Korran stared down at his home's intruder. Now that he got a good look at the man who had followed him from the small village of Halia, he almost laughed at his presentation. He seemed sinewy and tall, but the subject of his laughter was the man's clothes.

He wore a robe, which appeared tattered but it was clearly artificial to any eye capable of contrasting a cow from a sheep. Despite its apparent ragged nature, the material itself didn't seem aged or like it was beginning to lose its color. Instead, it just appeared that someone had poked holes in a mud-brown robe.

"Hello there," the intruder said finally. "I come in peace."

Korran snorted. Just seconds ago the man had swung with enough bloodlust to burst a dam, and the strength to match. His hand still felt numb from his foolish attempt at parrying the sword. Still, he didn't need to know that. "I figured. What with you knocking politely with your sword and all. Very mannerly."

"Sorry about that - it's hard to stay polite when you're sneak attacked," the intruder responded. He had a thick city accent that couldn't hide from even the most clueless of ears - much less Korran's.

Sneak attack. That's what this man had called his attempt to subdue him and ask him what his business was because Korran could smell wealth from a mile away and the man reeked. Yet, the man was not just a silly merchant, considering he'd reacted off a fighter's instinct and managed to detect Korran.

Not many men could achieve such a thing.

Korran grinned and leaped down from the ledge, landing lighter than most men did in a simple step. He approached his cave's intruder with his daggers drawn and paraded on either side of him menacingly. "No problem, I'll make sure when I go for your jugular it's done from the front."

"There's no need for that," the man replied, even as he gripped his sword tighter. Korran had noticed him scanning the cave which was evidence of working with a trainer. You never wanted to be caught in a place your adversary knew well and you not at all.

Korran stopped just out of reach of the man's sword. He trusted in his ability to dodge a swing and step past it to launch a counter-attack if the man decided to test his luck. "Out with it then, I've only a teeny amount of patience for uninvited guests in my humble abode."

The man briefly looked around as if searching for the abode but said nothing. Korran didn't care for his scrutiny. The cave had one entrance and exit, lit only by one torch at a time, making it a tall task for an attacker to catch him by surprise without knowledge of the cave's structure. Whatever mansion this city lamb had grown up calling a house was much less secure - he'd know, after all, he was sent after targets residing in mansions often.

"I've come with a job proposition," the man announced.

"Not interested. Especially not from royalty."

The man recoiled after the last word as if it had physically slapped him. "What?" He hissed. "How do you know?"

Korran gave the man a glance over. "Your disguise is terrible for one. It shows how someone of a higher standing views us common folk. Simply put, you lack the experience to mimic the reality of the people not born next to a golden dagger. Put that together with your obvious ambition to follow me this far without guards and arrogantly talk of a proposition, I'd say you're some form of royalty looking to quicken his step to wearing some crown or title. You've come to the wrong person - I won't kill your family members to end your family feud, I know who'll take the fall at the end of the day."

"I wish you wouldn't stereotype," the man replied. He'd regained his composure and put up a poker face that had holes in it. Korran imagined he'd be a bad gambler. "If one dagger of yours breaks do you decide that every single one after will?"

Korran scoffed. "My daggers don't break, your highness. I trust in them with the same trust I place in myself."

The man nodded. "Good - because I'm asking you to continue trusting in them - not me. I'm not asking you to kill my father and my goal is not to take position as Duke. I have an older brother who will claim that title instead. My aim is something more up your alley."

"How would you know what is up my alley or not?"

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"Word travels, Dagger of the West."

Korran barely concealed his groan. He'd heard great nicknames given for legendary mercenaries, bounty hunters, and the like, but he'd been stuck with something so basic and boring. He couldn't imagine anyone feeling fear at that title. "Words are easy to fabricate," The Dagger of the West stated.

"I've glimpsed your dagger," the man replied with a purposeful gaze. "That can not be. And I want to correct what you said earlier; I come humbly, not arrogantly, to offer you a proposition that should be beneficial."

The man sure knew how to utilize his tongue, Korran thought to himself. Usually, royalty didn't bother with diplomacy when dealing with someone of a lower class than them. If they didn't answer to money, they'd answer to force.

