Silagrad was truly a beautiful city, the gem of the Empire. To say Akio was proud to be a naturalized citizen living here would be an understatement. That said, even the most beautiful of gems occasionally needed to be cleaned, and as a Paladin of the Empire it was his job to do the cleaning. Well, a junior member of the Paladins, but it still applied.
All of that said, he could not help wonder at the logic that had gotten him sent undercover to an underground drug house. Supposedly because he was new, he would not be a known entity yet. That part he did understand. The other reason had been that he was a minority, which were seen as stereotypically more likely to commit crimes. Akio was not much of a fan of stereotypes, even when he was not the target.
Orders were orders though, so now probably the worst actor among the paladins was supposed to convince a bunch of drug dealers that he was not, in fact, law enforcement.
He was doomed.
The nervousness he was showing as he looked around for anyone following him was only partially feigned, and after turning one more alley he reached his destination. It was an old general store, with products on display that looked older than Akio. A rather burley looking man leaned against the wall next to the entrance, and there was a distinct lack of customers in the area. With more than a little trepidation, he approached the door and said the code phrase he had been given.
“The mages lack their magic.” It had seemed a peculiar code phrase to him, given how antimagic the Empire was. That was perhaps the point, as no normal person would say it. Either way it seemed to work, as after giving him a critical look the guard rapped on the door.
A few moments later the door opened suddenly. Akio’s sudden jump in response was only partially exaggerated, which seemed to ease any suspicion about his identity. A second man wearing a sword on his hip led the undercover paladin inside, bringing him into the back room. Here he found dozens of drug-addled citizens, destroying their lives over something as worthless as a few minutes of being high. It was a rather depressing sight.
“What do you want?” asked a third man, who was clearly the actual seller. He wore more gold jewelry than anyone had a reason to be wearing, and was smoking a cigar. Such a disgusting habit, he had to force himself not to wrinkle his nose in disgust.
“Uh… magic?” Akio asked in turn. Since no one had actually gotten inside before, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next. Not that it mattered, he had already accomplished the first part of his mission by getting inside.
“Why you, kill this asshole!”
The second man drew his sword and pointed it at Akio ready to strike. Now it was time for the second part of his mission.
505/500 words
All of that said, he could not help wonder at the logic that had gotten him sent undercover to an underground drug house. Supposedly because he was new, he would not be a known entity yet. That part he did understand. The other reason had been that he was a minority, which were seen as stereotypically more likely to commit crimes. Akio was not much of a fan of stereotypes, even when he was not the target.
Orders were orders though, so now probably the worst actor among the paladins was supposed to convince a bunch of drug dealers that he was not, in fact, law enforcement.
He was doomed.
The nervousness he was showing as he looked around for anyone following him was only partially feigned, and after turning one more alley he reached his destination. It was an old general store, with products on display that looked older than Akio. A rather burley looking man leaned against the wall next to the entrance, and there was a distinct lack of customers in the area. With more than a little trepidation, he approached the door and said the code phrase he had been given.
“The mages lack their magic.” It had seemed a peculiar code phrase to him, given how antimagic the Empire was. That was perhaps the point, as no normal person would say it. Either way it seemed to work, as after giving him a critical look the guard rapped on the door.
A few moments later the door opened suddenly. Akio’s sudden jump in response was only partially exaggerated, which seemed to ease any suspicion about his identity. A second man wearing a sword on his hip led the undercover paladin inside, bringing him into the back room. Here he found dozens of drug-addled citizens, destroying their lives over something as worthless as a few minutes of being high. It was a rather depressing sight.
“What do you want?” asked a third man, who was clearly the actual seller. He wore more gold jewelry than anyone had a reason to be wearing, and was smoking a cigar. Such a disgusting habit, he had to force himself not to wrinkle his nose in disgust.
“Uh… magic?” Akio asked in turn. Since no one had actually gotten inside before, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next. Not that it mattered, he had already accomplished the first part of his mission by getting inside.
“Why you, kill this asshole!”
The second man drew his sword and pointed it at Akio ready to strike. Now it was time for the second part of his mission.
505/500 words