Night fell over the city of Aerilon and the lanterns lining the streets flickered in the cold breeze. Garron pulled his cloak tighter as he walked toward the night market district. The crowded marketplace transformed at night into a maze of stalls selling exotic potions, black market gear, and items the guild refused to approve. Garron moved with confidence. He had roamed these streets for years and understood the hidden patterns. Tonight, though, he walked with purpose. Evan had entrusted him with finding information about the cursed insurance scrolls. Garron intended to repay the man who had saved his life.

The night market pulsed with noise as vendors shouted prices and customers argued over magical powders and cheap talismans. Garron walked past a potion stall and examined a row of glowing bottles. The vendor, a thin man with sharp eyes, greeted him with a crooked smile. Need something strong he asked. Garron shook his head and scanned the crowd. He looked for someone desperate, someone carrying a rolled scroll, someone who avoided eye contact. He knew the Umbra Brokers had to blend in or keep their operations subtle.

Eventually Garron found a clue. A young rogue stood near a dark corner clutching a scroll identical to the cursed ones Evan had shown him. The rogue looked pale, almost sick. Garron approached him slowly. Where did you buy that he asked. The rogue hesitated. A stall near the back he whispered. The man said it was guaranteed protection. Garron studied the rogue’s trembling hands. You do not look protected. The rogue shook his head. I have been feeling weaker since I bought it. I thought it was normal. Garron sighed. Throw it away he said. It is cursed. The rogue looked horrified and immediately dropped the scroll as if it were a venomous snake.

Garron continued deeper into the market until he found a section where most lamps were dim. Only faint magical light illuminated the stalls. He noticed a hooded vendor selling scrolls stacked neatly on a wooden table. The scrolls looked identical to the ones Evan inspected. Garron approached the stall casually. The hooded vendor greeted him with a soft voice. Looking for protection, warrior he asked. We sell superior insurance for adventurers. Far better than anything the guild endorses.

Garron kept his expression neutral. How much he asked. The vendor lifted one scroll. Only a few coins he said. Affordable for any adventurer. Garron pretended to study the parchment while secretly examining the vendor’s hands. Dark stains marked his fingertips. Curse residue. Just as Evan said. Garron looked around but saw no obvious accomplices. Still he sensed danger. The Umbra Brokers were never just one person.

Garron leaned closer. Does this protect against curse traps he asked. The vendor nodded with false confidence. Of course. Buy one and your next mission is safe. Garron smiled slightly. Good to know he said. Then he placed his hand on the vendor’s wrist and squeezed tightly. The vendor flinched. Where did these come from Garron asked. Who made them. The hooded man tried to pull away but Garron held firm. I do not answer questions the vendor said through gritted teeth.

Suddenly three men emerged from the shadows behind the stall. Two carried daggers. One carried a wand. Garron released the vendor and stepped back. The wand wielder muttered a chant and dark mist formed around his arm. That curse mist was the same type the device had detected. Garron understood immediately. This was a coordinated operation. He reached for his shield at his back. You fools he said calmly. I came for answers but if you want a fight I will give you one.

The first dagger struck toward him but Garron blocked it with his shield. Sparks flew as metal collided. The second attacker lunged but Garron kicked him away. The man with the wand unleashed a pulse of dark energy that ripped through a nearby stall. Garron ducked behind his shield but the force knocked him to one knee. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward. If he retreated these men would disappear and Evan would lose valuable information.

He fought with precision rather than brute strength. Evan’s risk advice echoed in his mind. Do not overreach. Do not rush. Survive first. Garron deflected another dagger strike and knocked one man unconscious. A vendor screamed as a curse blast hit a row of potions. Bottles shattered. Colored fire burst across the ground. The market erupted into chaos. People fled. Stalls collapsed. The Umbra Brokers’ men tried to escape, but Garron chased the wand wielder.

The hooded caster sprinted through narrow alleys with surprising speed. He tossed small curse pellets behind him. Each pellet burst and released dark fumes. Garron dodged them barely. The fumes burned holes in the wall beside him. This man was beyond a simple black market crook. This was a trained curse enchanter. Garron finally tackled him near a dead end. The wand fell to the ground. The caster hissed You fool. You cannot stop us. The Umbra Brokers thrive on chaos. Your insurance company will crumble.

Garron pinned the caster to the ground. Tell me who leads you. The man only laughed. Our leader hides in the cracks of society. And soon your risk master will be crushed. Before Garron could restrain him further the caster bit down on a small vial hidden in his mouth. The vial exploded into a cloud of curse smoke. When the smoke cleared the caster’s body had dissolved into ashes.

Garron staggered back coughing. He picked up the wand and a remaining fragment of the cursed scroll. Then he left the alleyway, limping from the fight. When he returned to Crestfall Risk Shield Evan and Elira were waiting anxiously. Garron dropped the wand onto the table. I found them he said. They are organized and dangerous. They will not stop.

Evan studied the wand’s aura. He felt a cold wave run through him. The Umbra Brokers were not simply competing. They wanted to poison the concept of insurance entirely. Elira examined the ash on Garron’s cloak and nodded grimly. Curse suicide magic she said. They would rather die than reveal secrets.

Evan’s expression hardened. Then we stop them another way he said. We expose them publicly. Garron looked exhausted but determined. I will not let them destroy your company he said. Evan felt genuine gratitude.

That night Evan updated his risk index with the information Garron brought. He added a new category. Human sabotage risk. The world had monsters but also people who fed on chaos. To protect adventurers he had to fight both.

The Umbra Brokers were now a threat he could not ignore. And this was only the beginning.