Inside a pub, the usually cozy and relaxed atmosphere was somewhat subdued.

  Several people kept throwing looks towards one particular direction with hints of anxiety, while the rest - having read the strange mood - kept their heads down.

  A party of three accomplished adventurers were also amongst the visitors, seated around a circular table on some inconveniently tall stools.

  Well, perhaps the stools were sized just right for an average height adult, but…

  Unfortunately for Rennie, she never did hit her long awaited growth spurt.

  Her legs dangled beneath the seat, not quite in contact with the floor yet lightly grazing the tips of it with her boots’ soles.

  She glanced at her two companions - Kanna and Bill - which only soured her mood further.

  After all, the two were more than a palm’s length taller than Rennie despite being younger than her.

  However, that’s not to say that Bill’s and Kanna’s expressions were great, either.

  A subtle tension hung between the three adventurers; curiously, the stronger martial artists within the pub also shared the same, mildly uncomfortable expressions.

  It didn’t take a lot of digging to realize the reason, either:

  *Rumble*

  Every so often, with irregular intervals, a deep tremor ran through the ground - every one of the shockwaves was accompanied by a violent wave of essence.

  Both the rumbles and the essence surges were entirely imperceptible to mundane humans, as the source of those tremors was far away.

  Hence, only powerful artists knew that something big must’ve been going on.

  Approaching the source of those spine chilling essence blasts would’ve been an immensely dangerous experience.

  Or, if common sense were to be applied - downright suicidal might be a more fitting description.

  Of course, there were always some, uhh, unique individuals that din’t let their actions be dictated by lofty ideas like ‘common sense’.

  …The trio had come to the pub for some drinks; it took a good amount of convincing from Kanna, by the way, since Rennie seemed to dislike the place.

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  Either way, they weren’t exactly pleased to have their downtime interrupted, even if indirectly.

  Ever since handing the hermit Threadripper over to Nether’s hands, they’d been swarmed with questions and thinly veiled interrogations.

  It was easy to imagine, then, how it felt to finally exhale a deep breath - only to have it forced right back down.

  *Clink*

  The tense silence was broken when Bill slammed a beer mug against the table.

  That is, after emptying it in one fell swoop.

  The motion was strangely choreographed, Bill’s strength controlled just enough to produce the sound yet not enough to shatter the weak glass. It was as if he’d done this very motion many times before.

  …Which he has.

  ”Haaah, my shoulders feel stiff. How about a nice walk to stretch our limbs?”

  His hoarse voice, preempted by the trademark exhale of a professional day-drinker, prompted Rennie and Kanna to look up at him.

  “Yeah, I’m inclined to agree.”

  “Mm.”

  His companions nodded along, seemingly sharing the same opinion.

  In that instant, the adventurers’ stifled expressions were wiped cleanly off, replaced barely suppressed excitement. It was no surprise, really; at the end of the day, grungy battles with everything on the line was where their hearts belonged.

  ”In that case, I don’t think I need to bother explaining myself.”

  *Screech*

  With a resigned smile, courtesy of having his already brief period of rest cut even shorter, Bill planted his feet on the floor and stood up; the stool’s three legs scraped against the shabby wooden floorboards beneath him, announcing his readiness to depart.

  Two metallic, battle worn gauntlets were inexplicably equipped, their waistband now hanging around Bill’s waist with nothing inside.

  *Screech*

  Kanna followed suit, her stool producing the same grating - but comforting in its familiarity - noise.

  Her large wooden staff had already made its way into her hands, and was now slung over her shoulder.

  Rennie’s eyes moved between Bill and Kanna, her face forming a frown.

  With a light hop, she jumped off of her stool; one of her hands was pressed against her hood as she did so, keeping it firmly in place.

  Just like that, with zero planning or discussion, the trio was ready to set off in mere seconds.

  Their shared bond, formed through many years of teamwork and friendship, made words meaningless.

  Still, it didn’t feel quite right to leave without at least some kinda speech.

  And so, just like in ye olden times, Kanna took it upon herself to announce their next adventure:

  “Well, this ain’t exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend, but… Shall we go see what the fuss is all about?”

  “Hah! Was getting your thigh pierced by the Threadripper not enough for you?”

  At Bill’s teasing words, a small smile formed on Kanna’s lips:

  ”As if you’re any better. Come on, old man - anyone could tell how excited you are at a glance.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  He smiled in response.

  Just before leaving, with Kanna and Bill having already stepped out of the pub, Rennie turned around to glare at her arch nemesis one last time.

  However, there was no response - only stubborn silence.

  Well, it was only natural; the annoyingly tall stool, at the end of the day, was merely an inanimate object.

  Hmpf! Stay quiet all you want. I’ll get back at you one day.

  With those parting thoughts, Rennie picked up her pace and swiftly caught up with Kanna and Bill.

  It was time for the fearless…

  …Well, some might aptly call them reckless.

  Anyways, it was time for the adventurers - however one chose to call them - to enter the scene.