Teric's eyes narrowed into wary slits as he locked gazes with the newcomer, both men sizing one another up in an attempt to determine who exactly held an advantage. With the appearance of this strange man from the Haidian portal - essentially flanking Teric and placing individuals with goals contrary to his own on either side - the advantage shifted to their side; if only ever so slightly. The man in the Akashiman-styled garb seemed confident enough for one who was apparently unarmed and unarmored, but confidence would only carry him so far if the situation came to blows.

And confidence can't ward off razor-sharp mythril... The mercenary reassured himself.

"You'll forgive me if I don't just take you at your word." Teric replied, but the way he intoned the nicety implied that he would be forgiven, rather than ask for forgiveness. The stranger, this Thomas, already had another upper-hand over the mercenary - in that he knew who Teric was while Teric did not know him - and so the veteran wasn't about to give ground in a game of words.

"Of course." Thomas bowed ever so slightly, dipping his head acquiescingly. He motioned towards the wax-sealed scroll and waited.

Hesitantly, Teric cast his gaze down to the scroll - almost as if he expected some sort of trickery. Rather than bend down to pick up the parcel, the old warrior skewered the missive on the tip of his sword and brought it up. Eyes focused back on Thomas, the veteran unceremoniously tore the ribbon from around the letter and unfolded it.

Teric: Thomas is a friend. Do not interfere. You will still be compensated.

-SG
Teric scanned the letter a couple of time, which didn't take much effort do to its brevity. Truthfully, it was impossible to determine if the letter was genuine, or really just a simple forgery. Teric knew from his own brief dabbling in the realm of forgery that it was not difficult to pen a letter and stamp it with a wax seal; any half-decent engraver with access to a sample of the seal to be forged could replicate one in a couple of hours. That said, the mercenary was inclined to accept it as the real deal. There was something very odd about this entire sensation - a sort of queasiness forming in his gut - that warned Teric there was something very peculiar going on. The lucrative yet deceptively easy contract, the Haidian portal, this mysterious Thomas fellow...

There was definitely something afoot - something over the mercenary's head - and Teric had neither the interest, nor the inclination, to find out what it was.

"I'll leave you to your business then." Teric muttered, sheathing his sword and folding the Guild letter to stow it away safely in his pocket. He backpedalled slowly away from Thomas and the girl he'd intervened to save - always wary of a trick or a trap - before finally turning and disappearing into the thick underbrush of the Concordian forest.