rone | e&tg 18

Hopsfield narrowed his eyes. "Yesss. All right. Now, the objective. What became of him?"

I exhaled and tried to compose myself. "He's dead, i guess. He collapsed his keep with some huge fiery explosion. I barely got out."

"But you didn't actually kill him? You didn't make a first-hand confirmation?"

I shook my head. "I was too busy running from the expanding fireball. I saw him engulfed in flames, but that's all."

He tsked. "Unfortunate, very unfortunate." He dipped his pen in his inkwell and wrote in his damnable ledger. "Please list all recovered treasure, including all magical items, objets d'art, and any other valuables."

I plunked the jeweled goblet on his desk. "One bejeweled goblet." I found it in his kitchen. For all i knew, the gems were fake, but i figured it was worth grabbing. "That's it."

"You don't say." He peered at me. "You weren't able to go in later and recover more?"

"No. The fire was still burning when i woke up the next day, and the keep was in ruins."

"Impressive..." More paper-scratching. "So you have nothing more that belonged to Teraad, correct?"

"Yup."

"Hmm." He looked at the glowing stone. "I do not believe you are being entirely honest with me."

"Huh? Oh." I thought again about how exactly he'd phrased the question. "I have with me one of Teraad's gryphons. But i didn't take him from the keep; he found me the next day and, well, it's a long story, but he's bonded to me now. And i am bonded to him as well, i suppose."

"Well, as one of Teraad's belongings, the beast is definitely part of recovered treasure. You have no claim to it."

"I do not claim him. He chose to bind to me after i helped him with an injury. And i have been charged by a master druid in the nearby forest with his care." I crossed my arms. "If you want to insist on taking him, you're welcome to try, but i can guarantee that he won't like it, and he'll be more trouble than he'll be worth to you. And if you do, i'll be sure to let that master druid know what you did."

"Ah. Hah." He steepled his hands. "Well." He looked at the ledger. "Well, you are on the hook for 3000 gold pieces' worth of treasure, or 25% of the haul, whichever is larger." He picked up an eyeglass and examined the goblet. "Hmmm. This will make a dent in your obligation, but—"

"Look, take it out of my pay, all right? And if i still owe you more, talk to my agent, he'll set it straight."

"There is no cause for you to be paid, Mercenary. You failed to meet your goal and bring back proof."

I felt a bit of nausea. "Now hang on—"

"Even," he interrupted, "if your story about the collapsed, burning keep checks out, the fact remains that you admitted that the primary objective caused his own demise. We don't pay for suicides unless you incontrovertibly drove them to it. That isn't the case, is it?" He looked at me; i just stared back. "Therefore, no pay. It's all in the contract; you know that." He laid his hands on the desk. "I'll contact your agent to handle your financial obligation, and he will either pay it in currency or negotiate a new contract for a make-up mission. You may leave now, and keep your gryphon, so you don't feel like you walked away with nothing." And he gave me a wretched facsimile of a smile, trying to convince me he was doing me a favor.

"Oh, you're all fucking heart, Hopsfield, you miserable bastard." I got up and stomped out.