Aell the bladesinger is a former gladiatorial slave.
Stiles the lockwhisperer is a streetwise cat burglar.
Trying their best to get by but always embroiled in trouble and chaos, they form a formidable duo with a strong bond of friendship and a sense of duty to the run-down neighborhood they live in.
Aell and Stiles are offered a generous sum of coin to enter the Hive, Stiles's childhood home, and capture creatures that feast on the brains of killers. The coin is to be spent to acquire Aell's brother's freedom from slavery. During their adventures they stumble into more trouble than they asked for by becoming embroiled in machinations of the Hive's downtrodden and triggering a trap set by a long-time enemy.