The God of Jesters
Chapter 181 - 3.12.2 Choosing the seniority.

Chapter 181: 3.12.2 Choosing the seniority.

The opponents were not foolish, they were well aware of what happened in Leshen. Although the details were covered by the followers of Radiant Hall, it was not hard to know how many died and the level of fight that broke out there.

A peak-level Master Knight with a Radiant bloodline, they were rare but very dangerous. Some of them had been able to face archmages on their own and throughout history, there had been some irregularities from the Hall of Radiance where a Master level has successfully hunted an archmage.

It was only in recent days that some other bloodlines were able to recreate such a feat hunting wizards, but only by depending on the modern weapons enchanted by magic. Few in master level can ever hope to face an Archmage, which not only is a realm above them, but they holds an advantage with the varied amount of magic they hold, with only a sword.

Hence the reason, after learning the fate of those who couldn’t contain their curiosity and greed, the rest who were following Farhad calmed down.

They were looking for an opportunity while hiding from the Radiant Knight as well as the protectors of Farhad who seemed to be taking down similar hunters as them one by one.

Forcing them to go into hiding and wait for a perfect opportunity.

There was a limit to how much they could do and if their sources were correct, an opportunity might arrive once they reached the end of Cynark’s North.

But then again, Remira was a step ahead of them and she jumped with Farhad out of the train, leaving them stunned.

"This bitch." They cursed as they made their exit from the train as well. But whether it was fate or luck, there were only three groups that jumped, and being in the industry, all the three groups recognized each other.

"Owl and Ashaan, didn’t expect you two to come for the boy as well... tell me, who is your employer?" A young man with sharp eyes hidden behind specs asked while maintaining his vigilance.

"You are one man short, I am two, and from the looks of it, Owl is one man short as well. There is no need for such a game Kareem, I believe none of us are employed by the prince. You can take a sigh of relief." Ashaan said, acting nonchalant to the threatening gesture of Kareem who seemed to be ready to shoot them.

But Kareem didn’t listen, "Doesn’t matter... We are after the same target. Conflict of interest still exists, unless of course, you camp here and catch the next train." Kareem was not going to let this chance go. This terrain was perfect for setting up ambushes, even a radiant Knight might fall. Not to mention he himself was a Master level knight.

He believes that with enough preparation, he can take out Remira, but even if he fails to do so, taking out their target and bringing him away would be much easier.

Not to mention, this kind of environment just fell under his area of expertise, an advantage he had learned after years of fighting on the battlefield for his country against the bastards from Yethel.

As for the other two, he might not know their background, but he sure did learn something about the kind of missions they have completed and from it, he can ascertain that they might not be used to such an environment like he was.

And of course, there was always the advantage of his bloodline, which gave him an edge in this place.

But while Kareem was having such thoughts, Owl, the remaining mercenary who is used to being silent most of the time, said one word that caused the eyes of Ashaan and Kareem to turn to him.

"My target is the Knight, you can take the boy with you, but I want the girl, her head."

"Owl, treating me... no us, like a fool?" There was no way that anyone would ever believe such claims.

A simple claim such as this would in general take him out of this small conflict of interest, where only Kareem and Ashaan would fight each other for the chance at their target, while Owl might act like a supporter who would help the winning party.

But who knows what might happen once the time to reap the benefits eventually arrives. A stab in the back was common in their industry. More so when it was someone that neither Ashaan nor Kareem were that familiar with.

Owl, a nickname obviously to hide his true identity. Though it’s not like the other two actually used their real name anyway, Owl’s was too obvious.

Making him stand out on his own, no matter how much he acted like air.

"I have said my part, if you gentlemen have nothing else to say, I will focus on my hunt," Owl spoke in direct words, not intending to waste any time.

But before he could move forward, a bullet at his feet stopped his steps. "Stop, we need to establish seniority here, it doesn’t matter if you are hunting the Knight."

Hearing such words, the face of Owl turned to scowl. "The sound was loud, my target must have heard it."

"She probably knows we are after her, why do you think she jumped?" None of the people here knew where she was going, in their mind, their target was Farhad so they knew all they could about him.

As for the knights, they barely knew anything, they were not privy to matters of Radiant Hall, as putting a spy in such a place is close to impossible due to how mad their followers are. They can’t be corrupted no matter what and they would prefer death over betraying their own.

Hence the reason the mercenaries here were in the dark, unable to ascertain the direction Remira might walk. But they still have methods to somewhat predict her direction. But that was for later.

"And now she would pick up her pace, dragging our target along with her," Ashaan said, before looking at the bespectacled Kareem. "Control your men, there is no need to make our job harder than it already is." At these words, Kareem wished to retort, but before turning silent, he looked toward his men, who put down their guns, and then toward Owl. "Although that shot was a mistake on my part, it doesn’t mean I am going to let you go away. You might be new to this Owl, but you still have to follow industry standards."

At the mention of Industry standards, the eyes of Owl turned toward the two. "You really didn’t know?" Ashaan said, with a smile on his face.

While Owl asked for an explanation of what this standard was. "It’s not the first time this has happened, different groups after a single target, and in the old days, it would usually end in bloodshed if the prize was big enough, which in this case, it very much is."

In the old days, the world was a lot more chaotic, deaths were common and the security or police of a city never cared for the death of a commoner, unlike now.

Even in the world of mercenaries, it was common for the groups to fight each other often and there were always blood feuds breaking out between multiple groups, lowering their life expectancy and weakening the mercenary guild’s strength.

So certain unofficial rules were introduced. The mercenaries were still free to do what they wanted, but those smart enough chose to follow these rules.

Which were in simpler terms; Conflict Avoidance, Determining Seniority, and Accepting Defeat.

With a fourth unsung rule being "killing any third party that was never part of the guild".

Rules where one has to determine who gets to try their hand at the hunt first, if they succeed the losers have to accept defeat.

But being first had advantages and disadvantages as well. If you lose, you might face some losses, while those who come after you will have a much easier time.

All of it is based on a contract whose copy will be in the hands of all the included parties, it would prove their promise to each other with the Mercenary guild at the center. There was no magic involved, there was no need for it.

That contract would be proof of their promise and any lies will tarnish the reputation of the liar and those that break promises, which in the world of Mercenaries was everything.

"How to determine seniority? A fight?" Owl asked before the two shook their heads. "Anything besides bloodshed, but as we lack time. So a coin will do." Ashaan answered while taking an old copper coin. "Take out yours, it’s better if there is no chance of lying."

Different coins and different owners and the one that wins most will have the chance to hit the group first.

And it was like this, the group determined the method at which they would die, with Owl coming at the very last. Which made him turn silent for a while before he looked at Kareem. "The moment you take your trophy away, I would come in for the kill no matter the sequence."

"Still on that act even after the seniority had been decided?" Ashaan sighed at Owl, a newbie like this was usually annoying. He even wondered how someone so green obtained such a precious mission. But considering his feats of capturing some runaway fugitives from an enemy country, one can see why he might have been chosen.

’Fuck him, Kareem is more of an issue. There is a high chance he might succeed.’ The thought of betraying the contract came to Ashaan, but only as a fleeting thought. For he knew the dangers of lying and breaking an oath of this level.