Far From Home [Nymara]

A man dressed in simple clothes and a pair of round sunglasses stepped from a train car down to the Aurelia City Train Station platform. It would be an understatement to say he was far from home, and dressed in a style he was not used to. It was, unfortunately, for a mission, so his personal comfort was secondary. The only consolation was the pair of fold up blades strapped secretly to his back. They were far from the top of the line equipment a Paladin like him might use otherwise, but it would suffice.

Several days ago a dark mage drug runner had slipped out of the Pergrande Empire and made his way through Iceberg to Bosco. At least, he thought he had slipped away from the Empire. Akio had been tracking this fugitive across country lines hoping the man would lead him back to his guild, the source of the recent drug problems within the Ironheart Pact. Now the trail had brought the Imperial Paladin to this country’s capital city. This kind of undercover work was not what he was best at, it was only because of his heritage that he had ultimately been chosen. With his appearance and Midian accent, few would think he was from Pergrande.

One thing that he had not foreseen though was just how busy this capital would be. Population wise, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the Empire. It was small even for his birth nation of Midi. Either trade was doing exceptionally well within Aurelia, or there was some kind of festival going on. Regardless of the reason, Akio lost his target in the sea of people. There were other Pergrande agents in the city already as part of the mission, but he had been the point man. Losing sight of him was incredibly frustrating.

Moving away from the train, he slipped through the thong of people as if threading a needle. His steps were light and his movements fluid, allowing him to make it through fairly quickly. Not in time to catch the criminal before he left the station it seemed though. By the time he arrived outside the station, the fugitive was gone. Using his communication device, he let the other agents know the man had slipped the net. Hopefully they would locate him, in the meantime Akio would have to do some leg work.

Nearby to the station was a series of stalls selling street food. Walking up to one, he presented a drawing of the man he had received from Intelligence prior to the mission. “Have you seen this man pass by?”

“No I haven’t,” the vendor replied, though given his hard stare it was difficult to tell if he was being honest or if he did not trust Akio enough to say anything. Did the locals have a problem with their own police? His deployment had been so sudden, he had not received as detailed a briefing as he would have liked. Trying again at the next few stalls, he again was turned away without learning anything. Not one person seeing the target seemed exceedingly strange. Either he had vanished into thin air, or he was being covered for. Letting out a sigh, he started walking toward the next vendor to repeat his questioning.

551 words

Just as Akio was running out of street vendors to question, he heard a young woman yell out to him. Keeping his guard up in case this person was a threat, the paladin turned only to suddenly stop as his eyes opened slightly in a mixture of surprise and confusion. The woman did not stick out too much, well besides her bright red hair. What had caused him to stop was the strange cat-like creature next to her. Neither during his time growing up in Midi or working in Pergrande had he ever seen such a creature. It had to be magical in nature, and his instincts caused his hand to twitch once as he felt a desire to unsheathe his hidden swords.

Staying his hand lest he blow his cover, Akio managed to regain his composure before responding to the woman properly. As he walked over she had a short conversation with the cat… thing, but he was too far away to hear it. Once he was close enough to speak without yelling back, he offered the drawing to her. “You’ve seen this man?” he asked her. While it was unclear if she really knew anything or would be willing to help, she was still the first person to actually speak with him. She also did not give off the air of someone who would lie. Keeping in mind that she could just be a really good actor, he decided to trust her for now anyway.

Obviously he could not simply come out and reveal why he was after the man, that he was an Imperial Paladin hunting a fugitive. It still seemed like a good idea to give her some excuse so as to assure her assistance even if it was just to point him in the right direction. Nothing about the woman made her seem like she would be particularly helpful in the actual hunt, he doubted she was an undercover detective or the like. Her cat thing companion being of magical origin hinted at the possibility of her being a mage though. That meant she could potentially be more useful in combat than she appeared, but also that she was his natural enemy.

He came to a decision quickly: for now he would take whatever help she would offer. His mission was to hunt down the dark mage, not to kill random mages in a foreign country. Better he use her to his advantage. Using fire to fight fire, as it were.

“This man has been spreading drugs,” Akio continued, his inner thoughts having taken only a moment. “I have seen the damage his drugs have done, and am attempting to stop him. I also believe he is part of a mage guild, he had a strange tattoo I did not recognize.”

As he spoke, he was careful to keep his voice low enough so not to be overheard by the vendors. He already expected at least a few of them to be involved in whatever shady business this dark guild was a part of, as not a single one had spotted the man. It was entirely possible he was wrong, but that seemed unlikely. Best to be careful.

533 words
1778 total

Having only known them for a handful of minutes, Akio was quickly coming to the conclusion that the cat was the only component one between the pair. Which was not a thought he had ever expected to have, yet here he was. Saying as much probably would not garner much appreciation from the girl though, so he kept his thoughts from showing on his face. Instead he focused on the information they were giving him, limited as it was. Their description did sound like his target, even if her claiming to have smelled the drugs seemed far fetched. On the other hand, mage’s magic came in all types. Perhaps given her cat-like companion, her magic was more animalistic in nature. It would also explain her intelligence.

