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Yells erupted from all around. People were laughing, cheering, arguing. The sounds all flowed together as one, a symphony of drunken delight. This was not atypical for a usual weekday, but it somehow seemed as if there were more people than usual in the tavern. Perhaps I was simply imagining things. Sitting there at that small table, clustered among others full of rowdy drunks, I suppose it simply made the whole place feel smaller than it was. The groups were comprised of the adventuring types; small bands of would-be warriors, traveling from town to town looking for the odd quest or two so they could play the part of heroes. There were humans, saurians, and kalrins alike, all huddled at their seats, planning their journeys and drinking to the point of blacking out. As I said, not atypical.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as a pair of idiots threw knives at the notice board, the blades piercing into the wood with a satisfying thunk. At once, the small troupe surrounding them threw their hands into the air and gave a cheer, and the two idiots ate up the attention like they'd die without it. Moving my eyesight across the room, I spied upon a ragtag group of people playing cards. I caught at least three of them cheating. Nearby were some warriors soaking their feet in bowls, letting out small noises of comfort as the cooling waters eased their soreness.

I was sat alone, in a far corner of the first level. Having my back against a wall afforded me some small comfort of security, no need to worry about a blade at my neck. Despite that minor comfort, I kept a hand on the dagger at my waist, preparing for anything. Even in a place as carefree and seemingly simple as the Laughing Wolf, one could never be too cautious. Or maybe that was just my own brand of paranoia.

One of the tavern wenches wandered over my way with a large mug of some of the tavern's personally made ale. She was a frail thing, one of those mousy kalrins. To some men, she'd probably be good wife material. Hard working, cute face, a thin figure. Even the grayish fur covering her body might be appealing to a few; I'd heard kalrin fur can be soft as silk if brushed regularly. The pointed ears on her head swiveled in every which direction, almost as if she were trying to listen to everything at once. Setting down my drink, she twitched her pinkish nose at me and wished me a nice evening before retreating back to the relative safety of the kitchen.

My eyes scanned the room another time before I decided to take a swig. A light taste, with a minor dash of cherry. Odd choice, but it wasn't that bad. It paired well with the nice cut of wyvern roast I'd ordered. Marinated with a perfect blend and slow cooked for hours, the wyvern was so tender and juicy, it damn near melted in my mouth. While I was downing a second helping of the ale, in walked the person I'd been waiting for.

He was a tall man, dressed in a nicely made red shirt. His moustache appeared to be freshly oiled, or whatever it is merchant-types use to get their facial hair to look so shiny. In one hand, he held a small cane, the tip of the handle shaped into the form of a wolf's open maw. Judging from the way he moved, he did not have a limp, so I could only assume the cane was for appearance's sake. As he looked over the room, I raised a hand to wave him over, then watched as he carefully made his way through the overcrowded tables and booths, being sure not to accidently brush up against anyone or anything as he went.

When he finally sat down, he took the chair opposite mine, placing his cane down on the table length wise. Seeing it up close now, I noticed the wolf's eyes were made of small cut rubies. Strange tastes, these merchants.

"Oh, my boy Graham, am I glad to see you again," the man in red breathed out, his words accented with an air of nobility. Faked nobility, but that's neither here nor there. "I was beginning to get worried I might have gotten swindled."

"Mhm," came my answer with a roll of my eyes.

The man cleared his throat then. "I don't mean any ill will by that, merely you and your uh...friend looked to be the roguish types." Chancing a look around, he seemed confused by what he found, or rather what he didn't. "By the by, where is that saurian of yours?"

Reaching down by my feet, I pulled up a canvas bag, letting it fall on top the table. "She's busy," came the curt answer. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this over and be on my way."

"Certainly, certainly." Reaching out, he pulled the bag over to him and examined its contents. When his hand came back out of the bag, he held something wrapped up in cloth and twine. A rust colored stain decorated the cloth. While the man busied himself unwrapping the item, I proceeded to continue my meal. I had already paid for it, no sense letting it get cold. As the heavenly taste of cooked wyvern flooded my head, the cloth was unraveled fully, and in the man's hand was a purple organ.

A heart.

Not human, of course. It belonged to a certain troublesome rabbit. No ordinary hare was this, for it was as big as a wolf, had teeth like knives and was hungry for flesh. It had been causing problems for the man in red's caravans, attacking the carts, scaring away the horses, eating at least two of his workers. The beast was dealt with by way of traps and a swift pair of crossbow bolts to both brain and heart.

The sharp dressed man examined the heart closely, turning it over in his grasp to see all sides. "Quite nice work you've done. Cut it out in one nice piece, no stringy tendons or whatnot clinging to it. You even washed it clean of dirt, I see. Fine work."

Through a stuffed face, I retorted, "You'll find all the major organs, just like you asked." After swallowing, I decided to sate a bit of curiosity that had been swimming around my head ever since the man hired me and my partner. "If you don't mind induldging me, why did you come to us for this? I figured merchants usually go through the hunter's guild for this sort of thing."

"Indeed, we do. But," he paused and let out a tired sigh. "But, there is so much paperwork when you deal with guilds." A hint of frustration dripped from his mouth at the word 'paperwork' and I could almost feel the annoyance radiating off him. "I'd rather cut down on such bothersome things. And that's not even getting into the way the guild always has to have 'their share' of the beast, so if you ever want anything specific, they ask for far too much coin."

Hm. Perhaps guild work was more profitable than I first imagined.

Then again, working for a guild would mean being forced to abide by all their inane rules and regulations. Plus, it would mean needing to pay guild fees, and that just sounded too much like extortion by my mind.

After giving it some thought, I asked, "Won't they get upset when they find you went behind their back like this?" From my experience, the guilds hated losing out on any opportunities for profit.

