Cooperating with others was not Windel's style. Half the effort also meant half the share, but despite all logical thought, he could never do what was needed to remove others from the list of those rewarded for quests. And the more he worked with others, the stronger that feeling as it tried to strangle his logical train of thought.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Yeah, you don't like working with others. Except for that nice mage. But little boys like you need to experiment!"</span><br/><br/>"Shut up," he mouthed silently.<br/><br/>Miles cocked his head and stared at Windel. "Are you... talking to yourself?" he asked, half quizzically and half-nervously.<br/><br/>"No!" Windel's eyes seemed to say as he glared daggers towards Miles. "Oh-kay." he muttered disinterestedly, returning to face his paperwork.<br/><br/>The doors swung open, and in stepped a knight clad in full plate armour.<br/><br/>"I am sir Arathorne of Claremont. I am new to these lands, but I would like to say that it is a great honor to be among heroes such as yourselves. I pray to the Lady that you all be successful in your exploits and wish you would do the same for me."<br/><br/>The strange knight bowed respectfully. But respecting a bunch of mostly drunk fools that blatantly was the best way to begin a fight. Windel snickered lightly as a few of the inebriated patrons threw him out of the guild building.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Awww, he was such a nice guy. And polite too."</span><br/><br/>Windel took a seat at the edge of the bar counter, further away from everyone else. "But that sort of people are bandit bait, Yuka. Even well-armoured ones. Recall that girl knight that was try-"<br/><br/>The peculiar knight re-entered the room, smashing in the face of another patron.<br/><br/>"Bar fight." Windel chirped. Another young man appeared from behind the shadows of the faceless bar crowd, standing next to Arathorne like a friend arriving to assist.<br/><br/>"Hey." A young woman spoke, drawing Windel's attention away from the bar brawl. Her attire, a white and red hakama, immediately made her stand out from everyone else. One of those eastern foreigners couldn't have been that unnoticed in here. But as Windel's eyes paid attention to her face, a mixture of bewilderment, excitement and confusion flowed into him. Her face was one he remembered well, and about to anyone else who wasn't living under a rock. She was Nagimatsu Mitsuka, hero of the Rebellion. And even if tables were smashed and heads were broken in the background of the inn, she seemed like a void hole drawing every ounce of his intention.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"She's level 66! Wow!"</span>Yuka must have scanned her, but Windel didn't need that to heighten his shock.<br/><br/>A veteran foreign adventurer who joined Gladius during the desperate Siege of Ghez, her tales of combat skill were likely mixed with both legend and truth. But if a legend stood in front of him, picking him out for specific conversation, he wasn't going to question her record.<br/><br/>"Whu-wha-wher-..." Windel stuttered, jerking away from Nagimatsu. The foreign girl smiled and leaned forward towards him innocently. "Miles told me you took the quest to free the mermaid." She nudged her head towards Miles, who nodded in acknowledgement. "I want to make sure you succeed."<br/><br/>"Get those two dear fighters." Nagimatsu pointed towards Jahan and Arathorne. The bar brawl had just ended, and most of it just slipped past Windel when Nagimatsu drew his attention. Both of them were out cold, their heads propped onto the bar counter. In places such as this, they had to pay for the drinks on the winning side. And the winning side, made obvious by their half-drunken cheers, certainly outnumbered the two of them. A wallet burner, and they would be desperate for 6 platinum. They had half the Illises spirit (of striving against impossible odds, but triumphing), but if Nagimatsu wanted them, she had to have good cause.<br/><br/>"And... a heal-"<br/><br/>"It's Nagimatsu!" yelled an adventurer within the crowd.<br/><br/>"By<span style="font-style: italic">Oken</span>, it's her!"<br/><br/>"A healer. Gotta' go." Nagimatsu bolted from her stool, brushing past the ever dumbstruck Windel and diving out of the window. The patrons had now gathered around where Nagimatsu formerly sat. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut as all eyes went upon him.<br/><br/>"What did she say? Anything about me?" asked a young female warrior.<br/><br/>"I'm well-known around here! She had to say something about Melken!" yelled another young adventurer.<br/><br/>They all looked towards him for some sort of answer about what wisdom the heroine had to share, but what she said only applied to him. And perhaps was not entirely like the legendary oracles. Still, she drew too much attention to him. Anyone could interfere with the quest if they knew about the huge bounty for retrieving the mermaid.<br/><br/>"Nothing. She just thought I looked like someone else," blurted Windel nervously. With a collective sigh, the crowd dispersed. He felt an occasional glance in his direction, but no one would catch onto what he planned to do.<br/><br/>The two disadvantaged bar brawlers awoke from their unscheduled rest, and the armoured knight came along to shake his hand.<br/><br/>"Sir Arathorne of Claremont. It is my honor and good luck to have met you, brave benefactor."<br/><br/>His politeness irked Windel. The last person this polite that he worked with tried to kill him over one platinum coin piece.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Oh c'mon, he's not Maras, Windie. Just take him along!"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Then maybe he's Christopher. Or Mika-</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"And he's not Christopher or Mikalos."</span><br/><br/>Yuka couldn't have just guessed what Windel just thought. She was lucky, he thought. Stop looking horrified towards Arathorne, he thought.<br/><br/>"Oh-okay. No, I'm fine with you coming along. I'm Count Windel," sputtered Windel, hastily moving towards Jahan. "I... am Count Windel Medair. I'll be paying the fee for this mission, but my money's the first out and 50% of the total." His dignified voice and state of mind returned. And then stumbled onto a roadblock. Was there a healer around in the Fighter's Guild?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"The girl at the back's a healer. Long brown hair, blue eyes. Circlet. Pretty! She's 11."</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Thanks, Yuka.</span><br/><br/>Windel moved towards Kora swiftly, extending his hand towards hers. "Count Windel Medair. You're a healer. I need you for a mission." He looked towards her, waiting for her reply. The mermaid wouldn't be saving herself without a healer's aid.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>No one else could hear it, or see Yuka, but something about the healer, Kora, made her uneasy as Windel got closer. Was she that afraid of a healer that could harm her so easily?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">No, the healer probably couldn't harm a leaf. What was there to worry about? It was a one-in-a-million chanc- no, not one-in-a-million. One-in-a-thousand.</span>