Astrid approached the familiar hustle and bustle of the New World Pub. It was as if she was struck with deja vu as an enormous rotund man was flung out from within the public drink house.
She squinted her eyes as the man's stomach was like a reverberating pool of jelly. His montum brought him backwards until he crashed into the wall opposite the pub. Cracks webbed into the hard surface of the wall and Astrid wasn’t sure if they were here before from the countless other tis, or if they were new.
“It sure does have a vibrant atmosphere,” Leena said. “Doesn’t it, my lady?”
Astrid chuckled. “That’s one word to describe it, let’s head in.”
The duo waltzed into the doorway, this ti however, she was ready. Astrid picked up a flying object with her Psych Domain, and before it smashed into her body, she diverted it to the side of her. Well, she attempted to.
It was an enormous body, exactly like the other man that had smashed into the wall. The weight bore down on her mind, it was the first ti in a while that the body didn’t even budge an inch mid-air.
The sheer heaviness of the person made her nauseous as the body careened through the pub at a trendous speed.
She instantly connected to the matter within her body and dodged to the side at the last split second.
Level ??? - Na: ??? - Class: Bulwark Sentinel
Astrid looked at the large woman in amazent as blood dripped from her nose. It was the first Wayfarer… No, she wasn’t wearing a badge. It was the first ti she had seen an adventurer forgo the use of a blocking stone.
She felt her own around her wrist, she refused to go anywhere without it, yet there seed to be others that didn’t care about displaying their true class.
The fact that the woman was such a high level ant that they had either supre confidence in their survivability, or they had powerful backers that no one dared to touch them.
The rotund man had shaken himself off and walked back through the doors.
Level ??? - Na: ??? - Class: Bulwark Sentinel
What the hell… The exact sa? Astrid gawked.
Even by appearances, they were the sa. The only details that were different was the fact that they were different genders and had differing hair styles.
The woman had short blonde hair that was spiky at the tips, and the man was competently bald. Despite being warriors, not a scratch was etched into their skin.
They were both wearing tight fitting clothes, but it wasn’t out of place weirdly enough. The clothes seed to extract and expand as they moved so that all of their movents weren’t constricted.
Just as Astrid and Leena walked through the doorway, a cacophony of screams entered her ears.
“AASTRIID!”
“There’s the lass!”
“Astrid!”
Rachelle rushed forward. She was the loudest within the room and she slung her arms around Astrid’s shoulders. The stench of strong alcohol singed her nose hairs as the woman swayed from side-to-side. The red haired woman would have pulled her to the ground if not for Astrid’s matter strengthened body.
Rob was standing in the middle of the room as he cradled his fists. He displayed a bright smile as his eyes landed on Astrid.
For a second, Astrid noticed once more that there was no tongue within that enormous maw. The man, because he was unwilling to let the others get the bla, took the punishnt all to himself.
I’ve never seen him not smiling. Astrid thought, then happily waved towards him while propping Rachelle up from her drunken state.
Astrid broke free from Rachelle’s grip with ease and waltzed over to Daniel and Brett who were sitting at the bar.
Daniel was languidly smoking a cigarette. The smoke joined along all the others and created a bitter plu that lingered in the rafters of the pub.
Astrid took her seat, while Leena stood behind her with her eyes alert.
She signalled the bar man and before Astrid could tell him what she wanted, he had already started pouring her a drink from the tap. It was ready in a second and he placed it in front of her on the sticky counter-top.
Astrid still rembered the bitter taste of the orange-brown drink and although it wasn’t terrible, it couldn’t compare to Charlotte's ho brew.
She took a sip and scrunched her brows. At least it was cold.
“So lass, what brings you here?” Daniel said.
“Can’t I visit my friends?” Astrid asked with a hint of a smile.
“Oh that you can.” Daniel chuckled and stubbed out his cigarette. “Surprised you knew where to find us.”
“Well, it wasn’t difficult.”
“Oh.” Daniel widened his eyes in shock and turned to Brett. “Hey, maybe we should alternate our eting spots, you know, disguise and subvert our enemies.”
“What enemies?” Brett said. “We are innocent as growing daisies, besides, our enemies are all dead.”
“I don’t think those words match, Brett,” Astrid said.
“Oh it doesn't?” Brett pinched his chin.
“Anyway,” Astrid continued. “I’m here for another matter.”
Astrid tapped her foot against the tal stool leg.
“Out with it then,” Brett said. “Goddess knows how much we have been through together. Even if I need to walk through an abyss of fire for you, I will.”
“Really?” Astrid looked at him with expectation.
“Er, well,” Brett stumbled. “What is it?”
“If you’re willing to do that then,” Astrid paused. “Would you all be willing to forego your Wayfarer status?”
“What?” Brett said in surprise.
Daniel also lifted his brows, not expecting the words.