He shrugged and flashed a wide grin. "If I can find someone to do the same job at a lower pricepoint, the only ones the guild should be mad with is themselves."

The man went back to searching through the bag, pulling out a few more organs wrapped in cloth, checking to see their quality. Meanwhile, I was getting back to enjoying my meal. I watched as the red clothed merchant unwrapped each organ in turn, and mumbled to himself over their appearances. Odd man, this merchant. But, he seemed very pleased with the work done. A bit too pleased for my liking.

Atfer some time he had examined all the organs I'd collected, at least by my count. But, he still reached in the bag once more. Coming out empty-handed, he got a curious look to his eyes.

"Where's the pelt?"

Downing the last of the ale, I slouched down slightly before giving him his answer. "Needs to dry. Should be done by morning, then I'll send it off to your house."

The curiousity in his eyes seemed to grow. "Send it off? But I...."

I cut him off. "You live in Greensprings."

An eyebrow raised, followed by a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "I never told you that."

It was my turn to shrug and grin. "Of course you didn't."

From there, the man's face became awash in a mixture of fear and anger. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a wordless grunt. For several minutes, he attempted to get himself under control and speak properly, but he only found more pitiful noises of protest. Becoming a bit bored of his floundering, I decided to interject.

I held up a hand to silence him. "You must understand, my partner and I are not exactly licensed professionals. We need to take some slight precaution when dealing with our clientele." My hands made swift work wrapping up the organs and placing them back inside the bag, handing it all over when finished. "We don't like making a habit of going against people without reason, mind you. So long as our clients hold up their end of our agreements, we can all walk away happy. And that being said..." I brought up a hand, rubbing my index finger and thumb together.

The man's eyes had gone wide in the meantime, his skin had fallen a shade paler. A lump had seemingly formed in his throat, as he swallowed, making a rather loud gulping sound. His eyes darted from me, to the bag, then back to me, all the while his mouth tried forming words.

Afterstumbling for a few odd moments, he managed to find his voice. "I don't know how you found out, but I assure you, if any harm comes to my family, and I find it traces back to you..."

"Yes, yes. You'll kill me and mount my head on your wall, skin my partner and make some nice boots from her, blah blah blah." I let out a faked yawn, and leaned fowards in my chair, resting my chin against a fist. "I've heard it all before. Now, if you would please pay, I'd much prefer for this business to be over and done with."

He ran his thoughts over in head, seemingly debating on his next move. With the newfound information that I knew where he lived, his internal argument didn't last long. He reached for his belt and pulled loose a coinpurse, dropping it on the table before me. I didn't even have time to grab the purse before he shot up from the table. He was just about to take a step away when I got his attention.

"Oh, and Reginald?"

He foze at the sound of his own name. When his eyes met mine, I could see fear in them. I met that fear with a cocky smirk.

"I do hope we can do business again in the future."

In a flash, the man took his goods and made for the door, tail between his legs. The sight of it got a little chuckle out of me, and I pocketed the money and finished off the last of the wyvern meat. It was so good, I practically licked the plate clean. Being in such a good mood over finishing the contract, I even ordered a slice of pie.

Once the desert was finished, I made my way out the tavern and thought to head home. The sun had disappeared beneath the horizon and the moon was starting to shine forth. Street lamps had been lit during my stay inside, and the tiny flames did their best to guide the way through the darkened town. The air still smelled of the rainstorm that had passed through earlier in the day, the stone streets glistening in the lamplight. Shops were beginning to close up, the owners grown tired of the work day and seeking the comfort of their beds. Wannabe heroes and adventurers hurried along to whatever inn they had paid the night for, while some were more giving to sin and could be seen heading for the brothel and gambling house.

As for myself, I walked the same path I had grown accustomed to. A hop by the baker's place, ducking below the bridge connecting the upper and lower districts, worming my way through the alley next to a bar I never frequented, and finally jumping over the broken fountain.

I ended up in front of a run down building. No manor was this. No, this was built from twigs and kept together on sheer willpower. Small. That was mostly how one would describe my home. Small and dirty, to be more honest. I'd always told myself I'd take the time to spruce it up to look decent, but I never seemed to get around to it. Through the curtains, I spied the flickering sight of candleflame. Not a good sign.

Steeling myself for what was to come, I headed inside. Things were mostly the same inside as they were outside. Small and dirty. Cramped. There wasn't much to be seen; a bed with a chest next to it, a makeshift wardrobe full of all manner of supplies, a large stretch of rabbit pelt hanging on a rack drying, and a lone desk with papers and books stacked on top. Sitting at said desk was none other than my partner Twi, her face illuminated by the tiny flames dancing on the nearby candles.

She was a broad woman, with dark green scales covering her body. A short muzzle protruded from her face, and I knew first hand the amount of sharp little teeth that hid within. Like other female saurians, she sported a small, thin fin on top her head, which ran down the back side, ending just below the nape of her neck. In the glow of the candles, her normally yellow eyes took on a golden sheen. Those eyes were, as it turned out, slanted in anger.

"Graham." When she spoke, her words were soft, husky some might call it. "You scared off another one." It wasn't a question. She already knew what happened at the Laughing Wolf.

"Just making sure he knows his place." I didn't even bother asking how she knew.

Somehow, her eyes narrowed even more, and I could almost feel the knives shooting from them. "You're no longer allowed to talk with clients alone."

Flabbergasted, I blurted out, "Allowed? I run this operation!"

The chair fell to the floor as she rose from the seat. Standing her full size, she was just slightly under eye level, but that never bothered her. In a blink she was before me, the collar of my shirt held tightly in her grip. "This is the third time you've done this bullshit this month. That man was an alchemist. A merchant. Did you ever stop to think about the connections he might have? The connections we could have made?" Despite how upset she was, she did not raise her voice.

