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This is Bei, a cynical dark hero who serves as a desk clerk by day and shinobi by night.

There are tales of heroes and heroines across the world, going on wild adventures and saving the day. Stories of these wondrous victories spread and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. They very rarely tell of the hardships involved... or how rare these victories actually are. Few tell of the stumbling blocks along the way to that victory. Even fewer tell of the horrors that lurk along the way - and almost none mention that those successful groups are the exception, not the rule.

Though he went by the name 'Bei', his full name was Abei Saintclovis. The people of his village were famed for their specialists: they were spies, saboteurs, thieves and troubleshooters that were open for hire. An ancient tradition who's origin lied in a far-off land - 'shinobi'. This was an open secret: though it looked to all the world like a normal village, especially to those visiting it, it was a training ground for such activities.

Bei was not an exception - he recieved the same training as the other villagers. He was ill-suited for a great deal of it, save for his talents in deception and intimidation. This was seen as valuable, however, and was encouraged and developed alongside other skills - someone who could feign servitude or scare opponents wouldn't go unwanted as a spy. However, this made him a specialist - he wouldn't be needed in a lot of missions, so he focused on mundane skills that helped his village in time of peace.

One day, an adventuring party visited the village on their way to investigate a crypt that had opened. Consisting of three members, what they missed was a skilled troubleshooter, and they sought out one of the villagers to accompany them. Bei was chosen to go with them - as this seemed a simple mission and he could use the practice.

This... turned out to be a disaster. The fresh crypt was filled with unique monsters, which whittled down the party one at a time. Bei and one other - the party's healer - became trapped in a room together. While attempting to get them lose, a trap was triggered, engulfing the room in flames. Selflessly, the healer shielded Bei and used the last of their magic to stabilize him, dying in the process.

Alone and wounded, Bei made his way out of the crypt. He was nursed back to health by the villagers, but his scars would remain. Unable to be inconscpicuous enough for spy work, the villagers praised him for his strength and encouraged him to continue his honorable work supporting the village peacefully.

Bei, however, would not let his onetime comrades be forgotten. After recovering, he travelled to the city where the adventuring party was from, reporting their fates to their employer and the adventuring guild they belonged to. He was horrified to find the employer flippant about their deaths - the noble was seemingly annoyed to be inconvienced by this. From the guild, Bei learned that the noble refused to pay the agreed-upon amount for the dead adventurers' families.

Bei moved into the city, joining the adventurers' guild. Officially, he's a clerk and desk administrator with a talent of matching groups to quests matching their skill level. He has also recently become a barrister that matches wits in the courts of law to represent adventurers who would be taken advantage of otherwise.

At night, he is a shadow, seeking out those who use their wealth and power to abuse those beneath them.