It was a beautiful morning, and after inquiring from people left and right, I aproached the Bounty Hunter building. The individuals here were much better dressed, and with my poncho, I felt like a homeless person. However, the rugged look might also make me look the part. The building itself stood three stories tall and featured a somewhat Byzantine architecture. As I made my way inside, I saw a clerk that sat behind a desk by the entrance. Moving towards him, he looked up from his ledger.

"Hello, how does one join the bounty hunter guild?" I tried to maintain a neutral tone, considering the importance of first impressions.

He glanced me over and asked, "Well, it depends on your skill set. This is a dangerous business, but judging by the glint in your eye, adventure is all you crave."

"Actually, money would be my main focus, as I’m pretty much destitute. Adventure can come later," I replied, opting for honesty.

"Well, the high-paying contracts are certainly dangerous," he pondered for a moment. "But people don’t pursue bounty hunting solely for the money unless they possess some specific advantages that can’t be leveraged elsewhere as easily." After a brief pause, he continued, "The entry fee is 5 dinari, and we take 20% of any bounty you complete."

I had 8 dinari, courtesy of Alira, so it was somewhat expensive, but it was what it was. After paying the fee, he jotted something down in his ledger and gestured for me to wait on a bench.

"Is there a board listing contracts that I can browse?" I inquired.

He looked at me with a scornful expression. "What kind of establishment do you think we're running here? Do you think you get to choose assignments on your first day? Didn't I already mention it's extremely dangerous? So no, you'll have to wait until a more seasoned hunter requires assistance. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours. "

Waiting for hours was again not my preferred way to spend my day, but what could I do? "Do you happen to have a newspaper or book I could read to pass the time?" I asked, not expecting much help from him.

"Do you think this is the church of the light? If you need something, get it yourself," he replied indignantly.

After several hours of excruciating boredom, during which my only entertainment was observing the various comings and goings, I began to discern some patterns. Most hunters operated in pairs or trios. The job was undeniably dangerous; over a third bore some kind of facial injury, whether from burns or scars. I figured if their faces, the least likely to get injured, looked this bad, they must have plenty of other wounds hidden beneath their clothes. It also seemed that men dominated this profession, as I saw very few women.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, a man asked me to follow him to an interior courtyard. It was a typical training ground, with dummies and racks of wooden swords. I was directed to a medium-sized man, clearly in excellent shape.

"Hey," I greeted casually as I approached the man.

He glanced up, his eyes scanning me briefly. "Get rid of those rags and grab some decent tunics and pants," he said, nodding toward a rack to my right.

I picked out some clothes that seemed to be my size and looked around before asking, "Is there a place I can change?"

He let out a sharp snort. "You think this is some noble's ball?"

At least I still had my boxers, so it wasn’t as embarrassing as it could’ve been.

"You're tall and broad-shouldered, but that belly of yours looks more suited to a noble than a farmhand. Pick up a sword, and let's see what you can do," he said, ready for action.

"I'm not the sword type; I've never held one before," I replied, feeling rather uncertain.

"So, not a noble, then. What class are you?"

"Mage."

He chuckled. "Then that explains the belly."

"Hey, I don't have a belly, perhaps some love handles, but nothing out of the ordinary."

"Okay, mage boy, let's see what you know. We can’t be sending people who perish on their first day out into the field," he said, taking a wooden sword and approaching me.

"Just so you know, I’m almost thirty," I retorted. Trash talk wasn’t something I was accustomed to, but I realized I shouldn’t take it personally.

He was fast. In three swings, he clipped my leg once and my shoulder twice, but the Shield deflected them. He punched me a few times, but they were also deflected. He must have assumed that the speed of the attack might factor in. He circled me, but clearly, he didn’t know how to proceed. His puzzled expression changed as he feigned a sword attack. When I lifted my hand to deflect, he took the opportunity to let the sword drop and seized my hand by the shoulder. In a judo-like maneuver, he threw me over his shoulder.

