Zensuon: Crystal Age

Don't look at Me, I'm just the Boss

Where we find about two mercenaries of a nearby empire, receiving their mission involving a particular crystal and its accompanying mage.

"I don't see why I have to work with a new guy." Ezra said, dropping the paperwork onto the table.

That's because no one wants to work with you. The Guildmaster forced back a comeback.

"Did you even read the details?" The Guildmaster narrowed his eyes. He was used to Ezra's outbursts, but this was a matter of importance.

"Of course I did." Ezra said. The Guildmaster groaned. He knew Ezra didn't, he skimmed it at best.

"This time you can't just go by a location and name and bombard the entire place, we're not an assassination squad." The Guildmaster asserted, his fists started to curl, but he calmed himself down slowly, it would only give Ezra an excuse to start acting up if he did so.

"Aren't we? Last time I checked we do the Empire's dirty work, and I'm the best. That's why you called me for this job, right?" Ezra snorted, "But why did you call this guy?" The mage jerked his thumb over at the hooded, and thankfully (for the Guildmaster) quieter man, sitting by the gloating spellcaster that was Ezra the mage.

"He is a new but very promising addition to the Three City Mercenaries, and he'll be working with you on this job. It's very important that it goes through smoothly, and that's why we're sending someone else with you." The Guildmaster stated, side-glancing at the imposing figure, who had his arms crossed. The man seemed more keen on eyeing the two of them than entering the conversation. Could this new guy really keep this violent psychopath in check?

"Why don't you introduce yourself." The Guildmaster motioned the man toward Ezra who seemed to be halfway out of his chair in self-righteousness.

When the larger man straightened in his chair, he immediately dwarfed the other two. The Guildmaster, once a warrior himself, started to feel slightly nervous. He wasn't quite sure why.

"I'm Adam. I don't need your approval. I'm just here to do the job, get the gold, and bash the necessary amount of heads." The man passed on the information in his deep voice, glaring with strangely piercing eyes first at Ezra, and then at the Guildmaster, as if to see if either were about to challenge the statement.

Oh no. The Guildmaster thought. They're going to kill each other the first chance they get.

"I kind of like him." Ezra said, looking Adam over, and then back at the Guildmaster, "The entire big-bad guy thing. It's nice, as long as he doesn't get in my way." The mage laughed and sat back in his chair.

I'm not sure if this is worse. The Guildmaster blinked in surprise.

"A-Alright, then you'll start first thing tomorrow the-" The Guildmaster began.

"Hold on a minute." Ezra wouldn't let him end.

What now? The Guildmaster internally grumbled. He tried not to bring it outwards because he felt the exasperation would only fuel Ezra to shout more.

"Yes, Ezra?" The Guildmaster tried in his most patient voice, which ended up sounding like someone who was an inch away from doing something incredibly violent.

Ezra welcomed the challenge, "What are these objectives supposed to be?" The mage took the papers from the table just to whack them with the back of his hand dramatically.

"What do you mea-" The Guildmaster tried.

"I'm not finished." Ezra forced him to fail.

"First of all, we're chasing the grand evershard? We both know it's all just some rumour made up by the Terran Church to bring in more people into Zensuon to make up for the spread of Soulless." The mage leaned down with both hands onto the table to try and give it a good Whack, however, given the mage didn't have a lot of strength, it just came out as a wak. Which both the Guildmaster and Adam agreed with a raised brow was so unimpressive it was embarrassing.

It's a good thing Ezra didn't know about second-hand embarrassment, for that which one does not know about can't hurt them. Yet since Ezra loved hurting people, he was constantly seeking to know whatever he could hurt him, so he would have an excuse to hurt them back before that would happen.

"Listen, Ezra-" The Guildmaster started quietly, holding onto his patience.

"No, that's just the first. Are you even listening?" Ezra was eagerly testing his patience.

Through the Guildmaster's groan, Ezra continued.

"Second of all, killing Tayon? Great! But why do we have to go through this entire charade of covertly entering Pileraf? Just let me get right onto EverIce and I'll explode the bastard myself!" Ezra took up the papers from the table, although in his haste some of them scattered all over it and the floor. He then tried to bundle them into a ball. Again it didn't go as far and was more of a star shape with peaks of paper jotting out of various edges of the core.

At that point, Adam felt so bad he actually snapped the half-crumpled ball of paper from the mage's hands, squeezed it into a ball so tight the Guildmaster was starting to feel his nerves acting up again, and tossed it over his shoulder.

Ezra nodded, "Exactly." He claimed.

"We aren't an independent group-" The Guildmaster started.

"Bullshit." Ezra proclaimed.

"We aren't an independent group, Ezra. And more importantly, we- that is me and you- will have to first meet the requester and claim the payment from them once the job is done. Which means if you go in and do as you said, without concern for anyone, even if you could do that, would mean no carits for any of us." The Guildmaster found himself snapped in a forward position, hands on the desk, leaning in.

Ezra, on the other hand, relaxed in his chair, as did his new companion.

"Gold, I'm in." Adam said, nodding.

"Styllia*-bound to get the payment? That's all you had to say." Ezra agreed.

*Styllia: [ Styllia is two things, one: A large trade city in the Scorpion Empire. Although it's on the edge between Pileraf and the Empire, and home to many skirmishes, it's no stranger to trade from all surrounding nations and thus bustling even with the innate danger. Since, as in most worlds, there's no draw more powerful than money. 

The second thing Styllia is: is said to be the goddess of the elements, she is thought to be the creator goddess of Cera'Nur by many, and many races claim to have been directly created by her, mostly so they'll have something to argue over at parties. ]

Arrgghhhh! The Guildmaster internally screamed as he cleared his throat. Relax, you'll ruin your health.

"Alright, I had to burn the documents either way once you read them, so I guess everything's done. Tomorrow morning you're heading out to Pileraf." The Guildmaster glanced at the two for a moment, then, as he saw nothing was happening, he added "Out."

Ezra went out of the door, acting as if he didn't care. Following him was Adam, clanking in his armour and bound sword. Once the clack of the door was heard, the Guildmaster gave out a loud sigh.

Good, with this mission, it might be the death of Ezra, before he'll be the death of me. The Guildmaster thought as he sat back in his chair, finally relaxing.