Chat With A Bartender

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The room was far more buzzed and excited after Hugoh's announcement than it had been before Jak's entry, if that was even possible. What had already been a pretty merry environment turned into a full on party, nearly everyone taking a turn to come and see the redheaded individual who had made all the free drinks possible. Laughter and ear to ear grins ran rampant as regular Tavern goers slapped Jak on the back and ruffled the youths hair, giving shouts of excitement as they gathered around the young Rookie. Though not a fan of crowds or of being touched in general, Jak allowed it, greeting everyone in turn, having already expected such a response when he first arrived.

A number of people, namely all of them, wanted to hear about Jaks adventure and where he had been the whole time. Hugoh waved them away shortly after, though Jak hadn't exactly minded telling them if it had came to it.

"You don't have to tell them anything Jakky boi," an Intok local waved, patting the redhead on the back as he walked away. "It's just good to have you back."

"Yeah man. Way to beat death."

"Being killed is so overrated anyways."

Hugoh laughed as he waved the rest of them off. "Alright everyone, leave the young man be for now. I'm sure he has plenty of things to talk about."

The party continued on, but the vast majority of those surrounding Jak peeled off, leaving the redhead alone at the bar with Hugoh, returning to what they had been doing before.

"So, Jakky. What brings you here?" Hugoh took away the empty grape juice glass and slapped down a brand new one. "I don't suppose this was just a friendly visit, rehashing old relationships?"

"Would be nice if that was all it was," Jak responded, flicking the top of his newly obtained beverage. "There's more to it than that."

Hugoh leaned forward, rugged face moving closer to Jak. "Does it have to do with the incident three years ago? The BM?"

"The BM?"

Hugoh returned to his position. "You can't say much about the particular event these days. Folks who have knowledge on the topic have been going missing as of recently whenever it's passed around. I'm afraid if that's what you're after, you won't find many who're willing to discuss it. Even the WGC has a limited grasp on the situation with how scattered everything is."

It was like Hugoh had read Jak's mind, cutting right to the issues at hand. Aside from Hadok and Mako, there wasn't anyone who knew Jak better than Hugoh Shimura.

"The BM was a carefully calculated slaughter that very few could pull off without careful organization," Hugoh touched his chin. "Though the end goal of such an event is still a mystery, hardly any survivors or witnesses are still alive to this day. Only speculation and those who arrived at the crime scenes remain, and now you, I suppose. With you being the only survivor."

Jak let out a breath, having already suspected the vast majority of it all when he had skimmed the Archives Spheres. The Bird Massacre was essentially a dead-end in terms of information, something that even an info broker couldn't get their grimy hands on. Whoever had claimed the lives of all those involved in the event was still active and even going as far as to make sure it remained a mystery. The best thing Jak could do now was to attack an entirely different route in hopes of tracking down a potential lead. Meaning the Intel Mako had given to him was actually of some use.

"Fine." Jak popped off the top of the grape bottle, removing the cork. "Then how about details surrounding the Fairy Festival?"

"The one that Simone died in? The Rookie?"

Jak nodded.

Hugoh tilted his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "Not too many people talk about that actually. I personally only heard it two times since it happened and both were described as freak accidents."

"Do you remember who talked about it?"

"Some Aries Guild member and a wandering blacksmith named Tarkol. He lives up in Frogalia."

Jak frowned. "The Nothern Continent? Guess he's out of the question."

Hugoh shrugged. "Unless you're up for the travel. I hear Frogalia is pretty nice this time of year."

"Too wet."

"You don't like the water anymore?" Hugoh questioned.

"Not when the environment is hot and humid," Jak responded dismissively. "I'll take my chances with other things."

"Mmmm." The older gentleman poured a drink for an arriving customer before turning his attention back onto Jak. "What do you need the Fairy Festival for anyways? I don't see how it connects to the BM."

Jak took a swig of his drink. After setting his drink down, the young Rookie relayed what Mako had told him about, how everything connected, and what it could possibly mean. Though it was all drawn up as nothing but a guess, it made enough sense that Jak didn't feel entirely crazy repeating what his blue haired friend had told him. In addition to what he was told, Jak also freely explained the three other killed rookies who had bitten the dust on Ornera despite not being privy on the details. According to Mako, of the remaining Elemental Rookies in the current generation, only seven were still kicking it in total.

