Derek hopped down from the carriage, he held his hand out to old man Jack. "Thanks for the ride." Jack took his hand and smiled. Derek's eyes wandered, the city was large and bustling. They were standing in front of a mansion and he was starting to get a little nervous. I'm a fugitive, hopefully my name and deeds haven't spread.

"Thanks for the help with the bandits." Jack replied, causing Derek to jump as he turned to see the older man was smiling at him. "I promised you a knife, and I heard you're looking for someone, why don't you come inside." The door to the carriage opened right as he finished. A young boy stepped out, dressed like nobility with expensive fabric, a frilled collar and sleeves.

"Yes, I'll help you the best I can." He had a confident smile on his face as he walked forward, he had short combed brown hair and blue eyes. He looked to be about fifteen although his way of carrying himself was more mature making him seem older. The boy walked up the stairs to the mansion and pushed open the front doors.

Derek hesitantly followed, inside the candles were already lit. The boy led the way up the grand staircase that faced the front door. They took a hall to the left and near the end, a set of ornate wooden double doors was waiting. The boy pushed open those doors and revealed the room inside. A spacious office opened before him, a bear skin rug lay in the middle. A dark wood desk sat in front of a massive circular window that was lightly stained with a pattern of a finely dressed man trading with a massive red dragon. To the side there was a fireplace, empty of any embers and facing that fireplace was a collection of self portraits.

"Who are you looking for?" He asked, getting comfortable behind the desk. Curiosity blended with charisma flowed easily from his mouth. Though his expression was uncrackable, he seemed genuine enough.

"A slave, a dog beastkin, she's young with brown hair." Derek explained, he stood, not feeling like sitting. A young adventure, common background with minimal training. His emotions were plain on his face, read like a book. The young noble head held back his smirk as he pleased his ambition.

"So you're looking for a slave caravan." The boy was thoughtful for a moment before he lifted a bell and rang it. A maid rushed in, a young woman with short, curly, blonde hair and blue eyes. "Can you bring me the list of entries in the past few days. Specifically anything regarding slave traders." The maid nodded and rushed off, Jack stepped in carrying a knife. It was a beautiful knife, a hickory wood handle, and a dark grey blade.

"This is an adamantite magic knife. I think it will suit you well, it's endowed with the dark elemental spell silence." Jack spoke as he handed the blade to Derek.

"This is, are you sure?" Derek asked, Jack nodded.

"Yes, we'd like to bind you to a contract for a month." The boy explained, "My name is David Spearman, I'm the head of the Spearman family which runs the merchant guild, I am also the Lord of Otalos." He then pushed a piece of paper forward with a pen. The smile in his face cracked a small little bit, leaking a bit of that desire and arrogance.

Derek nodded, "Will accepting this contract guarantee your help in finding Serine." The young assassin was oblivious to the trap.

"Is that the beastkin's name?" Derek nodded, "Well then yes, we'll put our resources into finding her." Derek stepped forward and signed his name. David's smile grew proportionally to the ink used.

The maid suddenly returned, and she handed David a stack of papers. "Thank you Olivia." The maid bowed before leaving.

David began skimming the papers, he stopped on one and pulled it out. "There was a caravan scheduled to arrive three days ago, but it did not." David continued reading. "It was found destroyed with all the slaves and slavers either missing or dead."

"Has it been cleaned up yet?" Derek asked to which David shook his head, "The investigation team only just got back, the cleanup will take place later today."

I need to look into this "I want to look at the site." David nodded, he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote on it, he signed it, stamped it then handed it to Derek. "Give that to anyone who stops you, tell them you're with the merchant guild."

"Oh, by the way. Mind if I ask what you were doing in Aguris?" Derek suddenly asked, David paused and thought for a moment.

"Well, news reached me that the head position had passed to little Maria, I simply went to revise trade agreements. She had some interesting ideas about slavery. I look forward to talking to her once again." David explained, he had an absent minded smile on his face.

"Oh, wait. Did something happen to Seraph?" Derek asked, his face instantly revealing his curiosity.

"Oh, you haven't heard? the story has been making it's rounds since the incident. Apparently Maria and her father had a sword duel and Maria won. Quite impressive to be honest." David couldn't seem to suppress his smile, though his eyes were calculating and Derek sensed that this man would drag Maria into something complicated in the future. Derek nodded in agreement, with his curiosity satiated he turned and left the office.

Derek stood in front of the mansion for a short period of time before suddenly Jack rode up to him on a brown horse, he hopped off and handed the reins to Derek, "Here, you'll need one of these."

"Thank you." Derek hopped on the horse and patted the horses neck before giving the horse a light kick on the side and a snap of the reins, together they headed out onto the main road. This city was different from Aguris, the roads were big enough for a horse and carriage path as well as a walking path so he wasn't disturbed by the common folk casually wandering about the city.

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The ride was nerve-racking for him, as his thoughts raced he couldn't help but think the worst. Passing through the gate was easy, the guards recognized him as the Lord's escort.

Derek brought his horse to a stop, ahead of him was a broken carriage. Bodies littered the ground around it. The smell of blood was hanging in the air, Derek hopped off the horse. He began walking through the wreckage, searching for anything. He saw some faces he recognized among the dead, I see the men who attacked us in the alley met a worse fate than me.

Lifting up a large piece of carriage wall, he found a smashed cage with a torn piece of cloth. This is part of the dress Serine was wearing. Caught on the outside of the door. Though the cage was smashed open, the door was unlocked, making it unlikely it was unlocked after the crash. She probably escaped beforehand. He found traces of Serine's hair near the edge of the crash.

