"So…" Marcus starts, "If I understand correctly, you're upset at Drazdan's unfavorable opinion of his country of birth, while you hold the very same kingdom in extremely high regard regardless of all of its shortcomings. Am I correct?" He sums it up.

"Sounds like it to me." Xandarr comments offhandedly.

"The traitor is bashing our Royalty and nobility in front of our most esteemed customers! He's spewing lies to their face! We can't afford to lose the patronage of the strongest faction on the continent!" The dwarf lashes out again.

"Sounds like you'd lose them either way." Xandarr says nonchalantly, and receiving a piercing from the dwarf.

"If I'm going to be honest with you all, the Ice Elves have never been known to be ignorant. They have definitely noticed most of the faults in your kingdom and are most probably taking advantage of it…" He finishes and takes a look at the Ice elves from the corner of his eyes.

A smug little grin is on both of their faces, proving his words true.

"You are quite sharp for a human. Indeed, we've been using their inefficient system to prosper ourselves. It only makes sense to do so, and their laws legally allows us to do so as well. So it would be quite foolish not to take advantage of it." Elas says with a shrug.

“Is this what you meant by skilled people, brother?” Thallan asks.

“Perhaps Thallan, but it remains to be seen. Say, is your little group open for a job?” Elas asks as he looks at the three men.

Marcus, Xandarr and Drazdan take a second to all look at each other, then all 3 look back at the elf.

“Depends, what’s the job and pay?” they ask in synchrony.

Brenda, the elves and the customers all look at the group in disbelief for a few seconds before breaking out in laughter. The three men, who are usually at each other's necks, just responded the exact same answer at the exact same time was just too surprising.

The dwarf's complaints were drowned out by the sounds of laughter, and he was slowly pushed away by the crowd that was ignoring him.

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“That… Was priceless. Oh my lord, that was amazing, I can’t believe you 3 just did that.” Brenda says, mid-laughter, looking at the 3 embarrassed men.

An embarrassed chuckle escapes Marcus’s lips, meanwhile Xandarr is attempting to hide under the hood of the cloak and Drazdan is just standing there smiling awkwardly.

As the moment stretches from mere seconds to a couple of minutes, the surrounding people slowly but surely calm themselves and the elves can finally speak again.

"It's quite simple actually, I need you guys to go get the luggage from our carriage at the northern mountain foot. It's a simple test really, get there safely, take our stuff and come back, you'll each get 10 gold, and you can keep whatever you find on the way of course. Maybe a few enemies on the way. Oh! And before I forget…" Thallan explains before his dramatic pause that is followed by a fierce glare.

"If you even think about keeping any of it, I will cut off your heads and feet to the kobolds." He threatens a single hand on the pommel of his sword.

Following the explanation and threat, the group once again exchange a glance from each other before Drazdan extends his right hand in hopes of a handshake to seal the deal.

"So a simple recovery and delivery, easy enough, and don't worry we don't have a habit of stealing someone else's belongings." He says as they shake hands to seal the deal.

The rest of the day passes peacefully, the group prepares for the couple day long trek to the mountain. Packing themselves extra food and clothes and inspecting their gear for any defects or issues that need to be fixed.

No party was held the night before their departure, since they wanted to leave at an appreciable time in hope of making it further before nightfall and returning just that little bit faster.

Of course, in the early hours of the morning, we once again had a slimy bear run down the stairs in a hurry to clean themselves off. Followed by a pleasant breakfast at the bar alongside Thirza and Brenda, the empty air filled with friendly conversation and a discussion about the best path to follow to their destination.

Before long, the 3-man group line up at the Northern Gate, a few of their friends followed them to wish them luck, namely Tarwick, Nomia, Thirza and Brenda. The two elven brothers came as well to see them off.

Thallan made sure to be as annoying as he possibly could for no other reason than to simply piss off Xandarr, just trying to force a reaction out of him. This led to a short battle of wits, which Xandarr won with ease and made Thallan lose his patience and attempt to draw his sword once again.

It was however but an attempt, as Xandarr gave him a proper smack over the head with his staff, knocking the man out cold. Elas didn’t seem to care about the little scuffle and simply picked up his brother and carried him back to the tavern after saying his goodbyes to the group.

“Take care you guys and Xandarr, don’t shock or kick your teammates again. There will be consequences otherwise.” Brenda said with a wicked grin that sent shivers down Xandarr’s spine.

“Stop messing with him, Brenda, I know you won’t do anything.” said Thirza.

“You think? Care to try me?” she asked as she turned towards Thirza.

That interaction caused a short staring match that was eventually interrupted by both Xandarr and Drazdan, calming both of them down. Seeing as how the group was finally ready to leave, the guards at the Northern Gate started opening it to allow them to finally leave.