A scoff fell from my lips. "Since when do you care about connections?"

At once, she pushed me back, almost slamming me against the wall. "Since we decided to set up our own business. But every time we take a job from a merchant, someone just has to be an idiot and ruin a possible partnership." All the time we talked, her grip on my shirt had never loosened, and I could feel her lifting up slightly. Even though she was shorter, she was strong enough to throw me. We both knew that fact intimately.

"We've already had to deal with prick merchants snubbing us of our hard earned pay. Putting a little fear into 'em just ensures they won't cause issues."

She didn't hesitate for a single second. "And what will you do if that fear makes him run to the town guard? Will you try to explain your stupid plan and end up in jail? You need to use your head more," she said with a sigh. "We can't keep losing out on potential business like this." Her hands released me and she backed up, already calmed despite being absolutely right.

My own sense seemed to finally come to me then. "Look, I just don't like dealing with those rich assholes, especially not after the last job almost got you killed." She didn't even seem fazed by my words, so I decided to add what I assumed would get to her. "Anyway, do you know what that alchemist told me? He said he doesn't use the guild because of the paperwork and cost. These people don't care. We're just cheap labor for them."

"Don't you think I know that?" She reached out and poked a claw to my forehead. "But we need the money. Understand? You can't keep doing this 'dangerous mercenary' nonsense."

A single nod was my response, to which Twi sighed once more and walked back to the table. Now with her some ways away from me, I finally got a good look at her, which gave me pause.

"Twi? Why are you dressed like you're going somewhere?"

She had outfitted herself in what we called our 'work clothes;' a gambeson and some padded trousers with metal plates around the arms and legs for added protection, a belt with her dagger sheathed to the side, and her crossbow strung on her back. It was the usual attire for whenever we had any job to do.

"We," she clarified. "We are going somewhere."

"And where would that be?"

She reached for a bundle of similar clothes on the table, tossing it my way. "While you were busy frightening off future clients, I went to a meeting. We're heading to Junefeld for an escort job."

An exaggerated sigh loosed itself from my lungs. "But those are so boring."

This was met by a roll of her eyes. "Yes, but they pay well. And speaking of pay, drop it." She pointed over to the corner of the small room, right next to the wardrobe.

One of my hands went to the coinpurse in my pocket as I walked to the corner. On the wall, close to the floor and unknown to all but the most trained of eyes, there was a very slightly discolored piece of stone amidst the others. Grabbing the thin edges of this stone, I pulled it loose, revealing a small hole in the wall full of other coinpurses. I plopped the bag I held into the hole then covered it back up. My deed done, I went about dressing myself in my work clothes.

