Upon exiting the Thieves Guild, Liam and Nora were greeted by heavy rainfall pelting the streets. They looked at each other.

“So,” Nora said, “it’s fine if we just stay here for a bit and wait it out, right?”

“It’s just rain,” Liam replied.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Not just rain,” Nora said.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of water…”

“I just don’t want my new boots wet before adding a waterproofing enchantment.”

“You can leave them out to dry tomorrow. I’d like to meet with this mercenary troupe before midday.”

“Fine…”

From there, they trekked through the rain to the opposite end of town. Similar to the area surrounding the Thieves Guild, rundown homes and businesses cluttered the streets. Most of the roads looked more like alleyways. Numerous makeshift shacks filled the alleys between most buildings. People dressed in grungy attire could be seen hiding under their patchwork roofs in an attempt to avoid the rain.

Although soaked to the bone, Nora plodded along and led Liam to the end of the street. Her arms were crossed over her chest due to the chill. Even so, she pointed at a house that took up most of the land between the city wall and the other buildings alongside the road. The amount of land compared to a home in a subdivision. In contrast to the surroundings, it looked well-kept, though comparing it to shoddy constructs did it no justice.

“So, the mercenary group lives here?” Liam asked.

Nora nodded but said nothing. Instead, she opened the gate and led Liam along a stone path to the front entrance. A veranda attached to the second floor blocked the rain from falling on them there.

Liam briefly looked around for people. When he felt sure nobody was watching, he retrieved the blanket from his inventory and dropped it over Nora’s head.

Immediately, she pulled it off and looked at Liam. Then she looked at the blanket. Then at Liam again.

“Thanks?” She said after a moment.

“Mhm. Then, I assume I’m just supposed to knock?” Liam asked.

“Yes. I’m pretty sure they will be here.”

Liam rapped on the large wooden door with his knuckles. A few seconds later, the door creaked open. A bear of a man stood on the other side staring down at Liam. Then, he looked at Nora and his eyes lit up with recognition.

“If it ain’t the lass from yesterday!” the man exclaimed, voice booming in the hall behind him. Then, looking over Liam like a scrupulous customer at a meat stall, he said, “So that means this guy here is the one you mentioned.”

“Do you mind if we come in?” Liam asked.

“Ah, right, right. Pardon my manners,” the man apologized as he backed up and opened the door wide.

While Liam and Nora removed their boots, the big man mentioned something about finding the boss and sauntered through a set of double doors at the rear end of the hall.

“My poor boots…” Nora muttered, holding her left boot upside down to let water leak from it.

“Just stick paper in it or something,” Liam replied, his boots already off. He removed his wet socks as well.

Before Nora could retort, the big man returned with a man of similar stature to Liam, tall, powerful, and weathered by battle. Instantly, Liam recognized an air of command about the man. The man sauntered over, confidence radiating from his gait. Short and messy gray hair covered his head, though he did not look much older than forty. Perhaps he grayed early. A black eyepatch covered his left eye, a large, brutal scar visible both above and below the fabric. Upon reaching Liam, he stuck out a thick hand, rough and marred. In response, Liam firmly grasped and shook it while looking the man in the eye.

“What’s your name, friend?” The man asked, his rough voice echoing the many successes and mistakes firmly rooted in his history.

“Liam. You?”

“Ekram.”

The two eyed each other for a few moments until Ekram glanced at Nora and said, “Good to see you again, young lady.”

“You too, I guess,” she replied while wrapping the blanket around herself.

“So,” Ekram said, returning his attention to Liam, “the little lady said you were looking to join a group somewhere.”

Briefly glancing at Nora, Liam replied, “Something along those lines.”

The man raised a brow and said, “Come.” Then, he returned to the room he just exited a moment before.

Liam followed with Nora as well as the big man who let them in. The room they entered obviously served as a lounge area. A handful of rugged-looking men sat at a nearby table playing some sort of card game, likely a form of poker based on the coins sitting on the table. They only glanced at the visitors for a moment before returning to their game, or rather, laughing at the man who lost the round. He looked close to tears when he shoved a pile of gold coins toward a man across the table, though he took care not to knock over the oil lamp in the center. The big man from before joined them.

“Feel free to sit wherever,” Ekram said, gesturing at the many chairs and sofas of simple make circling a fireplace in the center of the room. A brick chimney rose around it, leaving four rectangular openings, one on each side.

Considering he needed to be able to speak to the leader, Liam sat in the chair closest to where the man sat. Although the chair lacked a cushion like most of the others, it suited his needs. However, Nora knelt on the floor right next to the fireplace in order to warm up.

Leaning back into the sofa, Ekram asked, “What made you interested in us?”

