The Shard - Paperback

August was never the most upstanding citizen. He's been a contract mercenary longer than he hasn't, and, as far as his last employer is concerned... well, he's dead. Content to lay low, August comes into possession of a data shard that promises him a better life... if he's willing to take on the risk. That's how he and a drug-addicted hacker end up at the door of an old acquaintance: a troll with a dangerous knack for alchemy. Throw in the strong yet hot-headed Cin who takes the mercenary by storm and August has a team that might be capable of helping him obtain the shard's promised fortunes. That is if he can learn to trust them. After all, countless years of paranoia and a secret augmentation tend to leave you with some resulting issues. But if August can't trust his team, how else will he deal with the flurry of drugs, magic, cybernetic assassins, and corporate lies that keep flying his way? And without help, how can he even hope to find fortune, much less a better life?