“Alright, Freyja… I guess uh, I guess we’ll just follow everyone else, since I don’t really know where I’m going.”
The party started off again, down one horse, but having gained a much more exotic animal. Freyja had no trouble keeping up with the pace that was currently being set. If anything, Xander could feel that she was impatient. Having been cooped up in that cart for so long, he could feel the cat’s intense desire to break into a run and stretch her legs. Xander leaned forward and scratched the cat’s neck, eliciting another chuff. “Let’s get some running in for you, just let me tell the others what’s going on.”
“Hey guys, Freyja wants to do some running. She’d been in that cage for way too long. So we’re gonna go on a big loop or something to get some of that energy out. Don’t worry, though, I’ll keep in sight.”
Graffus, who was riding closest to Xander, as his pony seemed the bravest of the other animals and was therefore less shy of Freyja, nodded. Atrax gave a wave to signal that he’d heard, and Frazay simply gave a wordless cheer.
“Well, that settles that, Freyja.” Xander could feel through the bond that the cat enjoyed hearing its new name. “Let’s see how you run! Just, don’t go too far away from everyone.”
With that, the cat sprung forward, claws digging into the ground underneath her. The horses shied away, started by the sudden movement, though none of them bucked or reared, thankfully. Xander was very glad he had had the foresight to implement handles into the saddle, as Freyja’s gait at a sprint had him bouncing up and down and nearly falling out of the saddle until he seated himself more properly, leaning forward slightly and standing slightly on the stirrups to use his own legs like a set of shocks to even the bouncing. The cat was incredibly fast. He felt that they were easily going the speed of a galloping horse, and he could tell that Freyja wasn’t even straining herself.
Freyja, for her part, was having the time of her life. The big cat was frolicking out in the open space, and Xander could tell that the only thing that was keeping her from flopping onto the ground and rolling in the grass was his presence on her back. After a half hour of sprinting, hopping, and pouncing, Freyja was finally ready to return to the much slower pace of the rest of the party. Freyja lightly trotted back to the party, Xander still on her back despite having almost fallen off a few times and took up her previous posting next to Graffus.
“Well,” Xander said breathlessly, “She’s definitely fast. And riding a giant cat is absolutely nothing like riding a horse, I can say that.”
Graffus laughed, “Aye, there’s a reason I stick to a horse besides the cost. Everyone thinks they want an exotic mount, but no one wants to relearn how to ride. Mostly the only folks you’ll see riding something as exotic as what you’ve got there will be other guild members or maybe a noble with some taming skills. Having her around is going to make you stick out as a merc like a sore thumb. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. The threat of a large, predatory animal and a merc that can handle one can solve a lot of problems and open doors. Or at least kick them in, ha!”
Xanders three mercenary companions remained in good spirits despite the delay of a couple of hours earlier in the day. Frazay was in especially high spirits.
“You know, I’m really glad you managed to rescue Freyja, Xander. I’ve always hated menageries, and not just because I’m a ranger and a druid. It always struck me as pathetic to buy an animal that had been crammed into a cage by someone else and brought to you to be used with your skills because you either can’t be bothered to go out into the world or are too cowardly to. I’ve seen how you can handle yourself in the face of an enemy, so I know you’ll do Freyja proud.” Frazay, having no compunction against baby-talking to the panther added, “Isn’t that right pretty miss kitty? Xander’s gonna take good care of you!”
The panther pressed her head into Frazay’s outstretched hand, not minding the baby-talk a bit. “I think she likes you, Frazay,” said Xander.
“Of course she does, I’m naturally good with animals. Plus, she’s smart, yes she is, so of course she loves meee!” Frazay spoke this last half to Freyja, slipping back into babytalk. Freyja was loving the attention. She’d likely had little stimulation during her time in the menagerie, and though Xander assumed that loravian panthers were solitary animals, the cat was soaking up the attention from Frazay like a man who’d been stranded on a deserted island being offered his first conversation in months.
“Say, do you happen to know much about loravian panthers, Frazay? Are they all this…” Xander waved his hand at Freyja in a general manner “… smart? Or sociable?”
“Hmm, well I wouldn’t call myself an expert or any sort of them, or any of the large cats of this world, but I have heard of them. They have a reputation for being fearsome apex predators, able to take down any animal or creature that has the misfortune of crossing them, and they’re known to be cunning to the point that hunting them is notoriously difficult. They’re also, and I assume the merchant didn’t tell you this, notably difficult to train or tame, even with skills. But her level of intelligence is far beyond anything I have heard of. I mean, how many animals have you seen that damn near preen themselves when you compliment their intelligence?” Freyja was holding her head high and proud, and Xander could feel the enjoyment she was receiving from having her unnatural intelligence recognized and discussed.
“I see. I’d thought as much, though the bit about them being resistant to taming skills makes me extra glad I only gave them the barest rune etching I could get away with. Though I guess I did come one pretty strong wanting to buy her, so I guess I seemed like I knew what I was about. Anyways, I was thinking that the [Cat-Touched] title and skill I got is increasing her intelligence somehow, making her better able to understand me and work with me. What a name. [Cat-Touched]. Touched by the goddess of cats, I suppose?” Xander was starting to ramble and pulled himself out of it. “That’s all I can think of anyway.”
“Makes about as much sense as anything,” said Frazay, shrugging. It’s not uncommon for a [Tamer] or other variations of the class to have skills or passives that increase some attribute or other of the beasts that they train and bond.”
