Capítulo 12: First Member
Ezra finished his business for the day and returned to his new base. He felt a quiet sense of accomplishment, knowing he was taking steps in the right direction. His company was still small, but it had potential. The next step was to find the right people to join the ranks, though he figured it would take some time. No one would just show up at his door the way he had.
He turned in for the night, knowing tomorrow would be another busy day. He could focus on getting things organized—maybe even take a job. He had enough coin to survive for a while, but the sooner he could start earning from mercenary work, the better.
The next morning, Ezra woke early, stretching his limbs and preparing himself for the day ahead. His muscles ached slightly from yesterday's practice, but he worked through it, getting a few practice swings in with his sword to work up a sweat. After he felt warmed up, he stopped, grabbed his gear, and left for the art studio.
As he stepped inside, the familiar smell of ink and paint hit his nose. The artist was already there, working on another project, his eyes squinting in focus. When he saw Ezra, he smiled and walked over.
"Ah, Mr. Shadow Panther," the artist greeted him with a grin. "Your logo is done. Just twenty silvers for the finished piece and the different-sized stamps with the logo on it."
Ezra nodded, pulling the requested payment from his purse and handing it over. The artist handed him the final design—a bold, sleek logo of a panther in mid-pounce. It felt right—exactly the kind of image he wanted for his company. He left the studio with the logo in hand and a renewed sense of purpose.
His next stop was the job board, but as he skimmed through the postings, he didn't see anything that caught his eye—mostly escort missions and monster-clearing requests. Nothing that would challenge him, nothing that would bring in more members. Sighing, he decided to head back to his base. He was still in the early stages of setting up everything.
As he entered the base, he was surprised to see someone sitting behind the counter. A beast person, at least seven feet tall, with thick fur covering his arms and a face that looked human, but with rounded, bear-like ears and a large black nose. The man looked up as Ezra stepped in, eyes widening in surprise.
Ezra raised an eyebrow, walking over to the counter and locking eyes with him. "So, what's up?"
The large man cleared his throat, still somewhat shocked. "Ah, I'm Korr. I'd like to join your mercenary company. I want to raise my notoriety, and a smaller company like yours seemed like a good bet." He scratched the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. "Sorry about the shock, as you can see, I'm a beast person, and we don't always get the best treatment. I've been turned away a few times already."
Ezra scoffed, leaning against the counter. "I've met strong people from all kinds of races. The only ones who care about that are fools or hermits." He shrugged, gesturing to the room around them. "Now, what are your skills? What can you do, and where are you from?"
Korr nodded, flexing his fists as he spoke. "I can punch hard and kick hard. I'm from the Great Forest, and I'm a pretty decent tracker and fisherman." He hesitated, looking unsure of what else to say. "I can fight, but I haven't got any fancy weapons—just my fists."
Ezra leaned in, inspecting the man closely. He was strong, that much was clear. But the lack of weapons wasn't a problem for someone who was clearly capable of holding their own. "Sounds pretty good. Can you use Aether?"
Korr shook his head. "No, I can't. Is that an issue?"
Ezra paused, tapping his fingers against the desk as he thought. "Not really. I can help you awaken it. Don't worry about that too much. Aether isn't something everyone can use right away, but if you're willing to train, I can help you unlock your potential. I just need to know if you're okay with using a shadow affinity."
Korr looked a bit confused but shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, that's fine. I just want to get stronger. Any kind of Aether will do."
Ezra smiled and pulled out a few papers. "Perfect. Just one last question. I'm the leader here, so you'll have to listen to my orders. I'm not a tyrant, but I do expect everyone to respect the chain of command. I'll listen to arguments, but I also need to know you can follow orders when it counts. Is that fine with you?"
Korr grinned wide, showing a row of sharp teeth. "Yeah, that's fine. I've never been the sharpest tool in the shed, but following orders is what I'm good at."
Ezra extended his hand, shaking Korr's firmly. "Welcome to the Shadow Panthers, Korr. I'm glad to have you on board."
Korr's smile widened, and he gave a satisfied grunt. "Glad to be here, leader. Let's get to work."
With that, Ezra knew the Shadow Panthers were one step closer to becoming a real force. Korr might not have Aether yet, but that was something they could work on. And with his strength and willingness to learn, Ezra had no doubt that Korr would make a great addition to the team.
As the day wore on, Ezra felt a growing sense of anticipation. His company was starting to come together. With each new member, they were getting closer to building something powerful, something worth fighting for.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder