Seekers of Truth

Chapter 8 - Seekers of Truth

Though Issei attracted all kinds of people from all kinds of life as a haven for refugees, and anyone who needed a new start. The City of Exiles also brought adventurers and opportunists the world over. The city had no nobles, kings, or emperors, in fact, on paper Issei had no centralized government to speak of. The city was a chaotic mish-mash of guilds, gangs, and less-than-scrupulous organizations that somehow, despite all odds, managed to run a somewhat stable society. Crime was rampant, and the word of law practically non-existent aside from the interests and ideologies of the groups that ran the city.

Through lacking a proper military, or centralized police force, the people of Issei relied on the next best thing — adventurers. Who would you call when your home was suddenly burglarized in the middle of the night? The adventurers guild. Who would you call when your ships are being harassed by pirates? Adventurers. Who would you call when your spouse has left you for a far younger, and more attractive tourist from the mainland?

You guessed it.

Adventurers.

Of course most of the powerful guilds in the city have their own guards and security for day-to-day affairs. One didn’t really need a group of heavily armored vagabonds to keep the rabble away, but there’s one thing hired guards don’t have…

Plausible deniability.

And to best serve their clients, The Adventurers Guild takes client confidentiality very, very seriously.

The guild hall itself was an old landlocked galleon. Deadfire Hall they called it, named after the original group of adventurers which founded the city many centuries ago. A grassy courtyard surrounded the hall, which itself was surrounded by smaller satellite buildings, consisting of shops, smithies, and other services that were exclusive to members of the guild.

Normally the hall and the surrounding courtyards were bustling with adventurers of all types, from your seasoned heroes, to your bright-eyed young aspirants, who’s life expectancies were in the single-digits. However, despite it being in the middle of the day, the guild was surprisingly barren, and mostly filled with the bright-eyed and inexperienced.

Akaja didn’t much mind. She didn’t spot any familiar faces, but at the very least the line to register wouldn’t be too long. As she waited for Yukiko to return with all the necessary paperwork, the very thought of it made Akaja groan; she engaged in one of her favorite coping mechanisms…

Seeking validation from others.

Akaja was already a registered member of the guild, and being the most seasoned in the hall, she happily slightly exaggerated stories, as well as provide both solicited and unsolicited advice to the novices around the hall. Things like: “Don’t put your bag of holding in another bag of holding,” “Never split the party,” and “Be sure to stab any chest before opening it.”

She even engaged in some small flirting, mainly as a means to regain her confidence after a traumatic week, and even managed to get an invitation from a young couple for some “group activities” in the evening. She was tempted. They consisted of a muscular bronze-skinned Goliath woman, and a Elven man.

However, she had work to do! And left them with an indecisive “Maybe…”

By the time Akaja was finished screwing around, Yukiko had excitedly returned to her, her arms struggling to hold the small mountain of scrolls and parchments she had been given. “So there’s a few extra things we need to do before we’re registered!”

“Do you need help with all that?” Akaja asked.

“I’m fine, thank you!” She plopped all the papers on a nearby table, her face beaming with excitement. “Firstly! We need a group name! I’ve jotted down a list of potential names, and I want to run them by you!”

“Let’s hear them.” Akaja said with a grin.

“INVESTIGATORS!”

“Too generic.”

“DRAGONSLAYERS!”

“None of us have killed a dragon yet.”

“What about just… slayers?”

“There’s already a group with that name.”

“Chosen Ones?”

“Chosen for what?”

“You know… uhm…” Yukiko frowned in thought. She furiously scribbled on her papers.

“Glad we have our priorities straight,” Akaja murmured. “So… what’s the deal with you and Andros huh?” She smirked. “I never would’ve pegged him to be your type.”

Yukiko didn’t respond, focused solely on whatever she was writing down.

“Yuki?”

Silence…

Yukiko leaned over, snapping her fingers in front of Yukiko’s face. “Helloooo?”

“I GOT IT!” Yukiko exclaimed, spinning a small piece of parchment around, presenting a page of numerous scratched out scribbles. At the corner of the paper, surrounded by a circle and written in a heavily stylized fashion: “SEEKERS OF TRUTH.”

