GojiBean
Your resident irradiated Kaiju King
Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon
Time: 5:54am, sun has not yet risen
Today was the day.
The Highland Flower Festival.
A day to celebrate the wonders of nature’s beauty by collecting as many Highland Flowers as one could manage from the hills and grasslands surrounding the capital city of Valkyom in Cre’ Est.
The streets of the capital were already decorated with hanging lines with floral paper cutouts put together by the community. Windows had flower vases on display everywhere. Flowers were placed around the Central Square Fountain, and some left floating in its water. Market stands and stalls had floral decorations across their tops and sides. And a large floral platform serving as a performance stage was erected in the Central Square where numerous troupes of dangers, circus performers, traveling musicians, and more had come to show their tributes to the glorious beauty of nature.
Tucked safely in bed in her 2nd story room lay one Doctor Lorraine Xe’ Almna, owner and manager of the Almna Apothecary and Clinic. The “Angel of Cre’ Est.”
Her long flowing brown hair was wrapped and tied in a bun towards the top and back of her head to allow for ease of sleeping while her nightgown gently nestled against the curves of her shoulders, chest, and back with the occasional drop of sweat helping it stick to her skin. Being something of a restless sleeper, she’d already half thrown away the covers which were meant to keep her warm. But being on the second story of her home during the beginning of the Summertime months made it plenty warm enough.
Outside of her humble abode, which was located just down the street from her clinic, the early morning hours before the sunrise let drift a soft, ominous breeze.
The scent of death was in the air. Not at all uncommon in this city as there was no shortage of wealthy running through the noble sector. Backstabbing amongst their own, assassinations, thievery. It was all fairly commonplace. Take down one noble and another would pop up to take their place in a never-ending struggle for status and power.
The unwelcome scent drifted through the Cloud District, the northwestern most region of the city which was comprised only of high rise noble dwellings several stories tall. The uneven skyline of the rooftops made traversing them smoothly an impossible feat for even the most agile of runners and climbers. And it also greatly increased the risks of being seen if one was trying to hide in the shadows. One wrong landing on a lower elevation while someone opens the blinds just beside you, and you’re made.
Tonight death had become the now eternal companion for a vagrant who’d gotten lost in the wrong back alley. Teased and beaten to death with his own walking stick, the poor fool lay with his head bashed in at a T-junction in the alleys between the residencies of the Gurthal and Illia families.
In the streets were bloody footprints which vanished by the time they’d reached the open streets. No doubt a small gang of thieves or local rogues who fancies themselves “big shots” and wanted to prove their dominance over the little guys of the Underworld. Not that vagrants truly counted. But what did these miscreants care? Dominance was dominance to them.
But what is dominance?
Few truly understand the meaning of the word and the feeling it brings to those on the receiving end.
“Pathetic.” Whispered a man in an all-black outfit kneeling at the edge of the Gurthal residence’s rooftop.
“I agree. Sloppy and unrefined. I’d wager it’s not even worth calling amateur.” Said another dressed the same way.
The first one lowered a mask which had been over his mouth, revealing his deeply tanned skin and five o clock shadow, and glanced up at his partner.
“What do you think, Bosch?”
Bosch, standing much taller than his companion with far lighter skin and a thicker full beard, removed his mask as well.
“I think it’s those same punks we saw before, Nash.”
“The ones who were roof running the other night?”
“Most likely.”
Nash scoffed.
“Pathetic.”
“You really like that word, don’t you?”
“It fits them.”
“True. So what do we do about them?”
“Nothing. Just keep observing for now. If they cross the line, we’ll take them out.”
“Here’s hoping they cross it sooner than later.”
“You want to get your hands dirty, Bosch?”
“Not necessarily. I’m just looking for some action is all. I’ve been bored with our recent jobs.”
“Well we have a high-level one coming in. We just need to wait for our contact.”
“Who is the contact, by the way?”
“Dunno. Supposed to be a big shot of some kind. Fredo said he knows the city inside out and can point us in the right direction for a big pay day.”