Hugoh digested the information quite well, a thoughtful look on his face as Jak finished up his explanation. After some time passed, he finally responded. "So, whoever slaughtered the Guilds were really after you and covered their tracks by murdering other important groups."

"Yeah."

"They're the same ones connected to the deaths of four other Rookies who died in freak accidents all across the main world."

"Correct."

"If that's the case, why wouldn't this same organization fully cover their tracks on those as well?"

"Cause very few would connect them together," Jak replied. "Most people don't even know I exist, let alone that I'm alive. The name Jak Yanda doesn't spark too much interest."

"What makes you say that?"

"Did everyone here know who I was, aside from the regulars?"

".....Fair point."

"I can't dive too deep into my search for those responsible for the Bird Massacre because of my quest," Jak continued. "I only have two days to get what I need and give myself a good headstart. An info broker would be preferred, honestly."

"You have a quest already? How long have you been in the Capital?"

"I got back yesterday."

Hugoh scoffed. "So you took the Reinstatement yesterday, I take it? Then you shouldn't have been allowed to take any quests technically. There's a 5-7 business day wait period before it's allowed."

"Tell that to the WGC," Jak muttered, finishing off his grape juice.

"For starters, what's this quest about?" Hugoh leaned forward once again.

Mako had told Jak that the quest was to be kept low key and to keep it confidential, and the WGC nor House Raine had told him anything. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't been told anything except where to show up. Anything that was said couldn't be traced back to him in the slightest.

With this in mind, Jak gave Hugoh the scoop.

"A subjugation quest?"

Jak nodded.

"But don't you need to be-"

"Above Rookie Class," Jak finished for him. "Mako already told me. Apparently a lot of exceptions are being made for this quest. There are things just out of my reach, things that are being kept secret."

"House Raine must be desperate if they're pulling strings to have TWO Elemental Rookies on their team." Hugoh touched his short salt and pepper beard. "In terms of a business standpoint I guess it makes sense, especially since hiring you guys would be cheaper than Rift Hunters, a lot more subtle as well. Rift Hunters draw too much attention."

"Not to mention the cost, even if they have a fair share of their own."

"I can see them hiring at least ten to fifteen though depending on the size and length of the expedition however even that is pushing it." Hugoh poured some more drinks as he spoke, refilling various customers. "There must be some underlying reason besides that since you can hire a relatively cheap Adventurer rank around the same power as you."

"It's fine. I have other things to worry-"

"Sorry, I'm just here to pay my tab."

A soft feminine voice filled Jaks ears, a tone that could easily be heard above the racket the party was making. Turning around in his chair, the redheads crimson hues flicked over to the owner of the melodic vocals, his eyes landing on a figure slightly shorter than him. Just like Jak had worn when he had first entered the Golden Tavern, the individual donned a pitch black cloak, one that covered the figures entire body. As hard as Jak peered, he couldn't make out any extinguishing features, only the hand that stretched out to lay a gold coin onto the counter top, a hand as pale as the snow itself.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Hugoh waved, taking the gold coin from the counter. "It wasn't anything of importance."

Without any additional words, the cloaked female gave a nod before turning and walking away.

As she slipped past Jak, a wave of cold washed over the young Rookie, enough to cause him to shiver in his seat, for the goosebumps on his body to rise up. The redhead continued to look at her as she trekked through the myriad of people within the Tavern, the vast majority of individuals even going as far as to take several steps back the moment they saw her coming. Jak was too focused on her leaving to realize that they seemed to be used to her presence, only noticing after she had turned the corner and disappeared from view.

"Who was that?" Jak questioned, his head turning back to Hugoh.

"That? No one really knows." Hugoh smiled. "We know she's female and she's got a super cold presence....literally. But that's it. She's a mystery and prefers to keep it that way."

"A mystery huh?" Jak murmured, looking towards the door once more. "It seems I have to deal with quite a number of those recently."