Job Offer

D woke up for the second day in a row covered in blood and with a pounding headache. But since the familiar pangs of hunger were missing he considered it a decent day already. Sitting up he held his head trying to remember what happened. Images of the tavern keeper standing over him trying to rob him filled him with rage. His raspy voice broke the silence. "I'll kill him!" Had he a mirror he might have been shocked to see a ripple spread out across his face showing scales in its wake for a moment as the whites of his eyes became like liquid silver.

Looking around to see what of his stuff was missing he noticed the target of his ire sprawled out on the other side of the room. His face was frozen in a look of pain and horror while his throat was ripped out. Looking closer he noticed his chest was torn open leaving a hollow cavity where his heart and lungs should have been. Staring at the dead man D asked out loud "Did I do that?"

He expected to feel scared, shocked, horrified, something but in truth he felt nothing. "Serves him right for trying to rob me." Standing up his first move was to search the dead man's pockets taking the bit of coin and a rather nice knife for himself. After that, he stripped and changed into another set of his former party's clothes. As he left out the room he made sure to lock the door behind him with a key taken from the dead man.

Leaving the Drunken Dragon D thought over the various mistakes he'd made. Flashing the money around was stupid he realized now. As was accepting the alcohol, even he knew it only made a man stupider. Finally, his main mistake was trusting the tavern keeper. If there was one thing Maerik taught him is that everyone is out only for themselves.

Standing outside the tavern he considered leaving town but figured another dead body wouldn't raise much suspicion. The Fringe weren't called such because of the monsters. It was called the fringe because they existed on the fringe of society, beyond the scope of law and order. It wasn't the monsters that were the real danger, it was the people living there. He'd even heard about the last room on the left before when he was here with Maerik. If it wasn't for the ale he wouldn't have ever stayed in the room.

Heading towards the hunters guild he walked in ignoring Nip who gave him a nod and went straight to the board. Staring at the various postings he did his best to read them. The nuns that ran the orphanage were supposed to teach their charges to read but he barely knew the alphabet. D cursed the nuns and their dead god completely forgetting it was he who hadn't paid attention. 'Why couldn't everything be done with numbers. Numbers I know.' He could easily read the numbers and recognized the symbol for the various currencies but it wouldn't do him much good.

He had almost finished translating one of the posts with a bounty of five silver when he sensed someone standing behind him. Spinning around he grasped his knife while glaring at a well-dressed and groomed man looking down at him. He had to be a good six feet tall with long blonde hair dressed in a blue velvet outfit with white lace ruffles. His face was clean-shaven and his grey eyes sparkled with mirth, something D was unable to recognize making him even more wary of the stranger. At his hip was a beautifully decorated estoc but what made him stand out the most was the lack of dirt. He was clean from head to toe, even his boots looked clean.

"You would be D correct?" The stranger smiled, flashing perfect white teeth.

"Yeah, who are you?" D's raspy voice seemed to startle the man as did his honest reply. For his part D saw no point in lying, the man obviously knew who he was or he wouldn't have asked. There weren't many kids his age in the Fringe let alone ones that would be looking at a hunters board alone.

"Sorry let me introduce myself. I am Larian of Del Denote." With a small flourish, he gave a tiny bow.

"Del Denote? That's from across the wastes? Whatcha doin on this side?" The waste was the monster field regions beyond the control of humanity. The fringe bordered them and hunters made their living killing the various beasts within. Either ones that had become a nuisance or some for their body parts used in alchemy.

"That is a good question and one whose answer is the reason I'm talking to you. I too am a Hunter and on my way to a job now. I was supposed to have a partner but unfortunately, they were unable to make it. I was hoping perhaps you might be willing to assist me." Larian smiled down pleasantly at the boy who only glared at him with greater suspicion.

"Why ask me? I ain't pretending to be a girl again if you are plannin a scam. Didn't work last time and I ain't wearing no dress again." D rasped out sounding disgusted.

Raising an eyebrow he struggled to keep the smile off his lips as he asked "You've dressed as a girl before? I swear you Gelians are an interesting bunch. No, I've no need for you to pretend to be a girl for any reason. I will admit your age is why I am asking. Not many hunters your age. My mission is actually to take place at the Second Gelian Academy. Have you heard of it?"

"That's the school for the kids of nobles and merchants so they can waste their parents' coin so they can sound important right?"

"Well not exactly. All the Academies are for anyone to attend, though I have heard the Gelian tuitions are particularly steep. How about we have a seat and I'll explain my offer." Larian motioned to one of the tables. After a moment of thinking, D headed over and sat down his hand still resting on his knife. Shaking his head yet suppressing a chuckle of amusement Larian moved to sit with him.

**********

A short while before Larian approached D.

Larian strode through Pentok under the watchful eyes of nearly every cutpurse and thug in the small outpost. None had missed his flashy clothes that seemed to repel the filth and grime that clung to all the other residents. Nor the fancy weapon at his side. His blonde hair and fair complexion told them he wasn't from Gelian. More than one resident considered making him a mark. But the cold calculating gaze of those grey eyes told all the would-be robbers they'd best find another mark, no one lived on the fringes long before learning to recognize a mage when they saw one.

Larian for his part loved little places like Pentok. Compared to the backstabbing and politics of the bigger cities he found the straight forward hostility of Fringe towns refreshing. To anyone back in the courts that would listen he constantly spoke of the interesting things, he would find in the strange backwater places. So when he entered the tiny hunter's guild and spotted what looked like a small child intently gazing at the board he was pleasantly surprised.

Walking to the desk he spoke to the older man for a bit asking about various things before bringing up the boy. "Eh him? Ya got his badge just yesterday. Think he's tryin to read the board now. Doesn't look to be doing so well though. I expected him to come over ages ago and ask for help but the runt's stubborn as a mule."

Larian's eyes sparkled "Really, he's a hunter? Bit young isn't he?"

Nip just shrugged "Twas an apprentice of a group of four. Rough group but they get things done. They didn't come back and he did. With the marks head. Seemed good enough reason to give him his badge. 'Sides he'll either make it or he won't."

Larian watched the boy a little longer thinking perhaps it was fate. He'd had an apprentice of his own that was supposed to accompany him on his job. Sadly the poor boy had passed away on the trip, a side effect of trying to poison his master. Thinking about it reminded him he would need to look into which of the factions had put the boy up to it. Larian didn't even mind the attempt on his life, he considered it just another part of life's excitement. With a slight smile, he headed towards the strange youth hearing the call of adventure.