By noon most of those the council was seeking to employ were either recruited by them or someone else. They knew it was a possibility the same people they want were sought after by others and David could not blame them for taking someone else's offer without knowing their own. By five in the afternoon, the council had already gone over double the original budget plan and all the recruiting of the lower grade workforce was done. Only the stranglers that were popular like David’s third high-priority pick were left.

Bracket was done early because she was an exiled dwarf. Few people would want her with that distinction unless they read she refused to be a brewer when she watched her grandmother drown in a vat of beer being made. The tax man was done early as well because most organizations do not consider such people till it is time to start collecting on them. That left David with the group of workers and their families. Who for the most part just wanted safety, a home, and a job. Which David was granting them that and more.

David woke from his minute-long nap when a system message came for him that he was next in the queue for the final professional of the group. Silve looked over at him just as exhausted from the day's efforts as well.

“ Want us to attend as well Laddy? Who we are going through now are young bards and minstrels.”

David shook his head. The one part that allowed David to go threw this next interview was the fact he did not have to deal with the equivalent to college rock bands. Also known as hormonal teenagers.

“ No, you and Gark keep doing what you are. Even if we get a hundred failures if we can get a handful of successful ones. Well, that will help our situation immensely.”

Silve merely nods and takes a drink of his beer before looking at the goth teen with more metal on their face than the dwarf’s beard. David shrugged and sorted the papers he left laying about before taking a drink of water. Before he even put it down a lycan that was clearly not from Gark tribe appeared. Who looked at the new addition before tensing up startling the pop singer he was talking to.

“ Greetings Master Herbalist and Alchemist Swiftbranch. I am Lord David Warright. One of the councilors of Unity and I hope you will join us...”

Swiftbranch turned to look at Gark who dismissed the pop singer to look at the one looking at him.

“ Why am I not speaking to him?”

David smiled at that and pulled out Stargazer and pointed it right at Swiftbranch’s head. This caused the lycan to turn back toward David.

“ Because I am the one most able to kill a traitorous bitch such as yourself. Oh, I read your bio and heard the stories from the other two. You are someone we need but not necessarily someone we must have. I got a list of a hundred names of people still up for grabs that are a bit less skilled and talented than you that will do as well as you.”

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Swiftbranch stands straight and looks down at David.

“ And what do you know of what I have had to do to survive? Raised by delusional elf parents who could not conceive one of their bastards on their own. Taught the ways of herbalism in a society that thinks of you as nothing more than a sad couple's pet. Do you know how many deaths of my people I have caused?”

David looked at the lycan and slowly put his weapon down on the table before standing and removing the shirt he was wearing. The lycan blinked realizing David right face was not the only burn mark on his body. But his entire right chest area seemed partially collapsed still covered by a thin pink layer of newly grown skin. The lycan could see the malformed muscles that were still being regrown as he breathed.

“ Don’t presume you are the one with the highest body count in this room. Nor have done the most in the name of survival. Do you want to know how I got these burns? I will let you know right now they were self-inflicted.”

Swiftbranch winces hearing that and relaxes to the point of sitting in the provided chair.

“ I have seen your bid, and have passed up those offering vastly more than you. So tell me why I should pass you up as well. I got dozens of meetings after this one still.”

“ It takes a big man to heal those that slaughter and enslave your people. It takes an even bigger man to develop a medicine to allow your adopted parents to have a natural birth.”

“ So that is what this is about, the miracle medicine.”

David rolls his eyes.

“ Please, my people developed the blue pill decades ago.”

David pushes a paper listing the patent for a viagra variant in front of him and Swiftbranch blinked reading it.

“ I... um...”

David taps the table to single the lycan to put it back on the table and he does.

“ Look, if I could, I would agree to have your parents here, but you and I both know the elves will be outcasts here.”

Swiftbranch looked at the dwarf and lycan again and David allowed him that.

“ You will assume a new name, a lycan name, maybe even your original one,... if you still remember it. The only ones that will know your history are those at the table now. Who have it in their best interest to have the greatest healer your previous world had seen in centuries working for us. And there will be some leeway, but you do have a history. So please, do not fuck up too badly. Be a healer, maybe start a family and take a few apprentices.”

Swiftbranch looked at David again then at the other two councilors before sighing.

“ My born name, Greenclaw, I... I want to add a few others as well. My parents were paid a few times with slaves. They... we were nothing more than pets for some of them. An amusement to watch and pass the time with... If they can come too.”

“ Of course, you should have a list of names on your menu that you can select me to recruit. Since it seems to own people was removed when the Chance happened, at least for now, I should be able to get them to join us.”

To David and the other councilors, surprised Greenclaw took to his knees and bowed his head to David as he started crying.

“ Thank you... Thank you... Thank you so much. You have no idea the hell those elvish bastards made our lives... I... We will never be able to repay you.”

David smiled as the stress and tension left his body. So much so that he drifted off to sleep from his built-up exhaustion.