"Well I'll be, maybe you aren't all beginner after all." The woman complimented Celestine. It had been an hour since they first started. After countless matches though, Celestine won every single one of them. Colton wondered if she was cheating or just had extreme luck.
"Well that was fun, we should play again some time. With your own money of course." Without warning, the woman reached over the table and scooped the stacks of coins Celestine had won in their matches.
"Hey, she won fair and square!" Marcus yelled in a harsh tone, but the woman only replied with a smirk.
"These people are insufferable, if only i can lay my hand-" Before Quill could finish, the team heard the sound of metal boots walking behind them.
A team of heavily armored soldiers, with ropes hanging from both their hands approached the table.
"Do you wish to have them thrown out sir?" One of the soldiers asked.
"No, no." The man in armor responded with a dismissive wave.
"Even with their weapons I doubt they could do much damage to us." He arrogantly added. The team was unsure now of what to do, looking to Calliope for an order, but she remained silent.
"Now now, brother. We shouldn't cause problems. Especially for something so petty." The woman removed something from her pocket and slid it towards Celestine. A deck of cards.
"You seem to have a golden hand when it comes to gambling, I respect that. Consider the cards as a gift, they aren't just for playing." She continued.
A short silence followed, everyone was still uncertain on what to do next.
"Well," The rich man clasped his hands together. "That was a fruitful session, but this was too much gambling for today. I have a commission to fulfill though."
"Wait dear brother." As the man began to leave, the woman grabbed onto his arm.
'So these three seem to be related…' Colton thought, the two began speaking quietly to one another for a few seconds. But ended shortly after with the man looking back at the team with a smile.
"So, are you all truly beginners?" He asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Calliope quickly replied.
"Well, you see. Beginners in the mercenary world are not so fortunate. Endlessly taking small requests before they have enough guts to do an actual adventure, or enough money to buy good gear. Wouldn't it be better if you didn't have to do all that?" Calliope stepped closer to the table, interested in what else he has to say.
"What do you wish for in return?" The man was shocked by the answer but kept a smile.
"Straight to the point, I really underestimated you lot as a bunch of ignorant starters!" The man laughed.
"It's best to not discuss here, follow me." The three stood up from their seats and gestured to the team to follow them.
From behind, a team of guards followed. They began walking to the stairs of the casino, passing by countless patrons who played cards, losing and winning money.
The second and third floors were all filled with the same tables, but looked noticeably more luxurious, with more rich gamblers playing.
Soon, they reached the top floor. A large ornamented door protected by a few guards. The sight of the man and soldiers brought terror to them as they hastily pushed it open, without a single word spoken.
Passing through it, they were greeted by a hall full of paintings, relics, and gems. Encased in glass.
Ahead was another door, this time guarded by a group of soldiers.
"Step aside, your general is here." The armored man stepped forward, waving them to step aside. The soldiers wasted no time, moving away from the door and barely resisting.
'They have power over this place?' Colton was curious by what he saw. But his thoughts were cut short once they reached the door. With a simple turn, they entered a new room.
Stacks of gold littered the ground of the room, the sight brought surprise to Celestine and Marcus, unable to take in what they were seeing.
A desk lay in the middle, with a circle window behind it. The walls of the room were filled to the brim with more paintings and even small statues.
The woman and armored man stood at the sides of the door.
"The owner isn't here right now, on some venture in another mountain. The man sat on top of the desk, looking back at the team.
"For formalities, you may call me Volen. Though I assumed you people from that mountain already know me." The rich man, now known as Volen, spoke. The team remained silent.
"Odd, so you don't know about me. No matter, so much the better." The man took out a piece of paper.
"A beginner takes a year or more to even get enough money for documents, especially when the jobs pay so little. I assume that is why you started doing commissions right?" A brief silence followed, before Calliope spoke.
"Yes, we only wanted documents to finally leave the mountain for a better life." Volen laughed at her response.
"A reason I heard countless times, but never gets old. Well, if you work with me on a certain mission. You may not even need to do hundreds of jobs for some pieces of paper. Help me here and we three can guarantee you the papers and the easy life you wished for." Volen explained.
"What is this job you want done?" The man handed the paper to Calliope.
"A job regarding a few plants that need to be harvested. Far away from the mountains. That is all that needs to be said. I assume you lot can handle it?" Volen extended his hand, awaiting Calliope's decision. After a few seconds of thinking, she grasped his arm and shook it. To his delight.
"Very well, a deal then! The job needs to be done rather early so we may start it later. And the man who asked for it to be done wants it completed as soon as possible." Volen jumped off the table, heading for the door.
"I expect to see all of you at the south of the mountain, so we may start this mission." After speaking Volen left, with the woman following behind him. The armored man stood still, looking straight at them.
"He gave you an order. Get to it." He ordered, the team hastily left the room, walking down the hallway and descending the stairs. Now with a new job given.