“Are there a lot of [tamers] or tamer-like classes?” Xander found the idea of a class more focused around directing animals and providing them improvements interesting, as the few classes he’d had any combat experience with, namely his current companions and Thripus, were much more focused on dealing damage in a much more direct manner.
“Yes and no,” Frazay said, confusing Xander somewhat.
“Yes and no?” he echoed back.
“Well, there’s a significant gap of tamers in the ‘middle’ range of power. You see tamers who have access only to maybe local animals who may not be very powerful, and thus struggle to break into the middle reaches of power as they can’t use their weaker animals, or don’t want to risk them as is the case for those that get attached to their bonded animals, to obtain more powerful animals, thus relegating them to smaller, lower paying contracts, which also makes it very hard for them to afford anything from a merchant like we saw back there. 100 gold, even fifty gold, is a lot of money for most people Xander. We can’t all custom create magical items for people to sell, after all. So it takes a lot longer to accrue that kind of money, especially if you have living costs, and the need to feed multiple animals. Speaking of which, what are you planning on feeding her?”
“Uhm, well, I’d kind of just figured I’d let her go hunt on our down time if we’re in a good area for it. Beyond that, I guess I’ll just have to use some of that ‘easy money’ I’ve got to buy meat. I bet she’d like to get some hunting in,” Xander said, scratching Freyja behind an ear. He could feel her delight at the idea of getting to go on a hunt again. “Just no taking farmer’s animals!” He instructed the cat, fearful that she’d end up with a contract on her just like the bear Thripus had originally been hunting when they’d met.
“I suppose that will do well enough while we’re out of town like this. Once we reach Anlet, though, you’re either going to have to stable her at a special establishment that can handle exotic animals, or handle getting the meat from a farmer or butcher yourself and feed her. And even then, you might have some inns turn you away if you want to keep her with other customer’s horses.”
“Makes sense that there would be special places for special animals in the bigger cities if there are taming based classes. So you said that there were few tamers in the middle, because the lower levels of taming can be really rough to break out of. What about at higher levels of power?”
“Ah, those are the tamers that either got lucky, either by birth or location, and those that managed to make it through the slog of breaking out of the low levels. Some people are born into enough money that if they need to acquire a few good animals to start their career as a tamer, then their family can just buy them. Others are lucky to live in an area that had a natural abundance of stronger creatures. Like those wolf spiders I told you about, remember that?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Well if you happened to live in a place like Krepash where there are creatures like that just running about, you’d certainly have an easier time getting yourself some high tier bonded animals. Even at low levels, a tamer with a good selection of animals can take on a wide variety of contracts. Of course, in a fight with another skill user, especially against someone higher leveled than them, a low level tamer is going to suffer. They might have lots of animals, but any high tiered skill user is going to be able to handle an animal, and the tamer’s not going to be able to provide them much improvement beyond baseline if they’re low level. So either the skill user kills all the tamer’s animals, or simply dodge the animals and go straight for the tamer to end the fight. A lot of people go against conventional wisdom and seek out ways to make sure that the classes they can get or class amalgamations – that’s when your classes combine, you now about that, right? – are as taming centric as possible. What they really should have gone for is a secondary class that would have filled in some of their gaps, because once a tamer with no other skillsets loses their animals or encounters something their beasts can’t overcome, they’re done for. ‘Course, since it’s so common to work in teams, if you come across a full tamer, they’re likely working with a team to fill in those gaps instead.”
Xander nodded. “I see. That all makes sense in my head. I might feel differently if some dude sets three ‘low tier’ bears on me, though.”
“There is a certain strength to be found in numbers,” Frazay agreed, “but you’re selling yourself short if you don’t think you couldn’t handle a couple of bears with your skills and weapons.”
“I guess you’re right. I’m still looking at the world through the lens of someone who had zero levels. None of this was a thing in my world, people were on a more equal footing in that regard. We came up with plenty of other ways to kill things though.”
“So odd to think of a world without status sheets, classes, or levels,” said Frazay, thoughtfully.
“Right? How do they get anything done?” Graffus chimed into the conversation.
“In really roundabout ways involving lots of machines, mostly,” Xander answered, not really wanting to try and do a deep dive into the complexities of things like power generation, energy grids, gas engines, or other modern infrastructure.
“Sounds tedious,” Graffus stated.
“I think, compared to this world, it would be very tedious for you,” Xander agreed. “Unless you wanted to end up in jail, or go to war, there wouldn’t be much for you to fight. Unless you wanted to get into a career of professional fighting, but that’s really only with bare hands.”
“I think I’ll stick with here, thank you very much,” was Graffus’s reply.
Xander kept his reply, that he’d like to be able to go home to his ‘tedious’ world and see his wife to himself. Freyja, feeling the spike of emotion he’d had turned her head to look at him. Xander offered her a smile and a neck scratch for her concern.
The group travelled much the same way the rest of the day. Camp was a simple affair that night. The weather was nice, and, since Freyja wanted to sleep close to him, Xander opted to simply use his bivvy sack with his sleeping back, which Freyja quickly curled around. It was uncomfortably warm being surrounded by a giant cat while also being in a sleeping bag, but once Xander unzipped it and managed to stick a leg out, he fell asleep quickly beside the dozing panther.
The next day was even more uneventful than the last. There were no other interesting travelers on the road, and those that did pass them kept their animals a fair distance from the intimidating cat that was among them. Such a beast also marked them as almost certainly members of the mercenary’s guild, and therefore not to be trifled with. The days passed like this. Some of the nights spent at an inn, where Xander had to beg the usage of the stables from concerned innkeepers, other nights spent out on the road. Freyja would often hunt on those nights, and the mercs would wake up in the morning to find the cat cleaning herself and the remains of a deer or other animal on the outskirts of the camp. It had been rather unsettling how stealthily the cat had managed to sneak away, kill an animal, and consume it so close to them without waking anyone. They had not been taking watches as this area was considered to be quite safe, the highway leading to the capital being well maintained in that aspect.
