Chapter 59 – Troublesome old hag

"We are closed." Said a rough looking man sitting at the chair in the corner of the bar when Samantha entered.

"One black bourbon." Said Samantha toward the man that was cleaning tables ignoring the bouncer.

Barman lifted his eyes while holding the mugs he was picking from the dirty tables. He looked at her with squinted eyes and when he saw a round object in her hands beckoned her to the back room with his head. Then turned to the bouncer and nodded to him once.

Rough guy that was already standing up when she ignored him, sat back on the chair watching her sternly.

Barman walked in front of her and entered the back room holding the door for her. She walked into the room that barely had any light coming inside the small frosted window even with the morning sun shining brightly outside. When she entered he closed the door behind her, locking it. Then he walked to the cupboard at the back of the room, pressed something at the back wall of one of the shelves. When they heard the click sound, the barman pressed at the cupboard from one side making it turn as if turning the door, opening the stairway that was hidden behind it.

Samantha walked to the stairs and the barman pushed the cupboard back in place, closing the secret passage and walked out of the room back into the bar.

She walked down the stairs in total darkness relying on her night vision skill for a few minutes until she reached the metal gate at the end of it with thick forged metal bars. She knocked on the gate's metal bar with the round object in her hand making a metallic clicking sound. After that she stretched her hand through the bars and opened her palm showing the coin-like golden medallion with an intricate pattern on it surrounding the half moon at its center.

A moment later the bar gate with grating sound opened. Samantha pushed at the gate and walked into the tunnel with paved stone walls full of stench coming from the wastewaters streaming through the channel at the side of the tunnel. She nodded once to the left side that was dark with shadows and walked to the right side following the water stream. Once she walked off, a figure in a cloak with a hidden face walked to the gate and shut it close, locking it with a grating sound.

After a long walk in silence with only the sound of burbling water accompanying her through the dim tunnel lit only by the light streaming down in small rays through the drain hatches of the city above her, she came to cross the road and turned into the totally dark tunnel at the side. She walked away from the channel for a few minutes until the stench and the sound of the water almost disappeared, when she came in front of the wooden door.

Knocking a few times she waited until the small window on the door opened with a light streaming from the other side onto her face. She showed the medallion again and the door opened basking fully in the light coming from the other side bringing with it also the loud sound of people chattering.

She walked inside the loud bright hall and the door closed behind her with a big strong man locking it behind her.

She walked into the hall with people streaming inside as if it was a lively market street in the city above. In a sense it was a market as well. An underground market. A place where illegal and forbidden merchandise was sold as freely as apples in the market on the streets above.

She walked through the crowd toward the place that looked like an entrance to the shop with a sign of the half moon on the door. Walking inside she saw a counter with a man in round glasses sitting behind the metal bars.

Samantha put her medallion on the counter and passed it toward the man. Man took her medallion and put it in the magic circle at his side of the counter. After that he needed her and passed the medallion back to her.

"State your business." Said the man looking up at her.

"I would like to withdraw the money from my…"

"There is none on your account."

"What?"

"It has been remunerated for the service rendered for you in Greenville town."

"So much? For a fucking safe house plea?"

"For cover up operation after bringing hounds to the door of a party that rendered a safe house service. Senior guild manager has intervened. And their service cost a lot." Answered the man.

"I need money to reach my hideout."

"I could give you a small task for…"

"I am not taking missions for a time. We need recuperation time."

"Nothing I can do then."

"Lend it to me then, damn it."

"This is not…"

"I know what place this is." Interrupted Samantha. "This thing has some meaning to it right?" She said slamming the medallion back on the counter.

Man looked at her for a time as if measuring her, then breathed out.

"How much?"

********

Knocking sound with a sense of pattern sounded in the hotel room. Girl stood up from the armchair putting down the book she was reading and walked to the door, opening it slightly with one hand while holding her other hand on the ready.

Samantha slipped into the room and the girl closed the door behind her, locking it.

"How was it?" Asked Kate behind Samantha walking to the armchair and plummeting down into it.

"We were robbed clean." Said Samantha, breathing out heavily. "Took a fucking loan, until we get to the safe house."

"What do you mean robbed?"

"They called it remuneration for the service rendered. Said that was the price of the senior guild manager intervening on our account."

"Bastards."

"It doesn't matter, it was just a symbolic sum there anyway. We were right to not trust their fucking night bank."

"Still, there was a few months worth of pay." Said Kate picking up a boom from the table near the armchair where Samantha sat and walked to the bed sitting down on it.

Samantha looked around at the other girls in the room.

Lilly was sitting in a lotus position meditating at one of the four beds in the room. Danyella sat at the window watching out the window through the small opening between curtains watching at the streets of Skyrock city, that was the closest city to Greenville.

Samantha then looked at Kate who was reading the book with an impassive face. It made Samantha worry. When the girls woke up after that event in the forest she was there for them to calm them and bring them back to their senses. At least she was there for Dany and Lilly. Both of them were hurt just like her and changed from it. Lilly was less nice than usual and also had that slutty sheen in her eyes from time to time, that she had to force down by calming down through force. Dany now was a lot more silent. More obedient. Previously she was like a naughty child but now as if suddenly grown up. However it was Kate that made her worry the most, because there was nothing in her that gave a sense of hurt. Ever since she woke up, she was no different from before. As if that day's events did not affect her in any way at all.

