I turn back to Aric, who's still staring at his licence like it's made of pure gold.
My eyes felt like they were being pulled towards thyra. Specifically her. Skipping the tables, the mugs, the plates of food and the drunken men arguing.
She didn't move much. Shifting in her seat every few seconds. Yet it felt like she was staring at me every time I looked away. The weight of her gaze was unmistakable.
Aric perked up randomly,
Aric: "Food. I smell food."
I'm taken aback slightly by his sudden words. But if it serves as a distraction it's fine.
Kareth: "Yeah… the guild hall sells food like any other tavern would."
Aric: "Can we get some?"
Kareth: "You're the one with the money. How much did Mirra even give you."
Aric opens a small pound and checks through it.
Aric: "Mirra gave me like 30 ish shards. I already had about 20 myself. It was all the savings I found in the cabin. So after buying the entry tickets and licences we have 5 left."
Aric turns to what seems like the food bar and grabs my arm before walking off towards it. I didn't resist
Closer to the food bar was even louder than the line for licences. It felt like my ears were about to explode. Aric seemed unaffected.
Aric excitedly ordered something. I couldn't make out what he bought because of the noise.
Aric handed me a mug of something and a bowl of stew, similar in appearance to the one we had at the village.
I stumble over to a table far enough away from the densest area of people that I can actually pay attention to whatever Aric is saying.
Aric picks up the mug and chugs a third or so of the liquid
Kareth: "What even is this anyway?"
I gesture to the mug
Aric: "Ale of some kind. It tastes good so I don't care."
I take a sip of the ale. He wasn't lying, it was the best thing I'd drunk in forever. I ended up chugging about half of mine before being done
Aric had already eaten half of his stew. By the time I had started eating any. I managed to get through most of mine before a sudden yell aimed at me pierced my ears. Adding to the already severe noise levels.
Drunken man: "Lookie here… hic. Two itty bitty strays sitting at my table."
Calling Aric and I 'itty bitty' wasn't entirely wrong coming from this man. He stood at a stature far taller than I and probably weighed more than Aric and I combined.
Aric froze with the last spoon of stew still halfway to his mouth.
Aric: "We're no-"
The man spoke up again. Cutting Aric off completely.
Drunken man: "Hic. You two prolly haven't even drawn blood yet. Hic. useless fucking strays I tell you."
A small group appeared behind the man. All just as drunk and cheering him on.
Aric: "We're not strays though."
His voice shook slightly. Though I can tell he's not afraid. Somehow.
Drunken man: "You're not strays? Hic. Think a licence makes you one of us? Paper don't keep idiots alive."
He grabs Aric by the collar, hauling him up out of his seat.
I stood up quickly, grabbing his wrist
Kareth: "Let him go. We'll get out of your seats."
He laughed. A rough, ugly sound.
He dropped Aric and grabbed my arm, he flung me off to his side with ease.
I hit the wall a few meters away with a thud. My left shoulder cracking upon impact.
By now the whole guild hall was watching the scene.
By the time I got my footing he already had Aric pinned against the table. The now empty mug raised in his other hand. Clearly prepared to smash it into Aric's face.
Aric struggled. Though it was like a rabbit struggling against a rabid wolf. Nothing we had experienced prepared us for something like this.
Without thinking I drew my blade while lunging. The golden blade cutting through the air at the mug
Blood splattered across the wall behind where I was sitting before. The man's hand following the splatter.
Wait…
Did I… do that?
T-theres no way. I would've had to cover multiple meters in a split second.
The light reflected off the bloodied blade that now pointed up above my head. The golden sheen highlighted beneath the coating of crimson red ink.
He instantly turned his head to me and backhanded me, taking the hand off Aric to do so.
He screamed. Loud. visceral. Blood curdling.
Blood split from the stub on the man's wrist. Flowing like a waterfall. Forming a puddle on the floor.
I fell to the floor, the sword clattering as it landed behind me.
Drunken man: "YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
He twisted his whole body, leg moving back to wind up for a kick.
A gust of wind came in from the side. Dust kicking up as the wind came flying between us.
A spear. Thyra's spear.
Lodged in the ground between us was Thyra's spear, blocking the path the man's foot would've had to take to hit me.
The man stumbled back but managed to keep his footing.
Thyra: "Quit it."
I turn to where the voice came from. The crowd had already cleared a path between Thyra and us.
She stood in front of him. Grabbing the spear and ripping it from the ground.
She glanced at me. Her glaze lingering for a moment too long. Too sharp. Too knowing. Before flicking back to the man before her.
Her cloak was off now. Revealing her fully. She was incredibly built, muscles defined on every part of her body, showing through her clothes despite them not being skin-tight. Scars riddled every part of her body, the empty left sleeve highlighted by the lack of scars if anything. She was shorter than the man yet many times more terrifying.
The man went to punch Thyra, though the punch was quickly intercepted and moved into a hip toss. Ending with the man on the floor below Thyra. Her foot on his chest.
Thyra: "Pathetic."
Her voice was flat. Not loud yet commanded the same respect it did earlier. If not more.
Aric stood. Shakily but still stood.
Aric: "T-thank you."
His voice was just as shaky as his stance.
I grab my sword above me and use it to prop myself up to a standing position. Swinging it to flick the blood off and sheathing it after I stood. I'm forced to lean against a pole to not fall over.
Thyra: "I underestimated you earlier. It's Kareth correct?"
I nod
Aric regains his composure and walks over to me, positioning himself under my arm to help steady me.
She spoke up. Her voice showed some emotion. Just enough to get across that she didn't want to hurt us.
Thyra: "I have a deal to make with you. Both of you."