A statue of a faded golden deer stood above the door of a three-tiered structure at the near center of Wulfstadt. Laughter, the tapping of wood, and the occasional banging of metal mugs and shattered glass bottles escaped from the wide double-doors that marked the entrance to the place. Cornelia entered the tavern without lowering her hood and scanned every table on the first floor, trying to feel for anyone who could be a stranger in the region. None of the revelers was closely matched to who she was looking for. Someone would receive a fistful if she were to find out that the employer was some fat drunkard trying to make a good joke by sending her a letter with the Gray Fox's name on it. She ignored the bawling customers and made her way upstairs.

The second floor was not as populated as the ground level and was divided into rooms. This part of the tavern was reserved for customers who preferred drinking privately, or with a closed group. Most of the doors were locked; the working days were over, and people have flocked in to enjoy themselves. One of the room doors was left open; the slight opening revealed a man helping himself with a bottle of wine poured over a glass. He looked her way, offering the empty seat opposite his.

Cornelia entered and sat down; her sword was at arm's reach. She lowered her hood to reveal a partly earth-smeared face topped with a rough bun of hair. She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and unfolded it right before the false-eyed man before showing it to him.

"YOUR invitation?" Cornelia tossed the envelope in front of the drinking man; her eyes caught the faint green gleam coming from the man's false eye.

"No doubt you are the Steel Rose, or should I say Cornelia Sauvant." The man let out a blank smile. He took out the letter, scanned it, and brought the note back to the envelope. "You were able to show up faster than expected. I was thinking you'd be late, or–"

"Dead?" Cornelia's eyes shot back at him; her nostrils flared in disbelief. Her head shook four times before she returned a grin. "I don't know what kind of gimmick you're running, but putting seven ill-armed amateurs on my way won't stop me from getting here. Try hiring better people to at least scare me."

"You have seen through my... hiring process then. Forgive me if you find my means too crude." There was something in his smile that Cornelia found unnerving; not a smidgen of sincerity could be found in it. "Are the seven lying dead in the woods by now?"

"I didn't read anything that said 'kill all who stand in your way to be considered." The swordswoman shrugged her shoulders. She pulled up a chair and sat in front of the nameless recruiter. "Anyway, I'm here, you're here and that's what matters. Those clowns would be lying around and wake up dizzy in a day or two so, no worries. Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"I like your way of getting to the point." He let out a short burst of laughter, which sounded more like a creaky hiss. "Do you know even the slightest of details of your employer-to-be?"

"The Gray Fox – the death merchant of all things weird? Of course!"

"You see, we ran into trouble with some of our bitter rivals, and-"

"I've heard that the Army kicked your rear badly and took out many, if not most of your men."

The recruiter gave a nod and poured himself another glass of wine. "The Gray Fox wishes to hire the best people possible, without having to pay too much for them."

"Me being the best huh? I'm flattered." Cornelia took a nearby goblet and poured herself some of the recruiter's wine. "Not paying too much would be a problem with me though. You know, my sword has a price. I'm sure that I won't take whatever you offered those seven. I cost more."

"Knowing that you accept single-task offers, we are asking for something entirely different from what you are used to."

"I'm in for it as long as what I'm getting is good."

"Very well, you will be under our employ indefinitely. How long will it be depends on how well you can do tasks for us, or how long you will live."

"Leave the living part to me," Cornelia smirked before gulping down what was left of the wine in her glass. "That's my problem. Anyway, what's in it for me?"

"To ensure your loyalty to us and to keep you under our watch at all times, you will be given your personal space in the Gray Fox's stronghold. It is not far from here. Also, your basic needs will be taken care of without any deductions from your pay."

"Free food and a good room? Sounds nice." Cornelia took the wine bottle and poured herself a second serving. "I'm a sellsword, not a spy. There's a reason why my sword-arm is better than my tongue. So, we are talking how much here?"

Cornelia set her elbow on the table; her face drew closer on her would-be colleague. She saw the details of the man's face. He was someone of his prime who carried a soldierly bearing very well – a perfect opposite of the coarse, hissing voice he spoke with. His right eye was not any worn contraption; this drab and green device served as a replacement for what he had lost.

The recruiter did not speak but revealed a small sack which he untied and brought down to the table. He also prepared a small rolled piece of paper, which Cornelia paid little attention to. A couple of little twenty-ounce gold bars slid out into the light. Cornelia took one of the pieces and made it bounce on her palm. She placed it back on the table and then went for the sack - six more pieces hit the table with soft tinkling noises. He said to Cornelia:

"This is yours if you agree to work with us. You'll be given four times the sum every two months should you pledge loyalty to the Gray Fox. However, you are not allowed to leave our organization until we declare the end of your services."

Cornelia removed her right glove and felt the smooth, untarnished surface of the small gold pieces. One of these bars alone was equivalent to eight to twelve tasks with her "normal clients" and those tasks were not easy to come by. This was for an indefinite term, not one of those one-time deals she typically entered with other players in the underground economy.

"Those buffoons were right about the gold part." The mercenary flashed a smile. "Now you're talking."

Signing up for the Gray Fox meant the end of her freelance life. Cornelia shuddered at the thought of how powerful that crime lord was, being able to use gold to lure out people to work for him. It was an opportunity, but not without a price. She had been considering giving up the life of a sellsword and living a proper woman's life, but a shot at wealth under someone's employ proved hard to resist.

Cornelia took another glass of the wine in hopes of her mind clearing up with a second round. She could retire from being a hired blade after this; three months' worth of work under the Gray Fox and she would be rich enough to put the sword away for good. And from there, a man would ask her hand in marriage and then...

"All right, I'll sign up. Call me a fool if I'm going to say 'no' to more of these." Cornelia held the softly shining gold piece against the light. She unwound the scroll without bothering to read much of the text, reached for a pen on top of the table, and affixed her signature on the bottom of the page.

"An excellent decision – one you won't regret." The green-eyed man stood up and opened the door out of the room. "Come Miss Sauvant. I will take you to the Gray Fox himself."

"I'll take this too." Cornelia slung the impossibly long sword on her back and snagged the half-empty wine bottle from the table. "They say you can't let good wine go to waste."