While removing my shirt, I heard a small noise from my saurian counterpart, followed by, "See you at the gates." By the time I had the article of clothing over my head, the door was already closing behind the scaly woman.

~~~

It didn't take long for me to dress and follow after Twi. I came upon her waiting by the eastern exit of town. The large gate hung overhead, ready to slam down shut if need be. Surrounding our fair town of New Serrak were large logs bound together, acting as protective walls. They'd held up well enough in the past, or so I'd been told. Supposedly, the duke was going to have the wooden structure switched out for a proper stone defense. Eventually.

As soon as I stumbled into view, the scaled woman threw a pack my way, which I ever so gracefully failed to catch. Nearby, a snicker could be heard from the one of the armor clad men guarding the gate. I would have told him where he could stuff his laughing, but Twi was already on the move, so I swiftly made after her.

Her sight was set on the stables, and by the time I caught up, she was pulling a strong mare from out of her pen. The mare in question was colored like a raging thundercloud, dark gray with flecks of black. Twi had bought her some odd years back, and made sure to tend to her at least once every day. Twi had named the beast Vox, after some old saurian warrior of legend. Every time she was taken out, Vox would let out an excited noise and stamp her front hooves upon the hay covered floor. This time was no different. It was always a pleasant sight to see the creature so happy. What I wouldn't give to be able to get so much pleasure out of life as that horse did.

Once let out into the open air, the mare stared at Twi and I, awaiting her orders. After tying our gear to Vox's saddle, we took our usual positions, myself in front with Twi behind me. We had tried it the other way before, but Twi's tail would always get in the way and make things too uncomfortable for us both. When I felt Twi's familiar weight leaning against me, as well as her hands softly wrapping around my waist, I grabbed hold of the reins and kicked us off. Vox started out at a light trot, but slowly worked her way into a full gallop. She barely even seemed to breathe any differently after the change in pace, which I always found curious.

The distance to Junefeld wasn't a vast one, a measly half night's journey. Regardless, the road ahead was clear, and the sky above was full of glinting stars. Even out beyond town, the air still had that distinct fragrance that follows a storm. It was such a calming scent, so much so that I wished I could bottle it up and spray it around the house whenever I needed to sleep. While we went down the road, I looked out to the forest nearby, catching a glance of a lone hunter dragging back a fine specimen of a deer. Likely, he'd sell the majority of it. I knew I would.

I nudged against the saurian on my back. "Hey," I tried getting her attention.

Twi brought her head close, resting it on my shoulder, her smooth scaled cheek almost rubbing up next to mine. "What?"

"What do we know about this client? Who are we escorting?" My eyes remained on the stretch of road, but I could spy my companion out of the side of my vision.

I was met with a scoff. "And give you fuel to scare off someone else?"

A scowl found its way on my face. "Oh come off it. You aren't seriously gonna keep me in the dark on this, are you?"

Silence. I wasn't sure if she was trying to think of a clever comeback or trying to find the right words to bring me down gently. Either way, the fact she didn't say anything for an odd few minutes was aggravating. I was about to repeat myself when Twi made her decision.

"He's a low-rank nobleman's son. We're to meet in the morning and accompany him as he hunts some deer."

"How low-rank we talking?" If a blue-blood was stooping so low as to hire some sellswords like us, it must have meant he was in some dire straits.

I could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "He'd have to lick the duke's muddy shoes clean just to get a seat at his dinner table." We shared a laugh at that. Twi's laugh was a joy to my ears.

When we wound down from our shared enjoyment, I remembered the other half of info about our upcoming job. "So. Deer hunting, huh?"

She let out a small grunt. "I know, I know. But, like I said, we'll be paid well." Slowly, she shifted her head more my way, and I could feel her nuzzling her smooth cheek against my neck. I reached a hand up and stroked my thumb across the other cheek. Her soft scales were always cool to the touch. "When we get back home," she added, "let's get some of that wine you like so much to celebrate."

"Yeah," I said, the soft smile working its way across my face, "I'd like that."

From there, things got a bit quiet for a time. All there was was the sound of Vox's hooves beating against the road and the wind rushing by. Thankfully, it was an autumn night, so unlike a hot summer or freezing winter, it was a perfect cool temperature. Occassionaly, we'd see another person on the road, but for the most part it was seemingly just us. Off the trail there were a handful of livestock sleeping peacefully under the calming night sky, and I began to wonder if these were where New Serrak's businesses got most of their typical meats.

Of course, the adventuring types and certain merchants would bring in special beasts like chimera or griffon, but that was as rare as a shooting star. The fine folk of New Serrak just happened to get lucky recently. A caravan had arrived last week, and they had all manner of exotic meats and produce. When they first showed, I'd been tempted to spend a decent sum of coin on a selection of items including some of the wyvern meat, but Twi insisted on being picky, and we only walked away with a small handful of fruit. I supposed it was fate that the tavern bought a hefty amount of the wyvern meats. Mayhaps whatever god rules this world was smiling down on me.

We had been on the road quite some time when Junefeld finally came into view. The half moon above shone down, revealing the city. Unlike our own hometown, Junefeld had a stone defensive wall, likely due to the atristocrats living within lobbying for a proper wall. Of course the duke would listen to them. I couldn't see much over the walls, as they seemed to go above the roofs of the buildings within. My knowledge of the city was poor, but the one thing I did know was the name was originally June's Field, but over time people had started saying less of the full name, supposedly.

Stationed outside the gate were guards not unlike the ones back home, though these ones had nicer, well-polished armor. Like most places we'd visited, the guards stopped us and asked us our business, to which Twi said something about a "Ser Boylan." The men apparantly recognized the name and welcomed us inside. Once the armored men were out of earshot, I wondered aloud if that was the name of our client.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention," came the mumbling words from the saurian woman. "Yea, that's him." After Vox took a few more paces, Twi got off the saddle and took the lead to a place we could stay for the night.

Junefeld's interior didn't seem to differ much from New Serrak's, at least by my rough estimation. Similar styled brick homes and shops, and almost the exact same color of stone used for the streets. There was a temple or a chapel--I wasn't sure what the difference was--which New Serrak didn't have for reasons I never cared to investigate. A few lamps along the streets hadn't been lit, or perhaps had simply been blown out by a haphazard breeze, so the dark streets were partly illuminated by the half moon above, giving everything a light touch of silver.

