“You want me to go with you, and Hannah, when you could go alone with just you and Hannah. Rick, I want you to think about what you're asking me. Like really reflect on it.”

  “Yeah, Henry, I mean, everyone else was gonna go, till Claire and Jonah dropped out. So, it will be just you, me, and Hannah.”

  “It could just be you and Hannah.”

  “Just me and Hann— oh. Oh! Ahhh, but that would make it like a…”

  “Yeah, you can thank me later.”

  “Henry, you’re such a bro,” Rick Geller said as he clasped his cousin's shoulders, a smile spreading across his face.

  “I know. But I also just want to meditate and go to sleep. The mirage chamber today was… less than ideal. That Asano guy’s terrifying.”

  “I think it was just what the team needed.”

  “What? To be hunted down by a blood-thirsty lunatic? Do I need to start questioning your leadership capacity?”

  “Jason’s not a lunatic, he’s just like any other adventurer, but a little more… creatively expressive?”

  “Whatever, I just didn’t like it. I’ve died in the mirage chamber before, but never like that. There's something dark in him, Rick. And even if he claims it was an act, it came from somewhere.”

  “Don’t think too hard on it, Henry, you’re safe with us,” Rick said, patting his cousin on the shoulder.

  Albert tapped his badge onto the tablet as he closed the front desk. The day had passed in a steady clip; however, that pace had been derailed when the Mercer team arrived with a finished contract at the end of his shift.

  A contract that Albert had needed to submit an after-action report on due to the mistaken identification of the monster, although that was standard fare when locals were involved. He just wished the report had come a little earlier in the day, as it meant he would be walking back home tonight alone instead of with his brother Gilbert.

  However, despite the overtime, Albert still enjoyed his job in the adventure society.

  He’d joined the administrative functionary team at the same time his brother, Bertrand, had started adventuring, and it kept him connected with his family. From helping his brother file contracts to eating lunch with Gilbert at the hall, he felt a sense of fulfillment in his role.

  However, working so closely with the adventure society also gave him the sense that one day, after saving enough money for awakening stones, he could also join the society as an adventurer himself.

  He would, of course, receive essences through the society's administration program, which provided essences after a period of employment without incident. Similar programs were in place in various guilds. But Albert had always known which line of work he wanted to pursue.

  His brother, Bertrand, had been lucky, having found an essence on his own when they were teenagers.

  And since the found essence made three, in addition to the two that the family had saved, it was decided that Bertrand would be the first Bertinelli adventurer. Albert would never deny that he’d wished he’d found the essence, but he truly was happy for his brother.

  “You’re here late, Bertinelli.”

  Albert looked up from his desk to see the glorious mustache of Victor Trenslow.

  “Had to stay back filing a close-out report on the Mercer Team contract.”

  “Cassandra joined a team?”

  “No, it was the team with Davone, Kettering, and Mercer.”

  “Ahh, so the contract went poorly. That boy’s going to get his teammates killed if he keeps weighing them down.”

  “Well, that's the funny thing. Thadwick Mercer’s the one who made the final blow on the monster, an angler toad.”

  “Why were they assigned an angler toad? That’s a two-star contract minimum.”

  “Local report fallacy, but they closed the contract with no major damage or injuries.”

  “Fascinating. Well, at least I have something to talk with my date about now.”

  “Oh, you and tall, dark, and handsome finally dating?”

  “What, I didn’t say— It’s that obvious, is it?” Trenslow sighed. “We’re not dating, though, just more of a locality fling.”

  “I think it’s nice you’re—”

  “Bertinelli, Trenslow, I’m glad you both are still here. We just got an urgent contract that needs to be assigned immediately,” A Runic society official said, pulling out a notice from his robes.

  “Bronze rank?” Trenslow asked with a frown.

  “Iron, but still urgent.”

  “Fine, I guess I’ll take it.”

  The Runic man jumped with surprise at the statement that came from behind him, while Trenslow just gave a side eye glance at the adventurer with the flair for dramatics.

