Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 80 That’s The Job.

“By all that is holy…” Lenny whispered wide eyed at the coins.

“Make sure to hold up your end.” Isaac reminded them coldly.

“I will.” James replied. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

“What’s your plan?” Isaac asked and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

“There’s a drop box behind the brothel on fourteenth. We’ll leave a note with the coins saying who it’s from then he’ll pay us a visit.” James explained.

“What if he says it’s not enough?” Isaac asked.

James shook his head. “Then we’re screwed.”

Isaac sighed and a frown found its way onto his face. He didn’t like the uncertainty and he really didn’t like how one sided all of this was. It would be easier to work with his informant if he didn’t owe someone else money. “If there’s a problem, pay one of the kids to leave a note at Celestial Dawn. Don’t write anything on it, just leave it blank.” Isaac told them.

“You’ll help us?” Lenny asked and finally tore his eyes off the coins.

Isaac shook his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t want you owing someone else. I’m also not going to go to war with Mr. Nobody. At least not without a bounty getting put on their heads.”

“Their?” James asked.

Isaac nodded. “Another informant I know has heard some things about Mr. Nobody and he gave me a warning.” He let that last part sink in for a moment. “I’m going to stay out of their business but I need someone downtown all the time to help me get the lay of the land. I need a list of all the active gangs, how many members each has, and what type of business they do. I don’t care if you have to join one of them, just make sure whatever you’re doing doesn't involve kids.” He warned.

“That won’t be an issue. There’s a gang that operates a street over that sells drugs to anybody who’ll ask and has a few coins. I’ll see if I can join them.” James explained his plan. “Don’t worry. I won’t sell any to kids.”

“Good. For now just pay off your debt, write up that list, and get integrated.” Isaac instructed. “I’ll be back in three weeks for the list. Don’t forget. A blank note to the Celestial Dawn if the money isn’t enough.”

“Understood boss.” James replied and started stacking the coins into eight neat stacks of ten.

“Lenna. Time to go.” Isaac said and took a few steps towards Lenna.

“Understood.” She replied and put up her hood. Isaac stepped into her shadow and vanished.

—

The pair returned to their room in the Celestial Dawn via a third path. Once inside Lenna took off the cloak and handed it to Isaac. He pulled her vest out of his Inventory and handed it to her in return. “Time for dinner. I’m starving.”

“Agreed.” Lenna replied.

—

The next day found the pair back in the Adventurer’s guild. “Jobs done. Now what?” Isaac asked Alice.

“The gang job?” She answered his question with a question.

“Yeah. They won’t be a problem anymore.” He replied.

“You have to have the client sign the bounty on the back and bring it back.” Alice explained. “I’m sorry I thought you were aware.”

“I’ve only done bounties for the city until now.” Isaac told her.

“I see. Well I’ll need you to go back to the client and just have them sign it.” Alice directed. “If there is a problem let me know and I’ll have the Guild Master go and straighten things out.”

Isaac sighed. “Understood.” He pushed off the receptionist’s desk and led Lenna downtown for the third time in two days.

—

“I need you to sign so I can get paid.” Isaac told Chester as he put the bounty paper on the bar in front of him.

“You got paid from the gold they stole.” Chester argued.

“They spent it all already. I’m here to get paid. I’m not leaving until I get paid.” Isaac demanded. He didn’t like the man to begin with and his current attitude wasn’t helping.

“Tsk.” Chester grabbed the bounty and the pen from behind the bar and put an ‘X’ on the line.

“They better accept this. I won’t be back. It’ll be Edward.” Isaac said and took the paper back.

“Am I supposed to know who that is?” Chester prodded.

Isaac turned around and headed toward the door. “The Blade Master. Guild Master of Safeharbor.” He replied while leaving.

“Wait!” Chester called after them. Isaac stopped at the threshold.

“What?” He demanded.

Chester grabbed the pen and ink well and met Isaac at the door. He took the bounty paper from him and set it on a nearby table. He signed his name and handed it back. “There. I hope next time I get an adventurer who isn’t a dickhead.”

“I hope next time I get a client worth helping.” Isaac retorted and took the bounty back. Apparently Chester was getting on his nerves more than he thought because the man stepped back and Lenna put her hand on his shoulder.

“My Lord.” She said evenly.

Isaac then noticed that he was giving off shadows and hadn’t realized it. When his temper started to flare, so would his magic. The shadows he gave off were not pure shadow like those he used on purpose but dark mana that started to enter physicality. He reigned them back in. “Let’s go.”

—

The two returned to the Guild Hall and met Alice. “Got it.” Isaac said and set the bounty on her desk.

“Thanks.” She said and looked at it. “I’ll be right back with your payment.” She hopped off her stool and disappeared into the back room that seemed to have limitless gold and only the gods knew what else stashed in there.

A minute later Alice returned. “Twenty five platinum.” She handed them a small leather bag with the coins in it.

“That was not worth the trouble.” Isaac said to Lenna. He made eye contact with Alice. “Thanks Alice. Also, next time I have the bright idea to take a job intown, I want you to remind me of this job.”

Alice giggled. “That bad?”

“Not really.” Isaac replied with a sigh. “Client was annoying. There was no reason for that bounty at all.” He grumbled. “They could have handled it in a few hours.”

Alice shrugged. “That’s the job. It happens a lot.”

“Can you warn me about those next time?” Isaac pleaded.

Alice giggled again. “I can try. There’s no real way to know unfortunately. Unless you only want to take bounties from the city or the guild itself?”

Isaac straightened and turned to Lenna. “That sounds like an idea.”

“Indeed.” She replied.

Isaac nodded. “Let’s stick to that. Only monsters and returning bodies. No annoying clients.”

Alice shook her head. “We don’t have very many of those. Most of them are escort missions to other places.”

Isaac walked over to the bounty board. “What do you have now?”

Alice looked at the board to refresh her memory. “Escorts to Ben’s End, Sapphire Stone, one to the capital. Kill targets for shadow-wolves, Ori-Masa, drow scouts, spiders, the drider bounty. Wo Lu should be back within the next few days so there might be something new then.” She offered.

Isaac sighed. “Let me guess, the spiders are the only ones we could do and be back for dinner?”

Alice gave him a smile. “Yep.”

“Back to spider hunting.” He grumbled. He had a thought: “Alice what would happen to a spider if it was struck by lightning?”

Alice thought for a moment. “It would probably explode. It’ll be hard to bring it back to get paid if that’s what you are thinking.”

Isaac sighed again. “So much for that idea. Well, let’s go.” He told Lenna and the pair headed out for more pest control.