CCS Courier
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Jan 2, 2023 22:54:12 GMT -5
The disheveled man gives Vail a bit of a confused look but then returns the slight bow and takes the seat.
"Thank you. My apologies for the delay. Blasted storms."
"It happens." Zarius replies. "We can keep this brief so that you may rest from your long journey."
"I appreciate that, sirs."
The contact rummages around in his satchel which he pulls into his lap before procuring a few documents they managed to keep dry during the journey. He slides a number of them across the table to Zarius then glances about for a barmaid in order to order a drink.
Zarius watches him closely then starts sorting through the documents as the contact waves down the barmaid to order some water and some food.
The tiefling reads through the documents quickly then offers one to Vail for them to review. The contents of this letter talks about the situation on the Luna Sea involving the Arid Mesa and how some foolish individuals are attempting to settle the land using despite the hazards. There's some details on a number of supply shipments scheduled to go out that way in a few days from the Pale City in Frost Gale.
The information suggests that the expeditions are being funded by the nobility of the Pale City in an attempt to gain exclusive access to resources and improve their own political power over the region, even at the expense of those who would be risking their lives to secure the area.
Zarius hands him another piece of paper, this time a letter. This piece is a call to action from a local who is wanting to sabotage the supply shipments in order to prevent the campaign from continuing and force the expedition to end before more lives are lost.
After reviewing the information, Zarius stacks the pieces of paper and look at Vail. "Well? What do you think?"
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Post by Vail on Jan 3, 2023 22:25:24 GMT -5
Of course, Vail had no intention of actually risking his neck for this stranger. His gesture was simply to build rapport, clients tended to be on edge around people like him. Something was off about this contact. He was a bit too flustered by some simple storms. Zarius was right to keep an eye on him. Vail looks over the paper in front of him. It was Frost Gale as he had expected, who would bother with the Arid Mesa if they weren’t already next door to it. The nobles of Pale City being involved is what drew his interest. He could see a couple reasons as to why they might take interest in the desiccated island.
The first and least likely situation was they actually found something there. Sending supplies would make sense then, but if that was the case there were likely more eyes on this than just a contractor from Darkveil. The situation that made more sense to him was the geographic importance. If a Pale City settlement was established on the Mesa, it would be very easy for them to regulate all traffic passing through the strait. Going around the Mesa meant venturing into pirate territory, which many a merchant would gladly pay a small sum to avoid. Darkveil, while having a relatively small maritime presence, would send and receive traffic around the north-side of Charon. Anything to the south was more likely headed to the Sultan’s port than Darkveil. Perhaps that’s why Zarius took interest in the affairs of a place so far from his home. Vail takes the letter from Zarius with a curious expression on his face. This wasn’t suspicious at all. Clearly these settlers prefer their wastelands dry rather than wet. Why else would they risk their lives? This has bait written all over it. The writer even had the gall to think that they could appeal to Zarius’s compassion. Either they knew him personally or something else was going on. Why would anyone from Darkveil care about the lives of some foreign fools who purposefully throw themselves into danger? His gut and head were telling him the same story, this clearly wasn’t the full picture. Now he was really curious. With a big smile, Vail looks up from the letter. “I think it’s rather funny, so, I’ll hold my tongue. It’s your call boss.” He says softly.
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CCS Courier
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Jan 4, 2023 14:03:32 GMT -5
The contacts downs their drink once the the barmaid brings it over.
"Bless Solaria, I needed that." They look between the tiefling and Vail. "Anyway, my network in Frost Gale has confirmed which families are involved in funding the expeditions as well as when the next shipments are scheduled. The problem is the authorities are on high alert within the Pale City, so hitting warehouses isn't going to work. The supply ships on the other hand are prepared to fight off pirates, but not saboteurs. Trouble is, average citizens can't pull off something like that."
Zarius gently places the stack of papers down on the table. "Average citizens usually cannot afford professionals. Where is their money coming from?"
