Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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/Chatter chatter…/

Down on the first floor of the Mercenary Guild, many people chartered continuously, some were players, others were NPCs, but in this messy crowd, it became difficult to distinguish who was who.

Only by paying attention to what each of them wore would you be able to distinctively discern who they were.

"... And then what?!"

/GULP!/

In one such table, a very distinct group of people drank away to their hearts' content…

And it was important to point out that beverages were scarce in Resko, and that meant they were pricy commodities.

Only recently had they started to try and make mead and similar alcoholic products again as their living conditions continue to improve.

But even so, it would take several weeks for any of those to be ready…

The ones they currently drank were brought by the Merchants, and albeit they were pricy, it didn't seem to matter for the massive old man over 2M tall that was already halfway on his 5th cup.

/Thud!/

"Ha! You truly are something kid!" Zaw said as he wiped his lips, letting the aftertaste of the drink run through his tongue

But Dale shook his head, denying the praise.

"It wasn't anything special…"

"Nothing special? HA! Nothing special he says!"

"No need to be so humble, being overly humble can oftentimes shoot back right at you!"

"Especially when you are a Mercenary, they'll judge you based on how tough you talk!"

"And by how heavy your fist is." Misgurd added with a smile as he also took a sip of his own drink

Zaw nodded, saying "That as well!" with a large smile as he grabbed his mug again...

/Sip…/

"..."

Dale watched the old man drink his cup dry, shaking his head as he drank his plain, but reliable water.

He wasn't a fan of drinking either in-game or in real life as he never liked the taste of alcohol despite having tried all kinds of drinks over his life.

Most of his experiences in that department came from his carefree father, who was more than happy in letting his son take a sip of his drinks here and there and watch as he cringed due to the bitter taste...

And since he can't drink his favorite tea in this place, he'll have to stick with everyone's favorite, the old classic, water.

Dale even learned how to make it cold, thanks to one of his rings he could partially cool the water down, making it 10 times better than before...

/Sip.../

'This old man is quite energetic, I thought Tina and Testros were already pushing it for their age back when they were still old physically, but this guy surpasses it.'

'He's rather impressive with his tall build and large muscles to the point you don't think he's that old, and it's rather seeing an old man over 2M high that doesn't seem to have any back problem...'

'Guy's a Unit.'

'In a game, he would be that Veteran Crusader that wears the ultra-heavy armor and screams as he charges ahead holding his two-handed weapon...'

(Wilhelm from Overwatch vibes...)

'Wait a minute...'

/THUD!/

"Young people should drink more aye!" Zaw said as he pushed a mug to Dale

'Enjoy life!'

"... T-Thanks but… I'm alright." Dale replied as he tried to refuse politely

'Perhaps a bit too much…'

Zaw laughed once again.

"More for me then."

He looked at a large barrel on the side and said:

"Those merchants gave us a barrel as additional payment for protecting them all the way here, and the others are likely not going to last very long…"

He looked at a bunch of people on the side, all drunk already, either sleeping or causing a small fuss, but as long as it didn't scale further, then he would remain seated.

Those were the personal guards hired by the merchants and the people brought directly from the Mercenary Guild.

Trained warriors, veterans of their field, that was the minimum required in order to make their way down South.

Whatever they were drinking, it was strong as most of them fell after a mug or two.

To this, Dale asked:

"Is this normal?"

"Oh! Of course not! Rarely will those cheap stakes ever go out of their way to give anyone anything, they only do it when they want something…"

But he was quick to say:

"Don't get me wrong, I know not all of them are bad people."

/Sip.../

"But if you want to survive as a merchant, then you aught play in the game they set up, to learn the rules and how to bend them."

"Most are pieces, merely momentary aspects of the board."

"But others are… Players, while a few others prefer to act outside of the board, against the rules as they say."

"Albeit in those cases, they are either cast aside, or taken out soon enough."

"The rules are there for a reason, as a means for those at the top to maintain their rule, but also to prevent things from taking a turn for the worse..."

