As the meeting went on, I learned more and more about the people I would be working with; at least in terms of their interest in various aspects of the business. Penny, for instance, perked up the moment that the discussion turned to pay, contract types, and travel. However, when we discussed more logistical aspects of the business, she slumped and started cleaning her weapon.

  Sasha was the opposite. She asked questions relentlessly about how I expected to get her equipment and was more than happy to name drop potential suppliers. People that she couldn’t get to before without having to bother Reeds or the occasional trader. I couldn’t help but engage with her over it, and together we drew up a list of locations to visit.

  Rita didn’t care much until we discussed contracts specifically. I listened as she told me about the type of jobs that they took, which was more than the basic hunts and guard work I had expected. It included things like hunting for missing people, searching for herbs, tracking the movements of certain individuals, or even an assassination or two. Though it was an excited Penny, rather than Rita, who brought that last one up.

  “Do you do that often?” I had asked, and Penny laughed.

  “Nope.” She had shaken her head, her tail wagging back and forth. “But we’ve been banned from towns before. Sasha and I, at least. Rita’s too much of a goody two shoes at times.”

  I thought back to the way the man’s head had fallen from his shoulders as he had tried to dig up that grave. Without another word, I had changed the subject. Most of what we discussed were small, simple things, and there was little in the way of contention. Though Sasha had insisted we all get equal shares from any monetary contracts, and I had added a clause that granted the business itself a share, splitting our payout into fifths.

  Rita had frowned at that, even when Sasha had happily agreed. “Why?”

  “The business needs to pay for its own expenses, so none of us are worried about buying work things for ourselves. It’ll pay for our equipment like alchemical supplies, bullets, blacksmithing, that type of thing,” I said, as the embers of the fire started dying.

  “He’s right,” Sasha nodded along. “It’ll be nice not to have to worry about trading to make sure I can concoct my poisons.”

  When no further arguments came, I added it to the document. With that done, and our earlier discussion of me joining them on jobs not worth revisiting, I activated my instant contract skill. The document glowed and the text on the page wiggled and writhed before everything we had discussed sat there in clear, legally binding glory.

  A surge of excitement flowed through me as I dipped the quill into the inkwell and signed the document. The action was the first step in what I hoped would be a successful working relationship. Especially because I slipped in a clause that meant they had to provide me with a legendary item and two monster cores. Rita hadn’t been happy, but like me going out on jobs, it was something I refused to budge on.

  When the ink had dried, I stood up, and stepped around the now dying fire. Rita watched me, her green eyes focused as I handed her the document. She took it and scanned it, though I could tell it was mostly for show. Everyone who remained had been thorough in its creation. With no more preamble, she took the quill and signed her own name.

  {System Notice: A new Business - The Blackrock Mercenary Company is now eligible to use for your class advancement}

  {System Notice: You are now “Head Accountant and Contract Keeper” of The Blackrock Mercenary Company}

  {System Notice: You are now “A Mercenary” of The Blackrock Mercenary Company}

  {System Notice: You are now “A Partial Owner” of The Blackrock Mercenary Company}

  {System Notice: You are now Contracted to The Blackrock Mercenary Company and are beholden to its regulations}

  “Thank you, boss.” I smiled down at her as I tucked the contract into my pocket and held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to be doing business with you at last.”

  She took it, and stood, green eyes locked onto my blue ones. “Are you ready to head to Farmer Ted’s house, then?”

  “I am. It’ll be good to finally get you an official contract that pays something.” My smile was sincere, and my mind raced as I tried to think of exactly how much I could start charging. Leyloon wasn’t big, but Hester mentioned they had a specialty cider and Reeds spoke about them providing Yuliosa with fresh produce.

  That meant if they had an economy, if only a small one. Maybe two gold for a monster hunt? I had charged the Ophilim Mayor ten, and Rita had said nothing against it. Sasha cleared her throat, interrupting my thoughts. As I watched, Rita’s ears flattened against her skull and she tucked her tail closer to herself.

  “Forgetting something?” Sasha asked, her tone sweet but with a touch of menace.

  “No?” Rita tried, halfheartedly. “Why?”

  Sasha’s eyes fell on me. “Your check up. Let’s go.”

  “It’s not required—”

  “Didn’t ask!” Sasha said, grabbing Rita’s arm. “Chad’s not being a baby about this. You shouldn’t be. Come on.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but when Sasha glared at me, I decided against it. Instead, I gave her a nod, which seemed to satisfy her. Rita’s tail drooped, but she let Sasha guide us towards the medium-sized wooden shack. It wasn’t much to look at, and I didn’t miss the way the alchemist stopped to glare at the dirt and leaves that sat around it. Without releasing her grip on Rita’s arm, she reached over to open the door.

