Tavern Brawl

As Aola finished examining the goods they had brought, she requested their guild license to register their findings and proof of their ranks. Upon inspecting their documents, she was surprised to see that they were all just A-rank adventurers.

"Well, blow me down! You lot are just A-ranks?" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Took a whole flotilla to bring down a Kraken, ye know!" she added, shaking her head in amazement.

The four scratched their heads, exchanging sheepish glances. Kyru managed a nervous smile. "Heh, feels a bit familiar, doesn't it? Remember when we took down that basilisk? We had the same reaction from Lila."

Shiiyo smiled and nodded in agreement. Aola, wearing a smug expression, leaned in slightly and remarked, "I reckon you lot must've had a trick or two up yer sleeves to take down a beast like that, eh?"

Risky shrugged nonchalantly. "Well... sometimes we're just lucky, you know."

Stepping forward, Creed addressed Aola firmly. "Well, enough of that for a moment. How about giving us the price we got from this?" he stated, his tone brooking no argument.

Aola snapped back into action, reaching behind the counter to retrieve a bag of coins. With a flourish, she handed it to them, the weight of the bag causing it to jingle enticingly. The crew's eyes widened in amazement at the sight of their reward.

Risky couldn't help but express his satisfaction. "Well, looks like we won't be having money troubles for a while," he remarked, a pleased grin spreading across his face. Shiiyo nodded in agreement.

Kyru chimed in eagerly. "I'll be feasting on grilled squid and washing it down with a few tankards of ale," he declared with enthusiasm.

Creed interjected, his tone serious. "Remember, we need to use this money for repairs. This wasn't just our work; it was the effort of everyone on the ship. Without their help, we couldn't have taken down that monster."

The others sighed, acknowledging Creed's point. With a shared smile, they agreed to use the reward money wisely. As they pocketed their coins, they made plans to purchase supplies for the ship, ready to continue their journey together.

As the squad prepared to head out, they were suddenly halted by a pair of rough-looking adventurers halfway. With menacing grins, they encircled the group.

"Well, well, well," their leader began, a smirk playing on his lips. "Seems like you lads have quite the haul there. Fancy shaking loose a drink for us, eh?"

Another thug sauntered up close to Shiiyo, who seemed to be ignoring the tense situation. "Aye, mate, you've got some fine gear there," he remarked, circling around and eyeing Shiiyo's equipment. "Looks like it could fetch a pretty penny, it does."

Creed stepped forward, his tone respectful but firm. "We mean no trouble, friend. I'd advise you to leave us be and attend to your own affairs."

The thug leader snapped back, closing the distance to Creed's face. "Now, that ain't how you talk to us outsiders! Just a bit o' gold won't hurt, now will it?"

Kyru stepped up between them, attempting to defuse the escalating tension. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there, mate," he said, adopting a pirate accent as he addressed them. "Ahoy there, matey! We don't be wantin' no trouble here, chump. How about ye let us be on our way, aye? You boys seem like reasonable lads. What say ye?"

The thug leader seized Kyru by the collar, yanking him closer with a steely grip. "You ain't the one decidin' what we do 'round here, mate," he growled, pulling Kyru even closer to his face. "And for one thing," he snarled, emphasizing each word, "We. Are. Not. Mates."

Suddenly, Creed grabbed him by the wrist, his voice taking on a menacing tone as he slowly squeezed the thug's wrist, causing him to let go of Kyru. "Let me give you some advice here, lad," Creed said, his gaze unwavering. "One, you and your men are causing commotions around here," he continued, twisting the thug's arm with one hand. "Two, people like you should be put in their places," he added, his grip tightening.

"And three," he said, closing in on the thug's face, his voice dripping with menace, "No one messes with my friends." With that, Creed delivered a straight punch to the thug, sending him crashing into a nearby table, unconscious. The other thugs watched in fear as their boss was overpowered by the formidable paladin.

As the thug leader crashed onto one of the tables, chaos erupted in the guild. Kyru grinned mischievously, declaring, "Looks like it's gonna be a tavern brawl!" With a swift punch, he knocked another thug to the ground, igniting the frenzy.

Meanwhile, Creed found himself in the midst of the brawl, locking arms with two thugs who had underestimated his strength. With a firm grip, he held them in a headlock, their struggles futile against his iron grasp.

Risky darted between flying objects, his reflexes sharp as he dodged incoming mugs and chairs. "I swear, we were just supposed to come here to trade!" he shouted over the din, ducking under a particularly hefty chair.

Kyru, in the background, was a whirlwind of motion, delivering swift punches and kicks to anyone foolish enough to challenge him. "Sorry about this, folks! We'll clean up after!" he called out amidst the chaos, his grin never fading.

Meanwhile, Shiiyo remained calm and collected, gracefully sidestepping punches aimed at him as if he were dancing through the chaos. With both hands casually tucked into his pockets, he exuded an air of nonchalance, as if the brawl were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Amidst the chaos, a random thug swung a chair at Creed's back, only to find it shattering upon impact. With a gleam in his eyes, Creed turned to face his assailant, a silent warning in his gaze. With a swift motion, he tossed aside the thugs he had been restraining, then grabbed the one who had struck him by the head and hurled him out of the window with startling strength.

The brawl raged on, but amidst the mayhem, the four friends fought as a cohesive unit, their teamwork and camaraderie evident even in the midst of chaos.