Alleyway Chaos [Job/Solo]

Mercenaries Stopped

The night was chilly in Reim as a silver-haired mage from Magnostadt roamed the streets under the moonlight. His name was Adrastos Thanatos, and he was a blue mage. He wore his usual black ensemble and held his staff, Lux Animae Mortem, in his right hand. He was only out walking instead of sleeping because it was a nice night to go for a harmless stroll while thinking about the event that were going on. There was a lot of pleasant discussions that went on during the day about the new king of Reim, but as soon as the sun went down, whispers of rebellion and slaughter slithered through the darkest corners of Reim. Obviously, even Reim had its dark side, one that not many knew of and others secretly engaged in. Adrastos was in neither party, but was no fan of Reim. There was only one country he affiliated himself with and it was meant to be a secret. For now that is.
Adrastos sighed to himself as he looked up and was able to see the gorgeous palace from where he walked. It made him envious. He wanted the power of a king and the riches that were involved in it. He wanted to conquer a dungeon and be a king candidate. Luckily, for him there were two ways to do that; one path was just darker than the other.
Since the new king of Reim had been crowned, Adrastos didn't care about what other people thought or said. He'd shrug off anyone who dared to concern them with their opinions or complaints. Adrastos didn't want to hear about them, nor did he want to have anything to do with them. After all, if he let them get close, talk to him, they'd foolishly think that he was their friend.
Adrastos found himself listening to these nasty little rumors tonight though, especially when he noticed a group of four mercenaries all huddled in a circle. They mumbled their words amongst each other, careful to keep curious ears out of the conversation, but since Adrastos was so close, he heard every word that slipped past their lips. They spoke in great detail about storming the palace gates and entering the king's chambers. They even mentioned the gory way in which they would dethrone the new King and take him out of power.
"Tonight is the best night to do this," hissed one man. "Maybe you're right. If we wait too long, who knows what the king will do to this country." "But," said one, "what if we get caught? We'd be severely punished for it, wouldn't we?" The last voice belonged to someone who was a newb in the group. "Shut up. We didn't let you join just to hear your whiny attitude," growled one man. "Yes, sir." The man that had growled sounded like he was the one in command of the soon-to-be operation. "Now, listen up and listen good, we-" There was an abrupt halt in the sentence, making Adrastos look at the mercenaries who now stared at him. So much for eavesdropping on the whole conversation, he thought.
"Oh, don't mind me," said the silver-haired mage with a crooked smile. "I was just about to hear your little plan. Sounds interesting already. I mean, trying to take the palace gates with just the four of you to do it?" Adrastos whistled. "Pretty intense." The leader stepped forward, unsheathing his sword. "You know what, boys? I have a better idea. Let's just get rid of this man and then head off to the palace gates, eh?" The other three chuckled and advanced while still staying behind their leader. "Hey, now, I don't want any trouble," said Adrastos, playing the feeble man who didn't want to pick a fight. "Too bad. Looks like you found one." In reality, Adrastos wasn't too pleased with the outcome. He actually wanted to see if he could join in, but considering their attitudes toward the mage, those were not his options. He had a different hand of cards to deal with.
The leader swung his blade down, and it lashed into his arm. Blood slowly began to seep from the fresh wound. Adrastos cursed at himself and stepped back into the streets while ripping a piece of black fabric from his vest and tying it over the gash to stop the bleeding. "Get back here!"  The leader struck the mage's face with his Back Scratch, or at least tried to if it wasn't for his borg getting in the way. The three mercenaries gasped. "He's a magician?!" Adrastos would have rolled his eyes at their stupidity. Did they think he carried around his staff for no reason? Like it was just some sort of accessory? Eh, he could have been for all they knew, but he wasn't.
"Bravo," Adrastos said with his voice laced with mockery. "Glad you noticed. Want to know something else? I'm about to give you all frostbite." With that, he casted Adrustum Aura, freezing the area around the mercenaries so that they received the frostbite that he had promised them. Their knees buckled as they slid to the ground. "Now stay," Adrastos muttered before leaving to find a City Official.
Adrastos didn't want to get a City Official, but there was a feeling in the back of his mind that told him there was a possible reward for the good deed that he had done. He wasn't in it for being nice, but rather for the money. When finding a City Official, he patiently told the man of the incident that had just occurred. "Really now?" He rubbed his scruffy beard while looking at the mage, deep in thought as he considered what to do. "So, you were just walking along, minding your own business, when you overheard a group of mercenaries talking about storming the palace gates? Then they attacked you and you had no other alternative than to stop them yourself?" Adrastos nodded, fighting off the urge to roll his eyes. Wasn't that what I just said? "Well, if what you say is true, then I thank you. Please accept this for your services," the City Official said as he dropped a bog in the mage's hand. "Now, where did you leave them?" Adrastos pointed in the direction of the alleyway he had left. "Thanks," the man said again before leaving.
Taking that as a queue to leave as well, Adrastos turned and walked in the opposite direction that the City Official had gone in.