So, circumstances (or poor choices) have led you to interact with the less-than-savory elements of society. Congratulations, you're networking! Now, how to do so without ending up face-down in a ditch with fewer valuables and vital organs than you started with.
Key Underworld Archetypes (Buyer Beware):
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The Fence: Buys and sells stolen goods. Usually operates under a legitimate front (pawn shop, 'antique' dealer, overly cluttered general store). Values discretion and reliable suppliers. Don't try to sell them obviously cursed artifacts unless you want trouble. Payment is typically well below market value. Haggling is expected but risky for newcomers.
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The Fixer: Connects people. Needs information? Muscle? A discreet exit strategy? The Fixer knows someone (for a price). Operates through reputation and networks. Often found in specific taverns or back rooms. Approaching requires referral or demonstrating value/desperation. Double-crossing a Fixer is generally a terminal condition.
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The Information Broker: Trades in secrets, rumors, and valuable intel. Similar to a Fixer but specializes solely in knowledge. Prices vary wildly based on the info's rarity and importance. Verification is crucial; brokers often mix truth with plausible fiction. Protect your own secrets fiercely when dealing with them.
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Guild Operatives (Thieves'/Smugglers'): Street-level muscle (thugs, enforcers), specialists (burglars, spies), recruiters. Interactions depend heavily on their specific role and your perceived status (mark, potential recruit, rival). Displaying weakness invites predation; displaying strength invites challenge. Tread carefully. (Refer back to Appendix F: Common Guild Structures).
General Underworld Etiquette:
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Discretion is Paramount: Don't announce your business loudly. Use coded language if possible (though trying too hard marks you as an amateur). Meet in private or pre-arranged locations.
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Reputation Matters: Your perceived reliability, skill, and trustworthiness (even among thieves) dictate how you're treated. Build it slowly and carefully. Breaking deals has consequences.
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Never Show All Your Cards: Don't reveal everything you know or possess. Keep leverage. Assume everyone has their own agenda.
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Know When to Walk Away: If a deal feels wrong, too risky, or the other party seems unstable, trust your instincts. There will be other opportunities (if you survive).
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Payment Up Front? Rarely: Expect payment upon delivery of goods or services. Asking for advances marks you as desperate or untrustworthy.
Engaging with the underworld can provide resources and information unavailable through legitimate channels. It can also get you killed very, very quickly. Assess the risks, trust no one completely, and always have an escape plan.
(Inkstained Prophet's Addendum: And if anyone offers you 'genuine Slime Pearls' said to enhance cultivation? Run. It's almost certainly harvested goo with residual digestive enzymes. Utterly vile.)
[Kevin's Story: Part 17 - Sanctuary and Scrutiny]
Kevin practically melted with relief when the heavy wooden bolt of the storeroom slid home behind him. Safe. For now. He sank onto the burlap sacks, the adrenaline from the cellar exploration leaving him shaky and exhausted. The silence of the small room was a stark contrast to the imagined threats lurking in the shadows of Warehouse Four and the alleys outside.
He laid out his meager possessions mentally: the [Sturdy Dagger], the [Basic Toolkit], the [Reinforced Coin Pouch] containing forty-odd coppers and the dangerously significant silver piece and Sea Serpent cufflink. His slightly better boots. The worn but clean-enough tunic and trousers Martha had given him from the tavern's lost-and-found after his original rags became truly indecent. He even still had the [Basic Healing Potion (Crude)], unused, smelling faintly worse each day.
Compared to the terrified, rag-clad newcomer who'd woken up in an alley weeks ago, it was progress. Tangible progress.
Ding!
[Sustained Period of Rest in Secured Location Detected.]
[Calculating Vitality Restoration Bonuses...]
[+2 EXP Awarded!]
[Level Up! Level 2 -> Level 3!]
[Received 5 Stat Points!]
[Received 1 Skill Point!]
[HP Fully Restored! 19/19!] (Base HP increased slightly with level)
[MP/Qi/Stamina Fully Restored! 7/7!] (Base MP increased slightly with level)
Level 3. It wasn't a massive jump, but the full health bar and the promise of more stats felt disproportionately good after the tension of the cellar. He now had 5 more Stat Points and another Skill Point to allocate.