Twi seemed to know her way around the city, as soon we were face to face with a nice looking inn with a small stable on the side, which was fashioned out of an old shed it looked like. Luckily, there was an open place for Vox, and the mare was more than happy to rest her legs. As Twi ran a hand down the side of the mare's neck, she wished the beast a good night and then pushed me out of the stable and towards the inn.

It was a fairly nice place inside. Soft lighting by way of various small candles, a low burning fireplace to keep the room nice and warm, a few paintings hung on the walls. At a small desk on the far side of the room sat a young man. Too young to be running the inn by himself. Looked to be no older than fifteen summers. I assumed then that the inn must have been family run. He welcomed us, but his face lacked the typical business-like smile you'd often see, instead replaced by a curious frown. When we asked for a single room, the look he gave only grew more curious. I had a hunch what was bothering him.

Our room was located off to the right side, and I wasn't much surprised to find it was just a smidge larger than our own home. The room was rather bare bones, however. Only thing in there was a bed and a small closet. Having all that extra floorspace felt slightly offputting. I'd gotten so used to home, it seemed. All in all, though, the inn's bed wasn't as cozy as the one at home. Be that due to the fewer amount of feathers in the inn's pillows or the lack of the thick warm blanket we used back home, I wasn't sure. Either way, it didn't take too long to doze off once Twi and I crawled beneath the sheets.

When we awoke, it was to the sound of yelling from just outside the room. As we dragged ourselves out the room, we were graced with the presence of a man drunkenly stumbling through the hall loudly proclaiming himself as the 'King of Unland' (whatever that means) and arguing with anyone who so much as dared look at him. Through some mircale, Twi and I managed to avoid his notice while leaving, and soon were out in the morning light.

In the bright sunshine, the city looked different. More alive. That didn't come as much of a surprise, but it still took me a second or two to adjust to the difference. Despite being so early, people were already going about their business, marching throught streets, banging away on their anvils or throwing open their doors for customers, children running here and there while their parents hollered for their attention. Back in New Serrak, the streets weren't this packed even during the busiest times of day, much less right after dawn. The most foot traffic I ever saw back home was from would-be heroes passing through town on their way to slay some beasties or fight a gang of bandits or whatever those morons do as they try to become famous.

Beside me, a stretched out yawn fluttered through the air as my faithful saurian cracked her knuckles, preparing herself for the day ahead. Following her example, I leaned backwards and heard a series of popping sounds along my spine, followed by that oh so soothing feeling.

"Ready for an exciting day?" she said with her voice dripping with sarcasm so thick you could almost see it.

I was about to play her game when the memory of this being an escort job hit me. All I could say was a grumpy, "The money better be worth it."

"Oh?" She sidled up next to me and jabbed an elbow into my side. "And what are you gonna do if it isn't?"

I wanted to say, 'For starters, throw you down on the floor and spank your scaly bottom till the green turns red.'

Rather than those thoughts, however, I simply grumbled, "I'll take your cut and buy some expensive booze with it."

She let out a cute little laugh and led the way to the meetup point.

While following after Twi, I began to notice that Junefeld wasn't a particularly fancy looking place, despite a lot of the duke's special 'friends' living there. Granted, I was sure those friends lived in the upper districts far away from the common riffraff that was us normal folk, and their homes being where the actual fancy shit was. Regardless, the majority of the town felt like home, surprisingly enough. Sure, it lacked that certain charm that came from seeing the same fools stumbling around every morning, falling over themselves after a heavy night of drinking, but other than that it was as if the two towns were twins. Hell, as we walked I even saw similar shops in the same places; a tailor right next to the baker, a blacksmith across the street from the cobbler, the butcher and grocer's stores stacked up side by side, so on and so forth. All things considered, it was a bit odd to see how alike the two towns were, but I chalked it up to them having been built around the same time.

Ahead of me, Twi was going on about something, but I wasn't paying much attention. Seeminly realizing this fact, she stopped and looked back at me, a look of aggitation about her.

"You're not listening."

"Of course I'm not." No point denying the obvious.

A short angry breath left her nostrils as she seemed to fight the urge to slap me; one of her hands opening and closing repeatedly, not entirely sure whether it wanted to go through with the action. Instead of striking, she huffed and turned back on her heel, threatening to storm off.

"Ok, ok," I pleaded. "What was it?"

"I was trying to say that the Boylan family, while not high up on the social ladder, are still nobles."

"So what?"

"So," she said while reaching a clawed finger out and poked at my forehead, "I don't want you doing your stupid 'dangerous mercenary' crap. They still have decent connections in Falur."

"How do you even know that?"

"I take this job seriously and make sure to get as much info from our clients as possible. The Boylans' retainer was very forthcoming with answers."

I rolled my eyes, which only earned me another sharp poke to my browline.

"I mean it, Graham. Don't be an idiot." A scowl had marred her beautiful muzzle, and along with the fire in her eyes, I knew I should just agree and hope this day went by quickly.

Silently, I nodded in agreement and the two of us continued our short trek.

We eventually found our way to a small bar near where the upper and lower districts met up. Standing alone next to a small archway, it was shockingly well kept; no moss on the stone walls, no vomit around the side alleys, not even a single drunkard loitering around from the previous night. It was almost enviable seeing such a proud building standing tall in what would have been the slums if this was back in New Serrak.

Hanging from the overhead awning was a small sign designating the bar as 'The Black Sheep,' complete with a little doodle of the titular animal.

Cute.

After taking in the sights--so to speak--I turned back to Twi. "So, this where we meeting up with Mr Blue-blood?"

Before she had the opportunity to answer me, a loud bang came from the bar as the front door flew open and slammed against the outside wall. A large burly saurian with dark red scales carried out a disheveled looking man, tossed him down to the ground before us and snarled out some threat I didn't pay any mind to.

