Hal was still around the compound after the majority of the leaving group had departed. It wasn't that he was staying for the day, but that he needed to finish up some preparation before he left. Washing his clothes and patching some of the damaged ones. While he was moving about, he noticed something bizarre. The Old Man had company.

The Old Man rarely had anyone in his office, Hal being one of the few who'd seen it more than twice, and rarer still had someone in there from outside the compound. Hal would have ignored anyone coming out of the office if they had been residents of the compound, assuming they'd had something to speak with THe Old Man about in a more private setting. The man Hal saw, leaving The Old Man's office, was too old to be someone who lived in the compound. The man didn't appear to take notice of Hal as he walked by, seemingly lost in thought. Maybe he was thinking about his conversation with The Old Man, or perhaps he had something else on his mind, Hal couldn't tell.

Still, Hal had learned it was polite to greet people, and was about to do so when The Old Man yelled for him from the now open door. "Hal, You're heading into the city today, correct?" The Old Man called out to Hal.

Hal approached the door and peeked his head into the office to reply. "Yes, sir, I am. Why do you ask?" Hal questioned.

"Can you deliver this to the labor guild for me." The Old Man didn't exactly sound like he was asking, more saying he wanted Hal to deliver what he was holding in his hand. Even with the somewhat commanding tone, Hal knew he was allowed to say no if he wanted to, but he didn't. He was heading to the labor guild anyways, so taking running this errand for The Old Man was no trouble at all.

The object was a simple parchment envelope with a name Hal didn't recognize on it, along with what appeared to be a labor guild request form. Nothing about either really stood out to Hal. The letter appeared as ordinary as any other Hal had seen, and the only thing to note on the request form was that it looked like a delivery request, not that Hal recognized the destination.

"I can do that. It won't take me any extra time." Hal took the items while giving his confirmation that he'd complete the task.

>I wonder who that person was. I didn't get the chance to say anything to them. >Whoever they are, it isn't relevant to us, is it? >I guess not,

"What is The Old Man thinking, sending us a request like this." The person who Hal was dealing with at the labor guild asked a question, Directed more to the air than at Hal.

"Uhh, is there a problem?" Hal asked hesitantly. It would be troublesome to go back to The Old Man if something was wrong with the letter or the form.

"Problem? No." The Clerk said while scanning over the request form. "The payment's already dealt with, and the form is in order, It's just...." The Clerk paused while speaking, taking a moment to log something in the book in front of him.

"It's just?" Hal prompted The Clerk to continue.

"It's just where he wants us to send this." The Clerk continued his sentence while working.

"Will it be an issue?" Hal asked, concerned that he'd have to tell The Old Man he couldn't complete the errand.

"No. The only thing that might be an issue is finding someone willing to go that far, and a group of hunters to guard them on the way." The person looked over the delivery request and the parcel before returning their gaze to Hal. "Well, none of that is relevant for the moment. You can tell The Old Man we'll get it done." The Clerk set the letter and form to the side before continuing the conversation with Hal. "You also came for a job, right?" The asked a rhetorical question while writing on a slip of parchment. "Go to the worksite, and complete the requested task; the manager will give pay upon completion." The person behind the counter handed the slip to Hal and dismissed him without any additional conversation.

>Well, that's a little strange. >What do you mean? >Well, that must be going somewhere really far away. The Labor Guild doesn't bother hiring guards for deliveries even if you are taking something three towns over. >So The Old Man paid more to guarantee his letter gets to the right place. >Maybe that's it. Still a little weird.well, guess it's not really something we need to be worried about.

Like many of the other's Hal did, today's job was a type of delivery. On most days, Hal wouldn't take notice of a delivery job. He'd complete the task and get paid at the end of the day. However, Hal would remember today, for a multitude of reasons. The strange events of the morning were only one of them.

While most people were plagued with some small ailment that they would prefer to do without, those who ended up in the slums often had much more debilitating ailments. Addiction, unhealable or mishealed wounds, deformities, traumas, and everything in between were commonplace in the slums. Plenty of those in this part of the city had ended up here for reasons that left them with a need for some remedy or another, and that's what Hal was delivering today.

Hal wasn't really concerned about this part of town, or it's dangers. While the environment seemed designed to breed crime, no one of any real strength would risk The Old Man's wrath by assaulting Hal.

That isn't to say that Hal went untouched, no, only that those who were dumb enough to go after him were the type that Instinct could handle with his eyes closed.

Any time Hal came to the slums, he left with a heavier coin pouch than usual. A string of revenge stories and stupidity was an expected result for Hal. It made him wonder if maybe Instincts methods were really the best course of action. Still, he didn't dwell on the thought because, at the end of the day, they struck first, even if only by trying to threaten him into handing over his money.

Hal did notice that every time one of these events happened, the next time, the frequency of them increased. As if someone was trying to harras him. But, he didn't mind it enough to investigate the underlying cause.

But, even with the trip to the slums, Hal wouldn't have taken notice of today, if not for the unusual amount of clergy in the area. Something had the church out in areas they usually avoided, and they seemed to be looking for something, or someone.

"What did the clergy have to with that day?" someone across the fire interrupted me, sounding slightly offended.

"Please keep in mind; the church was not always as distant from the world as they are today. In my time, the church was either tied to or acting as the government." I could feel my vocal cords healing with each passing moment, restoring the voice I once had. "The clergy prowling the streets was the same as the town watch going out in force to look for someone. For a half-goblin, that was a dangerous thing. Back then, the church would go to extensive lengths to eliminate those born from the Unholy union of a Cursed race and a Blessed." I continued explaining the past while anticipating further questions about the topic.

"I find that a little hard to believe. Why would the church do something like that?" The first voice, the one from earlier, asked.

"I mentioned that, in the past, all of the gods took a much more active role in the world, correct?" I asked a rhetorical question and proceeded with the explanation. "Well, to keep up the little game of war they had going, they had to make sure no one got the idea that the Cursed and Blessed could live in harmony. A half-goblin stood as living proof that it was possible. Even if the child hadn't been conceived in a happy environment." I said what I would on the subject, and held the silence for a moment to see if anyone had any more questions before I continued with the story of my brothers.