“That’s… better than the last ones,” Akaja said. “But why ‘Seekers’?”

“Because that’s exactly what we’re doing! It’s why we’ve formed! We’re trying to solve a mystery! To seek the truth surrounding Yu’s mysterious demise! What are their plans? Who are they? Why the interest in Andros’ research! A few years down the line it’ll be a name with DEPTH and CHARACTER!” She grinned. “Sounds neat, huh?”

“It’s definitely unique,” Akaja said. “What about Andros? Shouldn’t he have a say in this?”

“Don’t worry! He’s given me full creative control, and he’s put me in charge of public relations for when we start branching out. So… do you like it?”

“Yeah,” Akaja giggled. “You do you, Yuki.”

“Perfect!” Yukiko exclaimed, jumping with joy. “I’m going to register us right now!”

And thus, the Seekers of Truth were established. It wasn’t the first adventuring party Akaja had been a part of, and she hoped this one would last, mostly for Yukiko’s sake, who seemed to skip and hop along the streets of Issei as if she had just found a mountain of treasure.

Yukiko insisted they visit the markets to stock up on supplies. She really wanted the full adventurer experience apparently, even if that includes getting swindled by the local vendors.

The Kantai Markets, located only a few blocks away from Issei’s noble docks, was arguably the most policed district of the city. The Akiyama Clan had made sure of that, diligently keeping out any gangs, or organizations that sought to extort its merchants. Akiyama samurai would patrol its narrow rows and lanes, cutting down thieves and con men with impunity. The markets themselves were surrounded by a square of tightly packed workshops and warehouses, surrounding a large plain of trampled grass, packed to the brim with booths, tents, stalls, allowing for walkways just large enough to allow wagons to pass through.

It was Akaja’s least favorite place in the city. Stuffy, with smoke from the workshops looming over the place like an irritating fog. She couldn’t take more than fifteen steps without some hawker trying to sell her something, or some crier trying to advertise a brothel or bathhouse, or something similar.

Even still, the markets felt… different somehow. Many of the larger vendors had hired private guards, and the samurai who previously patrolled the markets were strangely absent. Even after Yu’s death, the Akiyamas still had living members. The Kantai Markets were Akiyama territory, yet it seemed they were lessening their grip on it.

Maybe that was a good thing. If Talai and whoever she was working for were adamant on pinning her for Yu’s murder then there may be others who believe that lie.

“Where exactly are we going?” Akaja asked.

“You’ll see!” Yukiko said with a smile.

She led her to a large open tent surrounded by various blankets with all sort of, to put it plainly, junk on display. Old armor, weapons, scrolls, knick-knacks, anything really. There wasn’t any sort of organization to the displays. Items were just placed willy-nilly, leaving the tent’s few customers to sift through the stuff themselves.

Manning the tent was a familiar face. A tall island Goliath, with deep bronze skin, and standing at more than double Akaja’s height, his dark hair tied into a neat bun. It was odd seeing that same giant, who was previously covered in blood and pommeled corpses, happily sweeping the area around his tent with a broom that was much too small for him.

Across the tent, a significantly older Goliath woman, bald and covered from head to toe with various tattoos, was arguing with a small group of people.

“KUANA!” Yukiko exclaimed.

“Afternoon,” The giant smiled, grabbing a nearby coin pouch, and setting it in Yukiko’s hand. “From the loot we got from the blood witch. Good pay day.”

Yukiko excitedly began to count it’s contents. “Only 75?”

“Only 75?” Kuana scoffed. “That right there can feed me and my kuia for a month. What did you expect? A treasure chest? Plus this is after my cut, and Andros’.”

“And mine?” Akaja said lightheartedly.

“Your pay is your life,” Kuana said plainly. “But you did help out towards the end… tell you what… discount here at the store. Whatever you want.”

“Wow, thanks…”

“Kuana guess what?” Yukiko said with a grin.

“What?”

“We’ve registered as an adventuring party! Want to join?”

