Kiyoka

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Viking-Sensei
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Kiyoka

Post by Viking-Sensei »

Before the creation of Tsuiraku, when the land still belonged to Farrel, Kiyoka was just a very small port village that grew out of a few logging camps. When the island became Tsuiraku, the small village started growing rapidly since it was the main point of entry into the country from Farrel in the days before the various Warp gates and airship ports were set up. Eventually it was renamed Kiyoka and grew into being far more than just a port city. Even today, with easy travel to Tsuirakushiti available in just about every major city in Farrel, Kiyoka is a popular destination for travelers coming from Farrel or Veracia due to the city being a mix of the original Farrel inhabitants and Tsuirakuans who got fed up living on a giant crowded disc floating in the air, and because it is noticeably lacking the air of 'stuck up bitchiness' that many people perceive Tsuirakushiti possesses.

Retrieved from The Sacred Archives of the Heratical Monks
Far enough south from City Center that the eateries dare not tread lest they incur the wrath of the a northernly wind blowing across the fish warehouses, a small and dusty office sits mostly neglected on a side road. The sign, which hadn't been cleaned in a good couple years (intentionally) read "Heer Thar Be Draagons", and underneath a smaller sign which read in neater print "Boldly Going Where No-One Else Is Willing To - Rates Negotiable - Experienced Wanderer On-Staff".

The inside of the office was no better than the outside - a thick layer of dust settled on most ready surfaces, a sign that the owner was a) not all that concerned with being neat, and b) not in his office very much. A large map of the known world hung along the back wall, with various push pins connected with different colored bits of string depicting the various routes available through the known (and occasionally unknown) world. Photos of various people were pinned to a second billboard; photos of strange and exotic places, of the colonies across the ocean, of lost dwarven temples, of ruined elven cities.

Across the way and against the back wall, behind a desk made of darkly-stained wood sat a fairly large man with a kitten on his head. Both appeared to be napping in the lazy afternoon sun that was filtering in through the large plate glass windows. The man had a dull brown jacket that was little more than a quilt of patches, all different shapes, sizes, and colors of various other leather garments that had not survived.

As the office clock struck 3 PM, the small gray kitten suddenly stood upright, stretched for a moment, and then fell forward in a calculated move that put it's upper body hanging down the man's face right in his line of vision. The kitten poked the man in the nose with it's paw several times, first whispering and eventually shouting "Get up! Get up! Your 3:15 appointment is due in in a few minutes! Lucas, wake up!"

Lucas opened one eye, regarded the small gray cat for a second, then reached up and scratched a spot on the cat's hips right at the base of the tail. "I doubt they're even going to show. You... should Snooze." he whispered in a gruff but friendly voice. The kitten nodded, then retreated to the safety of his head.
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Sareth
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by Sareth »

Inhaling proved to be a bad idea. Unfortunately for me, inhaling was not really optional. I could breath, or I could pass out from a lack of air. The fact that the air reeked of fish didn't matter one bit to that simple equation.

I hated Kiyoka.

Still, Kiyoka was likely to prove a healthier place for me than Saus, bad air or no. It was a large enough city to have Gewehr Wraiths around, but that was only one of the groups that might be inclined to express their displeasure about my competition through fatal methods. I may not have been the best at math, but one irritated faction was less than two. I figured my odds were better here.

I still hated Kiyoka.

Okay, honesty time. I really didn't know that I hated Kiyoka. I'd never been here before. But so far I was so very far from impressed. The docks and the warehouses nearby both had the nauseating smell of rotting fish in far more abundance than any location short of hell deserved, and seemed determined to assault me with it in the afternoon heat. While I could be fairly certain it wasn't doing it for me specifically, there was just enough doubt about the fact for me to consider it a personal insult and show my disdain for at least those parts of town I'd seen so far (which is to say, the docks and warehouses.)

Wondering if shoving a bullet up each nostril would be sufficient to block the smell, I gazed around the road I now found myself on. Apparently I had been so busy trying to ignore the smell I had managed to ignore the sights. The road the ship captain had described to me as the best way to town center (and thus food that HAD to smell better than rotted fish) had certainly been described as being larger and better traveled than the one I was on now. I had gotten turned around. Somehow.

Sometimes I was convinced Luminosity hated me. The rest of the time I was convinced Luminosita didn't give a damn about me. This was shaping up to be one of the 'hate' days.

Seeing a sign that read, "Heer Thar Be Draagons," I turned aside and strolled through the door. Much as I hated it, I needed to get some directions. Ones that would get me away from this stink. Maybe even away from Kiyoka.

I really hated Kiyoka.
Last edited by Sareth on August 13th, 2008, 3:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by DarkIntruder »

The heavy pounding of his heart. The panting of his breath. The distant shouts of the armed men looking for him. This place was starting to feel like home. Never a good thing...

Roger slowed his pace and ducked into a side alley between two of the massive fish warehouses that dominated the south end of Kiyoka. He turned and listened, trying to slow his racing pulse. The sounds of the angry dockworkers were faint, and growing more distant by the passing second. It looked like he was safe, at least for the time being.

