People stood up in both the east and west corners of the bar. Wary of each other, they headed toward Fanxing, looking like old enemies.
The Orc bartender enthusiastically introduced them. "This is Hastings, a veteran rogue particularly skilled at disarming traps. And this is Hares, a Ranger. His raven has undergone special training and excels at finding secret rooms and hidden passageways."
Fanxing began sizing up the two adventurers.
The Ranger named Hares didn't seem particularly remarkable, though his Half-elf heritage caught the eye.
As for the rogue named Hastings, he seemed far too tall, more like a warrior than a rogue. But there was something about him that felt very familiar to Fanxing—the air of an ascetic.
Hastings seemed to have seen through life's sorrows and entered a state of desirelessness. Even his gaze had grown distant and profound. Fanxing wondered what he had been through to reach such a state at his age.
"I need someone to infiltrate a Mage Tower..." Fanxing briefly explained what he wanted, without specifying which Mage Tower it was. Then he asked a few questions to confirm the two men's professional abilities.
They both performed well. The rogue easily picked the Magic Trap lock Fanxing produced, while the raven summoned by the Ranger readily found the Magic Ring Fanxing had hidden. Both were highly skilled.
It was just that their rates were a little outrageous.
Hastings the rogue quoted a flat three thousand gold coins. He would only handle the infiltration, and was willing to find a safe route into the Mage Tower—but he refused to explore any further once inside.
"No matter what kind of Mage Tower it is, it's too dangerous. I can't possibly disarm every Magic Trap and get out unscathed on my own. I'll be honest: if we