Caed and Gregor strode into the edge of town in the late afternoon. There were no actual distinctions between most of the buildings, so it took some time to find the man who posted the contract. They found him near the market, where sellers were still peddling their wares, but slowing down to close shop before sunset. The area didn’t have much Aether-flow, so artificial light was hard to come by, making daylight an important time frame.

“You the man who posted the job in the town east of here?” Gregor asked, getting his attention.

“Aye, that’s me,” the man said, turning around to approach the two for a closer conversation. “Looking for more information or to collect?”

“Information,” Caed said in a low voice.

The man looked them both over, and decidedly continued the talks with Gregor. “Pretty simple job, really…”

Chop.

Caed’s attention turned slightly at the sound, while his partner and the job poster talked. “Need to find a woman by the name…”

Chop.

He turned again, focusing on the source. Across the way, a man in a shack was at a table, preparing animals for cooking and distribution. It was a butcher, a rare sight in most places; Aether has simplified life in most societies, including the raising and slaughter of livestock for families and businesses alike. His doors were open on the front of the shack to help ease the smell of the work as well as demonstrate his availability. Just outside his building, a pit held a low fire and numerous bits of meat in various stages of smoked preparation.

“…last place she was seen was the Reach. I’d start there if…”

Caed watched the butcher as he stretched out a part of the animal he’d been cutting down. He raised the cleaver over his head and brought it down in a swift motion.
—
Chop.

The firewood next to the shack was piled haphazardly, but the task was done. Not long after, the rain began to fall, the sky darkening with the oncoming storm. After sunset, it was nearly dark as pitch that night, save for the rare, fleeting moments the moon peered through the clouds. The dim light made the rain drops shine like a sky full of falling gemstones, only to disappear after the clouds obscured the radiance of the moon.

Chop.

The fire was ablaze while the food was prepared, the sizable knife making quick work of the vegetables and meat, before they got dumped into the pot to simmer in the fire. the warmth of it filled the room more than the light it provided, but it was a comfort in itself, given their distance from most towns and other people.

Knock knock knock.

Then they came. The memory blurs here, as it always does. Few words spoken, few things seen in the light of the room. But he remembers the scraping ring of metal against flesh and bone, the crack of heavy weights against wooden furniture.

Crack. Sssshing.

There was some shouting, some cries for mercy, then silence. But when they approached him, he fought back. Without remorse, without mercy. He slaughtered them like a butcher preparing meat.
—
Chop.

“Rylan,” Gregor said, calling for attention using Caed’s proper first name.

He blinked casually at the butcher as he continued to work, preparing another animal. Without turning back to the conversation he involuntarily drifted from, he said, “We’ll do it for five hundred.”

“Five hundred?” Asked the job poster, shocked. “The offer was for three hundred, plus supplies!”

Caed finally turned to the man. “That was before we knew anything about going to the Reach for this job. Five hundred, or get someone else to do the work.” Turning away from Gregor and the other man, he walked away, further into the town, ignoring the sounds of the butcher’s work.

A moment later, Gregor was at his side, not in a hurry, but a casual pace. Side by side, he asked, “What was that about?”

“It’s the Reach. Higher cost for higher risk.”

“Not that. Where did you go? It’s not like you to drift out of a negotiation.”

“I got distracted.” Caed took a deep, mildly shaky breath. “I just remembered something is all.”

“What did you remember?”

There was a notable pause, but before Gregor could ask, Caed responded, “Home,” and moved forward to distance himself from his partner and the conversation.