Roger turned again and made his way to the far end of the alley, scowling and directing evil thoughts towards the burly fisherman who had taken offense at the simple joke. It wasn't Roger's fault that the guy had such a thin skin! All he had done was make a passing comment about how the man wouldn't even have to wash his hands before getting intimate with his wife, since they'd end up smelling the same anyways!

"Some guy's just can't take a joke!",Roger muttered amusingly under his breath. Adjusting his steel brimmed hat and switching the long canvas bag to the other shoulder, he stepped out into the intersecting street to survey his surroundings. He was some distance from the city centre, and was utterly lost. He had only been in Kiyoka once before, and even then he had only been there for a one-shot job, and he hadn't paid any particular attention to the city's layout.


Shrugging, he started off down the street, past the mostly empty buildings, heading north towards the city center. Hopefully he would be able to find someone to give him directions, hell, maybe even a job!

Twirling his mustache between his index finger and thumb, Roger wondered if he had made a mistake in coming back here after how the previous visit had turned out, and if he would ever escape the stench of the docks.
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Appointment Keeping

Post by Weirdonian »

"Yeah... Yeah... Well, how should I know? ... Oh, don't start that again... You were there! ... Oh, and how is that my fault? ... Yeah well, I'll pitch you into that pile of sun-brewed fish back there if you keep that up... That's better- Ah! See! There it is! And with time to spare... Yeah, I think we did... Yes, I'd say so."

Toivo was not one to be very late to appointments, though he wasn't always known for being early to them either. At a glance the locals could tell he wasn't native to the area, what with his backpack, satchels, equipment, walking stick and other assorted things making that fact abundantly clear. What was also clear was that not only did he have places to go, but until this moment he didn't have a firm idea as to where that place was, exactly. His banter with himself made the locals just a bit uneasy and so he was given a wide birth, perhaps they thought he was some nutcase or a mage from weird and far-off lands, which suited him just fine.

He paused and removed his sunglasses to give them a bit of a cleaning and to confirm the name of the place he was appointed to be shortly. Heer Thar Be Draagons, the weathered sign quaintly declared in faded and dirty lettering; this was indeed the place.

"I know, I know... Oh, come on, now. We haven't even made it to the front door yet, don't be so negative." Toivo declared. It was then that he noticed another individual enter the establishment. "Looks like we're not alone. Well, let's get on with it."

At that, Toivo pocketed his sunglasses then walked across the street and along the sidewalk headed towards the somewhat out of the way place. He paused to peek in through a window. He chuckled a bit and replied "They do indeed." before walking another two paces, opening the door and entering the establishment with a mild clatter as his backpack and assorted things brushed against the top and sides of the door. With his blue-grey eyes wide and adjusting to the darkness of the place, he looked up and greeted the stranger standing there, obviously the fellow whom entered a few moments earlier.

"Allo!"
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Sareth
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by Sareth »

"Allo!"

At the sound of the voice I turned to look at the individual who had entered the building behind me. He looked quite normal. Broad straw hat, sunglasses, jeans, shirt... Nothing to mark him out as being particularly dangerous or threatening.

He also hadn't shot me in the back. Had he been a Gewehr, he probably would have. Points in his favor. That being the case, I decided to be civil and not shoot. Shooting would probably attract attention. Not to mention the expense of the bullets.

I removed my hand from inside the robes and nodded to the fellow. "Hello." I then turned my eyes back to the shop owner, who, I had concluded, was not selling Dragons, Dagrons, Dagons, or any other permutation of the term. Whatever he was selling, one thing was certain. But just to be absolutely clear, I made sure to announce my discovery. "He's wearing a cat. Like a hat."
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by BloodHenge »

Vernon stood on a street corner, wearing his healer's "vestments". He smiled, flashing perfect teeth, as he scanned the crowd gathered around him. It wasn't quite the number of people he could usually attract in a city this size in the time he'd spent there. Maybe there would have been more of them if Kiyoka hadn't been so close to Tsuiraku. The crowd was big enough for him to work, though.

"Come one, come all!" he called out, louder than life. "Bring me your sick, and they will walk away healthy! Bring me your injured, and they will walk away whole! This humble healer will work his magic for a mere pittance, a trifle compared to the true value of good health!" He'd worked on his spiel for quite some time; he could go on for almost an hour without repeating himself, without thinking. A simple illusion lent volume and clarity to his voice, allowing him to attract more people from farther away. Of course, it would be blatantly obvious to any competent spellcaster that he was amplifying his voice, but all that would really tell them was that he did actually know some magic. It also served to mask the subtler enchantment woven into his words, carefully designed to allay skepticism and call attention to latent aches and pains.

