Ersum Frost

Ersum Frost tapped at the battered door that led into his client's small office. The place was a near ruin. Dank and dark, it sat in a run down, all but forgotten part of town, deep in the slums. This was not unusual for Ersum. Though his clients were invariably wealthy, they often chose to meet him in places like this. Places where no questions would be asked.
A voice called from the other side of the door, telling him to enter. He pushed the door open and squeezed his bulky body through the door. His muscular shoulder caught on the frame, and a piece broke off, crumbling as it fell to the floor. He ignored it and stepped into the room, stooping slightly his head grazing the ceiling.
"Ersum Frost I presume?" the voice was soft and alluring. No commoner this woman.
"Yes. You wish to hire my....services?" he walked further into the room and pushed the door to behind him.
The owner of the vice sat behind a desk at the far end of the small room. A beautiful woman, with long dark hair and deep, dark eyes. He stopped in surprise, surely that wasn't....? It was! What was she doing hiring a bounty hunter? She opened her lovely mouth to speak again. It appeared he was about to find out.
"You are wondering why I need to hire one such as yourself, correct?" he nodded dumbly. "There is a problem that the normal resources I have at my disposal, comprehensive though they are, cannot solve. It requires a certain amount of deniability.....something I hope you can offer me."
"That I can ma'am. There will be no way to trace me you're involvement through me."
"You were not followed here?"
His eyes widened. "Certainly not! I am not followed, unless I wish to be. Ever. There were some who tried tonight, if that information is of use to you."
"I know this, they were in my employ."
"They where in your...." He stopped as the penny dropped. "You were testing me."
"I was. And you did well. Those two were my best trackers. They have never failed me before." She reached into the top drawer of the desk she sat at and extracted a sheet of paper. She passed it across the desk to Ersum.
"What is this?"
"A man will be at this address at 2pm tomorrow. You will go there and bring him to me. Alive if you can."
"If he's alive when I get there, I can."
"Good. The two figures at the bottom represent your fee. The first is for delivery of the subject alive, the second is for delivery of a corpse."
Ersum's jaw dropped as he read the figures. The smaller one was more than double his usual fee, and the larger was.....uncomprehendable. He was good at what he did, and commanded a high price, but nothing like this. He was also not stupid.
"Why so high? Who is this man?"
"Does it matter? Is there anyone you would not tackle? Or could not?"
He felt the blow to his pride and pulled himself up a little taller, an effect only slightly spoiled by the fact that the ceiling was too low to accommodate his full height.
"I can bring in any target, or I die trying. But some need certain.....precautions. Mages for example, need to be handled carefully."