The archer stopped a few feet away, head tilted, studying me like I was a particularly interesting puzzle.
"You look like shit," she said cheerfully.
Wow. Thanks. That's exactly what I needed to hear.
"Yeah," I said, keeping my voice flat. "I get that a lot."
Her grin widened. She gestured back toward her table. "Come on. Sit before you fall over."
I glanced at the group. The bearded man raised his mug in a lazy salute. The nervous younger guy was still drumming his fingers. The robed woman hadn't looked up from her tea. The cloaked figure remained motionless.
Not much choice here, is there?
I limped over. The archer pulled out a chair for me—surprisingly considerate—and I lowered myself into it with all the grace of a sack of potatoes.
The bearded man set down his mug. "You're lucky we came through when we did, boy. Those bandits were about to turn you into a pincushion."
Ah. So it was them.
"You saved me," I said, gaze moving across each face, cataloging details.
"We did," the archer confirmed, leaning back in her chair. "Saw the whole thing, actually. You versus those bandits." She whistled low. "Ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy."
The bearded man chuckled. "The way that bandit leader slipped on nothing?" He tapped his temple. "Someone's got tricks."
Shit.
My expression stayed neutral. "Lucky breaks."
"Sure," the archer said, her grin never faltering. "Lucky."
The air hung heavy for a moment.
The robed woman finally looked up from her tea, her eyes sharp and calculating.
"A favor of saving someone's life ought to be repaid." She said. "A life debt is traditional, but we're not unreasonable people."
Here it comes.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly. No point dancing around it.
The archer leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"A favor. One favor, to be called in when we need it. Nothing that'll get you killed, nothing that violates your precious noble morals." She said 'noble' like it was a joke.
"Just... a favor."
I ran the numbers.
Risk? They could ask for anything. Could be minor, could be catastrophic.
Benefit? I'm alive. That's not nothing.
Alternative? Refuse, and... what? I've got no leverage. No money. No way to repay them otherwise.
"One favor," I repeated slowly. "Within reason. Nothing suicidal, nothing that compromises my family, and I get veto rights if it crosses a moral line."
The archer's eyebrows rose. "Smart kid. You've done this before."
Not in this life.
"Do we have a deal?" I asked.
She extended her hand across the table. "Deal."
I shook it. Her grip was firm, confident. The kind of handshake that said she kept her word but expected you to keep yours.
"Good," the bearded man said, raising his mug again. "Now that's settled—"
Now since this is settled...
"How long was I out?" I interrupted, unable to keep the urgency out of my voice. "I need to know. The—"
"Relax," the archer said. "Few hours. Maybe four. Sun's still up, see?" She jerked her thumb toward a window where late afternoon light filtered through.
Four hours.
The relief hit me like a physical thing. My shoulders sagged.
Not a full day. Not too late. I still have time.
Okay. Okay. I can work with this.
I looked up at her. "I need to get to the capital. To the Academy. The exam starts tomorrow morning, and I'm—" I gestured vaguely at my bandaged state. "Not exactly in peak condition."
"And you want us to take you," she said, not a question.
"I can pay—" I started, knowing full well I had nothing.
"Do we look like fools who work for free?"
This time, the voice came from the shadows. The cloaked figure leaned forward slightly, and I caught a glimpse of a sharp jawline and cold, dark eyes beneath the hood.
Male. Maybe mid-twenties. His tone was flat, unimpressed.
Right. Stupid, Jin. Of course they won't...
The archer burst out laughing, loud and sudden. She slapped the table. "Gods, Edric, you're so serious. Lighten up."
Edric—the cloaked figure—didn't respond.
She turned back to me, still grinning. "Actually, you're in luck, kid. My baby brother's headed to the Academy too. He's out back right now loading supplies into the wagon." She jerked her thumb toward the rear of the guild hall. "We just finished a quest, figured we'd drop him off on our way through. You can hitch a ride."
I blinked. "You're... going there anyway?"
"Yep." She leaned back, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "We're good people like that."
Too convenient.
She held up a finger. "But... the favor debt increases. Two favors now. One for saving your life, one for the ride."
Of course.
I weighed it. Two favors versus missing the exam entirely and failing before I even started.
Not even a contest.
"Deal," I said.
"Smart kid," she repeated, extending her hand again.
I shook it a second time.
"Great!" She stood, stretching her arms overhead. "Let me grab him before he wanders off. Kid's got the attention span of a goldfish."
She headed toward the back door, calling over her shoulder. "Name's Mira, by the way. Mira Stoneheart. That grump in the cloak is Edric, the big guy is Garf, that's Yenna," she pointed at the robed woman, "And the fidgety one is Rolf. Try not to die before we leave, yeah?"
I watched her disappear through the door.
Stoneheart. That's a commoner name. Probably from the northern territories.
A moment later, the door swung open again.
A guy around my age walked in with the same dark hair as Mira but messier, like he'd just rolled out of bed.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing simple leather armor that looked well-worn but maintained. A longsword hung at his hip, and he carried a canvas sack over one shoulder.
His eyes scanned the room, landing on me.
"You the half-dead noble?" he asked, his tone blunt but not unkind.
Half-dead?
"That's me," I said dryly. "Jin. Jin Raith."
"Kyle Stoneheart." He dropped the sack onto the floor with a heavy thud and pulled up a chair, spinning it around to straddle it backward. "So you're taking the exam too?"
"Trying to."
"Cool." He leaned his arms on the back of the chair, studying me with open curiosity. "You any good with a sword? Or are you one of those magic types?"
"Bit of both," I said carefully. "Still figuring it out."
Kyle grinned. "Same, honestly. Mira keeps telling me I'm shit at magic, but I think she's just jealous I've got potential."
From across the room, Mira's voice rang out. "You've got delusions, little brother!"
Kyle ignored her. "You look rough, man. What happened? I heard they saved you from the bandits?"
"Yeah."
"How many?"
"Nine."
His eyebrows shot up. "Nine? And you're still alive? Shit." He whistled low, genuine respect in his voice.
"That's hardcore. You kill any of them?"
"Couple," I lied. Sort of. The edits did most of the work, but he didn't need to know that.
"Nice." Kyle leaned back, his grin widening. "We're gonna get along fine."
He talks too much.
I glanced at Mira, who was arguing with Garf about something involving the wagon.
She saved my life. Her brother's heading to the same place. This could be useful.
"Two favors," I muttered under my breath.
Worth it.
Probably.