Liora, level ???

  Liora walked beside her new acquaintance, Alex as they both headed towards the most notable hunters inn in the city, ‘for a drink and a job’ he’d said. To Liora, Alex was something of an enigma. The man had briefly matched one of the crowns strongest Assessors in strength and speed, yet he acted like that was natural, and not a point of pride, or even contention. Walking beside him through the busy city streets, her mind was a maelstrom of questions, all focused on her otherwise welcoming companion.

  "Strong. Too strong to be standing here without anyone knowing his name…”

  "Where did he come from? No noble family would let someone this powerful go unnoticed..."

  "Neither would any of the Houses..."

  "He has to be one of them right?"

  "But then why would he be here? The Crown would never let anyone challenge The hand so openly… Maybe he’s a foreigner? He said he wasn’t from here."

  During the test, Liora had seen it all. Gideon’s fist had connected with Alex’s sword’s at full speed. She had expected him to either deflect the weapon or shatter it outright.

  Instead, nothing had happened,

  Nobody else noticed, but Liora did, her intelligence stat was pretty high, thanks to her feat, ‘Fullmind,’ that boosted the stat significantly. Gideon’s fist had recoiled slightly from the impact, utterly broken, but it had instantly healed and his stance didn’t break.

  That suggested that not only was Alex’s weapon sharp enough to hurt a man whose level stood in the hundreds, but it was durable enough to withstand blows that had killed the strongest of frontier beasts.

  What level is he, Liora wondered, eyeing his near-perfect gait. 400? 500? More?

  That would be impossible, nobody made it past level 500. To do that you would need to practically live in the frontier, and that was another impossibility, a feat only a demigod or the oldest of sanguine could manage.

  Liora’s eyes pursed, focusing on the black weapon. What kind of sword is that?

  He was holding back, she realised. But how much?

  "You walk like you’re free. No one is."

  Alex turned, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Hah, that’s funny. Aren’t we both free right now?”

  Liora adjusted her grip on her halberd, casting a glance down the street. The city moved around them—store salesmen shouting over the clatter of metal carts, street performers drawing small crowds, and a pair of guardsmen making their slow rounds. The usual sounds of a city that never really stopped moving.

  “You really believe that, don’t you?” she asked, her voice more curious than confrontational. “Yeah, we’re a little freer now. Free to drink ourselves into a stupor at a hunter’s inn… Free to pick up a job that’ll get us killed.”

  “That’s freedom, isn’t it?” Alex replied, hands in his pockets, his posture easy. He looked like he had all the time in the world.

  Liora snorted softly. “Depends who you ask.”

  Alex gave no response, just kept walking, his pace steady as they made their way toward The Hunters Hollow. The carved fang above the entrance creaked slightly in the breeze, its edges worn smooth by time and weather. Liora’s gaze lingered on it as they stepped inside one of the city’s most historic inns.

  The place was busy, as it always was—though most were mere patrons rather than guests. Hunters clustered at tables in groups of two or three, a few sitting alone, their eyes scanning the room for familiar faces. The noise was a low murmur of conversation, broken occasionally by the scrape of chairs or the clink of mugs.

  Liora led the way to an empty table near the center, setting her halberd down with a practiced ease. She slid into the seat, stretching her legs out under the table.

  Alex sat across from her, looking around with faint curiosity. “Busier than yesterday.”

  “It always is. The Gilded Fang’s been around for decades. If you’ve got coin or a name, this is where you go. The room prices are a little extortionate, so people usually only come for food, drinks, and jobs.”

  Alex frowned at that.

  Then he nodded, his gaze drifting toward the large wooden board near the bar. Rows of parchment hung from it, each marked with a rank and the seal of whoever had posted it. Jobs. Some of them simple, most of them not.

  “You checking the board or am I?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  A pause, and Alex rose from his seat.

  Liora watched him make his way over, weaving through the crowded room with an ease that suggested he belonged there—even if he was still an unknown face. She leaned back in her chair, letting her gaze wander. The inn was familiar, but there was always something new to notice—a fresh scar on a hunter’s armor, a new set of parchments pinned to the job board. She watched Alex pause at the board, calm and steady, like someone who had already decided how far he was willing to go. Faces came and went, as did hunters, taking jobs that would test their limits. No one lingered in memory for long. They all lived on borrowed time, their marks left in fleeting moments—names scribbled on parchments, victories claimed before the next job. Alex, though, carried himself differently. He didn’t feel as though he was just passing through.