He decided that she must've gotten out before the crash, and before the slaughtering of the slaves and slavers.

She either fully escaped or was captured by the bandits while escaping. He thought, annoyance slipped into his heart, I kinda wanted more concrete evidence than this. He sighed, before hopping back onto his horse, he headed back along the route the carriage had been coming from.

A few hours passed as he followed the path, he soon came across something he didn't expect. There was a kid hobbling along the path, a Lithian with bunny ears. The trek from the carriage to here would have taken days to walk while injured

Derek brought his horse to a stop beside the kid, the boy was startled and was about to bolt into the forest but Derek called out to him.

"Hey kid, can I ask you a question, then I'll leave you be." He promised, the boy hesitated before responding. He seemed to feel the sincerity in Derek's voice.

"What?" He asked, still being wary as Derek hopped off the horse.

"I'm looking for a friend, her names Serine, a dog Lithian." Derek, looked hopefully at the boy who thought for a moment.

"Um, I think I know who you're talking about. It'd be hard to find her now though. . ." The boy sighed with a frown. "The bandits caught her, I don't know where they took her." He gave all he knew, slumping his shoulders a bit as he thought back about the girl. "Sorry wish I could give you more."

"How'd you get away kid?" Derek couldn't help but ask, a look of guilt overcame the boy's sorrowful expression.

"She saved me." He said avoiding eye contact. Then he suddenly grabbed Derek's shirt desperately "Save her please."

"I will, whatever it takes." Derek promised, after hearing that the boy let go and stepped aside.

Derek reached into his pocket and handed the boy some gold pieces. "Good luck kid, I hope you make it out of Kozak. Thank you." The boy took it gratefully before continuing his trek. Derek sighed and hopped onto his horse, turned it around, and headed back to Otalos.

He brought the horse to the stable and tied her up. I should locate the bandits at least. He thought as he headed inside, he walked down a hall that led to the main entryway, before scaling the stairs to the office.

"Welcome back, how'd it go?" Jack greeted him at the door to David's office.

"Not well, I couldn't find a trail to track." Derek replied dejectedly, "I'm pretty sure she escaped prior to the attack on the carriage."

"Well, if that's the case." Jack put his hand to his chin in thought, "She could still be found."

"The bandits are the best lead, I'd like to track them down." Derek stated restlessly

"Well yes, that's true." Jack agreed, giving it a bit more right before adding, "it's good if she escaped on her own, but locating the bandits would give us a lead." Derek nodded, "Head in, Master David will be able to help you."

Derek nodded again, before stepping up to the office door, he knocked.

"Come in." David welcomed him, Derek pushed open the door and stepped inside. David was working on paperwork, his pen dancing across the page like a tap dancer. "What is it?"

"I checked the wreckage, I believe that Serine wasn't in the carriage when it wrecked." Derek explained. "I would like to locate the bandits that attacked the caravan."

David put his pen down, he spun his chair around and got to his feet, he walked over to the large circular window behind his desk. He gazed out into the city and watched the people walking about, he looked to be lost in thought.

"Do you know how long it would take to locate them?" David asked, "It will happen on its own anyways, the merchants who pay the guards and knights will make sure they're caught."

"No, I'm unaware of how long it will take." Derek replied, frowning as a bad feeling tickled the back of his neck.

"A month at least, maybe more." David spoke, he then turned around. "Are you asking me to put resources towards this?"

"If you would." Derek pleaded but David shook his head.

"Sorry, I am unable to help you. Not because I don't have the resources, It's just not beneficial at the moment. Besides, they'll be caught eventually, Until then you're under contract with us right?"

"Hey wait, you promised you'd help me." Derek exclaimed in confusion.

"When the bandits are found, I will take the reins and allow you to work with Jack to set up a commission with the guild." David continued. "Get some adventures to clear out the bandits and gather any valuables, Adventures are less likely to kill any slaves or captives they find."

"Hold on, if you're not gonna help-" Derek gritted his teeth, he wanted to run out and search for her immediately, I could track down the bandits.

"Derek, we have a contract, if you break it. . . I will make life very difficult for you and Serine. At the moment I'm the reason you've not been arrested for attempted murder of a noble." David spoke firmly, it was a threat. Derek's eyes widened before a frown deepened as he nodded. He then turned and walked towards the door. How long had they known, was it back when they picked him up on the road or when he arrived in the mansion to sign the contract? He wondered as he left the room. It was so smooth and quick, he found something to control me with and trapped me in a contract without me even realizing it. Maria, good luck this one is dangerous.

Derek closed the door behind him, "What a scary boy." He shivered as he thought about how sly and calculating he was at such a young age.

"I'll show you to your room." Jack spoke up with an admittedly less friendly smile, he then led Derek up the hall, one of the first doors at the top of the stairs was given to him. Derek thanked the man and stepped inside.

It was a nice room, better than any inn he'd ever stayed at. Derek approached the bed and collapsed into the expensive sheets. Flipping over he gazed up at the ceiling while thinking, I've made a mistake, I won't be able to move freely while stuck in this contract. Serine's life is on the line here, or possibly something worse. Though I can't just run out there, I could find the bandits but I'm not strong enough to save her by myself.

Derek sighed with a hint of self-deprication as he closed his eyes, soon sleep came and the day slipped into night.