Lady von Ekko’s Glorious Adventurer Brigade got their money. Normally they would be expected to pay for any unreasonable damage to a client’s property; however, it was determined that the merchant had been neglectful in failing to inform the Guild about the arachne’s presence. Of course, starting a fire after being deliberately hit with a charm spell would be considered an act so irresponsible that such an adventurer would be liable for the damages, but Lady von Ekko’s Glorious Adventurer Brigade left that detail out when making their report.

Finding and defeating a demon spy in the capital meant a lot of attention for the party. Suddenly their status was elevated, and higher-ups in the Guild and even in the government took notice of this new team. Even the normally-morose Marian seemed pleased with their success. Their first job was more of a triumph than any of them had expected and each of the adventurers found themselves looking forward to the next one.

A few days later, Andra gathered her allies and led them to a local restaurant favored by many adventurers for its variety and affordability. Once everyone had ordered their food and settled in, Andra took a breath to speak, only to have Kaylen interrupt her.

“Is that vegetarian?” she asked, eyeing Riven’s curry.

“Yeah, I went with the veggie option today. Why, you want a taste?”

Kaylen licked the sauce off her own fork and used it to sample one of Riven’s potatoes. Almost immediately she started squealing in pain, her face turning bright red. She reached for her water, spilled it, then took Fiona’s instead and started drinking it. Riven laughed in response.

“Tops can never handle spicy food.”

“What makes you think she’s a top?” Andra asked.

“Something about her foolhardy confidence. I can’t imagine her not trying to take charge in bed, even with another top,” Riven explained.

“What about Andra?” Kaylen asked, her voice rasping. “She’s all cocky and arrogant.”

“Yeah, but she comes across more as a bratty sub,” said Riven, smirking. “I bet she’s just waiting for one of us to push her against a wall. Is that right, Andra?”

Andra huffed defiantly. “I’m an expert in all sexual roles.”

Kaylen giggled with delight. “Okay, well we all know you’re a sub, but what about Fiona?”

Riven gave Fiona an appraising look. “Hard to say. She certainly acts like a bottom, but she strikes me as the sort who could surprise you.”

Fiona looked down at her food nervously, unable to meet Riven’s eyes. “I… I…”

“Okay, enough teasing Fiona, we need to get ready for this job,” said Andra.

“There’s a new job?” Kaylen asked.

Andra nodded. “Yep. And it’s a juicy one. It seems that a nobleman, Orrin Prospero, has been murdered. His son, Deri, wants a group of adventurers to look into it.”

“Scandalous,” Riven said sarcastically.

Andra rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I wanted to stop for lunch first to give us some time to prepare.”

“What’s to prepare for? It sounds like a boring one,” said Riven, taking another bite of her curry.

“Being a noblewoman myself, I already know how to behave around the new Lord Prospero. You three, however, have no idea how to behave around the nobility.”

“Please, I bet you’re going to treat him with the same pompous attitude that you do everyone else,” Kaylen said, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe we should listen to the boss,” Fiona interjected, looking to Andra in hopes of approval. “Since she is a noble, she would know best.”

Fiona’s attitude had taken an interesting shift since the events in the warehouse. It seemed that she was the only member of the party who recognized Andra’s incredible feat of single-handedly killing a demon, and she had started looking up to Andra, following her around the Guild’s halls and calling her “boss”. Andra relished it, but both Kaylen and Riven felt differently.

“I wish you would stop calling her that. She’s not our boss,” Riven said, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

“Plus, is she even really a noble?” Kaylen asked. “I mean, I’ve met nobles before and most of them don’t act like the nobles you see in satirical plays.”

“Okay, fine, act like your usual idiot selves,” said Andra, growing frustrated. “We’ll see how well that goes.”

Rampart City was said to be the largest city on the northern continent. Of course, this was a highly contested title. Several densely-packed Starfal cities had higher populations over a smaller area, and the city-state of Temple Station considered much of its surrounding farmland and forest part of the city, leaving it much more sprawling than Rampart. However, since Rampart was the largest country on the continent, in most people’s minds its capital was the largest city. It was possible that there were larger cities on the demon-controlled southern continent, but with limited contact over the last thousand years, no one could be sure.

