The Engineers' Guild was three stories tall with two substantial single-story wings on the side. Like everything in Danver, it was constructed from wood, but the guild painted it dark blue, so it would stand out. A guild member waited near the front door to allow admittance to the public.

  "I would be happy to save you the effort," Prajio purred as we observed the guild. "Send me in alone, and I'll return with your device. I assure you, I can be quite persuasive."

  I noticed him admiring his claws as he said that last part.

  "Last resort, Prajio. If we kill one of their men, they may kill my friend in revenge."

  "Fine," he said with a sigh. "This is a new sort of quest for me, so I'll just roll with it, as you humans say."

  What did he mean by that? "Hey Val, does he think he's on an actual quest?"

  'It appears so. Normally, if an NPC invites a Player to join them on a journey or a mission such as this, the system will create a dynamic quest. Prajio hasn't received any quest notifications, which likely leads him to believe a certain trigger has yet to be reached to activate the quest, or perhaps it's a bug in the system. The only problem is that the system rarely, if ever, has bugs. Hence, his confusion.'

  "I'll take confused over suspicious any day," I thought to her.

  'I'd take smart over stupid any day, yet here I am.'

  I didn't respond.

  We waited a few more minutes, and when we approached the doorman, his face turned white at the sight of the Kurskin. He bowed his head quickly and finally stammered out a coherent sentence.

  "M…m...my Lord, the guild is blessed to have one such as you within its halls, but surely our meager inventions pale in comparison to the works of art Kurskin engineers are capable of."

  Prajio returned the bow. "Please, no need for supplication. I am merely a visitor today, seeking to learn more about the capable minds of my human brethren."

  The man bowed deeper than before. "You are most welcome to come inside. However, and I hate to inconvenience you, my good sirs, but no weapons are allowed inside the guild. I ask that you leave them with me here. I will ensure they are well cared for."

  I watched the curved blades vanish from Prajio's hips. He had sent them to his inventory.

  The doorman smiled, oblivious to the break in reality and turned to me. "Your weapon, sir."

  I nodded and handed him my shortsword, not wanting to use my inventory system near Prajio.

  We walked in, and the guild was a wonder to behold. The main hall was a three-story-tall cylinder, the top covered with a dome. Inside, the inner bevel of the dome was painted with a kaleidoscope of colorful gears, which seemed to spin on their own when you changed the angle at which you looked at them.

  The second and third floors each had a small balcony where one could view the ground floor below. Both balconies were currently occupied, and both occupants were staring directly at me… no, they were staring at the person next to me, Prajio.

  Along the rounded wall were tables with various oddities resting atop them. Some devices hung on the walls above, and a few items were safety encased in glass so that no dirty human fingers could ruin them.

  There were three other doors, not counting the entrance. One was on the wall opposite the front door, and two more doors led to the long wings of the guild house. My gut told me the back door would lead me to my quarry…my gut being Val, who had told me Delen's invention was likely located on the second or third story.

  There was a small crowd of onlookers in the room with us, which helped me blend in, but with those two guildies watching from above, slipping through a door undetected seemed impossible. I needed a distraction.

  As I pretended to examine something that resembled a tea kettle with Prajio, I whispered, "Could you make a ruckus? I don't see how else I can slip through a door undetected."

  He placed his clawed hand gently on my back. I resisted the urge to pull away.

  "Say no more. I love a good show," Prajio said. "Stay near this door while I view more of the gallery. You'll know when it is time."

  Prajio went left, and I read about the teapot before me. It had a gear at the end of a thin spout that spun when the pressurized steam was released.

  That was it. I assumed one could attach a tool, like a whisk, to that spinning gear and use it to stir something. That's the only use I could think of for this teapot, a product of some apparent genius.

  There was another item nearby, which was surprising to see, to say the least. It was a model biplane made from thin rods and paper. It had no visible mechanisms and no propeller, so it was essentially a paper airplane. Still, it meant these people understood aerodynamics. Color me impressed.

  "Excuse me," I heard Prajio's throaty shout and turned to look. "This invention," he held something up. I looked closer and recognized it as a coil spring. "This invention is the result of intellectual thievery, and I demand to speak with the inventor this moment!"

  I glanced up and saw that the men in both balconies were looking intently at Prajio. Still, I feared I would be seen if I tried to make my move now.

  One of the ground-floor guild attendants walked forward. "Forgive my harsh words, sir, but how dare you besmirch the reputation of our fine guild? I have nothing but respect for the Kurskins, but I cannot allow such lies to be spoken within our halls."

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  Prajio prowled forward, his thin lips curling in anger, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. "What is your name?" he hissed.

  "I am Benjamin Tuttle, Engineer's Guild Member of the Second Mark."

  "Second Mark," Prajio chuckled. "I will not speak to one as low as you." He looked up to the third-floor balcony and pointed. "You there. You have an air of authority about you. Come down and let us discuss this detestable matter."

  The old man on the balcony was clearly shaken by this strange turn of events. "Grand One, you must be mistaken. We do not…."

  "Do not speak down to me. Come here and look me in the eye before another word leaves your lips," Prajio said with finality, cutting off the old man's words.

  I was liking this Prajio fellow more and more.

  The old man nodded and turned his back to the balcony. Like a blessing from God himself, or perhaps the system AI, the man on the second-story balcony also retreated.

  This was my chance. With a quick glance, I confirmed everyone had their attention focused on Prajio, and I silently opened the door and slipped inside.

  'The coast is clear,' Val said, just as I hoped she would.

  "Tell me what to do."