"What?" Asked Kate with a cool voice.

"Are you okay Kate?"

"Yes. Why?" Answered Kate lifting up her gaze from the book with a raised brow.

"I just worry. If there is something…talk to me." Said Samantha.

"I will, if I need to." Said Kate, shrugging and turning back to the book. "Why would you worry about me? Worry about those two

"You look as if nothing happened. As if you were not hurt by…it" Said Samantha.

"You look not to hurt yourself. Is it so surprising to see others not hurt too."

"I was hurt too. Someone helped me cope with it."

"Someone?"

"I met a person. Someone wonderful." Said Samantha watching into the ceiling while sinking in the armchair. Samantha closed her eyes and the events of her night with Noah played in her mind outshadowing everything that happened in the forest.

Kate peered at her for a few moments.

"Well if you meet him again, ask if he would be okay to pass by my room as well."

"Ahaha." Laughed Samantha opening her eyes and saw a slight smile on Kate's lips.

"Alright." Said Samantha. "I'll see if he agrees. I do not promise anything though He was too engrossed with me. Doubt he would look at any of you when I am around." Said Samantha with smugness.

"I see." Said Kate. "I am happy for you then. Wanna tell us about it?" Asked Kate, and Samantha saw that Dany peered at her from the other side of the room. Also it looked like Lillys meditation already stopped as Samantha was sure she saw one of her squinting secretly watching her.

"Noah. His name was Noah." Said Samantha and spoke of her fantastic night with him.

*******

Noah hit the ground with his body shuddering in convulsions until a heal from one of Paul's companions hit him, making him breath out heavily and lay still.

Paula turned around and walked to the camp.

"Want to have dinner?" She asked while walking through an already dim forest.

"Umm." Voice Noah the only thing he could answer.

After some time he managed to lift himself up and crawled into a sitting position.

"You do well, boy. I did not see anyone advance so fast before."

"I am not sure I can be happy with it right now." Said Noah when he stumbled toward camp and plummeted to the ground leaning on the fallen tree near the fireplace.

"Well I sure am. That means you will soon be able to stay on the wall on your own with my help." Said Paula, handing him the plate with porridge. "A few days of camping for that pay you promised is not bad at all."

"Aaah. I was cheated by a grandma. I was totally overpaid." Said Noah.

"You did not pay anything yet, brat." Said Paula.smacking him in the head. "So show some respect for this granny's lessons. This is worth even more than you pay, you know?"

"Hmmm" voiced Noah without answering anything to not get another smack, but earned it nonetheless. "What's that for?"

"I did not feel sincerity in you." Said Paula and stood up. Walking away towards the forest. Her companions stood up at Noah's side.

"What brings you here, brats?" Asked Paula i to the forest, making Noah raise his eyebrows questioningly.

"Granny." Said Jake's voice from the forest when he walked out of the bushes. "We were asked to come by the guild manager."

"What does he want?" Asked Paula looking at Jake and his team coming in front of her.

"We are here just to check up on the kid." Said Jake, nodding in Noah's direction.

"Why would he worry about him? The kid is with me." Said Paula crossing her hand in front of her with a discontented face.

"It's because it's you, that he is worried." Said Jake

"Brat, you already miss the hospital food?"

"Oh, Jake, Rey." Shouted Noah sitting in camp. "What brings you here?"

"They were just passing by." Said Paula.

"Oh. Guys if you can, tell Miss Louriat I will be back in a few days after I end my training with granny Paula. I am afraid she might worry meaninglessly about me."

"Aighh...this bastard." Muttered Bobby while hitting a tree, making Jake, Rey and Kail smile.

"How much more time will this training take?" Asked Jake.

"Why do you care?"

"There are investigators flying toward this town. They will be here soon and will want to chat with him."

"We will be back by then, but tell Raimond he and I will talk once I get back. I don't like when information is hidden from me and he has a shit load of explanations to make."

Jake gulped down nervously and nodded.

"The boy is fine, so get the hell out of here and say that guild las, she should work properly instead of worrying about boyfriends." Said Paula and walked away.

******

"I see." Said Rainond when Jake explained to him what happened in the forest.

"So you left him there?" Asked Lina

"He is fine, Miss Louriat. Looked healthy enough and even had the mood to smile, so there is no need to worry. Whatever the reason he has, he is there willingly."

*Huuu. Breathe out Lina dispirited.

"I wonder how Paula figured out about the boy." Said Raimond. When Paula and Noah had not returned the next day after going into the labyrinth, he started to worry himself. So by the evening, when it was clear they were staying another day there, he sent Jake to check up on the boy. However he did not think that Paula got a grasp of the fact that he was hiding something from her. Once she returns he can wait a lot of trouble from that old hag.

Initially it was a coincidence that Paula was not in town when they started to suspect Noah, but later when they figured that he is probably a possessor of a unique skill, they needed to be slick and shrewd to turn the boy on their side fully, making him a loyal guild member unlike the usual nobles that join the guild only with their own agenda. Paula however wasn't slick and shrewd. She was the exact opposite. Hard headed and straight as a ruler. Raimond was afraid that she would cut his plans on the root, either scarring the boy away or outright killing him. The best choice he could come up with is to not share the information with her. This choice now brought him trouble.

*Huuu. Breathe out heavily Raimond. When everyone left his office.

"That old coot. Why was I so unlucky to have her in my branch?"