It took some time, but I eventually found a hotel for Lily and I to rest in. Fortunately, it was only a few blocks down the street and around the corner of the temple. The temple makes for a great point-of-reference, so staying near it is most ideal.
I was able to afford the hotel fare, but after paying for that in addition to the restaurant bill, I'm beginning to run low on funding. I'd rather have a surplus of money, than just enough to get by, so I had no other choice but to once again leave Lily alone for the night.
So, here I am.
"Good evening, sir, how may I help you tonight? Are you interested in any particular weapon?"
"No, I'm here for a quest. I would like to fulfil one."
"A quest? Sorry sir, I don't know what you are–"
Wink wink wink
Sheen
"Understood. Please follow me."
The wolf demi-human woman forgoes her cheerful facade and changes to a serious demeanor as she guides me to the backrooms. I'm very used to this process already: I show up at some sort of business to request a gig, the owners feign ignorance, I show them my crest, then they get to the point. I can see why they do it, but it gets a little annoying after a while.
Every Dark Mercenary dons a crest that contains a symbol of the shadow star. This crest is not a mere tangible object, but a crest that is imprinted onto our bodies. I chose to get my crest imprinted onto my left eye; all I have to do is wink three times and it will appear. I've heard that some mercenaries have chosen other…unconventional body parts to get their crest imprinted on.
The most absurd one I've heard of is a woman getting her crest imprinted on her breast, so she flashes clients in order to show proof of her occupation. I have a feeling that she just wanted an excuse to be "eccentric", but she's also among the highest paid mercenaries. The lengths some women go through these days…
"Okay sir, we can discuss the details. What's your price?"
"Depends on the job. What kind of assignment do you need done?"
"It's…a special item delivery for a particular customer."
The wolf demi-human took a small hand-sized package off a shelf. It's matte black and cubicle.
Typically, the word "special" in this context is an indirect way of saying "illegal". Referring to customers with adjectives such as "particular" indicates that the customer in question is atypical.
"What's in the package?"
"A weapon. The weapon itself isn't illegal, but vendors in Gannet aren't allowed to sell it to minors. This law only recently became a thing about 5 years ago, after the incident at the academy. Needless to say, it's been a pain for weapons dealers to deal with."
Of course, the reason why it's such a pain is because vendors refuse to give up their potential revenue for any reason.
"So, you need me to deliver this package to someone under 15, illegally. What's your minimum payout?"
I use this question to gauge what kind of client I'm working with, and what range I could charge. Going under their range is an easy way to sabotage yourself, and going too far over would likely frustrate the client and end the deal all together. The optimal technique is to go above their minimum range to a price that overshoots what you are looking for, then work down to a "reasonable" price–the one you wanted in the first place.
"200 gold coins."
"Triple it."
"I can do double."
"400 gold coins, plus 100 silver coins."
"...deal."
It may not work so smoothly every time, but when it does, it does.
___________________________________________________________________________
Under the star-lit sky, a teenage boy who is wearing a hoodie is taking a stroll at a park. He paces back and forth, lost in his own thoughts.
"It should be here any minute now. I'm sure I told them to meet me at this specific park. Surely, I didn't mistakenly tell them the wrong address?"
I pause for a moment, taking in the scenery. I don't get a chance to visit this park often due to it being too far from my side of town, but I always try to stop by whenever I visit the Tackle family. I'm lucky that they live close to here.
I take a deep breath…
The sounds of nature, from the spring fountain to the chirping of birds make it easy for me to clear my mind.
Stars fill up the night sky above, creating a serene scenery. To be honest, the stars are doing a much better job at illuminating the park than the streetlights. Speaking of which, I should probably wait by the one over there so that my deliverer can more easily identify me.
"Sigh, Kira would love to play here, but…"
SPLAT
"Gotcha!"
"?!"
Out of nowhere, I feel a gooey substance make contact with my back. Despite the hoodie, I could feel it as though it touched my skin. I turn around, and sure enough, the culprit is exactly whom I imagined.
