When he was halfway to the safe house for the Kaibainian branch of the Diamond Claw Guild where he would meet his contacts, Rezkin decided to change directions. He had made an instantaneous decision to completely overhaul his plans having realized that he would need the element of surprise to carry out his ambitions. Once he met with his people, news would spread, and the element would be lost. His masters’ and the strikers had always been pleased with his ability to think quickly and change tactics in an instant. Rezkin had learned to follow his instincts, and they had saved him innumerable times. This was one of those times when he just knew he had to adjust his strategy.

Rezkin did not know where his destination was, so he needed to find a guide. It would be a toss-up whether he ended up with the Razor Edges or the Crimson Blades, the city’s two other thieves’ guilds. While the Diamond Claws had branches in Justain and Kaibain, the Razor Edges could be found in Kaibain and Port Manai. The Crimson Blades were purely local, though, having been unable to gain a foothold in the other cities. Because the King’s Seat had their full attention, their influence within the city was slightly stronger than the other guilds.

By now, news would have spread to most of Ashai about the takeover of the thieves’ guilds in Justain. The mage relay would see to that. Guards and security officials had been notified of a major movement in the criminal element of one of the country’s capital cities. He doubted anyone took the threat of the disturbance spilling into the Seat of the King seriously, though. No one had that kind of influence, surely. Rezkin needed to take advantage of their apathy and misplaced sense of security. No one would be expecting him to be here already, if at all.

After dancing across several rooftops and scanning dark alleys near the rowdy taverns and brothels, Rezkin finally found a promising lead. A young man had just stabbed an older man in the gut and grabbed the man’s coin purse. The young man darted away quickly before anyone noticed, not that help was likely to come anytime soon or that it would do any good. The older man had already expired on the ground in a pool of blood. The knife must have struck something vital, or perhaps the man’s heart simply gave out.