The tannery reeked of blood and decay. The bodies of Gorran's assassins lay scattered across the floor, their lifeless eyes reflecting the moonlight that seeped through the broken ceiling. The fight was over, but Aedric knew this was just the beginning.
"We need to move," Seris whispered, glancing toward the exit. "We killed their leader, but that won't stop Gorran. If anything, he'll be more desperate now."
Aedric wiped his blade on a fallen assassin's cloak before sheathing it. His shoulder ached where the arrow had grazed him earlier, but he forced himself to stand straight. There was no time for weakness.
Lirian leaned against a wooden support beam, breathing heavily. Blood seeped from the wound on his side, but he waved off Tessa's attempt to check it. "Damn bastards… they were waiting for us."
Garron crouched beside the fallen assassin leader, checking his belongings. He pulled out a small leather pouch and opened it, revealing a single silver emblem—a coiled serpent with ruby eyes.
He cursed under his breath. "This isn't just some random group of killers. This is the mark of the Red Vipers."
Aedric frowned. "Red Vipers?"
"They're an elite group of assassins," Garron said, standing up. "They don't work for common thugs. If Gorran hired them, he has more connections than we thought."
Seris' expression darkened. "That means he's not acting alone. Someone with power in Velmire is backing him."
Aedric's mind raced. Gorran had always been a dangerous figure in Velmire's underworld, but this changed everything. If he had access to elite assassins, then his influence reached beyond just street gangs.
Tessa tightened her grip on her bow. "Then we need to strike before he can make another move."
"No," Aedric said firmly. "Not yet."
The others turned to him, surprised.
"If we attack Gorran now, we'll be walking into a trap," Aedric explained. "We need information first. We need to know who's backing him, where he's hiding, and what his next move is."
Garron nodded in agreement. "He's right. We can't just charge in blind."
Seris exhaled sharply. "Then where do we start?"
Aedric looked down at the dead assassin leader. The Red Vipers wouldn't have taken this job without reason. Someone had paid them a lot of money to eliminate Aedric and his group. If they could find out who…
"We start with the Vipers," Aedric said. "They won't take this lightly. If their leader is dead, they'll want revenge. But that also means they'll make mistakes."
Lirian smirked despite his wound. "You want them to come after us?"
Aedric met his gaze. "I want them to lead us to whoever hired them."
A tense silence followed, but one by one, his companions nodded.
Garron crossed his arms. "Then we need a safe place to regroup. The hideout isn't secure anymore."
Aedric thought for a moment. "There's an old inn near the southern docks—the Silver Drake. It's been abandoned for months, but the cellar is still intact. We'll regroup there."
Without wasting another second, they slipped out of the tannery, sticking to the shadows as they moved.
The city was eerily quiet, but the tension in the air was thick. News of the fight had already begun to spread, and soon, Velmire's underworld would be on edge.
By the time they reached the Silver Drake, dawn was beginning to break. The building was in poor shape, its wooden walls warped from years of neglect. But the cellar was secure, hidden beneath a heavy trapdoor in the floor.
One by one, they slipped inside, lighting a lantern to illuminate the small space.
Aedric sat down on an overturned crate, rubbing his temple. The weight of the night's events pressed down on him, but he couldn't afford to rest yet.
Garron poured himself a drink from an old flask. "So, what's the plan?"
Aedric's gaze hardened.
"We make Gorran think he's winning," he said. "We lay low, let him believe we're cornered. Then, when he least expects it, we strike."
A slow smile crept across Seris' face. "I like it."
Lirian exhaled, adjusting the bandages on his side. "Then we'd better be ready. The next few days won't be easy."
Aedric nodded. "No, they won't. But this is just the beginning."
Outside, the city of Velmire stirred, unaware that its underworld was about to be thrown into chaos.