He pulled up his Status screen again, the familiar blue glow comforting in the darkness.
[Status: Finnian 'Finn' O'Malley (Host Override: Kevin Lee)]
Level: 3 (EXP: 0/300)
Class: Odd Jobber (Potential Paths: Thug, Beggar, Corpse, Skilled Laborer?) <- Path Updated!
HP: 19/19
MP/Qi/Stamina: 7/7
STR: 9 -> Apply Stat Points? (5 Available)
DEX: 10 -> Apply Stat Points? (5 Available)
INT: 10 -> Apply Stat Points? (5 Available)
LUK: 3 (Still Statistically Unfortunate) -> Apply Stat Points? (5 Available)
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Skills:
[Basic Street Brawling] (Lv. 3) -> Apply Skill Point? (1 Available)
[Petty Theft] (Lv. 2) -> Apply Skill Point? (1 Available)
[Urban Navigation (Slums)] (Lv. 1) -> Apply Skill Point? (1 Available)
[Foreign Language Comprehension] (Passive - System Provided)
[Weapon Maintenance (Basic)] (Unofficial - Lv. 1)
[Basic Repair] (Implicit/Odd Jobber - Lv. 1) <- New Skill Formalized!
His class path had updated again! 'Skilled Laborer' sounded much better than 'Thug'. And the System had formalized his repair work into a skill. Good.
Now, the points. Five stat points. LUK 3 still mocked him. Putting all five points there would bring it to 8. Still not great, maybe slightly below average instead of cursed? Or should he focus on combat readiness? More STR or DEX? What about INT for understanding the increasingly complex situation?
He chewed his lip. The Veteran's ability to message him directly still felt... invasive. Unsettling. He decided, perhaps foolishly, to try probing again.
"System, regarding Source Identity Masking for last external message. Is there any additional information available regarding source classification or potential affiliations? Cross-reference with Inkstained Prophet entity file, Tier 4 Clearance parameters, and Sub-channel Sigma-7 access logs."
Ding!
[Query Received. Processing...]
[Cross-referencing requested parameters...]
[Result: Source classified as 'Authorized Overseer/Observer - Non-Interfering Mandate (Conditional)'. Affiliation primarily linked to 'Guide Implementation & User Adaptation Monitoring'. Access via Sub-channel Sigma-7 confirmed as standard protocol for this classification tier. No further details available to Host Unit #8,374,921 at current access level.]
[Inkstained Prophet entity file restricted above Host Unit clearance.]
[Recommendation: Cease unproductive inquiries regarding System meta-functions and focus on primary survival objectives.]
Kevin sighed. Overseer? Observer? Guide Implementation Monitoring? It sounded like the Veteran was some kind of cosmic tech support or parole officer, maybe even working for the Inkstained Prophet, keeping tabs on him. And the System was telling him, politely but firmly, to stop asking questions he wasn't cleared to have answers for. Great. So much for understanding the ghost in the machine. At least it didn't seem actively hostile. Small mercies.
Defeated on the System front, he turned back to his stats. Increased danger meant increased need for competence. He couldn't afford wishful thinking on LUK right now.
"System, allocate 2 points to STR, 2 points to DEX, 1 point to INT."
Ding!
[Stat Points Allocated!]
[STR: 9 -> 11 (Above Average - Can lift moderately heavy things without whining!)]
[DEX: 10 -> 12 (Quite Nimble - Less likely to trip over air!)]
[INT: 10 -> 11 (Above Average - Can follow multi-step instructions!)]
[LUK: 3 (Still mocking you.)]
Okay. Better. Now the skill point. [Basic Street Brawling] Lv. 3 was okay, but maybe broadening his utility was smarter. [Petty Theft] felt too risky now, attracting the wrong kind of attention. [Urban Navigation] was useful... [Basic Repair]? Formalizing it might make it easier to level or get better jobs.
"System, allocate 1 Skill Point to [Basic Repair]."
Ding!
[Skill Point Allocated!]
