The man called Marley had been cautious than he had expected, rather than snatching the handful of scrip out of his hand he gestured with his fingers to indicate that one at a time should be handed over. After examining the first one holding it up with one hand he pulled out a device from behind his back and took a close look, running it up and down the voucher several times before he nodded to Agnes and held out a hand for the rest.

‘We’re clear. No easy signs of counterfeiting. Nothing basic at least, the ink doesn’t run on my fingers but as for the details...I need more light to do a better check. Better than this stinking alley at least. You want me to risk handing one to High Heeled Alice?’ queried Marley as he tucked the remaining vouchers inside a hidden pocket in the recesses of his cloak.

Agnes simply shook her head before she made a sideways gesture with her head and pointed to the closed back door of the tavern that led onto the darkened alleyway.

‘Go in and keep an eye out for any little friends hanging around. Alice can wait. The Queen’s Guards are always looking for any opportunity to impress and they might have a priest or two hanging around with them. Ah, look at him, the handsome young man thinks that because we wanted to mug him in an alley and sell his sweet arse for coin we’re stupid and uneducated. Boy, lessons take many forms. We three lived while thousands of others died. You can leave now Marley. He’s not working for the church. Not this time.’ said Agnes.

Marley crossed his hands and put the device back behind his back, Cris found it hard to make out in the dim light but he sensed the aura of an alchemist style machine from it. Part of it was wrong to his mind, it worked with the corruption rather than eliminating it.

‘Agnes, he’s not worth it. We can find another way to treat Richter, even the coin we would have got from selling or using the boy could have covered a rogue priest. I don’t like it. He turns up to tonight to take a piss in our territory? No. Is it worth it for a single kiss?’ said Marley.

‘Sergeant Marley. Will you obey a commanding officer or not?’ said Agnes.

Her eyes flashed hard for a moment and she tightened he grip on the arm of the man called Richter. This time the strength of her hand elicited a small moan of pain from under the hood.

Marley stood ramrod straight and placed a hand over his chest before he pulled his hood back down over his face.

‘Yes ma’am. Stay safe. You too Richter. If neither of you comes out after I’ve had a drink and a chat and a little look-see I’m coming out, better armed if necessary. Watch him, there’s something about him that’s got my senses up. He’s trained. Not dangerous but definitely trained. He has the abilities of one of those blessed’ said Marley.

Without a second look at Cris the now hooded man pushed off the alley wall and walked straight towards the locked door. He made a series of seemingly random knocks before a small wooden hatch opened and light and sound spread into the small alleyway.

Moving closer and keeping his back to the others, he spoke quickly in hushed words that Cris was unable to make out clearly. The back alley doorway was opened and the same young tavern maid who had served Cris one of the few drinks he had been able to stomach opened it.

He recognised her as the one who hadn’t smiled when he’d tried to compliment her about the colour of her eyes. She’d simply stared and walked off and then returned with his order before roughly dropping it on the table. He’d need to work on that.

After he took a step back he handed the young tavern maid who had opened it one of the vouchers and she led them both inside before the door locked once again, this time with a louder banging.

The sounds of merriment and loud conversation attracted Cris as the light from lanterns within shone brightly before leaving him back in the dark alley. Clearly for him, deciding to use the alley to relieve himself rather than one of the backrooms had been the wrong idea but an opportunity to learn, to even talk with people who had been there when the war had ended. His inquisitive nature drew him towards the woman unselfconsciously and helped to settle his nerves.

‘Trained he says. As though a young pup like you could ever be a threat to a worn out woman like me. Come closer. It’s not as though we’re going to be disturbed this late at night. Even with the moon as bright as it is.’

Cris was closer to the woman now, he was better able to make out her features the closer that he approached and to his surprise she was far younger than he had thought. The streaks of red in her hair accompanied a mixture of grey and silver and her skin was softer. The wear on her skin was an effect, designed to make her appear older from a distance. A cosmetic one and a clever trick which he should have paid better attention to. At most she was ten to fifteen years older than him which would put her in her mid-to late thirties at best.

