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Chapter 2 - Chapter Two

The tavern was thick with the mingled scents of roasted meat, spilled alcohol, and damp wool. It was loud, a low roar of conversation punctuated by laughter and the clatter of mugs.

Logun navigated the crowded room with surprising ease, eventually finding a small, unoccupied table tucked into a corner.

He slid onto the bench with a sigh of satisfaction, gesturing for Relik to sit opposite him.

"Ah, much better," Logun declared, signaling a passing server with a practiced flick of his wrist. "Proper sustenance after a day of… divine bureaucracy."

He ordered two large mugs of ale without consulting Relik, then added, "And bring us a bottle of your most local red! Can't be in Remu and not sample the goods, eh?" green eyes winked again, though this time it seemed aimed vaguely at the ceiling.

Relik sat stiffly, his hands clasped in his lap beneath the table. He watched Logun, who was already taking a long, appreciative gulp of the ale when it arrived. The foam left a white mustache on his upper lip, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. Then added downward pats of the palm to smooth out his low cut beard.

Relik declined his own mug with a small shake of his head. The thought of drinking felt alien, almost disrespectful, given the seismic shift his life had just undergone.

Logun didn't press. He simply refilled his own mug from the bottle of red wine that arrived next, pouring with a generous hand.

The rich, fruity aroma of the wine filled the small space around their table.

Relik recognized the scent instantly – it was one of the varietals grown on his family's estate.

A pang of homesickness, sharp and unexpected, twisted in his gut. He focused instead on the way Logun held the glass, swirling the wine with a casual confidence and familiarity.

"So, Relik," Logun slurred, leaning back with a sigh, a picture of relaxed contentment that grated on Relik's frayed nerves.

"Bit of a shock, I imagine? One minute you're thinking about… well Grapes? Vine eating insects?" He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "Next minute, boom! You're chosen. Destiny calls, and all that."

Relik picked at a loose thread on his trousers, "something like that."

Logun took another slow sip of wine, his eyes half-closed in apparent pleasure. "It's a grand calling, though, truly. The gods don't just pick anyone. Takes a certain… fire. A resilience. And frankly," he leaned forward conspiratorially, his voice dropping slightly, though still easily audible over the tavern noise, "a lot of luck. Sometimes they just need a guardian in a specific place, at a specific time."

He poured more wine. Relik watched the liquid splash into the glass, noting the almost imperceptible unsteadiness in Logun's hand.

Best fit? Or just… available?

The lottery comparison from his earlier thoughts resurfaced, bitter and unwelcome.

"We are the shield," Logun continued, his tone shifting, becoming more earnest despite the wine. "The first line. Whenever the Empire is under threat, when things that shouldn't be poke their noses into our territory. We retain the peace the Astras blessed us with so long ago." He grinned.

"Wouldn't want anything happening to the source of this excellent gallery, would we?"

He gestured with his wine glass, nearly sloshing the contents.

Relik's gaze flickered to the glass, then back to Logun's face. The man was explaining a role of immense responsibility, of protecting an entire nation, while steadily working his way through a bottle of wine.

It felt… wrong.

Undermining.

Yet, Logun's eyes, though perhaps a touch glazed, held a genuine conviction when he spoke of the role's importance.

"It's not easy," Logun admitted, his cheerful façade dimming slightly for a moment. "Requires sacrifice. Training. And sometimes… well, sometimes it requires getting your hands dirty. But the reward… it's knowing you stand for a purpose greater than yourself."

"That and the pay isn't half bad either."

Relik remained silent, absorbing the words.

The ultimately he decided that he didn't care about any of those things.

"So..." Relik smirked balancing his elbows on the edge of the table, "how good is the pay?"

There was a smile from his new mentor, "Enough that you don't have to sell a bottle of wine for about a month. And you get your cut every week."

Relik stared at the man for a second contemplating whether or not his safety was worth that kind of money. Where exactly would he cap q price on his own dignity if he was so willing sell out after only a few minutes as a guardian.

Well he did the nath and he would only need to work half a year in order to buy his dignity back from whoever he sold it to.

Sure he was less than novice in any art of war. More a liability than a hand trusted to strike. In ideal situation he would believe himself to be claylike, moldable. However, he felt more like a delicate wine glass, about to be shattered.

Yet money was his motivator and there was no ocean he wouldn't cross to secure a pay check.

Logun finished his wine and reached for the boy's mug of ale.

"At least there's one thing to look forward to."

"In addition to that we get to travel, see the world, meet interesting people… fight terrifying monsters!" He punctuated the last point with a dramatic flourish of Relik's mug, sloshing a little ale onto the table.

"Alright, maybe not always terrifying. Sometimes they're just… annoying. But someone's gotta deal with 'em, right?"

He chuckled again, draining the ale. Relik watched him, a strange mix of apprehension and morbid confusion swirling within him.

This was his recruiter, his guide into his new destiny. A cheerful, slightly swaying man who spoke of sacred duty between sips of alcohol.