“I want you to join , as an adventurer, not a Wayfarer.” Astrid continued. “Of course, I will make it worth your while. Part of my share for the missions we go on will go to the funds that you will lose from the loss of your Wayfarer status.”
“Astrid…” Daniel sighed.
Brett said, “it’s not that we don’t want to, but–”
“We are bound to your father.” Lisa leaned her bow against the counter and placed her hand on Astrid’s shoulder.
“How did you et my father?” Astrid asked. She was going to tell them that her father had released them from whatever they were under, but she was curious as to what the answer would be.
“Actually, it was after Rob had his tongue removed,” Daniel said. “The punishnt wasn’t going to stop there. That was when Lord Sinwen happened to be in the vicinity. He interrupted and had a healer by his side heal Rob’s wound.”
Daniel held a vacant expression filled with helplessness, then shook his head. “He saw sothing in us that day and well, Goddess knows we are thankful for it. But what brought this on, lassy?”
Astrid without hesitation repeated the debrief that she had given the top brass, just minus the illusionary display. At one point Rob, Losef, and Rachelle had joined Astrid in her story telling.
Rachelle sohow seed to sober up as soon as she put her mind to it as her drunken swaying was erased. She emitted literal steam from her ears as her eyes turned focus.
“Shit, you went in alone?” Brett slapped the table.
“I’m just glad you ca out in one piece, Astrid.” Lisa sighed.
Losef said, “you indeed have the Sinwen hunger inside of you.”
“And that’s why you want us to join you?” Daniel said.
Astrid nodded. “I want to pick my own missions and go wherever I please, unrestricted–without others knowing about my movents.”
“And are you sure Lord Sinwen is okay with this?” Daniel asked.
“He told himself.”
Daniel struck up another cigarette and sucked in a mighty puff, before exhaling it. “Alright, we’ll join you, lass.”
“Really?” Astrid stood up.
“Freedom!” Brett leapt up to his feet.
“Although, we’ll need to buy a boat,” Daniel said.
“No problem,” Astrid continued. “I’m rich.”
Astrid stuck out her chin as she displayed the pouch with the plastic coloured cards that she had received from Malina.
“Also, I’ll need your help to auction off so other items that I received from the dungeon,” Astrid said. “Although so of the funds are going to the other Wayfarers who gifted their potions.”
Daniel said, “Alright, we’ll take care of that for you. If you are needing to retain secrecy, I’ll exchange the currency through so… back thods I know of. Then we’ll purchase the boat and take on a mission. You won’t be disappointed with our choice, lassy.”
“I believe in you,” Astrid grinned.
She handed over the money, then checked the surroundings with dark matter sight, before dumping the scythes and pearls onto the floor.
Rachelle was rapid in snatching them up into her grubby mitts as she inspected them closely.
Astrid looked around once more.
“You don’t have to worry about any stray eyes here, Astrid,” Losef said. “It might not look like much, but even the nobles wouldn’t dare approach this place. Even if it was the last place on earth. Take a look around without that inspect skill and tell what you see.”
Astrid focused on the people around. She hadn’t used the inspect skill before, mainly because of the looks of everyone within the dingy pub. Everyone looked so… normal, that she hadn’t realised the subtle hints around.
Disregarding the enormous atball warriors that were laughing with each other near the entrance of the pub, her eyes drifted to the people within.
One man was casually drinking while staring into space.
A woman was fiddling with a plate of food that could hardly be called food.
Another elderly man was talking rrily with his friends, with cigarettes in one hand, and a drink of ale in the other.
But, the supre confidence in everyone of their actions, the wounds marked into their bodies from Goddess only knows what monsters, and the stories held within their eyes. They all told her that the people within this pub were not to be trifled with.
“Who are they?” Astrid asked.
“So of them, you don’t want to know,” Lisa said. “So have tempers from countless years of battle, while others managed to find peace in war.”
“Yeah,” Rachelle agreed. “And the latter is by far the scariest.”
Brett added, “yup, one second they are happy and smiling, the next mont they are opening soone's stomach in the blink of an eye.”
“Really?” Astrid’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Mmmm,” Rob nodded as if it was a matter of fact.
“So say there is an ancient demon that lurks within the pub at night,” Brett whispered. “The demon of the Old World.”
“The Old World?” Astrid asked.
“C’mon now, little girl,” An old man said. “You may be young, but to not know the Old World is an insult to our heritage.”
He was old and decrepit. Astrid had no doubt that the man was clinging to life with his wrinkly, age spotted hand.
Astrid peaked over her shoulders.
“Sothing wrong?” he asked.
“I was looking for the reaper of death,” Astrid admitted.
“Why the hells would he be here?” his voice trembled.
“No reason,” Astrid said.
Shit, he looks like a damned ghoul freshly crawled out of a crypt. Astrid shrunk her shoulders back.
She hated anything that had the capabilities of coming back to life…
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