“Well, here’s hoping he shows himself soon. Sun’ll be rising in a few hours.”
“Yep. He’s supposed to be here by now.”
“I’m here.” Came a female voice behind them.
Both men spun around and came face to face with a female dressed in a tight and deeply v-cut black tunic top, a white belt, and charcoal gray pants with deep brown leather boots. She had dark brown hair which flowed to just past her shoulders, and the top of her face was covered by a mask with cat-like slits around her eyes.
“You boys wait long?”
“So you’re the one delivering news of our payday, eh?”
“Yes. The Guildmaster decided to give you boys something more challenging. So here you are,” she said, holding out a rolled up parchment with a red string tied around it.
“Red…”
“Yes. This is a highly dangerous and high profile target.”
“In this city? Now?”
“Yes. In this city. Now.”
“But why? With a festival on the way it doesn’t make sense to be-”
The woman smiled.
“So that’s the game, is it?”
“Yes. The target will be using the festival as cover to get close to their own target. And the target is one of ours. So obviously we can’t just let them have their way. We need you two to find and remove them before they can harm our operation.”
Nash took the parchment and opened it up, eyes skimming the contents.
“Looks good. So they’re in the Church sector, Westman Inn, 3rd floor, 2nd room from the end on the west side of the building.”
She nodded.
“Should we expect anything?”
“A fight. The target likely knows we’re coming for them.”
“And we know the target’s there?”
“Oh yes.”
Bosch cracked his neck.
“Ready partner?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”
The parchment was tossed back to the girl who ducked into the shadows to wait while the others carefully maneuvered across the lower level buildings towards the Church sector which was clearly visible towards the center of the city thanks to the massive church building and tower scraping the sky and dwarfing all other buildings around it.
It took around fifteen minutes to reach the building across from their destination, but once there the pair knelt down and observed the window for any signs of movement.
“How you wanna do this?”
“Carefully. If he’s looking for a fight, then we can’t use the window. He’ll have it trapped.”
“So the door?”
“No. Let’s check the roof. Sometimes there are hatches leading to the attic space above the rooms. These inns are old. And the ceiling boards aren’t always the most well kept. They should break easy if we really give em a good stomp. So I say we get into the attic space, kick in those boards, and take him by surprise that way.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
The pair made their way to the roof and scanned for signs of an attic entrance. No such luck outside. But the rooftop entryway to the interior stairwell seemed to give them better luck. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to make it through an in-wall hatch that led to the space which was just enough for them to crouch in. Once positioned over the target’s room, they soundlessly counted down together and slammed their boots through the ceiling and dropped into the room.
Inside, the pair landed on their feet and looked around.
“There’s nobody here!”
The room was completely empty. Nobody had rented it in weeks at least.
“That bitch lied to us!”
“Hold on… Maybe she didn’t. Look.”
There was a single piece of paper on the desk near the window with a recently used quill pen and ink bottle. And on the paper was the word ‘Abort.‘
“Abort...”
Nash shrugged.
“Look around. There’s bound to be more in here than that.”
The pair turned the room inside out until Bosch stumbled upon another piece of paper folded and tucked beneath the bed mattress.
“Hey, over here.”
Opening the paper the pair read a message.
“They’re coming. I don’t know how they found me. But they did. I can’t stay here anymore. You need to get out of Valkyom as quickly as possible. You don’t want to be mistaken for me. Not with those bastards on my tail. Be careful.”
“So that’s what it meant.”
“Yeah. Looks like they’re aborting some kind of mission.”
“Who’s “they”?”
“Whoever wrote this.”
“Fuck. I hate it when things get complicated.”
“Me too. For now let’s get out of here. If the target’s gone then there’s no sense sticking around. Let’s report it to her and see what’s next.”
”No.” Came a deep male voice.
The pair jumped to their feet and spun around, and the color drained from both of their faces.
Standing in the darkness in the back of the room they could make out only the silhouette of a tall male figure. But they didn’t need to ask who it was. The glowing red irises piercing the darkness made it clear.
“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?!”
No response.