Relik slowly realised how easily swayed he could be, adrift, but a new, unsettling question was beginning to form in his mind.

If he was actually going to get wrapped up in this nonsense profession he wanted to know what kind of people he would be stuck with.

Logun set down his empty ale mug with a soft clink, wiping his mouth again with the back of his hand. He looked at Relik, his gaze lingering for a moment before that wide, slightly unfocused smile returned.

Relik sighed, caught in his quiet assessment. He managed a small shrug. "I… I don't really know what to ask. This… it's very-"

"New," Logun chuckled, a warm, rumbling sound.

"No I don't care about that part," Relik waved him off trying to find the words to accurately express himself.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his expression softening slightly. "Alright, ask me anything. No such thing as a stupid question only unrelated ones."

Relik hesitated, searching for the right words.

"No offense but is alcoholism a big part of the guild," Relik began slowly, choosing his words carefully, "Like what are the other members like? What does our leader think of your activities?"

Logun's smile didn't fade, but a flicker of something more serious crossed his eyes. He leaned back again, swirling the wine in his glass.

"Ah! Good question," he took a thoughtful sip, "they come in all shapes but usually are pawns from the Titan Colony, Relik. Sometimes they're people bred to spread misinformation or giants sent from the south to insight choas through destruction. Sometimes they're… influences. Things that twist people, or places. Things that want to unravel the order the Astras put in place. Being a guardian gives you the jurisdiction of the judge, jury and executioner."

He paused, his gaze distant for a moment.

"For the last few years its been like… blight on a vine," he said, surprisingly, "Let me ask him. Oh wait, I am him."

Relik's jaw dropped onto the table.

Oh dear god.

There was no way that this professional buffoon was trusted enough to lead a guild. The guardians must be a grand joke if that's the case.

Relik observed the man again as he knocked back his Ale realising that he had been through four more mugs since Relik was last mentally present.

"How?" A question escaped Relik as he struggled to make sense of his reality.

Logun's grin widened. He set down his drink and tapped the worn leather of his armor. "When you're great at something not drug could stop you. Heck when you are the best people can judge your methods but results are uncontested.

Logun motioned to his side.

A sheathed sword.

A strange one that seemed to be attached to the leather armor through a thick but flexible metal wire.

Relik had never seen anything like it.

"This baby right here is whisper, together we've killed more people than you've met. So don't get it twisted I and my guild aren't the most dapper, but we do the things that no one else can or will do."

He picked up his wine again, taking a large gulp.

Relik tightened his features, "Look I know the only reason you accepted me was because I have an almost infinite supply of alcohol. So, don't expect much from me when it comes to this actual guardian stuff."

Logun softly placed his mug on the table the softest he had since they sat down. This time he just stared at the boy.

Relik stared right back, his defiance visible and sure.

The man lifted his left hand then flicked his wrist into a loud snap.

Relik continued his stare down until he realised that he couldn't hear anything anymore.

"Being a selected by my guild isn't a holiday. From the moment I accepted you as a member you not only became a weapon for the Astras but you became an extension of The burning tempest and as with any infected vine I will not hesitate to cut you out. I know you grew up rich but if at any moment I feel as though your effort is insufficient. I will have you roasted and report you as killed in action."

Relik's defiance melted in favour of morbid fear. He swallowed then hid his balled fist jnder the table, "understood."

"Training starts when we get back to Haraan," he said, wiping his mouth. "That's where you learn the tools. How to use 'em. How to trust yourself and How to trust others."

He looked at Relik, his expression assessing.

"You look like you could use some muscle on those arms, Von Vino. Vineyard work is one thing, but swinging a blade or holding a bolt gun is another."

"I don't know how to, you know... physically defend myself," Relik admitted, his voice quiet, vulnerable.

Logun waved a hand dismissively. "Nobody does, until they have a reason to. That's what the Tempest is for. Our guild has a trainer that can get you up to speed in three weeks."

Logun's eyes widened for a brief moment as he recalled a memory.

"I'm confident because I've seen her do it. She's mean and a bit uncivilized honestly but, if you show her the effort and potential. She'll provide the hammer and the anvil." He finished his wine and poured himself another glass, the bottle now more than half empty.

"Don't worry about the 'how' just yet, kid. Just know that you're needed. And we'll teach you."

He leaned back again, a picture of cheerful confidence, seemingly unburdened by the heavy topics they were discussing. Relik watched him, the knot in his stomach easing slightly, replaced by a different kind of tension – the daunting prospect of learning to wield a 'hammer and anvil' against a 'blight' he couldn't even see yet.

Thankfully his current companion seemed to have an infectious laid back attitude. Which proved to be enough to satiate him for now.

Relik grabbed at his now empty mug and pushed it towards the bottle.

Logun nodded in approval before pouring with a heavy hand.

Relik lifted his mug overhead.

He was going to hate this but he'd rather be contempt than dead.

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