The last leg of their journey took them through a stretch where they encountered no villages for two days. Apparently, according to Atrax, the land was not good for farming, and so there was little desire to settle in the area as it had no other unique resources. After those last two boring days, they were all happy to see the buildings of Anlet rising in the distance. As they drew closer over the course of the next hour, Xander was able to see that the city straddled a river, and boats and barges lazily drifted to and from the city, following the current. Situated as it was, Xander could see why it was a large town. Being on the intersection of a major land trade route as well as on a river must make it a veritable hub of trade.
“Welcome to Anlet,” said Atrax grandly, opening his arms wide. “One of the largest cities in the Kingdom and known as the place you can get anything from anywhere.”
“Is there really that much trade that goes through the city?” Xander asked.
“Oh yes, the place is in just the right spot, and more importantly, inhabited by just the right people. Between the fact that it’s on the cross of a river and the king’s road, and the fact that many of the noble houses have holdings and estates in the area, there is the capacity and the desire for all kinds of exotic goods. The menagerie we passed will likely offload a good portion of its inventory here when it eventually arrives. See there,” Atrax pointed to a distance outcropping of buildings, which even from here Xander could tell were lavish, “that vineyard is one of the Vitrax family estates.” Noticing Xander’s lack of a reaction to the name, he clarified further, “They’re an old family of nobles, been around forever. Lots of money.”
“Oh,” said Xander. “So, lots of people like that own house or manors, or whatever, around here?”
“Yes, essentially.” Atrax was slightly disappointed that Xander had had such little reaction to learning that there were lavish noble houses around.
“More importantly,” interjected Graffus, “watch who you talk to and how you talk to them. You don’t want to get some young, rich noble scion’s coat tails tied in a knot. They’ve got a bad habit of challenging people to duels, especially when they’re drunk. Not that I don’t think you’d win, Xander, but sometimes winning a duel like that can lead to even more trouble than just letting them take first blood and leaving it at that. Having someone who can leverage that kind of money and influence pissed with ya is a special kind of headache. We usually stick to the less fancy areas specifically to avoid that kind of thing. At least then you only have to deal with the nobles who are obviously slumming it but think they’re sneaky enough that no one can pick them out. In case you were wondering, they’re usually very easy to pick out.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I like to think I’m not too abrasive, so hopefully I won’t offend anyone too badly. What the plan once we get into this town, anyway?”
“Well, it’s flexible,” Atrax explained. “Obviously we have to find a place to stay, and somewhere that can accommodate Freyja, as it’s considered rude, and also dangerous, to leave a bonded animal completely unattended. While things should be fine as long as she is with you, if you need to go somewhere that she can’t then she’ll need to be at a stable for exotic animals. So ideally, we’ll be looking for an inn that has that capacity. After that, we check the guild the guild for any good contracts. Interesting kill or capture contracts, exploration of course, bodyguard duty. That kind of thing. Once the good contracts dry up, we’ll move on again. That’s pretty much how we’ve been operating this whole time.”
“Seems like a good enough plan to me. Flexibility is good. Have you three ever done a bodyguard contract?” Xander asked.
“Mm, a few. Most of them were pretty cushy,” commented Frazay.
“Except for that one with the assassins,” Graffus pointed out.
“Yeah, that one sucked. But we came out on top just fine,” said Frazay. “You’re just mad you took a crossbow bolt to the shoulder.”
“Damn right I am!”
“Is that kind of thing common?” Xander sounded concerned.
“Eh, not really. Half the time it’s some right family who wants to make sure no one gets too close to some precious son or daughter as they’re out and around town. Occasionally there is a concern about actual harassment or attacks and assassination attempts, but generally it’s rare that that information is known. Most of the time they’re just playing it safe, and since they’ve got the money, then they’d rather spend it on a set of guards here and there than risk an abduction or assassination,” Graffus explained. He was surprisingly unconcerned about the potential dangers of a contract type that had gotten him shot.
“Mm. I see. And we’re the kind of team that an employer would want for a task like that?”
“More or less. We’re decently well rounded. I’ve got the position of frontliner and shield bearer, so I can provide cover for the person we’re guarding if needed, Atrax has area denial covered, and Frazay can keep enemies pinned so that they can’t get close or follow. And now that we have you and your ability to reshape things, that provides even more options for cover and escape. The only way we could be more desirable is if we managed to get our hands on a healer.”
“Are healers not common in the guild?”
“Not really. Most people who end up with the ability to heal are a [Priest] of some variety or other, so they often end up in the church. That’s not to say that a [Priest] can’t join the guild, it’s just not very common. There are other classes that end up with healing skills, often those who depend on beasts or summoned creatures at least end up with a way to heal their companions, and there are [Healers] who are not necessarily affiliated with any one religion. But healing is a skill that’s always in demand, so there’s not much pressure for one to join the guild in the first place when they could just set up shop and let injured people come to them. So when one does join the guild they tend to get sniped and bundled into a team quickly.”
“Oh I see. Makes sense that healers don’t have as much of a need to be a mercenary to make money. Kinda sucks for us, though,” Xander lamented.
