Unexpected Savior

"Sorry for interrupting your 'fun,' but I don't think that little lady agrees with what you're doing."

The drunk mercenary slowly got up from the floor. Blood trickled from his forehead down his neck and into his shirt. But despite getting smashed in the face by a bottle, the mercenary didn't look angry about it for whatever reason. In fact, he looked more confused than angry if anything.

"Why?" the mercenary asked. "Didn't you also lose to them? If I remember right, you fought with that girl who used daggers."

"I did," the old mercenary answered.

"Then why the h*ll are you helping them!?"

"I can ask you the same. What the h*ll are you trying to do? They're fellow mercenaries now, whether you like it or not. They passed the test fairly and you're giving them sh*t for it?"

"Oh, so you're standing on their side, huh? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"If Trisha was still here, you wouldn't have the guts to try something like this."

The two mercenaries stared at each other a good minute before the younger mercenary by Iris grabbed an empty bottle on the floor and threw it at the other mercenary. The old mercenary dodged it and drew his sword.

"Get him!" The two mercenaries restraining Iris let go of her and charged at him. Within seconds, the entire tavern exploded with chaos as everyone got up from their seats and joined the brawl. Most of the mercenaries sided with the younger one, which was against Sirks and Iris while a few sided with the old mercenary. But it wasn't because they wanted to help, it was because the other side already had a bunch of people and they wanted to have some fun by taking the other side to make things more fun.

Bottles and bodies began to fly everywhere. Tables and chairs as well. Everything was going to h*ll and Sirks used this opportunity to kick the three mercenaries off of him. They were too distracted by what was going on that they couldn't even put up a fight as Sirks smashed their heads one by one into nearby tables and chairs.

"Iris!" he shouted out at her. He spotted her amidst the chaos trying to get her clothes back on. "Idiot!" Sirks ran over to her and grabbed her hand. He saw that her eyes were red with tears, and her normal cheerful face was gone. She instead had a look of absolute terror and was shivering.

"W-wait, I need to-"

"Do it outside! Do you want to die!?" Just as Sirks said that, a table flew past their heads and crashed into the behind them. "Sweet God..." Sirks didn't waste another moment and dragged Iris out of the tavern where they found a mercenary waiting for them.

Sirks raised his hand and attempted to punch the mercenary in the face, but the mercenary caught it. "Hold it! I'm on your side!"

Sirks looked at the mercenary and saw that it was the one who helped them by starting the brawl. "It's you..." Sirks retracted his fist and let go of Iris so that she could put her clothes on. While she was doing that, SIrks asked the old mercenary a question. "Why did you help us?" He was suspicious about why the man did that. Mercenaries never help one another unless there is something to gain from doing so.

"Why not?" the mercenary smiled. "I thought it might be fun. We haven't had a good brawl in ages. It was the perfect chance to start one."

"If that was your intention, shouldn't you be inside getting your brain bashed out? What are you doing outside here waiting for us?"

"Oh screw it, you're too smart for me. I admit, I didn't do this for the sake of it. I do want something from you." Sirks positioned himself in front of Iris and put his hand on his sword's hilt. "No, no, it's nothing like that. She's not even my type. I prefer someone around my age. Also, I'm married, you know." The mercenary held up his hand to show the two that he had a ring on his finger.

"What do you want from us then?" Sirks asked the mercenary. He still had his hand on his hilt in case the mercenary tried anything.

"Well-"

*Crash!*

The sound of something breaking inside the tavern interrupted them and the mercenary peeked through the door to see what happened. "Trish isn't going to be happy about this..." The mercenary closed the door and looked back at the two. "Anyway," he coughed. "I saw the other two from your group this afternoon. By any chance, did you four get into a fight?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because they were at a guard outpost. I figured that you might've had a fight and those two decided to join them instead."

"That's not what happened."

"Oh. That's good."

"And how so?" Sirks didn't know what the old mercenary's intentions are and didn't trust him at all.

"Well, I want to talk with the person that beat Trish," the mercenary told the two.

"About what?"

"Uh... Things."

"What things?" Sirks asked him to specify.

"Well, he beat Trish, didn't he? I want to ask him about something related to that."

"And what would that be?" The mercenary was still beating around the bush and Sirks didn't like it.

"Ugh, look, can you just deliver the message that I want to talk with him in private when he has time?" the mercenary asked. "I have no ill intentions, I swear on my sword," he even added. It was a harmless request and there shouldn't be any problems with it.

"I'll tell him..." Sirks hesitantly agreed to it. Mercenaries may have no honor and usually break their promises if they saw that they can make a profit by doing so, but Sirks saw this mercenary was serious about it. He didn't look like he had anything bad planned. It was a simple thing to do and they did owe the mercenary for getting him and Iris out of that situation. If not for his help, the drunk mercenaries would've done some terrible things to her... It should be okay to accept the old mercenary's request.

"Okay, that's what I like to hear. The name's Bachi. He can find me in the tavern at any time. I'll be waiting for him here. Tell him that."

"Got it."

"Alright, good night to you two then. Take the young lady somewhere safer, yes? And a word of advice to you, don't bring the two girls close to this place in the future."

"Will do."

"Good." The mercenary headed back into the tavern without asking the two for their names.

"Wait," Sirks stopped the man before he could leave.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Didn't you offend a bunch of the people inside? Won't they attack you on sight?" Mercenaries are the type of people to hold lifelong grudges and will stop at nothing to get their revenge. The man quite literally angered almost all of the mercenaries in the tavern. Going back in is suicide.

"Eh, don't worry. They're drunk. Just need to clobber them a bit and they'll forget everything that transpired tonight."

"I see."

The old mercenary went back into the tavern and closed the door behind him. Inside, Sirks could still hear the sounds of things being thrown and tables being broken. He was surprised that there are still things that aren't broken at this point considering how long the fight lasted.

Sirks looked around at the streets and saw that there were a lot of concerned guards and pedestrians who had been passing by and noticed the chaos inside the tavern. None of them wanted to get close, not even the guards whose job it was to maintain order and peace. Yeah, it would be for the best if they went home first.

Sirks still had no idea where Wompa and the other guy were, but he and Iris needed to go back to the inn. Iris wasn't in the best condition right now and he needed to take her somewhere where she can rest. Hopefully, the other two will see what happened in the tavern and will know to go to the inn.

"Come on, let's go." Sirks saw that Iris finished putting her clothes on and took her arm. Even the strong-headed and reckless second princess of the Otanian empire is but just a young girl in the end. In times like this, she needed someone else to lend her a hand and help her.

After returning to their room in the inn, Sirks went downstairs to order dinner while Iris stayed in the room. She needed some alone time to heal the trauma that she experienced at the tavern. It was safe to say that she would never step foot inside of that building again, not even if Trisha was there to protect her from them.

Kies and Wompa also returned to the inn just a few minutes after them. Neither of them said a word and went up to their room. When Wompa saw how distraught her sister was, she went and comforted her by hugging her while Kies left the room as well and joined Sirks downstairs. After bringing the food up to the two girls, Sirks came back down and sat down next to Kies.

Both of them had a rough day and didn't know what to say. It was Sirks who spoke first. "So, do you want to tell me what happened to you two, or should I go first?"

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