  “Mr. Asano, where did you come from?” Albert said as he pulled out his work tablet to start the assigning process.

  “Oh, I was just pursuing the contracts and got distracted.”

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  “More, like you were being nosey, Asano,” Trenslow remarked, crossing his arms.

  “Maybe a little. I didn’t quite catch who you were going on that date with.”

  “And you won’t be catching it now.”

  “Shame,” Jason said as he took the assigned contract from Bertinelli and looked it over.

  “We’ll need you to head out first thing in the morning, Mr. Asano. Though I do appreciate you making this an easier assignment,” Albert said, holding out his tablet for Jason to tap his badge against.

  “Sorry to do this then,” Jason said, handing back the contract. “But I have a request.”

  “And what would that be, Asano?” Trenslow asked, wanting to get both him and the other functionaries out and on with their night.

  “Well, I've been thinking. How many contracts does an adventurer need to complete every year to keep their membership?”

  Albert paused and tapped on the tablet, pulling up the society's policies and regulations. When he first started, there was a thick tome of outdated policies. However, that changed with the arrival of the new director. She was all about modernization and bringing Greenstone up to standard, and hopefully above standard by the time she was finished.

  "The new policy has four contracts a year, with society assessment not counting into initial numbers. Road contracts, depending on the punitive action, can be included in this number. Why do you ask, Mr. Asano?”

  “Well, I would like to add two teammates to the contract.”

  “I didn’t know you had a team. Well, other than the Remore party, but they don’t count, do they?”

  “Of course not, they would just finish the contract immediately, and where’s the fun in that?” Jason laughed before gaining a serious expression, punctuated with a smirk. “No, you see, I want to help the director get more people not pulling their weight in on contracts.”

  “I feel like there is some form of trickery in play,” Trenslow said, having seen that expression on Jason during his initial assessment.

  “Trickery? Instructor Trenslow, I would never—”

  “Who are they, Asano?” Trenslow said curtly.

  “Well, the first is a magic society bloke by the name of Clive Standish.”

  “The man whose wife you slept with?” Albert asked, his brow furrowing.

  “I didn’t know she was his wife.”

  “We have places to be, Jason. Who’s the other adventurer?” Trenslow said, pulling the conversation back on track.

  “Oh, no one important. Just Thadwick Mercer.”

  “Thadwick Mercer? The man you tried to start a fight with the first time I met you?”

  “As I told you before, Instructor Trenslow, if I had tried to start a fight, there would have been a fight. Besides, didn’t you hear? Thadwick and I are on the road to making amends.”

  “I heard that you pulled a knife on him.”

  “Did Rufus tell you that? Seriously, that man’s a gossip.”

  “Regardless of my source, that doesn’t stop me from questioning your request to drag that incompetent half-star adventurer with you. I’ve warned you in the past about the consequences of your approach.”

  “And I will remind you of my amazing grace and social prowess, which I handle all diplomatic relations.”

  “Feeling more confident than during the assessment, are we? I’m sure you wield diplomacy like your dagger, no doubt,” Vincent said, which received a playful grin from Jason, and his dagger materialized in his hand.

  “Confidence is all in the act, Instructor Trenslow. So, what do you say? Can’t a poor affliction specialist please be assisted with an emergent contract by two society members who’ve neither met their yearly quota nor intend to?”

  “Fine, amend the paperwork, but only because I have a date to be getting to. And if the Mercer family decides to kill you, I won’t have to put up with your tomfoolery anymore.”

  “Wishing such things upon me? What would Remore think?”

  “Bertinelli on second—”

  “Wait, wait. Ok, that one got away from me. Enjoy your date, Instructor.”

  Rick Geller stared across the bar at the man chatting with his sister. He was not an overly protective brother. Phoebe would never allow that, but he did feel righteous fury, and it was all directed at one man.

  The man in question was well-proportioned, with a tan olive complexion and a face unlikely to change as he progressed in rank. And with perfectly styled hair and striking eyes, Rick couldn’t help but lament how unfair the world could be in matching looks like that to a personality like his.

  A regret people planned to make.

