The Mercenary Guild

I quickly left Elijah to regain his senses and went back to the city, taking only Xayan with me this time. The wizard, constantly displeased, watches me with suspicious eyes.

"What's wrong with you", I ask, trying to make him speak to me.

"Why did you protect that joke of a king?", he answers back. "He started tearing up, and you immediately threw us out."

"Xayan, if you have something you want to tell me do it without searching for a reason to argue with me."

"What if they're lying to us? Asher tried to get close to you as soon as you woke up. Elijah pretended to cry. What if there is something more we are missing out on?"

"That's all?"

"I know what happened between you and Leon", he tells me after a short break. "I saw it, I saw it in the glass. I saw everything that happened inside the rooms. But you didn't tell me there was something between you. You pretended..."

"First of all, yikes. Second of all, we did not pretend, whatever you mean by that. And even if there was something more between us, why do you care?"

"If there's no such a thing, why do you prefer the others over me? Are you attracted to them?", he adds and I burst out laughing.

"Ok, Mr. Jealousy, this is getting out of hand. If you're sexually frustrated, don't take it on me," I say making fun of him.

He looks at me with anger for a second and then he laughs too.

"Maybe I am. But it's more than that."

"What more is there to it?"

"We've been alone for a long time. Loneliness does strange things to people. Part of me is afraid you're going to disappear with one of them and I'll be all alone again. Women used to fall at my feet long-long time ago. Now I can't even grab your attention. It's strange to hold no power anymore."

"So Asher is trying to trick me into liking him because he doesn't want to go back to the cave. Elijah's pride has been continuously shattered to the point he breaks from such simple news. You are mad you're not the playboy of the group. What men I chose to save!"

"You did not choose to save us. You chose to save Leon", he replies and watches me for a second.

"At first, I wanted to study him. Then, I wanted to study you all."

"And now?"

"I still want to know what kind of freaks you are", I tell him and start walking towards the city center.

We now have to stop talking because we have reached human settlements. I scan my surroundings and step towards the Phoenix guild, not thinking too much of Xayan's reactions. All of them need help I cannot give them. Or anyone.

When one's mind is deteriorating, they're usually locked up in an asylum. All those against the slavery of fairies ended up there. The few who got out are no humans anymore. They're empty shells. After the 'trend' started, the King took great advantage of it. Whenever he got tired of his wives, he labeled them as 'mentally deteriorated' and locked them up. Some doctors diagnosed them as 'broken without repair' and he was free to marry over and over again. But those were just lies.

First, there was Anna. I assume he replaced her because she got too old. Then, Lisa, the Queen rumored to have taken a lover. Mia, Gina, Carra, all of them gone. I haven't kept up with all of their stories, people have gotten scared to talk about them.

So I'm afraid nobody can heal their broken mind. I lose myself in my thoughts, but I regain my senses when I'm outside of the mercenary guild. A tall, bulky man, waits outside, sharpening his knives.

"I'm looking for Evan Miis", I tell him.

He looks visibly bothered and scans me from head to toe.

"We do no business with suspicious individuals, hiding their faces with hoods", he says.

I take one of my bags with coins and throw it at his feet.

"Take me to him", I order. He's a mercenary, yet he acts like he has honor. Did he kill, steal, and kidnap with honor too? They're deep in the Royal Family's pockets, too deep to ever be removed.

"It's a she. I know, strange name for a woman. But I'll take you to her, mysterious lady", he tells me smirking. "Is the wallflower also joining you inside? That'll cost more."

I throw another bag and enter the building. It looks incredibly dull inside. The first chamber is filled with empty dining tables and decorative weapons. The man leads me to a room, a much nicer one and I wait on the couch for this Evan to arrive. Xayan inspects the walls, looking for hidden dangers, but he finds nothing, so he sits next to me.

He doesn't get to rest his thoughts, because the door is opened once again, and a woman in armor steps inside.

"What do you need me for?", she says with no courtesy in her speech.

"I have a mission for you. I want you to kill someone", I bluff.

"25 000 gold coins", she tells me her price. She passes me a piece of paper and a pen and I scribble an address on it, a man's name, and a description of his looks. Of course, the man does not even exist. It's common knowledge around here that even the walls can hear. I pass her half of the sum and leave, Xayan following me with a confused look.

A Mercenary Guild is no place to attack someone. I'm not on a suicide mission. She'll come to me. Soon enough.