Eclipse looked away and continued to follow Sage through the bustling area while subconsciously trying to attract as least attention as possible. As they made their way out, The Faceless’s gaze shifted from the stage to Eclipse’s back. Only for a brief moment. His attention then returned to the ongoing auction once more.
Once they were out of the black market area, the three removed their black masks. Chael glanced around, taking in their new surroundings.
“How do people bid from those booths?” he asked curiously.
Sage adjusted his cloak and answered, “The curtains are special. They’re one-way - people inside can see everything outside, but those outside only see shadows. This setup prevents bidders from being blackmailed by people in power if they buy something that might attract unwanted attention. It keeps everyone’s identity anonymous while they’re bidding or purchasing. This concept was created by Lucian Voss.”
Chael nodded, processing the explanation. “And that guy with the horned mask, must be The Faceless?”
“Yeah,” Sage confirmed. “That’s him. The Faceless is powerful enough to make even the other figures think twice before crossing him.”
Eclipse listened carefully. His deadpan expression made it impossible to figure out what he was thinking. As they advanced further, he glanced around at the scurrying rats, their tiny eyes glinting in the dim light of the tunnels. The sound of their tiny feet pattering against the floor grew more frequent as they advanced. The tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly, with each turn revealing even more rats darting about.
“How much longer until we reach The Feathered Eyes?” Eclipse asked.
“Not too long now,” Sage replied and turned his head briefly to reassure them. “We’re almost there.”
The three continued their journey, navigating through a labyrinth of tunnels, stairs, and more tunnels. The further in they went, the more rats there were. Eclipse’s eyes locked onto one rat, who observed him with its pitch-black eyes. Eclipse frowned. Something was unsettling about the sheer number of them.
“There are so many rats around,” Chael said in confusion.
“Yes,” Sage confirmed, “The closer you get to any of The Feathered Eyes’ plaza, the more rats you’ll see. They’re trained to deliver notes and small objects like keys, which are crucial for their intel business. Apparently, if you harm any of the rats, they’ll refuse to do business with you.”
“How interesting..” Chael whistled. The thought of these small creatures being integral to an information network was both fascinating and strange. “So, how exactly do The Feathered Eyes operate?”
Sage glanced back at them, his expression serious. “Unlike other figures, The Feathered Eyes don’t have a traditional open area that’s accessible to everyone. Instead, their business is conducted in a more discreet manner. They operate through beggars who are positioned at the end of a tunnel in front of a closed door. These people are always sitting with a cup in their hands.”
Chael nodded, visualising the scene. “And who do you request information from? Do you just ask them?”
Sage continued, “To request information, you have to put money into the cup. The amount of money you put in should correspond to the type of information you’re seeking. Once you’ve done that, you need to state out loud the information you need. A rat will then come along and deliver a note to the worker holding the cup.”
Chael’s eyes widened. “A rat?”
“Yes, a rat,” Sage confirmed with a nod. “The note will either have the information you requested, which the worker will then hand over to you, or it will instruct the worker to enter the room behind the door. This room is a private, open area exclusive to The Feathered Eyes. The worker will retrieve the requested intel from beyond those doors and bring it back to you.”
“So, there are two levels of information?” Chael asked, piecing it together.
“Exactly,” Sage said. “The note will either provide the information directly or require a trip behind the closed door for more sensitive details. That’s how The Feathered Eyes manage their operations and keep their intel system secure and confidential.”
The three finally reached a turn in the tunnel, and there, at the end, they found a beggar sitting in front of a wooden door. He wore a hat that obscured his eyes, and a paper cup was held out in front.
Eclipse wasted no time. He stepped forward and dropped a handful of square coins into the cup, and asked, “What is Khali of Dracoferus planning, and where is he?”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The beggar peered into the cup briefly and responded, “Everything has a price, and what you seek is worth more than this.”
Chael frowned and dropped a few more square coins into the cup.
“Not enough,” the beggar said, his tone indifferent.
Eclipse’s patience was wearing thin, and he looked as though he might snap. Just then, Chael pulled out a unique six-sided black coin from the pouch amongst the few that were left. He stared at it in surprise and held it up to get a better view. “Why is this coin different from the rest?”
Before Chael could react, the beggar’s hand shot out to snatch the coin, but Chael quickly pulled it away.
“Huh, what’s with people always trying to snatch coins off others in this place?” Chael growled.
“That coin is enough,” the beggar said, his eyes widening. “You can take back what you’ve given so far. That coin is sufficient.”
He then took the unique coin from Chael and promptly shoved it into the cup. He then extended his hands and gave Chael the other coins he had received.
Almost immediately, a rat scurried up to the beggar, carrying a note tied with a red ribbon. The beggar’s eyes widened in shock as he got up and hurriedly moved through the door he’d been sitting in front of.
