The night went on, growing later and later. But strangely, the tavern around them only got louder and livelier, the sounds of laughter and chatter echoing from outside their room.
Eccar felt that this brought a certain color to the place — a sharp contrast to the Elven Kingdom. He rarely saw this kind of energy in the Elf Palace. The Elves were always so calm and peaceful that Eccar sometimes wondered how they even had fun at all.
He glanced at the two human parties sitting in front of him — eight people in total. Some of them were already deep into their drinks, chatting and laughing as they tried to grow more familiar with one another. They had said that the chemistry between their parties was crucial for their survival during the quest ahead. And Eccar thought to himself that they were probably right.
But among those adventurers, there were two who didn't seem drunk — or even as relaxed — as the others. They were the leaders of each party, Jan and Mark.