“Honestly,” Liam replied, “I didn’t know you existed until yesterday, but I’m looking to join a group other than the Adventurer Guild or military.”

“I see… Well, the lady said you used to be a soldier somewhere in the past, so you’d probably fit in with us, but why not join the Adventurer Guild?”

“I’d rather avoid lots of attention, not to mention they can’t guarantee good pay from what I understand,” Liam answered.

“Good pay, is it? You wouldn’t get consistent pay with us, either,” Ekram said.

“Mercenaries always get paid well if they do their jobs well,” Liam retorted.

The mercenary leader rubbed his scraggly chin and said, “That is true, for the most part. Sounds like you are familiar with mercenary work.”

“Used to know a few.”

“Well, we do get jobs consistently enough for those fools to gamble half of it away,” Ekram said, pointing at the group playing cards behind him. All but the oldest one chuckled in response.

“And you could afford this place,” Liam mentioned.

“Good point,” Ekram muttered. “So, from what I understand, you don’t want to go it alone but aren’t interested in attention either.”

“Can’t deny that, though making a living for now is important, too.”

“Your clothes are a bit too nice to say something like that,” the man replied, pointing at his pants.

“True. I’m set for a little while, but not forever.”

“Right… let’s get to the point, then. You feel like trying to join us or not?” Ekram asked.

In answer, Liam crossed his arms and said, “How about you take me on your next job before I decide?”

The man rubbed his chin in thought. After a few moments of silence aside from the gamblers’ jests and the crackling flames, he said, “I guess that could work. Usually, we simply do a test of combat, but taking you along works as well. No glory in our work, though.”

“I don’t need such a thing,” Liam replied.

“Alright, tell me where you live and I’ll send a messenger for you when we get our next job. Sound good?”

Liam nodded.

“How about some ale to settle it, friend?” Ekram asked.

“Sure.”

“Some for the lady as well?”

Turning her attention to them, Nora answered, “I only drink wine, but thanks.”

“Conor!” Ekram called out toward the table. When the big man who let Liam and Nora inside turned around, Ekram said, “Go fetch us some ale and also wine if we got any left.”

“Why don’t you go get it, boss?” Conor asked, smirking.

“Get off your ass and fetch it, or you don’t get any.”

The big man faced the man next to him and said, “Kael, go grab some ale and wine.”

In response, the man smiled at him and said, “Go fuck yourself, Shrimp.”

“Little weasel…”

Another man, obviously older than the rest, said, “Boss called you out, Conor. Better do as he says, or you might get a worse punishment for your mistake last time.”

“It’s fine, Pops,” Kael said. “He knows.”

Mumbling incoherently, Conor scooted his chair away from the table and stomped out of the room with hands shoved into his pockets. The men immediately returned to their game when the big guy left. A minute later, the man returned with several bottles in each hand. Before doing anything else, he tossed three bottles toward Ekram, who caught all of them without looking, but said, “Bad manners to throw good ale.”

“Never been one for manners, boss,” Conor replied as he tossed another bottle toward the table. All in one motion, the man named Kael snagged it from the air just above the surface of the table, popped off the cap, and poured several portions down his throat before handing it off to the next guy who did the same.

Handing a bottle to Liam, Ekram said, “Here. Not the best, but it’s not bad either.”

Taking the bottle, Liam said, “Thanks.”

“And some wine for the lady,” Ekram said, leaning forward to hand a glass bottle to Nora. She stared at it for a moment before taking it.

Looking at the bottle in surprise, Nora asked, “Am I supposed to drink this whole thing?”

“Nah. Just drink as much as you want,” Ekram replied.

After that, Liam and Nora spent another hour or so with the mercenaries. Liam found out they called themselves the Blue Vultures, though apparently the name changed several times before that. While there, he also made sure to meet each of the men who lived there. Some lived elsewhere, but seven of their members stayed there. The most noticeable were Conor and Kael, who supposedly grew up together before joining the military as teenagers. They proved to be the rowdiest of the bunch. The older man was named Cairnech. The other three were named Kahdlah, Fihrlo, and Torin, though Liam didn’t get a good grasp on their personalities during his short visit.

When Liam and Nora left, Ekram gave them the wine Nora didn’t finish, which she appreciated. From there, they began the trek back to the house so that Liam could take the Direwolves hunting again. Luckily, the rain had died down to a mere drizzle.

“Feel like coming with me this time?” Liam asked.

“I’d prefer not to, but I guess I can’t really avoid them forever…” Nora muttered.

“Good. Might be a good idea to change when we get back to the apartment. Actually, now that I think about it… I hope my jacket is dry…”