A small party of cloaked figures made their way quickly up the treacherous mountainside. They trudged purposefully trying their best to ignore the rain that beat them down and soaked their skin through their faded and worn cloaks. Soon a small keep came into view and the travelers could just make out the two guards avidly watching the road. As the group approached the guards tensed and came forward.

"What is your business here?" asked the taller of the two guards.

A bulky man in a green cloak stepped forward. "We seek an audience with Jal."

The tall guard watched him for a moment. After a few seconds of silence both guards nodded and allowed the group to pass. The men in the group were uneasy with how quickly they'd been allowed to pass, it was almost too easy. But the guards had been at this a long time they had spent enough time in the mercenary lands to know how to mind their own damn business. If those men wanted Jal, they wanted someone dead and so it was probably best to keep their heads down and ignore their curiosity.

The group moved on, travelling down the other side of the mountain now. From where they walked they could just catch the distant twinkling of torchlight from a small village. From so far away the village looked harmless. Just like any other village in any of the five kingdoms. But the men were not in any of those kingdoms. They were in a land more dangerous than even the wasteland of the Fisher king. This was the land of thieves and liars and killers for hire. If you needed something illegal and immoral done than this was the place to get it. This was the mercenary lands, a small territory that no king had the courage to conquer.

An hour later and they reached the village. Despite the late hour the village was buzzing with activity. Some people were scurrying in and out of buildings doing menial chores. While others lounged about and chatted with friends. Laughter echoed from the tavern and excited, animalistic yelling could be heard from a small arena at the edge of the town. If one only glanced at the small village in front of them they would have mistaken it, again, for an innocent place. But when one looked closer they notice that every man and woman was wearing leathers and armor. They all carried various weapons and looked as if they knew how to use them. And there was something in the eyes of every villager, something unmistakably cold and cruel and old, which sent shivers down the spine of each of the travelers.

The group made their way to a small fortress just past the village. There were many guards at the entrance all of them with the same expressionless face. One guard, who was obviously in charge, came forward to address them.

"What business do you have with Lord Jal?" he asked.

"We wish to employ his services," the man in the green cloak began. "If we could have an audience with him, tell him we are willing to pay handsomely."

The guard nodded and motioned for one of the other guards to deliver the message. Ten minutes passes and the guard that had gone returned.

"Lord Jal will see you," he said and led them inside. The group was taken to a dark throne room. A large man clad in dark armor sat on a simple throne. He had a thick scar that ran from the bottom of his left cheek to the right earlobe.

"Lord Jal?" the green cloak man asked.

"Indeed," said the man on the throne, "And who are you who comes seeking an audience?"

"My name is Trevor," the green man said. "We come to you on behalf of our king, Alined, to employ your services. One month ago a precious object was stolen from our king by a man name Dominic who afterward disappeared without a trace. He wishes you to find this man and kill him and anyone that is with him and retrieve the stolen object for him."

"And what is this object? What does it look like? And why does he not send his own men to retrieve it?" Jal asked.

"I do not know what it is or even what it looks like, but my king says your men will recognize it when they see it," Trevor said. "As to why he wishes you and your men to retrieve it and not his own men, he never said, but I got the distinct impression that he wanted no one to know of this object, no one to know of this mission. He looked desperate to have it back and have this whole affair handled as discreetly as possible."

"I see," Jal said. "And how much does you king intend to pay to have us recover his precious item?"

"He specifically said he would be willing to pay as much as you want," Trevor replied.

"Then we wholeheartedly accept," Jal said. "We will go over the detail of this Dominic later-"

"My lord, king Alined had one more request," Trevor interrupted, "He has heard many rumors over the years of one of your men, Wolf, who was said to be the best, most lethal mercenary you've ever trained. He specifically requested that this mission be led by Wolf."

Jal stared down at Trevor and angry, irritated expression crossed his face as he heard Wolf's name mentioned. Six years to the day since that traitor left his service and his name still angered Jal. But he could not pass up an opportunity to make so much money and Jal had been contemplating returning Wolf to his employment. This served as a perfect opportunity to bring him back into the fold.

"Very well, Wolf shall lead this mission," Jal said reluctantly. "Will you be staying overnight in the village?"

"No, my lord, we must return at once to our kingdom to deliver your acceptance."

"Good," he said and waved them away. Once they were out of the room he motioned over to one of his personal guard, his right hand since Wolf had left him.

"Hawk, I have an important mission for you," Jal began, "I want you to bring me Wolf."

"My lord?" he questioned.

"Yes Hawk?" Jal asked impatiently.

"Why not send me on this mission for king Alined? Surely it is not beyond my ability to accomplish it?" Hawk asked.

"Indeed it might not be, but still I have been thinking to myself that it was time Wolf reentered my employment. This is just the perfect excuse to do it," Jal said.

"Of course, sir."

"You must be careful, Hawk, Wolf will not come willingly," Jal warned.

"I will bring him to you, my lord," Hawk said with complete conviction. After a moment of silence he continued. "Where will I find him?"

"I have heard many rumors recently that he has found employment in Camelot as the manservant to King Arthur."