I hesitated.

  He was right. I knew that. I was tired, hungry, and alone. Realistically I wasn't making it on my own.

  But, these guys are sketchy as hell.

  I don’t, I don't know what to do.

  I started to doze off.

  My body slumped forward for just a second, before I jumped back and trained my finger on Jax.

  Jax raised his hands. “Whoa, boss.”

  I stared at him with half-lidded eyes. “Swear to me, swear to me you won’t hurt me in any way.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m taking a chance on you, but I need your word you won’t hurt me,” I repeated.

  Did I believe Jax would keep his word? Obviously not, but that wasn’t the point either.

  Jax lowered his hands with a soft smile, “You got my word, boss. I won’t hurt you. Now sit back, relax, and grab a snack. Or sleep.”

  He turned around.

  The dragon huffed. “You’re a fool.”

  I chuckled softly as I slumped forward. Maybe I am, but let’s be honest. Do you really think I could’ve made it on my own in this state?

  The dragon fell silent for a long time.

  Then sighed. “No, I suppose not.”

  I just, I just hope their greed doesn’t outweigh their compassion…

  As I slept, Jax and Eric conversed.

  “That’s the real deal man, I mean we’d make a fortune.” Jax chuckled darkly, “All our debt, paid.”

  Eric nodded in agreement. “So what, you wanna harvest it tonight?”

  Jax blinked. “What? No, you idiot. If we sell his core, we get ripped off. But if we keep him, we can take more dangerous missions with higher pay.”

  He gestured a thumb back at me.

  “And we can scam the fuck outta him. He doesn’t know the language, the rules, the customs, he’s hungry and he’s tired… we could probably split the money 95-5 and he’d be none the wiser.”

  Eric massaged his chin. “You know, this is actually one of your smarter schemes. Still, this kid could kill us if we aren’t careful.”

  Jax rolled his eyes.

  “He’s a noble, all we gotta do is blow smoke up his ass and let him think he’s in charge. Besides, the only noble I’d ever be worried about is Lilith’s son. I heard she assaulted the princess just for looking at him. Crazy shit.”

  Eric laughed. “There’s no way a woman that crazy would let her son go, so I’d say we’re fine.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  The two laughed. “We’re finally making it to the big leagues.”

  — — —

  The smell of ale and stew was thick as I opened my eyes.

  I was in a room with soot-covered walls.

  “Rise and shine, boss.” Jax was near a fireplace, stirring a pot with a wooden ladle.

  I glanced to my left to see Eric leaning out the window, drinking from a bottle.

  “Where am I?” I asked, pushing the dirty sheets that covered me aside.

  Jax raised his ladle and poured brown liquid into a cracked bowl. “You’re in the Imperial district, where all the humans live. Our little abode is just above a soup shop.”

  He chuckled softly as he handed the bowl to me, “But it’s really just a front for black dust, don’t tell anyone I told ya that, boss.”

  I looked down at the stew. It was a mixture of mystery meat and vegetables. I cautiously accepted it, setting the steaming bowl in my lap. “Thanks.”

  Jax poured himself a bowl before sitting on the floor across from me. “So,” he began, picking up a spoon and pointing it at me.

  “You’re probably wondering how to become a mercenary, right? I mean that’s the only job anyone gets out here.” He scooped up a bit of stew and slurped it down.

  I picked up my own spoon. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “Well, becoming a mercenary is easy enough. Find a guild, register, and accept missions.” He took another slurp.

  “Mhm, but, the real question you should ask is why does anyone become a mercenary? And the answer is reputation. Some of the best in the business are so good that people pay exclusively to have them. More importantly, what you sell fetches a higher price, ya get me?”

  I took a sip of the stew, it was salty and warm. “Yeah,” I replied as I chewed on a tough piece of meat. I swallowed. “But what are you hoping to accomplish by telling me this?”

  Jax leaned close.

  “Simple, Eric and I will turn you into the greatest mercenary on this side of the continent. You’ll get all the glory and fame, and we’ll handle the boring paperwork.”

  I scoffed at how thick he was laying it on.

  What he was really saying is that I fight the monsters and they rip me off when it comes time to split the profits.

  What these idiots didn’t know however is that I fully intend on robbing them when I figure out how everything works.

  Then I’ll buy a ride home and kick Lilith’s ass.

  Or die trying.

  But for now, I’ll play along.

