"I'm sorry that we can't work out a contract that we both feel happy with," Markus diplomatically told the girl he had been trying to come to terms with and form a Party with. "Maybe we'll work together another time, but until then, good luck and it was nice to meet you, Jordan."

"Good luck to you too, Markus," the Human girl with honey-colored eyes echoed him as she took his hand in hers for a firm, business-like shake before turning away and approaching the Bounty Board.

"Demanding all the edible meat so she can try to cook it and not giving up anything in return?" Markus muttered to himself as he turned to examine the World Job Board. "She's nuts! Especially since she said she wouldn't be cooking when camp was made!"

Still shaking his head, Markus examined the few Jobs posted to this board and searched for one that seemed to offer the best benefits for a new adventurer, no, new Hunter, like him.

World Job Board

Lost Villagers: The Village known as Turion has lost all its villagers. Seek them out and report to the Green Horde's capital city of Murkstone with information, maps, and/or the villagers for a reward.

Reward: 15 Bronze coins for information that leads to finding the villagers; 20 Bronze coins for a map that leads to the villagers; 5 Iron coins for each villager returned safely; 75 Bronze coins for all villagers returned safely.

Seeking Dungeons: Dungeons are a source of scourge upon the world and I wish to study one up close. Escort me to an undiscovered Dungeon and I will pay well for your services. Seek out Regis Hartwurth for more information.

Reward: Will be discussed prior to our leaving.

Undead Terror: The Church of Grindel, God of the Dead, has found signs of Necromancy and Undead Hordes. Sign up for the Subjugation Force at the nearest Church of Grindel by speaking with the Paladins of the Long Sleep.

Reward: 2 Iron coins per confirmed Lesser Undead kill; 5 Iron coins per confirmed Undead kill; 1 Bronze coin per confirmed Greater Undead kill; 50 Bronze coins per confirmed Lich kill; 1 Silver coin per confirmed Phylactery destroyed.

Dragon Scourge: A Dragon has been sighted within the Guarded Spine Mountains. Determine if the creature is a threat to the surrounding area.

Reward: 30 Bronze coins for accurate information; 50 Bronze coins for confirming the Dragon is no threat to the area; You can keep any scales, meat and bones from the Dragon if you slay it; 5 Gold coins for confirming the Dragon's death.

Information Wanted: Seek out Princess Marianne of Hero's Crypt for further information.

Reward: To be discussed with the Princess upon acceptance of the Job.

"What in the nova does that last one mean?" Markus asked himself aloud as he looked through the listed Jobs. "She's looking for info and no one's taken it? I should probably ask Inkfingers about it."

"Ask me about what?" the Gnome in question asked from Markus' knee, making the boy jump.

"Inkfingers!" Markus scolded the older Gnome. "Where did you come from?"

"Over there, of course," the little, blue man that reminded Markus so much of a Smurf pointed toward his desk with a grin. "You seemed to be looking at the wrong board, so I thought I'd come over here and remind you that the jobs on this board, while not marked for higher ranks, are much more difficult and more dangerous than the others. Hence their greater offered rewards."

"I know that," Markus told him with a nod as he looked down at the Gnome. "I was just looking to see if there was anything that I could do without too much issue."

"I doubt there is," Inkfingers told him with a sniff. "Each of these Jobs has a measure of danger that makes them beyond the common man, Hunter Guild member or not."

"But what about that one?" Markus asked, pointing to the Information Wanted Job. "What's so dangerous about her wanting information? What's the whole thing about?"

"Princess Marianne made that Job with us some time ago," Inkfingers said matter-of-factly. "She refused to tell us what it was and whenever someone's accepted it, they return and say that the Princess refused to send them on the Job. Wouldn't even tell them what it was she wanted and where she wanted them to go. We've made a little pool actually, the other secretaries and I, about how long that Job will sit there before the Princess removes it or declares it complete. I'll win if she takes it down next week but I'm not too hopeful about my chances."

"Can anyone join that pool?" Markus asked curiously.

"Only Hunter's Guild secretaries," Inkfingers told him with a knowing grin. "Of course, we also agreed that if she declares the Job complete, then whoever completes it will get the entire pot, as a little extra reward."

"Is this the part where I ask you how much is in the pot?" Markus asked with a crooked grin.

"Indeed it is," Inkfingers nodded sagely. "Indeed it is."

"How much is in the pot, Inkfingers?" Markus asked as he rolled his eyes at the Gnome's antics.

"Why, Markus, darling, sweet boy," Inkfingers gasped theatrically. "I thought you'd never ask!"

"Come on," Markus urged the Gnome. "That can't be your answer."

