— CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO —
A Royal Affair
Fringe Raids: Banditry or Mercenary?
The Fringe Consortium have grown bolder. Their raids and robberies, once contained to the lawless outskirts, have now crept dangerously close to the highways surrounding Celestia Grand. Caravan routes that were once considered safe are now battlegrounds with entire shipments vanishing before reaching their destinations and material loss rates on Ethanolics Anonymous' gathering runs soaring to a record high of 15%.
But the oddities don't stop there. When mapping out the locations of Fringe raids, the distribution of attacks suggests something deliberate. Some trade routes are hit relentlessly while others that should be just as vulnerable remain conspicuously untouched. For example, the areas northward and southeast of the Capital remain relatively safe of banditry while the area between Celestia Grand and Stonehearth is a war zone.
This selective targeting raises an obvious question: why would bandits ignore lucrative, vulnerable routes in favor of heavily guarded ones? Unless, of course, their targeting isn't based solely on profit.
More disturbing still is what happens to the stolen materials after they're taken. Reports from our market team indicate that many of the materials reported stolen have been appearing in officially sanctioned marketplaces at only slightly reduced prices.
Multiple sources confirm that stolen goods are being laundered through the so-called 'mafia' guilds operating in Celestia Grand's red light district. These organizations - which exist in an uneasy truce with the World Guard - serve as middlemen, purchasing stolen goods from Fringe operatives and gradually introducing them into legitimate markets through their front businesses.
The mafias have so far been allowed to exist so long as they stay within the unwritten guidelines of maintaining civil peace. Bearing in mind this tenuous existence, we have to examine the possibilities:
Are the Fringe acting as mercenaries rather than simple bandits? If so, who's paying them to target specific routes while leaving others untouched?
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Are the mafia guilds merely opportunistic middlemen, or are they coordinating with the Fringe to maintain a profitable arrangement for both parties? And are they really risking their peace under the Guard?
Is the World Guard simply incompetent and undermanned, or do certain elements within its leadership benefit from this artificial scarcity and price control?
Could there be something else at play we haven't found yet?
For our part, we're keeping an eye out.
Sewer People News - Gritty, grimy, and always on time!
|Ace>
In the Sewer People's printing room, Grey set the article down on his desk. "I think you two can do better."
"What?!" Cherry's voice bounced off the damp stone walls, drawing momentary glances from the other writers before they returned to their work.
"First of all," Grey said, tapping the page with his index finger, "you're throwing too much blame on the mafia guilds - we rely on them to cover our own activities. If you bring the hammer down on them, you're hurting our whole operation. Second point: can you do more analysis on why the Fringe attacks are distributed the way they are? Think about the examples you give here - the Northern Snowfields and the near Woodsea - those are higher-level zones with inhospitable terrain. There's not as much traffic to rob there as-is, and the difficult terrain makes them better hideouts for the Fringe. They don't want to bring the Guard's attention there - you don't eat where you shit, guys. I want a more comprehensive analysis. Look at the value of the materials passing through an area, where the Guard is most vulnerable, and the routes the Fringe use to get in and out of the populated areas. Then decide if this corruption rumor has any merit to it."
"Alright; we'll give it another draft." I took back our article.
Cherry and I gathered our notes and headed out of the printing office. As we entered the tunnels, Cherry kicked at a small stone, sending it skittering into the murky water.
"Man, we don't get no respect from that guy! 'If there's any merit to it.' Can you believe that! It was Excalibur that tipped us off to that! One of his informants!"
"To be fair, it's not a 'no'." I said, ducking under a low-hanging pipe. "He does tell us what we need to change."
"But where are we supposed to get that kind of information!" Cherry threw her arms wide, her voice bouncing off the tunnel walls. "Reggie won't let us investigate the Fringe!"
"We could try Excalibur again - she might have found more about the mafia's supply lines." I suggested. "Or check Protectorate records - they might have collected a map of known Fringe activity. I'll send some messages... In the meantime, do we have anything for Reggie?" I got out my notebook again and flipped through it. "There's that piece on the art scene he asked us to do."
Cherry groaned so loudly it echoed down the tunnel, startling something that scurried away in the darkness ahead. "Ugh; that's Courtney-work!"
"Alright, then how about an update on the Resistance and Loyalists? Willard said the Prince is in town now!"
Cherry's face scrunched up like she'd tasted something sour. "Ugh, royalty. I'd rather deal with a landlord."
"It's a virtual person, Cherry, not an actual prince."
