine,” I sighed, turning to my party. “Sorry guys, but she’s probably right. Sofia, could you take the others and try and find a countermeasure for when we go after this dark mage?”

“That’s a good idea. We’ll take care of it,” said Sofia, giving me a quick hug.

“I guess you should take this, then,” said Flora, handing me the record book.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said, slipping the book into my bag. She gave me a worried look before rejoining the others. “I’ll see you all in a bit. We’ll meet you back here, okay?”

“Be careful,” said Alice. I nodded, then turned and began to follow Niko out of the barrack. Lucille grabbed my sleeve, stopping me.

“Keep an eye on her. If she tries to betray you, just run and get out of there,” said Lucille, looking me dead in the eyes.

“Alright. I will,” I said. Her face softened a bit, and she released my arm.

“Go on,” she said. I turned once more, leaving the guard barrack and following behind Niko.