Achilles raced through the clearing, closing the distance between him and Bumbo in only a couple seconds.

The hulking man's system information labeled him as a 1st Level Hireling, which the snippets of text swirling around him identified as giving him minor stats and proficiency advantages in whatever his boss ordered him to do. Somewhat like the Butler class, it seemed, though nowhere near as sophisticated.

As Achilles swung Virgil, Bumbo's Armor Class and strength stats slightly increased, and he parried the blow out of the way with his shovel.

Then Bumbo swung the shovel with both hands, and Achilles threw up his shield to block it.

The impact caused no damage, but sent him flying four meters away and lying on his back!

Bumbo ran up and tried to kick Achilles in the ribs, but he rolled out of the way and then sprung back to his feet. This gave Bumbo enough time to slam down the shovel with both hands. Achilles raised the shield, but the impact was so great he was thrown back to his knees.

Bumbo struck again and again, and Achilles felt himself becoming disoriented as he was repeatedly struck on the shield. The vibrations rattled his bones. He was taking no damage, but growing weaker by the moment.

But he held onto his focus until he noticed a particularly awkward blow, Bumbo's weakest attack yet.

"Weapon Art: Disarm!" growled Achilles.

With a fancy twist of his sword, he knocked the shovel out of Bumbo's hands!

The hireling immediately reached out to grab Achilles and wrestle him, but Achilles took a wild swing and cut his opponent deeply for 2 damage.

Bumbo turned and jumped toward his fallen shovel, and Achilles took the opportunity to cut him deeply in the back. When Bumbo leaned down, Achilles kicked him hard in the leg, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Then Achilles quickly lowered the point of Virgil's blade at Bumbo's throat. Breathing hard, he said, "Give up! You've lost."

He had taken out less than half of Bumbo's HP, but it didn't seem that the hireling desired to fight to the death.

Or to unconsciousness, at least.

Bumbo glanced toward Captain Kestrel, clearly asking if the fight could be over. Despite his bleeding wounds, he didn't seem to react to the pain.

Captain Kestrel clapped his hands. "Very good! Are you a Warrior? No ordinary man could've withstood more than a single blow from Bumbo here. That was some fancy swordplay, and you used your shield beautifully. You can have a guard pass on my caravan, no problem."

Achilles flicked his sword out, throwing the blood from its edge, then re-sheathed it.

said Virgil.

Achilles nodded to the captain. "Thank you." He reached down and offered a hand to Bumbo, who took it and got back to his feet.

"Great!" said Bumbo. "I'd like to spar again sometime."

Medea stood beside Captain Kestrel, and she turned her head toward him. "You have anyone else I can fight?" she asked. "Someone a little tougher, maybe?"

The captain laughed at this. "Not only pretty, but funny, too!" He reached out and put a hand on Medea's shoulder. "My dear, I know you'll miss him, and it'll be hard, but you're just going to need to let your sweetheart go by himself. The wilderness is no place for a young girl such as yourself, let alone the frontier! I'd never forgive myself if I let —"

In a blur of motion, Medea grabbed Captain Kestrel's arm, used a martial arts throw to hurl him to the ground in an arm lock, pulled a dagger from somewhere, and held it at his throat.

She didn't say a word, but only stared into the captain's face.

The hirelings all around them swore and grabbed nearby objects to protect their captain with.

Captain Kestrel waved an arm lazily in the air. "It's fine! Go back to work."

Medea released him, and the captain rose to his feet, adjusting his fancy clothes which were now covered in dust. "I suppose I had that coming. Whoever you are, Miss, you can have a guard pass also. Though you might want to wear something a little more practical than a skirt."

Medea smiled. "Thank you, Captain. When do we leave?"

"As soon as we're done, we'll have a feast, then leave tomorrow morning." Captain Kestrel looked at Achilles. "I'm afraid we don't have any other proper guards among us. The mercenaries all joined other caravans already, and though my boys are strong, they're not exactly warriors such as yourself. I ask that the two of you don't drink much tonight, because I need you to be as alert as hawks tomorrow. Welcome to Phoenix Talon Company, the finest caravan in all the human lands!"

Achilles nodded, feeling proud.

This was it. By his skill and fighting ability, he had earned his way. Tomorrow morning, he would begin his first proper mission as an adventurer, the next step to becoming an Imperial Knight like his father.

Medea passed by him and patted him on the shoulder. "Very nice," she said. "I suggest you use a little more flair next time. These sorts of people want to be wowed. Showing off can be more important than actually winning."

"More important than winning?" asked Achilles. "It's hard to show off if you're knocked out and on the ground."

She laughed. "You know what I mean. I had an idea this was going to happen, you know. That's why I didn't change into my work gear before we talked to the captain."

Achilles nodded in understanding. "You wanted him to think you were just a pretty girl, I see. That way, you had the opportunity to show off. If you came dressed as a rogue, he'd just have you fight someone, and you wouldn't have been able to show off."

Medea slightly flinched when Achilles mentioned the word "pretty," and turned away. "Yes! Now I have something of a position of power over the captain. I've outsmarted him, you see. Well, good job disarming that thug instead of just beating him into the ground. You weren't as stylish as you could've been, but you definitely proved you're more than just a brainless ape yourself."

She briskly walked off.

asked Virgil.

Achilles felt his cheeks warm a slight bit. "She is, and she knows it! That was the entire point of her trick. So what?"

Virgil sounded amused.

Achilles suddenly felt hungry. He remembered that the captain had said they would have a feast once all the day's work was done. He found Bumbo, who had gotten some first aid after their fight, and then for the next couple hours helped pack up the last of the chests.

That night, they had a wonderful banquet at the same tavern which had directed Achilles and Medea to Phoenix Talon Company. They dined on roast pork, shrimp and mushroom stew, and gigantic tankards of ale and cider. As the captain had requested, neither Achilles nor Medea got drunk.

At the banquet, Medea wore her leather armor, which she'd patched up from the cuts Achilles had left in it during the attack on Sir Azarah's mansion.

Medea caught Achilles staring at the repairs at one point, and gave him a wink.

He looked away. "I just realized I've never asked about her partner," he thought to himself. "Another Imperial spy was working with her, and now he's dead."

said Virgil.

Achilles wondered if his father had been that kind of professional. Surely there was something similar between giving up your whole career and all your friends to protect the world, and being willing to die pretending to be a low-life criminal while serving the Empire.

When the time came, could Achilles make such a sacrifice himself?

He took a long swig of non-alcoholic cider and, for the rest of the night, did his best to celebrate the coming journey.