  He looked like someone who’d leave more than a name behind.

  ***

  Alex

  Alex stood in front of the board, his eyes scanning the jobs with a practiced calm as his new companion, Liora, sipped her drink in the background. He let his mind wander whilst his eyes traced the different types of jobs posted for the day, memorising the order of importance and rarity listed on the side of the board.

  The Crown Jobs were the most prominent. They always were, it seemed, and outlined in gold— a permanent placement. The Crown paid well, but from what he had heard so far, they would rarely be simple. Beast exterminations, rogue criminal or mage hunts, enforcement missions, incursion dungeon expeditions, or missing nobles. Tasks that required skill, and the ability to get things done without leaving loose ends or collateral damage.

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  His gaze shifted to the Civilian Jobs.

  They weren’t what he had expected. He had expected something tied to the local citinzenry, requests to aid the common man. Instead, the civilian jobs were mostly posted by wealthy merchants or minor nobility— those of the highest class and influence in all but name. They weren’t errands or simple guard work—they were almost all personal requests from powerful individuals who wanted something only hunters could provide. It. Powerful individuals didn’t hunt for monsters—they hunted for opportunities.

  Protecting trade routes from bandits or beasts, clearing dangerous land for estates, retrieving rare resources from the Frontier’s fringes, and supplementing noble forces by joining their forces for fixed terms, training private guards or honing the skills of important individuals like heirs or leadership.

  They paid well enough, but they weren’t all without risk. People with money rarely liked getting their hands dirty—but they had no problem sending hunters to do it for them.

  Then there were the House Jobs.

  They were supposedly rare, but always worth paying attention to. When one of the Great Houses posted a job, it meant something big. Ancient relics, lost artifacts, secret expeditions into the Frontier. Dangerous and often deadly, but the rewards were unmatched—coin, land, titles, favors that could change a hunter’s life forever. But taking a job from the Houses meant you would be facing different odds and different rewards. Where the stakes weren’t just your life, but also gaining the kind of wealth it would take months to achieve.

  Alex pulled down a parchment and scanned it briefly before folding it into his cloak. He reached for another, reading with the same calm focus.

  Liora watched him, curious despite herself. Most hunters scanned the board with a mix of excitement and dread. They were looking for jobs that paid well without getting them killed. Alex, though—he wasn’t hesitating. He wasn’t weighing risk against reward.

  He was just… choosing.

  When he returned to the table, he set the parchments down without ceremony. “There’s a few worth considering.”

  Liora reached for the top one, skimming the details.

  Beast Extermination – Rank B.

  A Frontier beast had been spotted near the city outskirts. Its level was estimated at the 200 range. Dangerous enough to warrant Crown intervention, but not quite serious enough to send the army.

  She nodded, setting it aside. “Not bad. Quick, clean.”

  The next parchment caught her attention.

  House Dreymoore – Relic Retrieval – Rank S.

  Retrieve an ancient relic said to be hidden in the Frontier. A troop of the crowns newest assessors have been consigned. Hunters are required to scout for and supplement the forces of 29 Assessors. You will be protected by high level individuals. No further details were provided, which was apparently typical of House jobs. They would rarely advertised what they really wanted. Only a hefty reward and the basic outline would be present.

  29 of the crowns newest assessors? That’s got to be the rest of the summoned heroes, Alex surmised.

  Liora whistled in appreciation and tapped her finger against the parchment. “This one’s not bad. 29 of them, wow. New Assessors are almost always powerful.”

  “I bet they are,” Alex nodded knowingly. If he was to take that mission, he would need some form of disguise, or at least have to resort to covering his face. Though their mental defences had been woefully inadequate, some of the summoned heroes had felt decently powerful. I should buy a armour, he decided.

  The house job came with risks, but joining their employ would serve as a good cover, at least until he could determine the level of threat the rest of the world—and others— faced.

  “They’ve lost something important, or found something important enough to force them to work with the crown. Either way, it won’t be easy.” She folded the parchment neatly. “But it’d pay well. Extremely well.

