“Seriously, you are going to absolutely love them,” Kayla gave the young archer a once-over, “and at least one of them is going to be a big fan of you,” she said with a wink.

Figo smiled sheepishly and pushed his still-growing teenage legs to keep pace. Kayla was tall, and endlessly energetic, transforming her walking pace into the average person’s light jog.

“Is it much further?” Figo bleated, painfully aware that they were drawing looks from the locals, his locals, many of whom knew him by name.

“Nah, can’t be much further,” she said without basis, “It’s just around this corner, I think. The Hairy Dog?”

“Hair of the Dog,” Figo corrected, sighing a little as he recognized the name of the tavern on the outskirts of Gladstone, “This way, please.”

“You sure?” Kayla frowned, whipping her braided hair left and right as she tried to rebuild a picture of the route she had taken.

“Yes, ma’am, quite sure,” Figo nodded.

Kayla shuddered as if an ice cube had slid down her spine, “You can cut it with the ma’ams. I’m only a handful of years older than you! Besides, that’s not how we do things. Team is team. There’s no commander and chief here to scrape and bow to.”

“Yes, ma-”

Kayla fixed him with a glare.

“Yes, Kayla,” Figo corrected, smiling slightly.

Kayla’s serious demeaner cracked and she was all smiles again, “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Figo shook his head and ushered Kayla in the right direction. He would have been grateful to be able to set the pace, but he could feel her restlessness and tried his hardest to mimic the speed she had charged off at. Besides, he was feeling incredibly exposed right now, and was just as keen to be away.

“Locals around here don’t exactly come across as friendly,” she snorted, and then remembered who she was speaking to, “I mean, obviously some of them are.”

“They’re nice enough.”

“For a trading town they don’t seem too used to foreigners,” she looked down at herself, “Is it the way I’m dressed?” the tall, tanned woman sounded suddenly self-conscious.

Figo glanced back at her but dropped his gaze almost instantly. It was true that her style was unusual for the climate, her midriff was exposed, as were her arms and shoulders, but Figo knew this was not the crux of the matter. Gladstone was conservative, to be sure, and trade had indeed withered over the years to only incapsulate a few of the neighboring towns and cities; the traders from those areas were as familiar here as the migrating birds. Still, that was not the issue.

“I normally wear armour but I figured we were safe in town, and it was such a warm day…” Kayla trailed off as she rubbed the tan lines on her arm and covered her comparatively pale stomach reflexively.

“They’re not staring at you,” Figo assured her, “they’re staring at me.”

“At you?”

Figo’s head danced a little as he considered how to phrase this, “I think they’re not quite used to seeing me out without my father,” he said, an apology colouring his tone.

“Are you for real? Geez, this place is a little big to have that kind of small-town mentality.”

“Well, not a lot changes here. Most people are set in their ways,” Figo explained. He waved to a tanner he knew, who stared back in response.

Kayla caught the exchange, “Say, Figo, we’ve got a bit of time, why don’t you take us through some of the side streets? These main roads are making me a little claustrophobic, and they all look kind of samey.”

Figo grinned, his face awash with gratitude, “It would be my pleasure.”

It took them twice as long to reach The Hair of the Dog as it should have, but Kayla’s companions didn’t seem too bothered by their tarrying. They found the other two perching on a bench outside the tavern, smoking from a pipe and sipping ale.

Closest to them as they approached was a large, athletic man, with a broadsword resting against his leg and muscle definition that made him look like he had been drawn using a set square. He was tanned to the point where his hair and skin appeared the same colour, and he had a perpetual outdoors voice to match his outdoorsy appearance. He was drinking from a horn that was clearly his own, smiling and laughing easily.

Almost completely obstructed from view by the warrior, sat the third and final member of the triad. She was almost as tanned as the other two, but she had short, bright blonde hair sticking out in patches, giving her the appearance of a frothy chestnut ale. Her free hand rested on a bow whenever she wasn’t taking the pipe, and leather trousers tucked into high boots completed the look, marking her as the scout of the group.

“Hail, Kayla,” the warrior called at point-blank range, “How went the hunt? I see you have brought us a lamb for the slaughter.”

“Knock it off, you clown,” Kayla said, punching Hein with a fist almost as big as his.