In response, the man simply laughed while the saurian stomped back inside. As the man stood back up, he brushed the dust off his admittedly nice looking clothing. Were it not for the stains and wrinkles, one could easily mistake them for the clothes of a low class noble.

Wait.

No, I thought. This couldn't be...

"Ser Boylan?" came the careful words of my scaled partner.

The man turned to face us, almost tripping over his own feet in the process, and responded with words that filled my gut with dread.

"The one and only." His voice was slurred with drink, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath from where I stood. He gave an awkward bow, letting a loud and disgusting belch when he straightened up once more.

Wonderful.

"Ser Boylan," Twi repeated, hiding the her disgust expertly, "we are Twi and Graham. I met with your associate yesterday about being your escorts for a hunt."

Boylan took a good long look at us, scanning us up and down with glossy eyes. He seemed more or less satisfied by what he saw, as he gave an enthusiastic nod.

"Yes, Gadrid told me to expect a pair. Funny enough, he failed to mention one of you'd be a lizard."

I wanted to hit him right then and there. Hard.

For the briefest of seconds, I saw Twi's eyes go wide in shock at the insulting word. In that short timespan, it looked as if she had just been slapped, she was so surprised. She quickly managed to recover and make herself appear as the hard working sellsword. I, on the other hand could feel my own death glare, coupled with a deep scowl. I was very much tempted to make my thoughts known.

Twi shot me a look, and we shared a silent agreement between us, causing my anger to subside. For now.

After seeing my face now masking my anger, Twi said in a cooled, business-like tone, "Well, Ser Boylan, it's nice to see you in such high spirits so early in the morning."

"Bah! High spirits, my ass. All I wanted was a few pre-hunt drinks, and those damnedable lizards in there," he jabbed a thumb behind him at the bar, "told me, ME, that I had to leave." At the second utterance of the insult, Twi's eyes narrowed into thin slits for a mere moment before resuming their neutral, almost bored appearance. In the back of my mind, I wondered how long she could keep the act up.

The whole time he spoke, Boylan's voice was fluctuating between a normal speaking volume and yelling random words. If he was this out of it, I wondered if he'd be able to do much hunting anyway when the time came.

The drunken noble continued on. "My grandfather owned the lumbermill that cut the logs used to make that bar, and they have the audacity to toss me out?"

"And I'm sure he was as great a man as you," I mocked under my breath.

The man didn't seem to hear me, but I was a bit more concerned if Twi had. When she didn't even look in my direction, or show any sign that she noticed my mumbling in any way, I felt I was in the clear. Even if I couldn't have my way in full, I'd at least make snide remarks just for own pleasure.

A loud belch came from Boylan once more, and he flashed a stupid grin at its completion. Disgusting man, this one.

"With the introductions out the way, what's say we get to the matter at hand?" Without even waiting for a response, he marched off.

When he was out of earshot, I nudged Twi's side. "So, still think the money's gonna be worth it?"

She let out a harsh, guttural sound. "Come on, we have a job to do," she grunted, then followed after our wonderful and drunken client, leaving me to take up the rear of our little party.

Despite his inebriated state, Boylan was very sure of his directions. Or at least, he seemed to be. He never stopped to take his bearings or check his surroundings. It led me to believe those 'pre-hunt drinks' were something of a regular occurance for the man. Regardless, he brought up to the northern gates, and through them I saw what I assumed would be our hunting location.

Beyond the gates was a large expanse of trees with trunks wider than a man's outstretched arms and leaves shimmering in reds and yellows. Despite how late into autumn it was, the trees didn't seem to be missing any of their leaves, as not a single one could be seen littering the nearby road or fluttering about in the breeze. The sing-song calls of birds reached my ears, and I noticed a small gathering of the beasts in question lazing on top the gate itself; a flock of some red bird I couldn't place the name of. Their large black eyes stared down at all who passed beneath the archway they claimed as theirs.

As the three of us walked outside the city, Boylan pulled out a small vial of liquid. He looked skyward then proceeded to empty the vial's contents directly into his open eyes. When the small container was emptied, Boylan let out a long breath then shook his head, afterwards he turned to face me and Twi.

"Now then," he proudly exclaimed, "I hope the two of you are strong, because you're gonna be bringing back my kills."

Taking a step forward, Twi retorted with, "That wasn't part of the agreement. We were to be escorts only, not some corpse delivery service."

A wry smile lit up the blue-blood face then. "You made your agreement with Gadrid," he said with a chuckle. "I'm not Gadrid, you see. So, if you want me to pay you once this is over, you'll do your part." He snapped his fingers toward one of the nearby guards at the gate, who swiftly departed to some unknown location. When the armor-clad man showed back up, he had a bow and a quiver full of arrows, handing them over to Boylan with an almost submissive nod.

After tying off the quiver to his back, Boylan turned his gaze to Twi once more. "And by the way, miss lizard: don't ever talk back to me like that again, else you and your friend here won't be living the sellsword life for long." This sudden change in his attitude was a shock, as if he'd become a completely different man. With his threat hanging in the air, he cheerfully headed towards the forest, seemingly eager to find some hapless deer to shoot. Knowing nobles like him, I figured this wasn't for some nice meal, but rather just for a trophy, something he could brag about.

Taking a glance over at my partner, I saw the secret fire behind her placid demeanor. To the majority of the world, she looked the obedient worker, her calm, almost bored expression hiding the truth. But, I knew that slight twitch at the corner of her muzzle signaled just how annoyed she was already. And we hadn't even known the guy for more than ten minutes. Some part of me wanted to crack a joke to try to cool her mood, but I knew she'd just tell me to take the job seriously and walk off in a huff. Rather than open my mouth and annoy her even more, I simply put a comforting hand on her shoulder, gave a slight squeeze, and followed after Boylan.

I had to remind myself not to hit the bastard.

The trail ahead was rather worn, an obvious sign this was a frequented trail, which I assumed was used mostly by hunters. Regardless of any of that, Boylan stomped on ahead, not saying a word as the three of us followed the makeshift path. From behind me, I heard Twi speeding up slightly to match my pace, and when I looked at her I noticed her muzzle twitching had subsided. It was likely to return whenever our client decided to speak again, I was sure.

As if he could read my thoughts, Boylan broke the silence.

"Tell you the truth, I'd never thought to hire some sellswords." I could hear the condescension in his voice, as if mocking us for our line of work. "But, I was told the two of you do good work."

"Probably also told we didn't charge too much for our work, either," I mumbled to myself.

