<big>Markus</big>
"Come on Markus, help me out here." Groaned the guard. "This is what, the third time this week I've dragged you out of a bar fight?"
Markus was sat on an uncomfortable wooden bed in a dimly let jail cell, scowling at the grubby stone of the floor. The air smelled of the many crooks and thugs to have sat in that very cell, and it tasted the same way. The guard holding him there banged on the metal bars of the door.
"Hey! Pay attention to me!" She barked.
"Or what?" Markus slurred "You'll arrest me?"
"I'm serious, things are rough enough in this little town without you causing a fuss." The guard growled. "Got any reason why I don't just have you locked in here for good?"
Markus paused for a slow moment before turning his head and with bleary eyes, stared at his captor.
"Well for one thing, it's the ONLY jail cell and a pretty small one to boot. What are you going to do once someone who's actually a problem turns up, eh?" He grumbled, with just a hint of condescension. "For another... what's causing you a problem." Markus stared out of the window, taking in the sorry sight of a run down, one horse town. "Looks like your typical middle of nowhere piece of cr-"
"HEY!" Bellowed the guard indignantly. "Watch your tongue, or I'll... I'll..." She trailed off.
"You'll what?" Markus asked, turning his hint of condescension into a full blown, heaped spoonful.
The guard seemed to consider for a moment. "I'll cut it off!" She finished, more pleased than threatening.
Markus sighed with his head in his hands. He considered his options. He could probably break out; the captain of the guard by virtue of being the ONLY guard was competent, but inexperienced and poorly equipped. The bars on the windows and the door were rusted through he suspected and his mechanical arm would probably make quite short work of it. That however would definitely mean skipping town, and after month after month of "travelling" like this, he was getting pretty sick and tired of it. Plus... well he was a mercenary after all.
"Who's causing you problems?" Markus enquired, his gaze the floor again.
"Well- hey, how did you know?" The guard replied, startled.
"A pretty educated guess, this is quite frankly a run down piddly little town" He answered to an indignant look from the guard "And any actual problems in said piddly little town indicate there's someone behind it. I could... deal with the problem for you."
The guard look mortified at the suggestion, and when he turned to look at the guard he simply raised an eyebrow.
"Are you an ASSASSIN?! We've been harbouring an ASSASSIN ALL THIS TIME?!" The guard yelled in shock.
"No..." Markus sighed "No. Well not usually, I try not to kill if possible. That being said a bullet between they eyes might be the quickest and cleanest option here."
"A... bullet?" the guard asked.
Markus answered plainly. "Yes. Bang. Gone. I've got my rifle stowed away, your problem won't even see me."
The guard considered for a while, sitting on a nearby stool. Her brow was furrowed in thought, and she seemed extremely conflicted.
"What... would you want for this?" She tentatively asked.
"Simple, I want out of this cell for one. I also want enough supplies for travel. I'll get out of your town and you'll never hear from me again." He finished.
More long moments passed. Markus was beginning to think she wasn't going to bite, until...
"Deal with the problem. We'll have your supplies ready and then you get out." The guard decided, rather curtly.
Within an hour, Markus was heading out of town, rifle across his back and heading back towards the hub of civilisation in this world... the encampment.