“Seems like the information is beyond those doors,” Chael observed.
“Yes, it seems the information we require is more confidential than we assumed,” Sage agreed.
Minutes ticked by as they waited. Nothing.
Eventually, half an hour passed.
“Did that beggar just steal our money?” Eclipse asked in frustration, his voice echoing off the walls of the dimly lit tunnel.
“Ahaha, there’s no way, right?” Chael replied with a chuckle. At last, the door creaked open, and the same beggar emerged.
“It’s about time,” Sage said, his voice just as impatient as Eclipse’s.
“The information that you’ve requested requires you boys to come with me,” the beggar said, his tone serious and unwavering.
“Huh? What is this?” Sage frowned with confusion. “I’ve never heard of a scenario where the clients are requested to go past the door.”
Chael's laughter cut through the tension, his eyes narrowing. “AHAHA, hey old man, you think this is a joke?”
His tone was laced with a threatening edge, and his killing intent expressed from his anima pressure was palpable.
“I promise you boys that this is an order from the higher-ups,” the beggar insisted, “and you will definitely get the answers you want if you follow me.”
Eclipse yawned, clearly annoyed but resigned.
“We don’t have much choice. Let’s do what he says,” He said, stepping through the door.
Chael followed closely behind.
Just as Sage moved to follow, the beggar abruptly blocked his path. “Sorry, I’ve been ordered to only bring these two people with me.”
Sage shot a puzzled look at the beggar. Chael noticed his hesitation and turned to him, “Don’t worry. You stay here, we’ll be back with everything we need to know.”
Sage stared hard at them. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. The beggar slowly closed the door behind them. Sage’s face tightened, and he gritted his teeth as the door slammed shut in his face.
Inside, the room that Eclipse and Chael entered was dimly lit and filled with a variety of lockers and a few small cages housing pigeons.
“I’m guessing they keep a lot of intel in these lockers,” Chael said as his eyes took in the surroundings.
The beggar, now with a sense of urgency, took out two pigeons from a cage and began tying long strings to their feet. The other ends of the strings were attached to pieces of fabric.
“Please, you’ll have to put these on as blindfolds,” he instructed, handing the fabric over. “It’s to keep the place we are going to unknown. You are free to still carry your weapons.”
“Hey old man,” Eclipse said, his voice very suspicious, “don’t you think you’re going a bit too far?”
Chael added, his patience very thin now, “We don’t even know if we can trust you. Maybe we should just kill you right now for wasting our time.”
Just then Eclipse felt a rat sniffing at his feet. He took his gaze down and saw a rat with a note clamped tightly in its tiny jaws. Carefully, he took the note from the rat and unfolded it.
The message inside read, "I, Alaric of the Feathered Eye, have all the answers you want. If you seek vengeance against the Dracferus tribe, then put on the blindfolds. If not, then you are free to leave."
Eclipse stared at the note in shock.
How did Alaric know about his quest for revenge?
“I guess these guys are really good with their intel,” Chael said with a bitter smile as he read the note over Eclipse’s shoulders.
Without another word, Eclipse and Chael slipped on the blindfolds attached to the pigeons’ strings. Once secured, the pigeons began to pull, leading them through the labyrinth of tunnels.
As they moved, the scurrying of rats grew louder and faster, a sea of tiny feet racing around them. The noise became almost overwhelming, a constant scratching and chittering that filled the air.
Eventually, the gloomy and cold underground atmosphere gave way to the cool embrace of the outside world. Eclipse and Chael could feel the breeze on their faces and hear the distant chirping of birds. They were no longer deep in the tunnels of the Avyssos but rather above ground now.
Eclipse and Chael followed the pigeons in silence for a moment, their blindfolds making their walk both disorienting and strangely serene now that they were in a fresh natural environment as opposed to those dark, depressing tunnels.
“This better be worth it,” Eclipse grumbled. “I didn’t expect us to be led around blindfolded like this. I could've been sleeping this whole time,”
Chael shrugged, “Aha, it’s not like we have much choice. If Alaric really has the answers, we need to see this through.”
Eclipse grunted in agreement. “Whatever, just hope this isn't some trap.”
“Yeah, me too.”
They entered a building and climbed a flight of spiralling stairs. Eclipse felt the walls, and it concluded that this was an ancient structure of sorts, which was more of a ruin than it was a functional building. There also seemed to be no one around, though he wasn’t surprised by this in the least.
After walking another fifteen minutes through various rooms, tunnels, stairs, and roofs within this structure, Eclipse and Chael heard a door creak open. A voice, loud and commanding, cut through the air. “You can take off the blindfolds.”
