The thieves’ guild was about a thirty-minute walk away through the alleys. It struck Arwin that Milten was considerably bigger than he’d thought it was, and it had a lot more back streets and dark alleyways than it had initially appeared to.
Something tells me the guard saying they didn’t want beggars in the city was projecting a bit. I get the feeling that Milten has more than enough beggars and their ilk to share with the rest of the kingdom and not be left wanting.
But, as he took in the other parts of the slums, he did have to admit that he’d somehow chosen the ugliest, most run-down street in the entire city. Reya came to a stop at the edge of a cobbled road, then nodded across the street to a long two-story building. It was clearly old and run down, but it – and everything else on the street – was still in one piece.
A few people milled about the street both around the building and near the others beside it. The building didn’t stand out much aside from its size, but it only took a little attention to realize that it was different from the others.
The people at its front were more attentive than random beggars, and Arwin could see the telltale bulge of weaponry poking against their clothes. His lips pressed thin, and he took care to keep to the shadows, not directing too much of his attention to the building to avoid standing out.
“They’re organized,” Lillia murmured from beside Arwin. Her hands twitched at her sides, and it struck Arwin that she didn’t have a sword.
“Should we have gotten you a weapon?” Arwin asked.
Lillia shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m not very eager to pick up a sword again anytime soon. There are other ways of dealing with people that work just as well. The problem isn’t going to be us. It’s going to be how we can handle this many opponents at the same time. Besides, I don’t have the ability to serve a blade like I once did.”
Arwin’s brow furrowed. “Serve a blade? What do you mean?”
Reya blinked, then nodded. "Sure."
She set off, and Arwin turned to Lillia. "Tell me, what is it that you’re still capable of?”
“You know what that sounds like?” Arwin asked, keeping his tone even and tilting his head to the side. “A declaration of a guild war.”
“You don’t have a guild! There’s no war if you’re alone, and the girl certainly doesn’t count. She doesn’t even have a class.”
Arwin smiled. There was a soft thud from the upper decks. Arwin and the guild leader both turned as a man’s head rolled over the edge of the balcony and fell to the ground, striking it with a splattering squelch.
For an instant, nobody spoke. Then the guild leader’s eyes went wide. He jerked his hand down. “Kill him! We’re under attack!”