Not that she was a complete idiot, it seemed. She had correctly deduced that he was law enforcement and that he was not from this country, though thankfully his cover seemed intact for the moment. “Yes, I am not from this country as you can tell,” he said, letting his Midian accent come out slightly thicker than before. Enough that it would be impossible to miss, while not enough for the shift to be noticeable. Having a strong accent was not an asset within the Empire, but it was useful for undercover work. Even within the Empire no one expected a foreigner to be an Imperial Paladin. “I have chased this man across many borders so far. I do hope you can keep my presence here quiet from the local law enforcement, for now.”

While his words did not reveal the full truth, everything he said was completely sincere. A person can be caught in their lies, the more complex the lie the easier it falls apart. He had found that the best way to control information was to not tell any lies at all. Unless that nose could smell his thoughts, he believed his secrets to be safe for now. Better she think he was law enforcement or a bounty hunter from Midi than from Pergrande.

Before he had a chance to ask more questions, the woman began making an overly dramatic show of needing food before she talked more. Demanding a bribe from an official back home would be cause for imprisonment, though as she already would have been executed for being a mage one extra crime seemed of little consequence. Especially since he could hardly do anything here in a foreign land, far from the reach of the Ironheart Pact’s laws. It was also highly inappropriate to give anything to a foreign enemy. As this all ran through his mind, his only external response was a raised eyebrow.

After a moment he sighed and turned to the noodle vendor. This would just have to be a part of his discretionary fund for the mission. No one back home would be able to complain about the cost of a few bowls of noodles. Ordering the noodles, he paused to turn back, unsure of if the cat being even ate such food. “How many bowls do you two need?”

Turning once more to the vendor, he ordered their meals as well as a bowl for himself. There were many things he respected about his adopted country. Good Midian food was not one of them. Once they had received the noodles, he slurped some up and then held the bowl down. It seemed Bosco could not be counted on either. A pity.

Looking back to the strange duo, he decided to broach a question that had been bothering him. “If I may ask, what exactly is… your partner?” he paused momentarily mid question, as calling it an “it” might have been rude. “I have never met someone like them before.”

626 words
3252 total

It was difficult to believe that the cat creature, this “exceed” as he called himself, had come from another world. There had been rumors of such a thing existing within the Order, another world was another potential threat for the expansionist country after all. To think the rumors were not only true, but that citizens of this world already walked among the people of Earthland. It was possible Imperial Intelligence knew the truth and had kept it a secret for now. They did not like to disclose information to other branches unless necessary. Regardless, Akio would report his discovery upon returning. Perhaps it would prove beneficial to the Empire.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Knight,” he said, giving the exceed a Midian style bow. The mission to hunt down the fugitive remained, however now Akio saw a new mission. Learning more about the exceed directly might prove invaluable. Were they enemies of Pergrande that needed to be wiped out, or were they potential allies in the war against magic? Plus this mage’s nose could prove useful in his primary mission. Getting them on his side seemed even more important than before. He just had to do so without raising greater suspicion. She seemed to think he was a bounty hunter, maybe he could use that.

“The industrial districts you say,” he said contemplatively. “That is a lot of ground to cover, and I can hardly run around breaking into the different warehouses searching for him. It seems I need to come up with a plan of some kind.”

He paused for a moment to look at the pair as if thinking something over. “You seem interested in the reward. Perhaps… I could arrange for you to benefit from assisting me. The man I am tracking is not dangerous himself, it is the drugs he smuggles to other countries that are the threat. They are highly addictive, and he does not seem to care who his clients are. I have seen even children suffering through addiction to his wares. I am hoping to capture him to learn where the drugs are coming from and put a stop to them at the source. If you would be willing to lend your clearly exceptional sense of smell to assist me, I could pay you accordingly.”

She did not need to know there was no actual reward waiting back home, since this was a mission from the Order. It would hopefully be enough that he would pay her for her services. Doing so would probably earn the paladin some frowns back home, but they would have to admit it was in the interests of the greater good of the Empire. At least, that is what he hoped. Even in the Order it was impossible to avoid politics. It was a bothersome aspect of government service.

For now he could only push those considerations from his mind. The mission came first. “Ah,” he said with sudden realization. “I have not yet introduced myself. My name is Akio.”

506 words
4370 total

The exceed, again proving to be the voice of reason between the two, seemed hesitant to jump into a potentially dangerous situation. It was, Akio had to admit, the pragmatic response. Thankfully he also seemed willing to help at least locate the man. His companion seemed much more willing to act, if the price was right at least. If they only helped the paladin hunt down the fugitive, that would be enough to complete the mission. If he could convince her to do more, that would be even better. Use a mage to hunt down a mage. Using fire to fight fire.

When she asked for a specific number, he held his chin as he contemplated how far he could push his budget. Too low and she would likely refuse, too high and his superiors would be less than pleased. In this case he thought it best to err on the high side, lest he lose her assistance. Taking a notepad and pen out of his pocket, he wrote down a number. Saying it out loud might tempt robbery, and while he was not afraid of being able to defend himself it would cause a further delay. Already his target had been out of sight for too long.

“This is the highest I can go,” he said, tearing off the page and handing it to her. It was, for a bounty, decidedly on the high side. Though it would also be a number that made sense for a man like himself to spend so much time and effort on.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lady Nymara, Sir Lucky,” Akio said with a nod after they named themselves. The honorifics were not simply to butter him up, he simply had a natural disposition for politeness due to his strict upbringing. Even the crime families of Midi, like his own, expected politeness when it came to business discussions. “I hope we have an agreement. If so, please lead on.”

330 words
5311 total