“Nyx please come with us.” 

“Argo, I can’t. Frankly, the whole mission is suicidal and why Ryle is continuing along with this is beyond me.” The two stood, lit by firelight, on the edge of the Eastern province. It had been six days since they began their return from Riverfell, three days since they had learned that the man Argo was after was a changer. 

“I need someone who is good at tracking. Ryle can pick up tracks, but he can’t follow them like you can.”

“We are a half days ride from the guild, find someone to replace me there.”

“It won’t be the same. Please, just give it some thought.” She took a seat by the fire, letting the heat warm her up. Out in the roughs they had managed to avoid the worst of winter's chill, yet as they grew closer to the Central province it was becoming ever more prevalent.

“Fine.” She crossed her arms as her eyes rolled. “If it will keep you off my back about it then I’ll give it a think. I’ll talk to Ginny about it when we return.”

“I’ve heard that name from you a few times now,” Ryle spoke up from the side of the fire. He was slowly rotating the skewered fish they had caught earlier in the day, making sure that no one side got overcooked. “Who is she?”

“My master.” Nyx eyed the food hungrily.

“It’s not quite ready yet,” Ryle replied as he rotated the stick slightly.

“It’ll be fine.” She reached out to grab one of the sticks.

“Hands off!” He swatted away her hands. “You will wait till I say it’s ready.” A small chuckle escaped Argo’s lips.

“What do you find so funny?” Nyx glared at him, her stomach growling lightly as the smell of the cooked fish began to fill their small section of the forest.

“Doesn’t matter.” His shoulders fell flat as he sat down, leaning against a strong oak tree. His eyes lifted, looking into the sea of stars overhead.

“No, please enlighten me.” She demanded as she marched over to where he stood. She glared down at him, her annoyance shown with each twitch in her lips.

“Can you two please stop bickering?” Ryle complained as he pulled the sticks of fish from the ground. “On the gods, you argue more than my parents. Now come get your food.”

“It’s ready?” Nyx turned around, her eyes reflecting the flickering orange and reds of the flame. She bounded towards him and snatched her food from his hands.

“You do know we don’t really have a basis for how much your parents argued?” Argo came to his feet slowly, dusting off the dirt covering his pants.

“Oh shut up.” Ryle passed him his food before returning to the heat of the flames.

* * *

The sun was yet to rise above the hills which surrounded the assassin's guild. Fields lay stagnant, dark, not a worker among them to tend to their freshly planted seeds. The soft rushing of water through a nearby river and the weary steps of a small group of travellers were the only signs of movement in the region. The typically bustling tavern within the town the assassins' guild called base was empty of all patrons. A few who had too much to drink the night prior lay unconscious in the streets, snoring away the ill effects of their choices from the night prior. 

“We are just about there,” Argo answered Ryle, who had been curious how much longer the walk would take them for the better part of the past hour. All three of the travellers were exhausted, between the three of them, not one had been able to get more then four hours of continuous sleep through the night, eventually they cut their losses and began to walk.

“Finally. If I knew that I wouldn’t have had a bed to sleep on when you asked me to join you I never would have left Galad.” Ryle sat on Winston’s back. He had demanded to be allowed to ride on horseback once they had finally left the roughs a week prior. His feet had been coated in blisters from running the entire distance and his muscles ached with each movement. Due to that, travel back to the guild had taken longer than Argo had wanted, still, it had given him time to thoroughly convince Ryle to continue on the search with him. Nyx however, was another story, and it had only been the night prior when she finally agreed to discuss it with Ginny.

“Those bandits would have killed you,” Nyx spoke through a yawn. Argo held back a smile from forming on his face at the sight.

“I said what I said Nyx.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I miss when you didn’t speak to me.”

“Maybe I’ll go back to that then.”

“Gods!” Argo swore, throwing his hands into the air. “You have no ground to stand on Ryle. You were going on about how Nyx and I couldn’t stop bickering just last night.” He shook his head as he finished rounding a hill, putting them in a straight shot to the village. “Both of you be quiet till we get there.”

