Old Friend

Evan and the others had set off for Firnorm towards evening, to arrive by night, and already at dawn, they would be met by Alf Lovaas's man. Thus, when they passed through the gates of the village, a bright blue moon was already rising from the horizon, illuminating the area well due to the blanket of snow covering everything around.

There were no guards in Firnorm, no one was stopping or inspecting them. Firnorm was one of the freest villages since it was mostly inhabited by hunters who knew each other.

"Where are we going?" Evan asked, looking around, apart from a few silhouettes pacing amongst the houses, he didn't see anything of note, though... there was still something.

'Damn... Even though I can't even see their faces, it's enough to know that they're mages too. Moreover, are they all Amplifiers like Halvor? Why is their physique so impressive?' Evan pondered. The question of what Class to choose was one of his main concerns, and he had to take it seriously.

However, he had too little information. He had only seen one Amplifier and Creator involved in the battle, which was not enough to make a wise decision. Also, Evan had to take into attention the demon power, it had a big impact as demons could enhance the advantages and hide the weaknesses of a particular Class.

Halvor smiled broadly, pointing to the only tavern in the village with a massive sign with a glass of beer and a yellow duckling painted on it.

"Here! The Drunken Duck! One of the best places I've ever been!" Halvor exclaimed with an excited expression before heading forward.

Klaus raised an eyebrow, "One of the best because it's the only one?"

Halvor frowned, "Do you think I've spent my whole life here? I'm 55! Don't forget that! I've been to many places, even places you couldn't dream of! This one just has its own unique atmosphere!"

Crackle.

Halvor opened the doors, entering the tavern and letting out a powerful smell of alcohol. On the second floor were the bedrooms, while on the first floor was a 24-hour food and drink service. 

Their group was quite large, seven people, but they quickly found a suitable table and were immediately approached by a girl in a black and white waiter's uniform.

"Welcome to the drunken duck! Mr. Halvor, it's been quite a while since you've been in, has something special happened?" The girl uttered with an obvious smile on her face.

Halvor nodded, with a wave of his hand pointing to the others, "Yeah, as you can see I'm in great company today. Bring as much booze and food as you can. Here, I think there's enough."

Halvor tossed the girl a pouch, with silver coins glinting off the top of it. In fact, it was several times more than necessary, which made the girl's eyes shine with joy.

In one day, the girl only earned one silver, so it was a big profit for the tavern.

All the mages had quite a lot of money, but not all of them were generous. Many, even though they had great wealth, were greedy misers. They didn't want to give away even an extra copper coin.

"Enjoy your meal!" The girl cheerfully said, filling their table with various food, which had everything from meat and rice to fruits and vegetables. Among the many dishes, one could even find desserts, small but really appetizing looking.

Everyone had their own preferences, so while Evan and Klaus ate meat, and Ruby, Reine, and Lana enjoyed juicy fruits, Halvor poured liters of alcohol into himself while snacking on desserts. Hana was somewhat similar to Halvor, but she ate more sweets and much, much less booze.

"Damn! I love the food here!" Halvor exclaimed happily, not hiding his emotions.

Evan raised an eyebrow, dealing with the pork knuckle. He hadn't seen Halvor this happy even after an extremely successful hunt.

"Hmm? The food? You've eaten the least, and yet you're about to drain all their alcohol supply." Klaus smirked, cutting the steak into long slices.

Halvor frowned, "You better watch yourself. I eat what I want, and I don't judge anyone, I suggest you stick to the same, what's more, it's all free for you!"

"Well, you have a point." Klaus smiled slightly and shrugged.

They were hungry, so for the first few minutes, no one said much. But as time went by and they became satiated, various topics started to be touched upon.

Mostly Lana and Reine talked, often arguing with each other while Hana and Ruby tried to calm them down. Halvor didn't care about anything, and Evan and Klaus looked serene but kept glancing around.

With the sound of creaking chairs, two tall men approached them with sly smirks looking at Ruby, Lana, Reine, and Hana. Their intentions were clear and understandable.

"Hey! Looks like you guys have a fun group here. Would you mind if we join you?" A man with a large scar on his face uttered, towering over Ruby.

Lana looked at him menacingly, "You think someone like you could interest us? You better get out of here while you still can."

The man's face twisted as he clenched his fists tightly.

A second man stepped forward.

"Hah, I wouldn't be so rude if I were you. You may think they can protect you, but you better not mess with us! We just want to spend time in the company of beautiful girls, well, as well as the night! Hahahahaha!"

His laughter spread throughout the tavern, no one liked it, but no one was going to help them. These two were Mages, so arguing with them was life-threatening. They were heavily drunk, so even if they could sense Halvor's aura, they were still confident in their abilities.

Evan and Klaus were ready to act, they couldn't let some idiots get in their way. However, they stopped when Halvor abruptly turned around.

"Man, you got something to say? You know we don't mind sharing, there are enough girls here for the three of us!" The scarred man chuckled evilly.

Halvor's eyes went wide as his gaze drifted further away.

"Agh...?"

At the same moment, something grabbed the men's heads, sharply bumping their foreheads against each other, so hard that their eyes rolled back, they blacked out.

Behind them, stood a man in a plain purple and blue robe with long black hair and narrowed eyes.

"Angus!" Halvor exclaimed happily as if he had met an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

"Hello. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Angus smiled.