”Well, that went better than I thought” Seth thought to himself as he saw his words sink into the skulls of the two heated men, they almost appeared to shrink as the steam left them. The man left the room, a tad ashamed according to Seth, to check his room. As he stamped out Seth stood still in silence, breathing, thinking, trying to figure out the next move. The air was still a bit heavy with conflict and chaos. Someone had to try and get everyone sorted out, if the guild could not be left in the same room for more than a few minutes without a fight breaking out, then the guild was surely doomed.
The man… Barbarian… Seth made a mental note to ask for everyone’s name properly, identifying people based on primary characteristics would not only get old fast, but could wear down a patient man in no time. Anyway, he was only gone for a few seconds before a great crash could be heard from the rented rooms, followed by heavy footsteps. He came like a storm, rushing into the room and almost instantly assaulted a tavern worker who’d been daft enough to step out of the kitchen area when she heard the man screaming. As he picked her up by the throat Seth’s legs were moving, one hand on his sword, ready for battle. Guild or not, he could not allow such an unwarranted attack on a woman. Then a voice from behind stopped him dead in his tracks and sent a chill up his spine. So calm, yet with an unmistakeable dagger hidden behind the words. The barbarian heard it too, and once again the musclebound man seemed to shrink before Seth’s very eyes as the words chiseled away at his stubborn rage.
Seth turned to see that the words belonged to the elf with the bow. He hadn’t recognised her voice, but he could now clearly see that she was not simply another elf girl with a bow and mighty ideas about herself. Then the monster started shouting things which broke the spell on Seth and he twirled around so fast that he almost got a bit dizzy only to take in, all at once, the big, manly man in an apron that would’ve looked ridiculous on a five year old girl, sweeping the floor. It took all of his available concentration to keep himself from bursting into laugher, complete with pointing and knee-slapping. Somehow, with his lips firmly held shut with his teeth, Seth managed to keep quiet. At least until his brain could decode what the monster had shouted.
He’d only gotten a few steps, only just past the monster, which was a surprise to the knight of Valeria. In his mind he’d been almost there, sword half drawn, cut aimed at the barbarians outstretched arm. It had felt so close and real that he’d felt the weight of his sword in his hand. But there he stood, sword in the scabbard, only three or four steps away from where he’d been standing.
His closeness to the monster helped, and he was about to calmly ask the thing not to taunt a man who tried to right his wrongs, but was asked for his name before he could gather his mind into a complete sentence so he dropped it.
He flashed a smile at the monster, trying his best to not let its inhuman appearance get the better of him. He dipped into a deep bow before the great beast, one hand on his chest, the other holding the sword in place, and came up again talking.
“My name is Seth of Valeria, last knight of the house Valeria. I doubt you’ve heard of me or my family, for we are not native to these parts. “ He noticed the monster motioning him to sit down, but did not dare to get within range of those claws before he’d had a chance to evaluate the beast’s character.
“You know, this all reminds me of a verse I learned once in my younger days… Something like;
Oft, though their hearts lean towards one another,
friends are divided at table;
ever the source of strife 'twill be,
that guest will anger guest.”
He was about to prod the beast about how he and the burly man may be more alike than apart, but as soon as he’d recited the verse two voices were raised, calling for the guild meeting to start. They were right of course, it was the whole point of them all being in the same place. They were banding together for money and fame, easier won as a group than alone.
“Quite right, you two” He said aloud as he turned away from the beast. “We’re all here for that meeting, so let’s all settle down and get to it, shall we?” He glanced over to the burly man in the apron just to make sure he could be heard clearly even that far away.
“If you don’t mind me taking the proverbial first step here… We need to do two things to begin with…” He held up two fingers, counting down as he spoke “One, divide us into suitable teams to tackle quests as efficient as possible. And two elect leaders for said teams that decide which quests, tactics and team members are best suited. All agree?”