"Let's hear this beneficial proposal then," Korran said, folding his arms. He still had his daggers at the ready to either go on the offensive or defensive but the guy had piqued his interest. In truth, Korran had planned to lay low for a month more or two, but a distraction from his recurring nightmares were welcome.

"A robbery of historic magnitude. I plan to put together a team to dupe the Greta Company. Recently, they've made a great big haul that was requested from another duke himself. I have it on good information that they're transporting it by boat and should we learn their route, we can intercept them when they approach land to resupply themselves." The man talked with great passion and Korran couldn't help again thinking the would-be duke would be terrible at gambling. His emotions rose to the surface so easily - even in the dim torchlight that hardly revealed his face.

Korran didn't let himself get roped into the man's contagious passion, however. "Did this good information reveal what this big haul was?"

The man stepped closer to Korran, caution trumped by his zeal. The torchlight now fully illuminated his face and Korran could see that the large man didn't look much older than his seventeen years of age, even with a respectable stubble. "Indeed. All sources say that the Greta Company were hunting for the Kaiser's treasure and it seems they may have found it."

Korran's mind reeled. The Kaiser was a myth...a title given to a man who was said to be able to control the dead. Most didn't believe it - Korran included, but that was just a matter of exaggeration of history, although people with special abilities did exist. The treasure the Kaiser was said to have left behind always had a possibility of being real and if Greta Company - one of the most famed treasure hunter troupes - had truly gone after it then there was little doubt it was.

"I'm no treasure hunter, and I don't work well in groups," Korran answered honestly. Working in a group was especially dangerous when your target was a treasure. Greed was a man's worst enemy, yet also a frequent visitor and too easy to get drunk on.

The man shrugged as if he'd listed nonsense details. "The treasure has already been hunted. You're a thief and murderer, and that's what I need. As for the team, I've sought out legends of the crime world rather than noble guards. I've ensured to hand-select people with deeper worries than money, which I can assist in resolving."

"What's my deeper worry, then?" Korran asked with a bemused expression.

The man smiled like a fisherman who finally got a fish to bite on his line after hours of no luck. "Your freedom, of course. I'm prepared to offer a pardon and pay off your bounty, on top of your share of the loot."

"How much would this share be?"

"Two million gurdees," came the man's beaming reply.

Korran had merely asked the question out of curiosity since he no longer made money his master, but the amount made him raise an eyebrow. Usually, job leaders didn't allow their team to have such big shares but this man seemed eager to prove he was decent.

Or it could all be a trap.

"And who is on this team you speak of?"

"Should you accept, we'll immediately go to meet them. You're the final piece."

Korran studied the man once again. His pupils didn't shine with the familiar hazed glint of greed, rather they seemed purposeful and focused. It was clear he had some ulterior motive other than riches. Still, Korran couldn't help but hope his eyes could shine with such brightness one day.

"You strike a hard bargain," Korran relented finally. "I'll decide my position after meeting the rest of this team." The man opened his mouth to object but Korran continued, "I need to ensure that this team is one capable of taking down the Greta Company. I've been on my fair share of suicide missions and I've decided I want no part in another."

The man pondered for a second, his enthusiasm temporarily doused - but he ultimately nodded. "Ok, I can work with that." He offered his hand, "My name is Alaric."

Korran took the offered hand. "I'm Korran. None of that Dagger of the West crap."

"Very well," Alaric said with an amused smirk. "I have a feeling we'll get along well, Korran."

Korran shrugged, sliding his daggers back into place inside of his sleeves. "As long as I get my pardon, perhaps we will."

Truth be told, Korran always found himself wandering aimlessly when he wasn't on a job, and considering he'd been laying low ever since he'd been set up, it had been a while since his mind was able to focus on something. Friends were a dangerous commodity in his work - both as a weakness and a knife waiting to be embedded in the back - so he kept only accomplices that he didn't see outside of jobs.

As he retreated deeper into his home to retrieve some essentials, he discovered that he hadn't been able to wholly guard against the city lamb's passion. An embarrassingly large part of him felt eager to accept the job and fling himself back into action once again.

He picked up his small satchel, which he kept packed in case he had to move places quickly, and hurried back to the waiting Alaric.

"Let's see what other circus performers you've assembled."