In a lonely corner of the bar, Russel revealed to Lucian what he had seen with his ability.
"I have no idea how this is even possible, but I'm serious—the kid traveling with you is half Undead," Russel said as he refilled his pipe with some tobacco.
"That… I see. I think I understand why it happened, although I had no idea the process of creating a hybrid worked like that," Lucian said thoughtfully as he rested his hand on his chin.
"Even though I'd like to know what you did to that boy, I'd rather ask you not to mention it at all. The ability to mix races is dangerous—better take that information to the grave," the bearded man said as he blew smoke rings.
Seeing his friend play with the smoke in his lungs brought a smile to Lucian's face. It had been years since he'd seen those perfect circles Russel only made when he was calm or in good spirits—a sign that eased his heart.
"Hey, Russel… I know I'm asking a lot, but…" Lucian lowered his gaze to his beer mug; there wasn't much left in it.
"Your girl can make a pact with the guild, but you need to explain the rules of this world to her. If she's a Visitor, it's risky for her to live here without truly understanding the rules. Your little friend can sign as well, but if they're discovered, you know what will happen," the half-dwarf said as he relaxed his body for a moment and glanced around the crowded bar.
"Listen, you know I love you like a brother—though maybe I don't love my brothers that much—but… I don't want to have to kill you. So if you're going to do this, be careful and talk to the girl too, find out what she wants," the redhead said as he stroked his beard like an old man giving advice to a young fool.
"What do you mean what she wants? It's a solid, logical plan—obviously she won't mind," Lucian asked, confused by his words. It had never even crossed his mind to ask the girl for her opinion.
"What?" Russel looked at Lucian the way friends look at one of their own when he's being an idiot. "Are you stupid? She's a free human being—more or less. She has the right to an opinion. Besides, your damn plan of joining the guild, making money, and then running off like last time takes decades. Maybe that doesn't sound so great to her."
"I see… I guess it didn't occur to me because I'm not whipped like you," Lucian said with a smile before finishing his beer.
"Maybe you could say that before, but now you're married too. Love or not, whether you like it or not—you're whipped as well!" Russel said with a mocking grin as he blew smoke shaped like a hand raising a finger. That finger.
Both friends burst out laughing. They had managed to clear their fears and thoughts. Meanwhile, the hourglass ran out of sand, and the magic circle on the table and around their necks faded away.
"I guess our chat time is over… Speaking of which, I almost forgot," Russel said as he pulled a small pouch of gold coins from his pocket. "Veronica left this after collecting her payment. She said it's for you."
"What? But—" Lucian took the leather pouch and checked its contents. Inside were five gold coins and two silver ones. "This… that's very kind of her, but she didn't have to do this. It's too much money. How much was the job's reward anyway?"
"Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," the bearded man said as he raised a hand, signaling a waiter who brought two mugs of beer to the table.
"That necklace was ordered by a rich bastard from Emerald Port. It was an urgent request, so the pay was pretty good. What you're holding is only a quarter of what Veronica took."
At that moment, Russel pulled out a folded cloth. When he opened it, it revealed the necklace Veronica had brought.
"As you can see, this necklace is a family relic of some rich guy from Sapphire Port. It's far to the north and he requested urgent delivery. I thought Veronica would take it all the way, but she said she had business further south," the bearded man said before putting the necklace away.
"Listen, the pay is excellent, but since it's an urgent delivery, there's a time limit. To be exact, you have five days starting tomorrow to reach Sapphire Port. The payment is seventy gold coins," Russel said as he grabbed a mug of beer.
"That's a great offer… Mmm, let me think about it," Lucian said before taking his mug. "You're a good friend, Red. Thanks… Oh, by the way, I've got money now—could you make some fried chicken? My companions are probably starving."
"Of course, no problem. We don't want the half-dead one to end up fully dead, right? Ho ho ho," Russel laughed as he clinked his mug with his old friend while the bar slowly emptied.
.
.
.
After an hour of catching up, Lucian went up to the room with his companions, carrying three plates of fried chicken with fries and small bowls of sauce. The recipe had become popular—and almost a tradition—in that guild, since its founder had invented it.
When he opened the door, Lucian found his companions lying on the floor arm-wrestling, elbows planted as they tried to overpower each other with brute strength. Daniel's face was red from the effort, while Ebony looked bored, showing no sign of actually trying to win.
"Oh, Lucian, you're back with the food!" the blonde shouted, then casually moved her arm and won the match effortlessly.
"Damn it, you runt! What kind of witchcraft lets you have that much strength?!" Daniel yelled as he stood up, gritting his teeth, sweat dripping onto the floor—clear evidence they'd been at it for a long time.
The three of them sat on the floor to eat since there was only one chair in the room. Ebony immediately started eating without caring if she got dirty, while Daniel did the same—having grown up in the forest, he had no table manners either.
"Well guys, while we… eat…" Lucian couldn't believe that the companions he almost called friends were so careless and clumsy when eating, but after a sigh, he continued.
"Listen, I spoke with the owner of this guild. We can become members starting tomorrow. It's necessary if we want to make a living without fearing the Sacred Laws," the elf said as he began eating his chicken, though his head was still slightly affected by the beer.
"Why do you say fearing the Sacred Laws?" Daniel asked with his mouth full.
"Oh, right… You see, my friend Russel is half-dwarf, half-human, so he inherited the passive ability The Eye That Reads the World, and well…" Slightly drunk, Lucian failed to measure his words.
"Well, Daniel, I've got great news. You're now a societal reject in all known kingdoms, because you're now a hybrid Undead—just like me, a half-elf, and Ebony, who's a Visitor…" Lucian said calmly as he kept eating his fries.
"Can you pass me the ketchup bowl?" Lucian asked, while his companions froze in silence, mouths wide open.