The Information Guild was already busy, though most of that business was people entering or leaving. Three-eyed People simply appeared from the sides of the room, striding over to speak with any new arrivals looking to buy or sell.

As Nicolai entered, he and the Modules scanned the area hopefully, looking for the same woman as he'd met with last time. Ideally, he wanted to see her this time, too.

Threat Analysis let out a little blurt of angered code when she turned up behind him.

She appeared in the one spot where none of the drones, and none of your cameras, were looking! It seemed that this was how all the People working here appeared. One moment there was no one there, and the next a Person had popped out of thin air. Somehow, he never saw the actual moment where they materialised. Threat Analysis was strangely offended by this, and partnered with Simulations to try and work out a way to use the drones and cameras available to them to hold vision over the entire room.

'You return at last,' the Person spoke as Nicolai turned to face her. She wore a wide smile that turned into a frown the moment she saw his H-gram. 'What's this? I hope you haven't altered your features into this… blandness. I preferred your previous face.'

Last time, he'd removed his helmet while speaking to her. He supposed he could do the same this time. 'Just something to show,' he said. 'Are you available?'

'For you, always.' She clicked her fingers, and the world blurred around them.

Nicolai found he was sitting in what seemed to be the very same chair, the very same room, as the last time he'd talked with her. She sat across from him, smiling and toying with her "hair."

'Someone is at this moment handing an item I once used quite heavily to the Scoundrels Guild,' he began, only for her to sigh.

'Straight to business,' she said, with a roll of her eyes. 'I was curious whether you did all those things in the Memory Disc I sold you. Have you had your first Reckoning?' She grinned, excited as a little girl, and waggled a finger like a sword. 'Pa! Cha!' she enthused as she twitched her finger. 'Slicing and tearing through Demons! How manly!'

'…indeed,' said Nicolai, after a polite pause. 'As to my question. What can I do to hide from Scoundrels, when they have an item of mine? How precisely will they be able to use their tracking abilities and Blood Hunters against me?'

She leaned forward, adopting the more typical, businesslike pose. 'Hmm, well, for starters if there is only one item, you wouldn't have to worry about every Scoundrel. The Guild will hold that item and loan it out, to individuals or teams. If a team opts to use it, then they would all have to be within a certain distance of the item to activate their Blood Hunters. Due simply to the issue of fitting so many people into a limited space, you wouldn't have more than say, twenty. But typically Scoundrels won't come in such a large team, anyway. I'd anticipate between one to five will be coming after you.'

'From how far away can they use Blood Hunters?'

'The maximum range is ten miles.'

That wasn't too bad. He could cover ten miles in about forty minutes. Now for the big question.

'What about tracking?'

She shrugged. 'Don't know any distance limits for that. Tracking is a UI function for Scoundrels. They utilise it while touching the item, select the target, and it'll give them a location. It has two levels of precision. The first is given on the first use, and it just gives a general location for the target. The second is given when used closer to the target, and it engages a type of Aura-based scanning. Very similar to some other functions, like TreasureHunter.'

'I could hide from that by staying in somewhere sealed against ripples, right?'

'Precisely. In such a place you would also be untargetable by Blood Hunters.'

That was good, but it didn't solve the issue. Scoundrels would still be able to find his rough location, and he couldn't stay in the cave forever.

'What methods can allow me to prevent them tracking me, without hiding away somewhere sealed against Aura ripples?'

'There's a common Artifact made for that very purpose. It's called a Hidden Amulet. It even exists at Tier 1, though of course in that case it isn't a true Artifact but a ritualised Imbued. As a Tier 1, you would only need the Tier 1 version to hide yourself. The amulet only works against the closer, more precise form of tracking. It doesn't prevent the wider type, nor does it prevent Blood Hunters spawning near to your location. However, it will vibrate when a Blood Hunter targeting you spawns, giving you warning.'

She smiled. 'Best yet, the Tier 1 Amulets can be bought for only 100,000 points-tags, here in the city.'

Nicolai blinked. 'Okay. Great. Where?'

'The Scoundrels Guild.' Her smile widened into a smirk. 'Who wouldn't sell to you, not when you already have such a high price on your head.'

Nicolai nodded. He didn't truly see that as much of a problem. He'd ask Wu or someone else to buy it for him.

'Also,' she added brightly, 'the Amulet needs to be bound to your person during the final moments of its creation. So, they make them for the person buying them in-house, and do the binding then.'

He gazed at her through narrowed eyes. 'You're quite enjoying this, aren't you?'

'Your Soul is a delight to watch.' She was straight up grinning now. 'But don't worry, my murderous champion. There is still a chance for you. You see, you can make an amulet all by yourself. You merely need to track down a few Symbiotes, and slay five Blood Hunters.'

