Eren and Shion were walking back to Reka.
They were still processing the job they just completed, the merchants were still murmuring about the swords.
Whispers carried.
"…orc in the area…"
"…spoke like a scholar…"
"…drove the spirit back…"
Gossip moved faster than carts.
They had barely begun untangling their own thoughts when a voice cut through the quiet.
"Excuse me, are you mercenaries?"
The figure was tall, hooded, his face could not be seen with the hood on. No luggage, no cart, no animals. No weapons either.
"We are" Shion responded "What about it?"
The figure made a reverence, just enough to understand he was not here threatening.
"I was informed you are in possession of a certain item" He continued "A page of a book with an alchemical formula"
Shion stopped walking.
The air between them thinned.
"Who told you that?"
It was suspicious.
The merchant wouldn't say he sold something so dangerous.
Pingnast wouldn't talk about it if he wanted secrecy.
Was one of his workers?
Carthis? Unlikely, he was afraid of getting in more troubles.
Was someone eavesdropping on them at the shop?
"Hold on" Shion cut in before he could answer "Were you following us?"
They had sensed a tail before.
It would not be surprising if that same shadow had been listening at the shop.
The hooded man paused, weighing his response carefully.
"I apologize" He said "I cannot confirm or deny that. My contractor requires complete confidentiality"
That was answer enough.
He had not denied it.
"Then I must insist" He continued, shifting tone slightly "That the page be surrendered. I am authorized to offer a considerable sum of silver in exchange"
He was already negotiating for it.
Which meant urgency.
Eren did deliver it to Pingnast, didn't he know?
Eren frowned. "We don't have it."
Her voice still carried the weight of the lake.
The man's posture tightened.
"Please" He pressed "I understand you have taken a mercenary contract. Simply report the page as not found. You will be compensated regardless"
So he did not know.
Interesting.
Shion held his gaze to his eyes, or rather, where his gaze should have been beneath the hood.
"We don't have it, the job was completed last night" Shion repeated calmly "If you require confirmation, speak to the association"
For the first time, the man faltered.
It was subtle, just the stiffening of the shoulders, a breath drawn too shallow.
The page had moved beyond his reach.
"Thank you" He said finally.
No threats.
No escalation.
He turned and walked quickly back toward Reka, pace controlled but urgent.
They were just outside the eastern gate when he disappeared through it.
Eren watched him go.
"That doesn't feel finished," she said quietly.
It wasn't.
Shion watched him pass through the gate without being stopped.
The guards didn't question him. One even stepped aside.
He didn't slow at the markets, didn't turn to the inns, he just kept going towards the center of Reka.
"We'll have to get in line" Shion murmured, still tracking him as long as she could.
But when the merchants clustered before the entrance and carts tightened the space, she lost him.
It was early night time when they entered Reka again.
"We should deliver the job" Shion suggested "And collect the payment for the previous one"
Pingnast would have sent someone to verify the stolen goods by now. Should have been plenty of time for him to do so.
A few mercenaries trained in the open yard. Others sat at the entrance tables, maps and contracts spread before them. Some worked in pairs. Most worked alone.
Shion stepped to the counter and placed the slip down.
"Good night. I would like to report a completion"
"Oh? Let's see."
She examined the parchment — five merchant seals pressed in wax.
"I must assume the threat was not eliminated?" she asked calmly.
"Correct. It was contained. It was a Kelpie, a water spirit" Shion answered.
Few heads in the building turned at those words.
Whispers rippled through the room.
Not everyone knew the name.
Even fewer knew what it meant.
"Please" The clerk continued "Describe the containment" She was ready to write it down on his ledge.
"One merchant on the road heard that it can be contained with an iron spike" Shion explained "As we didn't had any or silver weapons, some merchants were kind enough as to donate iron swords and lend us hammers to contain the spirit"
The clerk wrote carefully, ink scratching steadily.
Silence hung between sentences.
"So you relied on folklore?" she asked without looking up.
"Silver is too soft for practical combat" Shion answered evenly "And even if it weren't, there are cheaper metals better suited for weapons"
The clerk paused.
"Why is silver relevant?" She asked again.
"According to beast texts" Shion continued, unbothered by the growing murmurs "A Kelpie may be slain by silver through the head. Or subdued by taking its bridle. Both options require proximity. Both increase risk."
The whispers thickened.
Some disapproval.
Some skepticism.
Some envy.
"So" The clerk continued "If it was contained with swords we should worry. People could just take them to sell or use"
She was right. They already considered the possibility.
"Correct" Shion said nothing else.
The clerk scribbled again on her ledge.
"That's it. The association will inform the local authorities" The clerk finalized "Warnings will be placed. Additional measures may be ordered"
She sanded the ink dry.
"As for the payment... " Shion asked.
"Not the expected outcome" The clerk said as she was counting the payment in a bag "But containment is recognized"
The pouch slid across the counter.
Shion took it without checking.
"About the job for retrieving the stolen goods" Shion told the clerk "Have anyone came to report the job completed yet?"
"Oh. Yes. That was earlier"
Another pouch emerged.
"The merchant added two silver to the agreed amount"
Eren exhaled quietly.
This amount of silver should suffice for a while, for the room and food.
They were not finished tying the cords around the pouches when the door opened sharply.
Conversation in the hall thinned.
Three city guards stepped inside.
Armor polished. Expressions measured.
The clerk's voice lowered.
"Oh" She said softly "It's the captain"
No one resumed speaking.
The building had shifted.
And both Shion and Eren felt it.
This wasn't coincidence.