[Skill Increased: [Basic Repair] Lv. 1 -> Lv. 2 (Can now fix slightly more complex things, like wobbly chair legs and squeaky hinges! Tool quality less likely to cause critical failure.)]
Feeling slightly more capable, Kevin finally allowed exhaustion to claim him, curling up on the burlap sacks.
The next morning, routine kicked in. He helped Martha and Bors, the familiar rhythm of cleaning and minor chores grounding him despite the swirling thoughts about guilds and informants. He moved with slightly more confidence, his improved stats making the work easier. Martha even commented, "Put some muscle on yer bones, Finn. Good. Less likely to keel over."
After his morning duties, he ventured back into the market, ten coppers in his pouch from Martha (eight for the work, two deducted for the 'rent'). He needed to keep earning, keep building his buffer. But he moved differently now. He paid more attention, actively scanning crowds as per Section 120, noting the flow of people, looking for the subtle signs Boltar and the Guide had mentioned.
He saw Wharf Rat thugs lounging near certain stalls, their presence a clear deterrent to competitors or guards. He noticed coded hand signals between sailors near the fish market, likely related to offloading smuggled goods. He saw the street juggler again, effortlessly manipulating his props with that same unnatural grace, drawing a small crowd while seemingly oblivious to the grimy world around him – or perhaps intensely aware of it in ways Kevin couldn't fathom.
He took a small repair job from a weaver, fixing a jammed loom mechanism (his Lv. 2 skill proving useful), earning him four coppers. As he was leaving her stall, he saw a familiar scene down the lane – two Wharf Rats hassling a street vendor selling cheap pottery, demanding their 'cut'.
Normally, Kevin would have averted his eyes and hurried away. Mind his business, as the Guide advised. But this time, he recognized the vendor – an elderly woman who often gave him a sympathetic nod. And the thugs looked young, cocky, not the experienced pair he'd seen in the alley.
He hesitated. Module 35. Threat Triage. Two thugs, looked moderately strong but maybe inexperienced. Him: Level 3, STR 11, DEX 12, [Basic Street Brawling] Lv. 3, [Sturdy Dagger]. Environment: Bustling market street, witnesses present, guards might be nearby but unlikely to intervene quickly. Decision: Whack it? No, too risky. Run? Not necessary yet. Hide? Not applicable. Interfere? Directly, no. Indirectly?
An idea sparked, leveraging his Odd Jobber persona. He walked purposefully towards the scene, not looking at the thugs, but calling out, "Mistress Elara! Apologies, I got held up! Here's that strengthening brace you asked me to fetch for your stall leg!" He held up a random piece of wood he'd pocketed earlier from scrap.
The thugs paused, surprised by the interruption. Mistress Elara looked confused for a second, then caught on. "Ah, Finn! There you are! Took you long enough, lad!"
Kevin knelt by her stall, pretending to examine the leg, placing himself between the vendor and the thugs. "Needs careful fitting, Ma'am. Don't want these lovely pots getting jostled." He made a show of checking angles, effectively creating a minor obstruction and drawing attention.
The thugs looked uncertain. Their intimidation tactic was disrupted. Other vendors were now watching curiously. Shaking down an old woman was one thing, but causing a scene with a known 'fixer' involved, however low-level, was slightly different. Muttering curses, they gave Mistress Elara a final glare and swaggered off down the street.
Mistress Elara let out a shaky breath. "Oh, thank you, Finn. That was quick thinking." She pressed two coppers into his hand. "That wasn't necessary, but... thank you."
Ding!
[Indirect Conflict Resolution Achieved!]
[+10 EXP!]
[Reputation Increased significantly with 'Mistress Elara'.]
[Reputation Increased slightly with nearby Market Vendors.]
Kevin pocketed the coins, feeling a surprising warmth. He hadn't fought, hadn't used violence, just his wits and his established role. Maybe there were ways to navigate this dangerous city beyond just hiding or fighting.
Still, as he walked away, the weight of the hidden silver and cufflink felt heavier. He'd deterred two low-level thugs. Facing the Sea Serpent Guild or whatever force killed Finn would be another matter entirely. The grind continued, but the stakes were undeniably higher.