"Really?" Twi spoke with care, making sure not to betray her own outward mask. "Not everyday a client recommends us to others. Must've made a good impression on them." I saw a self-satisfied smile crawl across her face then. I knew that in some way, the smile was directed at me as a wordless gesture that she was right about 'making connections.' The sheer fact she now had proof of this claim meant I'd never hear the end of it once we got home.

"Well," Boylan went on, "it's more like second-hand knowlegde. Gadrid was told about you two, and then he in turn told me."

Through her smug smirking, Twi responded, "Either way, it's always nice when our clients speak well of us."

Boylan stopped dead in his tracks ahead of us, holding a hand up for us to follow suit. Without the sound of our collective boots on grass and soil, I could hear another noise coming from ahead. An odd squeaking, like a creaky door mixed with a child's crying. A deer was close. Boylan held up his bow and nocked an arrow while taking slow and steady steps forward, trying make as little sound as possible.

From where I stood, I couldn't see hide nor hair of any deer, but its constant sqeaking sounds made it evident the thing was somewhere nearby. It was still early in the morning, so I was kinda surprised we found one already. Silently, I hoped it ran off before it could get shot, if only because I didn't want to be hauling around its corpse any time soon. Twi seemed to be of the same mind, as she remained where she stood beside me, scanning around for any sign of the beast.

Suddenly, a blur of brown fur dashed out of the brush ahead, fleeing off into the distance. Our oh so wonderful client let his arrow soar, only to have the missile embed itself into the trunk of a tree, narrowly missing the retreating flank of its intended target.

"Dammit all," exclaimed the nobleman's son, stamping a foot down like a dejected child. He regained composure, puffed up his chest, then pointed a finger at Twi. "You, lizard woman. Go track that thing down for me," he ordered.

Just that like, that slight twitch at the corner of her muzzle returned. Even so, she wordlessly went off in the direction of the animal, meaing I was now left alone with the bastard client. Thankfully, he didn't seem interested in striking up conversation.

Until he did.

"You're not much of a talker," he mused.

I shrugged. "You've never addressed me specifically."

"I suppose I haven't." Boylan rubbed at his chin, thinking on something before he asked, "So, how does a human sellsword end up partnered with one of those lizards?"

With Twi nowhere around now, and with the man continuing to insult her, I was tempted to lay into the jerk, probably hit him a few times for good measure. However, I managed to get a grip on myself and did the one thing I always did when I was asked stupid, pointless questions. I lied.

"We've known each other since we were children. When we were coming into our adulthood, I started doing odd jobs here and there to scrape by. Eventually, I wound up doing more and more jobs, and once the more violent ones came my way, people just started calling me a sellsword as a result. As for Twi, she begged to join me after she ran away from home, needing some sort of job to keep herself afloat." The fable came easily to my lips. I'd woven several different scenarios for this exact answer. It was always surprising how often I'd been asked this.

"Since childhood, eh?" A weird smile formed on his face as he continued. "If you've known each other that long, surely you've taken her to bed at least once. What are those lizard women like?" Yet another stupid question.

So, I gave another lie. "Wouldn't know. We aren't like that."

"Shame," he said, shacking his head in disappointment. "Got the perfect opportunity to try, and you don't even bother."

Just a few more hours, I thought. Just a few more hours and we'd be free of this moron.

I kept repeating that thought like some sort of mantra, and while doing so, a familiar call sounded out in the distance. A sparrow's call. Bringing my hands up to my mouth, I repeated the call back, earning a questioning look from Boylan.

"Twi found your deer," I explained to him while taking charge and leading the way.

"Ah. Good."

"Maybe this time you can shoot it and we can go home early," I mocked under my breath.

After a few thankfully silent minutes, I spotted Twi crouching beside a tree, and Boylan and I carefully joined her. Ahead was a small clearing amongst the trees, where the deer from earlier--or maybe some other, I didn't really catch a good look before--cautiously grazed. It was a female, judging by the lack of antlers and smaller stature. Twi's position had us stationed downwind, and I motioned to Boylan to take his shot.

Once more he pulled back an arrow, but as he righted himself to get a better shot, a foot landed on a fallen dead branch, and a loud snap followed. The deer shot its head up before vanishing through the trees once again. Like before, he cursed and stomped, only to then order Twi to follow after it. Sadly for him, this scene repeated itself the next time we caught up to the deer.

He wasn't a good hunter.

After the fifth or sixth failed attempt, Boylan seemed ready to break his own bow. His face was becoming red with his anger, every missed shot brought about more and more tantrums, and his commanding tone towards Twi became louder. It was enough to make me laugh were I not the trained and dedicated worker I was.

Truth be told, the only reason I didn't laugh was the thought that if I did, he'd just storm off without paying us.

As time went on, storm clouds began to drift above, spotting the sky with gray, threatening a downpour. When I notified Boylan of this, he harshly told me to 'shut up and let him hunt in peace.' For all the good his 'peace' did for him, he was still no closer to having his prize. We kept watching him struggle to shoot his quarry; over and over he missed, and over and over his reactions brought a twisted joy to my heart.

After another failed shooting, Boylan snorted and snarled out, "I've had enough of this. We're going back." Such a childish attitude; fitting for a spoiled idiot like him.

The whole way back to Junefeld's gate, he was huffing and puffing, kicking up sticks and twigs like a toddler. I finally had enough of holding back and let out a small laugh.

Immediately, Boylan turned my way. He snapped, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Just remembering the time my brother knocked down a hornet's nest and got nearly his entire arm stung." Out of the corner of my sight, I saw Twi roll her eyes and continue on.

Having bought the fib, the angered noble continued his stomping and pouting until we were back at the gates. One of the guards rushed over to take the bow and quiver from the young man. With the subservient guards around him, his mood seemed to brighten up once more, and he regained his smug aura from when we first met, the scowl and almost whiny look about him being replace for a cocky grin.

"Well, I can't say it's been fun," he loudly spoke, as if announcing his displeasure for all to hear. "But, you can't be blamed for skittish beasts acting in their nature." From a pocket, he pulled forth a sack of coin, holding it out for me to take. When I did so, he beamed, for some reason. "Hopefully, if I ever hire you two again, things won't be as boring." With that, he turned on his heel and marched back through the streets, likely heading back to the bar he was thrown out of.

