I look up to a slow clap, first one instructor, then the others. A few nods of approval as they turn away back to their work.

I notice that Jack is here and talking with the guy who gave the welcoming speech. It seems like Jack being Jack and is bargaining for something. Walking towards them, it sounds like Jack is asking for his opinion about me. I think he waits for me to get close enough, to make sure I hear him tell Jack. “Then take him on a run. See what he can do.”

“What’s a run?” I ask, getting close enough to be part of the conversation.

“A run is another form of accelerated training that has been growing popular.” Jack answers. “Usually there are enough bounties and quests to go around for anyone who wants one.”

Looking over at the other guy, I still never heard his name. “It’s being lazy, but it’s safer when trying to protect the patriarchy or for those who have the coin, which Jack...”

“What..?”

“never seems to be lacking.” Smiling at Jack. “The runner is kept hidden while others do the work and take the risk. Once the target is unable to pose a threat, the runner steps forward and makes the kill. Highly effective for increasing your mana density. Worthless for much everything else.”

Killing trapped or caged animals is not sitting well with me. At least that’s how I’m taking it, and it must be showing on my face.

“Another type of run, where you’ll actually learn something, is for the runner to take the lead in a small team or solo run. We stay close, control the environment, train in real-time, and pull you out before something happens.”

Turning more towards Jack, “I suggest the Crypts. It’ll help with his bladework and he shouldn’t have any issues with killing things already dead. He’s easy to work with and I have some open teams. If we keep going from here, standard fee and reward conditions.”

My image of this man has just changed as he haggles with Jack. Most of the instructors have stopped to watch the entertainment.

“A man should be able to keep what he’s earned. Standard fee, equal reward conditions.” Jack counters.

“Why are we even talking Jack? Why don’t we just recruit him and he can put in his two years of service? Maybe he can learn something special and serve four?” He asks mockingly.

“Train him in what he can learn,” Jack replies. “Standard fee, Heal, equal rewards, choice.”

That brought more than a few angry comments with all the attention on us now. Especially one very mad, attractive, Healer who is pushing her way forward. “Don’t be making promises that I’m not going to keep for you, Jack!” Staring him down.

With a thought, she turns to face her own. “Who’s been dealing with Jack?! Who made promises?!” None of the Healers say anything but look at each other.

“I never said..”

With the whip of her head back at Jack, “If not me?! WHO?!” I’m guessing no history between these two. “WHO JACK?! Not like one of Your Bitches is going to be pulling a Heal out their ass any day soon!”

“There were never any Bitches, Only you…” That shuts her down as Jack looks at her. The man waves her back, hesitant to touch her arm as he does so. My mind now racing to decide if Jack was just confessing his love to her or calling her a bitch.

“Shush!” The man says as she starts to utter something again. “That’s just smoke, Jack,” He says as she continues to move back. “You’re changing the deal.”

With a look back at the Instructors, “Shush!” Then turning back to Jack. “Let's just narrow the scope a bit. What he can learn, that I, we would be able to teach him?”

“Train him in what he can learn, that you, here, can teach him,” Jack fires right back. “Standard fee, Heal, I will open one vault, equal rewards, choice.”

The mood of the Instructors has changed from confrontational to a bit of excitement.

“Shush!” The man snapping his fingers and signaling for something.

“What can he learn?” Looking at me, handing me an Identifying Stone. It runs, it's blank, and he ponders while we stand in silence.

He calls a few of the Instructors over and they collaborate. The others move closer to hear better. Nothing is being kept secret. Most likely Bronze is their agreement. Bronze is a very respectful level with Silver now a possibility, but not the goal. Seems they know and have worked with Jack. What is Jack looking to achieve?

Jack just smiles…

One of the older instructors comes over to me. He pulls a common-looking dagger out of his boot and asks. “Can you do this?” As the blade slightly glows and a ring of power appears at the tip.

Looking over at Jack, he just smiles and returns to listening to their discussion. I am reminded of the dagger Jack gave me after showing me how to use it. It should still be in my room with that ghillie suit. I’ve not been practicing with the Assasin’s Blade, but pushing power into this blade is easy enough to make it glow.

"Well, that narrows it down.” Says the Instructor. “Just to be thorough, can you push power through any of these?” He has a handful of little items in a pouch and others rolled in a leather wrap.

