The long trek to Reim

Kuroi Shimo:

D Tier Abilitiies:

C Tier Abilities:

Garret double checked his suitcase. He was being sent on a mission to the country of Reim - a long trip, he knew. Ensuring that he had the proper papers, forged documents for his identity, he made his way to the carriage.

Garret was dressed in nomadic clothing. Zou was expanding through the nomadic lands, and it would not bode well for him if a nomad tribe near their borders intercepted him. He passed several servants as he walked steadily through the halls, quickly cross referencing them and taking note of those that looked new. It was a game he played with himself, half in jest, to try to imagine how often servants changed. Servants rarely changed, though he did see a new face before he left.

Most of the servants knew he was a member of the staff in the Emperor's employ, but this one was obviously surprised to see him there. No doubt his wardrobe was so out of place. Garret almost paused himself, to tease the servant, before deciding against it. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, so he could reach Reim and begin...
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When he arrived at the carriage, Garret gave it a quick look over. It was a simple one, that looked much like a Merchant's carriage led by two horses. The driver stepped down and went to the back, lowering the ramp so Garret could step up. "Garret, right?" The driver held out his hand, clearly expecting something.

"Yes, exactly so." Garret reached up his right arm's sleeve and pulled out a sealed set of papers; a missive he was meant to deliver to the driver. In return, Garret was supposed to receive another he would use at the way station in order to procure and secure the proper gear to continue.

"Well, it all checks out. Here you go then." The driver pocketed the missive and came with another, sealed just as the previous one was, however with a different seal. "Now up you go. It's a long ride, and we're going to need to get a move on if we want to make good time."

Garret nodded, and began to walk up the ramp. He stopped and eyed the interior. It was filled with various tapestries, clothing and goods. But that is not what caught his eye. It looked like he was sharing the ride with another. In an enclosed space. His stomach churned.

The driver slapped him on the back. "I know, I know." He said, apologetically. "It's a bit cramped, but I've got to make a profit here. Now get up and lets go!"

Garret stumbled forward into the carriage, eying the other passenger. It was going to be a long trip...
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Garret was leaning over the back of the carriage, having just emptied what had to be the last of his breakfast. "Hahahaha! For a nomad, you sure get motion sickness fairly easily!" That man had been talking non-stop for the past hour, about the weather, his favorite colors, the quality of the goods they were traveling with, the history of some of the techniques used to make those very goods. Garret had no idea why. He had done nothing to encourage the man.

"It's rare to see a fellow nomad in the Zou country. Bad blood between our peoples. I'm from the Maldourath Clan, though, clear near the border of Balbadd. Make good money trading, you know? They don't have such strong opinions as the tribes that are closer to Zou do. Also, they don't make cloth there like they do here." The man was talking in a jovial manner.

Garret's stomach was beginning to settle a bit. This had little to do with motion sickness; the proximity of that man was far too close. At least he had it under control a bit now. Garret grunted, acknowledging the man's comment. A good Zou outfit was smooth and felt cool to the touch. This nomadic clothing was scratchy and annoying to wear.

He soon regretted that small interaction, as it set his fellow traveler off once again. This time, however, on a much more personal level. "So, which tribe are you from again?"

Garret paused. It would be good to practice more of his false background, so it became second nature to him. "The Orsal tribe, from the north." Garret mentioned the tribe in a solemn manner, as if he were sad about even mentioning it.

Immediately the other traveler's smile was wiped from his face. He shook his head and looked to Garret. "Sorry, man. Didn't know."

Garret repositioned himself, sitting down near the ramp that was at the back end of the carriage. He hugged his legs close to his body and turned his head, looking out to the road they had been traveling. The Orsal tribe was a famous tribe that had only became famous after it had been wiped out by a group of pirates who were raiding the coast and happened to reach them. It was a good choice, because there were few who could say they knew those of the Orsal tribe. And, Garret thought, It did get him to shut up. A smile fought to reach his face as he looked out through the back.

The days passed fairly pleasantly. While he definitely did not enjoy traveling together with the other man, he was getting used to the man's presence. Occasionally they would talk briefly, however the man was not nearly as animated as he was on that first day.

They had finally reached the country of Balbadd, more specifically a port city along the route the driver was going. Garret began unloading his things and stretching out when they stopped. The man from before approached Garret with his hand held out for what Garret knew was a wrist lock, a symbol of trust and friendship amongst the nomadic people. "I'm Evan, by the way."

Garret clasped the man's arm in the Nomadic fashion. "Garret," He responded, a fake smile reached all the way to his eyes. "May your travels be safe," He began, a customary farewell between nomads.

"And your fields be bountiful." Evan responded, warmly. "If you ever find yourself back this way, you can look for me here." he pointed over his shoulder, towards the inn. "We'll have a drink and talk about our travels."

