The Underworld Brokers

“W-what? Why here of all places!?” I asked incredulously.

“Keep your voice down, idiot. The mass is already underway,” Niko annoyedly whispered. For some unknown reason, the place we were set to meet two highly influential criminal underworld bosses was a the Grand Central Cathedral of the Church of Esther.

The interior of the cathedral was much like the one back in Hearthvale, stained glass, silk banners and carpets, and luxurious ornaments, but everything was on a wholly different level. The Church’s Mass was currently in session, with the pews in the main hall completely full up and even a few people standing in the back. A tall, balding old priest gave the sermon from the pulpit to a devout audience, while we stood awkwardly outside in the lobby.

“Ah, hello. I haven’t seen you both in here,” said a passing nun, bowing respectfully. “Allow me to offer Lady Esther’s blessings upon you both.”

“Oh, um, thanks, uh, you too, I guess,” said Niko awkwardly. “Oh, yeah, uh could you point us to the gallery? We’re supposed to meet a friend here.”

“It would be my pleasure to be of service to you both,” said the nun. “This way, please.”

Niko and I followed the nun up a staircase to the side of the cathedral’s main hall, heading for the gallery that overlooked the main hall. In a gallery across the other side sat the members of the choir’s accompanying band, preparing for another song.

In the gallery on our side sat a single man. Slightly overweight, wearing clothing too expensive for a commoner but not overly flamboyant enough for a noble, likely a telltale sign of a man with a self-made fortune. His square glasses sat atop a crooked nose and a face wrinkled from many years of squinting and scowling. His somewhat disheveled brown hair was just beginning to show signs of graying. Hearing our footsteps, he turned and stood from his chair, his sharp green eyes staring piercingly towards us.

“Mr. Burke, you have a pair of visitors,” said the nun, gesturing for us to enter. The man looked us over intently, before sighing and turning his chair around to sit down once more, facing us this time.

“Go on. Seat yourselves,” he said. Niko and I obliged the wealthy man, not wanting to anger him. “Don’t think that doesn’t include you too, Kriemhilda.”

“Oh? My my, calling me by my first name like that...so familiar,” said the nun behind us, strutting over and taking the chair next to the man. “I didn’t think our line of work to be one that incentivized such behavior.”

Kriemhilda was wearing the stereotypical nun robes and hat, her bright purple hair dangling in a braid over her shoulder. Her amber eyes were like a lake, calm and serene on the surface, but with a darkness and danger lying underneath said surface. Her body was plump in all the right places, yet despite the robes, I got the feeling she was much stronger than her build would let on. Her soft grin, while if on anyone else would bring together her serene and beautiful charm, but given her status and occupation, it merely came off as unnerving.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us,” said Niko hastily.

“While I normally wish for my visits to the church to be a peaceful respite from my duties, I can make an exception every so often,” said Mr. Burke, adjusting his glasses.

“I’d say some introductions are in order,” said Kriemhilda. “As Mr. Burke so rudely mentioned, I am Kriemhilda Baltie, a simple nun for the Church of Esther. And, the broker of illegal magic for the underworld of this fair nation.”

“And I am Arthur Burke, head of the Grand Gaian Bank, and the broker of loansharking,” said the older man.

“Wow, I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this,” I said, thinking aloud. “Oh, um, my name is Flynn. I’m an adventurer with the city’s guild.”

“My name is Niko, Mr. Burke and Ms. Baltie. Thank you for-”

“Enough pleasantries. Time is money, after all, so I’d like to keep this meeting brief,” said Burke. “Why have you requested this meeting?”

“Well, we’d like to request the aid of the both of you in an investigation I’m working on,” I said.

“An investigation? Do tell,” said Kriemhilda, leaning forward in her seat.

“Well, uh, there was a **** last night that involved illegal magic, and the victim was running a lending company using his Noble family’s funds,” I explained.

“What a waste of time,” Burke scoffed.