“That it does,” Graffus agreed. “If we manage to make enough of a name for ourselves doing contracts then we might be able to get one of our own, one day. It may not seem like it, but that bone giant is a great point to have on our list of achievements, even if it was a little on the small side for such a beast.”
“So it’s not normal for a group to encounter things like that?”
“It’s normal enough, but there are plenty of groups who would have deemed the money not worth the risk, retreated, and let another higher leveled team take on the giant. They still would have received a partial payment for the work they did do, after all. That thing could have seriously injured one of us with a good hit, especially you three, since you don’t have any shield skills. Without a healer on your side, that can be a big risk and going down from four to three fighters can all but finish a fight. Not only has that person been taken out of the fight, unless you’re willing to just leave them there to die, assuming they’re not outright killed, then another team member is going to have to get them out of immediate harm. Cohesion gets lost, your damage output goes way down, and whatever your fighting has an easier time focusing on a target when there are fewer skills hitting it.”
“I didn’t think of it like that. You’re right about the importance of team cohesion and placement. If that thing had been chasing me around instead of trying to hit you, Graffus, then it would have been damn near impossible to get a good hit in with one of my grenades.”
“And we were able to outmaneuver it mostly because of Frazay’s abilities,” pointed out Graffus. “Take any one of us out of the fight, let alone two, and everything starts to go to shit.”
“Got it. Well, uh, you guys just don’t let that happen, obviously. Problem solved,” Xander said, at a loss for anything to really say about the reality of combat as a mercenary.
Graffus laughed. “Not planning to, but then again, no one ever plans to.”
The conversation turned to lighter topics as they traveled into town. Atrax had heard good things about an inn across the river, simply named ‘Robert’s,’ so they made their way towards that part of town. Taking in the city around them, Xander was awed at the mix of medieval feeling architecture with modern amenities made possible by magic. Street lamps were placed at regular intervals, topped with stone globes that glowed a soft yellow. Cranes, much smaller than they had any right to be, were pulling large crates from barges docked alongside the river. Xander assumed that there must some kind of magic either reinforcing the cranes or somehow making the crates lighter. After all, if he could make something heavier with rune, why not magic to make things lighter? Xander even noticed a few runes carved on what looked like a manhole cover, though he was uncertain of their purpose. He was quickly beginning to lump these things into a new category which he dubbed ‘industrial magic.’
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They passed people of all varieties and economic status. Xander saw rich and poor humans and dwarves, though there was certainly some stratification to where each preferred to gather, he even thought he saw an elf at one point, if the long, pointed ears were anything to go by. There were even odder folk in the crowd here and there that Xander noticed. Tall, lanky beings who seemed as if they had bark for skin. Barrel chested, furred people with long, swishing tails. He’d have to ask about both when he could have a more private discussion with his group, away from people who might think him rude or ignorant. He tried not to stare too hard at any one person to avoid giving offense, but it was hard with some of the more outlandish and ridiculous seeming outfits he saw some of the richer peoples wearing.
Robert’s ended up being just off the main road, a few streets down from the arching bridge that crossed over the river. The proprietor seemed a professional enough man, and the operation of the inn seemed smooth, from what they could gather looking in from outside. Xander opted to wait with Freyja and the horses. Frazay’s stag had been released once more as they entered the city. Xander wondered if it was the same stag each time or a different one. He hadn’t thought to try and remember the number of antlers and compare against the previous time Frazay had summoned a stag. He supposed he could just ask her instead.
The owner of the inn confirmed to Atrax that there was a small section of the stable that was capable of housing animals of the more exotic variety, and that there was space for four. The cost had been significantly more than what he’d paid to stay at Talon’s, five silvers to the one it had cost him there, though that had been explained away by Atrax as Xander not only having gotten an extremely good deal from Briggs as well as the fact that lodging just generally cost more in larger cities, at least if you didn’t want to risk waking up to bugs crawling over you. There was also an additional three silver surcharge for Xander that covered Freyja’s handling and food for her. He expected that he might be able to feed her himself for a cheaper price, but the time and effort it would save him in sourcing the meat, buying it, then feeding her made the price worth it to him. He could afford to stay there well enough with his remaining funds, and he was sure he could gather more coin by finding a smith to sell his labor to if they did not take on a contract soon.
Having paid for their rooms, Atrax and Graffus stabled their horses before they headed to the guild. Xander opted to bring Freyja with them. He’d grown fond of having the cat around already and hated the idea of forcing her to stay in an enclosed space when he didn’t have to. Plus, the cat needed more exposure to crowds. He could tell that the looks she drew from curious passers-by still made her anxious, and he wanted to make sure she was able to overcome that fear. He walked beside her, occasionally letting her know that everything was alright. He felt her anxiety lessen somewhat by the time they made it to the mercenary’s guild.
The guild building in Anlet was a significantly more extravagant affair. The three-story building was made with white marble, and several large statues of warriors in various poses served as columns supporting a balcony on the third floor. The building was a hive of activity, with a constant stream of people entering and exiting it as they went about their business.
“Wow,” said Xander, awed at the grandeur of the building.
“I hear it’s the nicest guild hall outside of the one in the capital,” said Frazay, craning her neck to look up at the edge of the balcony.
“They look like they’re sure to have plenty of contracts,” Atrax said. “Nobles always need work done around these parts.”
So the four mercenaries and one loravian panther made their way inside. Freyja was fortunate that the doors were similarly large and grandiose to fit the rest of the building, and the ceiling was high and vaulted. She had little trouble following Xander into the building, beyond the stares she received from anyone who looked their way. The inside of the building was filled with the roaring murmur of many people conducting business at once. A long, carved wooden counter bisected the length of the room, and many attendants were helping people at it, or going around the room pinning new contracts up and taking old or completed contracts down.
