“Who the hell is this?”

Those were the first words Eric heard as he stepped past the foyer of what had to have been the largest and best maintained house in all of Junk Town, Alice’s secret grin having grown wide when they cut across the main thoroughfare and began walking through the grassy field past a number of milking goats, right for the mansion on the far side of the lake, built right beside the far cavern wall. He was impressed to see wall-to-wall carpeting in the living room beyond the foyer, once Alice gave a coded knock and unlocked a door that was both stout oak and infused with a tingling crimson potency that tasted of magic to Eric. Yet he didn't dare stop to give it a closer look, Alice impatiently leading him into the heart of the impressive manor, then gesturing for him to take a seat in one of the half dozen stuffed leather chairs positioned throughout the room, the closest presently occupied by two powerfully built men, gazing curiously at the new-blood in their midst.

They radiated a professional no-nonsense aura similar to that of his mother's bodyguards, for all that they were kitted up in armor similar to that worn by Fat Sam. Though on these guys, the plastic PVC armor covered in riveted plates of sheet steel didn't look ridiculous at all. Eric could tell right off that, unlike Fat Sam's gear, which was by no means shoddy, extra care had been put into forging these sets of armor with very few spots not protected by at least thin bands of metal that could be easily hammered and bent into whatever shape was needed. Their kits also included steel-covered greaves and thigh guards, though only on the front, the back secured by multiple straps.

And much to Eric’s surprise, both men looked exceedingly uncomfortable as they turned to a third individual seated, perhaps deliberately, out of the immediate line of sight of anyone just entering the room.

"I'm telling you, Morlekai, there's no way I can fight in this thing without a refit. It's too damned tight," said the closest of the powerfully built pair, before turning his gaze to Eric and Alice, rough features immediately cracking into a smile. "Hey Alice, good to see you, girl. How was your latest run?"

But Alice only smiled politely before turning to farce the third man taking his ease in the living room, radiating a deadly aura of the three, despite being the least bulky of all of them, possessing what Eric would call a fencer’s whipcord-like frame, all lean ropy muscles and deceptive strength. He alone forgoing the steel plates over PVC armor for a riveted chain hauberk much like Eric’s own, underneath an actual frock coat that Eric’s Perception pinged as being reinforced by kevlar, very much like the one his mother had worn, once upon a time, during winter outings. Just after receiving a number of death threats, two years ago.

The tabloids had called her look vogue and daring. One tongue-in-cheek gossip columnist had even gone so far as to call it bulletproof fashion for a paranoid starlet past her prime. Before strings were pulled and the editor lost his job, the columnist went missing, and once his mother's holding company took over the property, there was nothing but praise for his family, and the dirtiest gossip was dished out on anyone who dared to cross Aurelia Silver or her clan.

“Kid's name's Eric," Alice said, immediately bringing Eric back to the present as he found himself locking gazes with the strikingly handsome man with eyes like ice and fire, with sensual features framed by thick black curls that would have had a certain actress turned producer, real estate mogul, and underworld powerhouse salivating to put this man in one of her productions.

Eric felt an icy shiver as hypnotic grey eyes seemed to pierce his very soul, freezing him where he stood, reading secrets he would much rather keep hidden, as Alice's voice droned on.

“He’s one of us, though I’m not sure what class. What matters is that he’s damned good with a crossbow, and more importantly, he had my back when the classless shitheads were about to break and run.”

And just like that, Eric found himself taking ragged gasps of air that smelled like fine oak brandy and hashish, in full control of his body once more. He flushed under Alice’s irritated look, clearly thinking he was being an idiot when she was trying to make a good first impression for him, hyperventilating for no reason, and she was right.

When hadn't he been able to breathe or move whenever he liked? He could dart out of there and never look back, and no one could stop him from doing just that.

And the cold smile from the grey-eyed delver radiating more power than anyone else present seemed to invite him to do just that.

Eric froze in sudden consternation, feeling both alarmed and curious about what the hell had just happened, then settled for offering a respectful half-bow, like he had learned in Japan. “Name’s Eric Silver. Pleasure to meet you all.”