Garret nodded, and moved towards the driver. "Go to the docks. Seek Bandar Nafawl, the captain of the Asalah. You may need to arrange passage with this." The driver handed him a pouch of Huang. "And don't forget to give him the missive!"

"Of course. Thank you for your hard work." Garret clasped wrists with the driver as well before heading off to the docks.
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As he was moving through the marketplace, a young child bumped into him and fell to the ground. Garret looked down to the child and noticed the Huang pouch grasped desperately between the child's arms as he got up and began running through the crowd. Garret growled. He was careless. He began fighting to run after the child, but the crowd was hard to move through. The child was gone, and so was his Huang.

Grunting, Garret moved on towards the docks, keeping an eye out for any other troublemakers. When he got to the captain, he extended the missive. "My name is Garret Kires, and I seek passage to Reim on your ship." The captain looked Garret over and opened up the missive.

"Ah.. Uh huh... Hmmm... Interesting." The captain looked over Garret again and handed him a new missive. "Well, it's going to cost you... 4,000 Huang."

Garret paused at the price and looked over to the ship, a merchant ship, and then looked back to the captain. 4,000 Huang was a lot, he thought. "Just for passage to a place you are going to anyway?" He was sure that missive had mentioned something, such as a payment for the services already. That was how it had worked with the previous driver.

"Kid, look, I'm running a business here. It's just not good business policy to let people onto my ship for free. 4,000 Huang, and don't bother trying to huang out around the boat to get in when we aren't looking." The captain, Bandar Nafawl, guffawed at his pun. "Now scram, until you've got the money." Bandar shoo-ed Garret away. "Oh, and I'm leaving tomorrow at noon during high tide."

Garret quickly grew upset, but there was nothing he could do. He left the docks and began to think of how he could get to Reim. He needed funds by tomorrow, and there was no way he would be able to find the child who had stolen the Huang given to him from before. Garret was unsettled, and stood in the street near the entrance to the marketplace. 4,000 Huang. That's a small fortune in the market today...

Garret paused at that thought. An ironic thought occurred to him, one that almost made him want to laugh at his own misfortune. Evan had been talking to him about the prices of goods and services, which was the only reason he had an idea of how outrageous a price that was being asked for. Nawfal would get his due in time. Ah. Clothing. Garret recalled the conversation he had with Evan; the clothing from Zou was worth quite a bit here. He could sell his clothes in the suitcase and get a good price for it!

He moved among the stalls until he could find a few that dealt with clothing. He approached what looked to be the richest stall. "Ah, good eye, good eye young sir!" The merchant said, as Garret looked towards the stall. "You've come to the right place to find the perfect clothes for you!"

Garret walked towards the man and said "No, I think I've got something perfect for you. If you're willing to buy."

The merchant took a look at Garret's clothing and said "Well, if it's anything like what you're wearing right now, I think I'll pass." The merchant's eyes, however, momentarily widened when the suitcase was opened, before going back to a condescending look. "Well, The quality looks decent. Mind if I examine it?"

"You may touch it." Garret replied, careful to make sure the merchant didn't snatch it. He already didn't like where this was going.

"Yes, of course now let's see..." He felt the cloth and looked back up to Garret, eyes calculating. He looked back to the cloth and began to inspect the designs on it. "I'm afraid this isn't genuine Zou cloth. But it is well made, for an imitation. I'll give you 100 Huang for it."

Garret's nose crinkled in disgust as he closed the suitcase.

"No! No! Wait, 200?" As Garret took the suitcase off the table, the merchant continued to increase the price. "400? 8... No, 1000 Huang! 1000 Huang, you'll surely take this price, yes?" Garret was already walking out of the marketplace, furious.  This country could not be taken fast enough.

He paused as he passed by an Inn. It was the one he was directed to earlier, by Evan, to search for him should Garret find himself back in town. Sighing, Garret walked into the Inn with nothing to hope for. It came almost as a shock for him to see Evan and the driver drinking at the table, talking positively about their venture. As he approached their table, Evan looked up. "Ah, thought you would be on the ship by now. What brings you back, Garret?" Garret took a seat as a waitress began walking by. "One for my friend here, he looks more down than usual!" The waitress set a mug on the table and walked away.

Garret sighed and took a drink from the mug that was set on the table, immediately spitting out the sour tasting liquid he had drank.

"HA! Double ha! A nomad that get's motion sick and can't hold his ale? We'll get chest hairs on you yet, kid!" Evan was very boisterous as he slammed down another drink. He paused, and looked back over to Garret. "Is everything okay?"