Atrax and Graffus got to work immediately, perusing through the multitude of contracts posted on the walls, discussing the pros and cons of this contract or that. Xander, not feeling like he knew enough yet about the process opted to watch the comings and goings of so many people. Frazay stood with him and Freyja instead of searching the postings like Atrax and Graffus.
“How come you’re not looking through the contracts, too?” Xander asked.
“Meh, a job’s a job. I’m not quite as picky about them as Atrax or Graffus is, so I let them hunt out the best ones for me.” She gave a small chuckle. “It’s worked so far.”
“Fair enough,” Xander said, going back to people watching. There were so many types of mercenaries. He saw robes and staves, crossbows, daggers and leather armor, warriors in full suits of plate mail with large shields, it seemed like the gamut of archetypes was available in this space. A few minutes into watching people go about their business, Xander was startled by a polite clearing of a throat near him.
“Uhm, excuse me, I was wondering…” The girl, who couldn’t have been more than seventeen or eighteen, paused for a moment, gathering her courage, “could I pet your cat?”
Xander had not expected that. People’s reactions to Freyja so far had ranged from apprehension to apathy. No one yet had expressed any desire to actually interact with her, let alone pet her. Xander turned to Freyja and asked, “What do you think Freyja? Want some pets from her?”
Freyja, ever needy for attention, stretched before flopping on the floor and rolling on to her back, exposing her chin for the girl to rub. She tentatively reached out to touch Freyja’s fur, before settling into a slightly firmer scratch. “She’s so soft,” the girl murmured.
“Very,” Xander agreed. “So what brings you to the guild hall? I promise I don’t mean to come across as rude, but I don’t see many people around your age here.”
The girl bristled slightly. “I’m nineteen, thank you very much, so I’m absolutely allowed to be here.”
Xander held his hands up in mock surrender, “Woah, woah, I didn’t mean to upset you, I swear. I was just curious. I’m new to the guild, so I’m still getting used to how it all works.”
The girl deflated slightly at Xander’s apology. “Ah, sorry, it’s just a bit of a touchy subject for me. I’m here to join the guild, even though my parents think I’m too young. But I’m not! I’m past the age to be considered a grown woman! My name is Gabrelle, by the way. What’s yours?” she asked, before crouching back down and going back to stroking Freyja’s cheek.
Xander chuckled. “It's Xander. I remember being nineteen too and desperate to get out from under my parent’s thumb. Sometimes I miss those days, now. But that’s the past,” he said a little sadly, unsure what else to say.
Garelle noticed the tone of Xander’s voice trending down and changed the subject. “You said you’re new, right? Have you gone on many contracts?”
“Just the one, though it was quite the adventure” Xander answered. “I’ve only been in the guild for, oh, I guess a little over a month now. But Frazay here,” he pointed his thumb behind him to where Frazay had been listening to Xander speak to Gabrelle, “has been on plenty. Anything you want to know?”
“Well,” started Gabrelle, “what’s it like? Being out on the road, doing contracts? Fighting monsters and beasts?”
“Mm, well it’s not as exciting as it sounds a lot of the time,” Frazay began. “There are long days of travel sometimes, and the going can get rough and tough. Fights can turn into a dangerous slog with one mistake, and you’ve got to keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Now, don’t take that as me trying to turn you away from the trade. When the times are good, they are good. The adrenaline rush when you execute an ambush, the feeling of victory as you defeat a strong enemy. The friends, the people you meet, the places you see, I wouldn’t trade it for any other career.”
Gabrelle seemed thoughtful. “I see. I’m glad you were willing to give it to me without glossing over the bad bits, too. I think it helps me think about it better knowing that it’s not like some kind of fairytale story.”
“What class are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” Xander was curious as to what niche Gabrelle might fit. She wasn’t wearing any equipment, and he found it hard to fit her into any of the archetypes he’d seen so far. “We’ve got a [Fire Mage] and [Scholar of the Ancient], a [Shield Bearer] and [Earth Wielder], Frazay there is an [Archer], [Ranger] and [Druid of the Forest]. As for myself, I’m an [Artificer], [Soldier], and [Demolitionist]. Between us, I figure we can manage to offer some advice or answer questions about a class type.”
“Uhm, well, my classes aren’t very combat oriented,” said Gabrelle, sounding downtrodden. “My parents keep telling me that they aren’t useful for the guild and that I should seek employment elsewhere, but I want to see the world outside of Anlet! I’m an [Herbalist] and a [Medic]. I was actually hoping to meet some other people my age here… since I’d need a group to achieve anything. But everyone is so busy and they all already seem like they have their own groups. I was just waiting in line to try and register before I saw Freyja here. I just had to pet her; I love cats. I think that’s what I’m going to miss the most about home, besides my parents of course, is the cat we have.”
Frazay gave Xander a long look that said, ‘Don’t fuck this up.’
Xander gave a small cough, feeling a little uncomfortable about trying to recruit the girl. “Ahem, well, we uh, we just happen to be starting the process of looking for contracts in town ourselves. We’d be happy to help you along and teach you the ropes. Frazay and Graffus and Atrax over there,” Xander paused to point over to the two men, still obliviously going through posted contracts, “have a lot of experience under their belt. They’ve done a great job mentoring me! I had no idea about any of this kind of thing before they taught me.”
