On a sunny balcony somewhere far away from Barnock, five people sat across from each other. It wouldn’t be accurate to call them friends—or even coworkers. Though they all knew each other, or at least of each other, it would have been generous to call them acquaintances.

All of them were famous around the world, to varying degrees. They’d all saved cities, ended wars, killed monsters, some had even worked with Adamantite. Those kinds of things were a given for Mythrill Adventurers, something that all of them were.

After finishing their lavish, seven-course meal—courtesy of The Guild—a woman came out onto the balcony. It was the Vice President of the Mythrill Dispatch Department. Someone they’d all worked with in the past.

“Talkative bunch, aren’t you?” She wore thick-rimmed glasses and a white button-up, both decorated with splashes of gold and other valuables, “I thought that little treat would have been a nice ice-breaker activity. Tough crowd.”

“Cut the chase, I’ve wasted enough time here.” The speaker was a low baritone. His angular face looked as though it was cut from stone, “What needs to die?”

“That dinner cost me a good deal, Rivv. Can’t you at least try to put up with my pleasantries?” She took a seat at the head of the table, “You know I try my best to keep you people happy right? I guess I can’t win.”

“I do appreciate the gesture, Ms. Vice President, but we have been here for a while now. I’ve got to get back to my kids tonight, so I’d like to finish early as possible.”

The Vice President groaned, “Ugh, we’ll be brief then, Ms. Canta. But did anyone enjoy the meal?”

“It was alright.” The more polite respondent was called Nvili.

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“Thank you! Someone actually gets it.” She grabbed a few platinum coins from her pocket and slid them over to him, “Well fine then, let’s get down to business. I need you guys to go to a country called Barnock and overthrow its government. Its an island nation somewhere in the Helenia Archipelago.”

Nvili twiddled with the coins, “Why?”

“Going against HQ’s mandates. They banned Demon hunting and when we told them to stop, they refused. I imagine the job will take a few days at most, Barnock is a pretty weak nation.”

A man who had been sitting next to Nvili looked her in the eye, “And how exactly do you intend for us to go about this? For that matter, why are five Mythrills necessary for something this minor?”

“Well, Saul, that’s easy. You can do whatever you want to finish the job. That could include killing their royalty, forcing them to surrender, or more subversive tactics. HQ doesn’t care. As for why five Mythrills were requested, that’s because there’s word that their national hero, Alissa Grivelspyre, might still be alive.”

“That was the girl who killed a Yakaranda a few years ago, right? I heard about that.”

“Yeah. If she’s going to be a player, I’d rather err on the side of caution. After all, it would cause me a lot of trouble if one of you were to die.”

“Is she that big of a threat?”

“HQ seems to think so. They did, after all, give me the budget to hire five Mythrills for this mission.”

“Is there anyone else worth note?”

“None that I’ve been informed of. Their Queen is ability user, but not a particularly noteworthy one. She can do necromancy.”

“I see. You mentioned the budget. What’s the pay for this one?”

The Vice president smirked, “Fifty platinum each.”

“Not bad. I’m in.”

“Great, what about the rest of you?”

“I’m in.” If Saul was going, then naturally Nvili would as well.

Canta was the next to join, “The pay is suspiciously good. I’m weary, but I suppose I’m in either way.”

The stony-looking man, Rivv spoke next, “You should have started with the pay. I’m in.”

The last person, who’d been silent until that point spoke quietly, “I’ll pass on this one. I’ve got a soft spot for Demons.”

“Do as you like. In that case, I guess the pay for the rest of you goes up.” She adjusted her glasses, “Good stuff! When is the soonest that everyone can leave?”

After some more deliberation, it was determined that they would embark for Barnock in three days. Far sooner than the Vice President had planned.