~~~

As we were shuffling off, my head began to cool. My thoughts were no longer awash with ideas of violence, my eyes no longer scanning around for any loose brick or stone I could bash a head in with. Finally, I stopped by the side of a street, and let out a long breath.

"Fuck, am I happy that's over," I exclaimed. There was a small group of young women passing by, and they all gave me dirty looks for my foul language. They were further upset when, rather than apologize, I waved happily at them.

"Ready to head home?" I turned to see Twi staring back at me, one hand idly fingering the hilt of her dagger. "C'mon, let's go. I wanna get back and get drunk."

Just the thought of having a stiff drink set me at ease. A chance to just sit and relax. "I feel like I could use a drink or two myself. But, we're gonna need something stronger than wine, in that case." With renewed vigor, I made for that stable we put Vox at, ready to finally leave this place.

A content sigh left her at the that as she took her place walking beside me. "Don't care. Anything that makes me forget that annoying blue-blood will be more than fine."

"Oh, so you were getting annoyed," I joked through a smirk.

Along her thin lips, a smile equal to my own formed. "Just because I have self-control not to curse and swear like you usually do," she said while flicking her tail against the back of my leg, nearly tripping me, "doesn't mean I didn't want to throttle that bastard."

Before long, we had taken Vox and were through the exit and back on the road. Hanging above our heads, the clouds had grown considerably darker, threatening yet another storm. It was at this point Twi and I realized we did not have our hoods, dooming ourselves to be soaked by mother nature.

"How could you forget the hoods?"

"Me? You're the one who packed. If anything it's your fault."

We started to argue like this back and forth for the next few minutes. Thankfully, in all that time, no water fell on our heads, yet we continued to bicker like children. Though, in my defense, I was right. Hell, I didn't even know there would be a trip until I got home the previous night.

Twi just didn't want to admit she screwed up.

Though lacking proper coverings through no fault of my own, I decided on a plan. "Alright, look," I pointed to the sky then. "It's not as dark heading back home, so if we don't take too many breaks along the way, we might make it before even needing to worry about getting wet."

Without a moment's hesitation, Twi jumped up on Vox's saddle. Looking back at me, she slapped the portion of saddle right in front of her, urging me to hurry up. Once I took my seat, I felt the familiar grip of a certain saurian's arms about my waist, followed by her breath right against my neck.

She leaned in, and with her mouth so close to my ear, she breathed out, "If we get rained on, I'm saying it's your fault."

"If we get rained on," I repeated, "then I'm going to need someone to warm me up in bed." Twi's arms reflexively squeezed around me momentarily. I kicked us off, hoping we would beat the storm. At the same time, I also hoped some rain did fall, if only so I could make good on my faux threat.

It was about an hour and some change later. So far so good, I told myself. We were making decent time, and not a drop of rain had landed the entire way. We were still a long ways from home, but I was feeling confident mother nature was being kind for once. Vox had slowed to a trot after a lengthy bout of a full gallop. On my back, Twi was leaning against me, resting her eyes. I could feel the way her chest inflated with each slow, deep breath she took.

We had been going long enough I was contemplating taking a small rest when the sky darkened significantly. Where once, the sun could still be seen peeking out through small holes in the clouds, now no light was available. The sky was so dark, I could have mistaken it for night if I didn't know any better. Then, the black clouds began to swirl, twisting around one another in a large circle.

Pulling hard on the reins, I got Vox to halt, my eyes fixated on the happenings above. Behind me, Twi stirred awake, letting out a yawn, which was cut very short when she realized why we stopped.

"The hell's going on?"

I couldn't answer her. How could I? I was just as confused. Never in all my life had I seen anything of this sort. The two of us stared on in silence as the clouds spun ever faster, yet strangely the cool breeze had died. It was as if the clouds had taken up all the wind for their dance. Suddenly, a bright light burst forth from the center of the swirl, so bright it almost hurt the eyes to witness.

Without a moment's notice or warning, all the wind came bursting back down at once. It flew by fast and hard, nearly knocking me and Twi off of Vox. I don't know what kept the horse herself from falling over, but thank whatever god kept her on her feet.

And just as soon as it had burned forth, the light then dissipated. Drom the center of the cloud whirl burst a golden glow, which soon streaked across the sky, heading down to the earth below. The streak of gold soared through the air, making a line right for a patch of grassy field off to our left. When it made contact, it did so in a crash, its sound a cannon fire right against my ears.

Seemingly the moment the golden thing touched down to earth, the dance of black clouds vanished, leaving only the stormclouds from earlier in their wake, the sunlight returning to the world. Wordlessly, I moved Vox's reins, wishing to see whatever this object was. A scaled hand gripped my arm, the claws almost puncturing skin.

"What do you think you're doing?" Twi's normally calmed and low voice was tinged with a touch of fear. I'd very rarely heard her like this.

"I want...need to see what that thing is," I tried to explain.

"Are you mad? The sky just ripped itself open, and your first thought is to go towards what came out of it?"

"No, it's just..." I shook my head.

"What if it's dangerous?"

I looked over my shoulder at her. Her yellow eyes met mine. "Since when do you care about that? Besides," I continued with a shrug, "can you imagine how much money something like this could be worth? An object from the heavens! Gotta be worth some serious coin."

The prospect of money seemed to get through to the saurian woman. She mulled it over, her face contorting in odd ways as she had her internal battle. Finally, she came to a settlement.

"Alright. Let's go." She removed her hand from my arm, letting it fall to the side. The hand was soon placed back around my waist. "But," she warned, her arms tight around me, "we gotta be careful. We don't know what it is, after all."

I nodded in agreement as I convinced the mare carrying us to move towards the thing in the field. As we neared its landing spot, the air around us warmed. It was like summer had come early, but only in this one area. I began to sweat inside my gambeson, the thick wool almost choking me. When we were within walking distance, I hopped off Vox and began to approach the small crater that had formed in the crash. The sound of Twi's footsteps indicated she was following after me.

There, sunken down in the dirt and clay, sat a gold colored stone. It was as big as my fist it looked like, and jagged in places as if it had broken off from a larger segment. Kneeling down, I reached out to touch it. From behind me, a hissing sound could be heard as Twi sucked in air. Perhaps out of nervousness. Slowly, my hand approached, and as the very tip of a finger touched the stone, I found that it felt warm. Not hot, but more like a cup of tea that had been sitting out for a while. Reaching out with the entirety of my hand, I wrenched the stone loose from the soil, and held it up. When I did so, a new sensation could be felt from the warm, golden stone.

Pulsing. Like a soft heartbeat.