The figure drew a dagger from behind his back which also had a a subtle glow; That of a light forest green around a liquid-like black core in the blade.
“What are you doing?! We’ve no fight with you!!”
The men backed away as the red-eyed figure stepped into the light.
”You two picked the wrong target.”
Their screams echoed into the night air. And the time anyone had come into the room to check all they found were the bloodied corpses left behind and the window open with the shakes gently flowing in the breeze as the sun just barely began to peek out over the edge of the horizon beyond the building skyline.
Morning had come to Valkyom.
And it was a morning marred by not one, but three deaths on what was supposed to be a festival of life and beauty.
Doctor Almna had been called by the local authorities to examine the bodies and give a cause of death. And as she knelt by each one and gave them a thorough examination, she took a deep breath as she stood up and sighed.
“Doctor?” A guardsman asked.
”One blade wound each here at the base of the neck. It severed the Vagus nerve which paralyzed the victims. Officially the cause of death in such cases is organ failure.”
The guard noted it down.
“Any ideas who’s behind it?”
Doctor Almna glanced at the wounds again. The subtle shredding of skin around the wounds told her the blade was very subtly serrated. Such small serrations were rare in blades due to the complexity of the craftsmanship required to make them. She’d seen them employed only once before, but...
”Unfortunately, I’ve no idea.”
“Thank you doctor. We’ll take the bodies for preparation of a ceremonial burial this evening once the festival is over.”
Doctor Almna nodded and made her way towards her clinic. As she did so she passed through the market which was bustling about the news of the three deaths. Over and over again she heard that people were fearing some sort of political foul play. Maybe it was the beginning of some kind of big assassination plot against the King and Queen? One such plot had been broken up about five months ago by unknown players. Was it happening again?
Once she’d arrived at her clinic and greeted her staff, she went to her quarters and sat down at her desk staring at the ceiling.
”Your body isn’t ready for this.” She whispered to herself.
Looking out towards the window and the sunlight peeking through the blinds, she took a deep breath.
”Why did you do it, Kyero?”
Never before had the light of the sun seemed so dim to her before… Or so foreboding.
Time: 5:54am, sun has not yet risen
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today was the day.
The Highland Flower Festival.
A day to celebrate the wonders of nature’s beauty by collecting as many Highland Flowers as one could manage from the hills and grasslands surrounding the capital city of Valkyom in Cre’ Est.
The streets of the capital were already decorated with hanging lines with floral paper cutouts put together by the community. Windows had flower vases on display everywhere. Flowers were placed around the Central Square Fountain, and some left floating in its water. Market stands and stalls had floral decorations across their tops and sides. And a large floral platform serving as a performance stage was erected in the Central Square where numerous troupes of dangers, circus performers, traveling musicians, and more had come to show their tributes to the glorious beauty of nature.
Tucked safely in bed in her 2nd story room lay one Doctor Lorraine Xe’ Almna, owner and manager of the Almna Apothecary and Clinic. The “Angel of Cre’ Est.”
Her long flowing brown hair was wrapped and tied in a bun towards the top and back of her head to allow for ease of sleeping while her nightgown gently nestled against the curves of her shoulders, chest, and back with the occasional drop of sweat helping it stick to her skin. Being something of a restless sleeper, she’d already half thrown away the covers which were meant to keep her warm. But being on the second story of her home during the beginning of the Summertime months made it plenty warm enough.
Outside of her humble abode, which was located just down the street from her clinic, the early morning hours before the sunrise let drift a soft, ominous breeze.
The scent of death was in the air. Not at all uncommon in this city as there was no shortage of wealthy running through the noble sector. Backstabbing amongst their own, assassinations, thievery. It was all fairly commonplace. Take down one noble and another would pop up to take their place in a never-ending struggle for status and power.
The unwelcome scent drifted through the Cloud District, the northwestern most region of the city which was comprised only of high rise noble dwellings several stories tall. The uneven skyline of the rooftops made traversing them smoothly an impossible feat for even the most agile of runners and climbers. And it also greatly increased the risks of being seen if one was trying to hide in the shadows. One wrong landing on a lower elevation while someone opens the blinds just beside you, and you’re made.