"Thena?! What are you doing out here?"
"What am I doing? I'm busy wondering what you're doing past 11:30 pm, silly."
"I'm just taking a quick stroll through the park to get some fresh air. Did you follow me here?"
I thought everyone was asleep and the cost was clear! I was so sure of it…
"Well duh. I went to look for a late-night snack in the kitchen, but I noticed that you weren't in the guest room on my way back to my room."
"Why would you visit my room when I'm likely to be sleeping?"
"I wanted to play co-op video games together. I was getting bored playing solo…and hungry."
Ah, how could I forget. It's the semester break, so of course Thena is going to stay up late. Though I can't condemn her given my situation.
"Enough interrogating me! What are you, a noble guard? Tell me already, why are you out here?"
"I've told you already, I'm just–"
"Gene. Cut the crap."
"..."
I didn't expect her to fall for my excuse, but I was hoping that she would get the hint that I don't want to talk about it. Who am I kidding, she definitely knows what I am implying–she just refuses to budge. That's Thena alright.
"Alright, fine. I ordered a special tool–"
"A weapon?"
"Those aren't mutually exclusive. Now let me finish! As I was saying, I ordered a special tool for our upcoming expedition. I may not even use it, I just wanted to be prepared."
"Wow, so you really are committed to this plan, huh."
"At this point, how couldn't I be? I don't want a blemish on my grade point average, so I might as well give this my all just as with any other assignment."
"Great. So, what did you get? I want to see it!"
"Come on Thena, can a guy keep some things to himself?"
"Come on, we're friends. I promise, I won't snitch."
"I'm not worried about that, but you are attracting too much attention."
"What? There's hardly anyone out here besides a few drunk bozos. You afraid of someone's listening or something? Just whisper it in my ear."
"I'll show you later, but not now. Okay?"
"Jeez, you're such a kill joy…"
"Would you happen to be Gene Neas?"
"??"
A hooded man wearing a purple cloak casually approaches us, seemingly appearing out of thin air. He wears a black eye mask that makes it hard to identify his face. I didn't realize just how serious this business would be.
"Yes, you must be here to deliver my package."
"Okay kid, tell me the code."
"0908."
The man passed me a black box that was concealed in his pocket. I couldn't be more relieved that I actually got my hands on this thing.
"Thank you, sir!"
The man silently nods, then begins to turn away and take his leave.
"You…"
Thena's eyes were widened, her fists were clenched tightly. I can't believe that I did not sense her sudden hostility. Why is she reacting so strangely?
"Uh, Thena, what's wrong?"
I asked Thena in earnest, but she completely ignored me as if I were a ghost.
"Have we met before? I swear your cloak and voice are familiar!"
"Sorry, but I don't like dealing with minors. My job here has nothing to do with you."
The man turns his back to us, then he peeps over his shoulder.
"You won't catch up with me."
"Hey, where are you going?! Come back, I'm not finished with–gyaa?!"
THOOSH
Thena tried to chase after the man, but she unknowingly stepped in her own slime, causing her to lose balance and fall on her knees. I scurried to her side to help her up, but even though it only took a few seconds, the man was nowhere to be seen.
"Thena, what's gotten into you? You shouldn't harass people like that."
"He must be that guy I ran into when I was in Avarice a while ago! I can't believe that manlet is in my country…"
Thena is not only clenching her fists, she is also clenching her teeth to the point that I can hear them grinding. If she doesn't distress soon, then I will be stressed even more.
"Thena, let it go already. It's clear that the guy doesn't remember you, assuming that you've actually met before."
"...change of plans."
"'Change of plans'? What do you mean? Did you forget about the assignment?!"
"Don't worry about that, we will still search for that demi-human Aisha told us about, tomorrow. But before that, I must find that man and get my revenge!"
A sinister grin spreads across Thena's face as she rubs her hands together. Here we go again, another ridiculous scheme. May the goddess shine her grace upon us…