I discovered the hard way that the mana shield did not cushion falls. It made sense; you need something to slow you down. As the saying goes, it’s not the fall that kills you, but the sudden stop. I’d never taken a judo class, so the fall knocked the wind out of me. Breathing became easier after a while, but the pain followed soon after. Seeing me not getting up, a smile appeared on his face.

"You've got some unique talent; I’ll give you that. But if you rely on it exclusively, it's going to get you killed," he said, adopting a professorial tone. I was grateful that he had imparted the lesson here rather than in the field.

I quickly realized that the spar had attracted the attention of two men, and they were approaching me.

"That's an interesting skill you have there. I’ve never seen anything like it," the first man remarked.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I am a man of many skills, and by many, I mean one," I quipped.

"Well, it just so happens we have a new assignment, and we could use a third," the second man said.

"Do I get to inquire about it, or does the newbie simply say, ‘Sir, yes, Sir’?"

"We travel to the troll hinterlands far out east. Some noble’s first son bit off more than he could chew and got himself captured or killed... or worse." He seemed to shudder for a second but continued "His father would like to know for sure, being his first son and all. It’s very good money, but very dangerous."

"Trolls like to eat people first and ask questions later," the second man explained, his tone serious and cautious. The contract was nothing to joke about, but when had that ever stopped me?

"You had me at trolls," I laughed, and the first man smiled as well. He seemed to be the more personable one.

"My name is Viper, and my stoic friend here is Steel. Yes, these are not our real names, and if you want to be a bounty hunter, you should have a short name. It’s easier for the clients to remember and all that," Viper said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Well, call me… Spark. No, that sounds like a programming language someone just invented. How about Firespark?" I suggested, realizing that this name wasn’t perfect either, as I didn’t possess a fire spell.

"No, it’s too long. In moments of danger, we need to communicate quickly. So, Spark, welcome to the team," Steel said, shaking my hand as well. After a quick thanks to the trainer, whose name I didn’t even catch, we were on our way back to the desk. I really should ask people their names.

"So, you mentioned good pay. How good are we talking about?" I inquired.

"Hmm," Viper began, as if calculating something in his head. "50 dinari," he replied, sounding confident.

"Well, before I haggle, how much time do you think this little expedition will take?"

"Two or three weeks, with travel time. It depends on the condition of the roads and other complications that might arise. So, it's better to be safe and say three weeks," he replied honestly.

The dinner with Alira at the inn cost 30 silver, and it was a modest meal. Assuming proportions were similar to those in my world, with 100 silver equaling one dinari, it would be a rough estimate, but the monthly salary here seemed to be around 60 dinari, which made 50 dinari seem reasonable for three weeks of work.

"Make it 60, and we have a deal," I countered. A little haggling was expected.

"Welcome to the team," he said, looking overly pleased. It made me wonder if my haggling skills were atrocious or if my math was off.

"We leave at first light tomorrow. Meet us at the eastern gate at sunrise," he instructed, and with that, we parted ways.

I made my way back to the inn, and it was late afternoon by the time I arrived. After a generous late lunch or early dinner, I slowly realized that everyone used horses for travel. I doubted I would be sitting in a wagon the entire way.

I wasn’t a complete novice. My grandfather had two horses when I was little. No, he wasn’t rich; he lived in a village that resembled a third-world country where animals were essential for making a living. Granted, I was ten at the time, and those few lessons, if you could even call them that, might not amount to much. But I believed I remembered the basics: move with the horse. Sure, there was a big difference between riding a horse and sitting atop one, but how hard could it be?

It was getting late, and Alira was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t like the idea of leaving just a message for her. However, the night wasn’t getting any younger, and I needed to get some rest. A day of riding was going to be a nightmare. So, reluctantly, I went to sleep and asked the innkeeper to wake me half an hour before dawn.

