"Goblins, you say?" the swordsman asked, eyeing the terrified man.
"Y-yes. I couldn't save them; there were too many of them, and they ran straight into the cave. Please, save them before they're harmed!"
"But first, let's talk about payment."
"How much do you need?"
"Four hundred crowns."
"FOUR HUNDRED!!! Can't we lower the price?"
"Ok, four hundred and fifty."
"Huh! Why are you increasing it? We worked so hard to earn those crowns just to survive! Please, can't you save my girls?!"
The man begged the mercenary swordsman to save his daughters while a few people in the tavern watched, carefully avoiding involvement with the members of the Vanguard's Guild.
"Why don't you find someone else who still has a heart to help you? Or better yet, pick up a sword and save your girls yourself."
The man hesitated, knowing he didn't have the strength to fight the goblins. Fear gripped him as he realized it might already be too late, dreading what the goblins might do to his daughters at any moment.
"How about I handle it?" Jack's father intervened. "The goblins are about to enter the cave with your daughters. I can see them from here."
"Ah, thank you! Sir knight! I-"
"Let's not waste our time here, and you can forget about paying me in coins."
"Ah, right! Of course! And thank you..."
"I'll come with you." Jack stood up.
"No. You've done enough after fighting the orc chieftain. Stay here and wait for our meal. I'll take care of this. And don't cause any trouble while I'm gone."
"When you say it like that, there's bound to be trouble at anytime!"
"Just don't!"
Jack watched the man and his father step out of the tavern, then caught sight of his father through the window, already sprinting forward in a blur of purple energy. Jack settled in, waiting for the roasted boar to be brought to their table. The barmaid set down two cups of water for them, and he offered her a grateful nod and thanked her. Noticing the cape Jack wore and the crest embroidered on it, the swordsman from the Vanguard's Guild made his way over to Jack's table.
"So, you two aren't just ordinary knights from some noble house or the king's army. You're from the Ryders' household." The swordsman asked Jack.
"Aye and what of it?"
"Oh, I keep hearing tales of those families' heroic deeds, your lords and ladies."
Jack raised an eyebrow, noting with amusement that the swordsman from the Vanguard's Guild didn't suspect he was a Ryder.
"Yep."
"And you think you and that old man can be like them, even though they wield a power far greater than yours?"
"And your point?"
"Look, my lads and I can read you easily. After that old man saved those girls, he's gonna want some coins from the man, right? And the Ryders… they're too innocent. They actually take heroics seriously, even when it goes against the old king's rules."
"He won't."
The swordsman sits in his father's chair.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am."
"Let's test it out, then. How about I buy you a mead? This is a tavern, y'know we drink mead, dance, fight, and, well… meet wenches."
"No thanks, I'm an extremely light drinker. What is it that you wanna test it?"
The swordsman nods at one of his colleagues and goes to one of the barmaids.
"I just wanna know if you're going to keep pretending to be like them."
Jack and the swordsman watched as a bulky mercenary, a massive greataxe strapped to his back, approached the barmaid and began trying to flirt with her, invading her personal space.
"What are you trying to gain from here?"
"I want to see if you can save that lady. You see, my colleague over there is a Gold-ranker of the Vanguard's Guild, so I'm curious if you have the strength to face him."
A shout echoed through the tavern, followed by the crash of glass. The barmaid shoved the bulky mercenary, only for him to slap her back in the face, sending her sprawling to the floor.
"Ooooh… there goes his charm-eh? Huh?" The swordsman spun around, only to find the chair empty. When he looked back again, Jack was striding straight toward the bulky mercenary.
"Come on, babe, just join us and sit on my lap," the bulky mercenary sneered, reaching out as if to grab the barmaid by the hair.
Jack intervened, his hand snapping shut around the bulky mercenary's arm and wrenching it away from the barmaid's head with effortless strength. The mercenary barely had time to react before his wrist was gripped.
"You should've treated a woman better, but the way I see it, you're no better than a goblin." Jack said calmly, his voice low but cutting.
The bulky mercenary waved his arm out of Jack's grip and looked arrogantly at him, face to face. "You're seriously comparing me to a goblin? And what are you gonna do about it, huh, fight?"
Jack looked around the tavern and saw that the people were cautious about the upcoming fight, and he didn't want the place trashed because of it. Then he looked back at the bulky mercenary with a grin full of pride, his hands on his hips.
"Why don't we settle this outside?" Jack said as he walked toward the exit, leading the bulky mercenary with him.
The bulky mercenary grabbed Jack by the right shoulder, spun him around, and drew back his fist, ready to punch him in the face. "Oh! I don't think so!"
Jack ducked under the fist just in time and countered with an uppercut to the mercenary's jaw, shattering his teeth. The man collapsed to the floor, flat on his back, knocked out by a single punch.
Everyone in the tavern, including the mercenaries from the Vanguard's Guild, was stunned by Jack's amazing strength, especially considering that his opponent was a gold-ranker with massive muscles and nearly twice Jack's size.
"Whoops! Didn't mean to use this kind of strength to knock him out." Jack said with a surprised expression while looking at his fist. It hadn't been planned.
"Bastard!" Shouted the mercenary.
All the mercenaries rose from their chairs and unsheathed their weapons, glaring at Jack with open hostility. Jack sprang out of the tavern, and the mercenaries chased after him, only to find Jack waiting for them outside. The mercenaries were prepared to engage.
"This is a good spot to fight, isn't it? More space, and no need to break anything in there, so they don't have to pay anything to fix it. What do you say? Shall we put up a good fight?" Jack said with a smirk as he unsheathed the sword from behind his back, ready to fight.