“Medic! Medic!” Hein screamed, clutching his bicep.

“Hilarious. Figo, meet Hein. We couldn’t afford a pack horse, so we got this ass instead.”

Hein shook Figo’s hand, “I grew nice and strong carrying this team,” he said with a wink, “You look like a capable sort. I look forward to working with you.”

Figo wasn’t sure if the other man was mocking him at first, given that Hein was easily two Figo’s in mass, but he sounded sincere.

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“Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity,” Figo responded.

“The midget eclipsed by Hein’s ego is Fiona,” Kayla said, moving along the introductions.

“Hi, handsome,” Fiona said between puffs of the pipe. She didn’t use ‘handsome’ as a compliment; she was just calling a spade, a spade.

“Hello, ma’am.”

Fiona raised an eyebrow at Kayla.

“Yeah, I’ve already told him once,” she turned to the Figo, “Knock that crap off. Trust is all about mutual respect, and we need to be able to trust you. You’re not here as some lacky, you’re here as part of the team.”

“Part of the team?” Hein asked, not unkindly.

“We needed a local hunter and I just happened to find one scuffing his feet at the mercenary guild. Figo here has just made the switch. We got yourselves two for the price of one.”

“Ohh, so you’re a mercenary as well, are you? In that case, welcome aboard,” Fiona said.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a mercenary as yet,” Figo mumbled, “I’ve registered with the guild but, umm, I’m afraid that’s about it.”

“Fresh blood,” Fiona said, baring her teeth theatrically, “So this is your first contract?”

“Well, I did fulfill a request for twelve squirrel pelts.”

Fiona’s lips curled into a smile.

Kayla scratched her nose vigorously.

“… So, this is your first contract!” Hein confirmed.

“No, I, uhh… Yes.”

“Perfect! I’ve never shown someone the ropes before,” Hein said, rubbing his hands together.

“He will be ours to mold and shape as we please,” Fiona added.

“Alright, enough, enough,” Kayla instructed, “Let’s talk him through the job, before he has the good sense to run.”

Kayla ushered the three of them inside, where she picked out a table in a dingy corner of the already dingy tavern. She unfurled a map while Fiona fetched a pair of candles to pin the parchment down and to give them light to work by.

“This job is a bit of a doozy, so listen carefully. It’s come to the attention of the local top-dogs that one of the entertainment kingpins in town, one Joshua Tallin, has been getting his ‘girls’ through illegitimate means. Trafficking, slavery, extortion, you name it; he’s been putting them to work and paying them little more than a meal a day.”

“So be careful where you spend your coin, kid,” Hein said with a wiggle of his bushy brows.

“Oh, I’ve never…”

Kayla continued, “Now, one of the other top dogs in Gladstone, I think his name was Duke Vagabond? Anyway, this guy has decided that he doesn’t want one bad egg ruining the omelet, so to speak, so he wants him removed. Permanently,” she told them.

“Are we supposed to,” Figo looked around before speaking, “assassinate someone?”

“Close, but not half as tidy,” Kayla downed half her beer, “Joshua Tallin got wind of the fact that Vagabond was out for blood, and skipped town last week. This Duke saw to it that Tallin was tried in absence, so this is all above board as far as the law is concerned. Still, to reduce the likelihood of retribution killings, Vaga-whatsit wants him done in discreetly. It’s no secret that they’re at odds, but plausible deniability will save a lot of face, and give Tallin’s allies a chance to back down without shame.”

“Obvious question but, if he skipped town, what are we doing here?” Fiona asked.

“Tallin has been keeping a low profile, but it has emerged that tomorrow he plans to make the journey back to Gladstone to conclude some sensitive business. We’re going to catch him on the road, and do our best to make sure he never makes that appointment. If all goes well, The Duke will spread the word that bandits got him.”

“I’ve never killed a person before,” Figo whispered.

“Just think of him as a giant squirrel, who’s done a whole lot of really bad things,” Fiona said, giving Figo a friendly elbow.

He let out a short burst of laughter and then shook his head, “Don’t worry. I know this is part of being an adventurer. It’s in almost all of the stories I can think of,” Figo clenched his jaw, “I’m nervous, but I’ll do my part.”