Her voice startled Cris from his observations. As the moon shone down into the alley onto her face she gave him a quick smile but he noticed her eyes flicker behind him, likely towards the locked back tavern door her compatriot had left through.

He wondered for the first time why exactly nobody else had been out to relieve themselves given the state of the toilets inside the tavern, they were severely lacking in his eyes but more likely given the quality of the patrons it was standard.

The women surprised him with a bright smile and even cleaner white teeth. When most women around, including the tavern waitress he had told the joke to had spoken to him their teeth had been dirty at best. Her price wasn’t as bad as he’d considered. The woman let her smile reach her eyes before she gave him a wink and a little flourish with her hands as she put them on the sides of her cheeks.

‘Finally noticed I’m not as old a hag as you first expected? The kiss is for me alone and nothing to do with you. You’ve used your eyes enough, show me a little of your skill with my comrade here before he leaves. Or if you prefer we can do the latter in privacy in case you’re concerned about watching eyes. She tolerates it, I’ve heard. Doesn’t like it but tolerates it. Still, all you nobles prefer everything to be above board. Ah, sorry my Lord. Should I have addressed you properly for our little arrangement first?’ said Agnes.

‘I...didn’t make a formal agreement nor a contract. I’d prefer not to be caught I will stick to the nature of the deal as long as you give me something in return. I need answers. Even stories would do, I want to know if you’re truly augmented and what happened to you. I don’t believe in the propaganda put out by the Church of Purity. We used to have gods, more than one and something happened. And don’t call me a Lord. My last name none of your business in return. I only share it with it with people I actually like and we’re not there yet.’

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The look that Agnes gave him with a wry smile on her face chilled him for a moment before he regained his composure. He needed to make sure that this wasn’t a one sided agreement.

‘I’m not as desperate as that to force anything further on you. Don’t you know that a little fear gives more cooperation that actual physical violence? Not we wouldn’t rough you up a little if you needed it. Mostly, they go with us willingly. They get paid and have an interesting time and then head back to their fancy places on the hill. No, you remind me of someone I once knew a long time ago.’ said Agnes and she beckoned towards Cris to approach her along the alley.

The entrance to the alley had remained quiet the entire time and he could roughly hear a little bit of noise coming from behind the tavern door but other than that it was just the three figures in the alley in the moonlight. The smell was beginning to get to him and Cris realised that he hadn’t been the first one that day who’d decided to enter the back alley of the tavern to relieve his bowels. Given the opportunity he’d need to find a better quality of tavern which used purity magic on a regular basis to eradicate traces of disease and pestilence and maintained a decent standard of quality.

‘Feeling shy about Richter here? You’ll understand when you get closer. He won’t notice a thing, he only barely tolerates me holding him due to his exceptional memory. Get over here boy. Better. What’s your name?’ asked Agnes as Cris approached her from the opposite side to the cloaked figure held strongly in her arm.

‘Johan.’ said Cris as he walked towards her, his feet close to shuffling along as he deliberately scuffed them.

The situation hadn’t turned out how he had expected but he wasn’t going to underestimate anyone he met in an alleyway. A knife to the ribs and a few kicks to the head when he was lying on the floor would have been enough to kill him and he had no plans to die just yet. Not when he had more than enough to still live for. At the least he had more questions and they had answers. It certainly wasn’t how he imagined his evening turning out to be, he’d been either fortunate or unlucky that his butler Alessandro had the day and night off from his duties.

‘You can call me Johan. Johan Seiner.’ said Cris.

The weight of the white metal dagger against his back gave him a little comfort but he’d already used up enough energy boosting what purity magic he had into it before it would slowly dissipate. Without the warmth of the tavern and any additional clothing the cold in the night was beginning to seep into him and he gave an involuntary shiver.

Agnes smiled at him, flashing her teeth and reaching out an outstretched arm with the palm facing up as though inviting him closer. She flexed her fingers before pacing a single digit on her lips. Her eyes roamed across Cris as though taking in every part of him.

Her other arm remained tightly gripped onto the eerily unmoving form of Richter before she released her grip on him and rushed forward sweeping Cris into both of her arms. She half-pulled, half-dragged him against the alley wall with one hand while the other made another intricate gesture to the figure she called Richter. The entirely cloaked figure crouched down onto on all fours before leaping up into the air and grabbed hold of of an edge of the alleyway wall lifting themselves up and balancing on the top.

