III

Job

The next morning, Nysha and the twins waited outside the hideout. When they noticed me coming over, all three of them had that relieved look on their faces. I didn't know what to make of it.

"We're sorry!" She pushed the children forward when I arrived, and they bowed.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I said, scratching my cheek, "it was my fault for reacting like that."

"Alright you two," Nysha stepped between us, "get Grey and be ready to leave in a minute."

"Okay!" The two stormed off free of their worries.

"I'm also sorry," she turned to me, but her eyes avoided mine, "I should've stopped them sooner. After I told you about our policy and... I didn't think you'd come back."

Was it that bad? I had considered not returning, but where would that have left me? Back on the road, gathering pellets at a snail's pace.

"Well, I'm here," I tried smiling, "so, we're going to raid those nobles, or what?"

"That's the attitude," she smirked, beckoning me with her hand. "We'll talk on the way."

As I listened to her explanation, I couldn't help but feel that something about it sounded very familiar.

***

"This is weird," Nysha said. We were hiding in the bushes outside of the city, next to a well-travelled road. The sun had yet fully risen as our target trotted slowly past us; a cart pulled by two mules with its cargo fastened underneath a sheet.

"Is it?" I asked.

"Too few guards." I counted six on foot, making it a total of seven with the merchant. It didn't seem like that few to me.

"I'm really just going to wait here?" I reconfirmed.

"Until I say otherwise."

Nysha made a gesture to the twins who hid across the road inside a ditch. They responded in affirmation before each ruffled the hair of the other and moved out.

"H-Help us..." Rin and Ren presented themselves as victims of a beast attack to the small party. They cut a sorry state; their clothing bloodied and torn by fangs that didn't exist. A dense waft of blood emanated from them, originating from the blood-berries they'd smeared on themselves. It was hard for me to understand what they were trying to achieve there. Many a plenty would ignore their pleading.

"We're Qin Rin and Qin Ren," I raised an eyebrow as their voices drifted over. The group that was about to ignore them had also slowed in their tracks. So that's where this is going. Qin was the martial family known for the greatest archery on the continent. But they won't just belie-!

The twins showed them a badge. One of the guards gasped, calling the rest of his companions to stop and come over.

"Our parents... They're in danger..." Tears dropped down their cheeks as they pointed into the distant forest. "We will reward you; anything you want. They're bleeding very bad..." The two played their roles superbly. Clearly, they had gained a lot of experience.

"Where in the heavens did you find that?" I hissed, almost glaring at Nysha.

"We found it in a ditch," she shrugged to my outburst, "it's been useful."

A ditch? Useful? I had a mind to scream her ear off for her nonsense. That badge came from the Trueshot Sect. It was a bit broken, but not so much that it would lose its authenticity. The wooden arrow embedded into the crystal had enough of its light remaining. Yet, it was broken enough that no one from the martial family would find out, and bring it back home again. What a convenient ditch it must've been. It took me a moment to gather myself and refrain from asking questions.

"Enough gawking, let's go," she pulled me by the arm and we sneaked towards the cart. The entire party had left with Rin and Ren into the wilderness. No one had any intention of staying behind, fearing they'd lose out on the reward. Their reason was blinded by the prospect of rescuing someone belonging to one of the Five Sovereign Sects.

"Will they be fine?"

"They'll figure something out. It's a large forest." I lowered two casks of what I supposed was wine onto the ground when Nysha stopped me.

"That's enough."

"Two? That's it? What about the rest?" There were six casks left on the cart and the merchant and his guards were still out of sight.

"We try and not anger them too much," we each rolled a barrel down the road. "As long as the loss isn't too large for them, they'll drag their feet doing something about it. In many cases, the merchants hide they've been stolen from, and use the occasion to raise the prices, citing whatever other reasons they can think of. Usually, we only take about ten percent, but there's less than usual. Circumstances... seem to have changed a little."

"...It doesn't look like you need me much," the cart was now out of sight, hidden by the foliage and no one had come to stop us.

"You never need anyone until things go wrong," she said as Grey joined us from the nearby shadows. He carried her barrel without uttering a word.

"...Is that so?"

"Days are best when Grey's got nothing to do and the same goes for you. In case anyone sees us, you make them unsee us. That's your job."

"I understand, but won't they catch on eventually?" I thought of the badge and also of her. You couldn't con people forever and keep getting away with it.

"We don't hit the same target twice. Best case scenario, they're new to the city."

"How would you know?"

"Same reason I know they'd pass here today," she winked, "that's my job."

Everything ended as planned. Uneventful. The twins reunited with us halfway back to the city, bragging about their victims still searching for ghosts. We entered the eastern gate of the city, passing the guards without them questioning anything. Nysha talked with one of them, kissed another on the cheek, and slipped a note into the third one's pocket. Audacious. In the hideout, Rael welcomed us back to a job well done, taking off with Grey afterwards who carried both barrels on his shoulders. When the sun set, Nysha disappeared as well, leaving me alone with the twins. I was beginning to question my usefulness. What she'd said made sense, but... Had they really promised me the same share for doing nothing at all?

"Shin, why aren't you carrying a sword?" Ren asked, slouching on the couch before he jumped to his feet. He swung his arms as if he was holding a sword, and a duel to the death ensued between him and his invisible opponent.

"It's not my forte."

I sat on the rocking chair, taking a look at the stack of books. They ranged from history to medicine to children's tales; all kinds of topics, some of them even in dyrak which I recognized. I singled out one particular book, Cultivation for the talentless. I thought about leafing through it, but the first page was enough to tell me that it was junk information based on silly rumours. I hadn't expected much from it in the first place; decent information about cultivation was only obtainable through a guild or sect. But searing runes into your flesh and carving them into your bones? I shuddered. Who came up with that?

"But you were so cool with them!" Ren copied the way I'd wielded two swords. He held nothing, but he managed to tumble over himself, falling on his back when his momentum carried him away. He lay on his back, sighing, "I wish I knew how to use one."

"If you're interested," I looked over at the weapon rack, "I wouldn't mind teaching you."

"Really?" He jumped to his feet, his eyes glowing.

"I got nothing to do." I secretly hoped it would take his mind off things before he started asking too many questions again. Teaching a bit of swordplay would be a cheap price to pay for that.

"Don't, Ren," Rin, who lurked behind the couch, dampened her brother's excitement. "Nysha told us not to touch any of the weapons."

"But..." He looked at me as if waiting for my permission. His sister's remark made me second guess my decision, but I'd already risen Ren's hopes sky-high.

"It'll be fine," I decided that I could talk to Nysha later. If she didn't agree, we could still stop it then. Ren let out a cheer as he browsed through the pile of weapons. I went over to help him pick something suitable when I walked past Rin who was hiding behind the couch. She twiddled with her thumbs, occasionally looking at her excited brother with a torn expression.

"Don't worry about Nysha," I said, wondering if I was promising too much. "You want to join us?"

"...Can I?"

"Choose something," I nodded towards the weapons and her mood somersaulted as she ran off towards them, "and we'll see what we can do."

She chose to trip on the carpet first.