With a chuckle, the Gnome turned his gray eyes upward and grinned evilly toward Markus.

"One," he said slowly, drawing each word out carefully as if he were tasting it. "Silver. Coin."

"One Silver?" Markus confirmed with the Gnome. "I don't know if that's a lot or not."

"It's quite a bit," Inkfingers told him. "As you know, Copper coins are the lowest coin available. After you've gotten ten of them, they equal one Iron coin. Ten Iron turns into one Bronze. Most of the common folk deal in these three coins and they don't worry too much about going beyond that. Merchants and Artisans, however, can't deal in these coins the way commoners do. They'd die under the weight of their coin purses as they carried thousands and thousands of Bronze coins around the kingdoms. To remedy this, most people that become Artisans and Merchants begin to use Silver coins. Silver coins are equal to one hundred Bronze and it is said that a single coin can be used to purchase a plot of fertile land that one can use to begin a farm upon."

"So a Silver coin is a bigger deal than I thought," Markus said.

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"Indeed, my dear boy," Inkfingers nodded. "Many decades ago, a group of assassins made themselves known and declared to the entire world that each mortal man's life was equal to one Silver coin and they would accept no less than that amount to kill someone. They were declared enemies of all kingdoms and hunted across Tauron, but their words remain. Now, most offer one Silver coin to assassinate people. Terrible business that group left us, but there's nothing we can do about it now."

"That's terrible," Markus said. "People's lives aren't worth something as cold as some stamped metal! Who would accept something like that?"

"Don't lose that sort of belief," Inkfingers told him wearily. "It's people that ask questions like that who make this terrible world a better place and they're always the first to lose their ideals. When that happens, they're never the people we knew again."

"I won't change the way I think about that," Markus assured Inkfingers. "I promise."

"I hope you can keep your promise," Inkfingers said with a smile. "Now, much as I love speaking to strong, strapping young men such as yourself, I must return to work. Good luck, Markus."

"Thanks Inkfingers," Markus said as he watched the Gnome trot his way back to his desk that had another member of the Guild approaching it.

Mind swirling with confused, directionless anger, Markus accepted the Princess' quest and left the white marble floors of the Guild building for the crowded, cobbled streets as he began to make his way toward the palace that would likely have information about where the Princess Marianne might be so he could continue or fail her Job quickly.

As he walked, Markus looked around the streets and tried to keep an eye out for Axel or Pear, he'd seen Jim leaving the Guild purposefully enough that he doubted his Half-Elf friend was still in the city. It was his looking around that allowed Markus to spy a group of men, Players like him judging by their simple and cheap garb, surrounding a Halfling woman in an alley, cast in darkness by the shadows of the mid-morning sun.

Changing direction, Markus approached the alley in time to hear the Halfling begin speaking.

"Come on guys," she said, her voice high pitched yet steady, "I'm not the girl you're looking for. Honestly. Just because I have a similar dagger to her doesn't mean anything cause, news flash geniuses, it's starter gear."

"I think you are the girl we're looking for," one of the men, a Bear Beastkin from the look of him, said as his cronies began to nod. "In fact, I think that if you don't hand over everything you've got, then we're just going to have to take what we want. By force."

"I've got a fun idea," one of the Humans said with an obvious leer.

"What's going on here, hon'?" Markus asked, speaking loudly and obviously to the Halfling woman in an attempt to throw her a lifeline. "Thought we were going to meet up at that tavern you told me about? Who are your friends?"

"Beat it," the Bear Beastkin grunted at Markus before the Halfling could answer. "You can have the leftovers when we're done."

"I'm not that kind of guy," Markus said as he loosened his sword from the sheathe at his waist and carefully moved the round shield from his back onto his left arm. "Seems to me that you guys are trying to do something you really shouldn't be doing. I don't like that."

"Then I guess you're dead first!" another Human said as he charged Markus, followed quickly by two more, all of them brandishing daggers.

"Doubt it," Markus muttered to himself as he drew his sword and placed his shield between himself and the three charging men.

With heavy thuds and muted grunts, the three men crashed haphazardly into Markus' shield before Markus stabbed outward with his sword and caught the first one with the point of his sword in his gut. As the man stepped back, clutching his bleeding stomach and dropping his dagger, Markus pulled his shield back before driving himself forward and knocking the other two men back with his shield. As the three men that had charged proved themselves incapable of dealing with him immediately, the Bear Beastkin, obviously the leader of the small gang of seven, cursed loudly and attempted to draw his spiked club from his back while ordering his other cronies to attack Markus.

