"They are useless pieces of human waste... However, they were still trained in the legion, so I'd say a bit stronger than an average man," the man explained as Adrian stole another glance at the lot, still merry and drinking, so comfortably in the bar owned by the father of the girl they did such a thing to.
"Then you must assume I'm far stronger if you expect me to take on all of them at once," Adrian pushed away the bowl of food, having emptied it entirely.
"It must not be at once; catch them individually and off guard, then torture and kill them."
Ryan looked at the man for a short moment before sipping on the gin he had left alone to focus on his meal.
"It'd be faster all at once," Adrian replied, slamming the glass back on the counter.
"When would I be able to meet them privately?"
The man's fingers ran through his beard as he thought for a moment. "They normally patrol around Azkai, but on days they get drunk like this, they'd head straight back to their residence."
"And where's that?"
"Just follow the lead of your partner."
"Partner?" Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Ruck will be accompanying you," the innkeeper informed as he pushed a jug of beer to Chloe, who rushed to the counter to pick it up, exchanging a glance and nod with Adrian.
"Why, I'd be fine alone," Adrian disagreed.
"You probably will," the innkeeper sighed, "but give him this chance, to avenge a girl he considered his own sister, or at least witness it," the man's tone growing sadder as he spoke.
"Fine," Adrian agreed as he downed the last contents of his cup.
Hours passed, and with each one, a completely intoxicated drunk stumbled his way out of the bar, now armed with the ability to face his problems head-on, or at least for it to not bother him.
At this point, the bar had gone from being packed with people to a few patrons slumping on tables and chairs, while others lay passed out on the floor. Chloe, who sat on a chair with her head laid on a table, looked an awful lot like the drunken mess of people; however, hers was a result of fatigue, not severe intoxication.
Even among the slumbering drunks, the bar still had some lively individuals; the table of the obnoxious armored bunch now made a target for Ryan's list of victims, still clicked together mugs and drank well into the night.
"It's time to go, fellas," the innkeeper voiced as he walked out from behind the counter. "It's well past our closing time," he informed gently, kicking one of the drunks that lay on the floor.
"Come on, old man, a couple more beers," one of the men swayed his mug in the air as he spoke, his long brown hair falling down to his neck, and a large nose curving downward.
"We are out of beer, and besides, all my staff are tired," the innkeeper explained as one of the other drunk men picked up his friend from the floor, supporting him out of the bar.
"Well, your staff are lazy," one of the men stood up, dropping his empty mug, letting it bounce on the table and fall to the floor. The rest of them stood as well, swaying as they tried to make it to the door.
"If your daughter... The one with the white hair, if she was here, she'd have served us till sunrise... how sad that she took her life," the brown-haired man turned to the innkeeper. "She was also quite the beauty; I wish I could have had another night with her-"
"GET OUT!" Ruck exclaimed from the kitchen door, his brows furrowed in anger and his fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Why so angry?" the girl among the armored group asked with a mischievous smirk. "We gave her the best night of her life, and she still decided to off herself; what an ungrateful bitch," she slurred her words as she drunkenly swayed out of the bar with the rest.
"See you next week, fuckers," the group laughed as the door closed behind them.
"Old man, I can't keep doing this," Ruck mumbled, veins popping through his neck and head. "I can't keep watching them live with no consequences. I know I can't win against them, but at least..."
The old man sighed, his calloused hands rubbing across the chipped wood of the counter. "I'm a terrible father, Ruck, a weak one," the innkeeper's voice dripped with deep sadness.
"You are like a son to me, and I didn't want to lose you as well, so I forced us to bear our pain in silence... but our revenge begins today."
"What?" Ruck's voice laced with confusion and anticipation.
"You'd go with the lad over there," the innkeeper pointed to Ryan, who sat on a stool at the bar counter watching in silence. "And you both will deliver the justice that has been prolonged for so long."
Ruck turned to Ryan. He hadn't really taken notice of it before, but as he gazed at him, looking at his emotionless face, his eyes an abyss of despair alone.
'This man is dangerous,' Ruck thought.
"You know where their residence is?" Ryan asked, his voice low and measured.
"Yes," Ruck replied swiftly.
"Good." Ryan stood from where he sat. "We move in forty minutes."