”I’m en route to the inn now. Got a friend tagging along. Don’t be rude.”
Mez raised an eyebrow at the recently received message from his old pal. It had been the second message he'd read since entering the lavatory. The first being a SitRep from Achilles, the fourth number of the Twelve Guardians. Mez had given him leave to orchestrate the attack on the floor pillar and, eventually, the floor boss. Whilst Mez had attended every other one of these attacks, leading his Guild alongside the Vanguard and the Knights of the Blood Oath, this time around, he'd decided to forego the assault, opting to focus on his new directive. His goal to prevent PK-ing wasn't just an arbitrary thing, a holiday to get him some time away from the seriousness of the frontlines. This pursuit was just as serious as leading his forces and clearing floors.
Player Killing had started to become a serious thing, killings were more frequent and people were beginning to get used to the idea of hiring killers. It was unacceptable. Mez refused to lay his own life and the lives of his men down, clearing floors, only for some scumbag PKer to kill off the people he was doing it for, whether it was for sport or coin. Fortunately, he could afford to take time away from the frontlines to deal with the issue. Thanks to a few of his other Guardians, Rhan and Achilles namely, he could leave the clearing of the floors in their hands. They rotated the duties between each other and frequently kept him up to date on the important things. The remaining nine Guardians helped out by ensuring the guild still ran smoothly with his absences, except for one. The Third Guardian, Sasha. Her whereabouts was currently unknown, she had, by Mez's own order, unfriended everyone in the Guild except for himself. This was because he had sent her on a special mission, one that only she could complete. They kept in brief contact but he only ever received a message once every few days.
Mez found himself staring at his reflection in a mirror above one of the many sinks. He'd certainly seen far better days. The late nights and lack of proper food were beginning to take their toll. Each sink somehow had water piped down to a single tap, when he turned the rusted brass handle, water hissed out, splashing into the porcelain basin and flowed down a central hole. The water was a shade darker than he would've usually liked but he wasn't overly fussed. He cupped his hands under the tap and filled them until the water overflowed. He then lent down and threw the water over his face, rubbing away at the sweat and grime that had amalgamated there. He repeated this a few times before shutting off the tap and grabbing a less-than-fresh rag to dry his face. He instantly felt more alert. The water was cold and seemed to wash away not only his grubbiness but his fatigue as well. When he was finally done, he made for the door.
Upon exiting the bathroom, he immediately saw the familiar face of his friend, Varren. A slight smile forced itself on display. It had been a long while since they had last seen each other. Mez was happy to see him alive, especially now that not being on the frontlines was beginning to get just as dangerous as fighting on them. He noticed a girl standing next to him. Short in stature with mousy-brown hair and youngish looks. If it weren't for V's onyx-black hair, she could have easily been his younger sister. The next thing he noticed was a small creature perched on the girl's shoulder. It was a dragon, which meant that the girl was a Beast Tamer. 'A Beast Tamer, huh V? What are you doing travelling with one of those?' Mez thought to himself. He also noticed the Barkeeper's hard stare at the girl and the creature, his disapproval of the beast evident in his miserable scowl. Mez thought it better to announce that they were with him. Maybe he'd flip him another coin or two. So far, the Owner had been happy to take it so long as he didn't cause any trouble. Besides, what trouble could a small dragon like that cause anyway? He immediately took back the question in his mind, on second thought, probably a lot.
Mez eventually found himself sauntering over to Varren and his new companion, Happenstance was seated on the other side of him but they didn't seem to have started chatting. Why would they, they've never met? "Since when did you start taking on sidekicks, V?" He said, close enough now for his friend to hear him over the tavern's murmuring din. He carried on walking towards them and situated himself next to where Hap was sitting, facing Varren and his friend. He quickly remembered V's message about not being rude and decided to introduce himself to the young girl. "Hi there, I am MezmeriSin. Leader of the Crimson Guardians Guild & Venerable Lord of the Asylum of Othe. You, however, may call me Mez." He flashed her his most welcoming smile, which to be honest, probably looked more akin to a shark's grin thanks to his rugged, battle-hardened looks and the massive Greatsword attached to his back. Nevertheless he smiled anyway and hoped that his forthrightness hadn't scared her entirely.
He then motioned to Happenstance, who was sitting on the stool next to him drinking, what smelled like, black coffee. "And this, this is Hap. My new sidekick. He's going to help me with the PKing problem, if he agrees to it, that is. Say hi, Hap." He continued to smile, trying to be a welcoming as possible.
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