The 'Tired Blacksmith,' the most established inn in the border town of Varex, was practically drowning in the suffocating miasma of intensely fried pork grease, stale beer, and the musty scent of ancient oak wood that had seeped into every corner. The flickering, weak flames illuminating the inn rose solely from the iron lamps dangling from the thick, sooty ceiling beams; this dim, yellowish light distorted the harsh, tired features of the rough crowd of adventurers gathered inside through deep, shifting shadows. The inn's floor was thoroughly coated with dried, caked mud and countless spilled beer stains; in the corners, small companies who once proudly wore shining knightly armor but were now reduced to donning only worn, patched leather tunics, maintained a palpable silence born of despair and hopelessness. The 'Silent Blades' company had claimed a table pressed against the inn's damp wall. Their leader, Jax, was easily distinguishable from the rabble by his short-cropped, dark hair that spoke of his resolve and his sharp, steel-grey eyes that incessantly scanned the environment; the tension hidden beneath his great height and chiseled jaw was detectable only by his closest companions. Lysa, the group's archer, had tossed her fiery, reddish-brown braided hair over her shoulder, constantly checking the cold and menacing air outside through the dusty window pane. As the quartet sipped the lukewarm water from the single, tarnished copper mug before them, the suffocating silence hanging over their table stemmed directly from the imminent exhaustion of the silver coins in their purses.
This gloomy and nearly fatal silence, however, was abruptly shattered when the inn's thick, oak-planked door was violently thrown open by a sudden, fierce noise from the outside, announcing the entrance of Guard Commander Garen. Garen projected an air of profound seriousness that stood in absolute contrast to the filthy and chaotic atmosphere inside the inn; this gravity emanated from his newly polished, gleaming iron armor and his weary face, framed by a long, thick, grizzled beard. As he strode inside with rapid, resolute steps, the heavy thud of his thick leather boots resonated across the floor in a rhythmic, deeply unsettling echo against the splattered mud. The Commander forcefully slammed the parchment scroll, sealed with thick red wax, onto a massive wooden table, and the sheer volume of the resounding crash was instantly sufficient to silence the entirety of the inn:
"Everyone listen up! I am acutely aware that every single one of you is currently facing dire circumstances due to the prevailing issues concerning both active quests and the scarcity of coin, and it is precisely why I have arrived with a mission that is as perilous as it is magnificently rewarded; furthermore, this monumental task has been directly commissioned by the governing committee of the township itself."
Garen elaborated, his voice deeply imbued with exhaustion and palpable disappointment in every single word, that the hordes of monsters fleeing in utter panic towards the south following that week-old, unknown, ominous power had created a new and completely unpredictable threat rapidly closing in on Varex. The official task of investigating both the cause and the sheer magnitude of this uncontrolled migration was formally offered to all 5-6 distinct, highly experienced adventurer groups seated at the tables.
Jax instantly comprehended that the mission being presented carried a fatally unpredictable level of risk; chasing after the very power that had forged that massive shockwave was, effectively, no different from a slow, deliberate act of suicide. Yet, he raised his gaze to look first at his own empty, soiled plate, and then directly at Lysa's piercing gaze, which was saturated with a keen, fearless resolve that welcomed danger. Lysa affirmed her 'we must go' determination by offering a nod so slight it was almost imperceptible. Jax, shouldering this immense burden, inhaled a deep, forced breath and slowly pushed himself to his feet. As he advanced towards Guard Commander Garen,
"The Silent Blades accept the mission, however, as I've stated, this is a perilously dangerous undertaking, and we currently lack the suitable provisions and necessary equipment required for this endeavor; therefore, we demand both rations and gear."
Jax's clear and resolute demand, articulated with pristine clarity, echoed throughout the astonished silence that gripped the inn, while the other groups observed this audacious, yet tragically necessary, decision with palpable astonishment. Suddenly, from one of the peripheral tables of the inn, a massive man with an enormous, jagged scar running across his dirty-bearded and disheveled face—a man who carried a colossal battle-axe strapped to his back—leapt to his feet in a furious outburst, beginning to shout with a thunderous and deeply threatening voice.
"You are not the only group in desperate need of coin; every individual gathered here is enduring arduous circumstances, so do not even contemplate keeping this mission exclusively to yourselves and monopolizing the entirety of the payment!"
The colossal man had already drawn the massive axe from his back and was aiming it menacingly straight at Jax; unable to remain silent and enraged by this blatant humiliation, Jax instantly and rapidly unsheathed his own sword and prepared himself to launch a fierce assault against the physically superior and larger man standing opposite him, when Garen yelled with a voice that violently echoed throughout the entire inn:
"Halt, you fools! There is absolutely no necessity for you to brawl amongst yourselves; furthermore, do not jump into conclusions immediately before you even know the specific details of the mission!"
Confronted with the overwhelming authority of the Guard Commander, the two men found themselves momentarily unable to speak and reluctantly returned their weapons to their sheaths; it was precisely at that moment, amidst the tense silence, that a voice rose from among the spectators intently watching the unfolding chaos within the inn.
"Then what exactly are you waiting for, man? Read the accursed details of the mission out loud right now!"