52 52 Royal Informants (1/2)
Donis was sitting a little lost inside the carriage with Striga. They were on their way to the nearest office for the Royal Informants, which conveniently was only a 3 hour carriage ride away in a nearby town called Bonn. Bonn was situated just outside of the swamp, giving the locals a much needed break from the drab of the swamp.
He didn't really know what to make of it all. Striga had been awfully quiet, which both helped Donis's mentality as he didn't have to constantly hear her godawful accent, and it also confused him. Striga had always seemed headstrong and knew what to do. It came with the territory of being a captain of the [Monster Specialists].
The journey was shorter than Donis expected, only taking 2 hours instead of the 3. Striga had hired a carriage with leveled up Droveries, the normal ones being kept at level 10, while these ones were level 20. It increased their stamina and strength tremendously, but it also cost more since the upkeep of a higher level Droverie also cost more.
Bonn wasn't a quaint town, it was a bustling city. There was actual colour to the place! The people wore varied colours, the buildings were shades of washed out colours, but colours nonetheless. Donis never thought he'd even care about such things.
As they drove into the heart of the city, Striga seemed to lighten up a little, pointing out the common spots for drinks and the best street food, even so far as going to explain some of the more interesting stories that carried here there.
”That's where Jimmy and I first fought 12 drunkards! What a night! We must have cleaned that entire street with their beaten bodies hahah,” she laughed as she pointed at a random looking alleyway.
”Alright, I get it, you and Jimmy are a perfect couple,” sighed Donis.
Strigas laughter immediately stopped. A chilling silence befell the carriage. Donis looked away from the windows of the carriage and back to Striga. She wore a broken smile, inching ever closer towards Donis.
”Hmm, lad. I wonder where you got the idea that the two of us are a thing?” laughed Striga. Her laugh was like listening to broken glass trying to tear up Donis himself.
”Uh well.. uh.. the two of ye? At the headquarters? I thought..” panicked Donis.
”Yes, you thought. Lets leave the thinking for the adults shall we? If you ever speak to Jimmy about being together with me, I'll fucking cut your balls off, and no potion will save them,” Striga spoke gratingly.
”Yes ma'am. I'm sorry Striga.”
”Good lad. We're here,” said Striga as a bright tone came back to her voice.
The carriage stopped in front a dark grey cathedral-like building. It had spires reaching pretty high into the sky, a metal fence all around the perimeter of the gardens that surrounded it. It looked less like an information agency, and more like a palace for a very wealthy merchant, or some sort of nobility.
The green fields of grass and gorgeous gardens surrounding the building stood out like sore thumbs in the middle of the city. Cobblestone streets littered with rubbish, beggars on the corners peddling for change. There were drunks roaming the streets even during the day, yet they never interacting with the common public.
They seemed to be a class of their own, clearly better off than even the nicer families in Vorinar. Clothes reminded Donis of some hybrid time between of the Victorian era, and a 1950's gentlemens club. Prim and proper buttoned up vests, with nice brimmed hats, flowing dresses that enhanced the litheness of the female form, and amped up their bosoms.
After having a gander around, the duo started towards the building itself. A hint of unease surrounded Donis's mind, but the straight and powerful steps of Striga kept his mind focused on the hurdle ahead. Just what is this Allfather, what does it have to do with the Dragonfury Combat Job, is it because of the corrupted memories? All of these questions pervaded Donis's mind.
Yet he couldn't linger on them for long, as the gate had opened and they were let inside by the kind looking stewardess. The Royal Informants looked closer to a bank teller than anything else. People behind magically enhanced glass, which was made to resists most types of magic, which spoke to people in one on one scenarios.
Donis couldn't hear what they were saying because the glass also had another Enchantment, [Hush]. It isolated sounds into a bubble. The people within could only hear their conversation and no other sound, the people outside of it couldn't hear theirs at all either. While [Hush] normally has a disadvantage, it's mitigated by the fact that the place is heavily guarded by both magical means and human resources.
The security of the place astounded Donis. It was large men and women clad in enchanted gear. Peeking at their statuses, they were all level 80 or above, with gear that 3+ enchantments, but all identical. Clearly the security of the place is top notch, so they can be a little more lax with the [Hush] zones.
Donis and Striga waited in line for the Royal Informant desk to open up. Once their turn arrived, they both sat down and Striga opened up the channel for dialogue.
”So, ma'am, Donis and I, Striga, have come here to request some information, or to be pointed in the direction of someone who may know about a few topics,”
”Hello dears, that seems to be a reasonable request, are you trading in favours or dealing with Erzi today?” asked the Informant.