Gabrelle’s eyes lit up. “Really? You’d really take me on, even though I can’t fight like the other mercenaries? And you’re okay with me being low level?”
Frazay chimed in with, “What’s important about a team is not always how they can fight! We like to have a wide variety of skills and options for us to be able to tackle any kind of situation. Just take Xander here, sure he can fight, but did you know he also does rune work? And don’t worry about level! Xander also started out with less than ten levels under his belt, and he’s done quite well for himself so far. Besides, I’m sure one of the boys, especially Graffus, could teach you how to hold a sword if you really wanted. Though if you want to know a secret,” Frazay leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “bows are way better.”
Gabrelle laughed at Frazay’s joke, her previous nervousness forgotten, replaced by a giddy enthusiasm. “I think I’d like that, I always wanted to learn how to fight, but father refused to get me any kind of weapon, let alone pay for lessons. Though, I think the cost might have been part of the reason for not wanting lessons now that I think about it.”
“Well, lessons are free now!” Frazay said with a laugh. “Xander, why don’t you help Gabrelle get signed up?” Her question was a accompanied with a slight nudge to get him moving. Xander assumed he was mostly just supposed to hang around and give Gabrelle the appearance of already having a party to prevent the inevitable barrage of offers she’d receive once it got out that she had even the potential to heal injuries. He wondered if it was wrong to snipe someone so early in their career that they technically weren’t even in the guild yet but dismissed the thought. It would be mutually beneficial for everyone, and he’d only had good interactions with his team so far. They would help her along with her growth as a mercenary, which seemed a good enough cause. He wasn’t sure what other teams were like, after all.
“Uh, yeah, sure, I can help you get signed up Gabrelle. It’s really easy. Besides, I need to update my status. It’s been a few levels since I did it at the Klimp building.”
“I’ll go talk to those two knuckleheads over there and make sure they select a contract that will fit with our new team,” said Frazay. The woman looked like she’d just finished a crowning achievement, which when Xander thought about it, she had, if healers really were as rare for merc teams as he’d been led to believe. With a team of five, they now had most niches covered for what would be needed for the vast majority of contracts: Frontline, damage and control, and now potential healing.
“I guess we better get in line, huh? C’mon Freyja, let’s snag a spot before these lines get any longer.” Xander started making his way to one of the shorter lines.
“Good idea, thanks for coming with me to sign up. I’m, well, feeling a bit nervous about it,” Gabrelle admitted.
“That’s perfectly normal,” said Xander. “It’s a big decision after all. But don’t overthink it too much, though. As far as I understand there’s nothing stopping you from deciding to longer do contracts and start a different career in the guild rules. Actually, I think I still have my copy from when I signed up! Let’s see…” Xander fished the small stack of papers from his inventory, much to Gabrelle’s surprise, the papers appearing in his hands. “No harassing other members, don’t commit crimes…” He read a few of the rules as he flipped through the sheets. “Nope, nothing that says you can’t just decide to go do other stuff if you don’t like it. I met a tavern owner who used to be in the guild. Ran a good place. Here, you can read through them yourself if you want. I don’t know if they’ll give you a copy here like they did in Klimp. Things were slower there, so they had more time to take with each customer.” Xander handed the papers to Gabrelle.
“Thanks,” said Gabrelle, still distracted by Xander’s ability to make objects appear from thin air. “How did you do that?” she asked, curiosity overcoming her finally. “Make those papers appear, I mean.”
“Oh, I forget that it’s not normal sometimes, it’s become a bit of a habit. It’s a storage ability I have, tied to a title. You’ll get to see it when they copy down my status, it’ll make more sense then, I think.” Xander really just didn’t feel like explaining he was a [Godsmarked] right now.
The line moved at a decent pace, confirming Xander’s comment that the clerks at this guild were much faster with their customer interactions. It was only a short wait for the two of them before they were face to face with an attendant, a middle aged man with a smooth-shaven beard. Everything about the man, from his crisp vest and outfits, to the small, round glasses sitting on his nose oozed professionalism, to the point where it even seemed as if he didn’t even notice the giant cat looming behind the two. Perhaps he had encountered stranger things in his time with the guild.
“What can I do for you today?” He asked, forgoing any kind of small talk.
“Well, I need to update my status with the guild since I’ve gained some levels, and Gabrelle here wants so sign on with the guild.” Xander stepped aside to reveal Gabrelle more fully.
“Hi,” She waved slightly at the attendant. “He’s right, I do want to become a mercenary.”
“Mmm, mhm. Alright.” The man simply nodded along with them and then said, “We’ll start with the updated status as it’s something I can do here with paper, and then we’ll get miss Gabrelle here a contract to sign. Is there anything else?”
Xander looked to Gabrelle, who shook her head. “Nope, I don’t think so. My teammates are looking through contracts still.” Xander looked back to where Atrax and Graffus were, to see Atrax and Frazay in conversation, Atrax gesticulating wildly. He hoped the man wasn’t mad about being consulted before bringing Gabrelle in. Hopefully the fact that she had the [Medic] class would smooth things over.
“Well then, let’s see your status so I can copy it down.” Xander obliged, and was amazed at the speed at which the man could write. Was there a [Clerk] class? If Gabrelle was an [Herbalist], then it would follow that there must be other classes based on different professions. Xander hadn’t thought about it before, but it made sense. Smith the smith must also have been a [Smith], which would explain why he had such little trouble swinging a hammer every day. Xander had just assumed the man had a high strength stat at the time. In no time at all, his status was copied down, and the ink was blotted, the sheet put away with a stack of other status updates on the counter.