As the rest of them shuffled around their large and imposing leader, the sole Elf in their group suddenly fell to the ground shrieking in pain, revealing the Halfling holding the bloody dagger she'd just planted into and then removed from his spine. Spinning and cursing, the two others that had been moving past their boss found themselves piling up the narrow alley with their bodies as they attempted to face the Halfling and the Bear Beastkin moved forward with them to crash their shoulders into the alley walls, pinning the three of them in place.

Moving forward with his shield facing his opponents, Markus approached the two men that he'd thrown to the ground with his shield bash and, with swift cracks from the pommel of his sword, forced them to sleep through the rest of the fight. Moving by the first man, whimpering in pain from his bleeding stomach, Markus turned to him and spoke.

"Keep pressure on that and you might make it to a healer," he told the man. "Try to interfere in the rest of this and I won't hesitate to send you to respawn. Get me?"

Nodding, the man pressed his hands more firmly to his wound, bunching his shirt over the bleeding hole. Assured that he wouldn't be turning his back on someone that would attack him anymore, Markus continued past the man and approached the three left as they managed to untangle themselves from each other and the Halfling backed fearfully from them while the Beastkin swung his club menacingly.

"Now be a good girl and drop your fucking knife," he growled at her with another swing of his club.

"Why don't you boys pay attention to what's behind you instead?" Markus asked, just before driving the edge of his shield into the temple of one of the other two and dropping the other with a heavy blow from the pommel of his sword.

Spinning angrily, the Bear-man turned to Markus and bared his teeth in a pathetic attempt to menace him.

"Fine then," he growled, spittle flying from the corners of his mouth. "I'll deal with you first!"

With a roar and a heavy stomp forward, the Beastkin swung his club as hard as he could toward Markus and nearly dropped it as the club impacted a glowing shield that suddenly appeared around Markus.

"By order of the City Watch! All of you drop your weapons!" A firm voice ordered. "What the hell is going on here?"

Markus turned, his sword moving to his side as he did so while reaching for a rag with his other hand, his shield hanging by one of its straps as he let go of the handle. Standing at the far end of the alley stood four men in the half-plate armor and green cloaks that the city's police force wore. One of the men had his hand outstretched to the melee at the other end of the alley and glowing golden particles faded from his fingers. Another was moving toward the downed Humans Marcus had left laying there.

"I was going toward the palace when I saw a bunch of men surrounding a Halfling woman," Marcus said clearly before anyone else could speak up as he sheathed his sword. "When I approached, I heard the woman say that she wasn't who they thought she was and they refused to listen to her. I stepped in as one of them insinuated that they were going to assault her. The Beastkin told me to stay out of it and leave, and when I refused those three attacked me. I'm sure you can kind of guess the rest of what happened."

"You," one of the watchmen, the one that had spoken before by the voice, turned to the still bleeding Human on the ground, the only one awake. "Is that true?"

"Keep in mind that I've already cast Liar's Revelation," the caster said as the Human opened his mouth.

Crestfallen at having his chance to pin things on Markus and the Halfling woman snatched away, the man nodded before speaking in a quiet voice that carried through the alley.

"Yeah, we rushed him when he wouldn't leave," he said.

"And what about what was going on with the woman?" the first watchmen demanded. "What was that about?"

"We were just trying to scare her," the man mumbled. "Make her give up her stuff and money, you know."

"Stark, shut up!" the Beastkin yelled ineffectually as the watchmen nodded.

"You were trying to rob her," the first said matter-of-factly. "That means you're all coming with us. Seize the Beastkin."

As the other watchmen moved with practiced, easy movements through the alley, the caster waved his hands and golden bindings appeared around the four unconscious men and the squirming Elf while the first watchman knelt near the now crying Human that had spoken up. Markus and the Halfling pressed themselves to the alley walls as the watchmen moved past them and corralled the Beastkin at the walled end of the alley. Before they could subdue him, the Bear-man roared and charged the armored men. With the calm ease of men practiced in fighting, the watchmen quickly disarmed and bound the Beastkin before joining their cohorts at the other end of the alley.

"You two are free to go," the first of the watchmen said to Markus and the Halfling. "Stay out of trouble from here on out and we'll all get along great with you. Let's go boys, we've got some prisoners to take back."

As Markus and the Halfling watched the watchmen carry and escort their charges from the alley, the Beastkin kept roaring about brutality and false accusations before they disappeared into the crowd that had gathered around the alley.

"Can I stick with you?" the Halfling asked before Markus could say anything or move. "Seems like it might be for the best for me."

"Sure," Markus said with a shrug. "I'm Markus. What's your name?"