Who do you want to be today? (Hopeslayer)

[Izzy]

Haddek didn't seem to bat an eyelash at the ludicrous amounts of money the man was willing to pay him. True, nobody had desired his services that much before, but it would be foolish to let the man know that. "Definitely a loose man with his money. Not exactly what I would call wise, given that it could lead back to his true identity. However, a man with those sorts of resources tends to hide their trail well...Something to look into." Haddek seemed to ponder on this for some time, not saying a word while he thought about the offer that had been made.

"As it is, there is nothing in that contract which I cannot do, and I must commend you for adding in that clause for me not telling anybody else about this. Too many seem to neglect that." Haddek began, flashing his teeth in what one might call a grin. Might. "As for payment, the usual payment for such services will suffice. Small bills, unmarked, of course, but I doubt that you need to be told such things." Truth be told, even though he trusted this man's common sense, it was far too often that he had to temporarily change shop because some fool had brought a SWAT team down on him. Better to be safe than sorry, he supposed.

"Now comes what some call the 'fun' part. I don't, but it's the closest that most come to magic, however unmagical it is. Now it is time to finalize the contract. Again, this can be done in a plethora of ways. Many do it in ways they feel most binding, but even the simplest ones shall do. Be it bloodpact, oath under whatever god you choose, spit on the palm then shake hands...anything. Just let me know what you wish for me to do, say, and anything else you require, and we can begin the next phase." He explained. For this part of the process, he seemed much more...sarcastic than at the other points. Almost as if he was trying to push all of his caustic nature out at once. Perhaps he was, but for what reason?

[The Hopeslayer]

"Any gods or goddesses I once paid heed to have long since spurned me and I them. Swear upon your own life that you will see this through, that will suffice for my needs." Hopeslayer stated bluntly. His own words was his bond after all, the villain never one to actually tell a lie. Even when he'd kidnapped Yuki's father he'd kept his word and returned the man unharmed after he'd gotten what he wanted. After all even evil has it's standards.

"Telling me how you'd prefer to receive your payment now may make things easier as well. Some sort of bank account to transfer the funds to or do you like to stick the old fashioned money in a briefcase?" The disguised kitsune asked with a smirk, rather liking this spy's 'right to the point' attitude. It was quite refreshing all things considered.

[Izzy]

"Ah, the 'swear on your life' oath...Never gets old. Certainly not after damn near thousands of times." Haddek thought bitterly, but that did not make him hesitate in the slightest. "I swear to follow your task through to completion. I shall not falter until the job is done, or you release me from my oath. Cross my heart, hope to die." He said. Immediately after the lame quip, his eyes seemed to flash black, and a grimace seeped into his face that even his renowned control couldn't rein in immediately.

"I do not accept money through bank accounts, master. I used to, but that proves to be too risky. My preferred method is a series of dead drops. Of course, I will provide you a list of them as soon as we are done here. You can put the money in whatever container you wish, as it matters not to this one." he explained. Following the oath, his voice seemed rather...subdued.

"The first order of business, master, is how I can come into contact with you, seeing as how this job will require somewhat frequent communication. The second item on the checklist is base information on the job. I know some of this organization you speak of, but I am afraid that my knowledge is limited. Any information you can give me now shall save me preperation time, and thus lower the amount of time you need to wait to get results. This is, however, up to you. If it is your wish that I find out everything on my own, I shall not challenge you." Not that he could if he wanted to. This was the main reason why Haddek hated contracts, and the main reason he wouldn't do them if he wasn't forced to by the first contract. He couldn't do much when he was like this, only watch himself act like a fool.

[The Hopeslayer]

Hopeslayer knew that the oath was quite binding despite the somewhat snarky manner it was said in. The reaction right after it was said was proof enough of that, not to mention the small shiver that went down the kitsune's spine. It seemed to be some sort of spell or curse that made the oath binding, very similar to anyone asking Hopeslayer himself a question while knowing his whole true name would make him have to answer truthfully. Well whatever the reason the contract was sealed and that was that.

The disguised kitsune leaned on the table and listened to everything else his new spy had to say. Of course the fellow would need a way to make reports that would be inconspicuous, that was only natural for this type of mission. Hopeslayer reached into a side panel of his armor, his disguise making it simply look like he was reaching into a pocket. He produced a small item resembling a cell phone along with a white envelope.

"Here is the one hundred thousand for costs as promised." Hopeslayer said as he handed over the envelope. He'd come prepared to hire his mercenary spy after all.

"Since this group has many anti-magic measure in place in most of their places I think a more technological outlet would work best for communication. This cell phone is a secure line to communicate with my directly, just use the sixth number pre-programmed into it if you need to make a report. The other numbers in it are simply random restaurants and businesses, feel free to change them if you want to. The signal is untraceable and quite secure." He slid the item across the table to his new minion for hire.

"You can fill me in on the dead drops once you need payment for a completed objective. As for your second point regarding the nature of this organization... well they're a bunch of humans that believe that magical beings and non-humans are something that need to be exterminated, which likely includes a shapeshifter such as yourself. They're quite violent and some seem to have some sort of misplaced chivalry, acting like some sort of knighthood. Frankly they seem more like a cult so far. They do have some ways of detecting magic and run rather tight security. Many of their members are capable fighters in both close combat and small arms as well as how to counter many so called 'mythical' beasts such as dragons. They're really quite a nuisance, though they do make the most delightful crunching noise when enough pressure is applied to them while in their armor... ah but I'm getting of track." Hopeslayer paused to chuckle, recalling a few times that his forces and the Dragon Slayers had clashed with his side being undefeated so far.