Tonight death had become the now eternal companion for a vagrant who’d gotten lost in the wrong back alley. Teased and beaten to death with his own walking stick, the poor fool lay with his head bashed in at a T-junction in the alleys between the residencies of the Gurthal and Illia families.
In the streets were bloody footprints which vanished by the time they’d reached the open streets. No doubt a small gang of thieves or local rogues who fancies themselves “big shots” and wanted to prove their dominance over the little guys of the Underworld. Not that vagrants truly counted. But what did these miscreants care? Dominance was dominance to them.
But what is dominance?
Few truly understand the meaning of the word and the feeling it brings to those on the receiving end.
“Pathetic.” Whispered a man in an all-black outfit kneeling at the edge of the Gurthal residence’s rooftop.
“I agree. Sloppy and unrefined. I’d wager it’s not even worth calling amateur.” Said another dressed the same way.
The first one lowered a mask which had been over his mouth, revealing his deeply tanned skin and five o clock shadow, and glanced up at his partner.
“What do you think, Bosch?”
Bosch, standing much taller than his companion with far lighter skin and a thicker full beard, removed his mask as well.
“I think it’s those same punks we saw before, Nash.”
“The ones who were roof running the other night?”
“Most likely.”
Nash scoffed.
“Pathetic.”
“You really like that word, don’t you?”
“It fits them.”
“True. So what do we do about them?”
“Nothing. Just keep observing for now. If they cross the line, we’ll take them out.”
“Here’s hoping they cross it sooner than later.”
“You want to get your hands dirty, Bosch?”
“Not necessarily. I’m just looking for some action is all. I’ve been bored with our recent jobs.”
“Well we have a high-level one coming in. We just need to wait for our contact.”
“Who is the contact, by the way?”
“Dunno. Supposed to be a big shot of some kind. Fredo said he knows the city inside out and can point us in the right direction for a big pay day.”
“Well, here’s hoping he shows himself soon. Sun’ll be rising in a few hours.”
“Yep. He’s supposed to be here by now.”
“I’m here.” Came a female voice behind them.
Both men spun around and came face to face with a female dressed in a tight and deeply v-cut black tunic top, a white belt, and charcoal gray pants with deep brown leather boots. She had dark brown hair which flowed to just past her shoulders, and the top of her face was covered by a mask with cat-like slits around her eyes.
“You boys wait long?”
“So you’re the one delivering news of our payday, eh?”
“Yes. The Guildmaster decided to give you boys something more challenging. So here you are,” she said, holding out a rolled up parchment with a red string tied around it.
“Red…”
“Yes. This is a highly dangerous and high profile target.”
“In this city? Now?”
“Yes. In this city. Now.”
“But why? With a festival on the way it doesn’t make sense to be-”
The woman smiled.
“So that’s the game, is it?”
“Yes. The target will be using the festival as cover to get close to their own target. And the target is one of ours. So obviously we can’t just let them have their way. We need you two to find and remove them before they can harm our operation.”
Nash took the parchment and opened it up, eyes skimming the contents.
“Looks good. So they’re in the Church sector, Westman Inn, 3rd floor, 2nd room from the end on the west side of the building.”
She nodded.
“Should we expect anything?”
“A fight. The target likely knows we’re coming for them.”
“And we know the target’s there?”
“Oh yes.”
Bosch cracked his neck.
“Ready partner?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”
The parchment was tossed back to the girl who ducked into the shadows to wait while the others carefully maneuvered across the lower level buildings towards the Church sector which was clearly visible towards the center of the city thanks to the massive church building and tower scraping the sky and dwarfing all other buildings around it.
It took around fifteen minutes to reach the building across from their destination, but once there the pair knelt down and observed the window for any signs of movement.
“How you wanna do this?”
“Carefully. If he’s looking for a fight, then we can’t use the window. He’ll have it trapped.”
“So the door?”