“We agree for once. How boring,” said Kriemhilda, about to stand up from her chair.

“W-wait, please!” Niko pleaded.

“Why? Why should two brokers waste their time on a simple **** case? More over what would we even gain from aiding you and the guard?” asked Burke condescendingly.

“Security,” I said.

“Security?” asked Kriemhilda.

“Indeed. A rogue dark mage running around killing people will cause a panic that would require a heavy handed retaliation from the army, and if you’re unlucky, even an inquisition that would see many of your clients and employees dead. And I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that dead people can’t purchase your services, do Ms. Baltie,” I said.

“Well...that’s true...” she mumbled.

“As for you, Mr. Burke, when we were investigating poor Phillip De Gascoine’s financial records, we noticed there were several people he lent to that couldn’t lay him back. Now, I never expected a loanshark to run a protection racket, but I’m willing to bet at least some of those payments were going to you, with the repeated non-repaid loans to a ‘Mr. B’. Now, what exactly do you think would happen with the others moneylenders you’re pulling this with if they find out their protection fees aren’t keeping them protected? Or how about if the guard decides to do a full audit of his records and those related to the case? I wonder what all they would find,” I said.

“That’s-” Burke began.

“-only an issue if the killer remains at large. I can provide security. Help me help you. Help me close this case, the guard has no reason to poke their noses into it any further, and your businesses remain unimpeded,” I said boldly, praying that it worked.

“You make a good point,” said Kriemhild, “but what’s to say you won’t leave here and immediately sell us out to the guard?”

“Well, aside from the near certainty that you each could have myself and my party murdered a dozen times over by nightfall, I’m not naive enough to cling to a sense of justice at all costs. Not only would selling you out put myself and my loved ones at risk, but on the chance the brokers ARE taken down by the guard, no doubt crime would rise, with petty criminals no longer fearing retribution from the underworld’s power structure. All so I could die knowing I did the “just” thing.” I said.

Mr. Burke burst out laughing, “I like you kid! A fellow businessman, huh? That was a nice cost/benefit analysis you did there!”

“Huh? Uh, thank you?” I said, unsure if he had accepted my reasoning or not.

“Very well. I for one will help you. Better to cut off a liability before it harms the company,” said Burke.

“I’ll have to agree as well. While more corpses would mean suitable necromancy supplies, I am quite fond of the gold my clients provide,” said Kriemhilda, her grin not wavering even while saying ‘corpses’.

“In that case, here’s the victim’s record book. Hopefully, you can find someone in there that’s a dark mage,” I said. I handed Burke the record book, and the pair opened it and began reading through, occasionally whispering to one another. We sat in silence for several minutes while the Mass below came to a close, the congregation letting out for the day.

“Well, we have some good and bad news for you,” said Kriemhilda finally.

“Bad news first, I guess,” said Niko, bracing herself.

“The person we’ve decided is the likeliest culprit is involved with a very dangerous group,” she said.

“But, you found someone!?” I asked.

“Indeed,” said Burke, closing the record book. “While no one in the record was a known dark mage, there was one such dark mage who stood to gain from the victim’s business failings. Many of the businesses and individuals the victim lent to that failed to repay went under, a few select ones as the result of sabotage by other forces in the underworld.”

“One man in particular stood to gain from all this, a well known dark mage and minor noble named Tyven De Wulford,” said Kriemhilda.

“How can you be so sure?” asked Niko sheepishly.

“Do you truly intend to doubt us?” asked Burke rhetorically.

“Who are these people Wulford’s involved with?” I asked.

“My my, now that isn’t what you came to ask about. Run along. You have your man. Go on and catch the killer, let that be enough for you,” said Kriemhilda. I sighed, giving up on getting any more out of them.

“Here,” said Burke, returning the record book. “Oh, and do remember, if your ‘Security’ turns out to not work out...well, let’s just say I won’t be very happy.”

“U-understood. Thank you for your help,” I said, standing and nearly dragging Niko back out of the church.