"That I cannot disclose."
The tiefling looks at the man, keeping his expression neutral. "That complicates things. I do not want a messy paper trail implicating me in the Pale City's political drama."
"I understand that, but with all your connections don't you think that means you can skirt around such legations?"
Zarius sits back and folds his arms.
The man seemed to instantly understand he had made a mistake. "I apologize. It's just...if something goes wrong and someone else we hire gets caught they are not likely going to be able to escape. The Pale Army is not known for their patience or understanding."
"You expect the army to possibly get involved?"
"Sabotaging this expedition may be seen as an act of treason or civil dissent."
Zarius lets out a long breath. "Of course."
He thinks over the situation more. It would be a risky operation with few rewards for the severity of the risks. It hardly seemed worth taking the chance on or even considering. Still...he looks to Vail for their thoughts.
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Post by Vail on Jan 5, 2023 14:11:57 GMT -5
Vail resisted the urge to turn to the contact and accept the contract on Zarius’s behalf. The thought of seeing the sheer bewilderment on the tiefling’s face would have brought him great joy, but alas, he needed to maintain some semblance of composure.
This contact grew more suspicious with every sentence that left his mouth. Firstly, he ruled out the possibility of sending one of his own to do the job. Secondly, he won’t disclose his funding, despite somehow knowing Zarius’s background. Finally, He specifically talked as if the operation was expected to fail and how severe the punishment would be. He’s giving a lot of reasons to pull out of this contract with very little enticement to accept it. Using sob stories of exploited innocents in an attempt to obfuscate his funding drew a little ire out Vail as well. “It appears you have quite the reputation.” Vail states with a smile as Zarius turns to him once again. His posture straightens as he shifts to a sterner demeanor. “I find it interesting that this client trusts you enough to handle such a delicate operation, but not enough to reveal themselves to you. Perhaps someone in our line of work is simply easier to scapegoat as opposed to one of their own. Perhaps your connections would make you a valuable political prisoner, and this is simply a trap to ensnare you.” Vail begins to trace his gloved finger around the rim of his glass once more. If it was just him, he would never take a contract like this. The risk was way too high for this amount of secrecy between the client and him. It’s obvious that this was coming from someone in a higher seat of power than simple townsfolk. “It’s difficult for one man to trust another now. It’s an unfortunate state of things.”
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CCS Courier
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Jan 5, 2023 23:24:26 GMT -5
Zarius gives Vail an annoyed nod. Sometimes having a reputation was a pain in the neck and created more problems than it solved. This case was a good example of that.
It was highly suspicious, and Vail's assessment was likely correct. Zarius was not some vigilante out to fight for the good of the downtrodden. He was a criminal, and a criminal with power was something most authorities in the world would not be too happy about. It flew in the face of the control and order the Crown as well as all the other political powers tried to maintain. It also sent the wrong kind of the message to the masses. If he could make it, then what other fiends and scoundrels could work their way up the ladder too?
The man is giving Vail the most shocked look. It's possible that it was genuine, or it was from not expecting someone to call out their plan right in front of their face.
"Sir, please, I am being earnest. This is a genuine request."
"I am sure." Zarius responds simply.
There would only be one way to know for certain. And that was to take on the contract and see for themselves what the truth was.
"Sir, I-"
Zarius cuts him off. "You can tell your benefactor that I accept and will be intercepting that shipment before it gets to the Arid Mesa."
The man blinks in surprise, his mouth hanging agape for a moment before he nods. "I will deliver the news with haste. Thank you."
"Mhm." He still wasn't buying it, and he wasn't concerned about showing it.
The rest of the evening while the man is eating with them, Zarius does not say much. It's only once the man leaves that he looks at Vail.
"This will be a good way to test your skills regardless of if it is a trap or not. Hope you are up for it. We will leave soon, so make whatever preparations you need before dawn tomorrow."
