I knocked on the door, and a small panel above me slid open. A pair of eyes peeked through, looked around, and then the panel closed.

“Damn it.” I knocked again. This time, when the panel slid open, I waved my hands over the slit. “Down here.”

“Oh.” His eyes moved down to me. “Badge.”

I lifted my badge to a slight nod from the door guy, followed by the unlatching of the door bolt. The door opened to let out the internal light into the shadows of dusk, followed by a smell that punched me in the face like a gauntleted fist.

Walking into the room, it was a pretty sizable space, paired with many people inside doing a variety of things, most drinking. I walked over to the job board to first take a look at anything that might interest me. After noting a few jobs for later, I walked over to the bar and flagged down the woman behind the counter.

“Can I sell levelling stones here?” I asked.

“Of course. 14 copper a piece.”

14 copper? That’s pretty close to the 15 copper sale price. I would have thought they would have tried to gouge me a bit more. “Not to sound ungrateful, buuut, why so much?”

The woman huffed. “If it were up to me, you would be getting 1 copper a piece. But the prices are set by some kind of fancy pants treaty laws, and I don’t want to be executed.”

“Hey Hildy, give me a refill!”

The woman turned her head and then looked back at me. “You gonna sell anything or just continue wasting my time?”

I nodded my head and put six tier 1 levelling stones on the counter. The woman, Hildy, stared at them for a moment, and her eyes gained a faint glow. Then she nodded and put a pouch of copper on the counter.

Before I could even grab the pouch, she was already gone, using a spout hammered into a barrel in the back to refill a customer's wooden mug with frothy beer. I picked up the heavy pouch and counted out the copper on the counter, confirming she didn’t short me.

I nodded my head and made to leave, but was stopped by a large man with an axe across his back. Covering his body were tattoos barely hidden under the limited leather armour he had on, exposing his bare skin to the elements, including his head which had not a speck of hair on it.

“You the alchemist, girly?”

“Who’s asking?” It was best to be careful in these situations. I didn’t want to get kidnapped or something.

“I’ll take that as a yes!”

Before I even knew what was happening, I had been slung over the man's shoulder. “What the fuck!” I beat my fists against the man's back to no avail. It was like he didn’t even feel it! And his back felt like cement of the dry variety, rock hard.

The man walked me out of the building with nobody even lifting a finger to help me. I just got a few glances before they turned back towards their drinks.

“How bout you join my crew girly? It’s either that or off the building with ya.”

When the hell did we get on a roof?! This man! He must be a pretty high tier. Perhaps tier six, at least four, because I can’t imagine someone this strong in the same tier as me.

The man was hanging me from the roof of a building by my foot with one hand. His arm was at a perfect straight right angle to his body, which is bullshit! I must weigh at least 50 pounds! If I had tried that in my previous life I think I might have torn something.

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And crew? Was that like some kind of heist team? I did not want to get in trouble with the law. Or, at least, not too much trouble.

“So, what’ll it be?”

I sucked in a breath between my teeth. “Fine! Just put me down.”

The moment my feet touched the ground, I sprung into action and guzzled a Brute1 potion. My muscles grew, and I threw out a punch at the man's groin. Go for the nuts or lose your guts, the first lesson of knife fighting! Of course, this man didn’t have a knife that I could see, but the rule still applies!

Unfortunately, my fist stops when it impacts his hand, which is suddenly in between my fist and his nuts. And now I am once again hanging over the side of the building, kicking my legs futilely in the air.

“Let’s try that again.” The man gave me a shake, which rattled my brain. “Sign the contract or die.”

I barfed, and the liquid splattered on the ground below me. My stomach really doesn't like being shaken around. Looking at the man, I gave a slight nod. “Ok, you fuck.”

The man smiled and set me down on the roof. A contract materialized in his hand. I pricked my finger and let a drop of blood spill onto the paper, which glowed a blood red for a second until it reverted to just normal paper.

“Good! Welcome to the Goldthorn Mercenary Company. Just for the record, I wasn’t actually going to drop you.”

I raised my eyebrow at the man. “Could have fooled me you sick fuck. Do you just go around terrorizing little girls?”

“Hahahaha! I make an exception for bad-mouthed alchemists! You can call me Irune, and if I’m not mistaken, your name is Glad?”

I grunted noncommittally, but that just seemed to make him believe it more.

“So. Since you have such a kind heart and weren’t just about to kill me, could I have that contract?” I did my best attempt at puppy dog eyes, but Irune’s response was a frown with disgust in his eyes.

“Don’t ever do that again. Ugh. You’re one creepy kid, you know that?” He rubbed his chin as he turned to walk away. “Come along now. It’s time to meet the rest of the company and begin pumping out those potions.”

I grunted in dissatisfaction but followed along. I would simply have to wait for an opportunity to steal the contract. Unfortunately, the terms were strict, and I couldn’t even call foul to the nobility. Not that I liked my chances, even if I could call for help. There were many nasty rumours surrounding nobles of this world. It was like a bunch of Henry the Eighth’s hopped up on Cocaine with their sex drives amped up by nitrous.

…

When Irune and I went back to the inn to collect my things, I saw him toss a coin pouch to Alexia, who deftly caught it and tucked it away beneath her robe. I gave her a dirty look after that, to which she only responded with a shrug.

Sold out by the cousins. Fuck me. I wish I would have spiked those health potions I sold them something a bit more deadly.

The Goldthorn mercenary company was a group of 30 people, including my unfortunate self now. The leader, Irune, and the rest, who I forgot their names already. They were a… Trashy bunch, to say the least. Although I could have guessed as much from how I got 'scouted’ to join. Immediately, there were a few lecherous gazes, even though I was only 9, these fucking pedo Fuckers! One of them was even from a woman, although I initially had a hard time even telling with that ugly face of hers. But the pedo’s boobs don’t lie.

So I decided it was best to set the correct tone from the beginning. “If any of you try anything with me, you’ll find yourself drowning in your own blood while you sleep. Or perhaps a bad case of blindness when I ‘accidentally’ put something in your health potion. Got it?”

I got a few nods, as well as a few snorts of disdain.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

First things first, I’ll make an example of this guy who brushed my threat off. It looks like there's a fly on the man's leg. I should probably kill that for him. I wouldn’t want him to get some kind of disease from it.

I take out my dagger and stab at the fly. Unfortunately, I put a bit too much strength into the thrust, and now the knife is sticking out of the man's bleeding leg. Whoopsie!

“Ah! What the fuck!”

The man strikes me across the face with the back of his hand. I go flying back, clutching my dagger, which wrenches out of the man's leg with the force of his blow.

I crash into the stone wall behind me, grunting as my breath is knocked out of me. As I try to catch my breath, I see the effects of the man's violation of his own contract. Bloody chains wrap around him and squeeze, eliciting an even stronger scream from his mouth than my dagger caused.

Irune looks at me. “How, what, huh?”

“Hehe.” I shake my head. “You suck at making contracts.”

Although I would prefer not to do this again. Tricking my own mind like that is not easy. I can even feel the effects of the contract warning me, like a sixth sense in the back of my mind. But hopefully this is enough for the others to back off.

“Now, who wants some potions?”