I start picking them out of his hand for a second each, just long enough to push power and make it glow. After a few items, I didn’t bother picking them up and just touched them. “huh?” is all he said before turning and going back to the other Instructors.

He comes back with an older man that I had not seen before and the woman that was yelling at Jack. “Let him hold your scribe for a moment.” He asks the older man who is now glaring at him as he pulls it out of his inner pocket. He lets me touch the base of the scribe, but doesn’t let it go. As I push power I note that it looks similar to the scribes I saw being used in The Officer’s crafting shop.

“And this?” The Instructor points to a small normal-sized hammer hanging, clipped on the Healer’s belt, now glowing with my touch. “This?” He points to the necklace she is wearing, which starts to visibly heat and glow as soon as I put power to it. “That’s not right.” The old man says as the Healer backed away from me and is now headed straight for Jack.

…

“There’s something you should see.” The Instructor tells the man as the Healer is in Jack’s face again. “What are you not telling us, Jack?!”

The Instructor brings the man back over by Jack. The Healer glares while Jack smiles innocently. The Instructor opens his hand to an array of magic items, while the Healer presents her Holy symbol to Jack as if he was a vampire. “Look what he did to my relic!”

“Train him in what he can learn. Standard fee, Heal, I will open one vault, equal rewards, choice.” Jack states.

“What?” the man asks the Instructor.

The Instructor holds his open hand out toward me. “If you would?” He asks.

Touching one of the items in his hand I push power into it. It softly starts to glow. Everything in his hand starts to glow. I hear the soft intake of more than a few around me.

“Train him in what he can learn. Standard fee, Heal, I will open one vault, equal rewards, choice.” Jack states again.

“What are we dealing with here, Jack?” The man asks. “An Artificer? Jack-of-all-Trades?” While reassessing and sizing me up again.

Jack is silent, yet no one says a word, keeping the pressure on Jack to speak. The pressure doesn’t get to Jack, but he does decide to speak. “Neither, I think it’s innate.”

A slow whistle escapes the man’s breath as he ponders. “Why?” He asks.

“I don’t have many friends,” Jack answers as the Healer's focus has changed to me.

Silence…

“Neither do I.” The man is looking at me. “There’s still another angle or something that you’re not telling me, Jack. But that doesn’t mean that we all can’t come away with more than what we had. We will see what he can learn. Standard fee. Heal. Raiding Party with equal shares. Open one vault. If we can still carry more, open a second vault.”

“And choice,” Jack adds.

“I’ll put it to a vote as it will affect one of us directly.” Turning to the Instructors for a show of hands.

One Instructor dressed in a robe speaks up. “Random distribution. No cross-class picks. Single item bid. It’s yours if no one wants it.”

“And if he can power it?” Jack asks.

“If he can power it, then he should be able to use it.” Someone speaks out.

“All I can carry?” Questions another with a grin.

“When the time comes, we’ll put it to a vote and I’ll let the party decide if we want to open another vault,” Jack answers to favorable nods of agreement.

The man waves his hand at something in the air. Partial Binding Agreement “We will train the Flower Boy in what he can learn with the resources readily available to us within this Raiding Party until the Party is disbanded. A Heal will be available for use at my discretion or the discretion of the majority of surviving Party members. All rewards and tangible items will be equally randomly distributed on a per piece basis with the understanding that some items are intrinsically of more value than others. Coins, gems, material components, mundane, and lower-tiered items will be divided and distributed based on their value as stated in the Guild Trading Guide. Items received that are cross-classed will be put up for auction to Party members of that item's class on a one-for-one package basis. Items bid must be class specific to the seller and of one of the rewards being received. At the disbanding of the Party, Flower Boy will choose one bonus item to receive. Rewards will then be calculated and sorted into lots. Surviving Party members will draw lots, auctions held, then rewards distributed.” The man looks around for agreement and feedback.

“Why does it say Partial?” I ask.

“We make sure that everyone remembers what was agreed upon.” He answers. “We're a good group and no one here wants any repercussions from a Binding Contract gone wrong.” There is a definite agreement between the Instructors with that statement.

With that and everyone's agreement, copies of the Partial Binding Agreement split off to everyone but myself. “No interface?” A couple of the Instructors are asking me as the rest go about their business.

“WHAT? What’s so funny, Jack?!” He’s turned away from me a bit. She turns and heads back with the other instructors to leave him standing.