  'The device is likely kept in the Guild Master's Chambers on the top floor. Listen to me closely, and I should be able to get you there undetected.'

  I smiled. I was actually having fun for the first time since I started 'playing' this game.

  'Go right, follow the hallway, and open the first door on your left,' Val said.

  I followed the curved hallway and found the door. I pulled it open and went inside, discovering it was the entrance to a long, spiral staircase that likely ran up the entire middle spire of the Guild Hall.

  I began my ascent.

  'Stop,' Val said. 'Go back down.'

  Without hesitation, I hopped back out and shut the door.

  'I don't think you can make it up in time,' she said. 'The two NPCs in the balconies had convened on the second floor, likely to discuss what to do about your scaly friend, but their conversation was short, and they are now on their way down.'

  "Can I hide?"

  'There are very few hiding places in this section of the building. They will enter through the door you exited from, so just run down the hall, and the curve should put you out of their view.'

  I did as she asked, and it was just in time. The door opened, and I heard two men talking, but I couldn't quite make out their conversation. Once I couldn't hear them anymore, Val chimed in.

  'Move.'

  I darted for the door and flew up the stairs as fast and quietly as possible. Val told me there were three others on the second floor who shouldn't be a problem as I was sequestered to the staircase behind the walls, and they were snug in their rooms.

  But there was one person on the top floor with whom I would likely need to deal with, and that person was probably the Guild Master.

  I hustled quietly up the stairs until they ended at the third-floor door.

  "Now what?" I thought to Val.

  'Someone is on the far side of the room. I do not know which way they are facing.'

  "Okay, any ideas?"

  'I don't know, Ethan. This is your quest.'

  "You said everything would be fine if I listened to you!"

  'You've listened to me so far, and everything has been fine.'

  I gritted my teeth. "I'll handle this one on my own, then."

  I had an idea that might work. It seemed possible in my head, but there was only one way to find out.

  A large chunk of hard jerky appeared in my hand at a thought, and I stuffed it into my pockets. Then, I pulled one more item from my inventory and kept it in my right hand. I knocked on the door with my left.

  'The NPC is moving this way,' Val said.

  "Thanks, Val. I would have never guessed that on my own."

  'You're welcome.'

  I heard his steps from the other side of the door. Thankfully, he didn't ask 'who is it' and instead opened the door, expecting to see a fellow guild member on the other side.

  Before he had time to blink, I slammed a handful of Valera root powder directly into his face. I kept my hand covering his mouth as I tackled him to the ground. I pulled the chunk of hard jerky from my pocket, moved my hand, and stuffed the wad of dried meat into his mouth, hoping it would stifle any potential calls for help.

  His eyes were wet and red, and the powder caked around the outsides from his tears. I knew he had inhaled a significant amount of the powder, but I was unsure if it was enough for the sedative effects to kick in. Just in case, I ripped his sleeves and used the material to bind his hands and feet.

  I grabbed him by the throat. "Where's the electric crank you stole from my friend?"

  There was a flash of recognition in his eyes before they turned confused. He shook his head and moaned something, acting like he didn't know what I was talking about.

  I squeezed his throat tighter. "Show me now if you want to live." I wasn't going to kill a helpless human, but he didn't know that.

  Tears streamed down his powdered face, whether from fear or the sting of the powder, I didn't know. He took a deep breath through his nose and calmed down a bit. He opened his eyes and looked to his left.

  I followed his gaze, locked on a glass display atop a desk. I walked over, and sure enough, it was the object Delen had described, although a little bigger than I had expected. I couldn't hide it in my clothing, but I could hide it in my inventory system.

  I shook my head. No. I couldn't do that. I was supposed to be a Non-Player Character. I'd have to act like one and carry the damn thing.

  The glass case was sealed and locked, but I found a fancy metal ball nearby and used it to smash the case. I reached in and picked up the device, which was far heavier than it looked.

  Prajio was down on the first floor, and I might need my hands in the meantime, so I tried to send the device to my inventory, intending to pull it out before opening the door to the main room. However, the system wouldn't let me. Maybe the system required quest items to be carried.

  I shrugged and carried the device with both hands across the room.

  "Sorry about all this," I said to the man on the floor. His eyes were heavy now, and he looked utterly stoned. Hopefully, he didn't ingest too much…

  After checking with Val to ensure the coast was clear, I returned down the stairs. She informed me that Prajio was still where I left him, and he was now surrounded by four guild members.

  I reached the door and considered my options. The moment I opened it, the jig would be up. No matter how heated the argument was, one of them would see me, a lowly commoner, carrying something that didn't belong to me.

  "Val, are there any other ways out?"

  'You could go up to the second level, fight the men in there, and jump out the window to the roof of the east wing. Then jump off that roof. It's only sixteen feet.'

  Yeah…no. The door it was.

  I had to carry the device with two hands, so grabbing the handle was awkward, but I managed. Using my shoulder, I slowly pushed the door open and peered out. The scene was as Val described. Prajio's antics had driven out the tourists, so it was just us and the guild members.

  With all the casual confidence I could muster, I pushed open the door and began to stride to the exit at the other end of the room. I didn't make it far.

  "Hey! Who are you?" one of the guild members said, pointing at me. All eyes turned to me. All eyes, including Prajio's. He winked at me and drove his fist into the back of the head of the man on his left. Prajio spun to his right, sending a powerful kick into another man's belly. The other two guild members rushed forward to attack, but Prajio was already spinning low, using his strong tail to sweep their legs. Both men fell hard on their backs, coughing for air.

  Prajio looked at me and smiled, "Now would be a good time to leave, I think."

  I couldn't help but laugh as we rushed out the door.