The Finest Taste [Private]

It was dark out, with the full moon visible in the midnight sky. Thick fog covered the surrounding forest, with anyone spellbound to lose their way. Red Alert, or what seems to be him, could be wandering about in the forest. He looked like he was looking for something, though with his calm nature, he is not too worried about the fog.

And it was until later when the moon was bathed in red. Harrowing screams filled the air, and caused him to panic. He frantically ran away, hoping to get out of the forest. He felt being chased by something sinister... hellbent on killing him. And the next thing he knew...

He woke up, sweating at the nightmare he had. Perhaps it was a memory? Or just a nightmare, he thought.

It's time for him to start his day. The sun is up, and he has to work to survive. As he was on his way, he sensed that something was amiss. It was until he arrived at the guildless job board that his magic was out of commission. Beneath his visor, words that says "Updating Magic" would be seen on the lower left, and all of his arsenals are disabled.

It is not unfortunate for him, but it's merely inconvenient. This conundrum he has limits what job he has to take before he is able to use his arsenal. Until then, he has to pick a job which does not require magic. And fortunately, he spots something easy. Too easy.

And with that, he is on his way to a high class restaurant in Rose Garden. He got out of the inn and headed straight down the road where the restaurant is located.

Knock. Knock. Knock. He stood in front of the restaurant's doors, waiting patiently for the owner to arrive. There were no sound of footsteps that he could hear from the inside or whatsoever. Perhaps he early? A little too early, he thought to himself. He shifted his attention towards the update. "Progress - 10%. This will take longer than I thought." He muttered to himself.

It was only a few minutes later that he heard someone coming to the door, unlocking the locks from behind.

As the doors were open, Red Alert was met with an old gentleman. He looked dignified, wearing a formal wear as expected of the owner of a high class restaurant. "Greetings! Are you here for the er... wine testing?" The owner asked, almost hesitantly as he saw the armored mage. "I am. I assume you are not yet open for business, am I right? It's a bit early to open up around this hour." 

"Indeed. I open up usually a couple of hours later, and I'm just early to prepare myself for lunch service. Now, come inside! Don't be shy." The elderly gentleman invited him in, and Red Alert politely bowed down his head and went straight inside.

As he entered the room, he spotted on the bar counter what seems to be a bottle of wine and a champagne glass. "Let me tell you about our wine. It is homemade, and this is our very first batch of wine, aged to perfection! We would like to know what you think of this wine before we serve it to our customers. Here, let me pour you a drink." The man poured some wine on Red Alert's glass.

Somehow, the wine seemed to remind him of something, something of his past. But he brushed it off, as he took a sip from the wine. The owner was confused at how a man such as himself could drink from a helmet, but he disregarded that thought as it might be magic. "Well?" he asked, reluctant to know what he thought of the wine. Unexpectedly, he replied as if he was a professional judge "You are right. I enjoyed it, and it might be one of the best wines I've ever tasted. It aged perfectly, if I might say so. But this is coming from one mage. You might need to get the opinions of others to reach a consensus." He said, as he took a few more sips from his glass.

After that, he bid his farewell to the owner, promising to come back to get a taste of that wine on his next visit to Rose Garden. Perhaps it was not the wine, but the memory of the wine, that let him remember fragments of his memories.

A memory of him and another man, whose face is but a blur.