"Did you see the nobleman's face?" Carlos said as he burst into laughter. He still couldn't stop himself from rolling every time he thought about it.
The very head of Iresal corporation had welcomed them personally. He had even been fawning when he asked them to join his team and be part of Iresal corporation. Based on all the attractive offers he had offered, even Carlos had been tempted.
However, Haiser had rejected his offer without a thought. Rather, he had offered an offer of his own. The group were part of a mercenary group. Instead of the group participating as members of Iresal, they could participate as members of a mercenary group that had been contracted by the corporation.
Such a practice was very common. Since most corporations did not focus on training fighters, they could hire in mercenary groups to participate in the competition. To promote themselves, these mercenary groups would announce the name of their group alongside the corporation they were representing.
Thinking about it, Phanas did not see anything wrong with that. One of the largest corporation was rumored to have hired some very fancy out-of-world mercenary group. It was also a point of prestige for the corporation to hire fancy mercenaries. A big name was harder to acquire, so a big hire would definitely raise the profile of the employer.
This was when he asked about the mercenary group, only to discover that the group was not even formed, and they still hadn't discussed the name of the group, much less registered it. That was when he made the face that was still cracking Carlos's ribs.
Despite the minor snafu, negotiations did not stall. Phanas agreed to pay a hefty sum of 50,000 Gold for participation. He would also pay an additional 500 Gold for any victory the team achieved. There was an additional 10,000 Gold for coming third, 25,000 Gold for coming second, and a whooping 50,000 Gold for coming first.
Carlos did not pay attention to the latter part of the deal, but seeing that they would receive such a big sum right off the bat, just for participating, he was definitely intrigued, so was everyone else.
There was also the 10,000 Gold they got paid for assisting in the hunt. With this, the group could register their mercenary group with the Mercenaries Association, a universal level organization.
As long as one was registered in the association, they could do business pretty much anywhere as a mercenary. All the three major powers, The Kingdom, the Empire and the Republic recognized the Mercenary Association. There were many such associations, including the Merchants Association, that enjoyed such universal recognition.
Due to such a huge sphere of influence, registration prices were pretty high. The Mercenary Association demanded 5,000 Gold for registration of the organization, and 1,000 Gold for each member. Then there were the annual payments, 1,000 Gold for organization, and 500 Gold for individual members.
While it sounded high, it was actually a very good price. Many mercenaries would gain credibility by just being members, who wouldn't want that. This was why so many people were queued up waiting to be registered.
With no other option and no connections to speak of, Haiser and his people had no option but to queue up. After several hours, and many arguments, the Forest View Mercenary Group was formed. It had four registered members: Haiser, Carlos, Joel, and Felix.
Much much later in the day, the girls, Claire and Alma, had joined them. Joel and Carlos were bachelors, so no women for them. By evening, the group was getting drunk in one of the taverns, celebrating their newly formed mercenary group.
After making merry, the various families went off to their rooms, and there, the discussions began. One could say Haiser and Felix had fallen from Heaven to Hell.
Alma was very concerned. Last she was with Haiser, they had come to a decision together. They were going to wait. They would bide their time, gather their strength. All of a sudden, they were forming mercenary groups and going off to play hunter? What changed.
Under her inquiry, Haiser could understand her situation. However, he had to make decisions as they came. Forming a mercenary group had not been an impulsive decision. They needed money, and they needed to settle down well. The only thing that could offer that, while also allowing them to gather their strength in the open, was a mercenary group. What better way to hide an army than masquerading as a private army for hire?
Taking the time, Haiser patiently explained to Alma his thought process. Despite his low status, he never abandoned his ambition. He still had a destiny to go back to, and as small as this mercenary group may seem, it was the little rock that would cause an avalanche.
While Felix and Haiser were busy justifying themselves to their women, Joel tagged along with Carlos as the two went off to look for a place to get drunk. Such were the perks of being unencumbered.
Unfortunately, just as the two men sat down and ordered their drinks, a man came and sat opposite them. Just from the way he carried himself, both Carlos and Joel could tell, he was definitely not someone they could mess with. The temperature in the room became icy cold. Even the clutter around the tavern quietened down a notch. Something was going down.
"Are you the new mercenaries?" The man asked.
"Who's asking?" Carlos retorted, not one to give ground easily.
"You dare call yourselves mercs in this planet and you don't know me?" The man asked, with shocked humor. Others nearby fell into a laugh, or is it a chuckle, the kind meant to intimidate.
"You must not be special, because we clearly never heard of you!" Carlos answered, facing the man head on. Long story short, both men ended up being thoroughly beaten, and Joel wound up at Haiser's doorstep, reporting all that had happened.