He'd been in town long enough to get a feel for its schedule. He had already been at the docks earlier in the morning, when the fishermen had come back in on the tide. Unfortunately for him, it was a waste of time. The most serious injury any of them had brought in was a rope burn. Now, back on a street corner downtown, he was hoping either that someone had gotten hurt again, or that word of mouth had reached the last few people who hadn't already heard of him.
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by Tiamat »

Jonathan Zeve was having a bad day. Aside from the fact that he was now totally destitute, he was currently looking across the road at quite possibly the worst use of suggestive magic he'd seen in his life. The fact that the healer could actually use any meant he was probably telling at least some of the truth, but Jonathan didn't give a damn about that. He was just offended at the idea that someone would try that trick in the most mage-heavy country in the world.

Aside from the 'peddler of health,' this section of downtown was a little close to the docks. The breezes served to replace unyielding heat with fish, and then died back down to heat again. It was unbearable.

A small lizard scurried around in the alley next to him. Jonathan mumbled under his breath and pointed, and a small but significantly heavy rock appeared directly over it. There was a small 'plmf" as it landed, rather than the crack of stone hitting stone. It made him feel a little better.

"Graduate with honors from one of the best magic schools in a city filled with magic schools and what do you do with your life? You crush small, helpless animals. Your mother would be ashamed," said a small voice from beside him.

"Shut up, cat. Besides, my mother is already ashamed. She bought one of you, remember? Chances are four out of five that at any given moment she's in a state of acute embarrassment."

"Doesn't mean you have to add to it, now does it?"

"And how is she going to know, way out here?" Jonathan shouted back. Some people in the crowd stopped to look at him, while others walked a little faster. A few saw the small animal at his feet and shook their heads in pity. Luckily, no one seemed to pay attention to the lizard. Winston smiled.

Why did I make them able to do that, Jonathan thought. It's not as if a real cat can give one of those evil grins. Not with all that malice behind it. But no, I thought it was cute at the time, damn me.

What he said was "Come on, cat. Lets go."

"Sure you don't want to shout some more? Maybe she'll hear you, all the way up in the city."

Grinding his teeth, Jonathan walked off towards the docks.
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by Viking-Sensei »

Lucas looked at the pair who had entered his office, more-or-less at the same time. "Er... which one of you is the one who made an appointment with my assistant? Bob, did you get a name? Lucas held his hand up, and the small gray kitten lept from his head and landed neartly on his arm.

Bob tilted his head and his tail raised for a moment, then he returned to normal. "It was an agricultural representative named Tovio. I did not get a physical description."

"That's ok... " Lucas said, indicating Tovio with his thumb. "That's our client. I can tell by the hands. However if you would also be interested in our services, I'm sure some sort of arrangements can be made. Perhaps a group rate can be arranged if you're going the same way."

Lucas pulled two pamphlets from the shelf and handed them to the visitors. The pamphlets said in a nice runic script Heer Thar Be Dragons - Walking Tours of the Known World and went on to describe the various services offered by the company along with offering several of their more popular routes.
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Inquiries Lacking Pain

Post by Weirdonian »

Toivo smiled and bowed his head slightly to the other new patron to "Heer Thar Be Dragons". With an audible grunt of mild fatigue, Toivo then removed his heavy pack and set it to the side, near an out of the way corner in the room. A smooth, tan rock fell from a bag tied to the pack, loudly hitting the floor. Toivo winced and replied "Oh, sorry there!" as he quickly retried the rock from the floor. As he turned around, the owner was now standing before the two, welcoming them to his travel agency and confirming Toivo's appointment.

Toivo nodded as Lucas went into his presentation of his agency's various services. He flipped through the pamphlet and studied the maps in great detail, carefully holding the rock up and close to the pages. After Lucas was finished, Toivo looked up from the booklet and asked: "How much for all of them?" Turning briefly to the rock, Toivo rolled his eyes. "It doesn't hurt to ask." he declared before returning his attention back to Lucas.
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Re: Kiyoka

Post by Sareth »

I stared at the pamphlet that had been thrust into my hands for a breif moment, then back at the cat. The talking cat. Obviously the cat was a familiar. I'd encountered them before and they had always given me the odd urge to shoot them, thought I'd refrained so far. Well, except for that winged cat the white haired chick I'd seen complaining about her lack of boobs while in a museum I was staking out. He'd actually recieved a bullet to the puss. It had proven singularly ineffective and blown my cover.

This one had, so far, proven to give me only a minor itch in my palm, which wasn't worth scratching with a shot. Especially as there was someone's head under the cat of the hat.

Well, not like it was important. I was merely here for directions to some place with food so I could catch a snack before continuing on in my quest to not have my hide perforated by angry Gewehr or Ensigerium. Those directions did not have to come from someone sane. I opened my mouth to ask, but was beaten to the punch by the other person in the room.

"How much for all of them?"

I arched an eyebrow at the odd question. Was he asking how much for all of the tours? I glanced at the brochure more carefully, taking note of all the routes, locations, options... Maybe I'd just found my way out of town. All I had to do was find out if I could handle traveling with a man who wore a talking cat as a hat and a fellow who seemed inclined to backtalk to a rock.

Well, if not, bullets are cheap.

"Is there a bulk rate if you book that many locations?"
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