“Now, please excuse me for a moment while I retried a copy of the contract.” The man quickly paced to a shelf set into the wall behind him and returned with the contract. “You know the stipulations of the contract, miss?” he asked before proceeding further.
“Uhuh! Xander let me read his spare copy of the rules while we were in line.” Gabrelle held up the slightly crumpled copy of the contract in her hand.
“Good, good, that saves us both some time,” the man said, as if time were the most covetous things to be had at the moment for him. “Just sign here, then, and you will be an official member of the mercenary’s guild, once we complete your status check, of course.”
Gabrelle quickly signed her name on the proffered papers, ‘Gabrelle Inlessi,’ and then opened and turned her status around for the man. Once again, his hand were a flurry as he copied Gabrelle’s status over. Xander was not able to see her status from the angle he was standing, but even if he could, he would have been more fascinated by the fact that the attendant was able to write at such speed without even looking down at the paper he was copying too. His penmanship was amazing, too.
“Mm, everything appears to be in order. Please do return to us again soon! Now, if there is nothing left I can assist you with… Next!” The man barked out the last word, as Xander and Gabrelle thanked him and moved to get out of the queue.
“Welcome to the mercenary’s guild,” Xander said, celebratorily.
“Thanks!” Gabrelle had a large smile on here face, enthused to finally be a part of the organization she’d been pining for since she was a child old enough to play pretend with sticks.
“Guess we should introduce you to the rest of the team, yeah?” Xander was glad to see that Atrax’s wild gesticulations had ceased, and the man was talking much less animatedly with Frazay. She seemed to have calmed him down a little.
“No, I think having a healer is a great idea, I just wish you’d asked me beforehand…” Xander was able to faintly hear Atrax as he, Freyja, and Gabrelle walked towards the group. Gabrelle wilted slightly, having heard as well.
“Do you think he’ll be angry with me?” Gabrelle asked quietly.
“I’m sure it will be alright. He and Frazay just seem to find any excuse to argue with each other, but it never really gets between them. That’s just how they are. I wouldn’t worry about him taking it out on you. One of the few things that Atrax and Frazay don’t argue about is that variety is good for a team, and you bring things to the table that we don’t,” Xander explained.
“Oh. Okay, then.” Gabrelle still seemed unsure, but as they were only a few steps away at this point, it was a bit late to back out now.
“Uh, hi guys,” began Xander, feeling a bit awkward. “This is Gabrelle,” Gabrelle offered a small wave, looking as shy as when she’d first asked to pet Freyja, “Gabrelle, this is the rest of the team. You’ve already met Frazay, and this is Atrax,” Atrax nodded his head politely towards the young woman, “he’s our mage and the scholar I mentioned, and that’s Graffus. He’s out man, uh dwarf I guess actually, to make the phrase correct, who makes sure nothing gets too close to us squishier folks.”
“Pleased to meet ya,” Graffus greeted Gabrelle. He seemed to have no compunctions about the girl joining the team. “Welcome aboard, Gabrelle. We got ourselves a contract here that should be just perfect to start you out on.” Graffus laughed, saying, “It ought to be less of an event than Xander’s first contract!”
“Did something happen on your first contract?” Gabrelle asked.
“Well, a few things happened. I expect Graffus is referring to the bone giant though. Or maybe the goblins? Nah, probably the bone giant.”
“A bone giant?” Gabrelle said, a mixture of awe and fear creeping into her voice.
“Well, it was a ‘small’ bone giant from what they keep telling me. Small must be relative though, because it sure didn’t feel small to me. We managed well enough, though.” Xander was still proud of his contribution to that fight, even if he did feel the need to specify the size of the monster so that he felt less boastful.
“Wow… I sure hope nothing like that happens to me any time soon.” Gabrelle let a little bit of anxiety creep into her voice.
“No need to worry about that sort of thing yet,” Graffus said. “What we’ve got is a nice, cushy bodyguard detail. With you as our fifth and rounding us out a bit more, Gabrelle, we’re prime candidates for that kind of contract right now. Of course, we do still like to do other kind of contracts. We’re all fond of exploration contracts, for example. Especially Atrax, since it relates to his [Scholar of the Ancient] class. If it looks exciting and pays well, we’re willing to try it, as long as the risks aren’t too great that is.
“I’ve always wanted to go on an exploration contract,” said Gabrelle, wistfully. “I used to dream about traveling to ancient ruins or fallen temples deep in the forests and jungles.”
“I think we can manage similar, though maybe not that exact scenario,” Atrax said, finally joining the conversation. Gabrelle’s desire to explore the world had evidently softened his stance towards her slightly. “Us three have been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things, and I’m sure you and Xander will have to opportunity to see more with us. If you decide to stick around. Mercenary work can be hard, and bloody sometimes, and none of us are going to hold it against you if you decide that either it or just our team isn’t a good fit for you.” He evidently was unsure if Gabrelle would last, given her rather gentle demeanor and young age.
“I’ll do my best, I swear! I’ve always wanted to be a mercenary and see the world, it’s just that everyone around me always put me down for the idea… Even my friends laughed at me when I said I wanted to join. They just kept asking why I didn’t want to work in an herb shop or help with injured at on of the churches.” Gabrelle sounded completely dejected describing how her ‘friends’ had reacted to her dreams of adventure.
“Well as long as you’re with us, you won’t have to worry about being judged for being a mercenary,” Graffus chuckled. “And we’ll do our best to make sure you learn the trade, too.”
Gabrelle clasped her hands together, looking like she might shed a few tears. “Thank you so much for taking me on, I promise I won’t be a burden.”
