Fer regarded the emissary with furrowed brow. Everything about her seemed to say shadows and mystery. As if to offset this view, the radiant Auriel entered the noisy tavern with joyful shouts and waving what looked like paper rolled up. Almost as if on instinct, the young Shield hero’s face delivered a smile towards the winged companion. The last few days had found all three of them busy with getting much needed practice. He had tried his best to avoid monopolizing much of her time as Cole seemed like doing things on his own. She had said that she was in the service of all the heroes and Fer did not want a misunderstanding to occur that would alienate either her or Cole.
 
His wondering mind soon returned to the matter at hand as the shadowy figure continued her request. This made Fer’s eyes slit in distaste and distrust.  He was by no means pure and his hands had been stained with plenty of blood. He had somehow felt that in this life or world, he would have to protect people from monsters or demonic beings. He took a deep, audible breath as he reminded himself that humans could be just as monstrous or demonic as any creature they would encounter. Governments always had rebels and bandits to pursue. The young hero had not issues with rebels, as long as they targeted only government facilities but often the ones who took the brunt in such mattes were the regular people.  Bandits on the other hand were fair game. Predators of the innocent, Fer had no love for cowards. Rebels at least fought for an ideal, however wrong it may be. He had no issue with bringing a bandit leader to justice but assassinate  was perhaps the wrong word. This implied covert, shady dealings.
 
Fer issued a nod as a second to Cole’s question. Bandit chasing required time and resources which would tax their already compressed timeline before the arrival of the first wave. This Rayla Winters must be good at hiding or good at disposing of people if she had evaded capture for so long. The response the shadow, as fer began to refer to her in his mind as the emissary had not provided any name, was logical and very political.  The king, young as he was, obviously knew how to play to his strengths. This assignment would kill three birds with one stone. It would eliminate the threat of bandits. It would send the message that not only the Heroes but the King who commanded such Heroes had the populous best interest in mind and three it would test the hero’s skills and loyalty towards the king.
 
The young Shield hero almost smirked. Very clever of the king, he would have to remember that in his dealings with the young monarch. He turned to Cole after his companion had addressed him with a question. “As I told you before, I will follow were you lead. I think that the question as to whether we are ready or not will be evident after the mission.  I am sure Marcino, if he is not also coming, will be glad to be rid of us weaklings  for a bit. I just hope that we finish this quickly with no serious injuries before facing the waves.”  He turned towards the shadow. “I am sure his majesty will be pleased to know that the heroes are always ready to help.” He bowed his head slightly towards the shadow.
 
He eyed Auriel as if to study any sort of recognition the winged warrior would have of this shadow in front of them or the name of the bandit leader. Being a local, they would have to rely heavily on her knowledge and socializing skills with the locals. He knew from personal experience that a bandit with a good network would be like a ghost if one could not sway information their way. Thankfully, he had eaten a very healthy lunch on his way back from selling his share of the loot when he turned to Cole. “I am ready when you are. I think the sooner we finish with this business, the sooner we can return to sharpening our skils”.