“Actually, your part starts right now,” Kayla gestured to the parchment in front of her, “I picked up this map in town but, as I’m sure you can tell, it’s a bit shit.”

“Where’s he coming from?” Figo asked.

“Someplace called Sanhurst.”

“Oh! It’s right there,” Figo said, waving to the South-East, “I mean, it’s there,” he pointed to it on the map.

“Yeah, we actually figured that out from the fact the name is written next to it,” Hein said.

Figo craned his neck to look at map, “I see. What do you need me for then?”

“Ambush points, Kayla explained, “Now, normally we would do a bit of prep in advance, scout the area and such, but time is of the essence here, so we need local knowhow. We need to figure out the best place to wait for this guy so we can get the drop on him without putting ourselves in too much danger.”

Figo made a show of studying the map, “Well there aren’t many options, Sanhurst really is right there. Unfortunately, though, there are two roads. The fastest route is between the hills, here, but it’s also more dangerous. The woods creep up the hillsides along that road, so bandits have been known to pester travellers. When I was a boy, they opened a new road, which goes over and around these hills here. It’s slower, but much safer.”

“Which one do you think he’ll take?”

“I really couldn’t say. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologising, kid, you’re giving me a headache,” Hein grumbled.

“Sorry.”

He held up a warning finger.

“S-,” Figo wrung his hands together, “Okay.”

“I was really hoping not to have to split up, but it seems we might not have a choice. Is there nowhere where the roads converge?”

“Not until they’re in sight of Gladstone, I’m afraid.”

“Less than ideal. Okay, show us the best points for each road, and we’ll make a decision based on that.”

Figo had to think for a bit, “The longer road really is very safe, but if they have carts or carriages then they’ll be forced to use it. The slopes on the North-Eastern side are visible, and there are only meadows to the South-West, but I think you could probably get the jump on him if you waited here,” he jabbed a smudge on the map, “That’s a watering hole, where the locals stop to let their horses drink. There’s not much in the way of cover, but a couple of years back a merchant set up a shack there, and there’s a herbalist as well. If you can convince them to let you hide inside, then you could probably k-,” he hesitated, “finish the job and get away on horseback.”

“That sounds like suicide,” Hein opined.

“It’s not great, not gonna lie. The other road?” Kayla asked.

“Here. The forest is dense and there’s a narrow choke point. It’s tough terrain if you don’t know it, but if you do?” Figo battled with a decision, “If you let me, I could take him out there and then disappear into the surrounding forest. I used to hunt these hills with my father during grouse season. I know my way around, and I’m,” he took a sharp breath, “confident I could lose any pursuers.”

“Well look at you, Mr. Hunter,” Fiona purred, “You’re taking to this pretty quickly.”

Figo gave a small smile, “I just want to help.”

“And help you shall!” Kayla beamed, “I like this plan. The watering hole one is a bit sketchy, but Hein and I will improvise. If we get an opening, we’ll take it. If we don’t,” she shrugged, “then I guess the job moves to Gladstone. At least we can keep tabs on him, maybe tail the scumbag.”

“Hold on. Hein and I will do what now?” the large man asked.

She ignored him, “With any luck, Tallin will take the forest route, and you and Fiona can catch him there. That would be best all-round.”

“You want Fiona to come with me?” Figo clarified.

“Spare me the lone wolf bit. I agree that Hein and I might struggle if the forest is as dense as you say, but Fiona’s a top-notch sniper, and as light footed as anyone I’ve met. She’ll back you up.”

“Yeah, can’t have you wandering off claiming the reward yourself, can we?” Hein grinned.

“I wouldn’t! I promise you, I wouldn’t!”

“Calm down, he’s just joking. We’ll work in pairs. It’s just safer that way,” Kayla ended the matter, “We’re not sure exactly what time Tallin plans to move, so we’re going to leave tonight and set up as soon as possible. In two nights, we’ll rendezvous back here, with either a sign that we’ve killed Tallin or info about where he’s going next. Everyone happy?”

Hein bobbed his head a bit before giving in, “Fine, happy. Let’s do this.”

“I’m happy,” Fiona said, ever-smiling. She finished her drink and turned to Figo, “Ready, partner?”