Frazay clapped her on the shoulder, “Well let’s get this contract up to the counter and assigned to us so we can get you started! By the way, we’re staying at Robert’s if you ever can’t find us. You’ve got a place to stay ‘round here, right?”
Gabrelle looked nervous and said, tentatively, “Well, I was staying at my parents’. But they’re going to be furious with me for going out and joining the guild after they’ve been trying so hard to keep me from doing it. I don’t have much coin right now, so I don’t know if I could afford to stay somewhere else, though. Do, do you think it would be okay if I stayed with you? I don’t mind sleeping on the floor! I’ve even got my own bedroll. I’ll have to wait until we get paid for this contract to buy much else, though…”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. You can sleep on the floor in my room if you really want to. It certainly won’t be the last time you sleep without a bed in this line of work,” Frazay offered good-naturedly. “As for equipment, you shouldn’t need too much for this one. We should get you some armor just in case, though. Can’t be too careful, after all. If you can’t afford to buy any, if you ask Xander really nicely, I bet he’d make you some if you can get him the raw materials.”
Xander rolled his eyes at Frazay volunteering his services but didn’t really mind. “Yeah, I can do that if you need, Gabrelle. What kind of armor or weapons are you thinking about getting, anyway?”
Gabrelle seemed taken by surprise by the question. “I hadn’t really thought about it, I suppose. My class doesn’t offer me any strength or endurance, at least not right now, so I guess something light. I don’t really know how to use any specific weapon either… besides using a stick as a sword.” She was quickly sounding like she was realizing just how little she knew about combat.
“Right, so probably some studded leather like Frazay has. Light enough, but sturdy. As for a weapon, something simple. A simple club or a mace, probably. Maybe a dagger, too. I can’t promise your outfit will be stylish, just that I’ll do my best with what you give me.”
“Thank you so much!” Gabrelle gushed, grabbing Xander’s hand in the process and hopping up and down a few times. “I’ll get you the best stuff I can with what I have saved up! Oh I’m so excited to have my own armor and weapon!”
Xander carefully retrieved his hand from Gabrelle’s excited grasp. Having his hand held, in any manner, had reminded him of the way he used to hold his wife's hand. He didn’t fault Gabrelle for it, though, she had just been excited, and he kept the sad thought from his voice the best he could. “Don’t spend too much on it, you should try and make sure you always have a little bit to fall back on in an emergency. And some advice for you: I can work with things that have already been crafted, so if you buy a few broken swords or leather that’s been torn, it shouldn’t be an issue. Ought to save you some money, that way.”
Gabrelle nodded, still wide eyed with excitement and seemingly in awe of Xander’s ability to conjure her up some armor and a weapon or two.
The five of them made their way to another line at the counter, which was moving slightly slower than the one that had been manned by the ultra-professional clerk.
Xander turned to Atrax and asked, “So what is this contract, anyway? Graffus said bodyguard detail, there any more details beyond that?”
Atrax shook his head. “Not really. Bodyguard contracts are often sparse in details. Otherwise, anyone could walk in and read about where some bigwig is going and what they might do. Once you accept the contract, you usually meet with the client beforehand to receive more details.”
“Makes sense. Who’s it for, do we know that much at least?” Not that Xander would recognize any name that was given to him, but he still wanted to know.
“This one’s for the Huraven family. A minor offshoot family of the Barony around here. That’s the Ravelt family, since I know you don’t know. The Huravens are old money, so they’re a fixture in the social sphere, but they aren’t notable for much. Pretty much the only thing they’re known for is how involved they are with the local guards and constabulary. The family provides them with a lot of resources, and many members are part of the guard itself. They pride themselves on being peacekeepers and investigators for the barony that their family stems from.”
“Huh. Okay. Well at least they sound like a decently upright group. Law and order and all that.” Xander didn’t have much of an opinion to give.”
“Just don’t get on their bad side, otherwise every guard in the city will be looking for an excuse to take you down a notch.”
“Right.”
The five mercenaries waited for their turn in line, idly discussing what the contract might entail, or answering questions that Gabrelle had. Soon they were in front of the attendant, another man, who seemed slightly more willing to hold a conversation with customers than the previous attendant Xander and Gabrelle had seen. “What can I do for you folks?”
Atrax handed over the slip of paper that had been posted on the wall containing the contract details. “We’re wanting to take this contract here.”
The man read over the contract quickly. “See here it notes a request for a team that can defend, and preferably has a healer type of class. You five meet that requirement?” He looked the five of them up and down, trying to assess them.
“That we do,” Graffus said, looking up at the man. “I play the role of the classic defender as a [Shield Bearer], we have a [Fire Mage] for area denial, an [Archer] and [Ranger] for providing covering fire, as well as an [Artificer] for utility who also happens to be a [Soldier]. And our newest member here,” at this Gabrelle beamed at Graffus and the attendant behind the counter, “is a [Medic]. I’d say we fit the bill pretty well, but you can pull our files if you really need to.”
“No, no, I believe you. Just have to ask, some teams think they can take on contracts outside of their scope. Sounds like you’ve got yourself a good, wide net to cast, though. Good on you, I swear I’ve seen so many teams that only do one kind of contract today. Nice to have a little variety. Give me a moment, please, and I’ll have the details for the meeting with the client right over.” The man turned away from them and searched through a few drawers. “Ah! Here it is. So many papers to keep track of.” Coming back to the group, he slid the new paper across the counter. “There you are, day and place to meet with the Huraven client is all right here.”