The Hunters’ guild in Acies handed out assignments to hunters and adventurers who came to the city. The guild also functioned as a place for adventurers to come and sell any of their salvaged goods or artifacts for a decent price. One could make a good living from the Hunters’ guild, whether they worked there or sold their goods there.

One person who'd believed such a thing was the clerk who worked there. His boss told him that weekdays were slow. That was because hunters and adventurers would typically be in the middle of their expeditions during the week, so he shouldn’t expect many people to come in to rent out the training or sparring grounds. Though there was the odd hunter and adventuring group that would visit now and then to sell their goods, the clerk felt the day slowly pass by him like a snail trying to climb a tree.

A voice came from outside the front door, “The sparring grounds here seem big enough. Let’s go and ask if they’re free.”

The clerk took note of the first voice he'd heard all day. Customers? He readied himself to talk to the customers, these were some of the first he’d serve on the weekday shift.

However, these customers were far more than he'd bargained for.

As the door opened, the air grew cold and heavy. The distinctive red hair and red eyes of the Deceiver came through the door. Frozen, the clerk stared at him with wide eyes.

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The Deceiver stared at the clerk, “What the... Why’s he like an icicle?” There was nothing but genuine concern in his voice.

The black haired man with a ponytail yanked the Deceiver's sleeve, “It’s because you’re the Deceiver, idiot. Tone down the pressure.” The man had a scar running down his right eye. The clerk audibly gulped.

It took the Deceiver a second to realise his presence was suffocating the poor clerk, “Oh... Oh right. I’ll just tone it down then.”

Relief.

The clerk felt nothing but relief.

As if he could only just breathe now, the clerk took multiple heavy breaths. He pointed toward the sparring grounds and gave a thumbs up as he heaved and gulped down large chunks of air.

The Deceiver left some gold coins on the desk, “The sparring grounds are open?" He turned to the little girl beside him, which the clerk had only just noticed, and gave her a high-five. He turned back to the clerk and smiled, "We’ll be on our way there then, thanks!”

The black haired man stared at the Deceiver as they walked away from the front desk towards the sparring grounds, “You’re overpaying.”

The Deceiver shrugged, “Thought I’d tip him since he nearly died.”

The black haired man rolled his eyes, “How generous.”

Following behind the two men were two children who seemed like polar opposites. The first was the girl that high-fived the Deceiver. She held herself high and proud. The second seemed a bit more... conserved. He looked like he was focused on himself without a care for the world around him.

The clerk sat down in his chair and leaned back. This might be the strangest day I’ve ever had. He pocketed the excess gold and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Hope they don’t destroy the place. I'd rather not get fired on my first day at work.

However, even though he was worried about it, the clerk threw away his concerns. In the end, there was literally nothing he could do to stop them.