Hire the Veteran Mercenary to train and lead the Queen's Assassins

As per the Queen's orders, she wished to make an organization of assassins and you knew just where to start. It did took some time but you know all the right people who could put the word out and set up the meeting with the one person to help you make this plan a reality.

A not even a week has passed since you sent your messages and informants out in search for the person you seek to hire, and on one late evening there she was lounging in your office.

You have heard of her of course, but seeing her in the flesh is making you believe that a good some of the things you have heard were not exaggerated in the slightest. Her tanned skin would be exotic enough in the continent, never mind her pointy elf ears, or her long hair of dull green with whitish bangs in the front, or even her red reptilian eyes that you can tell is as sharp as her smile as she noticed you enter. As you moved to your desk keeping it cool she stood up from the guest couch and was able to see more of her, and amazingly peoples description of her was more accurate than you would have thought. She wears a white, vest-like top with a snake-themed collar and a simple pattern on the back, the vest also has one red gem on each breast surrounded with a spiral pattern. The collar also has fur and she wears turtle shell shoulder plates with a red dot on the back of each. As you gaze down you noticed that even her underwear is snake themed, it even seems to have hissing function and moveme- oh my, it's actually a living Snake! Her armor bears a snake motif. On her legs, she has white shin-guards with dull green thigh-highs underneath. From your observations, you calculated in your head her height to be 162 cm (Approx 5'4"), her bust 94 (37), waist 63 (25), and hip 86 (34), for the sake of footnoting on your file of her of course.

Honestly you anticipated as much, you did extensive research on this woman before reaching out to her, read every record or book you could find on the Wild Elf people, and her specifically. Still reading and knowing about it and seeing it firsthand have a degree of difference. Echidna, The Veteran Mercenary, has traveled the land as a fighter/assassin for hire and has lived at least 500 years in human age. Her strength and skill as reputable as her personality, said to powerful enough to win Queen's Blade, yet seems to have had no particular interest in it. As far as you could tell she has participated in every Queen's Blade Tournament since it's conception.

God above she is beautiful and tempting, and she knows it too, if the look in her eyes as she sizes you up is any indication. You breath steadily and will yourself to stay focus and don't react to her or her unannounced presence. While you were able to keep your face cool and hardened in calmness, another part of your body hardens and thankfully your pants are loose enough to conceal the fact, as long as you don't move that is. No need for her to know that.

"So your the new clerk huh, well at least your easier to look at then your predecessor", she said with a smirk as sharp as a knife as her snake hissed at you, "I hear you got a job for me, and by you I mean the Queen, so who does she want me to rub out?"

"Lady Echidna, it's an honor to make your acquaintance", you say ignoring her remark with a soft smile and a slight bow.

Her confident and powerful posture was in surprise, for a moment. Then her body seemed to shake and her faced cracked in humor and she balled in laughter. She laughed for about two minuets before she started to calm down rubbing tears from her eyes.

"Ha ha ha, I've been called many things in 500 years, not once in that time did anyone call me a lady. Tell you what, you tell me who you want taken care of, and I'll give you a discount."

"Actually I have something else in mind, though it does involve ****.", you replied.

"Okay I'll bite, what do you want to hire me for that involves... wait your not asking me to train you are you?", she asked with some incredulity at the end.

"Oh not at all", you say as you pick up a folder from your desk and present it to her. "I, and by that I mean the Queen, wants you to train these people."

You can tell she is curious if not intrigued as she took the file and looked it over, she looked back at you with a brow raised. "The Assassins of the Fang huh, it's certainly catchy and quite a few sprouts that can bear fruit if cared for properly. You want me to train all of them?"

"As many as you possibly can for as long as you can."

"As long as I can? How long is this going to take?"

"Long enough that by the time your first students become proficient enough in their learning that they can pass on what they learned to the younger recruits, and thus able to sustain itself without your presence. I calculate between 2-4 years at minimum should suffice."

"That may not be much time for me, but I can't guarantee I'll stick around that long", she said with a dismissive shrug.

"I understand commitment is not your greatest virtue, so there is no expectation of you to work full time with the Fang. In fact if you agree to be the instructor and commander of the Fang, you'll be granted complete autonomy in how you train and handle the agents short of permanent damage in training, including your private nightly lessons.", you say with a hinting look. "Provided of course, that any actions you and the Fang take does not conflict with Queens will and the good of the continent and show results. You will be compensated most graciously for your efforts, and we are willing to pay double whatever price your commissioned from outside of the Fang for intelligence on your clients and missions."

Echidna looks back with a sly grin and narrowed eyes as she wraps the folder under her arm and gives you her full attention, all the while her pet snake that serves as her crotch guard. You try hard to focus on zoological observations about the snake as a means to identify it just to keep you from thinking about the _forbidden fruit _it barley conceals.

"My, my, you really know how to tempt a girl. No wonder Queen Aldra kept you around. Not that I've made any decisions, but you wouldn't object to me looking into these woman personally and see for myself what I would have to deal with, would you?"

You suspected as much from her, and you know for a fact that is not all she intends to do but decide to be tactful and don't call her out on it.

"By all means, take whatever time you may need, just let me know when you made your final decision and I'll take care of all the official paperwork and lodging should you accept."

She nods, then takes her leave looking down at her snake as she went.

"This is going to be fun, don't you think Keltan", you heard say as she left. Your also hear the snake hiss in response possibly affectionately. You shrug your shoulders, it wasn't really your business at the moment and you have much more work to do. Even though she didn't say yes, your confident she will go along with this, if only for awhile. Working with her will be interesting to say the least.

Where to go from here then? You could head to the church and hope someone there will be able to get you in touch with heaven authorities, or perhaps you could work on making another **** to support the Assassins of the Fang ,or perhaps some diplomatic missions to within the continent to gain more allies and support for the Queen among the people and nobles. You must decide quickly, time is of the essence and you must use it wisely as the first few years will matter the most to keep you in the Queen's confidence, better yet the continent's confidence in her, and by extension you.