Alleyways of Information

Sharp, cold air filled his lungs as he made his way down the mountain, to a nearby town on its foot. V's own feet were killing him, having to remind himself that he was going to look around the town for the good of the Guild. Thus making the pain that was coursing through his body worth it. In his head, anyway. Oh how he hoped that something was happening in the town, as he grit his teeth.

The tattooed man stepped into the town. The sky was overcast and the few people who were walked about did not add to the atmosphere that felt heavy and depressing. Most of the folks shared the features of emptiness in both their eyes and expressions. Even their body language did not speak for much, as V's gaze glided over the inhabitants. His walking pace considerably slowed down in an attempt to not pressure himself too much, but to also keep moving at the same time. The mage feared that he would need some more time to recover after the little trip was over, as per his usual routine when he went outside.

Nothing suspicious or eyebrow raising was happening within the town, at first glance. V did not overhear any gossip or rumours on his stroll. Though there was still one part of the town that the mage purposefully left uncharted during the visit. The backstreets and dark alleyways. Not that the town itself was any lighter than the area he was heading to. While the people did not pay him any mind before, as soon as it became apparent as to where he was going, some had a strange shocked expression. Whatever the reason for this sudden change was, V did not care.

The mage did his best to quell the sound of his cane, but he eventually gave up and fully picked it up off the ground. After a few steps into one of the dark alleyways, his nose was hit by a foul smell that was incredibly vicious. It was in that instance that V cursed his greater sense of smell out loud as his eyes watered up in a feeble attempt to fight the unpleasant aroma wafting through the air. As bad as the experience was, V was thankful for his hearing. He heard a bit of commotion up ahead, in a form of a few short sentences that he could not decipher because of his preoccupied mind.

V put his not gloved left hand over his nose, desperately trying to protect his sense and stomach. The alleyway was surrounded by low buildings, but none of them had any sort of fencing around them. The mage's body was pressed against a cold wall, as he carefully made his way towards the origin of the sound he had heard earlier. The wall also proved to be a solid support for his pained body.

After a few more shaky steps he reached the end of a building and he ducked, peeking his head from around the corner ever so slightly. There was only one person in what seemed to be a small community place. It was filled with rubbish bags and cans that seemed to reek of rotten food. V had his fair share of experience with taking out rubbish and waste, but that was before his training under his demonic mentor. It was both annoying and infuriating, but he did not let that break his concentration. The person that was standing near a shabby door seemed as if he was waiting for somebody else. Nervous shuffling of feet, eyes flicking to a certain direction. V did not have to wait long for an another person to appear.

The tattooed man's back was glued to the wall, as he watched the other man approach the waiting man. "Thank you for waiting. I assume you have the necessary paperwork for the new law ideas you proposed?" The man who arrived spoke in a hushed tone, but V could understand every word he said despite that. "Ye-Yes, I do." The other man still seemed to be nervous. However, the subject of their talk was more interesting than the people themselves. "Then, may the New Law look over it and confirm the content? We wouldn't want to make a mistake." The man who arrived would say, though something about his tone seemed a bit off.

The men then quietly entered the door, after knocking twice, pausing and then knocking three times, which seemed to be a secret code to get inside. As much as V wished to actually get inside himself, he didn't think that was the correct course of action. However, he still wanted to know more. The bit of knowledge he had accumulated did not feel sufficient.

There were no apparent windows near the door that the men used as an entry-point, but the door itself was incredibly thin, making it easy for sound to filter through. It was also made easier thanks to V's great hearing. His joints cried out in agony as he quickly shuffled to the door and listened. He managed to catch only a few sententes, but they seemed fruitful. V essentially confirmed that the New Law was a group of people, not just a name for some shady operation. The group seemed to be bent on establishing new laws for strangers and passing travellers through the town, but wished to propose the idea to other neighbouring towns. He could not learn more, since the dialogue faded away from his hearing range, but he wrote everything down into his Book. The tattoed man was sure that his Guildmaster would be interested to hear about this group.