Collab between Kalas & Experiment
The woman, who had taken all of the leaders into the back room, shut the door tightly and walked back towards the middle of the hall, where a map was lain out on a table. There was a part of the map circled in red, labeled to be the location of the first field boss of floor 26. "Here, in this clearing, is what we think to be the location of the next field boss. We don't know what it is, since the scout teams that reported back to us haven't gotten very close." She turned to face Mez. "Aside from your guild, all scouts have reported back in. Your's, however, have not yet return. Where are they?" She asked in a condescending manner.
Mez had barely reached the designated chair he'd been forced to occupy when the woman, who seemed to be the organizer of the meeting, addressed him with a question regarding Attania and Durdansa's whereabouts. They were two of the Guild's scouts that had yet to return from their run. A fact that troubled Mez, seeing as Durdansa was the Guild's most experienced scout. If she hadn't returned or tried to contact anyone, it likely meant that she was either in trouble or had discovered something important. Realising the position he'd been forced into, Mez had to make a quick decision and respond in a way that wouldn't shed Neon Colossus in a bad light. After all, not knowing where exactly your scouts were whilst trying to vie for the position of leading guild on the frontlines would do them no favors.
He refused to answer her straight away, making a conscious effort to remove his over-sized greatsword from his back and driving it into the ground next to his, newly-given, chair in silence before seating himself upon it and making himself comfortable. Just because she'd organised the meeting, that didn't mean he answered to her. There were looks of confusion from some of the other Second-In-Commands but there were also looks of amusement, they knew exactly what Mez was doing; Sending a message to everyone else that Neon Colossus would not be walked over by anyone.
"Our scouts..." He began. "...Have not returned due to a discovery they have made whilst on their scouting run." He lied. However, he managed to keep his face straight, staring directly at the Organizer as he spoke. The room stayed silent after he finished and the Organizer seemed to quickly mull over the information she'd been given. She didn't seem impressed with his answer and was about to ask another question before Mez cut her off. "Details of their discovery, however, are scarce at best. Communications have been dark for the past hour, indicating that they may have run into trouble. Rest assured, though, that our Head of Recon; Durdansa, is operating in the field and has more experience than almost any other scout on the frontlines." He let that information sink in. Mentioning Durdansa's name had been an excellent decision it seems, seeing as she'd provided solid information on the most recent Floor Boss that had saved countless lives. Mez smiled inwardly. 'So this is what is feels like, eh Pterro?'
Laurent was proud of Mez for holding down the situation but now she tugged on his armor to try and grab his attention. The Organizer had shown the map to everyone and it had showed the place that Durdansa and Attania had been running around in for the past hour. A look of horror crept over her face. "Mez. MEZ!" She whispered, trying not to be loud. "Mez that spot on the map... that's where Durdansa and Attania have been for the past hour." But he was far too interested in the rest of the room. Suddenly, a wave of panic washed over her and she couldn't contain herself. Laurent stood up from her seat. "Mez, what do we do? Oh my god, that's where they are! In that circle on the map! They can't beat a field boss on their own! Oh God, where's Pterro...Oh no! MEZ DO SOMETHING!" She screamed, causing a scene. The Organizer whipped her head around as she turned back to look at Laurent after being interrupted by her outburst. She sneered before looking to towards Mez, who remained perfectly still.
"Is there a problem, sir?" She began slowly walking over, hands on her hips. The rest of the room had gone quiet, some shocked at her sudden panic attack. As the Organizer neared, Laurent slowly shrunk back into her seat. The woman bent down to glare at Laurent, tears filled her eyes from the thought that another of her guild mates might die. "Or do we need to escort you outside? Hmm?" She said, treating Laurent as if she was a mere child.
Mez was distracted from his thoughts by a sudden outburst from Laurent, Pterrophos' assistant. He turned in his seat to face her as the young girl's rising wails began to cause a scene. Acting quickly, Mez stood from his seat as the interrogatory Organizer set her gaze upon Laurent. His movement caught the immediate attention of the woman, causing her to take a step back. "I'd appreciate it if you left me to deal with my guild members, thank you." He said, crouching down in front of the Pterro's aide to calm her. "It'll be okay, Laurent, I promise. Durdansa knows what she's doing. She's been in stickier situations before." He placed his hands over her's as he spoke. His softened voice gently soothing her emotional outcry.
Once he was sure the girl had been calmed, he stood just as quick as before and spun to face the Organizer. "Like I said earlier, our Head of Recon is still operating in the field. Her location has recently been revealed to be near that marked area on the map. I can assure you, if she has found anything, she will be taking the utmost professional measures to ensure the safety of our other scout and herself in order to eventually relay important information back to us." He paused, before directing his next sentence to the entire meeting. "So, we can either wait here, patiently, for more information? Or we can organize strike squads to surround the marked area until we can reestablish communications with Durdansa?"
The doors in the back of the hall almost burst open and the guild leaders all walked out in a small crowd. Pterro waved his freshly-gained stump at his guild mates, ignoring the fact they were obviously in trouble for something. "Hey guys, what's been happening out here?" He asked. Laurent was just starting to calm down after Mez' kind words but seeing her leader without a hand brought more shock to her. She was frozen in place. No words processed in her mind, there was just too much going on for her and just stared into space. Pterro looked awkwardly at her. "Uh, Laurent? Mez? What's happening?"