[Izzy]

Haddek seemed to take in the information that Hopeslayer had given him for some time. He remained silent for minutes, then, suddenly, he began speaking once more.

"A young man," he began, "Not too young, but definitely no older than twenty five years of age. Despite his youth, he has deep bags under eyes that are much too hard. They belong on someone much older. One who has suffered great loss. He doesn't fight, his body is much too frail to support armor, but in him, a great strategist can be found. He hates any magical creature, and will not rest until they die. He doesn't talk often of the reason behind his intense hate, and even then, he doesn't dwell on it for long. When he was younger, he lived out in the country. He had a twin, a sister, and a baby brother. Their father died in a war when they were young, and their mother, in her grief, slowly faded away, dying in her bed of a broken heart. The man and his twin dropped out of school and worked multiple jobs in order to keep the household afloat. One day, the man comes home to a smouldering ruin where his house used to be. He had always thought that the tales of dragons nearby were old wives tales. He rushes inside to find the charred remains of his sister. Suddenly, he hears his little brother, screaming. He goes into the kitchen, and what he sees horrifies him. His brother is alive, but he is dying. The lower half of his body has been crushed beneath a support beam. The child is conscious, and begs to be saved. The man knows that he cannot save the child, but there is one thing he can do. With tears in his eyes, he gets a knife from the knife drawer, and, whispering between sobs that everything will be alright, he kills what is left of his family to keep him from suffering. He does his best not to sleep, for when he closes his eyes, he is haunted by his memories. He spends the night working, doing his best to cleanse the earth of those who do not belong." his voice did not alter once from that formal tone, nor did he seem to show any emotion. "Is this backstory satisfactory, master, or shall I make a new one?" he asked, seeming as if he would not be bothered having to start from scratch.

[The Hopeslayer]

"Yes, that seems like a satisfactory back story for them to let you join them. Tugs on all the right strings and doesn't leave any loose ends for them to really call you out on." Hopeslayer appreciated the creativity of his newest hire. Coming up with such a story right off the top of his head was a good sign that the fellow was able to think quickly. That would greatly improve his chances of not only infiltrating the Dragon Slayers but perhaps even moving up the ranks a bit to get closer to the ones in charge.

"Well, I think that should take care of our business for the evening... unless you have anything else to add?" Hopeslayer said, waiting to see if his spy had anything else to say. He didn't bother asking for the spy's real name, after all a good spy wouldn't let that information be widely known even to his employers would they?

[Izzy]

"I have only a few small matters left to discuss, the first being the time frame. As it is, infiltration takes some time, and I cannot begin feeding information as soon as I get it, for that would lead to being discovered. If you will give me one month to climb through the bottom ranks, I can begin the flow of information." Haddek offered. "Secondly, while this persona shall not be involved in fighting directly, he shall still be in the fights. That is, until he proves himself. As such, I would prefer knowing where your forces shall be before they move. This would allow me to either avoid them altogether with my forces, or retreat skillfully, after being ordered to by a commanding officer, of course. The man would never retreat on his own. Either one of these options will increase my renown, and give me more authority which can be used to give you more information. Is this acceptable, master?" he asked. As it was, he did not have a plan already cooked up if his client refused his suggestion, but he would find a way. He had to. He was not going to be killed by a lack of information. Irony was not his prefered cause of death.

[The Hopeslayer]

"You'll have all the time you need to infiltrate them, I'm patient in most things." Hopeslayer stated, letting his new spy know that time wasn't a top priority on this. The other request however was not something that the kitsune was ready to just hand out.

"As for my forces, well that information is something that I can't readily provide to you. I can assure you that if you do happen to run into them that they will not fire on you in particular, and most likely they'll let a few others escape with you just so to avoid suspicion of you being the sole survivor of any battle you come across. I'd give greater assurances but I don't like to promise on things I can't deliver on." There was also the reasoning that he didn't want to give a known spy any more information that absolutely necessary too. After the Dragon Slayers were defeated there was no telling who might still want information of Hopeslayer's workings.

[Izzy]

"I accept your decision, master, though it is less than desirable. I believe I can manage to gain some reputation, even if I must retreat from battles I cannot see coming. The only change is that I shall have to strike harder at those not allied with you. In order to gain respect among these people, I shall show no mercy to those who are not human, as my persona demands." Haddek offered. This was the only alternative he could think of on the spot, and chances were that this client wouldn't appreciate the tactic much, but it was what he had, and 'master' would just have to deal with it.

"I suppose that you shall need to see my disguise if you are to warn your forces not to fire upon me. Do you have a device to capture an image, or should it be done at a different time?" he asked. He seemed determined about this one thing. It was almost as if he wouldn't just forget about it, if demanded, though that wasn't true. He'd have to do a handstand naked in Siberia, if it was demanded. Good thing this man didn't know that.

[The Hopeslayer]

"Don't kill any magical beings, each one of them is worth countless human lives. If you must harm them make sure to try to capture them so that I can at least try to rescue them later. From what I hear the Dragon Slayers do take prisoners if so only that they can study an enemy to learn it's weak points... a sound strategy, but at least it will give me a chance to attempt a rescue. Only resort to extreme measures if absolutely necessary for keeping your cover." Hopeslayer was scowling a bit, not liking the idea of any magical beings getting hurt in this little scheme. Yet if a few did get hurt or killed due to this it would be worth it in the end if it meant the total and utter annihilation of the vile Dragon Slayer cult.

"As for your disguise, go ahead and show me now and I assure you that the information will be uploaded to my troops." He didn't bother explaining to the spy that this entire conversation was being recorded both in audio and video thanks to Phantos' helmet. Of course Haddek couldn't see the helmet anyway due to the holo-disguise in place around Hopeslayer's body.