The El Sharaab red, followed by several generous mugs of the tavern's strongest ale, under Allegra's cheerful encouragement, had worked a peculiar magic on Wyva.
The knot of doubt in his stomach had dissolved entirely, replaced by a warm, buzzing confidence that felt remarkably similar to the certainty he'd felt on the Selection Hall platform, albeit significantly less... divine.
He was no longer sitting stiffly at the table; he was standing on it, swaying slightly, attempting to mimic Allegra's surprisingly agile dance moves amidst the spilled drinks and discarded food.
Allegra, somehow even more energetic despite the copious amounts of alcohol she'd consumed, laughed, her green curls bouncing as she spun around him. The crowd around their table, and indeed, a good portion of the tavern, wasn't jeering – they were cheering. They clapped along to the rhythm of an unseen drum, shouting encouragement, their faces split in wide, drunken grins.
Wyva, caught up in the infectious energy and the pleasant haze of intoxication, found himself genuinely smiling, laughing, feeling a sense of belonging he hadn't expected in this chaotic place. Maybe the Burning Tempest wasn't so bad after all. Maybe it was just... different.
The revelry was abruptly shattered by a voice that cut through the noise like a shard of ice.
"Alright, that's enough."
The tone wasn't loud, but it was absolute. It carried an undeniable weight that instantly dampened the tavern's boisterous energy. The cheering faltered, then died. Conversations sputtered into silence. Wyva, mid-sway, nearly lost his balance on the table.
Standing just inside the tavern entrance was a man who was the antithesis of everything Wyva had seen of the Burning Tempest so far. He was tall, lean, and moved with a coiled, almost unnerving stillness. His dark hair was neatly tied back, his face sharp and devoid of any humor. He wore practical, dark clothing that looked meticulously clean and free of wrinkles. His eyes, a piercing grey, swept over the room, missing nothing, lingering for just a fraction of a second on the sight of Wyva and Allegra atop the table.
This had to be Koa. The Vice Captain. The strict one.
"Everyone who is not a member of the Burning Tempest," Koa's voice was calm, measured, but held the finality of a closing tomb, "will vacate this establishment. You have one minute."
A murmur rippled through the stunned crowd.
One minute? Some people grumbled, others looked indignant, a few simply stared at Koa as if he were speaking a foreign language.
This was their tavern, their night. Who was this man to order them out?
Allegra, however, visibly sobered slightly, though the wobbly grin didn't entirely leave her face. She hopped down from the table with surprising agility.
"Ah, Koa! Early back from your... important Vice Captain duties, are we?" she chirped, though there was a hint of caution in her tone.
Koa ignored her, his grey eyes fixed on the still-hesitant crowd. He pulled a small, polished stone from his pocket and began to count, his voice clear and steady, cutting through the remaining murmurs.
"Fifty."
The grumbling intensified, but no one moved.
"Forty-five."
A few people exchanged nervous glances.
"Forty."
A chair scraped as someone finally stood up.
"Thirty-five."
More people began to rise, reluctantly gathering their belongings.
"Thirty."
The trickle became a stream. The defiant glares turned into hurried exits. By the time Koa reached "Twenty," the tavern was emptying rapidly, the earlier noise replaced by the shuffling of feet and the low muttering of disgruntled patrons.
"Ten."
The last few stragglers practically ran for the door.
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
Koa pocketed the stone. Silence descended on the tavern, a sudden, echoing emptiness that was more unnerving than the earlier noise. Wyva stood on the table, feeling exposed and ridiculous.
He looked around.
The vast, crowded room was now almost entirely empty. Aside from Koa standing by the door, only three figures remained: Allegra, now leaning against the table with a thoughtful expression; a massive Hurc behind the bar, polishing a mug with slow, deliberate movements. His dark grey skin gleaming in the dim light – the bartender, Veech; and Wyva himself.
The realization hit Wyva with the force of a physical blow, instantly cutting through the last vestiges of his intoxication. The Burning Tempest. The celebrated, his guild. It wasn't a vast organization with hundreds of members like he'd imagined, like the visions would have suggested. It was... this. Three people. Four, counting him.
A cold wave of panic washed over him. He had been selected for this? His eventual legacy was going to be tied to this handful of eccentrics and it's solely strict Vice Captain? The clear path in his vision suddenly seemed obscured, twisted. He wanted to jump down from the table, to demand an explanation, to run back to El Sharaab.
But the confidence, the ingrained habit of presenting a smooth, unruffled exterior, kicked in. He forced himself to stand taller on the table, to meet Koa's gaze with what he hoped was a calm, assessing look, rather than the wide-eyed panic he felt inside.
He needed to salvage this.
He needed to make Koa see that he was a valuable addition, not just another drunkard Allegra had picked up. He had to project the image of the Guardian from his vision, the one who was sharp, capable, worthy of respect.
Koa walked slowly into the room, his footsteps imperceptible even in the deep silence. He stopped a few feet from the table, his abnormally grey eyes fixed on Wyva. There was no anger in his expression, no judgment, just a cool, unwavering scrutiny that made Wyva feel as though he was being dissected.
"Name?"
"Wyva of El Sharaab, sir."
Koa allowed a quick snicker to escape before his face reverted, "newly selected Guardian?"
Wyva managed a nod, stepping carefully down from the table. "That's me," he said, trying for a confident tone, hoping his slight unsteadiness wasn't too obvious. "Ready to... begin."
Koa's gaze remained steady. He didn't acknowledge Wyva's attempt at a smooth reply. He simply looked him up and down, a slow, deliberate assessment. Then, unexpectedly, his expression softened just a fraction, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.
"Do you have a sister?" Koa asked, the question completely out of the blue, delivered in the same calm, measured tone he'd used to empty the tavern.
Wyva blinked, thrown completely off guard. A sister? "No," he stammered. "Only child."
"Unfortunate," Koa nodded slowly, as if this information was significant, though he offered no explanation. He turned his gaze from Wyva to Allegra, then to Maico behind the bar.
"Alright," Koa said, his voice returning to its earlier, authoritative tone, but with a newly found beat to it. "The welcome wagon's over. Time to get to work. We have three new Guardians to integrate. And a lot of cleaning to do." He gestured around the now-empty, messy tavern. "Veech, start stacking the chairs. Allegra, try not to set anything on fire. Wyva... try not to break anything, and once you're done with that I'll show you around."
Three?
The man didn't wait for a response, or didn't expect any questions. He simply turned and walked towards a door at the back of the tavern, disappearing into the shadows.
Wyva watched him go, then pivoted to face Allegra. The woman in question offered him a shrug and a slightly lopsided grin, and then at the silent, hulking form of Veech behind the bar.
"Trust me we need him, otherwise we'd get nothing done," Veech sighed making his way around the bar.
"He balances all our… energy," Allegra giggled to herself.
"If he's second in command then I can't imagine what our Captain is like."
"Yeah he's a gambling alcoholic you'll love him," Allegra responded as quickly as the previous statement was made, "Veech where's the rest of the roast?"
The Hurc responded with a rumbling burp.
Allegra's face fell, "You're one step up from being an animal you know that?"
"Your race was the last to develop speech," he responded with a matter-of-fact-ness that left no room for debate.
Wyva shook his head.
Hopefully the other members are reasonable.