  Alex shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  Liora raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never been past the Frontier, have you?”

  “Not really, where I was didn’t feel dangerous. Or even inhabited.”

  “Then trust me when I say the worst that could happen is worse than you’re thinking.”

  Alex leaned back in his chair, a faint grin tugging at his lips. “Sure. Good to know.”

  Liora leaned forward and pulled her gloves tighter. “So… what are you going for? Civvie work? Crown work? The House contract? Or are you going freelance?”

  “Still figuring that out,” Alex said cautiously, though his eyes was drawn to the house’s job posting. “Seems like there’s risks either way.”

  “Yup,” she agreed. “The Crown’s contracts are dangerous, but at least they’ll pull you back from the brink if they need you. The Houses? They only care about saving their own.”

  Alex tilted his head, asking a question out of sheer curiousity “And what about going freelance here? Off the books?”

  “Freelancers don’t last long at all.”

  He frowned, slightly surprised by her words. “Why’s that?”

  “Too dangerous to work alone. And unregistered hunters don’t get the same protections.” Liora gave him a look, as if he should already know. “The Crown keeps track of everyone on a job through registration. If you’re in trouble, they know where to find you. If you go rogue… they know where to find you.”

  “The badge,” Alex said with a nod. He’d expected as much. If he was a maniacal, wide spread, powerful, hero summoning, hero brainwashing royal institution, heavily monitoring and tracking any armed force within its walls would be his first plan of action. Because that’s what hunters are, when all is said and done; an unorganised armed force.

  Suddenly, the bureaucracy was beginning to make sense.

  Liora picked up the last parchment.

  “Missing Person Search – Rank D.

  A merchant’s child had gone missing in the lower districts. Last seen entering the abandoned south-east temple.”

  The pay was modest, but it was the kind of job that could lead to bigger opportunities—if handled right.

  She set it down. “You’d probably like this one. Less risk, more chance to play saviour.”

  Alex chuckled. “Who said I’m a saviour.”

  “Neither am I.” She finished her drink, setting the empty mug aside. “But after seeing you go up against The Hand, I’d be happy to join you on any job. Easy money.”

  Alex nodded, tapping his fingers lightly against the table. “So, why should I let you join me? How could you help?”

  Liora considered the parchments for a moment before answering.

  “I think you’re new to this and you’ve got a good eye. But not good enough.” She leaned forward, her face filled with certainty. “I know everything. Everything you don’t. We don’t have to partner up, it’s up to you. I can do just fine on my own.”

  “So what do you know?” Alex asked.

  Liora leaned back, sliding a hand along her halberd. “The House job’s dangerous, but it’s worth the risk if you want real coin. Survive that and you can buy equipment and skill crystals to sail smoothly through most other jobs. The Crown job’s safer, but it won’t make you rich.”

  “And the missing person?”

  “Could lead somewhere. Could also be a waste of time.”

  Alex hummed thoughtfully. She did seem knowledgeable, and helpful, and her display against Gideon had left quite the impression. It was far, far too early to say he trusted her. But any unlikely threat she could possibly pose was utterly negligible. He could feel her heartbeat, her breathing, her perspiration, and he was beginning to learn what those things meant—they told him that at the very least, she was being honest, and a little excited in their discussion. “Then let’s start with the House job.” He said.

  Liora nodded. “Ok.”

  ***

  Liora, level ???

  Liora leaned back in her chair, watching as Alex gathered the parchments and placed them back on the board. Twenty nine new assessors would guarantee a higher survival rate, and she would move to keep Alex alive, just as much as she suspected he would keep her living, powerful as he was— she was truly grateful to have found such a strong and competent companion for her first official job. It was the type of luck few encountered and even fewer seized.

  They returned to their seat and Alex began ordering food, navigating the complexities of the local menu and customs effortlessly. He must have been here for quite a while before the registration, she surmised. He moved with purpose, but there was still that casual air about him, as if he wasn’t fully aware of the weight of the choice he had made. As if not a single thing here posed him any kind of threat.

  He was too powerful. Too carefree.

  Liora smirked faintly to herself. He was just as lucky to have found her as she was to have found him.

  He was powerful, sure. But in the frontier, there were things much worse than Gideon.

  The is up and running. So if you like, you can read ahead there!