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Today, Gibber introduced me to a man named Sam Bueve.

He was a titan of a man. Muscular and stood over seven feet tall (2.15 meters). His size made me wonder if he was giant-kin. Despite Sam’s imposing appearance, he was actually a very pleasant individual. Friendly and amenable to talk with. It was surprising to learn that he was trained as a combat mage and mercenary.

I have always been under the impression that mercenaries were unpleasant people to interact with. But, Sam seemed to fly in the face of that assumption. I guess one should never judge a book by its cover.

Gibber told me that Sam would be in charge of the security detail. I was to talk to Sam and explain the possible dangers we may face while in the Graylands.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I explained to Gibber and Sam that any records of dangers in the Graylands are purely psychological and supernatural. It wasn't something that I believed Sam’s military training could protect against.

Despite my reservations, Sam insisted that he and his mercenary team should be part of the expedition, arguing that there might be physical dangers not accounted for in the records. I could only smile at his persistence. After all, Sam was still a mercenary, clearly looking to secure a lucrative contract from Gibber. Yet, there was some truth to his reasoning. Having a team with combat experience could indeed prove valuable in the unpredictable terrain of the Graylands. And, considering it was Gibber’s money funding the expedition, I saw no reason to object.

In the end, I didn’t attempt to stop Sam’s mercenaries from joining our team. Besides, I was certain that his crew possessed a range of skills beyond combat that would be useful during the expedition. Their presence might even turn out to be an unexpected asset in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

And to be honest, I found Sam quite charming. A man clearly hailing from good blood. I feel like I could trust him.