  “Okay,” I said softly. “I’m ready to visit the guild when you are.” I raised the bowl of stew to my lips and finished it with a long slurp.

  Jax slapped his thigh. “Hell, I’m ready too.” He stood to his feet and pointed a finger at Eric. “Hold down the fort, big man. Boss and I have a legacy to start.”

  Eric raised his bottle.

  I stood up and followed Jax as he stepped outside. As we stepped out the door I raised a hand to cover my eyes. The sun was beaming down as if I owed it money.

  When my eyes adjusted to the light, I followed Jax down the stone stairs and onto the sidewalk, where a beggar wrapped in a torn sheet raised a wooden cup.

  “Spare coin?”

  Jax ignored him and looked over his shoulder at me. “Alright, there are three things you need to know about this city. Avoid distractions, that’s a good way to get killed or robbed, sometimes both.”

  He rounded a corner into a dim alley. “Second, avoid eye contact with strangers. That’s a fast way to send the wrong message and get fucked, sometimes literally.”

  We emerged from the alley and crossed the road. We weaved between wagons and the giant foxes that pulled them.

  On the other side of the road, Jax turned to face me. “Finally, never trust anyone, the people here are friendly when it’s convenient.”

  He paused for a second, then gave me a sheepish grin. “Except for me of course, I’m the exception to the rule.”

  I raised a skeptical brow. “Uh-huh.”

  Jax gripped my shoulders and turned me to face a building. It looked like all the other buildings, just bigger.

  Jax pushed the large wooden doors open to reveal a dim and busy interior.

  It was packed with humans.

  All dressed in all kinds of mismatched armor and covered in an array of scars, bruises, and tattoos.

  All eyes turned towards Jax and me, and for a moment there was a tense silence. Then, everyone went back to conversing.

  I have to admit my heart was pounding.

  Jax walked up to the counter at the back of the room. There were three receptionists, but only one was free. A massive woman with half her face burned.

  I noticed Jax smoothly went to the receptionist on the right, a skinny guy who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

  He had two mercenaries in line.

  As we waited. I looked up at Jax and whispered. “Why didn’t you go to her?”

  Jax just shook his head, “not worth it.”

  “But we’re burning daylight waiting in line.”

  “That may be so, boss. But I’d rather lose a few minutes over my sanity.”

  I frowned. She couldn’t be THAT bad.

  As I thought that, some brave mercenary, a guy who looked like he just got into the business, walked right up to her.

  He placed a leather bag on the counter. “Succubus subjection, head is right here.” He patted the bag.

  The woman moved to open it, she peeked inside, and frowned. “It’s old.”

  The man started sweating. “Old? Did you expect it to be fresh? That was a two-day journey, plus sheltering at night…”

  The woman looked unmoved.

  “It doesn’t explain why it’s more than a week old. Additionally, you’ve failed to provide a core, so it’s fair to say you’ve stolen this from someone. Am I correct?”

  The man swallowed hard, his eyes darted around the room. Everyone was ignoring him, minding their own business. The man huffed and snatched his leather bag. “Stupid bitch.”

  He stormed out.

  The woman was still as stoic as ever.

  My eyes went wide. I had to talk to her, she probably had more integrity than this entire city combined. And the emotional maturity of a saint!

  I pulled away from Jax, who looked horrified, and stepped up to the woman. The woman looked down on me with a neutral expression.

  “Hey,” I began, mustering up as much base as an eleven-year-old could. “I wanna be a mercenary.”

  The woman blinked slowly, her eyes looking me up and down. Jax rushed behind me and gripped my shoulder. “Hey, hey, Kalie… you’re looking good this morning.”

  The woman, Kalie, frowned. “Why do you have a child? And if you answer anything other than, ‘I’m helping him’ I’ll kill you.”

  It wasn’t a threat, it was a fact.

  Jax chuckled nervously. “Hey look, you know I’d never hurt a kid, right? Come on, I’m a sleaze ball, not a… You know.”

  Hey, does she also protect kids? Oh hell yeah! Sorry, Jax, change of plans.

  I cleared my throat. “Ms. Kalie? Would you temporarily adopt me? Please?”

  Jax’s jaw dropped. “Boss?!”

  Kalie smirked. “Well, that’s a first. Usually, kids run from me screaming. What makes you different?”

  Time to lay it on thick.

  “I think you’re beautiful, ma’am. I wanna marry a woman like you when I grow up, you know?”