Private - The Falling Curtain

Dormont, rebuilding itself with much success, still had troubles albeit them being hidden from most citizens to prevent any sort of mass panic ensuing. Authority figures such as faithful military troops currently settled within the city and on its outskirts with more men serving as guards than known as normal. Rumors of varying details happened to spread quickly among Yladians and Humans alike who delved further and further into a state of unrest towards this presence. Despite having a dependable sense of security not many of Dormont's people could say they weren't at least curious as to what brought these scattered groups so close to their own homes. Some were flattered and took the opportunity to host their homes as a temporary resting area; others weren't so much as friendly as suspicious. The men offered no hints or words or actions that could give a possible reasoning. They were, as it was now known, there to protect the city as it was their duty to do so.

After a while the hysteria died down though conversation every now and then covered the subject. One of which Comet picked up with selective hearing and an impressive memory. Noting everything said between a group of men in shiny, clunking armor she stood up with a goal in mind. She pursued the knowledge they held of current affairs in the city clearly unknown to its inhabitants. A few daring threats that mentioned exposure and blackmail the pink-haired woman left the pub with valuable information, as well as a name. @Kijin Shihaku, who served as a commander of Southwatch, handpicked by Astorean authorities to uncover secrets of a dangerous cult lurking among innocent civilians and within the hidden underground tunnels of Adecus. Comet held both a desire to meet Kijin and to prove her strong faith for Astorea which, when shown with powerful words brought on by a rapid beating of the heart, the armored men approved of heartily. Upon revealing that she defended the Eastwatch wall the more valuable details were placed in her arms.

She was expected to meet Kijin deep within the large forest, a secluded location for safety purposes, so the two could conduct an investigation regarding cults and murders and the usage of dark magic strong enough to plague the city with deadly hexes. Not that Comet cared for others more than herself. She simply felt intrigued in the mission and would be disappointed to see Dormont fall to the hands of pathetic mages rather than an enemy kingdom. Gripping her bow out of a learned instinct the pink-haired woman traversed an increasingly dense wilderness. Every inch of it that her boots had the luxury of touching she mapped out in her head with a child-like wonder. The coordinates given had her stumbling upon a strange man whom she expected to be Kijin, but couldn't trust all the same. Approaching with a wariness Comet cleared her throat to attract attention before speaking, "I'm... I'm Comet. We're supposed to team up. If you're the right man, that is." she quirked her thin brows yet pursed her lips, never letting her tone fall out place, though she felt weak in the knees out of a anxiety running through her veins - a mixture of skeptical warnings and a bully crafted by immense insecurity.

 

The recent war had crippled Dormont and addled her coffers, but the powers that be still found a way to pay. Not that the details of how he got paid mattered, only that the gold found it's way to his pocket. Luckily for the Astoreans, today, it had.

Where the paths diverged and enlisted men stopped curtly to perform routine checkpoints, a breathless foot soldier managed to wheeze out something strangled, almost like words. Kijin stopped long enough to glance back over his shoulder. "I told the King and his Entourage that my contract is fulfilled," the mercenary intoned in a carefully measured monotone. "I have no further duty to perform in these lands."

Gold pieces spilled out from splayed fingers as the soldier gasped for air, vainly hoping the currency would persuade the swordsman to wait and hear him out. The crimson eyes youth turned and folded his arms. "You have my attention," Kijin replied.

After several ragged moments of panting like a dog, the soldier managed to speak. "If it please my Lord," he rasped, "there have been several strange reports of late, and the kingdom could think of no-one more reliable than one of its own heroes for the task-"

"Slow down" Kijin held up a hand. "There's no need to patronize me. I am a mercenary. I performed in accordance with the contract that was written. Incidental heroism does not indenture your country to me."

"Regardless," the soldier cut back in, "it was on the word of a Duke that we sought after you. He witnessed your valor at the Battle for Southwatch and attested to your skill." Kijin mumbled intelligibly as the infantryman continued his sale's pitch. "Over the past several months, dozens of citizens have gone missing. At first we considered them casualties in the conflict, but after the Falderen menace was expelled from our borders, the reports remained steady. In some instances, the number even rose dramatically."

Kijin tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his trousers. "You want me to investigate a series of disappearances," he considered the words slowly, "what other leads do you have?"

They discussed the situation at length. Kijin arched a brow as he reached up fix his collar. When the voice came from behind him l, the Mercenary spun on his heel. "Comet...?" he asked only minutes prior, but the name sounded familiar.

"Kijin," he answered. "I've recently been hired to stem the kingdom's losses." Recently within the last ten minutes, he added quietly for his own benefit.

@Comet

 

"Yeah... Wait, you got money?" her jaw went slack but the grinding of teeth kept it from falling open in owe. Her tone rang with clear disappointment and slight anger. Though she wouldn't act up, dedicated to the task at hand, the pink-haired woman already had decided a stern talking would be made to... whoever the hell would give her cash for a bit of exploration. "Anyways. Do you know where we go from here? I've heard of a cave nearby that leads underground but we've pretty much been left to our own devices. If they know things and aren't telling or don't know anything at all, I'm not sure." she paused with a deep sigh. Emerald eyes scanned their surroundings. Foliage and large trees and dense brush hid the big picture of the horizon. They seemed to be trapped, but Comet knew her way back to Dormont due to the blessing of a near perfect memory. Where exactly to head from the coordinates given to meet up with Kijin certainly was far from obvious. She'd traveled a lot of Astorea by foot but had hardly investigated caves or Adecus' tunnels.

Without fear she began inspecting their surroundings and activated Investigation mode as a form of assistance. Footsteps lit up - strange ones that she and her partner hadn't created - that led to a sketchy, overgrown but visible path once found by observant eyes. They continued behind the multitide of plants that, from the front, appeared to lead absolutely nowhere. Kicking at plants in an attempt to uncover the mystery of the trail Comet walked over to pull at the staggering, thick leafage blocking the dented pathway that would assist in their mission. She turned to @Kijin Shihaku and glared, huffing all the while to catch her breath. The attempts had been silly. Futile as well, while the male watched the pink-haired woman fret over the inconvenience in annoyance. "Do you have a sword or something so we can cut through this? I have a lead in case you couldn't tell." the passive aggressiveness rolled off Comet's tongue with a stinging ease.

OOC: my apologies for a super late reply