The place that Scott had led me to was probably the only tavern in all of London with all its majestic size that was open at three in the morning. The walls were made of old wood that would have rotted away years ago had they not been on the inside of the building. The whole place reeked of alcohol in an unsettling way and half of the tables and chairs were partially broken.
There was even a loft but I wouldn’t be caught dead up there as it looked as if it could fall at any moment. The only good thing about it was the fact that other than us and the bartender the only people here were passed out in strange sleeping positions. Scott seemed unfazed by any of this, he only really seemed to care about the alcohol that he was drinking. The moment we arrived here he even had the bartender go ahead and fill his flask.

I assume he might have the ability to never get drunk no matter how much he drank. That in itself was a scary thought to me. Once he’s had his drink he should start telling me what exactly was going on as he refused to say any more until he was drinking. He wasn't, so I decided to initiate the conversation.

“So… monsters exist. Can you tell me more about this Table and what the hell just happened?” I asked awkwardly. He looked up from his drink and stared into my eyes for a second with a kinda dumbfounded glare before finally turning back to his drink.

“I told you before, what you fought were changelings. One of many kinds of supernatural beings. I remove them if they get violent because that is what the Table does as a whole.” He reiterated.

“...” He saw my silence as me waiting for him to elaborate, I guess because that’s what he did.

“Monsters and other mythical creatures have existed since the dawn of mankind, maybe even before. By studying them or mating with them some humans received magical abilities creating witches and sorcerers. I can introduce you to a few of the nicer ones later. The group I belong to is known as the Table and has hunted violent creatures since the time of King Arturius better known as King Arthur. Merlin, Arthur's aid, was a sorcerer and many of his knights were creatures he had befriended. Together, they were known as the Round Table. Since then the Round Table has changed names and spread throughout the world coming to be known today as the Table. Although there were people, mainly religious zealots who hunted the violent creatures, the Round Table was the first gathered for a single cause, to protect the peace between the two sides.” Scott elaborated with a tired and boring tone.
I wasn’t exactly surprised that King Arthur had been brought up in this conversation but I had no real response so instead, I spat out the stupidest thing I could have said but the only thing I could think of. I asked him about every mythical creature I could think of and whether they were real or not.

“So… vampires are real?”

“Yes.”

“Changelings?”

“One tried to kill you earlier.”

“Fenrir's?”

“Only in Italy.”

“Leprechauns?”

“They run all the banking systems in the British Isles.”

“What?”

“They can remember anything relating to currency, like dragons they hoard wealth and they also live three times as long as humans.”

“Werewolves?” he Kinda paused for a moment before answering as if he was having a horrid flashback.

“They are nearly extinct, partially because of me.” He said with a solemn look. I decided he had some kind of vendetta with werewolves so I didn’t pursue that anymore.

“Booze Sprites?”

“If there is a Sprite in my booze, so help me God I will lock it in an iron and silver cage and shake it around until it dies.” After he finished his threat he set his drink down and a small glimmer rose out of the cup and sped off with lightning-like speed. He had turned away just in time to not see it but I nearly spat out my own drink. Noticing my reaction, Scott swatted out his arm and caught the ball of light in his hand. At some point what I had only noticed now was that Scott had removed his gloves. Bringing his closed hand closer to his face he whispered something into his hand. Then with what looked to be a nod of agreeance, he opened up his hand and the light flew off.

“I’m surprised you could see it as it truly was. Most people can’t see supernatural creatures that want to blend in.” Scott said with an intrigued look.

“Why can’t people see them?” I asked.

“Most intelligent supernatural beings have a second form that allows them to blend in with the human world. Changelings are some of the few that can have as many forms as they want. Though forms can be either flesh which causes physical changes to their body or mimicry which alters people's perception of them. That was the latter.” Scott explained.

“I could never do that before.” I said with a genuinely confused look.

“That’s strange. Either people are born with that ability or they learn to see them. However, you do not seem to know how you came to be able to see them. That is interesting. Were you perchance possessed at any point recently?” He asked. Though his face showed that he was joking.

“Alright, what about this Table? How do you function? Is it government-run or independent?” I asked, brushing off his question.
“There are a couple of thousand agents worldwide, but we are not everywhere, only where we are allowed to be. Some governments would rather deal with monsters themselves but because of a lack of personnel, I am the only true agent in all of London. Thus it is my entire district. There is a sorcerer and a witch that I am on friendly terms with and they help me from time to time, otherwise, it’s just me. That is why I would like to recruit you.” He said without a care for the fact that I brushed off his question.

“So.. you want me to join this Table and help you fight monsters and protect London?” I asked.

“In a way, yes.” He said before taking a sip of his drink.

“Dope.” I replied with an eager attitude.

“There will be no drugs.” He stated in a stern tone.

“No, it’s a phrase. It means awesome.” I tried to explain.

“I don’t see what this has to do with religion.” Scott said with a slightly confused look. I was starting to realize that some terms changed over time. I can tell him that I’m from the future right? He deals with the supernatural all the time so he might not think I’m crazy, right? He did save me too so I think I can trust him.

“It’s a term from the future.” I said matter-of-factly.

“What?” He said with a dumbfounded look.

“The future, I’m from the future and those phrases are commonplace in the future. Specifically, the twenty-first century.” I explained further

“The future huh, guess I really have to take to that sorcerer I mentioned to see if you’re telling the truth?” Scott said calmly.

“Great, I can’t wait. Though, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that monsters exist. Perhaps the alcohol will make it sound more believable.” I said before gulping down my mug. Scott and I drank for a good while before I blacked out.