Terran left the tavern after promises that he would say nothing to father about my departure until after I was gone. I knew I could trust him in that respect. His loyalties had always been split between my father and I, but when it came to something as simple as withholding information until I was safely out of my father's reach, I knew he would follow through on his promise.

We stayed the night at the tavern once again, with plans to head to the Lounge first thing in the morning to hire a mercenary. Nyx had mentioned she had someone in mind, and I hoped he would be available. I wasn't really willing to wait around for very long to hire a particular person. I wanted to leave as soon as possible and make most of the trip to Whispermere while the weather was nice and warm.

The next morning, Silas and I followed Nyx through the busy city streets, past street vendors and magicians, using illusion magic to awe small children and extort money from their parents. After a good twenty minutes of walking a zigzagged path through the cobblestone streets, we followed her to the door of an unmarked building. Had I not known its purpose, I would have simply walked past it. It baffled me why they didn't have a sign, and I was sure they probably lost potential customers with their apparent secrecy.

Nyx led the way inside the building. Curious eyes glanced up at us as we walked in, though Nyx's presence seemed to sate their interest, as they most likely thought we were all mercenaries. The building was run-down, with a floor of dirt and a stench of body odor. People of all shapes and sizes sat at various tables, some drinking mysterious liquids from bagged bottles, others chatting with their peers. I glanced over to a corner, watching a grungy, shady looking man exchange a bottle of what I assumed was rempka, an addicting and life-altering liquid drug, for a couple of gold coins from a very eager customer.

I followed Nyx down a short hallway and into another room much like the first, with Silas on my heels. I figured he would be uncomfortable in such a place, and to be honest, I wasn't too enthusiastic to be there, either.

I felt a nudge at my side. Nyx leaned close to me and whispered, “He's here. Back right corner. Male human. Hot. Long brown hair, scar on his face.”

I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her description as my eyes found the man she spoke of. “He's good?”

“He's always one of the first to get hired. I'd go and interview him, if I were you.”

“Noted,” I replied, starting to walk toward the man. “I've got nothing to lose.”

The mercenary noticed my approach and watched me with eagle-like eyes as I made my way toward him, realizing that I wasn't here looking for work. He sat up straight, clasping his hands on the table as I sat across from him.

“What can I do for you?” He asked.

“I've been told you're good at what you do, so I want to know what exactly it is that you do,” I said, noticing it was an awkward statement only after it had come out.

He huffed a laugh. I eyed the scar on the right side of his face. It looked like he'd narrowly dodged a sword swing that had aimed to cut his head in half vertically. He had dark brown hair that hung shoulder length, and his face was full of stubble. Slight creases on his face gave away that he was probably in his early forties, and had spent many days in direct sunlight. His eyes were a few shades lighter than his hair and gave away the man's intelligence.

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“You've been told I'm really good at what?” He questioned.

I jerked my thumb back at Nyx. The man before me nodded in understanding. “You get hired before the others. There's probably a reason why.”

He pondered this. “Yeah. Probably.”

“What's your name?”

“I am Theron,” he replied, simply. His eyes lowered to the table, taking in my many rings. “You are a mage?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“What does a mage want with a mercenary?”

“I'm looking to add to my crew,” I replied. “We have an assassin, an archer, and a mage between the three of us, and we're looking to add a few to maximize our abilities before we leave Sera. I have somewhat of a personal quest.”

“Where will you be going?”

“Whispermere,” I replied.

“That is quite far,” Theron mused.

“You will be paid well. We'll split any loot or profits equally along the way, and I am willing to give you a payment upfront and a payment when we return.”

Theron thought about this for a moment. “How long do you think this will take? Once we get to Whispermere, what business do you have to take care of?”

“I am currently uncertain, which I know is inconvenient to hear. If it will take me a long while, I will pay the remainder to you there. It's even possible that if we work well together, I would want to keep you with us for permanent mercenary work. It's an option I, myself, am considering.”

“This seems a bit hard to believe,” Theron said, his eyes judging me. “Why would you offer me this without knowing what it is that I do?”

“I'm not offering it to you yet. I'm explaining my plan because you asked.”

“That's fair,” he admitted. “Well, to answer your inquiry, I fancy myself a ranger.”

“What are your skills?”

“I fight with a bow and dual blades, depending on the situation. I am also a scout, trained in the ways of both prevention of attacks and hunting down targets. I know weather patterns and I can judge landscapes well, figure out the best path to take in the case of trouble. I know wildlife inside and out and can keep you alive if tragedies befall us in the wilderness, though I'm sure your elven friend here is well rehearsed in such things as well.”

“What kinds of survival techniques do you know?” Silas asked from just behind me.

“How to make salves to prevent infections or rid the body of poisons. What types of plant and animal life are poisonous, what kinds are edible. How to keep frostbite from taking a limb. Wound care. That sort of thing.”

Theron sounded extremely useful. I decided to ask him a question tailored to figuring out his beliefs. “Let's say I wanted to hire you to kill a target and I just told you the location. Would you accept the job?”

“Is this a theoretical question, or a real question meant to sound as such?” He questioned.

“Answer it honestly, and I'll tell you.”

“I would be able to complete the job, but I normally want reasons for killing.”

“What if I gave you none?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “It would depend on how desperate for money I was, and I haven't been desperate to eat in a long while.”

I liked the sound of that. “It was a theoretical question, by the way.”

“I respect that,” the ranger replied.

“Are you interested in working with us?” I asked him.

“The job sounds tempting,” he said. “The only thing keeping me from saying yes is not knowing how much you're offering.”

“That's understandable. What are you asking for upfront?”

“A couple hundred gold,” he said, before a hearty laugh.

“Done.”

Theron's smile faded. “Either you're joking, you're desperate, or you're stupid as hell,” he commented.

“I'd hope I was none of those things. I won't be paying you the money until we're ready to set off, which should be in a few days, so I know you can't run off with it.”

“That's not the reason I said that,” he replied. Eyeing me suspiciously, he went on, “Why are you considering working permanently as a mercenary if you have a few hundred to spend on me upfront? You can't possibly be hurting for money.”

“I'm not hurting for money, my friend, but for purpose.”

Theron watched me carefully. He looked back down at my rings, studying them closely. “I don't believe I caught your name,” he said.

“I'm Kai,” I replied. “Kai Sera.”