“That depends,” Kuana murmured. “I still have to work part time at the shop. My Kuia would flay me alive if I just left.”

“Don’t worry!” Yukiko said. “I still help my dad out at the inn.”

Kuana hummed in thought, then nodded. “Sure.”

“That’s it?” Akaja asked. “You’re not going to ask what we’ll be doing?”

“Nope.” Kuana shrugged. “I’m here for the money.”

“At least he’s honest,” Akaja said with a grin.

As the trio were talking, the conversation between the older Goliath and her ‘customers’ seemed to escalate.

“I pay to Akiyama,” The old woman said. “Not to you.”

“Well clearly they’re not doing their job if we’re here…” The man speaking was a burly Dwarf, armed with a large axe. His five other friends were similarly armed. “And hey… we’re offering you a pretty good deal!”

The old woman simply shook her head, and glanced at Kuana. He pointed his lips at the group of thugs. The old woman nodded.

“Hey!” Shouted the dwarf. “I’m talking here!” He turned to his men. “Can you believe the bitch? Denying our generosity?”

Kuana grumbled something before making his way to the dwarf. “Do not speak to my grandmother with those words. She said we already paid our due. We won’t pay again. I suggest you apologize.”

“I don’t give a shit how much money you gave to Akiyama,” The Dwarf said. “We ain’t Akiyama.”

“That did not sound like an apology.”

“I’m sorry your grandma is such a stupid bi-“

Kuana grabbed the Dwarf by the beard and lifted him off the ground. A solid punch to the gut forced him to drop his axe. “Apologize.”

As the other men began to quickly draw their weapons, Kuana swung the Dwarf around wildly like a sack of rice, knocking his comrades away. He screamed, his own body being used as a weapon against his friends.

Akaja grabbed one of her chakrams, and was about to hop into the fray, but Yukiko stopped her. “He’s got this,” She said.

Seeing a nine foot tall giant swing your friend around by the beard, and then proceed to beat you with him would send anyone running, and it did. It didn’t take long to force the thugs to flight, many of whom were covered in bruises from being pommeled with a screaming Dwarf.

Once it was clear the Dwarf’s friends wouldn’t be coming back, Kuana dragged him by the beard, and dropped him in front of his grandmother. “Apologize.”

Covered from head to toe in bruises, and with parts of his beard torn off, the Dwarf got on his hands and knees. “I’m sorry, ma’m! Won’t bother you again ma’m.”

The elder Goliath nodded, and sent the Dwarf scrambling away in terror.

Kuana then resumed his duties sweeping the shop as if nothing ever happened.

“I have noticed there seems to be a lack of… samurai in the market,” Akaja mused. “What happened? I can’t imagine the Akiyamas would let small-time thugs encroach on their territory.”

“Don’t know,” Kuana said. “They just stopped coming. Stopped collecting. Rats notice, and start to come in. Me and my Kuia are fine. We fight. Other merchants here… not so lucky. Sometimes they don’t even come for extortion. Sometimes they just plunder, or come to break things.”

“Have any of the merchants tried making a posting at the adventurers guild for help?”

“Some have tried, but the guild has to approve of the job first. They haven’t approved yet.”

Akaja frowned. “Weird…” She crossed her arms in thought. “Somebody at the guild must benefit from this then, but I still don’t understand why the Akiyamas have done nothing yet.”

Kuana shrugged. “Don’t know. I’ll just keep giving beatings to whoever threatens the shop.”

“Oooh another mystery!” Yukiko exclaimed. “Anyways as the leader of this party we should all get together and talk about this. We’ll fill you in Kuana! Come find us tomorrow night at the Vagrant!”

Kuana nodded, then continued his sweeping.

“Andros still has to look at those documents,” Akaja mused to herself. “And then there’s interrogating Talai, which we have to wait until tomorrow…” She grinned. “I’m going to pay a visit to the Akiyamas.”

“You’re not worried that they still you for Yu’s death?” Yukiko asked.

“I didn’t say I was going through the front door,” Akaja said with a wink. “Plus I have some experience sneaking in and out of the Akiyama estate.”