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However, they had hidden it pretty well in a matter of seconds, aside from the twins who still looked at him nervously.

Gorak seemed to be in thought for a moment. Raven, Finn and Finnigan patiently waited for him to say something, taking glances at their leader.

"Vermal larvae?" he grumbled. A hint of scepticism was in his voice. "We’ve dealt with our fair share of monsters and nests are always tricky. Especially one filled with larvae. I know of the creatures, and their whole nest sounds like a recipe for a quick demise."

Kai didn’t say anything but agreed to his assessment inwardly.

His voice came out calm as he gave out more details. "As you know, larvae aren’t easy to deal with and from how big the nest is, there are signs of a queen ruling them all. That would be the biggest problem for us all…"

He continued to explain everything, adding the things that he witnessed back in the mines. Obviously, he left out the fact about the Atheum reserves, not wanting to spread it.

Even the people who had been in the mines had been instructed to keep it a secret since it was one of the rarest materials in the world.

As he went over the details of the nest, talking about the number of estimated larvae and their strength, the faces of the mercenaries changed slightly.

It seemed like they had been thinking of an easier job and hearing the description, they were having second thoughts. At least that’s what Kai perceived from the glances between Gorak and Raven.

"What is the reward for facing such a delightful company?" Raven, the lone female spoke.

She was tall, thin, and had pointy ears that looked sharp alongside pale skin that wasn’t usual for humans. Her ember eyes challenged Kai as she stared at him.

Kai met her gaze.

He hadn’t expected to see an elf here, but that assured him of the strength of the group. Elfs were naturally agile and their archers were always worth the gold.

"The reward will be substantial," he said, looking at Francis, earning a brief nod. "100 gold coins to hire you all and an additional 5 for each larvae you kill."

Gorak grunted, leaning forward to look at Francis, and then back at Kai. "Sounds like fat pay for a suicide mission. Not the kind of coin that justifies being turned into a vermala kibble."

Kai leaned forward, imitating Gorak’s motion. "On top of the coin, I’ll provide you with all the potions and elixirs of good quality. Healing draughts, stamina enhancers— anything to give you an edge in this fight and you can keep any that are left after the battle."

Gorak’s gaze flickered. "What is our role in this mission? You’re not expecting us to go down there just by ourselves, hah?"

Kai shook his head immediately. "The guards will accompany you…" he paused. He raised his hand in the air and flickered his fingers. A small flame of fire appeared on it as Gorak nodded, understanding Kai’s intentions. "I’m a Mage, as you can see and heard about. So, I will be there with you, for additional support. My intention is not to send you all to your death."

The four nodded in unison. Raven raised her hand and gathered everyone’s attention. "And this queen? Who handles that problem? We can deal with larvae, but she’s beyond us."

Kai smiled. "That will be me. I’ll deal with the queen myself. You focus on clearing a path, helping out the guards and staying alive. You do not have to care about the queen if you don’t want to."

Raven nodded. But before she could say anything, Gorak spoke up, "Well, this all seems fine. But I believe we need to talk in private… Discuss a few matters before making a decision."

Kai gestured to them with his hands, allowing them to continue.

The mercenaries stood up and gave a curt bow for which Kai nodded. They walked to the corner of the room and huddled together. Soon they exchanged words, talking in low whispers.

Kai leaned back in his chair, observing their postures.

Raven, the elven archer seemed to take the lead. Her gestures from afar looked sharp and decisive. The twins, who had been bubbling with nervous energy since Kai walked in, were uncharacteristically focused. Even Gorak, who Kai thought was quite opinionated, seemed to be listening closely.

Are they about to back out? Kai couldn’t help but wonder.

He looked at Malden and wasn’t surprised to see the latter peeking at the group’s discussion. Soon, an uncomfortable air with only whispers took over their meeting.

After what felt like an eternity, the group dispersed. Gorak approached Kai.

"Alright, Lord Arzan," he said and took his seat. "We’ll take on your monster nest. But," he added, a finger raised at Malden, who opened his mouth to speak, in warning. Kai knew he implied that more conditions were yet to be said. "Don’t expect us to be heroes. We fight for the coin, not glory."

Kai internally smiled but kept his posture steady. The weight of what their condition could be, washed away. "Fair enough. Just stay alive, and the coin will be yours."

The mercenaries nodded in unison and stood up. The deal was on the table officially.

Before they could fully walk out of the door, Kai’s eyes fell on Raven’s back. It wasn’t always you would see an elf and Kai hadn’t seen one since his teenage years when he had taken a trip to the last tribes of elves left in the world.

With a casualness he didn’t quite feel, he asked, "By the way, Raven, do you have a… companion with you?"

She stopped and turned back, her eyes flickering in confusion as she looked at him guardedly. "Companion?" she asked, her voice shaking a little. "I’m sorry I’m not betrothed and I have no intention—"

"Your spirit," Kai clarified. "Do you have a spirit with you?"

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She nodded, slowly, then confidently. "Yes… Yes, I do."

"Can I see it?"

She looked at him sceptically. Her lips pursed tight into a thin line.

Malden and Francis, who had been discreetly observing the exchange, couldn’t help but look at him strangely.

"Sure," she said in a little voice.

A faint green light flickered near Raven’s shoulder, a tiny, luminescent wisp that pulsed with a soft, noticeable glow. It looked and felt ethereal as it floated around the room as if excited.

Kai reached out a hand, the wisp moving to him. His gentle touch brushed the green light as he fed it his mana which made the glow brighter.

He patted the little green glow. It pulsed once, almost in greeting, before flitting back to Raven’s side.

"It’s good," he murmured, more to himself than anyone. "Very good."

Raven stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "How do you know of the spirit?"