'Isn't that how it always is? You won't have to wait long, though. I can tell you what will happen.' She waved, and a pane of light appeared beside her. She rose, and a stick appeared in her hand. She tapped the pane, and a vague image appeared.

He saw somewhere not dissimilar to the Slayers Guildhall, but filled with shady-looking individuals.

'The item arrives,' she announced, and now someone walked in, holding a vague, golden-glowing item high. 'It is handed over to the Guild, who will pay a negotiated fee for it. If this is the first personal item found, that could be quite high.' The vaguely depicted individual who'd brought the item in left, looking smug, holding a bag of points-tags. 'Now, a Scoundrels Guild NPC will take the item, and engage a focused tracking on it.' He saw a vague, archetypical Scoundrel carry the item into a room and place it on a glowing pedestal. 'What this means, is that the moment you return to wherever your portal leads…' Now the image depicted him, except this version of him wasn't wearing a helmet, and was much more detailed than the other images. The Nicolai in the picture, who appeared quite a bit more villainous than the real him, winked at the viewpoint before stepping through a portal.

'Shazam!' she cried, the image shifting again. 'And they have it!' Back in the Scoundrels Guild, the pedestal with the vague, glowing item was pulsing. 'Now, your imprecise location will be put onto a map in the main room.' He saw a big, wall-spanning map in the Guildhall, on which there were numerous red circles. The image zoomed on one, labelled: Target 35: Nicolai.

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'Now, Scoundrels will be able to see how close they are to your out-world location. The bidding will begin.' He saw the item, once again, placed on a pedestal, but this one was in the centre of the main hall. It was quickly surrounded by Scoundrels who poked at it, their Marks flashing. 'They tend to do it quickly. Maybe thirty minutes for people to put their bids, then whoever bid highest gets the item on loan. They keep the item for the rest of that week, after which it will be reclaimed by the Guild.'

Nicolai settled back. That had been a very thorough explanation, and he was quite pleased to have received it. Numerous useful tidbits of information had been gained.

'So you see,' she said, returning to her seat, 'whoever wins the bidding will be coming for you soon. They'll only have a week until they have to turn the item over, and bid for it again. Also, they'll have just spent quite an amount of points-tags, and they'll want to recoup that loss. I suspect they will dedicate the entire week to hunting you.'

'So, if I remain here and don't use my portal right up until the time the City is closing, they won't be able to get my location and start the process?'

She nodded, smiling. 'Of course. A sneaky strategy, though the NPC's who'll kick things off will remain active, and they'll be ready to start the bidding next week.' She tapped her chin, thoughtful. 'It might not be the best move. Assuming you believe yourself capable of taking down these first hunters… then delaying a week could just lead to having to deal with stronger, or more numerous enemies next time, and still with no amulet.'

'Why do I even need to kill five hunters to make the amulet?'

'Scoundrels have to pay for Blood Crystals at the Guild, in order to form Blood Hunters. Each hunter uses one crystal. When you kill the hunter, you'll get the crystal. Blood Crystals have quite a few uses, and making amulets like this is one of them—believe it or not, being a target of Scoundrels can be quite lucrative… if you're able to survive constant assaults of Blood Hunters without slipping up.'

'Because I need to kill the hunters every time. They only need to kill me once,' he murmured. Not a dynamic he was unused to. He'd been surviving attempts on his life a long time.

'That… face replicates the expressions you have on under your helmet, doesn't it?' purred the Person's voice. 'I can see that in spite of your grim tone, you couldn't be more excited!'

He stared at her, unsure what she was talking about.

'My champion… you're smiling.'

And so he was, he realised, as he imagined all these hunters coming after him.

He shrugged. 'I've simply realised I have an easier solution. I don't necessarily need to make this amulet so hastily. When these Scoundrels come for me, I can simply find them, kill them, and reclaim the item that was used to track me.'

She laughed. 'No, no, no! That would be too easy! Do you think the Guild is so stupid? They weave all kinds of protections around it. The moment the individual who loaned it is killed, it will be pulled through space and back into the waiting arms of the Guild, ready to be loaned out anew.'

'I see,' he murmured, a little glum.

'And anyway, how do you expect to find the one sending Blood Hunters at you?' she added.

A very pertinent question. He smiled at her. 'I suppose I was hoping that you, my greatest supporter, might inform your champion of a good method?'

She preened. 'I do have a method. But it requires some skill. Each Blood Hunter communicates with its sender via a spirit wire. This wire will cross into another world—the spiritual world. It is possible for one to see into that world, if they have the talent.' She tapped her lip, thoughtful. 'Someone with the Black Gift should have that talent, at least to a minor degree. After all, the Interior and the Spiritual Realm are not so far removed from one another. I can give you a Memory Disc detailing the technique to peer into it. Even once the Blood Hunter is destroyed, a faint remnant of the wire will remain, which could be used to locate the place where the Blood Hunter was controlled from.'

