Cazik Norven
Departing from the bounty collections office, Cazik opened the letter that had been waiting for him while he walked. Reading over it, it appeared that an organization known as the Conclave of Magus wished to solicit his service in the matter of dealing with a killer who was giving Delta a lot to worry about lately. The Conclave, if memory served they were some sort of order or guild of mages, probably very important people. Well, Cazik was a relative newcomer to the area so he didn't really know, and he wasn't particularly well informed when it came to magic either. But on thinking about the killer, Cazik did realize the city seemed unusually empty, he had not paid particular notice to this until now since he was not a regular of the city. The people must be very afraid of this killer. Glancing at the letter a final time before tucking it away in the satchel he wore across his back, it seemed he was to attend a meeting a private room in a local tavern known as The Lost Cause. An inspiring name to be sure. According to the letter, he had a week before the meeting was to take place. That would give him time to rest up and prepare.
Not wanting to waste time, Cazik decided to go ahead and gather the things he would need. He headed over to a general store, hoping to buy a water skin and a first aid kit for use later. As he walked down an alley toward the shop, two thugs stepped out of a doorway, twin predatory grins on their features. A smile came to his face. "Fomus and Renan, how fortuitous that we should meet here." They seemed rather puzzled that he should know their names, but they laughed dangerously and advanced on him.
"Times are tough buddy, we're gonna require your valuables now." Cazik saw a merchant begin to walk down the alley, the merchant saw the confrontation, but seemed unsure what to do.
Cazik realized it had begun to get dark, and with the streets and alleys nearly empty he should have expected trouble like this. Looking around he said, "Well I suppose it is about that time, should have expected this." The two men were both a head taller than Cazik and had him by at least forty pounds. The merchant at the end of the alley decided to jump in to help the smaller man who looked to be in trouble and ran at the thugs.
The men turned slightly to look at the merchant and quickly deemed him a non-threat. However in the time they were turned, Cazik made his preemptive strike. Normally he wasn't one for starting fights, just ending them. The reason he was making an exception this time was he knew the two men from wanted posters pinned up in the bounty office. Five gold apiece for robbery. Not enough to justify searching them out, but if they were just going to present themselves like this...it was a short walk back to the bounty office.
As the men turned back towards him, Cazik unleashed a psionically enhanced punch straight into the solar plexus of the one on the right, actually sending him soaring through the air and tumbling down the alley. The other man stood dumbstruck at the disproportionately strong attack coming from the smaller man, giving Cazik all the time he needed to land a front snap kick to his chin, knocking him out cold. He hadn't needed any psionic power for that one. Still, he stood breathing deep, controlled breathes through his nose. Psionic attacks were not without cost. The merchant made it to him just as the last man fell to the ground. After assuring the merchant all was well, he recognized him as the merchant he bought supplies from. In tribute to the man's courage in at least trying to help him, Cazik took him along to the bounty office and let him claim the reward. The merchant was much obliged by this and insisted on giving Cazik the gear he requested, as well as some knife-care equipment and a coil of rope he had not thought to ask for. As he returned to a tavern he lodged in he counted the day a success. He still had the bounty of 75 gold from the capture of Meristi, and he had the gear he would need for work in the future.
When the appointed day arrived, he made his way to The Lost Cause. Collecting his belongings, and a new set of clothes similar to what he already had, purchased with a small amount of bounty money. He had deposited most of the money he had collected but for ten gold pieces with his banker in the city, a friend he had made early on in his time as a bounty hunter. One thing he had picked up on quickly after arriving in the city was the way investing money in a bank was a good way to increase his means. Making money by having money. He made his way into into the bar, nimbly weaving amongst the patrons until he found his way up the stairs and into the private room. As he walked up the stairs he saw a human woman loitering outside the room he was to meet in. He looked skeptically at her and pushed the door open. "Might I suggest listening from inside the room?" Seizing her up, she looked like a tough customer. That said, he didn't recognize her from the bounty office, and he kept a book of bounties just to keep track of them.