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Post by Vail on Jan 7, 2023 1:26:54 GMT -5
Maybe this contact was just unfathomably awful at first impressions, or he’s just awfully stupid, his stunned expression could mean a multitude of things. The disheveled man’s opinion held little weight, regardless of whether he was a simple commoner or an agent of some Pale City authority. Either way it was still Zarius’s choice, Vail was simply stating his opinion. He’d let the tiefling do the rest of the talking, after all, he was just as much a guest here as the contact. He leaned back once Zarius had accepted the contract. There was no need to keep the tension high anymore. He honestly wasn’t surprised by Zarius’s response, the tiefling didn’t come all the way to Sol City to return empty handed after all. Whether it be the contract, some knowledge of the Pale City political scene, or even himself, Zarius definitely had a reason for saying yes. Perhaps his choice to tag along was enough to sway the tiefling. Maybe it was a test as the tiefling had said, maybe it was to simply gather information for his family back in Darkveil, or maybe it was a convenient way to eliminate a potential threat. He smirked at that last option. They were welcome to try, he couldn’t guarantee their success, it wasn’t up to him after all. The air around the meeting was awkward, business had been sorted so it was simply a matter of the stunned man finishing his meal. Vail drank his last drink slowly; he was finally getting the brief moment of respite he came here for. It was getting late, most of the patrons had headed home for the night, a mood he was all too used to. The contact left without saying much, the guy was nervous ever since Zarius accepted his proposal. He rises from his chair as he turns to answer Zarius’s question with a pleased smirk. "Of course, sounds like fun regardless. I don’t know your full intentions, maybe you just need someone expendable in case things do go south. Whatever the case, where are we meeting tomorrow?”
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CCS Courier
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Jan 7, 2023 22:02:52 GMT -5
"At the Gold Port, I will arrange our transportation tonight so we can depart at first light."
Zarius leans back in his chair and looks at Vail.
The man had been a curiously frustrating individual to deal with these past few hours. Considering the risks of the operation they were about to embark on, he hopes that Vail won't turn out to be a loose canon or a saboteur himself. It was clear the young man had little faith in the tiefling, yet he still agreed to the mission.
Perhaps he did not fear the possibility of dying. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility either by the hands of the tiefling, the crew protecting the cargo, any assassins lying in wait to ambush them, or even the raging ocean itself. Time would tell what kind of fate would befall them on this mission. With any luck, they would both come out of it at the very least unscathed.
Zarius throws a few Solars on the table to tip the waitstaff before he too rises to his feet.
"Make sure to get some rest as well. We will need to be alert and keep our wits about us."
He bids farewell to the young man for the evening and sets out of the tavern, headed off to the docks to arrange their transportation towards the Pale City.
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Post by Vail on Jan 8, 2023 1:29:42 GMT -5
“Good, it’s been a while since I’ve been on the sea... as legal passenger, I mean.” This had been a rather interesting encounter, much more than he bargained for when he arrived at Sol City. In terms of Ash Landers, Zarius was among the most levelheaded he’d meet. He had his sights set on more than just his own personal gain, a good start, but he still wondered how far he was actually planning to go. The tiefling was clearly a blue blood, a bit too high-strung for Vail’s previous crowd. He’d have to do some digging of his own to figure out just how much his upbringing shaded his perspective. As for the Pale City, he’d have to “acquire” some warmer clothing, this worn coat wasn’t going to keep that level of cold at bay. The parts of his body that he couldn’t feel worried him the most, if frostbite were to set in unnoticed, it could be a real issue in a fight. Could his arm even get frostbite? It bled the same, but he had never experimented with extreme temperatures. He wasn’t about to start either. “Don’t worry about me, I was alert enough to sense to your gaze after all.” He gave a light wave as he headed towards the exit, a small smirk adorning his face. He’d forgotten to pay. Oh well, he was the drunk friend in this encounter after all. A small bar tab wouldn’t hurt someone who dressed that fancily, just consider it a down payment.
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