"The ones that survive and succeed whoever… Aren't really ordinary. They become great figures... A target if you will."

"Some resent them, others fear them…"

"This can be used to explain most forms of social interactions anyway… If you are ready to think a little."

/Slurp…/

Despite looking like the muscle kind of guy, Zaw was rather talkative, perhaps the many years of experience have seeped so deep into his brain that the heavy layers of muscles are not enough to cloud his thinking...

Or he was simply like that from the start.

"And in this case, I'm sure they want to leave a good impression on everyone in the Village since it's clear even for a child that they aren't in the best of positions."

Zaw placed the mug on the table and looked at Dale.

Misgurd remained silent, letting his old friend talk as much as he wanted.

"Between you and me, it's clear that the military force of this Village is higher than what they predicted, to the point they have started to become uncomfortable."

"Heh, some of them came here with the goal of ripping you all off as they did in the past, to take with them the remnants of the riches of this town..."

"Don't they have some right? It doesn't take that high of a intelligence to figure out that Villagers in the middle of nowhere have no use for most of these things..."

Dale did not reply, albeit he could not refute this.

As he said, some of the Villagers would have some sort of resentment, and albeit they don't really put that much value onto gold given their seclusion from the world, some of them do know their worth, but that doesn't mean they can protest.

Whatever the merchants want as the price will be what they'll pay, they should be happy they weren't straight out robbed all of the previous times.

Who would they complain to?

But now's different, they are in the upper hand, and the merchants are really in a very tough spot, because now if the Villagers decided to counterattack for all of those years of abuse, who will stop them?

The merchants were now trapped in the same hole the Villagers were all these years...

Of course, the merchants have 2 things going on for them:

The fact the Mercenary Guild is here, and the fact it's better for the Villagers if the merchants go back alive and well...

Because by letting them leave satisfied, then they'll come back eventually.

Even if they don't, someone will, but if they die, no one will have the balls to come down here anymore...

So they are needed... Or at least they think they are.

Resko is changing by the minute, and by the time most of these merchants return, would they have any sway if at all?

If Resko maintains its growth rate, within a year or two, which would be the time it would take for another such expedition to be made...

So, instead of the traditional method, wouldn't it be better to let their resources grow with the Village instead of throwing them away for an easy coin?

... But who would bet on a bunch of country bumpkins?

Not to say money, but their lives too?

Zaw cleared his throat as he continued to talk:

"In the end, they wouldn't want their loyal escorts to see them in a bad light."

"Mercenaries do have the promise to stick to their contracts, but in here, who would want to throw away their lives for a bunch of ingrate snobs?"

"Even though some of them took on those magic contracts, that is not the same for all since the contract in itself can cost a small fortune."

"You could also treat this as their way of investing, of showing their support as well."

/Slurp…/

"It's up to you really, a merchant will rarely show their intentions, leaving it up for interpretation."

He looked at Dale and asked:

"So? For you, what do you take their actions for?"

"... I don't know."

"And I guess we'll have to leave it for time to tell."

Zaw didn't smile, but neither did he reprimand Dale for it, he simply nodded in understanding.

"Hm… Observant are you? That's good. Not being firm can be a weakness, but not being overly blunt has saved many."

"It sure did with me! More than once at that!"

Zaw took a final gulp of his mug, emptying it out.

"More!"

"... It's over already Zaw." Misgurd pointed out as he shook his head

"WHAT?! How could it be?!"

Zaw looked back, and upon seeing a drunk man trying to fill his cup in the barrel but to no avail before falling on the ground like a rock, he let out a small painful grunt.

Misgurd then pointed out:

"You alone drank thrice what someone would drink, and there was only a single barrel…"

"Urg… I barely even wetted my lips…"

"Humph!"

Zaw got up from his seat, full of energy.

"Since the fun is over, let's go meet my foolish student."

Misgurd then asked:

"Do you know where he is?"

'His ability to stay sober is surprising.'

"No, but I'm sure you know!" Zaw said as he turned to the two of them

Both Dale's and Misgurd's expressions changed as confusion filled their faces...

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Notes