“No. Let’s check the roof. Sometimes there are hatches leading to the attic space above the rooms. These inns are old. And the ceiling boards aren’t always the most well kept. They should break easy if we really give em a good stomp. So I say we get into the attic space, kick in those boards, and take him by surprise that way.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
The pair made their way to the roof and scanned for signs of an attic entrance. No such luck outside. But the rooftop entryway to the interior stairwell seemed to give them better luck. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to make it through an in-wall hatch that led to the space which was just enough for them to crouch in. Once positioned over the target’s room, they soundlessly counted down together and slammed their boots through the ceiling and dropped into the room.
Inside, the pair landed on their feet and looked around.
“There’s nobody here!”
The room was completely empty. Nobody had rented it in weeks at least.
“That bitch lied to us!”
“Hold on… Maybe she didn’t. Look.”
There was a single piece of paper on the desk near the window with a recently used quill pen and ink bottle. And on the paper was the word ‘Abort.‘
“Abort...”
Nash shrugged.
“Look around. There’s bound to be more in here than that.”
The pair turned the room inside out until Bosch stumbled upon another piece of paper folded and tucked beneath the bed mattress.
“Hey, over here.”
Opening the paper the pair read a message.
“They’re coming. I don’t know how they found me. But they did. I can’t stay here anymore. You need to get out of Valkyom as quickly as possible. You don’t want to be mistaken for me. Not with those bastards on my tail. Be careful.”
“So that’s what it meant.”
“Yeah. Looks like they’re aborting some kind of mission.”
“Who’s “they”?”
“Whoever wrote this.”
“Fuck. I hate it when things get complicated.”
“Me too. For now let’s get out of here. If the target’s gone then there’s no sense sticking around. Let’s report it to her and see what’s next.”
”No.” Came a deep male voice.
The pair jumped to their feet and spun around, and the color drained from both of their faces.
Standing in the darkness in the back of the room they could make out only the silhouette of a tall male figure. But they didn’t need to ask who it was. The glowing red irises piercing the darkness made it clear.
“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?!”
No response.
The figure drew a dagger from behind his back which also had a a subtle glow; That of a light forest green around a liquid-like black core in the blade.
“What are you doing?! We’ve no fight with you!!”
The men backed away as the red-eyed figure stepped into the light.
”You two picked the wrong target.”
Their screams echoed into the night air. And the time anyone had come into the room to check all they found were the bloodied corpses left behind and the window open with the shakes gently flowing in the breeze as the sun just barely began to peek out over the edge of the horizon beyond the building skyline.
Morning had come to Valkyom.
And it was a morning marred by not one, but three deaths on what was supposed to be a festival of life and beauty.
Doctor Almna had been called by the local authorities to examine the bodies and give a cause of death. And as she knelt by each one and gave them a thorough examination, she took a deep breath as she stood up and sighed.
“Doctor?” A guardsman asked.
”One blade wound each here at the base of the neck. It severed the Vagus nerve which paralyzed the victims. Officially the cause of death in such cases is organ failure.”
The guard noted it down.
“Any ideas who’s behind it?”
Doctor Almna glanced at the wounds again. The subtle shredding of skin around the wounds told her the blade was very subtly serrated. Such small serrations were rare in blades due to the complexity of the craftsmanship required to make them. She’d seen them employed only once before, but...
”Unfortunately, I’ve no idea.”
“Thank you doctor. We’ll take the bodies for preparation of a ceremonial burial this evening once the festival is over.”
Doctor Almna nodded and made her way towards her clinic. As she did so she passed through the market which was bustling about the news of the three deaths. Over and over again she heard that people were fearing some sort of political foul play. Maybe it was the beginning of some kind of big assassination plot against the King and Queen? One such plot had been broken up about five months ago by unknown players. Was it happening again?
Once she’d arrived at her clinic and greeted her staff, she went to her quarters and sat down at her desk staring at the ceiling.
”Your body isn’t ready for this.” She whispered to herself.
Looking out towards the window and the sunlight peeking through the blinds, she took a deep breath.
”Why did you do it, Kyero?”
Never before had the light of the sun seemed so dim to her before… Or so foreboding.
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