The trees of Badhir island sparkled like diamonds as the morning sun softly cast its first rays on their dew-covered leaves. A lone centaur was leisurely making his way down a seldom-trod—and quite muddy—forest path. He had spent the night in the nearby town of Nar Badhir—the largest town on the little island that shared its name—to wait out one of the island's countless rainstorms.

He was tall and powerfully built—even for a centaur—and he was armed to the teeth: he carried a spear in his hand, an ornate saber hung from the belt around his waist, and both a shield and a longbow were strapped to his backpack. He had the air of someone who had learned to always expect a fight—and to always be ready for one.

He stopped, looking about from tree to tree. Something had caught his eye, and his expression darkened; his ears flicked upward, listening for anything out of the ordinary among the forest's many sounds...

The elf silently dropped down from the branch above with the grace that only a master assassin could achieve. Reacting almost out of instinct, the centaur leapt out of the way, and the assassin landed in the mud where the centaur just had been with a grunt of disappointment.

"Impressive," he said dryly, standing up to his full height—the elf was only a head shorter than the towering centaur, and his dark blue skin and purple eyes combined with his all-black clothing gave him a rather intimidating visage. "The price Baron Eltoris put on your head is... well deserved."

"You flatter me, bounty hunter," said the centaur, pointing his spear at the elf. "Have you come to kill me? You should know you are not the first."

The elf chuckled humorlessly. "Yes, I imagine you have been quite popular with the assassins' guild lately," he said, contemplating the spearhead hovering uncomfortably close to his throat. "Now, I really would hate to waste the sharpness of my blades on you... so if you'll just come quietly I'll be spared the trouble, and you'll be spared your head." He cracked the faintest of grins—or perhaps it was a snarl. "I don't need you alive."

The centaur's eyes narrowed, and he held the spear ever closer to the elf's throat. "I do not like threats, sir... although, I must say you're not in much of a position to be making them."

"Indeed?"

The centaur ducked out of the way at the very last moment as the elf's dagger sailed past inches from his head. Before he could regain his balance, the elf had drawn his sword and launched a furious attack. The centaur's long spear, which earlier had made him nearly untouchable, now left him nearly defenseless as the assassin swiftly closed the distance—he struggled to keep up, only barely managing to parry the elf's strikes. For a moment, it looked like the battle would end then and there—the spear was knocked out of the centaur's hands, and the elf lunged in for the kill—but with a great leap, he managed to dodge the blow, drawing his saber as he landed.

"You are a formidable adversary, bounty hunter," said the centaur, breathing heavily as he readied himself for the elf's next attack. "I have no doubt you would be more than a match for me... but surely you did not think you alone could defeat us both?"

"Both? What trickery is this?" The assassin's gaze flickered around from tree to tree. "Who else is here?"

"Me!" came a shrill cry from high up in the treetops. The elf glanced upward—then immediately dove aside as a tiny figure bore down on him from the branches above.

"So you brought a friend, centaur?" He chuckled venomously as he regained his footing and raised his sword once again. "I thought you were the type to travel alone."

The tiny figure—a blonde, green-eyed fairy who stood barely a foot tall—perched herself on the centaur's shoulder and burst out into a manic laugh. "Oh please," she cackled, "he didn't bring me; I brought him." She turned towards the centaur and punched him playfully in the jaw. "What, you thought you could go starting fights without me, Nijem?"

"Hello, Cas," the centaur said wearily. "What kept you?"

"Boredom," the fairy replied, crossing her arms and pouting theatrically. "I was about to just head home, but you just had to get yourself into trouble without me. The audacity!"

The elf glared at them, looking thoroughly unamused. "Is this supposed to be a joke?" he growled. "Or are you seriously expecting me to be afraid of this... fairy?"

"Are you calling me a joke?" she yelled indignantly. "Let me at him, Nijem! I'll rip out his insides and stomp them into the ground—ha! Let's see if he thinks that's funny!"

Nijem didn't even bother answering—he simply raised his sword and lunged at the assassin. The elf blocked the attack with ease, but as the fairy drew her own sword and joined the fight he was forced to go on the defensive; between the centaur's powerful swings and the fairy's lightning-quick attacks, it took all the assassin's skill to simply keep them away. He fought with bitter determination—but it wasn't meant to be. Nijem's blade caught him in the shoulder, and although he could fight through the pain, it distracted him long enough for the centaur to land a powerful kick, sending him crashing into a tree.

"You may surrender now," Nijem said dryly, pointing his saber at the elf. "I don't think you need more of your blood to be spilt."

The assassin chuckled weakly. "Another joke, centaur?" He considered reaching for his sword, which had been knocked from his grasp, but decided against it. "Why spare my life when I have no intention of returning the favor? Giving up is not an option in the assassin's guild."

"Yeah, why spare his life?" the fairy echoed maliciously. "I say we tear him apart and feed him to the wolves!"

"I've had a price on my head before," Nijem calmly responded, paying little attention to the fairy's ranting. "If I kill you, it won't be too long until someone else comes along to finish the job. Besides, I've found having a bounty hunter owe you his life can be... quite useful."

The assassin glared at him. "No amount of favors can change the fact that you have a bounty on your head—and my reputation isn't built on letting my targets go free."

"Of course not. I'm certain you will start hunting me again as soon as we part ways... but until then, I do have something to ask of you."

The elf gave him a dark look and was silent for a moment, but eventually decided he would rather live to fight another day. "Agreed, centaur," he said. "What do you require?"

"I happen to be aware of a pirate ship planning to ambush me by the entrance to the harbor," Nijem explained, sheathing his saber. "Here on the same kind of business as yourself, no doubt. I see no way past them... so I may require your help in fighting them off, should they attempt to board my ship."

The elf chuckled again. "And you would trust me with your life?"

"I have dealt with assassins like you before," Nijem said, calmly turning around to retrieve his spear. "You may not care for fairness, or justice... but you have always proven to be honorable. I trust your word."

"Then you shall have it," said the assassin, getting to his feet and retrieving his own sword. "My blades are yours... for now."