“Why, do you think someone is following us?” Nyx asked quietly as she quickly narrowed the distance between Argo and herself.

“No! You two are just giving me a headache.” Argo took another step and quickly found himself with no feet on the ground. Nyx had swiftly kicked his foot out from under him and he was sent tumbling into the floor.

“Bit harsh there Nyx no?” Ryle brought Winston to a stop by her side as Argo groaned, his hand rubbing along a bump forming on his head.

“Not at all.” She marched away, leaving Argo groaning on the floor.

He slowly came to his feet, rubbing his slightly bleary eyes before joining them as they continued down the path. As they neared, the silence which had hung so solidly around the town began to fade, those who had rooms rented within the town were waking. Argo could make out a man in the distance walking towards the village gate, he held a simple spear. His face seemed familiar, but the distance obscured his features.

“That’s Verin right Argo?” A long groan escaped Argo.

“Yeah, it is. Damn it, I was hoping he wouldn’t be here.”

“Whose Verin?” Ryle spoke as they grew closer to the gate.

“A friend of his.”

“You’re pushing the definition of friend there Nyx.” He stopped speaking as he entered Verins earshot. The man was taller than Argo by about half a head, with hair as red as a flame. Argo was surprised to see him standing guard, the job was typically given to apprentice members. A grin split across Verin’s face as he saw Argo approaching.

“Is that fifty first I see?” 

“Oh shut up. I’m not the one standing guard, did Master finally decide to toss you out?”

“Yeah, you wish. I’m doing Galli a favour.”

“Is Ginny in?” Nyx asked from the side.

“Oh, who is she Argo? And yeah, she is.”

“She’s a newly initiated member. Ginny’s student.”

“I’m Nyx, nice to meet you Verin.”

“Pleasures mine. Now get in.” The three walked past the gate. A few moments later Verin turned around, “Oh Ar, Tor’s back, says he wants to speak with you.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” That was good, he wouldn’t need to wait around too long. Still, with Nyx thinking of leaving maybe he should delay till she wanted to come with him. He shook his head lightly as they continued down the path

“What’s he mean by fifty first Ar?”

“Pay it no mind, Ryle.”

“It’s a ranking system initiated members use. The two of them squabble over their rankings all the time, it likely means Verin overtook him.”

“I said to pay it no mind.” Argo rolled his eyes as he came to a stop outside the tavern. “Nyx, take Ryle with you to Ginny, he can set him up with a room.”

“Sure, thing.” She took the reins of Winston and Argo’s horse and slowly led them towards a pole before tying them down. Argo glanced back at her for a moment before walking into the building.

It had been far busier the last time he had come, though of course than it had been during the middle of the day. The bottom floor was packed with the sleeping bodies of mercenaries, these men weren’t a part of the guild, still, they came for the ease of finding jobs. Argo quite quickly manoeuvred around the bodies which littered the floor towards a set of stairs at the room's far end. Typically Galli, or an apprentice would be standing guard, making sure that none of the mercenaries of the first floor would head further up. No one stood there as Argo passed it by. More than likely it was too early for someone to stand guard, he had seen it empty countless times when arriving here with his master and Cinn.

He passed by the second floor quickly and came out of the steps on the top. It was empty, although he could hear the rattle of glasses from the kitchen behind Ginny’s bar, she was likely cleaning. “I’m back.”

“Argo?” She popped her head out the edge of a door. “Welcome back.” She walked out, a washcloth in one hand and a glass in the other. “How was the trip? Hope that Nyxie wasn’t too much of a burden.”

“Nyxie?” A grin involuntarily split across his face. “No, she’s been great. Though if you can, convince her to keep travelling with me.”

“So the job isn’t done yet?”

“No, the trail went cold. I’m hoping that Master has some info for me.”

“Well, he did say he wanted to see you. He’s in his office.”

“Thanks, see you later.” He started off towards a ladder in the far corner of the room.

“Likewise.” She returned to the kitchen as Argo began to climb the ladder.