  “Husani,” she said, and my polyglot skill translated the Nothlodge word to illuminate before a hanging light flickered to life inside the shed.

  “You speak the northern tongue?” I asked, as I studied the interior of the shack.

  My nose wrinkled at the smell of harsh chemicals and decomposing plants, even as I took in the pristine wooden floor. There wasn’t a single speck of dirt on it, nor on the massive cauldron that took up what felt like a majority of the room. Along one wall was a set of wooden benches covered with claw jugs with labels written in Vulpine, and equipment neatly positioned to easily grab.

  On the other side was another wooden bench, but this one was pockmarked by burns, both alchemical and flames by my guess. At the moment it was empty, but I could see divots and holes designed to hold equipment steady.

  “My teacher used it, and I picked up the habit.” Sasha guided Rita to a stool and sat her down before she walked to the equipment table. “You speak it?”

  “I have a skill.”

  She nodded at that and quickly washed her hands before she flicked her still damp hands out. The droplets of water doubled, and tripled, landing on everything but, to my relief, Rita and I. Any surface the droplets touched glowed, and I watched the miniscule amounts of dirt we dragged in vanished.

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  “That’s handy.” I couldn’t help but sound impressed as I watched the trick. “Does the cleaning skill work not on people, or does it only work inside a designated space?”

  Sasha raised an eyebrow and glanced at me over her shoulder. “Oh? I never claimed it worked only in a designated space.”

  “The outside of the building.” I gestured towards the door. “If it worked on the entire complex, there wouldn’t have been so much dirt build up. Most alchemists I’ve met, at least the good ones, are fastidious people.”

  Sasha didn’t look at me as she replied, but when she spoke, it was in the tone that told me she had repeated the same phrase a million times before. “An alchemist who works in the dirt will turn even a healing brew into a poison.”

  “Do you brew healing potions?” My legs ached from my earlier encounter with Penny, and I did my best to lean nonchalantly against the wall. “Rita simply mentioned poisons when she spoke about you.”

  “No, not really. I… didn’t specialize in that direction.”

  This time her words were less sure, and I met her sideways glance with a stare of my own as she took her equipment to the other table. She clearly didn’t want to talk about it. That was fine. Though I couldn’t help but be curious, it didn’t seem smart to potentially irritate someone who would be about to stick a needle into me or would get me to drink something in short order.

  “Are they useful for your line of work? Poisons I mean,” I asked, changing the subject slightly.

  That earned me a rather vicious smile and a nod, as her tail flicked in what I knew was a sign of pleasure. “Sure do. Though I mostly coat weapons or other things in them when I get the supplies for it. A situation I believe it’s your job to help me with.”

  I nodded along as she turned around, holding an empty syringe as a concoction bubbled behind her. “It’s in the contract.”

  “And I’m glad for it, now—”

  Rita’s annoyed screech cut her off and Sasha rolled her eyes as she withdrew the syringe that held a small amount of blood.

  “You’re a baby about this, you know?” Sasha let out a soft huff. “But you won’t make a peep if I pull some monster’s claw out of your back.”

  “It’s trying to bleed me because it’s defending itself. You’re doing it because you can,” Rita shot back.

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “I’m doing it to help you, you silly cat. I swear.”

  As Rita grumbled under her breath, I watched Sasha drip the blood into the bubbling liquid. It went from being clear to a soft lavender that smelled too much like jasmine tea for my liking. She let out a soft hum before grabbing another glass beaker and repeating the process. I stayed quiet as she worked, and when she turned on me, syringe in hand, I lifted my sleeve.

  “Good.”

  I didn’t watch as she did it, and instead focused on Rita. The woman wasn’t pouting, but she was clearly not pleased with the situation. When my vial also turned the same purple, Sasha let out a curse. With carefully controlled movements, she turned to me.

  “Do you value honesty, Mr. Burling?” She asked, her tone oddly stiff as she glanced back towards the vials.

  “It’s invaluable in my line of work,” I said, and then paused before adding. “Unless I need an advantage. Why?”

  Sasha paused and looked at Rita, who rolled her eyes. “That’s concerning. But if we’re going to work together, you’ll come to understand that I value honesty, Mr. Burling. It’s a big factor in my line of work. If I fib about the strength of a potion, people can die.”

  “That makes you better than most alchemists I’ve worked with.”

  A flash of something crossed her face. Rage perhaps? Her tail flicked behind her in a more obvious sign of irritation, and her hand squeezed against the table. I knew without a doubt I had said something to get under her skin. What I didn’t know was if she was simply that precious about the honour of her profession, or if she hated the fact that she agreed with me.

