Chapter 2: The Price of Murder

Talon learns of a possible job opportunity that pays very well, despite the apparent simplicity of the task. Unknown to Talon however, are the dark intentions of his employer.

As Talon started to walk towards the old man’s table, Bruno stood up slowly, expecting to continue their fight.

“I’m not done yet, weasel!” Bruno said, as he cracked his back, stretching out the parts of his body that just hit the hard wood table.

“Don’t be foolish.” Talon snapped without even giving Bruno the respect of eye contact, “Look at you, you can hardly walk!  Your friends have slight head injuries, stop trying to get yourself more wounds and go tend to theirs.  Consider me generous for letting you live, now get out of my sight!”

Bruno said nothing, but quietly moved to the bar and ordered a pint to drown his disappointingly quick defeat.

“Alright old man,” Talon said as he sat down in the seat in front of the elderly man wearing a black cloak.  “You have my attention for about a minute, and this better be good.  What kind of job are we talking about?”

“Oh it’s nothing to dangerous, especially for a great warrior of your caliber.” The cloaked man replied. “I just need someone eliminated.  She shouldn’t put up much of a fight, not that you need to hear that, brave archer…as she’d never see you make an attack.”

“An assassination.” Talon considered the task, “You want me to assassinate a girl…why?”

“Oh it’s not really a tale worth getting into.” he replied, as his voice seemed to get colder. “All you need to know is that this girl is an enemy of mine, with some valuable information that could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.  She is currently being held captive by a group of mercenaries who call themselves the Unforgiving Swords.  A man like myself could never get in there and do what needs to be done…You however probably could get past this pack of sellswords and kill the girl, without any of them knowing that you’re in their camp!”

“Pfft!” Talon snorted as he rose from the seat, “Thanks for wasting my time…but killing some girl that is captured by some unknown, under rated band of sword wielding wannabes is far beneath me. I'm done with such petty tasks!”

As Talon was about to turn around and leave, the old man reached into his pocket, pulled out a red pouch, and placed it on the table.  As the pouch hit the table, the sound of coins clanging together regained Talon’s attention.

“Perhaps the job is beneath you,” the elderly man replied, “but every man has his price…perhaps this is close to yours.”

Talon picked up the small bag and looked into it.  Inside was well over one hundred, perhaps even two hundred, gold coins.  These coins were not normal townsfolk coins either; they were made with the kind of gold that was only available to high nobility.

“Who are you, old man?” Talon asked, puzzled at how this decrepit old fool could have this kind of money.

“Who I am is inconsequential.” He replied, with an increasingly cold and dark tone.  “I’m just an old man who needs an enemy eliminated to keep a secret, and I’m willing to pay a large sum of money to make it happen…I don’t see what else you need to know, except for the location of the mercenary camp.”

As the mysterious elder finished speaking, he also withdrew a small piece of paper with writing on it.  Talon inferred this was the location of the camp.  Talon poured out half the gold coins, and took the piece of paper.

“I’ll take half now,” He said, “and I’ll return here when the job is done.  It won’t be long, so you better be here when I get back.”

“Very well.” The man replied, “I wish you the best of luck, brave archer.”

“Save your luck for somebody who needs it.” Talon said, as he rolled his eyes and turned around to leave the tavern.  “This job isn’t even worth my time…but one cannot deny the lovely amount of gold that comes with it!”

Talon paused before he left the Wandering Journer.  He glanced upstairs, and remembered that Willard was still doing whatever it is that Willard does.  Talon debated waiting on his traveling companion but decided against it.  This job won’t take long, and he’d probably be back in time to enjoy another cold one with Willard.  Of course this means he’ll never hear the end of it when Willard found out he went out on his own for a night…but somehow Talon figured killing a girl wasn’t something Willard would particular enjoy.  Then again, the possibility of running into a band of mercenaries and humiliating them in battle is something that even Willard, the man who seemed to have a one track mind, would find childish joy from.  Talon decided to leave his comrade to the fair lady he was currently with, besides he didn’t need Willard anyway.

As Talon left the tavern, Bruno approached the old man, and threw a dagger into the table in front of him.

“I still don’t see why I couldn’t have roughed him up more, Morphus!” Bruno yelled, frustrated that he was ordered to act so helpless.

“Relax, you buffoon!” Morphus replied as he stood up to leave the tavern.  “Your job was just to get his attention so I could play off his pride a little.  When he comes back, you’ll have your chance to really battle him.  Talon’s life is inconsequential to me, but I need a man of his stealth and speed to get into the camp and kill her, undetected by those mercenaries.  You do remember what happened last time you tried to enter that camp don’t you?”

Bruno’s hand quickly went to the large scar he had on his chest, under his black shirt.  Even a great warrior like himself didn’t stand a chance to the leader of the Unforgiving Sword.  He had a scar now that reminded him of that daily.

“Fine then.” Bruno grumbled, “Have it your way, Sorcerer…But when Talon returns to collect, I’m not holding back no matter how much you like his skill set.”

“Do as you will.” Morphus said as he walked out of the tavern, “As long as the Sorceress Oceana is dead and out of my life for good, I’m a happy man.”

Reviews

[Shep]

You thrill me with a tale of quick delight and so underhandly just a quick note just below and I will quickly move on.


Gramar Idea

Talon decided to leave his comrade to the fair lady he was currently with, the (archer) delete add (besides he) didn’t need him anyway.

[DarkCrono15]

Glad you're enjoying it, and I'll add the grammar change.

[Anthony Hart-Jones]

There's a paragraph in a different font, which also has the name 'Shinon' in it.

[DarkCrono15]

Whoops! Definitely editing that now! Doing my best to change all those...The plot is purely original but this piece did start off as a fanfiction for a Fire Emblem game...THANK YOU so much for letting me know, that's a bit embarrassing haha.