"This place?" Cade asked as she looked around the shabby, mostly empty pub Balgair led them to. "Really, snake-eyes."

"Yes, this place. And call me by my name. Snake-eyes is a poor nickname, anyway," Balgair answered as he led Cade and Aurelius to an empty table, amateurishly crafted from differently colored wooden planks.

"Well, Balgair is a poor name as well. Pick your poison," Cade said as she sat on one side of the table with Aurelius, Balgair sitting opposite them.

Aurelius raised his hand. "I think your name is just fine, Balgair."

Balgair sighed and shook his head before ordering a drink. "So, how about you introduce yourself now, boy-looking girl? I happen to be quite curious as to how thou reached the ultimate status of boy-looking girl."

Cade stared at Balgair with dead eyes. "You know you're not funny, right?"

"Well, he's laughing." Balgair pointed at Aurelius.

Cade looked to her side, where Aurelius was, his shoulders shaking as he sniveled with his eyes closed, mouth open, and head leaned back.

'How did he... Well, it's already midnight, and we haven't slept in over 24 hours. I guess it's good for him to rest up a bit,' Cade thought.

Then she looked back at Balgair. "He's asleep, dumbass."

Balgair put his palm on his mouth and gasped. "Really? I thought looking dumb as hell was just his natural state of being."

Cade rubbed her forehead. "You know, I don't really get why he wanted you to join us. You may be a decent combatant, and you may possess a peculiar technique, but I doubt you have enough brain cells to teach it to anyone."

Balgair leaned back and kicked his legs out under the table. "Then why did you take me in? Are you just incapable of saying no to your naive little boyfriend?"

Cade crossed her hands and snorted. "I said I doubted your teaching ability. I don't outright disbelieve in it. What I'm saying is that I'm giving you a chance. Help us and teach Aurelius, and you can stay as a member of our team."

"Hah, you think I want to stay with you that bad?" Balgair asked as if genuinely amused by such a thing. "What if I just walk?"

"Oh, you won't walk. If you try getting away, I'll kill you," Cade stated, like it made no difference.

Balgair maintained his amused smile and chuckled a bit, but Cade could see him shudder slightly.

Then Balgair raised his hands. "Okay, I'll teach your boyfriend. But would you mind telling me why you're with him? I mean, look at the guy," he said, pointing at Aurelius sleeping figure.

Cade dug at her teeth with her tongue as she thought of an answer. Then, with her brows slightly raised and an indifferent tone, she said, "Aurelius is special. I've never really met anyone who views essence like he does. It's life for him. And I believe he'll become one of the strongest ever."

"One of the strongest?" Balgair said this with pure shock on his face, looking like he would burst out in laughter any moment. "He couldn't beat me."

Cade scratched her head a bit. "He's inexperienced. But he's a quick learner. Fight him when he wakes up, and you'll lose," she said before putting her forearms on the table. "He also has a kind of instinct. I'm not sure how to explain it, but he's capable of great things when it matters most."

Balgair put his hands on his head with an exaggerated frown. "You sure it's not just because he's attractive? I wouldn't blame you. The dude looks like a prince."

Cade sighed and pointed at Balgair. "You should shut up about that before I crush all your teeth." She then leaned back and crossed her arms again. "Besides, I'm not fit for relationships. People around me tend to die a lot," she continued, glancing briefly at Aurelius. "Rey is just a companion, and he has enough potential to be a permanent one. Or so I hope."

"People around you tend to die a lot? Could you be a little more dramatic?"

Cade put her palms on the table and looked into Balgair's sly eyes. "Tell me your story. After that, I'll think about what to make of what just came out of your mouth."

"You know, death threats kinda lose their kick when they're overused," Balgair said as he dug his ear with his pinky finger. "But whatever. My story isn't really remarkable. I was born without mommy and daddy, rolled with some criminal organizations for a while, and now I steal the purses of young women to buy cigarettes while I wait to die."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Cade leaned her cheek against her fist. "Hmm, sounds about right."

"Yup, ain't life just great?" Balgair said before turning to the counter. "Hey, Jason, where the fuck is my drink? I asked for it minutes ago."

The bartender with a bald head and a goatee pointed to the counter in front of him, where a rose-colored glass stood. "Come and get it, Fox. There's no table service at these hours."

Cade was surprised to see Balgair obey the bartender and actually go get the drink. She got even more intrigued when the bartender pulled Balgair closer and whispered something. Then Balgair whispered something back, and the bartender looked a little surprised before nodding.

Cade didn't bother to enhance her senses and just asked Balgair when he came back to the table, "What did he whisper to you?"

"Just some racist shit. Apparently, no whites are allowed here. They tend to be loud and start fights," Balgair answered. "I just told him that Goldilocks is from Zalfari. People here tend to generalize all whites as people from the Thropes."

Cade widened her eyes with interest in the conversation. "Oh, I think the stereotypes about people from the Thropes are exaggerated. People there are actually quite courteous and fairly intelligent."

"Well, it is what it is. If you really want to help, go tell them to teach proper manners to the ones visiting outside countries and help them with some technological advancements. It's about time they stop being so stubborn and forget their little villages."

"Well, can you blame them for being stubborn and adamant in their way of living? People from Mircrest and Arkryk have done nothing but try to conquer them. If they had accepted all their gifts of technology, their cultures and societies would have been consumed already."

"Yeah, yeah. I know my history. You don't have to preach all the things you've heard on your travels to me. It would actually do you some good to pick up a book. I think you'd learn something very, very interesting," Balgair said with a smug look in his narrow eyes before taking a sip of his drink.

Cade scoffed and slapped Aurelius on the arm. "Hey, wake up. We're about to talk business."

Aurelius shut his mouth and returned his head to its normal position before looking around frantically. "What? Huh? What is it?"

"Focus. We're going to discuss something, and then you'll get to sleep in a real bed."

Aurelius rubbed his face with his palms before shaking his head and then starting to listen.

"So, about the heist," Cade said. "We were thinking of a really wealthy house with a past of corruption but not much military power."

Balgair put his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers. "There are really none of such houses that don't have ties with Numen. And I would rather you just kill me than be hunted by them for the rest of my life."

"Are you sure? I also don't want to get involved with Numen, so if there's a house that does meet those requirements, it's our best choice."

"But why do they have to be really wealthy? Why not just wealthy? That's enough for your purposes, right?"

"Well, Aurelius thought it would be best if we didn't completely bankrupt our target. I have no opinion on the matter."

Aurelius nodded proudly at the introduction of his requirement.

Balgair rubbed his forehead and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, there's the Venenum house, which meets the requirements of being really wealthy, corrupt, and not affiliated with Numen. But they have the most military power of any single house. So no to that," Balgair said. "Then there's the Boerlow house, which meets every requirement except for really wealthy. That house is dying, and Numen doesn't really care for it, so we can go in and take everything with little to no consequences. I suggest we do so."

"House Boerlow it is," Cade decided.

"But wait, we'll bankrupt them."

Balgair leaned in closer and peered into Aurelius eyes. "I get that you're an idiot, but please start trying your best to be less of an idiot because it's really getting on my nerves. The Boerlows are corrupt. They deserve what's coming for them. And besides, after we're through with them, they'll be able to afford good lives."

Aurelius pursed his lips and sat back. "Fine," Aurelius said, standing up with a sigh. "Now, where can I find that bed you were talking about?"