“Likewise. Name's Jake," said the powerfully muscled hulk who had greeted Alice, giving Eric a quick nod before fiddling with his obviously uncomfortable armor, unfastening the straps securing breast and backplate and pulling it off with an audible sigh. "Ah, that's a fucking relief." His attitude was a sharp contrast from the similarly built bruiser on the sofa beside him, staring hard at Eric while slipping out of his own gear.

"You look like the living dead. What the fuck happened to your face, kid?" he said with a cold smile, and it was all Eric could do not to visibly wince, the words gut checking him harder than the rats ever did.

“What the fuck’s your problem, Louie?” Alice snapped.

“My problem is you bringing some oddball I’ve never seen before to a meeting you’re two fucking hours late for! You know how important this is, princess. Where are Tim and his idiot goons? Clueless cover was all we needed from them. And now you're bringing this wildcard to the party, a party we can't afford any fuckups with, and sure as shit, you never cleared it with your brother!"

“Who the fuck said I needed to clear it with anyone!?” Alice snapped. “Eric here had my ass when those shitheads were two seconds from bolting. And old Timmyboy, I’ll have you know, was fondling his crossbow like a cock and smirking at me and Eric both when we were tapped out, taking out fucking dinosaur-sized cave lizards when that fool didn’t do shit!”

Jake froze, good-natured jock smile going hard and cold. “Did you say Tim threatened you?”

Fists clenched, she gave an angry shake of her head. "Sure, he laughed it off later, joked and shot the shit like it was nothing and we were all friends again. But for damned hot second, that asshole was getting a hard-on just thinking about taking out Eric, claiming his crossbow, and playing out some sick twisted fantasies before he sliced my throat and he and those whiny, bitchy, good-for-nothing spear boys looted my corpse and got the fuck out of dodge, leaving nearly fifty confused refugees stranded in the tunnels!"

“Alice...”

“Because when push came to shove, when Tim started flashing his twisted fucking smile, the spearmen you thought would have my back just flinched and stepped back, Morlekai! With the sole exception being Julien, who swore to me he'd never do another run, after the death of his boyfriend. The rest proved themselves worthless gutter trash. You hear me, bro? For three runs, I was blasting the fuck out of critters that would have butchered them like nothing, and the only thanks I get is Tim deciding at the last moment that maybe he won't take me out. This time. And I sure as hell never want to see any of those asshole clowns again, let alone work with them!"

Eric's eyes widened when Alice's voice rose to a shout, remembering how effortlessly she laughed at Tim's dark humor when they continued on their journey, and Alex had halfway thought she hadn't sensed what he had from the man, had forgiven him the look in his eyes. A moment's weakness resisted, forgiven, and forgotten. Even shared words with the guys at the tavern that Eric had sensed had been more about a fresh clean start, than anything else. Or so he had thought.

But apparently she had been just as unnerved as Eric had been, both of them refusing to let their guard down around Tim for the rest of the trip, for all that they made sure to laugh at all the man’s jokes, and Alice had even paid him and the others extra, as compensation for the men they had lost.

Until now, he had no idea she had been just as unnerved as he had been, though maybe the desperate drags on her cigarette should have given it away.

Clearly, Alice was at least as good an actor as his mother.

“So, are you going to take them out?”

Eric blinked, feeling a slight chill by how matter-of-factly Morlekai asked the question, neither Louie nor Jake batting an eye either.

Alice sighed and shook her head. “Of course not. Because all of us had just escaped death, they did lose two of their friends, and in the end, Tim didn’t do shit. Whatever demons he has, he kept them in check. And I have to respect that. What the fuck does it say about me if I kill someone for their thoughts? Do you know how many times over I’d be dead, will all the fuckers I wanted to kill but didn’t?” She gave a bitter chuckle. “Nope, Tim and his asshole friends are free to live out their lives doing whatever the fuck they like. But I sure as shit never want to see their faces again, and they sure as hell are uninvited to our party!”

Morlekai gave his sister a slow nod. “Fair enough.” He then turned back to Eric in thoughtful appraisal. “And what do you bring to the table, Eric Silver?”