The bright moonlight made the sudden motion easier to see but Cris hadn’t been clear on exactly how the man could leap like a cat would onto a wall without the aid of any grappling equipment or rope. He had simply been in the stone back tavern alley and the next on top of the wall.

Is that the true power of an augmented?

After the cloaked figure had leaped up, brown clothing rippling behind him, Cris was certain that he heard a growl on top one of the alley side walls before the woman Agnes moved her fingers again rapidly in another hand gesture and the noise stopped.

Her speed was faster than Cris had anticipated and he found both his arms pinned to the side and the face of Agnes nuzzling his neck and hot breath from her mouth on his skin giving him goosebumps before she raised her face to look into her eyes.

‘You’re a good liar. Your eyes don’t look up and left when you lie, but you still need a bit more practice. Don’t feel bad though, I’ve got an unfair advantage. Richter is...keeping watch. Just in case you’re not what you seem to be. Not that anyone does. Not really.’ said Agnes.

The grip pinning his arms was also far stronger than he had been expecting, either Agnes was a great deal stronger than she looked or she was something else entirely. Cris had heard stories of soldiers who were injured during the war and used as test subjects. The corruption from the magically developed virus during the war with the evil kingdom was found to have a minimal effect on limbs made of metal and boosted with purity magic.

His face being so close to hers, Cris was clearly able to notice that the iris of one of her eyes was a light gold. The eye itself moved but not at the same time as her other natural eye. Another question to throw on the pile when he was out of this alleyway and in a more comfortable setting.

The next sensation was her lips and mouth pressing onto his with a deep hunger. Cris returned the kiss Agnes offered him and his arms were unpinned as her hands wrapped around his neck and head pulling him in deeper.

He considered fighting back against her but given the strength of her grip, all she had to do was apply a little bit more pressure and likely she could snap his neck or give him a serious injury.

Not the first woman who could break me apart. Thought Cris silently as he counted the time passing. Her tongue was deep inside her mouth and her lips were planted strong enough that he decided not to try and kiss back but to accept it.

He was beginning to grow dizzy from lack of breath when the women released her arms around his neck and pulled back her mouth from his. He’d been half-expecting rotted teeth or a stench from her mouth but there had been nothing. Not a single scent, not even perfume or soap.

Unconsciously Cris sucked in the cold air of the alley into his lungs, causing him to cough for a moment. He knew that he wasn’t the best kisser, not enough practice despite his positive luck with woman. The one in front of him seemed satisfied though, her skin glowed brighter and Cris realised that his body felt weaker. Using his trained sense the degree of corruption inside the woman’s aura had lessened to a degree.

She had been after more than him than just a kiss, deciding to push energy into the white metal knife sheathed on his lower back had been a bigger mistake than he thought.

Or they were planning to kidnap him and try and ransom him back. Not that his manservant Alessandro would be willing to pay for him, he’d made that clear enough once Cris had become old enough to begin spending his nights out looking for answers to old questions.

‘Relax kid. You look more worried than a new recruit with their first time on the battlefield. I haven’t kissed anyone yet who didn’t enjoy the experience. Nobody is going to treat you badly and you’re in no immediate danger. After all, you paid for our direct protection. Tonight you’re safer than most. Didn’t I tell you? We’re mercenaries. Richter is up top of the alley wall to keep an eye out for danger, Marley has gone back to the tavern to sooth over rough feelings and find us a place with a little privacy. From the little taste you offered me you’ve got a high degree of purity running through you. Obviously, you’re not a monk or a priest but you’ve peaked my interest. Would you like another quick kiss before we leave this stinking alleyway behind us?’ asked Agnes as she made another intricate gesture with a raised hand.

Her other hand brushed through her hair and she flashed another bright smile towards Cris as her clean, white, polished teeth glinted in the moonlight.

Cris could only shiver in response. He didn’t know if it was from the cold or the encounter but he shook his head. He’d done his part, it was down to them to reciprocate.