Step by step Argo climbed, the smells and sounds of the first floor fading, albeit only slightly, by the time he reached the top. He stepped from the staircase to the floor and instantly realised there were fewer initialised here than he thought. Eight people sat amongst the tables, formed into smaller cliques of two or three. Most people had squads which they operated within, it was always useful to have specialists, especially when missions began to escalate in terms of difficulty. The only reason why Argo had gotten away with his solo mission was due to the reasons he had gone on it for, and the simplicity of the tasks required. 

He cut through the room, nodding to those who waved at him. He knew all of the initiated members, at least he believed that he did. However, as he neared the bar of the third floor he spotted a girl who he had missed on his first scan. She sat alone at one of the several wooden tables scattered over the floor, her hair, black as the sky of a moonless night splayed behind her. Her head rested on top of her arms on the wooden table by which she sat. She was clearly asleep, too assured of her own safety. He shook his head, scoffing lightly at how someone who seemed so naive had managed to pass their initiation trial. 

“Hey, Ginny.” He stopped as he came up to the bar. A middle aged woman stood behind it, yet another one of the semi-permanent residents of the town. She wore a simple white apron over her worn work clothes. Her hair was tied up into a bun. She wore the face of someone who was aged beyond their years, reflected by her calloused hands which gripped tightly onto the wooden bar. Behind her were countless bottles of cheap spirits, a few of them more expensive, and a stack of paper, each one a unique job that was held exclusively for initiated members. 

“Argo.” She said with a simple nod. “I see your mission was a success. That Baroness was reported dead yesterday.”

“Damn, so the news outpaced me this time.”

“That it did. Still, not by too much.”

“And is Verin back yet?” 

“Not quite yet. Though news of his success is. I think he’s gonna be pissed to see that you’ve overtaken him.” Whilst the guild held three distinct ranks, those of the apprentices and initiated were further ranked. Each job someone did was worth a certain number of points, and upon completion, they were added to a running total that Ginny had been keeping, you would even gain a small bonus if you returned before the news of your actions. Of the some seventy initiated members Argo had just risen to fiftieth, displacing Verin to the fifty-first spot. The two had spent the past year trading spots back and forth as they slowly climbed to their current rankings.

“Nice. And who is she? The girl with the black hair sitting alone on the table.” Argo pointed towards her.

“A fresh one. Was initiated last night by Tor.” He paused for a moment thinking back to when his master initiated him a few years prior. His fingers still ached at the memory of his climb, the callouses he had formed that day had not faded, he doubted that they ever would. He had been made to climb a mountain in the roughlands a few day's hike from the ends of the Southern province. He had been given no equipment, dropped in front of a mountain face which had at the time seemingly stretched into the heavens, in the dead middle of winter. By the time he had finished the climb, he had been halfway to the grave.

“Speaking of, Is Master still here?”

“No, Tor set off just after the initiation, on a new job.”

“Can I know what it is?” She eyed him. Rarely did anyone besides her or his master know what jobs individual members went on till they were accomplished. It risked the information spilling out into the rumour mill and sabotaging the entire operation. “Fair enough. Then let me cash in.”

“The job was two crowns, right?” He nodded as she reached down into a purse and pulled out two golden coins before placing them down with a thack onto the bar. “How many guards did she have?”

“Fifteen” Argo replied, his voice hollow. She whistled in a mixture of surprise and congratulations, however, the sound was drowned out by the wave of thoughts cascading into his mind. It still lingered on Dalton, the widening of his eyes as his blade cut through his neck. Of the daughter, he would never return to. His thoughts must have come through to Ginny.

“Listen Argo”, Ginny began with a weary tone. “This line of work doesn’t take favourably to forming bonds.” How she could tell his thoughts without him speaking was beyond him. “Attachment is weakness. Even among us on the third floor. Especially among us.” She met Argo’s gaze, yet somehow seemed to be looking through him. At some distant person who was not truly there.

“Every day you sound more like him.”

“Well, Tor may be an ass. But he is intelligent and rarely wrong.” Argo grunted. She wasn’t wrong, he knew exactly what he was getting into. Yet the intelligence of his master being pointed out to him always rubbed him the wrong way.

“I’m gonna want to collect my reserves.”

“So you’re really going after him then?”

“Yeah, it’s time. This was my last mission before heading after him.” She nodded and reached back into her purse. This time she pulled out another five golden crowns, seven talents and three copper chips.

“A small fortune you’ve collected over the years.” He nodded and pocketed the money, more than enough to last him a good few months. “Any idea where he may be?”