Eric swallowed, suddenly feeling like he was at an interview, and a lot more was at stake than a job. "I'm decent with saber and spear. And with a crossbow in hand, well, I don't think I'll disappoint."

Morlekai frowned. “Decent with saber and spear. And you can point and shoot a crossbow. Anything else?”

Eric swallowed, knowing that now was not the time for selling himself short, even if he still wanted to keep some cards close to his chest. Still, Alice had basically invited him to a heist, and these cats didn’t bat an eye at the thought of taking out people they deemed a threat. “I’m pretty light on my feet,” he said, thinking of his Rank 7 Stealth skill. “Especially in the dark and, well, I can see really good at night.”

This earned a cool smile. “Exceptional night vision? That’s the skill you’re bringing to our little group?”

Eric slowly nodded. “Better than most, I promise you that.”

“It’s true,” Alice quickly said, Eric unnerved to sense the slight hitch in her voice. “And he can do a damned sight more than just point and shoot, Morlekai. His bolts took out two Greater Cave lizards.”

Morlekai sat up, favoring Eric with a reassessing gaze. “He’s responsible for bringing down the pair?”

Jake whistled. “No shit.”

Alice nodded. "Those monsters snapped up our bowman in the blink of an eye, like a convenient fucking dine and dash. Lizards the size of fucking rhinos, not including longass whipping tails that killed our wannabe samurai, that were just a flash and blur for the rest of us.

My stupid ass magelight ring it took me so long to figure out how to use and master? Less useful than a flashlight would have been, if those fuckers actually worked. But Eric here knew just where and when to shoot. He managed to lodge 2 bolts into the throat of the first when it opened its mouth and, fuck, I don’t know how he managed to snipe the second, but it crashed to the ground right before it could tear into those fleeing fools with the butcher knife spears. And there’s no way I would have gotten off the three lightning bolts needed to finally stop its heart, if it hadn’t been stunned or paralyzed to begin with.”

Morlekai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I do find it curious. Tim already debriefed me while you were… otherwise occupied, smiling with the confidence of a man convinced his inner demons haven’t been revealed to the world. He made no mention at all of your friend, attributing both kills to you, Alice, and saying what a pleasure it was to work under you, as always.” He flashed a cool smile. “He did make it quite clear that it was a deadly fight, and that his quarrels bounced right off their hide.”

“That's because he was using a recurve crossbow, and one of the lighter ones Velvet had in stock," Eric said. "I was using a Reverse Draw Gladiator Crossbow with a 200-pound draw weight and bolts shooting at well over 400 feet per second. More importantly, I aimed for kill shots, where the critters' scaled hides were thinnest. I doubt Tim can hit the side of a barn door, so of course he aimed for center body mass. The size of a barn door. Which won't guarantee any sort of clean or quick kill in a beast the size of a fucking rhino, even if it had penetrated."

Eric knew the last bit was a cheap shot, but with his sense of Tim’s character confirmed, now convinced his paranoia hadn’t been completely unfounded, he had no problem dumping on him either.

Morlekai steepled his chin, gazing at Eric thoughtfully. This time, Eric managed to suppress the chill shivering down his spine. “How’d you like to make an absolute shit ton of money?”

Louise scowled. “You can’t be serious, Morlekai. This cat? Look at him. I’d take him out in two seconds in any sort of fight.”

“Probably,” Morlekai agreed. “But Alice vouched for his skills and his kills, and we could use a good crossbowman. You should know that as well as anyone."

For some reason Louise flinched at that.

"And if he's at all light on his feet, and can work independently at night..."

“It’s a fucking win,” Jake enthused, flashing Eric a thumbs up and a smile that made Eric think varsity football in a previous life. “We could use a good scout and sniper on our team.”

Louie snorted. “Yeah. Sure. As long as the asshole doesn’t cut into my share.”

Morlekai flashed a cool smile. “There you have it, kid. You’re practically family. So, you in? Or you out?” His bemused gaze turned hard as steel. “Because the one thing you won’t be allowed to do is change your mind.”

“No take-backs, kid. You understand that, right?” said Drake with hard eyes and a friendly smile.