He nodded. 'I'll take it.' He was curious to do what she described regardless of his current issue. Peering into the "Spiritual Realm" sounded very interesting. 'How expensive are these Blood Crystals?' he asked.

'About 50,000 points-tags each, I believe,' she answered promptly. 'Why?'

'I was wondering how likely a hunter would be to carry five of them.' 50,000 was quite expensive. He doubted a single hunter would carry five of the crystals. Hopefully, a team would come after him, not a lone individual.

'What is this matter with the Houses?' he asked next. 'In fact, what are the Houses?'

'Noble Houses of the People,' she answered. 'Each Sector is ruled by a few. In this one, we have six; Morvain, Veyron, Thrynn, Braxil, Semerel, and Ularin. Each has control over a different part of the Sector. They control the guards, maintain infrastructure, and operate any Services in that area.'

She smiled and sat back slightly, gesturing. 'The House War is the opportunity for them to change the current standing. If a House has less territory than it desires, with the start of the war it will have the chance to change that.'

'People always want more,' murmured Nicolai.

'And so, you can see the reason for the current excitement,' she replied.

'I've seen they're offering various benefits to Players who join them, and I heard there are specific roles that those who are strong enough can apply for. What do you know of those?'

She nodded, smirked. 'Of course. You want to know how you can benefit, don't you? What else matters?' Her smirk widened into a grin. 'Each House has been issued special, artificially-made Symbiotes. These Symbiotes allow individuals to take on a special role within the House War, granting them rare abilities which are especially useful at this time, in this city. Each House has the same Roles available to it as the others, in the same number. I can provide a list of all Roles, and what they allow the holder to do. However, I can think of one that I suspect would be of particular interest to you.'

'Go on.'

'The Assassin Role. All provide powerful capabilities, but the Assassin is especially direct. It allows one to create Dead Zones. These are small areas in which the Phantom City's Restriction is no longer present.'

'As in, I'd be able to attack, steal, kill, and anything else the Restriction prevents, in that Dead Zone?'

'Precisely.' She raised her eyebrows. 'Quite useful, don't you think?'

Nicolai didn't answer, too busy realising the possibilities. After a moment, he asked, 'How closely are the holders of each Role bound to the will of the House who employs them?'

She shrugged. 'Of course, it is your Role to act for their interests. But there isn't some kind of special check on this. If the House's Patriarch became unhappy with you, you would be at risk of losing your Role and even your place in the House. But, so long as you do well, I would not expect issues—and, once you have the Role, you can freely use it however you wish, even if not engaged in activities directed by the House.'

She was right. He was very interested in this Role. Already he found the Restriction cloying. If he'd gained the Role already, then upon seeing Vikrum heading to the Scoundrels Guild with his polearm, he could have simply ensured the man never arrived. With the Assassin Role, he would be unbound, free to act in a far more efficient manner than he was currently able.

He asked further questions, and over the next several minutes received a detailed breakdown on what he could expect from the House War, including how exactly the Houses would be able to fight, in light of the Restriction.

It was all about those Bell Towers he'd been seeing, she told him. Houses would be able to issue challenges for them, which would see the creation of much larger Dead Zones where they could battle for control. He also learned the relative strengths of those involved.

'Currently, Houses Morvain and Veyron are the strongest. They are the most numerous and have the most capable individuals. The competition looks likely to be down to those two. But, House Thrynn is also quite strong. Depending on how it goes, they could make use of the oncoming chaos to find a path for victory. Meanwhile, Houses Braxil, Semerel, and Ularin are weaker, but the others will look to curry alliances with them. If Morvain could gain the cooperation of Braxil and Semerel, for instance, their victory would be all but assured. It isn't unusual for Houses to merge during the course of the House Wars. Afterwards, the remaining houses will be subordinate to the victor, if they remain alive, so joining with the victorious House would be beneficial for any nobles in order to avoid that subservient role.'

After learning all he could about the House War, he asked about some things he'd missed out on last time. That included the Renown stat Cyberwarfare had seen when it first hacked into his Mark. She was quite surprised by his knowledge of that, though not unduly so. Then he questioned her—in a somewhat roundabout fashion—about how precisely one might enforce a Claim on a True Demon's Soul, what exactly would constitute "Defeating the True Demon." He learned several interesting things, though none immediately relevant.

Finally, he asked about something that was much more pressing.

'I'm intending to push for Tier 2, now that my internal system is complete. The main item I'm lacking is a Toothbearer Blood Symbiote. What would be the best way for me to go about getting hold of one?'

'Mmmm. Such Symbiotes are quite rare, and valued highly. Your best bet would be the Auction House. You'll find it neighbouring the Market.'

Nicolai asked some follow up questions then left. He was very curious about this Auction, which she said would be starting soon.

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