In the morning, Alira had not returned. I left a message with the innkeeper, but realizing that I might never see her again was surprisingly tough for me. I had only known her for a few days, but she was my friend, my only friend, and losing that was very demoralizing. Should I just go back and wait for her? No, the message was there waiting, explaining that I would be back in three weeks. She had a job, an important one at that. She had other things more pressing than babysitting me.

As I was deep in thought and beginning to feel a little sad, I was startled awake by a familiar voice.

"Did you miss me?" Alira asked, jovial as ever.

"Some, not a lot," I eventually managed to say, but it was clear that surprise was written all over my face.

Seeing my surprise, she said, "I told the Governor about you and your unique skills and that you were considering a life of bounty hunting. I convinced him to offer you a job. He was skeptical, but when we got word about your impending troll expedition, he sent me to observe and rate your performance."

"That seems like a lot of trouble for little old me when you're a spy or whatever they call you here," I said, clearly doubtful.

"Well, it was less like convincing him and more like him ordering me to keep an eye on you after I told them what you could do," she admitted. Now she sounded honest, but still, something felt off. But maybe it was just my imagination. To keep with the horse motif, why search the gift-horse in the mouth?

"Well, I'm glad you're going with us," I replied, my voice perhaps a tad too sincere.

"Don’t go all teary-eyed on me," she said, adjusting one stirrup on her horse.

"I wouldn’t dream of it," I replied, and as I said it, my future companions were making their way towards us.

"How much are they paying you?" Alira asked, watching me with a curious eye.

"I haggled for 60 dinari," I replied, sounding more like I was questioning my own decision.

"You should have asked for double. It’s troll territory. I know you’re new and all, but they eat people first and ask questions later," she said, laughing at her own joke.

"Yes, I was informed of that delightful saying, but I didn’t have any point of reference to base my sum off," I said, trying not to sound too swindled.

Viper and Steel reached us and nodded to Alira; it seemed they knew each other. Viper, being the talkative one, addressed her first.

"Not that I’m complaining, but why are you coming with us? Doesn’t Shadowmere have a non-aggression pact with the Troll clans?" he seemed more curious than anything.

"You know how those trolls can be. Maybe I’m here to prevent you from doing something that could jeopardize the treaty," she said, though she didn’t sound convinced herself.

Looking at me, Viper continued, "Well, then, mage boy here must have your undivided attention, then."

This was getting frustrating. "Why does everybody think I’m 15? I'm 27," I said, surprising even Alira with that revelation.

"Really? With your cheerful disposition and looks, I didn’t think you were over 20," Viper commented.

"We have really good skincare where I come from. I don’t know what else to tell you. How old are you, then?" I asked, looking at him, then at Steel.

"Thirty-one," said Viper. Now it was my turn to be shocked; I guess these people led hard lives. He looked forty, easily. "Steel is almost forty," he continued, and by now, I was expecting him to look even older.

"And you, Alira?" I asked. I was sure she was going to dodge the question, but it had to be asked.

"If there is one thing that must be true in all the worlds in existence, it is that you never ask a lady her age," she said, matter-of-factly.

The men smiled and mounted their horses, as did Alira a moment later. They motioned to an extra horse they had brought. Well, there’s no time like the present to relearn things.

However after three unsuccessful attempts to mount the horse, I was starting to feel tense.

"Have you ever ridden a horse?" Steel asked in a very serious tone.

"I may be a little rusty," I admitted, but I avoided his gaze.

"Rusty? I know toddlers who can’t talk but ride better than you."

The insults would keep coming. So, taking a deep breath, I forced myself to keep trying, and finally, after a few more tries, I succeeded.

"Finally!" Viper exclaimed.

As we started moving the horse was clearly maintaining a normal pace, but I was somehow out of sync with him, and the mana shield did not cushion the hits. Even the horse seemed annoyed; I guess its back hurt as well.

Steel added, “You know how I said it’s gonna take three weeks? Well, it’s gonna take four weeks now, guaranteed!” They all started laughing, and eventually, I joined in.