“None. I’m going to need a tracker, and probably a knower on top of that. I tried to get Galli to come with me, he seemed hesitant though.”

“If you need a tracker go speak to the new girl. She was well trained. I’ll have a word with Galli. Both will want a pretty penny though.” He grabbed the small purse he had on his waist, in total with this collection he had ten crowns, eight talent and four chips. That would be plenty to hire two people to help him track down a simple murderer. He swallowed a lump in his throat, he was of course lying to them too, the man he was chasing was no simple murderer. He had managed to kill both of his parents, the sole guards of his whole village. He was definitely a Changer. 

“You have far too much money in that purse for someone your age.” She shook her head with a slight sigh. Argo smiled, twice in one day it had happened, he didn’t deserve to smile, not after what he had done to Dalton. The smile faded almost immediately.

“Thanks for the info, Ginny. Tell Master to send me any information he may find when he comes back.”

“Will do kid.” He left the sack holding the Baroness's head on the floor, leaning against the bar, and Ginny moved to pick it up. They always required proof of kill for their clients, word of mouth wasn’t enough. As she grabbed it he went and took a seat opposite the girl who Ginny had called Nyx. She slept soundly as she rested against the table.

“I hear you're a tracker.” 

“That I am. You would be Argo I presume.” She spoke with a formal tone, surprising Argo slightly with the tone of her voice. He had thought her to be asleep, however it seemed more like she had just been lying down. Slowly she sat up, her long hair hung splayed out behind her back for only a moment before she snagged it and tied it behind her head in a ponytail. She had a worn face, a few simple scars along her cheekbone and lip. However other than that she seemed mostly uninjured, an oddity amongst those Argo had come to know.

“That I am. You know me then?”

“Mhm. Ginny told me all about you during my apprenticeship. The only one who Tor has ever decided to train.” So she had been Ginny’s ward. It made sense how she had passed despite her initiation being held by his master.

“Well then. Do you mind helping me find a target?”

“This personal? Or a job.” She flexed her fingers, cracking them slightly.

“Personal, though you’ll get paid.”

“How much?”

“A crown when you agree and two when he’s rotting.”

“Any idea where he is?”

“No. Last I saw of him he was in the hills past the Eastern province about seven years back.” She eyed him, waiting to see if this was a joke. When he stayed silent she cursed under her breath.

“Do you even know if this fucker is still alive?” Her formal voice seemed to slip slightly. It was a front, though why she held it whilst within the lands controlled by the guild was beyond her.

“He’s alive. Definitely.”

“Fine then. Make it two up front and you’ve got a deal.” Four crowns was a hefty sum. Even for the assassination of a Baroness, he had only made two. He looked towards her, she was a fresh member, it would be far cheaper to find someone else, maybe even a contractor. His eyes however continued to focus on her, she had been trained by Ginny, recommended by her. She was definitely better than what any contractor could do. 

“You’ve got a deal. We’ll be leaving at sunrise tomorrow.” She nodded, pulled the band from her hair, letting it fall back down to her sides and went back to resting her head on the table. Argo stood up and walked away from the table and back down the stairs. As he reached the base he heard Galli’s voice echo quietly towards him.

“I’m sorry Ginny, but I really can’t.” His voice felt hollow, it echoed of past failures, traumas with which he was now trapped. Many who had been initiated had seen things which no man should be forced to endure, yet Galli had still considered helping Argo.

“Why not Gal, it’s a simple track and kill mission. You know how long the boy has been waiting for this.”

“He’s not much of a boy anymore.”

“Still.” Argo walked towards them.

“It’s fine Ginny, if he doesn’t want to come with we will manage. I can find another Knower.” She looked towards him before glancing back towards Galli. He seemed relieved by Argo’s intervention. 

“You’re an ass. You and Tor both.” He rolled his eyes as she stalked off into a room behind the stairs.

“I am sorry Argo. I just can’t go.” He paused for a moment, his eyes looking everywhere but at Argo’s own. “You know I would if I could. It just isn’t…” He took in a slow and ragged breath. “It’s no longer so simple for me.”

“It’s fine Galli, I understand. It won’t be too hard to find a Knower on the road anyway. When we get closer to the hills I’ll put out a calling card.” Galli nodded and Argo began to walk off, however, he felt a slight pull on his shirt.

“Come back when you’re done. I know you joined to get the resources to kill whoever this man is. But it’s always nice to have someone other than me and Ginny living here. And god forbid Virin’s ego inflates anymore.”

“I will. I have nowhere else to go anymore. May as well make this my home.”

“I’ll see you around then.” Argo nodded and walked out of the room.