Kai smiled enigmatically. "I know a bit of your people’s customs and spirits are an interesting part of it.," he said. "Don’t worry, I was just curious about your spirit. Now, about that contract…"

He quickly changed the topic as the rest followed.

"I will make sure the contract is ready when you’re here again. Francis will let you know the details on your way out."

Gorak nodded, "Thanks, Lord Arzan." He gave a small nod to Malden, as they all walked out of the room together.

Kai stayed back, deep in thought about the mercenaries he just hired. This could go either way, but he had hoped his decision wouldn’t be something he would regret.

***

The Rusty Pickaxe Inn was more silent than usual. Only two tables were full and one of them was occupied by a group of mercenaries not native to the city.

Gorak grunted as he nursed a tankard of ale. Beside him, Raven fiddled with her dagger, her brows furrowed in thought.

"That Lord Arzan," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper. "There’s something… strange about him."

Finn, the more talkative of the twins, piped up. "Strange how he knew about your little green friend, eh Raven? Not exactly common knowledge, elf customs and all that."

Raven shot him a withering look. "It has a name called Jata, and it doesn’t like to be called ’little.’ But you’re right," she admitted, her voice low. "It’s unusual. Most mages wouldn’t even notice, let alone be so… accepting. Jata was happy with his mana."

She rolled her eyes at the end of her sentence, not happy with how her spirit reacted to Arzan.

Gorak rumbled in agreement. "Yes, there’s something off about him. The village we passed through said he killed off a goblin lord and defended against a necromancer. Even on the way to the estate, we noticed food getting distributed. All these events are starkly opposite what we heard of him back in Kingsreach."

The twins leaned in, eyes wide with curiosity. It was normal for them to enjoy gossip. Finn asked, "So, what do you think he is, then? Some secret persona in disguise? We also heard he’s behind the production of Heat stones. That puts some credibility to him."

"We don’t know if he’s actually the creator of it. All we know, is it might be a ruse to gain reputation."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a man walking towards them with plates full of food.

Anson, the burly innkeeper, his apron stained with years of spilt ale, leaned over the table and put the food down.

He didn’t leave right away, looking at the faces of the mercenaries. "Talking about Lord Arzan, are we?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

The mercenaries exchanged startled glances. Gorak cleared his throat. "Yes. We’re… Starting a job for him soon."

Anson chuckled, a sound like thunder rolling across a distant mountain range. "I have seen more and more stuff about him pop up recently. He had gained a reputation, but you know like everything, rumours are mixed in with the truth. Hard to tell what’s a lie and what’s not. If you want, I could tell you all about him. I have been in the city since I was a little boy and every conversation happens in my inn," he said and before Gorak could speak, Anson wagged a finger in front of his face. "For a good price obviously. As you see, business hasn’t been great recently."

The mercenaries exchanged another glance, a mixture of scepticism and curiosity warring on their faces.

Finally, Raven spoke. "How much would that be?"

"One gold coin."

She frowned, and so did the others, but looking at the innkeeper’s face and the feeling the curiosity gnawing at the back of their minds, she shared a look with Gorak.

"Alright, get to it," Gorak said annoyingly as he passed him a shining gold coin.

Anson quickly shifted his smile to a neutral mask as he pocketed the coin. "Well…." He started, covering everything that had happened since the start of Frosania.

***

The moon hung bright in the night sky, providing light on the training grounds.

Kai, his form a blur of motion, practised his spear techniques in the empty field.

Sweat beaded on his brow, and his breath barely made it outside his lungs, but he pushed himself harder.

He turned his spear to the side, angled it thirty degrees to the ground and pushed it forward. His actions halted as his eyes came to his form.

Need to focus on my feet.

Kai told himself. His knees shaking, unable to stay in the same position as this was the thirtieth time he practised the same form.

He stood back straight and this time, envisioned the twisting tunnels of the monster nest. The image of a larvae charging up at him came to his mind.

He lunged forward, the spear to his front and put it on the ground, rolling around it for a kick before backing up.

Successful in the form of the attack, he smiled. With a swift launch to the side, he grabbed the spear again and started thrusting it forward, to his sides, and even to different angles that Killian had taught him.

Imagining the larvae or any monster was a visualisation technique he had often used with his spells. Now, it was the same with his spear forms.

Just thinking of himself fighting a larvae with the spear was a good practice for him even without any targets.

Back in his training days, there used to be mana puppets that would be used to take the form and shape of monsters for a mock battle. Apparently, they were made by an artefact left by a Magus like him hundreds of years back who had been a genius at making different types of devices.

As he practised, he wondered if he could build it up, but he didn’t even know where to start. At most, he could make up training golems once he got better at it.

Just one more time. The last form!

Kai took a deep breath, moving to practice a defence form, but then, he paused.

Suddenly, a strange sensation prickled at the edges of his senses. He stopped mid-thrust, his spear held high, a feeling of unease settling in his gut.

His eyes darted around the moonlit clearing, perking up his ears and mana to pinpoint what he was looking for.

"Show yourself!" his voice echoed in the silence.

He briefly wondered if it was a guard that had ventured to the training groups whose eyes he had felt, but that didn’t seem likely. Killian was a hard taskmaster and he doubted any of them had strength left after the evening training sessions.

Even after a while minute, only silence answered him, broken by the rustle of leaves and crickets chirping.

But Kai remained vigilant, a knot of tension tightening in his chest.

He raised his gaze, scanning the branches of the towering oak tree at the edge of the clearing.

Sending out his mana in the surroundings to check for any signatures he could pick up, he smiled before making his way towards the tree.

"Who is it?" He asked once again. "If you don’t come out, I’m going to burn the whole tree down to a crisp."