Goro spun around to see a sizeable seven-foot-tall man towering over them. His body was covered in scars, and his long hair was a bright silver brushed back. His eyes were a beady black that scanned over all of them, taking each of them in. What surprised Goro, the most about the man was not his insane height and ripped build that rivaled even Vat. No, what surprised Goro was that the man who stood in front of them was completely naked aside from the single black glove that adorned his right hand. 

"Wow." Mumbled Katherine breaking the stony silence.

The man introduced himself as Adam, the boss of the Black Hand. Adam snapped his fingers, and suddenly two equally nude women stepped in, covered Adam's body with a silk robe, and tied it around him. The two girls made their way around Adam, expertly moving along with him as Adam stepped over to the oversized couch in the middle of the room and sat down. The two girls sat, quickly throwing themselves over him as he made himself comfortable. 

Goro couldn't help but notice a triangular sigil glow on each girl's forehead. Domination magic. A highly illegal and cruel spell that even outperforms the charm spell's effectiveness. The spell forces one's will onto the other, overriding their desires with their owner's.

The man smiled a wide toothy smile as one of the girls pulled out a large cigar case from in-between the cushions of the couch, placed a fat cigar in his mouth, and lit it with some fire magic. Adam moved the cigar over to the side of his mouth and wrapped his arms around the two girls. 

"So you four are the famed outlaws called Wraith?" Adam questioned them in a mellow yet oily tone. "I've heard you guys are the equivalent of Platinum Class adventurers."

Goro tried to keep his eyes on Adam and away from the girls. "That's what people say." Goro gestured broadly at his teammates. "All I know is we get our job done, no questions asked." Goro laughed softly, "You look like the kind of guy who likes it when no questions are asked."

Goro stared at Adam's eyes intensely to show the most respect he could. It felt like he and the others had walked into a lion's den, and they were being eyed as the next potential meal. He was confident that if a fight broke out, they could put up a good fight but something about this man screamed danger. A drop of sweat dripped down Goro's cheek.

Adam laughed loudly and pulled the girls in closer. "You've got that right! Every gentleman likes his privacy, ya know?" Adam snapped his fingers as one of the girls stood up and left the room. "I'm sure you four are busy people, so let's talk business, shall we?" The girl then walked into the room carrying a briefcase and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch before plopping down again. 

Adam let go of the girls and leaned forward; his eyes scanned the room and met each Wraith member's eyes. "You all have heard about the rumor in the capital city, right?..." Adam's voice kept its oily energy but became laced with a severe tone. "Apparently, the Alloran Church has itself a Holy Saintess that can heal others instantly." 

"The Holy Saintess?" Katherine quipped incredulously. "I thought that was just a scam the Church set up to pull in donations?" Katherine breathed out another puff of smoke as Ricky spoke up with a laugh. 

"I thought she was just a legend the town folks dreamed up. You're not actually saying…." 

"I am." Adam crossed his arms and made a dark face. "The Holy Saintess is real; one of my spies was healed by her once." Adam's dark face broke as he puffed a big huff of smoke on his cigar. "Not only is she genuine, but apparently, she's on a pilgrimage to Abadi'Harnek in Lindir territory."

Goro rubbed his chin. "Abdai'harnek…?" Goro closed his eyes and began to think, "if she's going to Abadi'harnek from Edronta, she'll have to pass through Valca." Goro opened his eyes and crossed his arms as well. His voice was as cold as ice. "The quickest route to Valca is on Oldstone road. She's basically heading right for us." 

Adam gave a wide grin, "Precisely, my friend!" He grabbed the girls once more and shifted the cigar in his mouth. "She's apparently traveling with a few bodyguards, one of them being Raiza Solei." 

"The Phoenix of the Magic Knights? That's some guard. They must've really wanted to protect the Saintess." Vat chuckled. 

"Exactly," Adam smiled and pulled the girls in closer. "I've got a task, you see. I need that Raiza girl, and I need her alive. Adam blew out a puff of smoke as one of the girls reached over, pulled his cigar out, and flicked off the ash before placing it back in his mouth. "As a bonus, I want that Saintess. Although, she's just a piece of the dessert for later."

"I've got a bit of a hobby, you see…." Adam's smile grew wider as Goro felt a cold chill rise up his spine. "I like to collect cute girls, and adding the Holy Saintess to my little personal collection would be a dream come true."

Goro furrowed his brow, "you want both Raiza the Pheonix and the Holy Saintess? Don't expect this to come cheap."

Adam then let go of the girls and clapped his hands. "Of course, such an extreme request will cost a pretty penny." Adam reached down and began unlatching the briefcase. "So I'm willing to pay an appropriate price for such a thing." 

"This is the first half. The other half will be given upon completion of your assignment." The briefcase lid opened, revealing twenty-seven golden bricks stacked in neat rows. 

The four members of Wraith moved over to the glowing case of gold and gaped in awe before looking over at Goro. Goro tried to suppress it but felt a large grin creep across his face. Unable to hide his interest, Goro laughed and reached out his hand toward Adam, "I think this amount will do just fine." 

Adam smiled in return and shook Goro's hand vigorously. It was time to go Saintess hunting.