[Thomas's POV]

Thomas stood at the window overlooking the street in front of the Golden Fiddle. For once, it was a calm morning. No urgent knocks on the back door, no frantic shouts from the alleyway, and no battles to be fought. It allowed him a moment to catch his breath, though he suspected this moment would be short-lived.

He traced a gloved finger against the pane, thinking of how two days had passed since he'd last seen Julie. An ache gathered in his chest at the mere thought of her. "I need to swing by home," he murmured. But before the notion could settle, three knocks landed on the office door behind him.

"Come in," he said, and the door swung open.

Aldwin stepped through the threshold. He was weary and still bearing the scars from the last days. Deep cuts lined his arms, some of them barely healed despite the work of clarics, and the tip of one ear looked ragged where part of it had been sliced off. According to the healers, reattaching a severed piece of flesh was impossible without having that missing piece itself. Thomas's jaw tightened at the memory of the Crimson Veil's handiwork.

"Thomas." Aldwin's voice trembled with fatigue. "I think we need to send someone."

"Send someone where?" Thomas asked. He could guess the answer, but wanted to hear it directly.

"To the boss," Aldwin clarified, shoulders drooping. "We're in over our heads here. Anyone can see that. We need help."

Thomas sighed. He'd half expected Aldwin's plea. The tension in the Golden Fiddle corridors, the uneasy glances between the mercenaries and the waitstaff, all hinted at it. The Crimson Veil's attacks had been brutal, but they had managed to resolve almost everything in their counterattack. However, the city's problems ran deeper than a fight between two gangs.

"Listen," Aldwin pressed in a gentler tone, as if wary of pushing too hard. "You're doing everything you can. This isn't a complaint. But we're putting out fires one after another. The problems keep coming, and with what we have right now, we're going to be overwhelmed soon."

"I know," Thomas muttered, clasping his hands together on the desk with tense resolve. "He said he'd return as soon as possible. We need some faith."

Aldwin stood nearby, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"I agree," he replied. "But… Eliza isn't getting any better," he continued, voice laced with concern. "We should send someone to check on the boss, or at least update him on how things are here."

Thomas let out a ragged sigh, pressing the heels of his hands against his forehead. "I know. It's just… it hasn't even been a week since everything went sideways. Feels like I've barely caught my breath."

A pause weighed on them both. For them was a moment of reflection on the chaos of the past few days.

"How's the newbie doing?" Thomas asked.

A flicker of hope crossed Aldwin's face. "Surprisingly well, in fact. He's been a great help to old Knall and Emyr." He hesitated before adding, "They say he's almost as impressive as the boss was when he first came around."

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Thomas arched an eyebrow. He knew precisely what Aldwin was hinting at. "Really," he murmured, voice low.

Aldwin's gaze flicked across Thomas's face, as if searching for permission to speak candidly. "Did you happen to see the newspaper?" Aldwin inquired with unease in his tone.

"I did. I also got a copy," Thomas admitted. He'd put off discussing it, but now that Aldwin had brought it up, there was no avoiding the subject. He steeled himself for the inevitable questions.

"What are the chances it's true?" Aldwin asked with quiet uncertainty. His voice lowered almost to a whisper, as though it were dangerous to speak the words aloud.

Thomas leaned back in his chair, trying to exude calm. "I have no idea," he said, voice steady. "Could be rumors. Could be fantasies."

"But doesn't it all make sense?" Aldwin pressed. "He was cast out of his own family, shows up in the middle of nowhere, opens a tavern nobody's heard of. Then boom, success overnight."

Thomas shrugged, letting Aldwin continue.

"They're saying people like him are popping up everywhere," Aldwin went on, pausing to glance at the door as though worried someone might overhear. He lowered his voice even further. "That they come from another world, or so the rumors say. They take over someone's body. And that's why we're dealing with these Monster Rushes. That otherworldly forces are stirring up trouble."

"Word reached me, too," Thomas said, his voice level. He studied Aldwin's eyes, searching for the hint of calculation or fear that might lurk there. But as the seconds crept by, neither man spoke further. The unspoken question weighed heavily between them, and Thomas realized Aldwin might be too unsure or too shaken to bring it up.

So Thomas took the lead. "Does any of this change things for you? For me? For anyone in the Golden Fiddle?"

Aldwin remained silent, meeting Thomas's gaze but offering no immediate reply. After a moment, Thomas continued.

"Look," he began, "he saved Julie. He saved you and your brother. Without him, we wouldn't even have this city, let alone be free of the gangs that used to run it. He gave us purpose and the tools to change our fate."

Thomas pulled open a desk drawer and withdrew a folded newspaper. He dropped it onto the tabletop with a dull thud, then drove a dagger into its center, the blade quivering in the wood.

"I want it to be clear," Thomas said, voice taut with conviction. "Even if he's some sort of demon, I'll follow him to the farthest pit of the underworld, so long as he keeps his promises. So think hard. You're either with us or you step aside."

Aldwin nodded, still eyeing the battered newspaper. "It doesn't change anything for me," he finally said. "I only needed to know where you stood. Thank you, Thomas."

Thomas stood from his seat, gesturing toward the door with a tilt of his head. As they crossed the office threshold, he asked, "Any news from the traitor? Has he spilled anything yet?"

"Nothing," Aldwin replied, slipping into the narrow corridor that smelled faintly of beer and sawdust.

"Take him to the Arcane Tower, then," Thomas instructed. "They'll know how to extract whatever he's hiding."

Aldwin's brow furrowed. "The Arcane Tower? I figured you'd have us use a…torturer, or something along that line."

After the fiasco with the nobles, they're worried the prisoner might be cursed," Thomas explained. "They want to check that first."

"Right. Makes sense," Aldwin said, nodding.

They reached the end of the corridor. Aldwin stepped past the threshold, pausing at Thomas's call.

"After you drop him off, take a horse," Thomas said.

"A horse?" Aldwin repeated, puzzled. "Why do I need a horse?"

"You'll need it. It's time for you to head north… and bring Jamie back."

Aldwin blinked in surprise, then replied, "Thank you."

Thomas's only parting words were a simple, heartfelt warning. "Be careful out there."

[The Crime Lord Bards will return in 2026]

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