Eric smirked. “As I told Alice, if the shares are fair and I have your word that no one’s planning on offing me when I’m no longer useful, putting me in the deadman’s spot, or using me as bait without getting my okay, then I am most definitely your nighttime sniper.” Eric furrowed his brow. “I assume you don’t need me to knock off innocent refugees, or any shit like that? Because if so, you’re continued silence is all I need to hear, and I’ll see myself out in 3...2… 1...”

“No, Eric, it’s nothing like that,” Alice quickly said, her words of assurance quickly drowned out by Louie’s outraged shout.

“Coming in with a prick the size of Everest, telling us how we gotta do things? Fuck this scarred-faced freakass kid, Morlekai! He wants us to treat him with kid gloves and what, a choice share of the spoils, when we don't know shit about him except that he impressed your sister? Fuck, Morlekai, I impressed her with my cock just—"

“Forzare!” The word echoed through the house almost as sharply as the sudden crack of lightning, everyone squinting from the blinding flash.

Everyone stood or sat in positions of shocked disbelief, Alice more than anyone else, staring at her crackling wand as Louie lay collapsed on the ground, eyes gazing at the horror of his own death, and Eric wanted nothing more than to dart out that door and out of this crazy town as fast as his feet could take him, knowing that with his Vitality, no one was catching him.

“No, shit, I didn’t mean... fuck!” Alice sobbed.

And no one was more surprised than Eric to find himself performing CPR on a chest thankfully free of armor. Palms laced together. Sharp downward strokes right over the solar plexus. One stroke every second.

“Why the fuck did you have to say that? You stupid asshole, why?” Alice crumpled in a ball, sobbing her heart out as tears streaked her mascara, Eric only peripherally aware, most of his attention on delivering evenly spaced compressions.

Then Drake finally shook himself free of his stupor.

“Alternate, man. You give breaths, I’ll take over.”

And Eric effortlessly switched to a two person role, the pair alternating roles like clockwork until, endless minutes, seconds, or hours later, Louie gave a desperate gasping wheeze.

Before bolting upright, gazing at Eric with surprise, then at Alice with wild eyes. “What the fuck, bitch!?”

“I’m sorry, Louie!” Alice sobbed, “Oh god, I’m so fucking sorry!” She crumpled, now sobbing with relief, somehow in Louie’s arms, and Eric traded a nod with Drake as they both stepped away.

The powerfully built man grinned, clapping his shoulder. “Looks like you’re in, kid. Come on. Let’s get a beer.”

Eric nodded, too drained to argue, surprised to find himself sipping a chilled ale with a crisp fruity aftertaste and just bitter enough to enjoy. His eyes widened. "Not bad. Not fucking bad at all. This sure as shit isn't room temperature, though."

Drake grinned. “I know, right? Our house is one of the few with a well that's sourced right from the lake, which is pretty damned cold, and as pure as a dream. Only caveat is we don't piss in our own backyard, so to speak. Chambermaids, and yeah, we have them again, though I guess you could call them old chamber geezers bitching about the fishermen who actually dared the pods, that clean our honeypots on the regular, and we got enough pine scented shit that you’ll think you’re at a lower class hotel by the lake, if you don’t think too hard about things.”

Eric nodded. “Cool,” he said, taking a thoughtful sip, smiling at his new oversized friend. “So, what the fuck just happened?”

Drake held up his hand, and Eric could hear all sorts of shouting, screaming, roaring and crying happening in the other room. The former jock flashed a thousand-watt grin and drank deep, clearly enjoying the show. Eric, nonplussed, just enjoyed his drink until the hollers died off and quiet reigned through the house once more.

Drake chuckled. “That’s Louie and Alice. Star-crossed pair if there ever was one. They’re both absolute professionals when we’re on the job, or training. But back here at the house, or where we used to plan our heists back in the city...” Squeaks from bed springs could now be heard through the too-thin walls. "Yeah. If they weren’t fighting… well, let me put it this way. We had cork-lined walls, and not just for our enhanced interrogation room.” He clinked bottles with a smirking Eric. "So, let's you and me go chat with the boss man, and he’ll fill you in on what comes next, yeah?”