Garret looked to Evan and began explaining to him what had happened. Evan laughed when he got to the part with the urchin stealing the Huang, apologizing and saying he should have warned Garret. From the moment Garret mentioned the price set by the captain, his mood became somber. "I don't know what was in the second missive..." The driver began, "But we were paid in full before hand, by the nomads you were traveling with as they passed us by on the road, to pick you up and bring you here. Pretty sure your passage is already paid in full." The driver shared the same belief Garret had.

Garret continued explaining what happened in the market afterwards and, after Evan paid for the drinks, they headed up to the room Evan had paid for. "Lets see that cloth you got." When Garret revealed it, a sharp intake of breath  was heard. "You were right to come to us. That market merchant tried to cheat you. Nathan, write him up for 8,000 Huang. We'll buy it from you. This is a rare piece normally purchased for important individuals within the Zou empire. It's a superior quality item." The driver, Nathan, seemed about to protest until Evan gave him a sharp look.

Garret was relieved, but simultaneously worried. A wave of homesickness left him as the last bit connecting him to his homeland was removed.

Garret thanked Evan, again, for the assistance and rented his own room for the night.
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When he showed up to the ship with the money the next morning, the captain was surprised and looked at Garret again. "Who'd you rob from to get this?" He asked, somewhat suspiciously. "Well, no matter! Money has no providence, hahahaha! Aboard you go, Master Kires."

The first few days were filled with mockery as Garret found it difficult to stand well on the larger merchant ship. They also made fun of him as he constantly asked how much longer it would be until they reached Reim. What they didn't know, is that Garret had already made plans. It was the third day of their trip when the captain congratulated Garret on getting his sea legs. "But lad," he said, a twinkle in his eye "There's a storm a'brewin. Best be below deck when it comes."

A smile came to Garret's face. "I'm really interested in seeing the sea during a storm, actually. If you don't mind, I'll be above deck."

The captain laughed again. "Suit yourself, boy. It's your funeral." To be honest, Garret was expecting to have to wait until they had dropped him off at port, but instead he had an unexpected ally in the weather.

"Good fortune comes to those who seize it themselves." Garret muttered to himself.

The hours passed and the storm rolled in. The deck was rolling with water as thunder pealed across the sky. The captain was shouting to his men, telling them to go this way and that, and to get that yellow livered land-lubber off his deck and out of the way. Almost on queue, as one of the crew approached, Garret lost his footing and fell overboard. The captain yelled out "Let him damn well be, he was a fool for coming out in the first place!"
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Garret plunged into the water, his right hand clasping his wand as he intoned the spell Water Gills. A bubble of air formed around his mouth and nose, allowing him to breath. His left hand quickly grasped his suitcase, loosely secured beneath his clothing. Intoning another spell, his Water Manipulation Technique, Garret propelled himself forward towards the ship, ignoring the current of the waters and catching up quickly. He began his work, using Jagged Flying Ice in order to pry open a hole in the ship and then using his Water Manipulation Technique to fill the hull with water. As the hull filled, he made sure to slowly turn the water surrounding the hole with ice using State Transmutation. He then began his work on three other holes, entering the hull on the third, and grabbing a barrel, and took it with him before he plugged up the final hole. There was already water within the hull, but within an hour or so the ice keeping the water out would melt, and inevitably sink the ship.

Garret propelled himself and the barrel towards Reim, underwater. (20/150 Magoi remaining). When he was finally far enough away, he resurfaced. The storm was dying down, though by now it was likely the ship was sinking. Could be the crew were able to make repairs, but their goods were definitely damaged. Garret opened the lid to the barrel, and apples fell out into the river. Using the lid as a make-shift float for his suitcase, he opened it up and took out a compass he had stolen earlier, that was sitting next to his remaining Huang and the missive he was given. Closing the case, Garret began kicking his way towards the direction of Reim.
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Garret eventually got to his destination, though that was only after having bought a carriage ride from a city to the north. He was off by a bit of distance, though it was only a few hours ride by carriage. It was the day after he was supposed to arrive at the city when he got to the outpost that would provide him with his mission details.

He went to the inn and slid the missive to the inn keeper, who was surprised to see it. Opening it up, he read the contents and nodded. "Garret, I take it?"

"Yes, I've had a long day. 'Do you have any fresh baked bread?'" He asked.

"'Ever since a Fanalis threw a fit when we did not, I always make sure to have fresh baked bread.' Please, follow me." The inn keeper called over one of his employees to watch the place as Garret followed him to the back. "To the basement, then. You'll receive your information there."

Garret went to the door, looked back up to the inn keeper, and signed a knock on the door. The door opened, and he walked into the room. "Well, newest agent. Good to see you, friend. We thought you were done for, after we heard what happened to the Asalah. You, of course, have your belongings?"

