Lich for Hire

"Sigh… why can't I just keep these hands under control?"

Ambrose rubbed the gold coins between his fingers. His sigh seemed to come from the depths of his very soul.

That adventuring party heading into the sewers had generously paid him a one-coin "interview fee." Even if they didn't mesh well, Ambrose would still have earned a gold coin for nothing.

Of course, it wasn't strange for adventurers to offer something when trying to recruit a magician. Such talent was rare and expensive. But a whole gold coin just for showing up? That was absurdly extravagant, almost like tipping that dwarven singer just to make him shut up.

Whatever hesitation Ambrose had before instantly evaporated the moment the coin landed in his hand.

Still, once he pocketed the money, unease started gnawing at him.

Adventurers weren't exactly known for their moral integrity. Most of them hovered somewhere between "unemployed drifter" and "licensed bandit." If they could afford to hand out gold like this, it usually meant one of two things: either the job was really dangerous… or someone was planning a good old-fashioned backstab.

After all, magicians were almost always rich. Mugging one could easily net a few enchanted trinkets worth thousands of gold coins.

Then again, if that was their plan, great!