  “That’s not.” She stopped as though struggling with the words. “It’s not unfair to say, as much as I hate it. But I need you to know I won’t lie to you about whatever draughts I give you, or what I find when I’m using my skills.”

  “What do you want in return?” The familiar phrase was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

  “Pardon?”

  “A deal takes an offering from multiple parties, even if it’s only a refusal to take goods from one of them.” I looked at her. “What do you want in return?”

  She gave me a look. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. I don’t like being in people’s debts.” I rolled my sleeve back down. “This is a business relationship. While we’re coworkers, it’s always better to know where everyone stands up front.”

  Sasha looked at Rita, who nodded. “He’s like this.”

  “Alright.” I watched as Sasha leaned against the counter. “Then I want you to take me with you when we meet our suppliers. You might know how to cut a deal, but I know you don’t know my speciality as well as I do.”

  I met her yellow eyes and nodded as I thought over the implications of the deal. Experience had taught me it never hurt to have an expert on hand. Someone who could cut through the vagaries with specialized knowledge. Though, without knowing how she would react to my way of negotiating, it was possible she would be a hindrance.

  Lies, half truths, and backhanded compliments happened often when dealing with large orders. People wanted to believe they were getting the best for themselves, and it was my job to convince them they were. Especially when they weren’t.

  “Done. On the condition you do not undermine me when we’re in the negotiation. Sometimes I have to… bend the truth, or do things others would consider unsavoury to get the best deal.”

  “Are you going to hurt people?” She asked, and I could see Rita’s eyes narrow and I knew she was thinking of Tobias.

  “Not physically if I have my way, but yes.” My mind went back to my driver, whatever his name was, that tried to shoot me. “At least they’ll see it as harm. But bribery and a better offer are my preferred methods. I’m not here to kill people or kidnap them.”

  “Deal.”

  We shook on it, and then she gestured behind herself. “You’re poisoned. Both of you, with the Lenos flowers like you thought.”

  “Are we going to get sick?” I asked, not feeling unwell.

  “No.” She shook her head, and her ears flicked. “It’s not that type of poison. It’s more of a magical tracking agent. An enchanter with the right tools can sense if you’re within an area. It’s not used often because it’s not that great unless they know where you’re going to be. Great for debt collectors and the like, though. Can’t hide in a city from them then.”

  Rita spoke before I could ask another question. “And how long will it take to get rid of?”

  “A year. I don’t have what we need to flush it out, and few people carry it. As I said, it’s mostly used by city debt collectors.”

  I blinked, several things from my history falling into place. No one had known how they kept finding people, or at least, no one who knew had told me. It made me wonder what Mr. Jiles had done. Not that it mattered. My contract with him was up the day before the collectors had stormed his office. They had found him hiding in an abandoned warehouse by the docks. His textile factory had sold well, from what I heard.

  “Why would Myrtle bother to poison us?” I wondered out loud.

  The idea that her husband had been involved didn’t cross my mind. Myrtle was the mastermind there, with Mulvinia acting as her alchemist. Her warning about her employers watering down the drinks made sense now. It was obvious that they weren’t doing it to save on coins. No, they were making it possible to track anyone who came through that main road.

  Well, the Lace Courier company was. A desire to find out more about them ran through me, but I quashed it. That wasn’t my job.

  “To track us,” Rita said. “Do you think they know what you did to Tobias?”

  “It would have been in the wine during dinner, so that wouldn’t have mattered. Also, there is no way Abel wouldn’t have taken matters into his own hand if he did. No, I think poisoning their customers is a common procedure, though the fact they called someone in that warded room afterwards is odd…” I trailed off, but I couldn’t quite piece it together.

  Sasha shrugged as she cleaned up. “Either way, there isn’t much either of you can do about it now. But you should be aware.”

  “Thank you.” I gave her a small bow, which got me a tiny smile in return. “Rita, should we head to speak with Farmer Ted, then? Sasha, will you be joining us?”

  Her smile grew into a real one. “Yes, I think that’s for the best.”

  “Hey, I’m coming too!” Penny’s voice came through the closed door, and I jerked away from the wall.

  “You’ll have to get used to that,” Rita said with a shake of her head. “She’ll keep doing it until you stop jumping. Think of it as training.”

  “I’m not sure I need that type of training,” I mumbled.

  “Yes, you do!”

  A curse escaped my lips as Rita and Sasha laughed. I needed to remember how much better their senses were than mine. My hands ran through my hair, and I adjusted my jacket, checking my gun was in my pocket. That done, I turned and moved with Rita and Sasha out the door towards our first group contract.