Garret explained, in detail, what happened during his travels, reporting to his superior in the field. "Well, you'll have to work it off, then. We aren't re-supplying you with a uniform, especially since you don't specifically need one with you. I'll be taking your remaining 3,000 Huang, you'll owe the Emperor 2,000 Huang to cover the expenses. We expect good work from you. Come back when you're ready for work. In the meantime, you can ask the Innkeeper where you can stay for now. Dismissed."

Garret was confused. He was paid 8,000 Huang for the clothing. Was the inflation so bad in Balbadd that the prices differed so much? Ah, no, it must be that it only costs 5,000 Huang to make. It probably goes for more when sold.

Garret arrived, and was ready to work.

(Edited to add wand, lol. Forgot about that.)

(OOC: Turns out I missed a bit of the full purpose of the quest. This post will remedy that. Also, I was too tired to continue posting, lol.)

IC:

"Brief me on the details of the mission you want me to do." Garret wasted no time, setting the suitcase he was holding a moment ago to the side.

The Lieutenant, a tall and well built man, paused and looked Garret over. "My alias here is Acius Maximus. While addressing me in private, call me Lieutenant. Understood?"

"Yes, Lieutenant." Garret responded, crisply following the orders of his superior commander.

"Good. Our current operations are to disrupt the Reim Empire's expansion. There are several fronts where we are performing espionage at. The one I will have you focus on is one that targets one of Reim's lead engineers, Seviticus Quintus Sextus." Acius paused and looked to Garret. "This won't be some simple assassination job, if that's what you're thinking. No, we want him alive. Problem is, as a lead engineer, he almost always has bodyguards when he's walking around in public."

Acius rested his left hand on the hilt of the blade strapped to his waist. "Now, we have it on good word that Seviticus is traveling to one of the Reim excavation sites to oversee some of the work there." He spread out the map that was lying on the table and pointed to an inland part of the continent. "This is where he will be. We are going to orchestrate a cave-in, which we want others to believe he was in. That way, when they come by they will think he is dead, and will not try to look for him too hard."

"Since he's a lead engineer, wouldn't they at least look for a body to confirm his death?" Garret offered up his concern, believing it to be legitimate.

"That's the beauty. We have a prisoner who is about the same build. When we execute the mission, we will kill the prisoner and smash his face beyond recognition. We will make sure to exchange the clothing with the prisoner's, so he can be identified that way."

Garret shook his head. The plan was fairly well thought out. "So what's my part in this job?"

The Lieutenant snorted. "You're extra muscle, kid. You'll be piggy backing on this mission so you can get a feel for the field. You'll help protect the engineer and your squad mates get back to the base of operations safely. Your Squad Leader will fill you in on where the drop off zone is for the engineer. This is where you will meet up, the job should be underway by then. Dismissed."

Garret bowed deeply to the Lieutenant and turned to leave. Before he was able to open the door, though, Acius spoke again. "Oh, and before you leave, let the Inn Keeper know to add another person's worth of rations to the caravan, and meet up with your Squad leader at noon in front of the Inn."

"Yes, Lieutenant." Garret said, again, this time leaving the room without further disruption.



When the time came, Garret came back to the Inn. He had made mention earlier to the Inn keeper, as per the Lieutenant's instructions, but did not realize exactly what was in store. There was a large caravan of merchants, with plenty of guards and other such individuals. He almost didn't know where to find the group he would be traveling with until he saw the Inn keeper from before waving him down.

He joined up with the Inn keeper, who showed him into one of the three carriages that were together. There, he became briefly acquainted with the squad he would be operating with. They mentioned that part way through, the caravan would become smaller as different groups took different routes. They would lag behind at a city nearby, which is the day the cave in would happen at the site.

The time passed and it became time for the mission. Night had just come and the squad was ready to move out. They put on gear similar to that of the guards normally around the Reim's excavation sites and moved out. They carried a stretcher, equipped with bindings that would keep a person bound and gagged. They moved quickly to the meeting spot; a copse of trees. The squad leader stopped the group and began signalling the troops to encircle and scout before entering.

Garret moved forward, silently as he could, and looked about in order to keep an eye out. He held his hand up and motioned all clear. They moved in to find their operative with the target in the clearing. "Hurry, let's get out of here. They've got guards crawling all over the place trying to find out what caused the collapse."

Garret helped set the man up on the stretcher and the Squad leader ensured that he was properly bound and gagged, placing a cloth to cover his looks. They all grabbed a side of the stretcher and began a light jog back. All was clear, and they were lucky they didn't run into any patrols; everyone must have been busy with the cave-in.

"Well kid, this is what we call smooth sailing." The squad leader laughed, as they reached their group of carriages.

Their trip to the drop off zone wasn't eventful either. Garret had a hard time believing it, but the espionage machine was well oiled. He would go on back to the base of operations in the coastal city he started from to report their success...