How not to hire an assassin
“…Your apology is accepted.” The use of ‘master assassin’ was enough to soothe Talon’s temper and earn the man a nod.
Too many nobles in Noxus tried to use his personal name as a way to stress that they were above him – one name only, no family, no House – by treating him the same way that they would a servant they were telling to take out the garbage. Talon had had to put up with it at the start, when he was still an unknown, but by now his fame had grown that he could afford to reject clients who were deliberately disrespectful.
This man, whomever he was, had erred out of genuine ignorance rather than because he was playing power games – and if he was a friend of Azir’s, that was also a point in his favor.
“Azir’s a friend, so he’s allowed to call me ‘Talon’. Haven’t seen him in a few weeks though.” Talon’s schedule was an unpredictable thing, revolving around missions and rest, but he made a note to swing by Shurima on his way back and check in with Azir. He could also remind Azir then that the Blade’s Shadow was a title, akin to doctor, and he’d prefer if Azir didn’t give people the impression that they could casually use Talon’s personal name.
However, all of that could wait. Right now, they were talking business and the man’s request was unusual enough that Talon cocked his head to a side.
“Really? You wouldn’t rather just hire me to kill your enemy?” If someone had advance warning, surely having their enemy killed would be cheaper in the long run than having to bribe multiple assassins to not kill someone. Talon was certainly one of the best in the business but he wasn’t the only assassin in Valoran.
Then again, of the others of his caliber, most of them worked only for their cause or country. Zed and Kayn worked for the Order, Akali worked for the Kinkou, Jhin worked for Ionia, Kat worked for Noxus and the others were serial killers or hunters rather than actual assassins for hire.
Of all of them, Talon was practically the only one who worked for a paycheck rather than principles.
So Talon was his actual name? Volkage filed that away as a curios but currently irrelevant detail.
“No, if this one died, all his cronies and even some of his enemies would be out for my head. Carving a bloody path through Piltover’s old nobility to be left alone isn’t particularly high on my to-do list.” There was of course Camille who needed to be dealt with sooner or later, but Volkage’s first priority was to ensure nobody would take a contract on Sofia.
“The few locals with any skill won’t work for Pilties on principle and the bodyguards can deal with the rest. Few foreign assassins come here unless their own agenda demands it, so if I can pay you off I have all my angles covered and can put most of my worries to rest.”
It wasn’t a particularly complicated plan, but it hinged entirely on the Talon’s cooperation.
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