The city was said to be divided into several districts, however they all bled into each other so much that no one was quite sure where one began and another ended. For example, House Prospero, was in a part of the wealthy district that seemed to jut into the religious district, with hospitals and temples just a few blocks away on three sides. However, the immediate surroundings, like House Prosepero itself, were all huge, ornate mansions with gardens that flourished through even the deepest drought.

When the party arrived, Andra ringing the bell, they were met by Deri himself, who explained that he had dismissed the servants for the day. He was a young man immaculately dressed in an expensive-looking suit, though his dignified appearance was ruined by his constant sneezing.

“He was working in his study, two days ago,” Deri explained as he led the party up the stairs. “He always kept the door locked, because he hated being disturbed. When it came time for dinner, a servant knocked on his door and went unanswered. The servant fetched me and when we still couldn’t get an answer, we were forced to break down the door.”

“A locked room mystery!” said Kaylen. “How exciting!”

At that moment, the party reached the room in question. Someone had indeed taken an axe and chopped through the door, which lay in ruin on the floor. The study itself was beautiful. Two of the walls were covered with huge bookshelves packed with tomes. Near the window was an ornate wooden desk, and a comfortable-looking reading chair occupied a corner close to the door. There was no body present, just a pile of dust in the center of the room.

“I left everything as we found it. I thought it might help the city guard, but they did little more than shrug and declare it a suicide, which is utterly ridiculous. How could he have done this to himself?” Deri said, gesturing to the pile of dust.

“Wait, those are his remains?” asked Andra.

Deri nodded, looking grim. “That’s all that’s left of him.”

Riven knelt down to examine them, trying to ignore the sound of Deri having a sneezing fit. “Yeah, not exactly easy to do that to yourself.”

Kaylen looked around. “But the question is, how did the killer get in?”

Andra rolled her eyes. “The killer was a member of the Thieves’ Guild, obviously. Thieves handle assassinations all the time, and some of them know magic. Just looking around, I can think of at least six ways the killer could have gotten in.”

“Really, boss?” asked Fiona, wide-eyed. “That’s so amazing. How would you do it?”

“Th-that’s a trade secret,” Andra stammered. It wasn’t really a lie. Methods of breaking into buildings really were considered a trade secret. Andra just wasn’t entirely sure what they were. “Anyway, it doesn’t really matter how, as long as we know that the killer did it. So there’s no point in focusing on it.”

“Could be a potion,” Riven suggested. “There are some that can turn someone into dust. Though I’m not sure why a killer would choose it over a traditional poison.”

“Then there’s no point in dwelling on it. We’ll head to the Thieves Guild and find out who the assassin is and who hired them,” Andra said.

“No, that’s not how you’re supposed to do it,” Kaylen whined. “In stories, they always figure out all the steps the killer took and stuff. They don’t just go and… ask someone who did it.”

Riven shrugged. “I mean, I know an alchemist, Maxim Nobody. I was going to suggest taking a sample of the dust to him to see if he knows what kind of potion did this. I figured that might be helpful somehow.”

“Yes! That’s the kind of thing we should be doing,” said Kaylen.

“I know it’s not really my place to tell you how to investigate,” said Deri, “but is there a point in doing that? If you can find the killer in the Thieves’ Guild, why bother looking into the potion?”

He finished with a sneeze, which he wiped into his hand.

“I guess it can’t hurt to look,” said Andra. “Raven, you go talk to this Nobody person. And Fiona, go with her and make sure she doesn’t do anything weird. It’s not like either of you would be helpful at the Thieves’ Guild, anyway.”

“Come on, we’re just investigating a murder. What weird thing could I even do?” Riven asked as she carefully swept some of the dust into a handkerchief, which she tied in a knot.

“I’ll keep her in line, boss,” Fiona said.

“Good. Kaylen and I will head to the Thieves’ Guild. We’ll find an answer for you quickly, Lord Prospero.”

“Thank you,” Deri said, holding out his hand.

“Uh, I’d rather not,” Andra said, looking down at his snot-covered fingers.

“Funny,” said Deri, “the woman at the Guild said the same thing when I tried to shake her hand.”