  Not on his watch.

  “What’s Thadwick Mercer doing here? It's not like his team’s finishing any contracts,” Rick said, crossing his arms as Hannah walked up to him with drinks.

  “Well, Phoebe looks like she’s having a good time.”

  “Over my dead body,” Rick said, stalking towards the table, receiving a surprised look from Phoebe as he slid between the Mercer heir and herself.

  “Hello Mercer, what do you think you're doing here?”

  “Like, what am I doing here, or why am I here?” The man asked with a raised brow, glancing from Rick to Phoebe and then Dustin.

  “This is a bar for the adventure society.”

  “Rick.” Phoebe scolded, which caused her brother to give her a ‘not now’ look.

  “We’re members of the society just like you, Geller.” The elf healer, Neil Davone, said with a frown.

  “Oh yeah, when’s the last time you completed a contract?”

  “Rickard!” Phoebe said, smacking her brother lightly on the arm. “Thad was just telling me how they completed a contract today. You know, instead of getting their whole team killed in the mirage chamber by one man.”

  “That scenario was highly weighted in Asano’s favor.”

  “Your team fought Jason Asano in the mirage chamber today?” Thad asked, his full attention going to Rick, which was unsettling.

  “We lost to the lunatic; it was totally brutal. You wanna watch?” Hannah asked with a smile as she appeared beside Neil and Dustin, pulling out a recording crystal.

  “Yes, please!” Thad said, leaning across Neil to get a better angle, much to the elf's chagrin.

  Wait, this wasn't going as Rick had planned it at all.

  He glanced over at Phoebe, who just gave him a ‘we’re so talking about this later’ look, as she turned to Kettering, her hand lightly touching his bicep as she started talking to him.

  Oh, she hadn’t been here for Mercer at all then… Kettering was a little better.

  Wait no! He still wasn’t going to allow his sister to be seduced by these… these.

  Rick looked across the table at Hannah, showing the recording to Davone and Mercer, then he glanced at Phoebe, laughing at a joke he had missed from Kettering. Maybe he’d been misinformed about the Mercer team.

  What was happening?

  “That’s the moment he got me,” Hannah pointed out at the screen floating above the table.

  “Why do you seem happy about it?” Neil asked, looking at the screen in horror, Hannah's corpse dangling from a tree like a puppet.

  “God Asano’s so cringe,” Thad said, watching the video enraptured. Only to start laughing as Jason began to act increasingly villainous. Trying to regain composure, he looked away only to glance back and start laughing again. This made Hannah laugh, with Neil looking at both as if they had lost their minds.

  “Oh, y'all shouldn’t have gone in the water,” Thad said, shaking his head as he caught himself again.

  “Well, we realize that now,” Rick said, walking over towards Hannah and leaning against her. Unable to believe that she and Thadwick appeared to be bonding over Jason Asano of all people.

  Suddenly, they were watching Jason lick the spear he had only moments ago been impaled by.

  “I taste good,” came from the other side of the recording. Both Hannah and Thad looked at each other and started laughing all over again.

  “I can’t believe he actually said that!” Thad gasped, tears pricking at his eyes.

  “Because it sets an ambiance.”

  An Australian accent came from behind Thad, whose eyes grew wide with surprise as he turned and saw Jason Asano, prompting another fit of laughter.

  “Why are you here, Jason? Fancy yourself a spy?” Thad asked through laughter, as Neil and Dustin both straightened with twin glares directed at the affliction specialist.

  The protective nature of the two offsiders didn’t go unnoticed by Jason as he watched Thad suppress a grin, trying to be serious as he looked down at him.

  “More of a lawyer, actually.”

  “What does that mean?” Thad asked, his laughter subsiding to puzzlement as Jason shoved a piece of paper in his hands with a smirk.

  “You just got served!”

  Thad read over the contract in his hands, his brow furrowing as he noticed an amendment at the bottom, but where he had expected one name, he saw two.

  “We leave first thing in the morning, Thad. Don’t worry, I’ll pack snacks.”

  Neil and Dustin's dynamic